Would you have believed the Great Moon Hoax?

It sounds preposterous today. But – beginning on today’s date in 1835 – a newspaper claimed a famous astronomer had found life on the moon, including bat-men and unicorns. The Great Moon Hoax was widely read and believed. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/great-moon-hoax-august-25-1835…

Netflix’s bizarre riff on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein oddly successful

Stranger Things’ David Harbour stars in Netflix’s Frankenstein’s Monster’s Monster, Frankenstein, which gives the first science fiction novel, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, a run for its money Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24332430-500-netflixs-bizarre-riff-on-mary-shelleys-frankenstein-oddly-successful/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…

Milky Way’s black hole just flared, growing 75 times as bright for a few hours

Even though the black hole at the center of the Milky Way is a monster, it’s still rather quiet. Called Sagittarius A*, it’s about 4.6 million times more massive than the sun. Usually, it’s a brooding behemoth. But scientists observing Sgr. A* with the Keck Telescope just observed its brightness blooming to over 75 times normal for a few hours. Source:…

MacGyvering Mars: How NASA’s Curiosity Team Worked Around A Broken Drill

As of Tuesday the Curiosity rover has been on Mars for over seven years, and this week NASA shared an interactive 360-degree panorama of the planet’s Teal Ridge. Digital Trends provides this update: Curiosity is halfway along its path through a region called the “clay-bearing unit” because the area has a high level of clay minerals. Clay minerals are of particular…

$10.7 Billion Broadcom-Symantec Enterprise Deal Creates Software Titan

An anonymous reader quotes a report from CRN: Broadcom has agreed to purchase Symantec’s enterprise business in a massive $10.7 billion deal that will break up the world’s largest pure-play cybersecurity vendor. The San Jose, Calif.-based semiconductor manufacturer said the monster acquisition is expected to drive $2 billion of revenue and $1.3 billion of EBITDA (earning before interest, taxation, depreciation, and…

Giant, active galaxies from the early universe may have finally been found

Overlooked galaxies from when the universe was younger than 2 billion years old could be the ancestors of other ancient and modern monster galaxies. Source: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/giant-active-galaxies-early-universe-may-have-finally-been-found4…

NYT Publishes Anti-Google Rant, Doesn’t Mention Author Is Facebook Board Member

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Gizmodo: The New York Times published an anti-Google screed by billionaire Peter Thiel last night but failed to mention a fun fact that readers might find relevant: Thiel sits on the board of Facebook, one of Google’s largest competitors. Thiel first blasted Google as “treasonous” last month, saying that the FBI and CIA should…