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Latest by G. Torbet

The spiral galaxy NGC 4651, captured in by the Hubble Space Telescope in an image released on March 30, 2020.

The peaceful-looking Umbrella Galaxy has a violent, cannibalistic past

The Hubble Space Telescope has captured another image of one of the strange and wondrous sights of our universe -- this one showing the Umbrella Galaxy.

U.K. internet service providers lift caps on broadband data

The U.K. government has reached an agreement with telecommunications companies to lift all data allowance caps on broadband plans.
microsoft game pass subscription deal play xbox

Microsoft makes tweaks to Xbox Live and Teams to handle spike in demand

Microsoft is adjusting its cloud services to manage the huge surge in demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
A Pc gamer playing games.

The World Health Organization wants you to stay at home and play video games

The World Health Organization has teamed up with the gaming industry to launch a campaign which encourages people playing video games online.
Facial Recognition Composite

Microsoft will no longer invest in facial-recognition technologies

Microsoft is divesting its shares in AnyVision, an Israeli facial-recognition company alleged to be contributing to mass surveillance in the West Bank.
small businesses scramble to get online as coronavirus spreads uk government advises public avoid theatre  pubs and more due

U.S. government uses mobile location data to track movements during outbreak

The U.S. government is using cellphone location data to track the movements of people during the outbreak of coronavirus.
Voyager 2 took this image as it approached the planet Uranus on Jan. 14, 1986. The planet's hazy bluish color is due to the methane in its atmosphere, which absorbs red wavelengths of light.

Uranus is losing its atmosphere because of its weird wobbly magnetic field

A new analysis of 30-year-old data has revealed that the huge magnetic bubble surrounding the planet Uranus is siphoning its atmosphere off into space.
coronavirus crisis not ready for an online first world analysis zoom conference lifestyle image

Zoom iOS app will no longer send data to Facebook following backlash

Zoom's iOS app was sending some data about users to Facebook, which was not made clear in the app's privacy policy. Now the app has been updated.
A placard commemorating NASA's "Send Your Name to Mars" campaign was installed on the Perseverance Mars rover on March 16, 2020, at Kennedy Space Center. Three silicon chips (upper left corner) were stenciled with 10,932,295 names and the essays from 155 finalists in NASA's "Name the Rover" contest.

11 million names to be carried to Mars on NASA’s Perseverance rover

When it heads to the red planet, NASA's Perseverance rover won't just carry scientific instruments, it will also carry the names of millions of space fans.
Illustration of the SpaceX Dragon XL as it is deployed from the Falcon Heavy's second stage in high Earth orbit on its way to the Gateway in lunar orbit.

SpaceX selected to deliver cargo to NASA’s Lunar Gateway space station

NASA has announced SpaceX as its first commercial partner for Gateway, part of the Artemis program to have astronauts back on the moon in the next few years.
Amazon Warehouse

Lawmakers says Amazon is failing to protect the health of its workers

U.S. lawmakers lead by Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Ilhan Omar have called on Amazon to do more to protects its workers from coronavirus.
iPhone XS held in hand

Apple’s manufacturing is back on track, but will there be demand for iPhones?

Apple will be able to manufacture more iPhones now that its factories have reopened, but there are concerns about the demand for these items.
The new COVID-19 app and website provide the latest information and guidance from the CDC for users across the US.

Apple launches coronavirus screening app and website

Apple has released a tool for people in the U.S. to check whether they might be infected with coronavirus and whether they should be seeking medical treatment.
This image shows plains North of the Southwestern Juventae Chasma, a canyon part of the gigantic Valles Marineris system.

See the strange and beautifully layered terrain of Mars’ Juventae Chasma

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has captured a particularly stunning image of the strange ridges and channels formed by erosion on the Red Planet's surface.
Echo Alexa

Alexa can now help assess whether you might have coronavirus

Amazon Alexa can now offer advice to users who are worried that they may have contracted coronavirus, officially called COVID-19.
Crew Dragon capsule

Problem in parachute test forced SpaceX to drop its mock spacecraft

NASA is confident the planned launch of the Crew Dragon will still go ahead
A digital map of the U.S.

Survey shows teens without broadband internet less confident about their future

A new survey conducted jointly by Microsoft and 4-H shows that teenagers are keenly aware of how important broadband access is to their future prospects.
IBM's Summit Supercomputer

Supercomputer consortium to fight coronavirus with processing power

The fight against coronavirus is getting support from 16 supercomputers thanks to a consortium of agencies and companies including Amazon, Google, and NASA.
NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy suits up for spacewalk training at the Neutral Buoyancy Lab at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in preparation for his upcoming Expedition 63 mission to the International Space Station

All traditions are scrapped: Keeping coronavirus off the ISS

With the outbreak of coronavirus affecting every area of life, you might be surprised that space agencies intend to send more astronauts to the ISS next month.
Google's new coronavirus information website

Google’s coronavirus info site is live (but not as Trump described it)

Google has launched a COVID-19 Information & Resources site that's intended to provide information about the coronavirus pandemic for the general global public.
amazon prime video streaming new releases in theater movies 2020

Amazon Prime Video offers streaming of new theatrical releases

Some movies are being released online for streaming while they are still in theaters through Amazon Prime Video's in-theater rental service.
Lyft Rideshare

Lyft will deliver meals and medical supplies in shelter-in-place locations

Lyft announced it would support the delivery of medical supplies and meals in areas of the U.S. most affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Amazon Warehouse Worker

Amazon raises overtime pay for warehouse workers, but holds back one benefit

Amazon warehouse workers who are paid an hourly wage will now receive double pay for working overtime over 40 hours per week.
awesome online map shows off iss astronauts amazing earth photos hadfield on

How to survive self isolation, according to an astronaut

Retired Canadian astronaut and national treasure Chris Hadfield has made a video offering advice on how to cope with isolation during the coronavirus outbreak.
cdc microsoft coronavirus chatbot re m365cs19 studio android 0148 1536x1024 1

CDC’s coronavirus self-checker chatbot advises whether you need medical care

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a chatbot which offer advice about whether people may be infected with coronavirus,
This image shows a region of space called LHA 120-N150.

See massive stars being born in a corner of the Tarantula Nebula

The Hubble Space Telescope has captured a stunning image of a region of massive star formation called LHA 120-N 150 on the outskirts of the Tarantula Nebula.
Artist's conception of the James Webb Space Telescope

NASA suspends work on the James Webb Space Telescope

NASA is suspending work on its troubled James Webb Space Telescope due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Amazon sign on warehouse

U.S. senators call on Amazon to do more to protect the health of its workers

Following a case of coronavirus in a U.S. Amazon warehouse, four senators have called on the company to do more to protect its workers from the outbreak.
A cropped closeup of the Curiosity rover's selfie.

Curiosity rover snaps a selfie of Mars’ rocky Greenheugh Pediment

NASA's Curiosity rover recently conquered its steepest ever slope in area called the Greenheugh Pediment, which the rover captured in a selfie.
peloton tread strategy

Peloton won’t sell or deliver treadmills as part of social distancing efforts

The popular fitness company Peloton is suspending sales of its Tread treadmills, as delivering them to customers' homes poses a risk of spreading coronavirus
A close-up view of the bucket drums on Regolith Advanced Surface Systems Operations Robot (RASSOR) in the regolith bin inside Swamp Works at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 5, 2019.

NASA asks for the public’s help to design a robot for digging on the moon

NASA has developed a robot for digging on the moon, and it wants the public's help in designing a part of it called the bucket drum.
NASA's Mars 2020 rover, now called Perseverance, undergoes processing at a payload servicing facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Feb. 14, 2020.

NASA’s Perseverance rover almost ready for its trip to Mars

NASA has completed installation and testing of one of the final parts of the Perseverance rover, which is set to explore the Red Planet in a few months' time.
nasa sls progress update block 1b in flight tw adj 1

NASA suspends work on Space Launch System and Orion, may delay moon mission

Following outbreaks of coronavirus at a number of its facilities, NASA has announced that it will suspend both its Space Launch System and Orion projects.
Astronaut in space

How to keep astronauts sane: The psychology of long-duration space missions

If we ever hope to send a manned mission to Mars, then we're going to have to confront not only out technological but also our psychological limitations.