Researchers develop ‘green liver’ houseplant that cleans the air in your home
Researchers have developed a houseplant that can clean the air in your home. By genetically modifying a common houseplant, pothos ivy, to absorb chloroform and benzene, they created a plant that can "eat" these potentially dangerous compounds and use them to fuel their own growth.
‘Hippo-shaped’ asteroid to fly close to Earth this Christmas
This Christmas, an unusual visitor will be swinging through our Solar System: an asteroid shaped like a hippo. The 2003 SD220 asteroid will pass close to Earth this weekend, coming as close as 1.8 million miles from our planet. This events marks the asteroid's closest approach in more than 400 years.
Blizzard launches ‘Discipline Tracker’ to name and shame ‘Overwatch’ cheaters
Blizzard has brought in a new system to name and shame cheaters who break Overwatch's rules. The Discipline Tracker is a list of the players who have been disciplined by Blizzard for breaking the rules, showing details like the player's name, their team, and details about what infractions they committed.
Google Lens celebrates its first anniversary with redesign, OCR update
Google's image recognition app Lens has been updated to more accurately pull information from visual images that you snap using your smartphone camera. Instead of having to search using text, you can now take a picture with your phone and use that picture to search for information and similar items.
Beautiful image of young planets sheds new light on planet formation
Researchers have been examining data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array in Chile on protoplanetary disks -- the belts of dust that eventually form planets. And they have shared fascinating images of the planets from their survey, showing the various stages of planet formation.
Gorgeous images show storms and cloud formations in the atmosphere of Jupiter
NASA's Juno mission arrived at Jupiter in 2016. Since then, the solar-powered spacecraft has been orbiting Jupiter and collecting data. Now, NASA has shared an update on the progress of the mission as it reaches its halfway point, releasing stunning images of the planet as seen from orbit.
Bright ‘hyperactive’ comet should be visible in the sky this weekend
NASA has announced that an unusual green comet, 46P/Wirtanen, will be visible in the night sky this month as it makes its closest approach to Earth in 20 years. It is one of the closet comet flybys of the last 70 years, and it may be possible to see the comet even without a telescope.
Lawsuit alleges Apple falsely advertised the screen size of the iPhone X
A lawsuit alleges that Apple was dishonest in the way that it marketed the iPhone X, with two plaintiffs seeking class action status against the company for false advertising. The lawsuit alleges that despite Apple's marketing campaign, the new iPhone is not in fact all screen because of the notch.
iOS jailbreak app store Cydia shuts down purchasing
For years, iOS users who want to use their devices without the constraints imposed by Apple have been jailbreaking their devices in order to install software from outside of the Apple App Store ecosystem. But now the popular app store alternative Cydia will no longer be accepting purchases.
Researchers create a flying wireless platform using bumblebees
Researchers at the University of Washington have come up with a novel way to create a wireless platform: using bumblebees. Using mechanical drones, the batteries ran out too fast. Instead, they decided to make use of a biology-based solution, using living insects to create a mobile IoT platform.
Say cheese: InSight lander posts a selfie from the surface of Mars
NASA's InSight mission to Mars has commemorated its arrival by posting a selfie. The selfie is a composite of 11 different images which were taken by one of its instruments, the Instrument Deployment Camera. The individual images were stitched together to show the lander in its full glory.
Apple pushing update to iPhone in China in response to legal troubles
Apple has been facing legal issues in China, where sales on some iPhone models are facing a ban due to alleged infringements of patents from Qualcomm Inc. On Friday, Apple announced that it will push out a software update to users in China in hopes of resolving any potential legal issues.
Hitting ‘Check for updates’ in Windows 10 opts you into beta releases
Microsoft revealed this week that clicking the Check for updates button in Windows can opt you in to testing beta code for your operating system. They argue that people who click the button are advanced users who are seeking updates, so they will be updated to the latest optional release.
Parker Solar Probe captures first image from within the atmosphere of the sun
NASA has shared the first image from inside the atmosphere of the sun taken by the Parker Solar Probe. The probe made the closest ever approach to a star, gathering data which scientists have been interpreting and released this week. The probe reached a record-breaking speed of 213,200 miles per hour.
White dwarf star unexpectedly emitting bright ‘supersoft’ X-rays
The Chandra Observatory has discovered a white dwarf star emitting supersoft X-rays, calling into question conventional wisdom about how X-rays are produced by dying stars. The star ASASSN-16oh is producing supersoft X-rays that are not due to fusion, but instead due to hot gasses in the accretion disk.
New experiment casts doubt on claims to have identified dark matter
A South Korean experiment called COSINE-100 has attempted to replicate the claims of dark matter observed by the Italian DAMA/LIBRA experiment, but has failed to replicate the observations. This makes the fringe position that dark matter has already been identified more untenable.
Google to end support for Android devices running Ice Cream Sandwich
Anyone with an old phone that is still running Android 4.0 may want to look into upgrading their phone, as Google has announced that it will be ending support for this older version of Android. This change will only affect the 0.3 percent of Android users who are running Ice Cream Sandwich.
Can Microsoft’s Airband Initiative close broadband gap for 25M Americans?
A new report from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says that 25 million Americans do not have access to broadband internet -- more than 19 million living in rural communities. Broadband adoption in the U.S. has plateaued at 70 percent since 2010. Can Microsoft's Airband Initiative help?
Hear the sounds of wind on Mars from InSight’s latest audio recording
NASA's InSight craft has sent back audio of the sound of the surface of Mars. The audio captures the sound of the wind blowing over the lander's solar panels, as picked up by two instruments: the air pressure sensor and the seismometer, which were able to detect vibrations from the 10 to 15 mph winds.
Google Translate updated to reduce gender bias in its translations
Google has taken a step towards reducing gender bias by changing the way that Google Translate offers translations. Previously when you entered a word like doctor, Translate would tend towards a masculine interpretation of the word. Now, Translate will offer you both masculine and feminine versions.
New version of ‘The Stanley Parable’ coming to consoles in 2019
Seven years after its release, The Stanley Parable is back with an upcoming Ultra Deluxe edition with new content which will be available on consoles as well as PC. The developers haven't announced which specific consoles the game will be available on, only that the new edition will be available in 2019.
Gases around black holes form dynamic fountains, not rigid donuts
Research is shedding light on the nature of black holes. The rings of gas that surround black holes were previously thought to be donut-shaped, with the black hole in the middle. But now it seems that the gases around the black hole are in constant circulation, forming a shape like a water fountain.
SpaceX small satellite launch delayed once again for additional inspections
SpaceX had been due to launch a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 64 small satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California this weekend, but the launch had to be delayed in order to conduct extra inspections of the craft. SpaceX now hopes to go ahead with the launch on Monday instead.
Video shows ‘Alexa in space’ aboard the International Space Station
Back in June an A.I. robot called CIMON was sent to the International Space Station (ISS) to act as a voice-powered assistant to the astronauts there. Now the European Space Agency has released a video showing CIMON interacting with the ISS crew for the first time, albeit rather awkwardly.
‘Oumuamua isn’t alone: More interstellar objects found in our solar system
The 'Oumuamua space object made headlines when it was revealed to originate from outside of our Solar System, and now a new paper argues that there could be hundreds of 'Oumuamua-sized interstellar objects in our Solar System, some of which could be identifiable by the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope.
A can of beans costs more than a gold ring in ‘Red Dead Online’ economy
Red Dead Online opened in public beta this week and the responses have been positive. But one aspect of the online game has been causing a lot of controversy -- the in-game economy. Many players complain that prices for in-game items are too high and that earning currency requires too much grinding.
Kepler telescope data sheds brilliant new light on dying star
Using data from the now retired Kepler Telescope, researchers have examined a supernova called SN 2018oh and have gathered the most detailed information ever about the death of a star. Astronomers are examining the data to learn about how at the end of their lives, stars explode in a huge burst of light.
Tesla’s Model 3 currently costs $38,000 to produce but will sell for $35,000
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has told employees that the current cost for producing a Model 3 is $3,000 over the ticket price of the car. Tesla hopes that with improvements in production efficiency, this number can be brought down so that the Model 3 can become profitable to produce or at the very least break even.
InSight mission to Mars has touched down inside a cozy sandbox
NASA has shared more details about the landing of its InSight mission to Mars. The lander avoided rocks and other hazards and has touched down inside a crater. This means it sits at a slight angle, but not so steep that it will prevent the vehicle from collecting its data.
Survey of teens says social media lets them connect with friends and get support
A survey of teenagers points out the ways that social media sites can be beneficial to them. The biggest positives of social media use the teens identified were feeling more connected to their friends,the ability to interact with different people, and as a venue to get support when they are struggling.