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A fleet of humanoid, open-source robots could change robotics research

Science December 3, 2023 0 Comments

Immense strides in human-robot interactions have been made over the past few years. But, all of these robots tend to be quite different.  The lack of an affordable, generalized, modular robotic platform hampers many researchers’ progress, alongside their ability to share and compare findings. The National Science Foundation, an independent US government-funded agency supporting research and education, wants to accelerate advancements…

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Elon Musk says Twitter will delete inactive users’ accounts, which could include your dead relatives

Science December 2, 2023 0 Comments

On Monday, Twitter CEO Elon Musk announced plans to delete accounts that the company deems inactive. He also warned that users may see their number of followers drop as a result of the digital house cleaning. “We’re purging accounts that have had no activity at all for several years,” Musk tweeted via his personal account. The decision prompted swift criticism…

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How a 14-year-old kid became the youngest person to achieve nuclear fusion

Science December 2, 2023 0 Comments

This story from the March 2012 issue of Popular Science covered the nuclear fusion experiments of Taylor Wilson, who was then 16. Wilson is currently 28 and a nuclear physicist who’s collaborated with multiple US agencies on developing reactors and defense technology. The author of this profile, Tom Clynes, went on to write a book about Wilson titled The Boy…

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How to make a QR code and share digital data with anyone, anywhere

Science December 1, 2023 0 Comments

Quick Response (QR) codes were popular before the COVID-19 pandemic, but now they’re everywhere, from restaurant menus to billboards. These square codes are quick and easy to use, and anyone can scan them on their mobile device using its built-in camera, no special app or update necessary.  If you’ve ever wondered how to make a QR code, know that it…

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NASA hopes its snake robot can search for alien life on Saturn’s moon Enceladus

Science November 29, 2023 0 Comments

At least 83 moons orbit Saturn, and experts believe its most reflective one could harbor life underneath its icy surface. To find out, NASA scientists hope to send a massive serpentine robot to scour Enceladus, both atop its frozen ground—and maybe even within a hidden ocean underneath. As CBS News highlighted on Monday, researchers and engineers are nearing completion of…

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Recycling plants spew a staggering amount of microplastics

Science November 29, 2023 0 Comments

An unsettling report released barely a year ago painted a grim picture of the plastics industry—only about 5 percent of the 46 million annual tons of plastic waste in the US makes it to recycling facilities. The number is even more depressing after realizing that is roughly half of experts’ previous estimates. But if all that wasn’t enough, new information…

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To build a better crawly robot, add legs—lots of legs

Science November 28, 2023 0 Comments

When traveling on rough and unpredictable roads, the more legs the better—at least for robots. Balancing on two legs is somewhat hard; on four legs, it’s slightly easier. But what if you had many many legs, like a centipede? Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology have found that by giving a robot multiple, connected legs, it allows the machine to…

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Stunt or sinister: The Kremlin drone incident, unpacked

Science November 27, 2023 0 Comments

Early in the morning of May 3, local Moscow time, a pair of explosions occurred above the Kremlin. Videos of the incident appeared to show two small drones detonating—ultramodern tech lit up against the venerable citadel. The incident was exclusively the domain of Russian social media for half a day, before Russian President Vladimir Putin declared it a failed assassination…

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