US, UK Accuse Russia of Testing Space-Based Both the US and the UK claim to have evidence that Russia has tested an anti-satellite weapon on July 15. The weapon test has been classified as “non-destructive,” meaning it didn’t target any other satellites. That doesn’t mean it can’t, just that the …
Read More »Apple’s Thunderbolt
Apple Will Support Thunderbolt on Its Future ARM-Based Macs When Intel announced Thunderbolt 4 yesterday, one of the questions was whether companies like AMD would be able to use the standard. Intel’s slide, copied below, implies that Intel VT-d technology is required to implement TB4, due to the need for …
Read More »NASA’s MESSENGER
Mission Carries Out Space-Based Measurements of Neutron’s Lifetime Using data acquired in 2007 and 2008 during flybys of Venus and Mercury by NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft, researchers found the neutron lifetime to be 780 seconds. Cosmic rays striking Venus’ atmosphere eject neutrons that gradually fly into space. As neutrons move to …
Read More »Apple ARM-Based Laptops
Apple May Announce Move to ARM-Based Laptops at WWDC This Month Apple’s annual WWDC event is happening (virtually) later this month, and the company is expected to announce a major shift in its product roadmap. After years of rumors, Apple will reportedly confirm its plans to switch to custom ARM-based …
Read More »Study: Male Great Tits Choose Their Neighbors Based on Personality
Male great tits (Parus major) choose neighbors with similar personalities to their own, according to new research from the University of Oxford, UK. Johnson et al assessed whether a great tit breeding population is structured by personality. Image credit: Shirley Clarke / Fordingbridge Camera Club / CC BY-SA 3.0. Lead …
Read More »ARM-based Windows 10 Devices Expected to Launch in Late 2017
Microsoft has dabbled with ARM support in Windows over the years, most famously (and disastrously) when it launched Windows RT. That stripped down flavor of Windows 8 was a commercial and critical flop, but Microsoft aims to make ARM-based PCs a thing in the era of Windows 10. Qualcomm CEO …
Read More »Adobe teases AI-based tools to make great portrait photos out of lousy ones
Smartphones are by far the world’s most popular cameras, but they certainly aren’t the best. Portrait photos, for example, often look awkward because of the wide-angle lens, flat because there is limited depth-of-field, and boring, because the photographer usually doesn’t have any special skills or access to advanced post-processing tools. …
Read More »Top Movies Based on TV Shows
CHIPS was released this weekend, and as most people are aware it was based on a TV show from the late 70s to early 80s. Making movies based on TV shows has become quite a big trend, and we’re not talking about movies that tie in to the TV show …
Read More »Fam raises $1.8 million for its iMessage-based group video chat app
The iMessage App Store may have its struggles, but one app aimed at bringing group video chat into the iMessage experience is reportedly taking off. Boston-based Smack, the company behind the video chat app called Fam, has raised $1.8 million in funding from a range of investors for its top 25 Social …
Read More »Neanderthals Used Plant-Based Painkillers, Ate Rhinoceros Meat, Mushrooms, Nuts, and Moss
An analysis of ancient DNA entrapped in Neanderthal dental calculus (calcified dental plaque) has revealed the complexity of Neanderthal behavior, including dietary differences between Neanderthal groups and knowledge of medication. El Sidron Neanderthals taste wild mushrooms, pine nuts and forest moss. Image credit: Abel Grau, CSIC Communication. “Dental plaque traps …
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