Astronomers worldwide agree: there’s a heck of a lot of planets out there. Thanks to tools like the Kepler Space Telescope, scientists have been discovering hundreds of new planets each year, and many believe it’s only a matter of time until we find one very similar to our own earth. The big question now is, just how common are planets, and how many of them can we expect to look like Earth—or least hold liquid water?...
The sign says “DIP.” And it’s not advertising a samba school–there’s a dip in the pavement large enough to lose a first-grader in.You touch the brakes lightly to keep from spilling your java as you traverse it. But there’s a sudden graunching noise from under your car, followed by the scream as about a gallon of fast-food coffee flenses the skin from your thigh. You pull over to inspect your leg and the underside of your car, in that order....
The idea that smartwatches are just overgrown calculator watches for early-adopting geeks, rather than true timepieces ready to rival elegant luxury wristwatches, shattered into 10,000 pieces the moment a gilded Apple Watch became a reality. Now the rest of the industry is following suit.This morning, famed watchmaker Tag Heuer said it would partner with Intel to create the first luxury smartwatch powered by Android Wear. Google’s operating system for wearables has gone into early smartwatches such as the Moto 360 and the LG G Watch R, but this is something different in fashion and presumably in price....
JPL’s Crazy Engineering series has a new segment on gecko grippers, the next generation grasping instrument from NASA. To get a tight grip on instruments, the grippers mimic the gecko, using thousands of electrically charged “follicles” to grasp onto a tool or nab an errant satellite, or simply keep something from floating away on the ISS (instead of using velcro.) It’s a technology that’s been in progress for years now, but this is a handy top-level look at how it works....
The Threat: Approximately 1000 tornadoes hit the U.S. each yearWhere: Most common in PlainsWhen: Spring and summer, usually in early eveningTornado fundamentals are easy: Get to the lowest floor in the house and put as many walls as possible between you and the twister. In tornado country, residents often install underground or basement storm shelters. For homeowners who lack basements, researchers at Texas Tech University have developed plans for DIY aboveground safe rooms created by pouring concrete into foam forms....
View full post on Twitter A transformer from Consolidated Edison (Con Ed), New York City’s sole electricity supplier, exploded at a substation in Astoria, Queens, on Thursday, creating a blue glow that could be seen across the city and as far as New Jersey. No injuries have been reported, and investigators are beginning to try and answer the question: Just what lead this transformer to explode?View full post on TwitterElectrical transformers transfer energy between circuits, switching energy from one voltage to another....
Media Platforms Design TeamAT&T’s move away from all-you-can-eat pricing on June 2 has enraged many in the tech press—most of whom, I assume, own iPhones. I agree that some aspects of AT&T’s pricing plan are unfair and even nonsensical. For example, charging an extra $20 a month for tethering, on top of an existing data plan, means that you are essentially paying twice for the same data usage. That being said, AT&T is taking its first, albeit clumsy, step toward a more equitable and sane way of moving data around the country—one that may end up solving the largely misunderstood problem of net neutrality....
The big day has finally come: NASA’s intrepid Dawn spacecraft has entered orbit around Ceres, a dwarf planet and the largest object in the asteroid belt. Ceres’ gravity grabbed the probe at approximately 7:39 am, pulling it into orbit. Dawn’s current orbiting altitude is 38,000 miles, though it will eventually descend to an orbit just 233 miles above the surface of the dwarf planet. Dawn was launched in 2007 and entered orbit around the asteroid Vesta in July 2011....
Joining the giant aluminum alloy plates used on large ships and spacecraft usually requires teams of workers with handheld arc welders. But having to rely on human labor can cause costly delays, and manufacturing companies are eager to develop new methods. One of the most promising is friction-stir welding, which uses a spinning rod to generate enough heat to soften the aluminum and to push the alloy’s molecules together with 15,000 pounds of pressure....
Media Platforms Design TeamJust 52 days since arriving on the Martian surface, NASA’s Curiosity rover (officially called the Mars Science Lab) made its first major discovery, sending back pictures of tiny rounded pebbles—evidence of a stream that once flowed on the planet’s surface.Although not the first proof of liquid water on Mars, Curiosity’s find of streambed gravel is a scientific first. The pebbles—which would not look out of place in any stream on Earth—not only suggest liquid water was on the Red Planet, but that they were part of a stream that had been flowing for quite some time....
(Published in the April 2003 issue)More: Jay Leno’s M-47 Patton Tank Engine CarIt was the largest, most powerful rocket ever built and, having served as the launch platform for the Apollo manned moon mission, probably qualifies as the most famous rocket as well.The Saturn V’s task may have been the most monumental in a clearly audacious project. While earlier rockets struggled to put even small capsules into Earth orbit, the Apollo program needed to heft a complex package consisting of a Command Module, a lunar lander and a capsule capable of returning home after a round trip of more than a half-million miles....
Sweat gets a bad rap. We blame it for stink. We accuse it of staining clothes and ruining white tees, and we react in disgust when it appears. But this ill will toward perspiration is misguided. Truth is, we need sweat — we just also need the right antiperspirant like Degree Men Black + White Deodorant to fight it and protect our clothing from white marks and yellow discolorations.When your body starts to heat up, whether it’s because of exercise, work, or outside temperature, your brain reacts by releasing sweat from the more than 2....
Think you’ve had enough Star Wars: The Force Awakens merchandise? Think again. Now you can impress your guests with giant ice spheres in the shape of the beloved droid BB-8. Because who wants regular ice anyway? It’s so square and boring. Memorabilia manufacturer Kotobukiya will start selling these silicon molds in March, though you can probably use them to make more than just ice. Who knows? Maybe soon you’ll be able to have the entire cast floating around in your drinks....
Who needs to buy a camper when you can just build your own out of LEGO? The makers of this fully-functional teardrop style camper—or apparently “caravan” if you’re British—must have asked themselves exactly that. 12 weeks, 215,158 bricks, over 1,000 man-hours, and one Guinness World Record later, their labor of love is complete. Currently on display at the Motorhome & Caravan Show 2015, this camper is not just a gimmicky showpiece....
Media Platforms Design TeamNow that we’re in a post-physical format era and can look back fondly on vinyl as the ultimate champion of audio, we can also finally admit that CDs are garbage. Pieces of plastic that sound pretty for a while before coming undone, becoming useless, and making us wonder why we all dropped so much money on getting replacement cases for a format we’d ultimately just come to resent....
Media Platforms Design TeamWhat makes the Oculus Rift so disruptive to the current gaming market?The games industry is at the end of a very long console cycle, one that is definitely showing its age. People want a truly next-generation gaming experience, but next-generation consoles are looking to be more of the same. The Rift, on the other hand, is something that clearly brings new things to the table. What were some of the biggest obstacles in developing the Rift?...
Media Platforms Design Team MUNICH, Germany— If you think diesels might be a hard sell in the U.S., consider that it took over a decade for Europe to embrace the fuel fully. Compared to Mercedes-Benz, BMW came relatively late to the diesel game in 1983 with its 524td. But since then, BMW has steadily increased its focus, with diesels now comprising 71 percent of European sales. BMW hopes that roller-coaster gas prices (and a projected decline in diesel costs) will create a paradigm shift in the U....
On-Sale Date: Late September 2011Price: $14,000Competitors: Ford Fiesta, Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit, Nissan Versa, Mazda 2, Hyundai AccentPowertrains: 1.6-liter four-cylinder, 138 hp, 123 lb-ft; six-speed automatic, six-speed manual (LX trim); FWD EPA Fuel Economy (city/highway): 30/40 sedan; 29/39 hatchback. What’s New: Kia’s design shop in Irvine, Calif., overhauled the Rio’s styling from bumper to bumper in an attempt to convey power, agility and aggressiveness—qualities Kia believes will capture the attention of the young and restless....
Media Platforms Design TeamMuch like the fictional cleaning robot currently packing movie theaters, robots are being used to clean humanity’s worst messes. At Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington State, where plutonium for Cold War nukes was made, robots are on the front line of the cleanup effort. The job is to empty about 150 basketball-court-sized tanks of nuclear and chemical waste before their contents reach the Columbia River. Exposure to the material would kill a human within moments....
Tires are arguably the most important component on your vehicle. They are, however, among the least understood features. Allow me to list and pop a few common misconceptions about tires.1. The tire-pressure monitoring system (TPMS) in my new car makes sure my tires are adequately inflated. The truth: TPMS isn’t required to issue a warning until pressure is 25 percent below the vehicle manufacturer’s recommendation. That’s “well below the pressure required for safe driving,” according to AAA and “barely adequate to carry the vehicle’s maximum load,” says the Rubber Manufacturers’ Association....
