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Phone app detects eye disease in kids through photos
It might soon be possible to catch eye diseases using just the phone in your pocket. Researchers have developed a CRADLE app (Computer Assisted Detector of Leukoria) for Android and iOS that uses machine learning to look for early signs of "white eye" reflections in photos, hinting at possible retinoblastoma, cataracts and other conditions. It works regardless of device, and is frequently prescient -- to the point where it can beat doctors.
Eco-friendly aluminum batteries might power solar and wind farms
Renewable energy might soon have storage batteries that are more environmentally friendly in their own right. Researchers have developed a new form of aluminum battery with twice the energy density of previous designs, making the technology more practical for large-scale projects like solar and wind farms while using more sustainable materials. The trick was to replace the usual graphite cathode (the positive electrode) with anthraquinone, an organic carbon-based molecule that ups the density by storing positive charge carriers coming from the electrolyte.
The Morning After: A 'Microsoft Flight Simulator' preview
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. Welcome back! Apple's latest iOS update is here, and the difference from .0 to .1 is bigger than you might expect. Also, Flight Simulator is making a comeback, and on Saturday, Elon Musk set the timetable for Starship test flights.
Elon Musk hopes SpaceX's Starship will reach orbit in six months
Elon Musk's ambitious plans for Starship extend to the timeline for its first flights. As part of a Q&A session at SpaceX's presentation, Musk outlined plans for rapid prototyping that could get the vessel into space in a short time frame. Starship Mk1 (above) at Boca Chica, Texas should have a suborbital test flight within one to two months, the executive said. After that, a competing team in Cape Canaveral, Florida will conduct a similar test with a Mk2 ship as soon as November. Mk3 will start construction in October with aims to fly in December, while the competing Mk4 could come in January. If all goes well, either Mk3 or an eventual Mk5 would fly an orbital test within six months -- no small achievement when Starhopper only flew in August.
Algorithms help robot dogs trot more like real animals
Robot dogs can move efficiently, but not all that naturally -- and no, twerking doesn't count. Virginia Tech researchers think they can do better. They're developing a combination of algorithms and sensors that help robots move with gaits more like those of real animals. The system mimics the behavior of vertebrates, whose balance control comes largely from oscillating neurons in the spinal cord, using a combination of encoder sensors (to read relative positions for joints) and inertial measurement units (to measure the body's orientation relative to the ground). The result is a mechanical canine that can walk, run and trot with more grace and speed than usual.
SpaceX's plan for in-orbit Starship refueling: a second Starship
During an update on the SpaceX Starship program, Elon Musk just showed off a brief clip that explained part of the plan for using these vehicles to reach Mars. It involved a Starship in orbit around Earth, meeting a similarly-sized vehicle to refuel before it goes on the long trip to another planet. Musk has long touted his desire to make human life "multiplanetary" and expressed this as the way to achieve his goal. He explained the Starship only requires its "Super Heavy" booster for launches from Earth, so it seems possible that the second vehicle could launch from the Moon powered only by its own Raptor engines.
Watch SpaceX's Starship presentation at 9:15PM ET (updated)
SpaceX is close to outlining the next chapter for its Starship program, and you can hear about it at the same time as anyone else. The company is streaming its presentation on the "design and development" of Starship at 9PM Eastern, with Elon Musk shedding light on the vessel at the launch facility in Boca Chica, Texas. It's not clear exactly what Musk will discuss, although there have been some clues.
The Morning After: SpaceX builds a Starship
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. Welcome to your weekend! Keep an eye out for the SpaceX live stream later today, but first, we'll recap notable news from this week, like all of the Alexa-connected stuff Amazon unveiled. Finally, Friday's news included a sex toy that promises "surprise" and yet another iOS update.
SpaceX's Starship halves come together ahead of a big event
Ten days after we got a peek at the construction of SpaceX's first Starship in Texas, CEO Elon Musk tweeted out a picture of the craft's two halves coming together. It's a timely post, as Musk is planning a press conference Saturday evening with updates on the company's programs, including its Starships. Last year Musk revealed that Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa will be the first lunar space tourist, so who knows what's in store now. This 10-story-high Mk1 will provide a perfect backdrop for his comments, but that's not all. It's also fitted with three of SpaceX's Raptor engines, that should be enough to power a test flight soon. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said he's looking forward to the event, but also noted that Commercial Crew efforts are behind schedule.
Soyuz 61 leaves a ghostly trail as it tracks toward the ISS
Yesterday, NASA's Expedition 61 mission launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on a Soyuz MS-15 rocket and docked to the International Space Station (ISS) some six hours later. From the ground, it was a spectacular liftoff as usual, but this time, the best view might have been from the space station itself. With her best friend Jessica Meir onboard, astronaut Christina Koch captured an eerie, magnificent photo of the Soyuz craft as its second stage rockets propelled it toward the ISS.
Blue Origin might not send humans to space until 2020
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin still plans to offer space tourism trips on its New Shepard rocket, but before any passengers take flight, the company is expected to launch at least two more uncrewed test flights. Tuesday, Blue Origin filed an application for its next test flight with the Federal Communications Commission, CNBC reports. The filing is for "Flight #12 on the New Shepard space launch booster and capsule." The earliest it might happen is November.
Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robot is now a gymnast
The latest footage from Boston Dynamics is, unsurprisingly, both impressive and terrifying. Over the past few years we've seen Atlas navigate uneven terrain and even jump around a parkour course. This is on another level, though. The bipedal robot does a handstand, rolls around and even does a few jumping twists -- all without losing its balance.
Lockheed Martin will help take NASA astronauts back to the Moon
NASA is going all out to support the Artemis program despite doubts that it can send humanity back to the Moon by 2024. The space agency has awarded Lockheed Martin with the Orion Production and Operations Contract (OPOC) to supply it with Orion spacecraft for future Artemis missions, including the one that'll land the first woman on the Moon. While it doesn't have a set quantity and delivery schedule, the contract includes a commitment for a minimum of six and a maximum of 12 Orion vehicles until September 20th, 2030.
Moving the largest high-performance lens ever built
Not all the most interesting telescopes need to live in space. The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) will sit on top of a mountain in Chile some 8,800 feet up and snap 3.2-gigapixel (3,200-megapixel) images of the sky every 20 seconds. All told, it will be able to snap digital images of the entire southern sky every few nights. By taking relatively long 15-second exposures, scientists will be able to study the early universe, track dimly-lit asteroids and better understand dark energy.
Australia will help NASA go to the Moon and Mars
The Australian government has announced that it's joining forces with NASA and supporting its exploration missions to Mars and the Moon, including the Artemis program. Under the partnership, NASA expects Australian businesses and researchers to contribute to its missions' needs when it comes to robotics, automation, remote asset management and other relevant areas.
Hitting the Books: Searching for ancient cities from space
Welcome to Hitting the Books. With less than one in five Americans reading just for fun these days, we've done the hard work for you by scouring the internet for the most interesting, thought provoking books on science and technology we can find and delivering an easily digestible nugget of their stories.
Get a glimpse of SpaceX's orbital Starship prototype under construction
You won't have to rely on spy shots to get a glimpse of SpaceX's orbital Starship prototype while it's under construction -- they're coming straight from the company's founder. Elon Musk has posted a pair of photos showing progress on the more ambitious spacecraft. The look won't startle anyone -- surprise, it's a much taller expansion of the Starhopper design. It does provide a good sense of scale, though, and it's a reminder that the finished Starship is meant to handle much more than putting satellites into service.
How conservationists are controlling invasive species in the 21st century
When humans colonized islands throughout the Pacific some 2,000 years ago, rats came along for the ride. The introduction of those rodents proved disastrous for the local island exosystem, a pattern than unfortunately continues to this day with no sign of slowing. Conservationists are now experimenting with high tech solutions to help keep invasive species in check.
AI can gauge the risk of dying from heart conditions
AI's ability to predict threats to your health could soon include deadly heart conditions. Researchers at MIT's CSAIL have developed a machine learning system, RiskCardio, that can estimate the risk of death due to cardiovascular issues that block or reduce blood flow. All it needs is a 15-minute ECG reading -- from there, it gauges the danger based on the sets of consecutive beats in the sample. If the data is captured within 15 minutes of an event, RiskCardio can determine whether or not someone will die within 30 days, or even up to a year later.
Initial Creative Emmy winners include Apple, Netflix and NASA
The Creative Arts Emmy awards are only half-finished, but it's already clear that streaming services are thriving -- including a few you might not expect. Netflix came home with the most statuettes on the first night of the awards, receiving a total of 15 compared to 'just' eight for next-closest rival National Geographic. Four of those went to Queer Eye for Outstanding Structured Reality Program as well as specific reality show awards for casting and directing. The animated anthology Love, Death & Robots, meanwhile, scored five awards, including the top spot for short-form animation as well as individual awards for art and design. Our Planet took two awards, those for best documentary and narration.