8 history-making space stories of 2020
It’s been a hard year on Earth. But despite a global pandemic, scientists made huge strides in understanding the universe beyond our planet. They detected far-off signals, launched astronauts into...
Elon Musk says SpaceX to double launch pad usage for Starship tests, Super Heavy flights coming in a ‘few months’ – TechCrunch
SpaceX is set to significantly ramp up its Starship development program in the new year, in more ways than one. SpaceX CEO and founder Elon Musk noted on Twitter on...
NASA shares the iconic ‘Earthrise’ photo 52 years after it was taken
On Dec. 27, 1968, two days after Christmas in one of the USA's worst years on record, the astronauts aboard Apollo 8 returned home after almost a week in space....
Google reportedly tightens grip on research into ‘sensitive topics’ – TechCrunch
Google is currently under fire for apparently pushing out a researcher whose work warned of bias in AI, and now a report from Reuters says others doing such work at...
The world’s most suspenseful iceberg is breaking apart
Crack. Crack. Crack. Last week, iceberg A-68a was larger than Rhode Island. By Dec. 23, satellite footage showed the berg had broken apart into several (though still massive) chunks of...
DeepMind’s MuZero masters games while learning how to play them – TechCrunch
DeepMind has made it a mission to show that not only can an AI truly become proficient at a game, it can do so without even being told the rules....
The deep sea discoveries of 2020 are stunning
This spring, in a canyon over 2,000 feet beneath the Indian Ocean surface, a robot happened upon a fantastical, coiled creature. This siphonophore, found laying like loosely piled rope on...
What the first new moon rocks in decades can tell us
The newest moon rocks to have landed on Earth are now headed to the lab. On Dec. 17, the Chinese National Space Administration’s Chang’e 5 mission accomplished something no one...
Adios pandemic pals
Coronavirus in Context is a weekly newsletter where we bring you facts that matter about the COVID-19 pandemic and the technology trying to stop its spread. This is our final issue. Hola pandemic...
How mushrooms are transforming the construction industry
Construction is a major cause of pollution, both in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and waste creation. Technology design group Mogu is working on a green alternative, partnering with nature...