The importance of the space industry in a post-pandemic world
With all of the immense challenges we face on Earth this year, space can feel like an afterthought. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the hope of a growing space industry was...
New Hubble image of ‘fluffy’ galaxy is spectacular
The European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA released a new image Thursday taken using the Hubble Space Telescope and showing a very detailed look at the unique spiral galaxy known...
We won’t reach other solar systems for a while — robots could visit them first
Many great movies and television shows, including the Lost in Space reboot, show various versions of interstellar travel. SpaceX and the new space race are making space geeks salivate at the thought....
Behavioral science is key to making the UK’s track and trace app a success
Originally planned to roll out in May, the UK’s track and trace app has now been delayed until winter. Part of the government’s wider test, track and trace strategy, the...
Tech giants unveil breakthroughs at computer vision summit – TechCrunch
Computer vision summit CVPR has just (virtually) taken place, and like other CV-focused conferences, there are quite a few interesting papers. More than I could possibly write up individually, in...
Why girls are less likely to pursue a career in STEM — even though they score just as high as boys at school
Last month, the Australian Academy of Science published a report showing the COVID-19 pandemic would disproportionately affect women in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) disciplines. The report noted...
NASA’s ‘smell of space’ could soon be available as a perfume
Have you ever wondered what outer space smells like? If you assumed it smells like nothing up there — as I did for 26 years — you're wrong. Astronauts have...
Festo’s latest biomimetic robots are a flying feathered bird and ball-bottomed helper arm – TechCrunch
You could be excused for thinking that German robotics company Festo does nothing but put together fabulous prototype robots built to resemble kangaroos, jellyfish, and other living things. They do...
Large doses of vitamin D may protect you from COVID-19 — but it’s also toxic
It has been suggested that taking vitamin D may protect people from getting COVID-19. But should we be using supplements to ward off the virus? We need to separate fact...
How the pandemic could dethrone the larks
When the light starts to fade in the evening is when I start feeling it. A rush of heightened awareness, a palpable sense of increased IQ, like my brain is...