A timely mobile alert may have prevented hundreds of thousands of Californians from being plunged into darkness in the middle of a heat wave Tuesday night. Just before 5:30 p.m. local time, California’s grid operator ordered its highest level of emergency, warning that blackouts were imminent. Then, at 5:48 p.m., Read more…
A nuclear fusion reaction has lasted for 30 seconds at temperatures in excess of 100 million degrees celsius. While the duration and temperature alone aren’t records, the simultaneous achievement of heat and stability brings us a step closer to a viable fusion reactor — as long as the technique used Read more…
An international team of scientists says it has discovered two new “super-Earth” type planets about 100 light-years away, one of which may be suitable for life. Unlike any of the planets in our solar system, the nearly 1,600 known super-Earths are larger than Earth, but lighter than icy planets like Read more…
Apple CEO Tim Cook dismissed the idea of adopting RCS messaging to put an end to the green bubbles that surround messages when iPhone users text someone on an Android device. From a report: “I don’t hear our users asking that we put a lot of energy in on that Read more…
The rise of fintech services and digital banking could spur financial risks and potentially a crisis over the long term, Michael Hsu, Acting Comptroller of the Currency, a major U.S. bank regulator, warned on Wednesday. “I believe fintechs and big techs are having a large impact and warrant much more Read more…
In a new study, published Monday in the journal npj Flexible Electronics, an international team of researchers revealed it has engineered a system to remotely control the legs of cockroaches from afar. The system, which is basically a cockroach backpack wired into the creature’s nervous system, has a power output Read more…
The United States is likely to start recommending COVID-19 vaccines annually, health officials said on Tuesday, as new boosters designed to fight currently circulating variants of the coronavirus roll out. By the end of this week, 90% of Americans will live within five miles (8 km) of sites carrying updated Read more…