Nobel laureate Otto Hahn is credited with the discovery of nuclear fission. Fission is one of the most important discoveries of the 20th century, yet Hahn considered something else to be his best scientific work. In 1921, he was studying radioactivity at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Chemistry in Berlin, Germany, when he noticed something he could not explain. One of the elements he was working with wasn’t behaving as it should have. Hahn had unknowingly discovered the first nuclear isomer, a
A team of researchers from Austria recently developed an AI-powered drone capable of tracking moving objects through dense foliage. So much for escaping to the woods and living off the land if the machines ever rise up against us. Per the team’s research paper: While detecting and tracking moving targets through foliage is difficult (and often even impossible) in regular aerial images or videos, it becomes practically feasible with image integration … This finding together with the implementatio
While the real-life Delorean still can’t go back to the future, Google’s Street View vehicles can now transport us to the past. Historial images captured by the cars have been assembled in a tool that shows how places have changed over time. The feature was previously only available on the desktop version of Google Maps, but is now available on smartphones. “Street View is all about capturing the world as it changes, and it’s also a powerful way to reminisce about the past,” said Ethan Russell,
The EV industry is striving to develop fast-charging batteries that’ll make range anxiety a thing of the past — and it seems that whoever gets there first will have an enviable advantage. On Tuesday, Polestar officially threw its hat in the ring, announcing its investment in the Israeli battery manufacturer StoreDot. To create extreme fast-charging (XFC) batteries, StoreDot has used two different techniques. First up, it has replaced the conventional graphite in the battery’s anode with silicon
Twitter reports that fewer than 5% of accounts are fakes or spammers, commonly referred to as “bots.” Since his offer to buy Twitter was accepted, Elon Musk has repeatedly questioned these estimates, even dismissing Chief Executive Officer Parag Agrawal’s public response. Later, Musk put the deal on hold and demanded more proof. So why are people arguing about the percentage of bot accounts on Twitter? As the creators of Botometer, a widely used bot detection tool, our group at the Indiana Unive
Fans of Apple-powered smart devices, rejoice — it’s rumored there’ll be a new HomePod released either at the end of 2022, or the start of 2023. What’s currently unclear is whether this will be a direct replacement for the now-discontinued original HomePod, or if Apple is going to release a model that’s sized in between this and the mini — as has been reported in the past. It isn’t all plain sailing though. According to renowned leaker and analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple won’t make any substantial c
At last: Apple’s apparently upgrading the selfie camera on the upcoming iPhone 14. That’s from a report from a South Korean outlet Electronic Times Internet, which noted that the company has placed an order with LG Inno for front cameras that might cost thrice as much as that of the iPhone 13. Sure, there’s no guarantee that using a costlier component translates to the iPhone 14’s selfie camera being otherworldly. But combining Apple’s camera computing and new hardware, we might get a winning co
Renault’s newest concept car isn’t just a looker — there’s a lot more to this prototype than just design. And yes, milk bottles are involved. Credit: Renault An unusual hybrid Called the Scenic Vision, the vehicle is a hybrid, but not in the usual sense. Its 215hp electric motor and 40kW battery are coupled with a 16kW hydrogen fuel cell. The car maker explains that by combining electric and hydrogen power, it can run a battery that’s twice as light, while offering the same range. And speaking o
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that, worldwide, nearly one in three (27%) women aged 15-49 years have been subjected to some form of physical and/or emotional violence by their partners. Domestic violence hasn’t decreased in the digital era, as abusers often use technology to stalk, exploit, and control their victims. According to research, such technology-based abuse features everyday tools, from smart devices to online platforms and mobile apps. For example, abusers who have phy
The United States Congress recently held a hearing into US government information pertaining to “unidentified aerial phenomena” (UAPs). The last investigation of this kind happened more than 50 years ago, as part of a US Air Force investigation called Project Blue Book, which examined reported sightings of unidentified flying objects (note the change in name). The current hearings are the result of a stipulation attached to a 2020 COVID-19 relief bill, which required US Intelligence agencies to