These decisions, together with concerns about future funding cuts, have led to an exodus of researchers from the United States, with scientists now seeking to continue their careers outside of the country. An analysis published in Nature found that 75 percent of American scientists surveyed were considering leaving the country. …
Read More »This US Company Just Successfully Tested a Reusable Hypersonic Rocket Plane
“Demonstrating the reuse of fully recoverable hypersonic test vehicles is an important milestone for MACH-TB,” said George Rumford, director of the Test Resource Management Center, in a statement. “Lessons learned from this test campaign will help us reduce vehicle turnaround time from months down to weeks.” Krevor said Talon-A carried …
Read More »The Future of Manufacturing Might Be in Space
Jessica Frick wants to build furnaces in space. Her company, California-based Astral Materials, is designing machines that can grow valuable materials in orbit that could be used in medicine, semiconductors, and more. Or, as she puts it, “We’re building a box that makes money in space.” Scientists have long suggested …
Read More »Scientists Have Just Discovered a New Type of Electricity-Conducting Bacteria
A new species of bacteria that functions like electrical wiring has recently been discovered on a brackish beach in Oregon. The species was named Candidatus Electrothrix yaqonensis in honor of the Yaquina tribe of Native Americans that once lived in and around Yaquina Bay, where the bacteria were found. This …
Read More »FEMA Is Ending Door-to-Door Canvassing in Disaster Areas
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is making significant changes to how it will respond to disasters on the ground this season, including ending federal door-to-door canvassing of survivors in disaster areas, WIRED has learned. A memo reviewed by WIRED, dated May 2 and addressed to regional FEMA leaders from Cameron …
Read More »How Mexico’s Fishing Refuges Are Fighting Back Against Poaching
It has been two hours since the divers left the coast behind. As they reach their designated GPS points in the Gulf of Mexico, their boats’ engines go from roaring to whispering. In pairs, they enter the Celestún Fishing Refuge Zone, one of the largest in Mexico. Their ritual is …
Read More »The Phony Physics of Star Wars Are a Blast
I’m a huge fan of Star Wars. The first movie (no, not Episode 1) came out when I was young, so I grew up thinking about the Millennium Falcon and lightsabers. Perhaps it sparked my interest in science—even if it’s not exactly science fiction. Oh, there’s a nice way to …
Read More »Why Pigeons at Rest Are at the Center of Complexity Theory
By January 2020, Papadimitriou had been thinking about the pigeonhole principle for 30 years. So he was surprised when a playful conversation with a frequent collaborator led them to a simple twist on the principle that they’d never considered: What if there are fewer pigeons than holes? In that case, …
Read More »Why Balcony Solar Panels Haven’t Taken Off in the US
Another issue in the US is the lack of a compatible safety device called a ground fault circuit interrupter, or a GFCI. They are typically built into outlets installed near water sources, like a sink, washing machine, or bathtub. They’re designed to minimize the risk of electric shock by cutting …
Read More »The Climate Crisis Threatens Supply Chains. Manufacturers Hope AI Can Help
Abhi Ghadge, associate professor of supply chain management at Cranfield University in the UK, says there has been “a general kind of negligence” in terms of climate resilience, though that is beginning to change. Building a detailed understanding of a supply chain can, however, be incredibly difficult, especially for smaller …
Read More »