LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 16, 2023--

The fediverse is expanding. WordPress released version 1.0.0 of the ActivityPub plugin last week, allowing

NASA has lifted the lid on its first findings about the Bennu sample, one of the "most hazardous known asteroids". The highly-anticipated sample from the OSIRIS-REx’s mission took seven years to complete and finally made a safe landing on Sunday 24 September. Scientists audibly gasped upon opening the capsule. They kept details to a minimum and maintained a slow pace in progress for "good reason," as they received more material than expected. "The abundance of material found when the science canister lid was removed earlier this week has meant that the process of disassembling the TAGSAM (Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism) head – which holds the bulk of material from the asteroid – is off to a methodical start," they said a the time. That was until now... On Wednesday 11 October, the space agency shared details for the first time from NASA experts and the University of Arizona. NASA said there were signs of water and carbon on the sample through hydrated clay minerals that contain carbon. "At nearly 5% carbon by weight, carbon being the central element of life, far exceeding our goal of 60g, this is the biggest carbon-rich asteroid sample ever returned to earth," Administrator Bill Nelson said, adding that it was "exactly the kind of material that we wanted to find." He went on to suggest that "they are going to help us determine the origin of elements that could have led to life" and provide a greater understanding of how to protect Earth from asteroids. Scientists also revealed that the sample contained space dust from asteroid Bennu. NASA showed the audience the sample on a video to protect the sample and to prevent contamination. Speaking about working through a glove box to analyse the sample, Francis McCubbin, astronomical curator at NASA's Johnson Space Centre said: "[It is] "hard, challenging work, and it does not go quickly, but we need to do this right". The samples will be preserved so that "scientists that aren't even born yet are going to have the opportunity to answer questions about our universe with these samples using technology that has not even been invented." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

A robotic dog called Spot was brought into survey two former Cold War weapons testing facilities, which are unsafe for humans to enter due to decaying concrete. The National Trust said bringing the tech to Orford Ness in Suffolk to conduct a first measured survey of the historic structures was “a key part of our commitment to ongoing research at our places”. The remote shingle spit was used as a military test site during both world wars and into the nuclear age, before the Ministry of Defence sold it to the conservation charity in 1993. The robotic dog, with a camera mounted to the top and four hinged legs, is controlled remotely and from a safe distance to explore spaces where it is unsafe for humans to go. It was used, alongside drones, to survey two laboratories known as pagodas or Labs 4 and 5 at Orford Ness. Both are classified as scheduled monuments. They were constructed in 1960 to carry out environmental tests on the atomic bomb, mimicking the rigours to which a weapon might be subjected before detonation, including vibration, extremes of temperature, shocks and G forces. Although no nuclear material was involved, a test failure could still have resulted in a catastrophic explosion. For this reason, the labs were specially designed and constructed with a shingle top which would absorb and dissipate if an explosion occurred. Glen Pearce, operations manager at the National Trust’s Orford Ness, said: “This is a really exciting opportunity for us to see inside labs four and five, the ‘pagodas’. “The buildings have always had a certain mystery about them. “When they were built and in use during the Cold War, they were shrouded in secrecy, and after they were decommissioned, they fell into disrepair. “Nobody has been able to go inside for several years due to safety reasons. “This is the first time the National Trust has employed this kind of technology and it’s a key part of our commitment to ongoing research at our places. “It could change the way we, and our visitors, engage with the structures at Orford Ness as well as other scheduled monuments and buildings deemed unsafe to enter.” No measured surveys have been completed of the buildings before, the conservation charity said. National Trust archaeologist Angus Wainwright said: “Historic England’s research into the buildings made us realise how significant they are, on a national and international scale. “These are some of the few Cold War buildings that are on this monumental scale and visitable by the public. “The buildings used to be quite safe so we could go in and out as much as we liked, but now they are getting more risky as the concrete decays. “That’s why we are doing this survey in this remote way, without anyone going into the buildings. “It’s all very experimental, to see if it’s possible to do a really detailed building survey with no human operator in the building.” The structures are part of the National Trust’s curated decay policy and have been left to nature, with their roofs becoming nesting sites for lesser black-backed gulls, which are on the UK’s amber conservation list. Colin Evison, innovation technical lead at BAM, said it was a “fantastic opportunity to put into action our agile mobile robot Spot”. He said the survey would provide a “comprehensive and valuable record of this historic environment for future generations”. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Period and fertility tracking apps scrutinised over data security concerns Russian cyber-attacks ‘relentless’ as threat of WW3 grows, expert warns Warner Music sign first digital character Noonoouri and release debut single

'All leads have to be followed because you never know which one is going to be the one that gets you there,' an ex-FBI agent said

It is possible to mourn something you love while celebrating its loss. RIP your Google

The US and Alphabet Inc.’s Google are facing off in a trial over claims the company engaged in

Disney will dramatically increase the price of its streaming service. Disney+ prices will rise by as much as 27 per cent, with the company saying that it is facing a challenging market. At the same time, the company will roll out an ad-supported tier in the UK, that will allow customers to subscribe for £4.99 per month. And its chief executive, Bob Iger, said that next year it would be looking to launch a password sharing crackdown to attempt to force different households to have their accounts. The moves follow similar changes at Netflix and other streaming services, many of which have recently launched price increases, ad-supported tiers and password sharing crackdowns of their own. The introduction of the new ad-supported tier in the UK means that the price of access to Disney+ has dropped. Prices previously started at £7.99. The new changes will also bring a new option, called Disney+ Standard, which will cost £7.99. That comes at the current price but removes options such as 4K streaming and the ability to stream on four devices at once. The existing tier will become Disney+ Premium and cost £10.99 per month. If users do not opt out of that change, they will face a £3 per month price increase. Similar price increases will go into effect elsewhere, across the US and Europe. In. the US, the price of Disney+ will rise up to 27 per cent, to $13.99 per month, and a similar rise will go into effect at Hulu. Disney’s announcements came as it revealed its recent quarterly results, doing which chief executive Bob Iger acknowledged that the entertainment company faces a “challenging environment” in the near term. But he emphasized progress in cutting costs and focusing on creativity, even as quarterly results showed Disney‘s soft spots. Disney’s stock rose nearly 3% in after-hours trading, as Iger touted $1 billion in operating-income improvement at the company’s streaming business over the last three quarters, which is aiming for profitability in 2024. He said Disney will reduce the number of titles it releases and also the cost per title. Disney said it cut losses at its streaming video services to $512 million in its fiscal third quarter from about $1.1 billion a year ago. It added 800,000 Disney+ subscribers, 100,000 subscribers shy of analyst estimates, and shed 12.5 million subscribers to the Disney Hotstar service in India, or nearly a quarter of its subscribers, as it gave up rights to Indian Premiere League cricket matches. “Disney will have to cut prices from current levels in an effort to stimulate demand and defend its market share in an increasingly competitive industry,” said Jesse Cohen, senior analyst at Investing.com. Additional reporting by agencies Read More How much of a threat does AI really pose? Get your ticket for our free event Elon Musk reveals more dramatic details of fight against Mark Zuckerberg Warning over ‘dangerous’ carbon monoxide alarms for sale on eBay and Amazon How much of a threat does AI really pose? Get your ticket for our free event Elon Musk reveals more dramatic details of fight against Mark Zuckerberg Warning over ‘dangerous’ carbon monoxide alarms for sale on eBay and Amazon

Microsoft’s $75 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard is on the path to closing after U.K. regulators cleared the deal. However, Big Tech could face further challenges from British authorities.

Karpowership, the Turkish company seeking to install ship-mounted power plants in South African ports, is appealing a decision

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 1, 2023--

Microsoft Corp. has decided to freeze pay for all full-time workers this year to help it navigate macroeconomic