The unplanned bump by the craft that landed on a comet turned out to be a bonus for scientists. Staff on the Rosetta project say the double-landing has given them additional useful data that could even boost a theory about how life came to Earth. The Philae probe successfully reached comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko last October but […]
A new “three-dimensional” form of computer memory is said to offer permanent storage while being a thousand times faster than flash-based technology. Makers Intel and Micron believe its main use may be as an extension to RAM in computers. The 3D XPoint technology is going into production now and the first units should be tested […]
Leading figures in the science and tech world have called for a ban on weapons that can “select and engage targets without human intervention.” Stephen Hawking and Steve Wozniak are among those who say such weapons would undermine the wider use of artificial intelligence. The letter was released to mark the International Joint Conferences on […]
San Francisco is testing pee-resistant walls on city buildings to cut down on the side effects of people seeking relief. The move is relatively expensive so officials will wait to see how effective it is before extending the program. According to SF Gate, the city has received 375 requests to clean up urine in the […]
The Electronic Sports League is to introduce a drug testing program supported by two of the major anti-doping sports group. It follows player Kory Friesen saying he took an ADHD medicine to boost his performance and claiming other teammates did the same. The program will be developed with Europe’s NADA (Nationale Anti Doping Agentur), though […]
The man in charge of Xbox says the company is working on supporting mice for playing games on the console. It will go with existing keyboard support, though it won’t immediately mean playing PC games on the console is possible. Phil Spencer revealed the plans in response to a question on Twitter about streaming between […]
It’s no secret that some online video gamers make hostile and harassing comments over voice chat. A new study suggest that men who do so against women are, quite literally, a bunch of losers. The researchers found a clear link between how well a player performed in a game of Halo 3 and how likely […]
The first delivery by drone in the US has been made successfully. Unfortunately for enthusiasts, the news has been overshadowed by other drone incidents involving guns and fire. The delivery took place in Virginia under special approval from the Federal Aviation Authority. To be fair, it was more of a demonstration of the technology of […]
Ford is working on “intelligent” car headlights that will automatically adjust to the layout of the road and hazards such as cyclists and even animals. The company’s cars already have some smart features to adjust the headlights automatically rather than rely solely on driver actions. For example, many models will automatically switch from high beam […]
A modular phone that can be upgraded and replaced piece-by-piece is now available for pre-order. The Fairphone 2 is designed to have an extended life as part of an overall enivronmentally-friendly philosophy by the makers. The original concept of the phone was designed to be “socially conscious” and deal with the problem that some of […]