Scientists prove that microbes could survive on Mars

Microbes could survive on Mars despite its harsh environment, a year-long experiment conducted by a team of astrobiologists from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville has proven. Sure, that’s a little less exciting than proving that little green men could have lived on the red planet. But it still brings up the possibility that there may have been life on Mars at one point, no matter how small. The scientists were compelled to conduct a study when Curiosity detected the presence of methane. Most of the methane on Earth is produced by living organisms, and team leader Rebecca Mickol said the “the same could possibly be true for Mars.”

A group of microorganisms called methanogens found in marshes and in the guts of cattle produce the natural gas on our planet. Methanogens don’t need oxygen or photosynthesis to live, so the most likely way for them to survive on Mars is if they’re found underneath the surface, protected from the red planet’s high levels of ultraviolet radiation.

Since we can’t exactly fly cows to Mars for an experiment, the scientists grew microbes in test tubes with liquids representing fluids that could have flowed underneath the Martian surface long ago. They also replicated the extremely low atmospheric pressures of the area underneath the Martian surface within each test tube. Plus, they subjected the organisms to freezing temperatures to emulate the planet’s.

[Image credit: Rebecca Mickol]

After almost a year of experiments on four different species, the scientists found that all of them managed to survive under those harsh conditions for three to 21 days. Mickol warned, however, that the methane on Mars could have been a product of volcanism and other factors. Their study merely explores the possibility of “life — bacteria or tiny microorganisms — somewhere else in the Universe.” After all, there’s an abundance of life even in extremely unfriendly environments here on Earth.

Source: Astrobiology at NASA

Samsung blames two different battery flaws for the Note 7 fires

Well, after months of speculation, Samsung has finally announced the results of its Galaxy Note 7 investigation. The official line: those fires were caused by two distinct battery flaws (just as a recent report suggested), not a hardware or software issue. The first flaw had to do with how the Note 7’s original batteries were manufactured: their casings were too small to safely fit the electrode assembly inside, which lead to short-circuiting.

Samsung’s suppliers moved to replace those batteries with safer versions, but in their haste, a completely different production flaw was introduced. Welding defects inside the batteries made those supposedly safe replacements prone to short-circuiting and bursting into flames as well. In an pre-event interview with Recode, Samsung Electronics America president Tim Baxter pointed to this production flaw as the final nail in the Note 7’s coffin.

“We believe if not for that manufacturing issue on the ramp [of the replacement battery], the Note 7 would still be on the market,” he said.

Samsung Mobile chief DJ Koh said he “deeply” apologized to customers for the company’s failures, and added that researchers worked to rule out wired and wireless charging, the phone’s USB Type-C port and the iris-scanning feature as potential causes. Meanwhile, TUV Rheinland was also asked to see if the way the batteries were stored or transported could have played a role in the matter, but its response was a pretty definitive “no.” In its bid to conclusively determine what happened to the Galaxy Note 7, Samsung also built a stand-alone testing lab, which it was all too eager to share photos of. They’re a testament to how seriously Samsung took the investigation, but really — the damage has been done, and now the question on everyone’s minds is what happens next.

Going forward, Koh said, Samsung will enact a number of changes to its internal processes to avoid making the same mistake down the road. The plan so far: assigning teams to own the crucial final checks for each device’s core components, and putting batteries through an 8-point test with steps ranging from visual inspection to x-ray inspection to full disassembly.

With this admission, Samsung hopes to put one of its most notable — not to mention most public — failures behind it. The next part of the company’s plan is to (hopefully) dazzle would-be customers with next-generation flagship hardware, which will most likely be unveiled at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month. Early rumors suggest that the Galaxy S8 will pack an AI assistant that came to Samsung by way of an acquisition, and that there might be a larger version of the S8 meant in some way to replace the Note line.

It’s still unclear how the events of the past few months will affect sales of Samsung’s new flagship devices, but the company hasn’t been hurting too badly as a result so far. While Samsung Mobile saw its operating profit tank in the wake of the Note 7 recalls, a recent Reuters piece suggests the whole of Samsung Electronics will actually report record profits this Tuesday thanks to strong chip sales.

ESA wants to know why Galileo satellites’ clocks stopped working

Something strange is going on with the Galileo satellites, and the European Space Agency wants to find out what’s causing it. Apparently, ten atomic clocks on board five of the 18 navigation probes already in orbit have malfunctioned, and it could force the agency to delay the scheduled launch of four more satellites in August. Satellite-navigation systems like ESA’s Galileo need highly precise atomic clocks to work properly, since they have to broadcast their signals at the same time. Broken clocks will hinder Galileo’s ability to “deliver real-time positioning accuracy down to the meter range” like the ESA promised.

Three of the devices hit by the mysterious affliction are rubidium atomic frequency clocks, while the rest are more-precise passive hydrogen maser variants. One of the hydrogen devices has been restarted, bringing the total number down to nine. Since each satellite carries four clocks and none of them have more than two broken devices, Galileo still works. According to Space, the agency thinks the clocks short-circuited and failed because they’re switched off for long periods. However, it still needs to investigate the event further to make sure the rest of the clocks won’t get affected.

The Galileo constellation was supposed to be up and running back in 2008 but was plagued with delays. While it currently has 18 satellites, it will ultimately be composed of 24 with six spares if everything goes well. For now, the agency plans to examine and refurbish the clocks aboard the four satellites scheduled to launch in August to prevent their untimely deaths.

Source: Space, AP, SpaceNews, BBC

SpaceX is launching one its last disposable rockets

SpaceX won’t have to intentionally crash some of its rockets going forward. Elon Musk has revealed that SpaceX’s next flight, which has a Falcon 9 delivering an EchoStar satellite as soon as January 30th, should use the company’s last expendable rocket. This rocket will burn too much fuel for its first stage to attempt a landing (the satellite is simply too heavy at 5.4 imperial tons), but future big-payload launches will use either the higher-performance Falcon 9 (Block 5) or Falcon Heavy and shouldn’t have trouble coping with the weight. The new Falcon should lift off at the end of 2017, Musk says.

This doesn’t completely rule out the possibility of other expendable rockets. However, it does represent a milestone for SpaceX — the goal from now on is to always bring a vehicle back home, at least with missions to Earth orbit. That will save the company money, of course, but it should also help normalize private spaceflight by making reusable rockets the rule, not the exception.

Not that we’re quite at the point where rockets will last for years on end. Ars Technica observes that SpaceX isn’t expected to reach full reusability (where it can fly a rocket as many times as it likes) until Falcon 9 Block 5 arrives. Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin has already flown a rocket multiple times, but its current design is easier to reuse thanks to its smaller, simpler design and less ambitious flights. This is a start, though, and it might not be too long before the notion of willingly losing a rocket seems strange.

@gdoehne Expendable. Future flights will go on Falcon Heavy or the upgraded Falcon 9.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 21, 2017

Via: Ars Technica

Source: Elon Musk (Twitter 1), (2)

iPhone Manufacturer Foxconn Mulling $7 Billion U.S Factory Investment With Apple

Taiwanese iPhone manufacturer Foxconn is considering a $7 billion joint investment with Apple to establish a display manufacturing facility in the United States, it was reported on Sunday.

According to the Nikkei Asian Review, journalists who attended Foxconn’s annual end-of-year party quoted chairman Terry Gou as saying that Apple is seeking to invest with the firm in a U.S. facility, which will eventually create 30,000 to 50,000 jobs.

The increase in demand for larger display panels makes local production a better solution than shipping from China to the U.S. market, Gou told reporters. In addition to the proposed display facility, Gou said Foxconn plans a new molding facility in the U.S., with the state of Pennsylvania earmarked as a possible location following investment discussions with local officials.

Gou also said that Smart Technologies, a Foxconn-controlled interactive display startup based in Canada, may move south of the border, after U.S. President Donald Trump signaled a possible renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

According to reports, Gou said that the rise of U.S. protectionism was an inevitable consequence of the Trump administration, but questioned whether American consumers would be willing to pay significantly more for products as a result.

“In the future they may be paying some $500 more for U.S. products, but those do not necessarily work better than a $300 phone,” he said, after urging U.S. authorities to provide concessions on land and electricity to facilitate Foxconn’s manufacturing operations.

“Yes, we will continue to add to our investments in China,” Gou told reporters. “China is the world’s biggest market, and why should we turn down the biggest market?”

Foxconn’s facility in Zhengzhou, China, produces over 100 million iPhones every year. Taking into account production from Taiwan and Hong Kong, China was responsible for more than 19 percent of Apple’s global revenue in the fourth quarter of 2016.

Rising tension between the U.S. and China could benefit Ghou, say people familiar with the tycoon’s style. “Foxconn is known to leverage different provinces and countries against each other for better terms,” an industry source said, suggesting Gou could pit both countries against each other as both sides courted new investments from the company.

Earlier this week it was reported that Foxconn was planning a new facility next to Apple’s forthcoming research and development center in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. “Foxconn will not leave. Foxconn will stay in China,” Gou told reporters in Guangzhou, when asked whether he plans to move existing manufacturing sites to the United States.

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From the Editor’s Desk: We like different phones, and that’s OK

Diversity in Android means we can disagree on the ‘best’ phone, but still both have a great phone.

This week I wrote a three-month follow-up to our Pixel review, keeping up our tradition of returning to high-profile devices several months on to see how they’ve held up over time. As seems to be the case any time we talk about our favorite phones, there’s a large amount of dissent in the comments section and on Twitter saying how far off base we are about determining that a phone is still the best.

There are a half-dozen great high-end phones available at any given time.

The argument usually boils down to “but it doesn’t have x feature or y feature, which I always use.” What’s glossed over in these arguments is that you can absolutely be correct that this phone may not be right for you because it’s missing a feature you want — but at the same time I can still say the Pixel and Pixel XL are the best phones available today. The diversity of the Android market — even when we’re only talking about high-end, expensive phones — is still strong enough to give you several great phones to choose from at any given time.

You see, even our “best android phone” article is a list with multiple options on it. Sure we’ve determined that the Pixel still sits at the top, but at this point we also include the Galaxy S7, OnePlus 3T and Huawei Mate 9 as viable “best” alternatives for people with different tastes. We heartily recommend (and use ourselves) all four of those phones, and chances are you can find one in the group that appeals to you more than the rest.

They all offer different combinations of features for those who just have to have something specific. For people who aren’t so discerning about one feature or spec, though, they’re probably going to enjoy the phone we consider the top in the group: the Google Pixel. So understand that just because we have determined one to be the top of the heap doesn’t mean your choice isn’t also valid; this isn’t a zero-sum game, there can (and will) be multiple winners here.

And with that, few more thoughts on the week that was:

• We’re finally going to see the official launch of Android Wear 2.0 in a couple of weeks, alongside some new hardware. The platform desperately needs this injection of excitement.
• Now that the Nougat update has landed for my OnePlus 3T, I’ve tossed a SIM back in it to see how it is.
• So far all seems good. It’s fast, clean and now has the latest Android features. Just a fantastic phone for only $439.
• Finally caved and bought Bose QC35 headphones. Even though I already had noise-cancelling headphones, the over-ear design on the Bose is dramatically more comfortable for all of the travel I do. The noise cancellation is top notch as well.

Have a great week, everyone.

-Andrew

Hip-hop’s most influential sampler gets a 2017 reboot

The impact of Akai’s MPC series on hip-hop cannot be overstated. The first model — the MPC60 — hit the market in the late 80s, perfectly timed with hip-hop’s culture of borrowing and reinventing classic beats and melodies. The MPC’s iconic pad-based design and relatively accessible price opened up music production to a whole new audience.

Akai has released a new MPC every couple of years ever since, but somewhere along the way, the franchise drifted from it’s “all in the box” roots, instead becoming tethered to a laptop, or watered down to reach more casual users. The latest two models — the MPC Live and the MPC X — see the the iconic instrument return to its standalone roots, but with some very modern twists.

The MPC Live is the smaller, more accessible of the two new samplers. The trademark pad-grid is here, with multi-colored LED’s for visual feedback. On the right hand side is a seven-inch touchscreen where you can browse, edit and arrange your sounds. Aesthetically, the MPC Live looks almost identical to last year’s MPC Touch, but looks can be deceiving.

The key difference with the Live is that is has 16GB onboard storage for samples. If this isn’t enough, you can expand storage further with a 2.5-inch SATA SSD/HDD. Most importantly, you no longer need to connect it to a PC/Mac and use the Live with the MPC desktop software, though you can if you want. The MPC Live also has a built-in battery, making this a truly portable, standalone music production center (the C, in MPC, previously stood for “controller”).

If you’re less worried about making music on the go, or just have more free desk space and cash, the MPC X is a more fully-featured take on the MPC. The core features are very similar — 16GB of expandable storage, and it’s a standalone device. The main upgrades are a 10-inch touchscreen, more rotary controls, additional MIDI ports and CV connections that allow the MPC X to control older, legacy gear.

The big take away here is that Akai had been trading on the MPC’s legendary status for a few years, and perhaps losing sight of what the people that love it really wanted. Now, with competition coming from the likes of Native Instruments and even DJ stalwart Pioneer, it looks like Akai has decided to come out fighting to maintain the MPC’s legacy. Both the MPC Live and the MPC X will be available around March costing $1,199 and $1,999 respectively.

Tesla will have ‘major’ car revisions almost every year

If you’re a Tesla buyer, you were probably miffed when you realized that the self-driving hardware revision rendered your car obsolete, even if it was just weeks old. However, you’re going to have to get used to that feeling if you’re going to stick with the brand. Tesla founder Elon Musk is telling customers that there will be “major” revisions every 12 to 18 months — not quite yearly, but far more frequently than the every few years (at best) you see from conventional companies. He adds that retrofits would slow the company’s progress “dramatically.” For example, adding self-driving tech to earlier vehicles would require stripping the “entire car” and replacing 300 parts.

The mention doesn’t come as a complete shock. Tesla frequently operates more like a tech company than an automaker, including its fondnesses for beta tests and constant lineup adjustments. All the same, it’s clearer than ever that Tesla isn’t about to settle into the familiar patterns of its conventional rivals. And that’s both good and bad. It guarantees that you’ll get cutting-edge tech whenever you buy, but it also means that your car could feel outdated in record time — you may be hesitant to buy if you suspect that you’ll miss out on a must-have feature. Still, we’ll take that over the minor, iterative changes you see all too often in the automotive world.

@dtweiseth Tesla will never stop innovating. People are buying the wrong car if they expect this. There will be major revs every 12 to 18 months.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 22, 2017

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Elon Musk (Twitter 1), (2), (3)