This galaxy without dark matter is bending the rules of space

The complexities of space are pretty mind-boggling, but there are a handful of accepted theories on which scientists base their research. Space is a vacuum, for example, while a light-year is about 5.88 trillion miles. So researchers at Yale University were understandably shocked when they discovered that one long-held theory might not be right. For years, science has assumed galaxies and dark matter go hand in hand. Now, a galaxy has been discovered that’s almost completely devoid of it.

According to lead author Pieter van Dokkum, dark matter has always been regarded as the most dominant aspect of any galaxy. “For decades, we thought that galaxies start their lives as blobs of dark matter,” he explained. “After that everything else happens: gas falls into the dark matter halos, the gas turns into stars, they slowly build up, then you end up with galaxies like the Milky Way.” So finding this dark matter-less galaxy, catchily-named NGC1052-DF2, “challenges the standard ideas of how we think galaxies form.”

The team made the discovery using a range of equipment, including custom-built telescopes and object spectrographs. Detailed images of NGC1052-DF2 revealed no signs of it interacting with other galaxies, but did show a collection of relatively bright point-like sources, which turned out to be globular clusters. These clusters are large compact groups of stars that orbit the galactic core. Spectral data showed that these clusters were moving significantly slower than you’d expect in a galaxy, and as a rule of thumb, the slower the objects move, the less mass there is in that system. The team’s calculations then showed that all of the mass in the galaxy could be attributed to the mass of these stars, which means there is almost no dark matter in NGC1052-DF2.

The team isn’t sure how this oddball galaxy came to be. “There is no theory that predicted these types of galaxies,” said van Dokkum. “The galaxy is a complete mystery, as everything about it is strange. How you actually go about forming one of these things is completely unknown.” However, there are some speculative theories. One suggestion is that some kind of cataclysmic event swept out all the gas and dark matter, halting star formation. Another is that the creation of NGC1052-DF2 was somehow affected by the formation of another nearby dominant galaxy.

The team is now on the hunt for other dark matter-deficient galaxies, with three potential leads set to be explored in the coming months. But NGC1052-DF2 has nonetheless stumped scientists. “Every galaxy we knew about before has dark matter, and they all fall in familiar categories like spiral or elliptical galaxies,” van Dokkum said. “But what would you get if there were no dark matter at all? Maybe this is what you would get.”

Via: phys.org

Source: Nature

‘No Man’s Sky’ comes to Xbox this summer alongside huge update

No Man’s Sky is coming to Xbox One this summer and it’s bringing a massive update, called “Next”, with it. It’s so massive, in fact, that it’s even got its own logo. There’s no word on what it’ll include, but previous updates Foundation, Pathfinder and Atlas Rises all drastically built upon the scope of the game, so you can expect significant additions. Speaking to Kotaku, game founder Sean Murray said Next will be “by far our biggest update so far.”

Its arrival to Xbox One includes the initial release and all three major updates since, plus enhancements for Xbox One X and support for HDR and 4K. Fans of the game during its exclusive PC and PS4 days have been vocal about their disappointment with previous updates (which to the credit of developer Hello Games have always been free — and substantial). Perhaps Next and the roll-out to Xbox will win back some hearts and minds.

Source: Xbox

Apple Adds New ‘Music Videos’ Section to Apple Music Ahead of iOS 11.3 Release

Apple this morning added a new Music Videos section to its Apple Music streaming service for $9.99 monthly subscribers.

The new section is accessed by way of the Browse panel in iTunes on macOS and iOS 11, and is currently showcasing several music videos that have been available on the service for some time, along with Apple Music exclusives from the likes of Kylie Minogue and Beck. A curated “Today’s Video Hits” playlist and artist spotlight on Taylor Swift are also featured.

Word of new music video content for Apple Music subscribers came via Apple when it outlined many of the upcoming changes in iOS 11.3 in a preview announcement at the beginning of the year.

The company said Apple Music would “soon be the home for music videos,” allowing subscribers to stream all the music videos they want without ads, as well as view and create music video playlists. Users can also expect regularly updated editorial and music video recommendations from Apple, based on the user’s music tastes.

We’re still waiting for the official release of iOS 11.3 to drop. Several beta versions of iOS 11.3 have been made available to developers and public testers since Apple’s preview announcement, but the new Apple Music video category has been introduced separately and is already appearing for a lot of iPhone and iPad users running iOS 11.2.6 and for Mac users with iTunes 12.7 or later installed.

Tags: Apple Music, iOS 11.3
Discuss this article in our forums

The new Subaru Forester can tell if you’re sleepy or distracted

Subaru isn’t exactly known for developing emerging technologies for its vehicles, so we’ll bet you’d never expect the automaker to equip the 2019 Forester with facial recognition technology. But that’s exactly what it did — Subaru has announced at the ongoing New York International Auto Show that it developed a feature for the vehicle that uses facial recognition to detect driver fatigue and distraction. “DriverFocus” comes as a standard feature for the most expensive Touring version of the vehicle, though it’s unclear if you can pay extra to have it installed on another model.

The feature runs on top of Subaru’s new driver assist system called EyeSight, which (unlike DriverFocus) will come pre-installed on all Forester models. It’s not a hands-free driving technology, but it covers basic driver assist offerings, such as adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and lane assist, as well as pre-collision braking. By being able to detect whether a driver is sleepy or tired, the system can be on the alert and activate EyeSight’s functions when needed.

DriverFocus can store info on five drivers and remember their preferences when it comes to seat position, climate and multifunction display. So, it can work even for those looking to buy a 2019 Forester as a family vehicle when it comes out later this year.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from the 2018 New York Auto Show.

Via: Autoblog

Source: Subaru

Brace yourselves for more Alexa lamps

Alexa-enabled devices are pretty ubiquitous these days, especially speakers with the Amazon tech built in. The same can’t be said of smart lamps, however, with the C by GE Sol a rare exception. Amazon just released a design reference that gives third-party manufacturers a leg up in creating their own white-box products that use Alexa. Amazon has chosen two speakers (from Junlam and Narui) and one smart lamp from Adition, each of which have been approved by Amazon.

The idea here is that third-party companies use these designs to quickly iterate Alexa-powered devices of their own. That means we’re bound to see even more smart speakers and — more importantly — smart lamps. Adition’s lamp speaker is a warm, soft, dimming light that has 2-mics, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity along with support for multiple music services. Amazon calls it “an example of how Alexa can be integrated into products already found in the home.”

Via: The Verge

Source: Amazon

Exoskeleton for skiers gives your knees robotic boost

Skiing and snowboarding aren’t gentle on your body, especially if you’re taking on a challenging run or plan on a long day. Now, however, technology might ease your burden. Roam Robotics has unveiled an exoskeleton built expressly to reduce the burden on your knees. Sensors in the exoskeleton gauge your intent and use a mix of air bladders and fabric actuators to automatically tweak the torque in your knees. There’s a manual option, too, if you know what motion to expect.

Roam primarily pitches the exoskeleton as an assist for older skiiers, particularly those who might have muscle fatigue or knee problems. However, it also sees this as a bionic helper for downhill enthusiasts in their prime. It could help you carve turns that would normally be difficult, let you stay on the slopes for longer, or just reduce the soreness when you’re done.

This should be more affordable than the sort of exoskeletons used in medical care or at work, but it’ll still represent a significant investment. It’ll take $99 to reserve the exoskeleton ahead of its expected January 2019 release, and the yet-to-be-determined price is expected to sit between $2,000 and $2,500. Roam’s gear is for enthusiasts who want to make the most of every skiing season.

Source: Roam Robotics

How to Hide and Remove System Preference Panes in macOS

In macOS, the System Preferences app located in the Applications folder is where you can adjust various settings to customize your Mac. Most system preference panes are native to macOS and cannot be removed – although they can be hidden. In this article, we’ll show you how it’s done.

Occasionally, third-party apps installed on your Mac will insert their own preference panes in the bottom row of the System Preferences panel. Sometimes these panes will pointlessly stick around even after you’ve uninstalled the associated app. Thankfully though, they can be removed separately. To jump to our instructions on how to do that, click here.

How to Hide a Native System Preferences Pane

Launch System Preferences from your Mac’s Dock, from the Applications folder, or from the Apple menu bar ( -> System Preferences…).

From the System Preferences menu bar, select View -> Customize…. Alternatively, click and hold the Show All button located to the right of the forward and back arrow buttons at the top of the System Preferences window.

A blue checkbox will appear next to each pane in the System Preferences window. Uncheck the panes that you wish to hide.
Press Done.Tip: The View menu includes an option to change the preference pane arrangement from the default Organize by Categories to Organize Alphabetically, and vice versa.

How to Remove Third-Party Preference Panes

Launch System Preferences from your Mac’s Dock, from the Applications folder, or from the Apple menu bar ( -> System Preferences…).

Locate the third-party pane in the bottom row of System Preferences that you wish to remove.
Right-click (or Ctrl-click) the third-party pane and select the pop-up option Remove “[name of pane]” Preference Pane.

Enter your admin password if requested to do so.The above steps should work for most third-party preference panes, but if you want to manually delete a preference pane file from your Mac, here’s how.

How to Remove Preference Pane Files Manually

Open a Finder window.
From the Finder menu bar, click the Go menu, hold down the Option (⌥) key, and then select Library in the dropdown menu.
In the Library folder, open the PreferencePanes subfolder.

Identify the .prefPane file for the specific preference pane that you want to remove. (If you can’t see it, you may need to look in the global system library folder. To open the folder from the Finder menu bar, select Go -> Go to Folder…, type /Library/PreferencePanes and click the Go button.)
Right-click (or Ctrl-click) the file and select Move to Trash.
Restart your Mac.
Discuss this article in our forums

Best Buy’s one-day Apple flash sale includes up to $400 off the MacBook Pro

If you have been hunting around for bargains on Apple hardware, then you’re likely well aware that serious discounts can be hard to find. That is true whether you’re in the market for a MacBook, an iMac, or an iPad. Right now, Best Buy is bucking that trend with a flash sale that ends today at 9:59 p.m. PT and includes a number of popular Apple hardware products.

There are a host of Apple products to choose from, and the discounts are incredibly deep on a few of them. Before you start shopping, make sure to check which MacBooks are the best.

MacBook Air – $300 off

Apple’s entry-level laptop normally starts at $1,000 but it’s now $300 off. That nets you a 128GB MacBook Air for $700, a 256GB version for $900, and the 512GB model for $1,250.

MacBook Pro 13-inch (non-Touch Bar) — $300-350 off

Next up is lowest-priced MacBook Pro, the 13-inch version without touch bar. This is the latest MacBook Pro, released in 2017 with 7th-gen Intel processors, which just happens to be the MacBook Pro we recommend given its lower price and larger battery capacity.

• Apple MacBook Pro 13 Space Gray, 8GB/128GB: $1,000 ($300 off)
• Apple MacBook Pro 13 Silver, 8GB/128GB: $1,000 ($300 off)
• Apple MacBook Pro 13 Space Gray, 8GB/256GB: $1,200 ($300 off)
• Apple MacBook Pro 13 Silver, 8GB/256GB: $1,200 ($300 off)
• Apple MacBook Pro 13 Space Gray, 8GB/512GB: $1,850 ($350 off)

MacBook Pro with Touch Bar — $300-400 off

If you’re looking for Apple’s premier notebook, the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, then you’re in luck there as well. It’s extremely rare to see a high-end MacBook with this large of a discount. Here are the configurations and color variants available:

• Apple MacBook Pro 13 with Touch Bar Space Gray, 8GB/256GB: $1,500 ($300 off)
• Apple MacBook Pro 13 with Touch Bar Silver, 8GB/256GB: $1,500 ($300 off)
• Apple MacBook Pro 13 with Touch Bar Space Gray, 8GB/512GB: $1,650 ($350 off)
• Apple MacBook Pro 13 with Touch Bar Silver, 8GB/512GB: $1,650 ($350 off)
• Apple MacBook Pro 15 with Touch Bar Space Gray, 16GB/256GB: $2,050 ($350 off)
• Apple MacBook Pro 15 with Touch Bar Silver, 16GB/512GB: $2,000 ($400 off)
• Apple MacBook Pro 15 with Touch Bar Space Gray, 16GB/512GB: $2,400 ($400 off)
• Apple MacBook Pro 15 with Touch Bar Silver, 16GB/512GB: $2,400 ($400 off)

Apple iPad (fifth generation) — $80 off

Apple’s iPad has become a productivity workhorse for many people who just don’t need the power of a MacOS notebook, and Best Buy has you covered with the entry-level iPad models.

• Apple iPad (fifth generation) Space Gray, 32GB: $250 ($80 off)
• Apple iPad (fifth generation) Silver, 32GB: $250 ($80 off)
• Apple iPad (fifth generation) Gold, 32GB: $250 ($80 off)
• Apple iPad (fifth generation) Space Gray, 128GB: $350 ($80 off)
• Apple iPad (fifth generation) Silver, 128GB: $350 ($80 off)
• Apple iPad (fifth generation) Gold, 128GB: $350 ($80 off)

Apple iMac 21.5-inch — $225 off

Finally, if you’re looking for a desktop MacOS machine and don’t want to spend a ton of money, then you can save a cool $225 off a Core i5, 8GB RAM, 1TB Fusion Drive configuration for $1,275.

There are likely a few reasons for these particular Apple products to be getting the unusual discount treatment. First, Apple just announced a new low-priced iPad aimed at education. Next, rumors abound of a new budget MacBook Air aimed at making Apple hardware more competitive against the plethora of low-priced Windows notebook. And finally, new MacBook Pros are likely right around the corner, relatively speaking.

Keep these future developments in mind before pulling out your credit card. If you’re okay with the current generation of MacBooks, iPads, and the entry-level iMac, then this Best Buy flash sale is something you’ll definitely want to check out.

We strive to help our readers find the best deals on quality products and services, and choose what we cover carefully and independently. If you find a better price for a product listed here, or want to suggest one of your own, email us at dealsteam@digitaltrends.com.Digital Trends may earn commission on products purchased through our links, which supports the work we do for our readers.

Editors’ Recommendations

• MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro 13 (non-Touch Bar)
• Dell XPS 13 vs. MacBook Pro 13
• The best lightweight laptops you can buy
• Save hundreds with the best MacBook deals for March 2018
• Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon vs. Apple MacBook Pro 13

Microsoft’s Windows 7 Meltdown update granted access to all data in memory

Security researcher Ulf Frisk reports that patches to address the Meltdown processor flaw on Windows 7 (64-bit) and Windows Server 2008 R2 machines created a far greater vulnerability. He claims the new flaw allows any process to read everything stored in memory “at gigabytes per second.” It also allows processes to write to arbitrary memory without “fancy exploits.” 

“Windows 7 already did the hard work of mapping in the required memory into every running process,” Frisk states. “Exploitation was just a matter of read and write to already mapped in-process virtual memory. No fancy APIs or system calls required — just standard read and write!” 

Because of the amount of data stored in memory is rather large and complex, Windows PCs track data using addresses listed on virtual and physical “maps” or “pages.”  The reported problem resides with a four-level in-memory page table hierarchy the processor’s Memory Management Unit uses to translate the virtual addresses of data into physical addresses stored in the system memory. 

According to Frisk, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 have a self-referencing entry on Page Map Level 4 (PML4) in virtual memory with a fixed address. This address is only made available to the operating system’s lowest, most secure level: The kernel. Only processes with a “supervisor” permission have access to this address and the data on this table. 

But Microsoft’s Meltdown patches released at the beginning of 2018 set the permission to “user.” That means all processes and applications can access all data stored in memory, even data only meant to be used by the operating system. 

“Once read/write access has been gained to the page tables it will be trivially easy to gain access to the complete physical memory, unless it is additionally protected by Extended Page Tables (EPTs) used for Virtualization,” Frisk writes. “All one has to do is to write their own Page Table Entries (PTEs) into the page tables to access arbitrary physical memory.” 

To prove this discovery, Frisk added a technique to exploit the vulnerability — a memory acquisition device — in the PCLeech direct memory access toolkit. But if you’re trying to test the vulnerability on a Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 machine updated on March Patch Tuesday, you’re out of luck. Microsoft switched the PML4 permission back to “supervisor” as part of the company’s blanket of security fixes for the month. 

The memory problem surfaced after Microsoft distributed its Meltdown and Spectre security fixes in the January Patch Tuesday update. Windows 7 (64-bit) and Windows Server 2008 R2 machines with the February Patch Tuesday updates are also vulnerable. Devices with Windows 10 and Windows 8.1 are not vulnerable. 

That said, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 devices owners are encouraged to update their machines with the most recent patches distributed in March. But Frisk notes that he discovered the vulnerability after Microsoft’s March Patch Tuesday update, and has not been able to “correlate the vulnerability to known CVEs or other known issues.” 

Editors’ Recommendations

• How to fix Microsoft Edge’s most common problems
• Windows Defender thwarts major malware attack directed mostly at Russian users
• Apple protects MacOS Sierra, El Capitan from Meltdown, lists Google bugs
• Microsoft’s latest Windows 10 patch will address Spectre Variant 2 CPU flaw
• Qualcomm is working on patches to address Meltdown and Spectre flaws

Best Lenovo laptops

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Picking the best Lenovo laptop is difficult because whichever one you choose, it won’t be perfect for everyone. With brands as unique and beloved as ThinkPad and Yoga, you’ve got a lot of choices on your hands. Do you go with the one that has the best internal hardware, the nicest display, the greatest portability? What about the best bang for your buck?

These might not make our list for the best laptops you can buy in general, but these are the best ones that Lenovo has for sale.

The best

Yoga 720 ($980)

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Modern laptops come in all sorts of guises, but one of the most popular and versatile is the 2-in-1. Being able to convert your powerful, portable computer into an even more portable tablet is a great feature and the Lenovo Yoga 720 is a perfect example of that. With a starting price of $990 (on sale at the time of writing at $750) it offers credible competition to some of the best laptops out there, while giving you that additional functionality.

Under the hood it sports seventh and eighth-generation Intel hardware, with a Core i5-8250U, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD at the entry level, up to a Core i7-8550U, 16GB of RAM and a terabyte of PCIexpress SSD storage. You are limited to Intel HD graphics, so although there is an option for a 4K display, we probably wouldn’t recommend it — even if we weren’t huge fans of the 1080p option either.

Battery life is the biggest let-down of this 2-in-1, but overall it’s still a solid system and thanks to aggressively competitive pricing, it offers a lot of bang for your buck at that near-premium mid-range of the market.

Buy one from:

Lenovo Amazon

The rest

Yoga 920 ($1,180+)

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends
Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

The Yoga 920 is an upgrade over our previously beloved Yoga 910 and it’s everything we could have hoped for. It packs the latest generation of Intel hardware with up to 16GB of memory, the option of a 1080p or 4K display, and still features that versatile and iconic watchband hinge.

Its design is also lighter than its predecessor — and battery life is excellent, especially for lighter tasks. That makes this a highly portable 2-in-1. It’s a little expensive compared to some of the alternatives from other companies, but the quality you get for your money makes it well worth it.

Just don’t expect to do much gaming on it. The Yoga 920 has great hardware, but the Intel HD 620 graphics — especially on a 4K display — won’t get you far unless you only play low-level indie games.

Buy one from:

Lenovo Amazon

Thinkpad X1 Carbon 2018 ($1,520+)

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends
Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

The ThinkPad range is aimed at a different type of user than some of Lenovo’s other laptops, in that it doesn’t look or feel like a completely modern device — and that’s a good thing. With refined, classic styling, plenty of ports and a focus on function over form, the latest generation of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon delivers stellar performance in a robust and professional package.

It is a little on the expensive side when compared to other brands, but Lenovo hasn’t scrimped on its design. Sporting Intel’s latest generation Core CPUs up to an i7-8650U, up to 16GB of memory, and a TB of high-speed PCIe storage, you aren’t going to want for power if you’re willing to pay for it. The laptop itself is also exceedingly well built meaning it will handle the odd bump and bang when taken on long trips.

The on-board graphics certainly won’t offer much for those wanting to game at the end of the day and battery life is a little lacking for more intensive tasks, but if you want a snappy laptop that doesn’t cry out for attention, this ThinkPad is hard to beat.

Buy one now from:

Lenovo Amazon

Thinkpad T480 ($1,050+)

The ThinkPad T-series is not likely to ever usurp the gorgeous laptops of the world as a mainstream favorite, that doesn’t mean it’s not a fantastic line. It has always been a firm favorite of ours and the latest T480 is no exception. With a clean, understated exterior and great hardware and battery life under the hood, what’s not to like?

The new T480 ups the ante of its predecessors with the option of a discrete Nvidia MX 150 graphics chip, which can handle entry level gaming better than integrated Intel graphics. With a Core i7 CPU from Intel’s eighth-generation and up to 24GB of memory, there aren’t many tasks you’ll throw at this laptop that it can’t handle.

Like the rest of the ThinkPad range, the T480 is also a tough and durable laptop, so if you plan on lugging it around with you on lengthy trips, it can handle the odd knock and wear.

It’s not going to win any style awards, but when it comes to functional, powerful notebooks, the $1,050 ThinkPad T480 is one of Lenovo’s best.

Buy one from:

Lenovo Amazon

Ideapad Flex 5 ($690)

We’ve enjoyed previous generations of Lenovo’s Flex range of laptops, so it’s been a pleasure to see the new Flex 5 continue that trend of a premium feel in a high-entry level package. Starting just under $700, you get a surprising amount for your money. All options include an eighth-generation CPU and you can add as much as 16GB of memory alongside a 4K display if that’s what you’re after.

All models feature the functional, 360-degree hinge for tent and tablet modes and Lenovo has gone out of its way to enhance the audio so the Flex 5 is great for media viewing.

Battery life isn’t endless, especially with a 4K panel, so this isn’t a device you’ll want to use away from a power socket for too long. Meanwhile, cheaper models with Intel HD graphics aren’t going to offer much gaming chops — though the optional GeForce 940MX is a little more capable if you need it.

The Flex isn’t as powerful or as impressive as other entries on this list, but at the price you pay, you get a lot of laptop for it.

Buy one now from:

Lenovo Amazon

Editors’ Recommendations

• The best smart tennis gear
• The largest flash drives
• Explore a galaxy of S8 accessories for your Samsung smartphone
• The best cheap gaming PCs
• Save hundreds with the best MacBook deals for March 2018