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The U.S. Navy has unveiled plans to retire the first four Littoral Combat Ships, the youngest of which is only six years old.The LCS program has been problematic for more than a decade, with the lightly armed ships coming in over budget and with technical problems.The entire LCS fleet could eventually go on the chopping block as a new class of frigates comes online in the mid 2020s. The U.S. Navy wants to retire four ships of the controversial Littoral Combat Ship class, including one ship that is just six years old....

Don’t worry about the tiny stowaways on the International Space Station—they mean you no harm. A new study out of Northwestern University found that, despite our horror sci-fi fears, bacteria in space don’t mutate in strange and dangerous ways. For new research published in mSystems, the Northwestern team looked at the hardy microbes that made it to the International Space Station. There was some concern that mutations from their earth-bound counterparts was making them more resistant to antibiotics....

The Department of Defense is responsible for millions of guns, from sniper rifles to pistols. Inevitably, at some point the Pentagon no longer wants them. What happens to the weapons then? They’re fed to Captain Crunch, a giant crusher that turns military firearms into scrap metal. Captain Crunch was put into operation in August 1993 as an efficient way to destroy unwanted firearms. Located at Anniston Army Depot in Alabama and operated by the Defense Logistics Agency, the Captain is an enormous shredder using intertwined blades that turns weapons made of wood, steel, aluminum and plastic into large pieces of junk....

In a 2 p.m. EDT press conference today, NASA plans to unveil the spacesuits that astronauts will wear during the 2024 Artemis mission to the moon.The agency will reveal details regarding two suits: one for entry and exit, and one for exploration of the Lunar surface.The suits are expected to differ vastly from Apollo-era suits and from the suits that astronauts currently use aboard the International Space Station.Today, NASA will provide a sneak peak of the spacesuits astronauts will use to explore the lunar surface in 2024....

Scientists have observed a new quasi-particle called a π-ton in computer simulations.We find new particles and quasi-particles all the time. But observing and measuring them can be extremely difficult.The π-ton is made of two electrons, two electron holes, and an activating photon.Scientists at the Vienna University of Technology have discovered a new quasi-particle they’re calling a π-ton, or pi-ton, which they identified using computer simulations and look forward to identifying in materials going forward....

Researchers at the University of Chicago just accidentally stumbled upon something they weren’t even trying to make. While experimenting with some new ways to create glass, they accidentally created a whole new kind of it. The experiment the researchers were performing involved vaporizing organic molecules in a vacuum and then layering them at a very specific temperature to form glass. But when they examined the way that light shone through it and found strange results....

The Russian Army is ordering more than a hundred of its vaunted new tanks and armored fighting vehicles. Moscow ordered 132 T-14 Armata main battle tanks and T-15 heavy infantry fighting vehicles, with the first nine delivered this year. Despite this news, the Russian government has made it clear it will not buy enough of the new vehicles for the entire Russian Army, relying instead on older equipment.In 2015 the United States and NATO received a rude shock: The Russian Army unveiled a new main battle tank, known as T-14 Armata....

“This feels like we’re just flying silently through the forest,” says Wyatt Knox, director of special projects at the O’Neil Rally School in Dalton, New Hampshire. We’re on the unplowed dirt road that leads to the north end of the property, where there’s a huge skidpad and slalom area. Knox is casually driving about 45 mph, using the whole road as four Pirelli Sotto Zero tires dig for traction in the fresh powder....

Marko Metzinger(Photo Credit: Marko Metzinger)Outdoor-gear manufacturers make big bones of their latest high-tech fabrics, going so far as to give them names that would be better suited to Spider-Man villains: Climalite, Spylon, Omni-Freeze. But there’s only so far fabric itself can take an all-weather jacket. So they had to start messing with the seams.Over the past decade seams have come a long way. The technology that protects them from wind and water became so nearly perfect that the only better option would be to have no seams at all....

Media Platforms Design TeamPlease forgive the slightly sensationalist headline—as far as I know, these two advances in tile-making technology have yet to be combined in a single tile. However, both inkjet-printed patterns and self-cleaning tiles are in production today, according to a Seattle Times article written about the recent Coverings 2013 expo.Inkjet-printed patterns aren’t a shock—that’s been in the pipeline. But a tile that cleans itself? That’s a pretty neat trick....

In what will likely be a big blow to the anti-vaccination movement, The Lancet medical journal has retracted the 1998 study by Dr. Andrew Wakefield that originally sparked the uproar over whether vaccines are linked to autism. The move by editors of The Lancet on Tuesday came after the General Medical Council—Britain’s independent regulator for doctors—admonished Wakefield and two of his co-authors last week for acting irresponsibly and unethically in the course of the research....

Media Platforms Design TeamMaybe it was inevitable. After the cult success the British-made series Black Mirror has found stateside (thanks in no small part to Netflix), an American remake is coming. No network or streaming home has been announced, but Endemol Shine North America, the original production company’s subsidiary, is interested in seeing a version of the show made just for the U.S.A.21st Century Fox will co-produce the series, but other details are scant, including whether the new Black Mirror will be a straight remake or an American-flavored reinterpretation of the original....

Elaine Herzberg was killed last month while crossing the street after dark in Tempe, Arizona. She was hit by a “self-driving vehicle” owned and operated by ride-hailing behemoth Uber. Initially, Tempe Police Chief Sylvia Moir told the San Francisco Chronicle that Herzberg darted out in traffic, essentially blaming the woman for the incident.But video evidence—provided by Uber—told a much different story: Herzberg was more than three-quarters of the way across the four-lane road when Uber’s Volvo XC90 hit her....

While mechanical watches aren’t exactly needed anymore, like many physical objects they provide a direct connection that digital equivalents just can’t match. A tourbillon, one of the most complex watchmaking mechanics ever created, is a perfect example, and its intricately spinning gears are now available to be 3D-printed. View full post on YoutubeTourbillon technically means ‘whirlwind,’ and the set up was originally done to improve accuracy. First developed in 1795 and patented in 1801 by Swiss watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet, the tourbillon is a type of escapement....

A new air defense system designed to shoot down incoming rockets, artillery, and mortar shells is also being designed to intercept aircraft-dropped bombs. The system, known as Cheetah, could revolutionize air to ground warfare as we know it, allowing ground forces to shoot down air-to-ground weapons after they are deployed.Traditionally, ground forces had just a few ways to avoid being the target of aircraft bombs. The first and most obvious way is to avoid being seen and targeted, either by hiding in forests, among rough terrain, or under camouflage netting....

The Su-34 is one of Russia’s most powerful strike aircraft.Photos of one Su-34 popped up on Facebook on a highway.The Aviationist reports the plane is a veteran of missions over Syria. One of the Russian Aerospace Forces’ most powerful jets was recently spotted on a highway in Russia, being towed by a truck. The airplane, a Su-34 “Fullback” fighter, was filmed by a private citizen with a dashcam video. The Aviationist web site, doing a little digging, says the aircraft was likely involved in an accident and was being towed to its new job of instruction plane for aviation maintainers....

Northwestern University researchers have developed HARP, a 3D printer that can print large objects at rapid speeds in a relatively small space.The HARP splits the difference between speed and size thanks to a new cooling system, which prevents it from overheating.The Northwestern team hopes the HARP will be available for commercial sales in 18 months. No word yet on pricing.Giant 3D printers could soon be far more accessible. Northwestern University scientists have developed a new 3D printer using a technology called HARP (high-area rapid printing)....

When you think of the words Independence Day, a few things probably come to mind. Fireworks, freedom, outdoor barbecues, fun in the sun, Will Smith, and, most obvious, the Fourth of July.The date July 4th has been associated as the formal celebration for Independence Day throughout our nation’s history. However, the exact day that the United States of America became an independent nation was not on the Fourth of July; but rather, it was a couple days prior, on July 2nd....

After showing off a demo of SpotMini opening a door like a velociraptor earlier this year, BostonDynamics is demoing their robodogs newest acquired skill. With no tether and no direct guidance, SpotMini can now go out on patrol and make its way through a noisy indoor area while avoiding objects and even mastering some stairs. View full post on YoutubeAs BostonDynamics notes in the video description, SpotMini is making this route all on its own but it isn’t figuring its path out from scratch on the fly....

LAS VEGAS—Pebble, definitively one of the most successful companies to have come out of Kickstarter, enjoyed massive success in 2013, putting 300,000 smartwatches on the wrists of wearable tech enthusiasts the world over. This year, at CES, the startup is aiming to match that triumph, coming out with a brand new, premium version of its now-beloved timekeeper: Pebble Steel.The upgraded version boasts the same features that Pebble has confirmed was well-received in its first iteration: an e-paper display, 5- to 7-day battery life, and waterproof capabilities....