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Media Platforms Design TeamRussia’s would-be Mars mission is dead. Phobos-Grunt was an ambitious project aimed to return samples from the Martian moon Phobos, but Russian operators and head to our neighboring world. As the mission’s launch window to Mars closed, the European Space Agency finally threw in the towel on trying to communicate with the failed probe on Friday. NASA couldn’t reach it, either. Any further attempts to contact the spacecraft will be done to try to find out what wrong, and to steer the craft’s eventual plunge back to Earth so that it falls into the ocean (and doesn’t drop a toxic load of propellant into an inhabited area....

A scientist, a designer, and an olfactory artist have teamed up to resurrect the smell of extinct flowers. This latest outgrowth of 21st-century biotech, courtesy of the Boston-based synthetic biology company Ginkgo Bioworks, represents an artful way to think about biological engineering: an act of harnessing the self-replicating and self-repairing mechanisms of biology itself to create the factories of new product development. The specimen samples used to home in on the ancient scents were isolated with help from a paleogenomics lab at UC Santa Cruz run by Beth Shapiro, author of How to Clone a Mammoth: The Science of De-Extinction....

Hate to break it to you, but ignoring that ugly water spot on the ceiling is the wrong move. Lingering issues around the house can get worse—much worse—if you don’t address them ASAP. Here’s how to identify and fix seemingly small problems before they morph into expensive repairs.1. The basement is damp. A musty basement can lead to mold and mildew. Plus, it stinks. Many times, grading the yard encourages the water to run away from the house, rather than leaking into the basement....

A new weapons weapons rack developed by F-35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin will allow the F-35 to carry up to six air-to-air missiles internally, up from the current number four. The system, known as Sidekick, will greatly increase the F-35’s air-to-air firepower–if it ever makes it onto operational versions of the aircraft.Stealthy jets like the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter feature carefully shaped profiles designed to minimize their signature on radar....

On Tuesday, Apple’s senior director for global privacy, Jane Horvath, spoke at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas about the company’s commitment to user privacy.Last November, Apple launched a redesign of its privacy page to show new features that it’s developed for its users, which are outlined in four new white papers. Some of the new security options include end-to-end encryption of contact information, something called “differential privacy,” and one-time location permission for its maps application....

Media Platforms Design Team1.) Cut and DrillCut 1-inch-square oak into three 24-inch pieces to create the stool’s legs. Drill 11/32-inch-diameter holes in each leg at the points shown at right, then bore one 5/16-inch-diameter hole in each leg ¾ inch from the top.2.) Bolt the LegsAlign the 11/32-inch hole in leg A with the middle hole in leg B. Match the lower hole in leg B with the hole in leg C....

While studying a Leonardo da Vinci painting in 2005, researchers found a hidden painting underneath.Improved technology has now allowed the angelic images to be seen clearly.Researchers are still unsure why Da Vinci originally covered it up.Thanks to books and movies like The da Vinci Code, the name Leonardo da Vinci isn’t just associated with being a polymath and a historically important genius, but also a mystery. The National Gallery in England has been working on such a mystery since 2005, and now it’s come closer to understanding the secrets of da Vinci’s hidden painting....

Racing legend Mario Andretti remembers running low on time during a tire test session in California around 1970. In those days, engineers for tire companies created grooves in Indy racing tires by hand, thought to better handle dust and debris on the track. But time was short this testing day and engineers wanted to try a new tire construction but didn’t have time to create grooves.“They sent me out in slicks,” Andretti told Popular Mechanics....

Media Platforms Design TeamThe LowdownSamsung had a monster hit on its hands last year with the Galaxy S III, the first Android phone to give the iPhone a real run for its money in terms of sales. The new Galaxy S 4 (customer tolerance for Roman numerals apparently stops at III) doubles down on the formula of its predecessor: slim package, big screen, and tons of features. It launches April 24 on T-Mobile, April 27 on Sprint, April 30 on AT&T, and on Verizon at an unspecified later time....

Media Platforms Design TeamFirst things first: Leatherman’s new multi-tool has an incredible name—Skeletool. And, yes, it looks skeletal. The bare, stripped-down aluminum frame is gleaming and cruel, and when you show it off to friends, you won’t say, “Hey, look at my Leatherman.” You’ll invoke the title of Skeletool, because you’d be a fool not to.The Skeletool also happens to be a great idea come to life. It’s the multi-tool you might actually carry around with you, with a few essential functions—a knife, screwdriver, pliers and a bottle opener—but surprisingly little weight....

Media Platforms Design TeamAll right, I see what all the fuss was about.The auto editors here at PopMech are undisputed diesel lovers. They’ve been clamoring for more of the great diesel cars that ply the highways of Europe to come stateside, and for Americans to forget the old, unreliable diesels of the 1980s and wake up to the great cars available now. They praised Chevy for putting a turbo-diesel into one of its basic U....

Early this morning, a Russian Soyuz booster carrying two people to the International Space Station malfunctioned, forcing NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin to abort and make an emergency landing in their space capsule. Search and recovery crews boarded helicopters and reached the pair of astronauts, who are reportedly in good condition.While explaining the mishap, NASA tossed around the term “ballistic reentry” and “ballistic mode” pretty freely. Here’s what that means and how it got the two men safely to the surface....

Physicists in Japan have created the strongest controllable magnetic field in recorded human history. Not only the strongest field ever, but the magnetic field created by scientists at the University of Tokyo was sustained for a longer period than any other comparable magnetic field. It reached such power that the field knocked the door to their lab off its hinges.Four hundred times more powerful than an MRI, the magnetic field was created with a method known as electromagnetic flux compression....

Thousands of years ago, Egyptians created their own kind of Ouija board, and it all began with the simple board game of senet.The game—which was played by people across all social circles—seemingly became a way to reconnect with the dead and took on a life all its own.An analysis of one particular senet board shows how the game underwent this cultural transformation.Ancient Egyptians were competitive at everything—obtaining natural resources, going to war, and playing board games....

The best parts of the iPhone, but on your wrist instead of buried in your pocket: That’s the logic of the Apple Watch. We knew that. What we didn’t know until today was that the Apple Watch began life as an iPhone on somebody’s wrist. Seriously.A Wired feature that dives into the development of Apple Watch revealed this cool fact. The designers wanted the smartwatch’s interface and user experience to be just as easy and smooth as iPhone’s....

San Francisco’s beloved FogCam will be shut down at the end of August.FogCam is the longest running livestream to date.Many people took to Twitter to express their disappointment in the decision. FogCam, the world’s longest running webcam, will be shut off at the end of August its creators, Jeff Schwartz and Dan Wong, announced on Twitter:View full post on TwitterFogCam has been in “near-continuous operation” for the past 25 years, having been temporarily offline when it had to be moved around San Francisco State University’s campus....

What do you get the flight enthusiast who has everything? A flight to Japan sounds like a good start. But when they’re in Japan, what then? That’s where the Haneda Excel Hotel Tokyu comes into play. The Tokyo hotel has built a flight simulator into one of its rooms, which guests can rent out for 90-minute sessions. For the simulator experience without staying in the suite, the price comes out to 30,000 yen, or approximately $278....

If you’re like most people, your desk is probably cluttered with a bunch of screens, keyboards, other paraphernalia, and maybe the assorted beverage. There’s barely enough room for your hands, let alone all the things you need for your daily work. If only there was a way to make all that clutter disappear when you’re not using it, and reappear on command when you need it again.A group of researchers at Carnegie Mellon have been working on solving this problem by building a device that creates virtual interactive displays on any desktop, using nothing more than an overhead projector and a depth sensor....

Yamaha LuxairHybrid motorcycles have yet to make it to mainstream production but imagine the fuel economy when they do. The Luxair concept uses a liquid-cooled engine with a parallel hybrid-electric system. Like hybrid cars on the road, the electric motor kicks in at launch to help propel the bike. The electric motor, called the Yamaha Intelligent Power Unit, is built into the rear hub of the bike and it uses regenerative braking to help charge the battery pack....

Media Platforms Design TeamFriday the 13th (Extended Killer Cut) (2009)Media Platforms Design TeamA reboot of a well-known franchise can often out-gross the original, just look at the success of J.J. Abrams’s new Star Trek compared to earlier films in the series. Hot on the heels of the impressive My Bloody Valentine remake (in 3D no less), comes Platinum Dunes’ new Friday the 13th. Director Marcus Nispel is no stranger to remakes, having also directed 2003’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre....