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Europa, a moon of Jupiter, is one of the most intriguing bodies in the solar system. Ever since the Galileo spacecraft discovered evidence of a liquid ocean underneath its icy exterior, scientists have wondered at the chance of life—or at least evidence of extinct life—beneath. While the Europa Clipper’s launch is TBD, scientists are already working on the big problem of getting through all that ice to see what’s below. Working with NASA, a team of scientists have proposed a solution: a nuclear-powered tunneling robot....

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have been a hot topic over the past few months, and millions of people have started either buying them or making them. The latter group are called ‘miners’ and form the backbone behind all cryptocurrency transactions. The only problem is that mining cryptocurencies requires a tremendous amount of computing power and electricity. It’s these high electricity costs that make mining almost completely unprofitable.CNET reported on the plans of IOT Group, an Australian startup, to lower this high cost barrier for entry by connecting a server farm directly to an old coal plant....

For the first time ever, scientists have been able to “see” the magnetic waves originating under the surface of a blue supergiant, one of the universe’s most elusive stars.Some stars, like Earth’s sun, are stable. Other stars can be far more erratic. Blue supernovas make a big splash in their region of space because of their tremendous size—they have masses approximately 20 times that of Earth’s sun, and their total energy emitted, their luminosity, is 117,000 times greater....

As climate change gets progressively more pervasive, one of the only ways we can keep the Earth from dramatically heating in the long run is to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. The more carbon dioxide we put into the atmosphere by burning coal, oil, and natural gas, the warmer our planet is going to become, with serious implications for future habitability. Many countries, states, and cities have anticipated just how serious a problem climate change is and have pledged to produce a certain amount of energy using renewable sources....

It must be time to throw some beers in the cooler and head out to the lake, because the Chevy Blazer is coming back.Chevrolet has officially announced the return of the Blazer name and released concept images of what the 2019 vehicle will look like. This revived Blazer will be a two-row crossover meant to compete with the likes of the Ford Edge and Nissan Murano. As you can probably tell from the looks of the thing, this ride doesn’t have much in common with the boxy, leaky, all-wheel-drive, body-on-frame Blazer of yore....

China has received its second Zubr (“Bison”) class hovercraft from Russia. Fast, armed and capable of carrying an invasion force, thesed hovercraft give China the ability to land troops on nearby islands and islets, including those in the East China Sea, South China Sea, and even Taiwan.The Soviet Union developed the Zubr class of hovercraft in the late 1970s as a way of quickly landing troops over relatively short distances. Zubrs have a range of 300 miles and top speeds of up to 55 knots....

Getting ready for the fall of civilization can be a real downer, but doomsday preppers can rejoice in knowing there’s finally a beer brewed with the apocalypse in mind. Later this month, Dogfish Head Brewery will release The End of the Wort as We Know It, a superfood-infused brew formulated for survivalists with discerning palates.The purple-hued ale was inspired, says Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione, by a question he regularly heard: If the world ends, what one beer would you want for the rest of your life?...

Media Platforms Design TeamCredit: Eric OgdenThe eighth annual Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Awards, taking place in New York on October 4, recognizes the innovators and products poised to change the world in the fields of technology, medicine, aviation, and more. Popular Mechanics is proud to announce that renowned inventor and entrepreneur Elon Musk will be the recipient of the 2012 Breakthrough Leadership Award. Musk, who is currently the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla Motors, and was a co-founder of PayPal, will be honored for his pioneering contributions to space exploration, automotive engineering, and the Internet....

Six months away from completing his sociology dissertation in 1992, Robert Runté realized his floppies were readable only by an Osborne computer—and he was the only person he knew who still used one (released in 1981, the 25-pound Osborne is considered to be the first “portable” computer). So he uploaded his file to the University of Alberta’s mainframe—what could be more secure than that, he thought. Sure enough, about a year and a half later his ancient computer died, but because he had a backup, he didn’t mind when the people at the repair place “all laughed uproariously at the thought of trying to find parts” for the Osborne in order to fix it....

Media Platforms Design TeamUPDATE: The JPL headquarters erupted in elation this morning (Eastern time) as word came back that Curiosity had successfully landed on Mars. The control room had drawn eerily quiet as the MSL team waited for word from the Red Planet, but the complex guided entry went exactly as planned. The rover beamed back to small images of its wheels and its shadow on Mars.Pasadena, Calif.—If Steven Lee is nervous about the impending landing of the Mars Science Laboratory, he’s hiding it well....

The Marine Corps is reorganizing itself as it reorients from the guerrilla wars of the 2000s to face off against Russia and China.Marine vehicles will add to the firepower of the surface fleet, both in offense and defense.The Marines will also change how they use drones, moving from replacing people to boosting the firepower and reach of the overall force. The U.S. Marine Corps of 2030 will be much different from the Corps of 2010....

There’s a growing streaming phenomenon called Slow TV, a calming visual experience where creators invite viewers to ride a train in Norway for six hours or maybe travel down a canal uninterrupted. But this Slow TV event might be the slowest yet—a livestream measured in months rather than hours. Last week, NASA began a livestream at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) that shows technicians working on the Agency’s next engineering marvel: the Mars 2020 Rover....

Media Platforms Design TeamDOWN BUT NOT OUT: PM TRAILERED A WRECKED CESSNA TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA’S SAN BERNARDINO NATIONAL FOREST TO CREATE THIS SURVIVAL SCENARIO.Scott Thurner was in the homestretch of a flight from Nevada to Colorado last February when his Cessna 172 apparently iced up in rough weather before plunging into a snowy mountain. Thurner survived with minor injuries–but he was 15 rugged miles from the nearest main road, and had violated protocol and common sense by failing to file a flight plan....

Media Platforms Design TeamToday, Popular Mechanics announced that renowned director James Cameron will be the recipient of the 2011 Breakthrough Leadership Award. The magazine’s Breakthrough Awards recognize the innovators and products poised to change the world in the fields of technology, medicine, aviation, environmental engineering, and more. Cameron, who will join other honorees at the 7th annual Breakthrough Awards on October 10th in New York City, is being recognized for his pioneering contributions to filmmaking, technology, science and exploration....

LAS VEGAS–Powermat, makers of the inductive charging mat that won one of Popular Mechanics’ Editor’s Choice Awards last year, is expanding its technology significantly for CES 2010. In addition to a variety of new cases, Powermat has also introduced two portable mats with integrated batteries that should come out in the second half of this year (a single device mat should cost around $60; a two device mat should retail for around $100)....

Media Platforms Design TeamIf you can’t get enough glamor shots of Saturn’s magnificent ring system or the quirks of its many moons, thank Cassini. Launched in 1997, the probe arrived in orbit of the seventh planet in 2004 and began to beam back not only wallpaper-worthy photos of Saturn but also new insights about Titan, Iapetus, Rhea, and other natural satellites of Saturn. The newest: These views of the hydrocarbon lakes on Titan, the clearest ever taken....

The best place to build a museum dedicated to mountaineering, clearly, is on top of a mountain.The Messner Mountain Museum Corones sits at the summit of Mount Kronplatz in South Tytrol, Italy, some 7,500 feet above sea level. The concrete-and-steel complex by Zaha Hadid Architects is the sixth and final Messner Mountain Museum, established by climber Reinhold Messner. The new structure features openings that align to give excellent views of nearby peaks....

Last year the Iraqi military took delivery of three Chinese CH-4 Cai Hong drones, an aircraft that, according to its creators, is better than the American MQ-1B Predator. That claim is now being put to the test as the drones carry out strikes against ISIS with bombs and laser-guided missiles.Related StoryIt Is Literally Impossible to Throw a Good Party Without a Piñata DroneThe CH-4s are flying from Al-Hayy airbase in support of operations in Anbar province, site of Ramadi and Fallujah, where heavy fighting has been taking place....

Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that affect around three million people in America and around 64 million across the globe and is the world’s leading cause of irreversible blindness. One of the best weapons against it in recent years has been implants known as aqueous shunts or glaucoma drainage devices. Researchers at Purdue have invented a smart drainage system that improves on those on the market through magnetic vibrations....

Media Platforms Design Team(Photo Credit: Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)The rest of the world may be mired in half-met goals and unwarranted controversy when it comes to doing something about climate change, but Denmark is not messing around. According to The New York Times, the windy Scandinavian nation of 5.5 million has announced the most ambitious renewable energy goal on Earth. Denmark aims to stop using all fossil fuels (coal, oil, or natural gas) entirely by 2050....