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The last thing the planets around the red dwarf star TRAPPIST-1 need is abundant sunshine. Active eruptions and flares from the star would wreak havoc on the rocky planets in orbit. But fortunately, the outer planets might be safe from this barrage of high-energy space weather. According to a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences, the outer planets of the system could cling on to their atmospheres....

Q: When I start my 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan in cold weather it makes a high pitched squealing sound. When I turn the steering wheel it gets louder, and sometimes the steering wheel is hard to turn. Once the engine warms up, the squealing stops. I emptied the steering wheel fluid from the reserve and replaced it with NAPA Steering Fluid Fix, but that didn’t make a difference. Thoughts?A: Replace the belt, and maybe the tensioner....

The U.S. Army seeks a new armed reconnaissance helicopter that will range across the battlefield, acting as the eyes and ears of commanders on the ground. Planned for an introduction in the 2020s, the Future Armed Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) would give the Army back a capability it lost when the service put its scout helicopters out to pasture.In the mid 2010s, the U.S. Army retired its fleet OH-58D Kiowa Warrior scout helicopters....

Small arms manufacturer Browning has ended production of the Browning Hi Power semiautomatic handgun. The legendary pistol served in armies worldwide, from Nationalist China to the British Special Air Service and was one of the first high capacity pistols ever invented. An invention of prolific arms designer John Moses Browning, the Hi Power was the inventor’s last pistol design.As noticed by The Firearm Blog, the pistol‘s product page was quietly changed to include the words, “no longer in production” and the prices were removed....

Like Bruce Springsteen says, “everything dies baby, that’s a fact. But maybe everything that dies someday comes back.” New calculations show that on a galactic level, he was correct. A new study shows that the Milky Way galaxy is currently in its second life, having previously died over a 10 billion year time period.The new data comes from Masafumi Noguchi of Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan and has been published in Nature....

The Pentagon is developing an improved version of the venerable Mark 48 heavyweight homing torpedo. A standard of U.S. Navy submarines since the 1970s, the torpedo is being updated to deal with new threats.The Mark 48 torpedo was originally fielded in the early 1970s as a “one torpedo sinks all” replacement for the older Mark 37. Unlike the Mark 37, which was only useful against other submarines, the Mark 48 could attack both surface ships and submarines....

When you watched 2015’s The Force Awakens, you likely were a bit confused about the state of the Star Wars galaxy. After all, we last saw the galaxy celebrating the end of the Empire and their newfound independence at the end of Return of the Jedi, and yet here we were a generation later and it felt the same and different at the same time.Thanks to a new live-action series headed to Disney’s streaming platform next year, we’re about to find out....

A new video shows a pair of C-130 transport aircraft on a flight through Hell, flying low through the smoke of a forest fire before spraying fire retardant on the smoldering ground below. The big transports fly along what appears to be northern California’s Trinity River, through choking smoke, with patches of brightly burning flames visible on the ground. View full post on YoutubeNorthern California’s Carr fire, first reported on July 23rd, has burned more than 177,000 acres, destroyed more than 1,000 houses, and killed eight, including two firefighters....

SpaceX is coming off a record 18 launches in 2017, and three months into 2018, the company is already ahead of last year’s pace. Somewhere between 20 and 30 launches are expected from SpaceX this year, with five already in the bag. Today’s mission will loft 10 more communications satellites for Iridium, the fifth time SpaceX has taken a batch of Iridium NEXT satellites to orbit. The launch is scheduled to fly from Vandenberg Air Force Base on Friday, March 30, with an instantaneous launch window of 10:13 a....

Carbon is quite an abundant element. It’s the basis of life on Earth, and comes in a variety of forms. Its unique chemical structure makes it readily bond with other atoms to form molecules, whether with other elements or itself. One of those forms, cyclocarbons, form a perfect ring. They’ve been teased out in the lab before, but only in gaseous states that quickly wore away. They could potentially have some interesting properties if we could find a way to work with them....

We’ve explored more of outer space than our own ocean floor, and there are good reasons for that. Space is empty, so there’s nothing to get in the way. In the ocean, water is everywhere, and explorers—whether human or robotic—have to contend with the extreme darkness, the crushing pressures, and the other obstacles that water can throw in our way.One of those obstacles is related to how we stick things together....

I understand the rationale behind electric-assist commuter bikes. You’ve got somewhere to go and a bike is a great way to get there, but you’d rather not arrive drenched in sweat. For street bicycles, e-assist is a range extender for your legs.Related StoriesThe Priority Embark is a Rugged Commuter e-BikeBosch Made an Unbreakable On-Board E-Bike ComputerMountain bikes are a different story. Isn’t exercise central to the appeal of pedal-powered off-roading? When I break out my old Specialized to ride some trails, I’m usually doing it with an eye toward raising my heart rate and finding out how much lactic acid I can tolerate on a given day....

The U.S. Air Force, whose combat and personnel strength has been in decline since the end of the Cold War, wants to start growing again by adding five more fighter squadrons.The statement was made by Air Force spokesman Patrick Ryder to defense reporters earlier this week. According to Ryder, the Air Force had 134 fighter squadrons in 1991, the year the Gulf War took place. That number has since declined to 55....

Media Platforms Design TeamMedical lab tests are often expensive and slow. Thanks to microfluidics, also known as lab-on-a-chip technology, a new generation of handheld diagnostic devices may soon arrive in the world’s advanced hospitals. The new technology will perform tests with greater automation–using much smaller samples of blood or other fluids–than today’s methods. But Harvard chemist George Whitesides believes the high-tech tests can have their greatest impact in decidedly low-tech surroundings, namely poorly staffed and equipped medical facilities in developing countries....

On Sale Date: Europe gets it this November; America has to wait until the first quarter of 2014.Price: If costs stay in line with the outgoing model, then expect a range of about $18,000 to $25,000.Competitors: Ford Focus, Mercedes-Benz A-class, Audi A3, Volvo V40Powertrains: 2.0-liter four-cylinder TDI, 148 hp, 236 lb-ft; 2.0 turbo, 217–227 hp (GTI). The U.S. also gets a base-model TSI gasoline engine of as-yet unknown capacity. Five- and six-speed manual or six-speed, twin-clutch DSG semiautomatic; FWD....

Media Platforms Design TeamWhen your job involves testing cavalcades of new cars, you develop a pretty good idea of what to expect from a vehicle before you’ve even climbed behind the wheel. So when I was invited to take a spin in McKeel Hagerty’s personal 1967 Porsche 911 S at the delightfully intimate Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, I savored the rare opportunity to experience a vehicle loaded with history, personality, and a little bit of patina....

A Russian Navy task force has docked at Havana, Cuba on a goodwill stay that sends a pointed message to the United States. The guided missile frigate Admiral Gorshkov, accompanied by an entourage of support ships, pulled into Havana earlier this week. The voyage is meant to project Russian strength, but that quickly fades when the circumstances of the frigate visit are examined closely.The Admiral Gorshkov pulled into Havana on Monday, the latest stop on a ‘round-the-world tour that kicked off on February 26 in St....

Notre Dame, the famous Catholic Cathedral that’s stood in Paris for more than 800 years, caught fire around 1:50pm ET, resulting in the collapse of its 300-foot spire and extensive damage to its medieval wooden frame. No deaths or injuries have been reported though one firefighter was injured battling the blaze. Many priceless works of art were saved as crews had time before the fire reached ground level, but some works, like many stain-glass windows were not so lucky....

Media Platforms Design Team1. Motorola Tundra VA76r($200 with two-year contract)Drop It: We dropped it again and again, but the Tundra continued to be in call-ready condition.Drown It: The Tundra survived a few quick swims. But after the fifth fall, a hard hit on the porcelain bowl caused it to spring a leak. The water killed the phone.Smash It: The Tundra’s hinge busted after one hard stomp from the business end of a boot....

When your tools vibrate, that makes you fatigued and puts a damper on your work. Dewalt is trying to solve this problem by introducing its first-ever line of sledgehammers and axes, all featuring what the tool company calls its ExoCore carbon fiber composite handles. DewaltCarbon fiber handles provide added durability, overstrike protection (for when the handle makes impact), and lighter weight for better balance. The new sledges are available in 4-, 6-, 8-, 10-, and 12-pound versions and are designed to fit the needs of blacksmiths, contractors, and demolition experts....