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Pluto has been intriguing astronomers and space-lovers for decades, and ever since New Horizons visited the distant, icy world in 2015, we’ve been learning more about it than ever before. We’ve also been learning more about the various other planets, asteroids, comets, and other bodies in the solar system thanks to an extensive network of spacecraft built by NASA and ESA.A new study by scientists at the Southwest Research Institute used information from two of these spacecraft, NASA’s New Horizons and the ESA’s Rosetta, to develop a unique theory of Pluto’s origins....

Media Platforms Design TeamChildren are expensive. After feeding, clothing, and housing them (not necessarily in that order), there may not be much money left over for fun. Fatherly.com is trying to change that. Founded to provide useful content for new dads, the site is offering $1,000 grants to help parents complete great projects for their kids that might otherwise be unaffordable.The grant, called The Fatherly Fund, will accept proposals today, October 1, through October 14....

Bikes are great and all, but there’s just nothing quite like getting your first vehicle with an actual accelerator. The Actev Motors Arrow Smart Kart is has all the features you’d expect from any good go-kart, including four wheels, a motor, and a way to steer. But the Smart Kart’s real selling point is all the extra tech slathered on top. The Wi-Fi-enabled vehicle can pair with an app that allows mom or dad to set limits on its top speed so that new drivers can only push a limit of seven or eight miles per hour instead of the full 12 that the kart maxes out at....

If you’re going to waste some time on a Friday afternoon, you might as well have something to show for it when you’re done. So instead of falling into a Twitter-shaped abyss or seething at your Facebook feed for 15 minutes that turns into three hours, why don’t you strap yourself into Google’s new Chrome Song Maker and whip yourself up a jaunty tune? Here’s an example by yours truly. View full post on IframeRelated StoryHow To Make Kickass Chiptunes With Just Your PhoneIt’s a pretty simple sequencer, with five options each for instruments and drums, but enough for you to get your groove on....

View full post on YoutubeIf you threw a bottle, a hammer, and a tennis racket at a typical robot arm, you’d end up with a broken robot arm. Not so with this new mechanical limb invented by Swiss researchers: The device can catch all kinds of flying objects thrown in its direction, reacting in less than one-twentieth of a second.The robot arm is about 5 feet long, with three joints and an intricate hand featuring four fingers....

Just outside the town of Machynlleth, Wales lies a series of valleys that have become famous as training grounds for some seriously fast military jets to do some low-altitude flying. The surrounding hills create a perfect vantage point for airplane spotters to capture a rare glimpse of these fast movers from above.One such spotter fortuitously captured the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, or Red Arrows, as they passed through the Mach Loop in a classic diamond formation....

Twice a year, many countries around the globe change their clocks, hoping to make the most out of the day and catch a few extra rays of sun. But Daylight Saving Time is actually a very old idea, which begs the question—do we still need it?So, When Exactly Is Daylight Saving Time?Well, it varies by region. In most of the U.S., daylight saving time gain an hour on the second Sunday in March....

In the vast majority of states across the U.S., if you want gasoline, you have to pump it yourself. However, in two states laws forbid you from placing a pump inside your own gas tank and filling it up. In Oregon and New Jersey, gas station attendants do it for you.At least, that used to be the case. The new year has brought new laws to the state of Oregon, and now residents of the Beaver State are allowed to pump their own gas, at least in some counties....

The eyes of WISE are back in commission. After lying dormant for more than two years, NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer will emerge from hibernation in September to assist in the asteroid initiative laid out by President Obama. The space agency has dubbed the revival NEOWISE.Despite scuffles in Congress over where NASA would best direct its efforts—lassoing asteroids or more manned missions to the moon—the space agency is moving forward with its plans to identify potentially dangerous near-Earth objects (NEOs), as well as the more ambitious goal of capturing and relocating an asteroid....

It’s not news that Star Wars has always been derivative. The first trilogy borrowed greedily from Flash Gordon and Japanese samurai movies, and set a precedent for future klepto-cinema. While The Last Jedi continues a similar tradition, it also follows another strange progression—the history of human warfare.[Warning: Major spoilers ahead]About two-thirds through the movie, when the First Order corners our heroes on the salt planet Crait, a pattern emerges through all the space opera chaos....

Media Platforms Design Team Compare the Grand Caravan with three cars at the Media Platforms Design Team Since it invented the genre in 1983, Chrysler has been the undisputed sales champions of the minivan. And if the all-new designs of its latest minivan lineup is any indication (we first saw these models January), the recently bought-out Chrysler Group has isn’t willing to give up that title anytime soon. In fact, it’s looking to expand its lead over the rest of the pack....

Media Platforms Design TeamThe midsize sedan segment has become one of the most hotly contested in the industry. So how do you beat the competition—keep it fresh. After just three short years, the Kia Forte is getting a complete and very stylish redesign. The new Forte sedan is larger too, so it’s technically a midsize sedan. Under the hood will be a choice of a 148 hp 1.8-liter four-cylinder with direct injection or a 2....

Humans struggle to understand big things, like the vastness of space, or incredibly large numbers. But we are equally stumped when it comes to the tiny world of microorganisms. Though our body is full of these visitors (to the point where there’s the same number of “them” as there are “us”), it’s hard to comprehend the scale of something that’s many times smaller than a strand of hair.This video from MetaBallStudios does an admirable job trying to fix that....

These days, I often find myself lamenting to my siblings, peers and anyone who will listen about how they don’t make games (or toys, television shows, etc.) as great as the ones they made when I was a kid. Maybe this dates me, but I just don’t understand how these new fangled games work. The Sims? Sorry, I don’t get it. World of Warcraft? Way too complicated. Which is why I was thrilled to stumble upon this website, which has literally thousands of games from the good ol’ days of Apple 2 - complete with prehistoric graphics, tinny music and joystick options....

An Iowa family found a grisly scene in the basement of their home when they discovered the room had flooded with 5 inches of blood and animal remains.The remains came from a meat locker right next to the family’s home.Officials say the cause of the flooding was either a clogged or broken pipe that sent the waste up into the basement through a floor drain.First, the good news: No one was found dead in the situation you’ll soon read about....

Media Platforms Design TeamI built this Eames-like chair without touching a single traditional woodworking tool. No, it’s not because I’m some kind of Luddite. I just love the immediacy of rendering a chair with 3D modeling software and then cutting out the parts with a CNC machine. Everything snaps together like flat-pack furniture, but without the cheesy fasteners—just mechanically sound through tenons and lap joints. The manufacturing process takes 2 hours....

A collection of “minimoons” are orbiting the Earth, and though they are difficult to find, a new telescope could help scientists pinpoint and study them, according to new research published in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences.Minimoons are small asteroids that temporarily enter Earth’s orbit. Because of their infrequent revolutions around the planet, existing technology can only capture them by chance. Scientists spotted the first and last minimoon 12 years ago....

Media Platforms Design TeamAugust 9, 2015 - 0400 HoursThe war for Taiwan starts in the early morning. There are no naval bombardments or waves of bombers: That’s how wars in the Pacific were fought 70 years ago. Instead, 1200 cruise and ballistic missiles rise from heavy vehicles on the Chinese mainland.Taiwan’s modest missile defense network—a scattered deployment of I-Hawk and Patriot interceptors—slams into dozens of incoming warheads. It’s a futile gesture....

Every one of the 40,000 individual pieces of galvanized steel used in Daytona International Speedway’s $400 million stadium project sports a barcode, giving builders data about where it goes and even when it needs to be maintained. And tracking 40 million pounds of steel is just part of the high-tech build that will give the most recognizable Nascar facility the most modern stadium-like experience in racing. From laying enough fiber and copper cable to last for decades to using a fully connected construction method, the International Speedway owners of Daytona and 11 other tracks nationwide want to turn a three-year construction project into a technology-filled amenity-rich fan experience....

Ah, branded consumer products. Seems every time we turn around, there’s another auto manufacturer who’s spun off a Jeep mountain bike, a Fiat espresso machine, or a BMW pencil sharpener– which speaks more to bleed-through brand cachet than it does to actual exclusivity.Then there’s Ferrari, the Italian car maker who is famously elusive about access to its press vehicles, but surprisingly aggressive with co-branded products as of late. Heck, Maranello HQs have even OK’d a $400, “V12” powered hair dryer– you know, for the most dedicated (read: vain) tifosi....