Results for: Science

Apple’s recent event introduced a new iPad Pro, M4 chip, and Apple Pencil, but the iPad Air with M1 remains a standout value. Due to the launch of an underwhelming new model, the M1 version has received significant price cuts. Now available for just $399, the iPad Air offers a large and bright 10.9-inch display, making it ideal for various tasks and easy to hold with one hand. Despite the absence of the Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard, iPadOS provides robust multitasking features and gesture support, along with Bluetooth mouse and keyboard compatibility. Its long battery life and powerful M1 chip, comparable to Apple laptops, make it a versatile choice for students and professionals. The iPad Air with M1 is still a viable option, especially at its current discounted price.

Scientists have developed a new ferroelectric diode that can withstand temperatures of up to 1,112 degrees Fahrenheit (600 degrees Celsius) for hours, opening the door for computers that can operate in the harshest environments on Earth and beyond. The device, made using a material called ferroelectric aluminum scandium nitride (AlScN), is the first non-volatile memory (NVM) device that can operate at such high temperatures, where current NVM devices like solid-state drives (SSDs) fail within seconds. This breakthrough could enable the development of sensors and computing devices that can operate in nuclear plants, deep-field oil and gas exploration, or even on the hottest planet in our solar system. The researchers believe that this new technology could also lead to a new era of non-silicon computing devices that integrate memory and processing closer together for data-heavy tasks such as artificial intelligence (AI) processing in extreme conditions on other planets.

While it may seem like an impossible feat, it is actually possible for a commercial airliner to perform a barrel roll. The key lies in the pilot’s ability to control the amount of g-forces placed on the aircraft during the maneuver. The size of the plane does not matter as much as the pilot’s skill and the amount of airspace available to complete the roll. However, some modern aircraft have built-in limitations to prevent pilots from performing such acrobatic maneuvers.

The Flower Moon, the first full moon of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, will grace the night sky on May 23rd. Also known as the Milk Moon and Hare Moon, this celestial spectacle will be visible for three nights, from May 22nd to 24th. On May 23rd, the full moon will align itself with the bright star Antares, offering a mesmerizing celestial dance. For optimal viewing, look towards the eastern horizon after sunset or just before sunrise.

Silicon Valley-based startup Two Platforms Inc. has introduced Sutra, a multilingual large language model (LLM), and Geniya, an LLM-powered chatbot. Backed by Jio Platforms and Naver Corp, Two Platforms aims to bridge the language gap in AI for non-English markets. Sutra is built with a foundational transformer architecture to enhance language learning without fine-tuning, offering cost savings and improved efficiency compared to existing LLMs. The company’s upcoming Zappy messaging app will integrate AI capabilities. India has witnessed a surge in the development of local multilingual LLMs, with companies like Sarvam AI, Tech Mahindra, and Krutrim contributing to the space.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s Hubble Space Telescope has captured an awe-inspiring image of the lenticular galaxy NGC 4753, located approximately 60 million light-years away from Earth. This galaxy exhibits a distinctive elliptical shape and ill-defined spiral arms. The Hubble image reveals a bright-white core surrounded by prominent, dark brown dust lanes. These dust structures are believed to have formed due to a merger between NGC 4753 and another galaxy approximately 1.3 billion years ago. The complex structure and low-density environment of NGC 4753 make it a valuable object of study for astronomers seeking to understand the formation and evolution of lenticular galaxies.

On May 19, Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin New Shepard-25 (NS-25) mission successfully returned to the skies, two years after a rocket failure in September 2022. The mission, the seventh human flight and 25th overall for the New Shepard program, featured a six-person crew including Indian-origin entrepreneur and pilot Gopichand Thotakura. The crew also included Ed Dwight, the first Black astronaut candidate in the United States and the oldest person to travel to space at 90 years old.

A groundbreaking rocket system, supported by NASA funding, aims to transform future deep space missions to Mars. The Pulsed Plasma Rocket (PPR) is designed to significantly reduce travel time to the Red Planet, potentially shortening the journey to just two months. This innovative propulsion technology, developed by Howe Industries, offers unparalleled efficiency and capabilities, making it ideal for transporting humans and cargo to Mars safely and swiftly.

Astronomers have discovered an Earth-size planet, SPECULOOS-3 b, orbiting a red dwarf star 55 light-years away. The planet is tidally locked to its star, constantly exposed to intense radiation that has eroded away its atmosphere. Although not habitable for life as we know it, SPECULOOS-3 b provides a unique opportunity to study the geology and chemical composition of an airless, rocky exoplanet.

A new study suggests that incorporating quantum effects into the theory of general relativity could resolve the puzzling inconsistencies in measurements of the universe’s expansion rate. This approach could pave the way for experimentally studying quantum gravity and validating inflationary models of cosmology.