Science & Health
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Take a Break From the Doom and Look at These Rad Starlings
Although your first instinct when you see these photos might be, “Oh god,” we promise that it’s not an upcoming extreme weather event or some alien species coming to invade Earth. (Given that it’s 2020, you’re forgiven for thinking anything that’s not obviously good is probably horrific.) In fact, these are actually photos taken this…
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A Human Toddler and a Mammoth Crossed Paths in Ancient New Mexico, Footprints Suggest
Someone — maybe an adolescent, maybe someone older — rushed across the edge of Lake Otero, slipping as they walked but moving steadily ahead. Evidence suggests this person was carrying a child approximately 3 years old, setting the child down for just a moment in at least three separate places along the journey before continuing…
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This Company Will Let You Play With ‘Quantum Matter On The Cloud’
This week, Colorado-based startup ColdQuanta announced it has put “quantum matter on the cloud.” Which means — what exactly? To unpack this perfect pairing of buzz phrases: By “quantum matter,” ColdQuanta is referring to a collection of tens of thousands of rubidium atoms, cooled to near absolute zero. “On the cloud” means that by filling…
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Stunning Images Show NASA’s Attempt at Scooping Samples From an Asteroid
Images captured by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx show the spacecraft’s sample head touching the surface of asteroid Bennu, which then became enveloped in a cloudy burst of dust and rock. The team now has to figure out how much surface material was collected, if any, but these images are being taken as a very positive sign.