SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 22, 2023--

Scientists have just uncovered billions of years’ worth of secrets buried beneath the surface of the moon. Our celestial companion has been a source of awe and mystery since time immemorial, but now, thanks to China’s space programme, we’re starting to piece together its past. In 2018, the Chang’e-4 lander, of the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA), became the first spacecraft ever to land on the far side (or the dark side, if you'd prefer) of the moon. Since then, it has been capturing incredible images of impact craters and extracting mineral samples, offering a long-sought insight into the structures that make up the top 1,000 feet of the moon’s surface. Earlier this month, the Chang’e-4’s findings were finally published, and the world was invited to delve deep into the history of our cherished natural satellite. The results, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, reveal that the top 130 feet (40m) of the lunar surface are made up of multiple layers of dust, soil, and broken rocks. Hidden within these layers is a crater, which formed when a large object slammed into the moon, according to Jianqing Feng, an astrogeological researcher at the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona, who co-led the pioneering analysis. Beneath this, Feng and his colleagues discovered five distinct layers of lunar lava that spread across the landscape billions of years ago. Experts believe that our moon formed 4.51 billion years ago, when a Mars-size object crashed into Earth and broke off a chunk of our planet, as Live Science notes. Over the following 200 million years or so, the moon continued to be pummelled by space debris, with numerous impacts leaving cracks in its surface. Just like on Earth, the moon’s mantle contained pockets of molten magma, which infiltrated the newly formed cracks thanks to a series of volcanic eruptions, Feng explained. However, the new data provided by Chang’e-4 showed that the closer the volcanic rock was to the moon’s surface, the thinner it got. "[The moon] was slowly cooling down and running out of steam in its later volcanic stage," Feng said. "Its energy became weak over time." It is understood that volcanic activity on the moon died out between a billion and 100 million years ago, which means it is largely considered “geologically dead”. However, Feng and his co-authors have suggested there could still be magma buried deep beneath the lunar surface. Chang’e-4 still has much work to do, and Feng and his team hope this is just the beginning of their literally ground-breaking mapping of the moon. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

In the new BMW 5-series sedan, unveiled Wednesday by the German luxury automaker, drivers will be able to change lanes on the highway just by looking to the side.

In a couple of weeks, at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple could be set to reveal one of its most important and risky products ever: a whole new way of seeing the world. The “mixed reality” headset is still a secret and a mystery. Though it has been strongly rumoured, it still might never arrive; it would certainly not be a surprise if it did not turn up at that WWDC event, though it would be something of a disappointment given how many whispers there have been. But whether it arrives now, later or never, Apple’s headset has been in the works for years. And clues to what it might look like – or what the world might look like through it – are already sprinkled through the company’s other products and apps. Rumours of how the headset will look have suggested it might be something like ski goggles, with cameras mounted on the outside and a precise screen on the inside, borrowing some of the design language of the Apple Watch; eventually, that is expected to morph into something less like a virtual reality headset, and more like glasses with a screen that will blend into normal life. We have a lot of clues about what the mixed reality experiences that Apple wants people to see through it will look like. That’s because Apple and its executives have frequently discussed the uses of augmented reality in public, even as the hardware has stayed a tightly protected secret. Apple’s work on a kind of headset is thought to have been ongoing since 2016, though what exactly that headset was rumoured to be has shifted over the years. The main rumours have coalesced since then into work on a “mixed reality” headset: something that would use cameras to show a picture of the real world inside a headset strapped to users face, and sensors and software to overlay virtual objects on that real world. In 2017, Tim Cook spoke to The Independentabout the importance of augmented reality. At that point, he was talking primarily about the iPhone and iPad, and how their cameras, sensors and screens could be used to layer virtual objects on top of the real world. It was clear even then that Apple really planned to include it in some sort of glasses or goggles, however. Asked at the time, Mr Cook pointed to “rumours and stuff about companies working on those” and declined to discuss Apple’s plans, but he said that the “technology itself doesn’t exist to do [devoted hardware] in a quality way”. “The display technology required, as well as putting enough stuff around your face – there’s huge challenges with that,” he said then. “The field of view, the quality of the display itself, it’s not there yet,” he added, saying that Apple doesn’t “give a rat’s about being first” and would not launch anything until it was satisfied. In the time since, Apple has seemingly been working very hard to get satisfied with that technology. It appears to be paying off: last week, virtual reality pioneer Palmer Luckey, who created Oculus and then sold it to Meta, suggested that he had seen an early version of the headset and that it was “so good”. Morsels of unclear and uncertain information like that are all we have to go on about the headset, which has not really been leaked in any definitive form even as rumours suggest it is just weeks from launch. But if the hardware is unknown, Apple’s plans are not so mysterious. That is because Apple may already have been quietly planning for the metaverse – or something like it, given that the company may be unlikely to adopt a term that has been soured both by the mixed reaction to “Web 3.0” and Facebook’s attempt to co-opt it by changing its name to Meta and re-orienting the company around it. Apple will probably avoid much of that branding, since it has quickly become attached to a kind of hype and boosterism that it tends not to associate itself with. It also usually likes to make up its own terms – and recent trademarks have included filings for “xrOS”, which may be the branding for the operating system that powers the headset. But those early experiments in the metaverse do already show some of the ways that Apple might be imagining us interacting with its new headset. The most obvious comparison is with the Oculus headsets that are now developed by Meta. Those have focused more on virtual reality than augmented reality; Meta has been interested in creating whole new digital worlds, rather than overlaying virtual objects on the real world, like Apple seems to be interested in. But the use cases may be the same, and Meta has focused on applications such as business meetings, where people can sit around a real table and discuss things, as well as VR games such as the hugely popular Beat Saber, where people try and strike objects with a sword in time to a beat. Apple has in recent years been more focused on the quality of interactions with devices, and has actually encouraged users to spend less time on their devices and more time being active. As such, it might not opt for mixed reality experiences that leave people cooped up inside the headset, and might instead be more outward-looking. As such, Apple might still focus on meetings, but would presumably use its augmented reality technology to add virtual people onto real rooms, rather than stuffing them in computer-designed spaces. And it might focus more on people’s interactions with the real environment by, for instance, allowing people to see their messages or directions as they move around, a version of which is already experienced by people who wear the Apple Watch. Apple has already offered a host of technologies aimed at making it easier for developers to include augmented reality in their iPhone and iPad apps. In 2017, when Cook made those tantalising comments about a possible headset, he was actually showing off uses of those frameworks: in the app Night Sky, for instance, which overlays virtual images of the constellations on top of real camera views of the stars. The company makes that technology possible with a range of systems, in both its hardware and software. That hardware includes the cameras, of course, but also the LiDAR sensor in some iPhones and iPads that allows for precise scanning of the environment; the software is most obvious in the form of ARKit, which does the heavy lifting of understanding the world around a user so that developers can just place their virtual objects into it. Since then, developers such as Ikea have used that to offer the option to drop virtual furniture into a real room to see how it might fit, for instance. Other apps such as 3D Scanner harness those sensors to allow people to easily create virtual views of those rooms as if they are in a video game. But the most telling way of guessing what Apple’s plans for the headset are can be found in its own technology. Apple has been quietly creating a whole world of apps that appear to be ready for mixed reality, hidden in plain view. One of them is Memoji, which are cartoon versions of people that can be used as stickers to react to messages or as profile pictures within messages. Apple has leaned on them heavily in recent years, using them as decorations in its presentations, for instance. At the moment, they are just a fun picture. But it’s very easy to imagine how they could instantly be used as avatars for people in virtual environments. If people are to participate in virtual meetings through their headsets, then other participants in that meeting will need to appear in some form, and current versions of those environments such as Meta’s Horizon Worlds rely on cartoonish drawings of people rather than realistic depictions. Apple already has those ready to go – many iPhone owners might already have created their virtual avatar, without even realising it. Aside from meetings, one of the most discussed use cases of mixed reality is in finding directions. A person might be walking up to junction, for instance, and see a virtual signal telling them to turn left overlaid on the real road that they need to start walking down. Apple has been putting the foundations of that kind of technology in place for years. It launched Apple Maps in 2012 and in the time since has been working to integrate it with the real world: collecting detailed 3D information about the world, for instance, so that it can show accurate and precise virtual models of real buildings, and a “Look Around” tool introduced in 2019 that works like Google Street View and lets people scroll around three dimensional panoramas. At the moment, those features are used to make people’s phone navigation look nice: as you drive into a city, for instance, the 3D models of buildings shift around, to make it feel like the virtual car on your phone is really driving along. But it takes very little imagination at all to see that the real purpose of those models may be to allow Apple to have a precise understanding of the real world, so that the headset will know where it is and help its wearer. Apple has also already been working on wearable products, which might themselves offer an insight into how the headset will work. The Apple Watch and AirPods already work by attaching themselves to people’s bodies and adding a layer of digital information – which, in a way, is exactly what the headset will aim to do. The AirPods, for instance, have found a way to lightly add information on top of the real world: using Siri to read out messages as they arrive, and adding transparency modes that allow the noises of the real world in as well as the sound coming through the earphones. And the Watch may be a glimpse at how Apple will encourage people to strap a computer to their body in a way that might look alarmingly sci-fi but has become accepted as relatively normal. Apple encouraged the Watch to become an acceptable accoutrement by focusing on personalisation, and designing in a way that brought in a sense of softness that did not make the hardware seem too much like a computer – it will probably do much the same with the headset. Apple’s new products are often described as if they have been magicked up from nowhere. But in truth all of its recent innovations have had their roots in previous products: the iPhone combined an iPod and a computer, and both the iPad and Apple Watch were bigger and smaller versions of that iPhone. The same thing appears to have been happening with Apple’s headset, which might look a lot more familiar than we are expecting. When the company takes to the stage to reveal its new products in a couple of weeks, we might realise that the product Apple wants us to strap to our faces has been developed right under our noses. Read More The 20 technologies that defined the first 20 years of the 21st Century Apple Watch 7 pre-order: How to buy the new smartwatch in the UK Apple introduces new version of Watch with complete redesign iPhone 13 - live: UK contract deals and prices for Apple, EE and O2

Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg has said that the company’s Metaverse platform may one day help people interact with the virtual avatars of their deceased loved ones. In an interview with podcaster Lex Fridman in the Metaverse, Mr Zuckerberg shared his thoughts on the future of virtual reality and the company’s VR platform. He shared details on Meta using new technology to scan users’ faces to build their 3D virtual models, Insider first reported. Mr Fridman asked the Meta chief if there was the possibility of the technology being used to talk to dead friends and relatives. “I would love to talk to people who are no longer here that are loved ones. So if you look into the future, is that something you think about?” he asked. While acknowledging that the idea was complex, the Meta boss said there is “probably some balance” for the idea of creating a virtual version of a dead person by using VR and AI. “If someone has lost a loved one and is grieving, there may be ways in which being able to interact or relive certain memories could be helpful,” Mr Zuckerberg told the podcaster. But the Meta boss also acknowledged such a technology could become “unhealthy”. “I’m not an expert in that, so I think we’d have to study that and understand it in more detail,” he said. The tech giant’s expenses have shot up since it began investing in its futuristic virtual reality social media platform Metaverse. Data from July revealed that despite a strong rise in Meta’s advertising revenue and dramatically cutting costs as well as laying off staff, the company had increased expenses due to the development of the metaverse, its artificial intelligence projects and legal fees. At a developer conference last week, the tech giant unveiled the next version of its VR headset, the Quest 3, that would cost $499 and begin shipping 10 October. Mr Zuckerberg said Meta was “focused on building the future of human connection” where people would interact with hologram versions of their friends or colleagues with AI bots built to assist them. “Soon the physical and digital will come together in what we call the metaverse,” he said. But observers have pointed out that Meta’s transformation to build the nascent virtual-reality world has been slower than expected, costing the company billions of dollars. Experts have also highlighted that global interest for virtual reality headsets has been low. A recent survey by Piper Sandler found less than 1 per cent of US teenagers regularly used virtual reality headsets, with less than a third of the 5,690 teens polled owning a VR device. Only 7 per cent of the respondents had plans to purchase a VR headset and over half said they were either unsure or uninterested. Faced with the challenges of uncertainty around the global economy and a slump in online advertising, the tech giant slashed over 20,000 jobs. Mr Zuckerberg also dubbed 2023 to be the company’s “year of efficiency”. Meanwhile, Apple has also launched its own VR headset, the Vision Pro, which it hopes will be its most important product since the iPhone. Apple’s virtual reality tool allows people to see apps projected on top of the room they are in, enabling them to be “freed from the confines of a display”. Apple’s headset, however, is on the pricier side. It costs $3,499, while Meta’s latest one comes at around $500. Read More Apple blames Instagram for overheating iPhones Tom Hanks calls out AI version of him made without his permission: ‘Beware!’ Meta launches AI chatbots with ‘personalities’ to take on ChatGPT Meta launches AI chatbots with ‘personalities’ to take on ChatGPT Meta showcases new AR/VR tech at annual Connect conference Apple blames Instagram for overheating iPhones

The U.S. House of Representatives' China committee will introduce a bill to ban the U.S. government from buying

Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene posted a lengthy tweet bragging about her health and exercise regimen after claiming that her TV in her DC residence appears to be spying on her. On Sunday morning, Ms Greene wrote: “Last night in my DC residence, the television turned on by itself and the screen showed someone’s laptop trying to connect to the TV.” “Just for the record: I’m very happy. I’m also very healthy and eat well and exercise a lot. I don’t smoke and never have. I don’t take any medications. I am not vaccinated. So I’m not concerned about blood clots, heart conditions, strokes, or anything else. Nor do I have anything to hide,” Ms Greene added, possibly in a reference to the novel 1984, where residents are spied on by the state via their TVs. “I just love my country and the people and know how much they’ve been screwed over by the corrupt people in our government and I’m not willing to be quiet about it, or willing to go along with it,” she concluded, before adding a link to a CBS News story about Smart TVs possibly spying on their users, according to the FBI. The agency issued a warning in late 2019 saying that Smart TVs could be hacked and access could be gained to a home’s computer network. The FBI noted that while Smart TVs are connected to the Internet, they’re often much less secure than computers and smartphones. This means that cybercriminals may use the TVs to access home routers, TechCrunch noted at the time. “Beyond the risk that your TV manufacturer and app developers may be listening and watching you, that television can also be a gateway for hackers to come into your home,” the FBI warning said at the time. Ms Greene was quickly mocked by Twitter users for seemingly suggesting that the government was spying on her via her TV. “Yeah every time someone tries to access my WiFi I know that means they’re coming to kill me,” historian Kevin Kruse tweeted. “Was the deep state trying to watch your tv shows?” Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo tweeted. “Am I the only one who doesn’t know what the tv screen looks like when it shows ‘someone’s laptop trying to connect to the TV.’ I wanted to be prepared for when I have my first psychotic break.” “It happens all the time in apt buildings. Someone chooses the wrong tv. You say deny and move on,” Greg Gadren responded. “Do people not know about smart tvs? I’ve accidentally tried to connect to other people’s tv in my apartment complex. It doesn’t mean I’m trying to spy, nor does it mean anything weird is happening,” one account holder said. “You should IMPEACH THE TV,” one Twitter user said. “What is apple play for $200.” “Have you considered an exorcism?” another account holder said. “Are they in the room with us right now?” California Democrat Eric Swalwell joked. “I feel like a neighbor accidentally trying to Airplay to your TV isn’t an assassination attempt?” Hayden Clarkin said. “I am laughing so f****** hard. A neighbor trying to screen share something accidentally clicked ‘Samsung-8237’ instead of ‘Samsung-1490’ and this delusional nut job is issuing a final will and testament,” Caleb Hearon said. Read More Speaker McCarthy supports expunging Trump's impeachments over Ukraine and Jan. 6 Arizona election denier Kari Lake ‘couch-surfing like a bum’ at Mar-a-Lago, ex-Trump lawyer says Lauren Boebert reveals she’s officially a grandmother as she avoids question about Marjorie Taylor Greene spat Trump allies in Congress seek to expunge impeachments Lauren Boebert reveals she’s officially a grandmother at age 36 Marjorie Taylor Greene calls Lauren Boebert a ‘little b****’ on House floor

Dunne is ranked No 2 in the On3 NIL 100, the first of its kind and de facto ranking of high school and college athletes based on their NIL valuations

Spatial computing is a technology that enables computers to blend in with the physical world

Scientists have achieved a new world record for a next-generation solar cell, which holds the promise for novel applications like building-integrated and window solar panels. The breakthrough follows two years of research from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University into organic solar cells (OSCs), which until now have been too inefficient and costly to be used widely in practical applications. The research team invented a new technique to boost the stability of OSCs, achieving a power-conversion efficiency of 19.3 per cent. “The new finding will make OSC research an exciting field, and this will likely create tremendous opportunities in applications like portable electronics and building-integrated photovoltaics,” said Li Gang, a professor of energy conversion technology at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. “This is a very encouraging result for the long-standing research on OSCs that I have conducted over the past two decades. We have already achieved better OSC efficiency and this will subsequently help accelerate the applications of solar energy.” Professor Li and his team believe an efficiency rate above 20 per cent is now achievable using their new technique. The research is detailed in a study, titled ‘19.3% Binary Organic Solar Cell and Low Non-Radiative Recombination Enabled by Non-Monotonic Intermediate State Transition’, published in the scientific journal Nature Communications. The 19.3 per cent efficiency record is still a long way off other solar cell technologies, with researchers passing the 30 per cent barrier last year with a tandem design that used the so-called “miracle material” perovskite. OSCs are more lightweight and flexible than traditional silicon-based solar panels, as they consist of thin layers of organic semiconducting materials. The materials used are more environmentally friendly and 1,000-times thinner than silicon solar cells, meaning they have the potential to be vastly cheaper. They are also semi-transparent, allowing them to be used not just within building materials, but also on windows. Dozens of startups are already working on novel applications for harvesting solar energy, such as London-based Filia, which integrates solar technology into blackout blinds. California-based Ubiquitous Energy raised more than $30 million last year to push forward its vision of turning skyscrapers into “vertical solar farms” through the development of windows capable of converting sunlight into electricity. The firm aims to begin production at some point next year following further research and development. Read More Electric car range set to double with first production of breakthrough battery Solar panel efficiency to increase 50% with first production of ‘miracle’ tandem cells Solar panel efficiency to increase 50% with first ‘miracle’ tandem cells Elon Musk’s private jet lands in China for billionaire’s first visit in three years WhatsApp set to add major features including a new username system

A new event in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet lets you have your very own Mew. Here's how to get him.

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