Science & Technology
NASA rover observes aurora on Mars in visible light for first time
By Reuters Scientists said the aurora occurred on March 18, 2024, when super-energetic particles from the sun encountered the Martian atmosphere, precipitating a reaction that created a faint glow across the entire night sky.
China’s AI-powered humanoid robots aim to transform manufacturing
By Reuters With massive government backing and rapid AI advances, China pushes to automate factories and counter labour shortages.
GPS on the moon: Spanish firm launches lunar navigation system
By Reuters Called LUPIN, the project is part of a programme by the European Space Agency to test new positioning, navigation and timing techniques as interest in lunar surface exploration picks up again
OpenAI agrees to buy Windsurf for about $3 billion, Bloomberg News reports
By Reuters The deal, which would be OpenAI’s largest acquisition to date, would complement ChatGPT’s coding capabilities.
Europe space agency studying NASA budget cuts, mulls alternatives
By Reuters US budget outlines released on Friday called for phasing out NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and its Orion crew vehicle, which includes a key service module supplied by Europe’s Airbus on behalf of ESA.
Global nuclear fusion project crosses milestone with world”s most powerful magnet
By Reuters The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) said late on Wednesday that the final component of the system - the central solenoid - had been completed and tested by the United States, and assembly was now underway.
Amazon launches first Kuiper internet satellites, taking on Starlink
By Reuters Mission kicks off race to rival SpaceX’s massive Starlink network
Iran repelled large cyber attack on Sunday
By Reuters Iran has in the past accused its arch-foe Israel of being behind cyber attacks.
South Korea says DeepSeek transferred user data, prompts without consent
By Reuters South Korea’s privacy watchdog said Hangzhou DeepSeek AI Co Ltd failed to obtain user consent when transferring personal data to firms in China and the US during its January launch in South Korea.
China-led lunar base to include nuclear power plant on moon’s surface, space official
By Reuters The world’s second largest economy is aiming to become a major space power and land astronauts on the moon by 2030.
China set for Shenzhou-20 spaceflight launch on Thursday
By Reuters The crew members will conduct space science and application experiments, install a space debris protection device as well as extravehicular payload and equipment, and perform recovery tasks.
China pits humanoid robots against humans in half-marathon
By Reuters The winning robot was Tiangong Ultra, from the Beijing Innovation Center of Human Robotics, with a time of 2 hours and 40 minutes. The men’s winner of the race had a time of 1 hour and 2 minutes.
China to rely on artificial intelligence in education reform bid
By Reuters The effort comes after Chinese universities launched AI courses and widened enrolment after the DeepSeek startup drew global attention in January.
Nvidia kept some China customers in the dark about new US chip clampdown, sources say
By Reuters The export controls threaten Nvidia's business in China, one of its largest markets.
China accuses US of launching ‘advanced’ cyberattacks, names alleged NSA agents
By Reuters The attacks targeted information systems such as the Asian Winter Games registration system and stored “sensitive information about the identities of relevant personnel of the event,” Chinese state news agency Xinhua said.
Katy Perry launches into space with all-female crew on Blue Origin rocket
By Reuters The six-person crew also included Bezos’ fiancée Lauren Sanchez, CBS host Gayle King, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, scientist Amanda Nguyen and film producer Kerianne Flynn.
Facebook owner Meta faces existential threat at trial over Instagram, WhatsApp
By Reuters The case is one of five where the US Federal Trade Commission and the US Department of Justice accuse Big Tech companies of maintaining illegal monopolies.
Alphabet, Nvidia invest in OpenAI co-founder Sutskever’s SSI, source says
By Reuters The funding illustrates renewed interest from the big tech and infrastructure providers in making strategic investments in the startups developing cutting-edge AI that requires massive amounts of computing power.
Webb telescope documents alien planet’s death plunge into a star
By Reuters The planet is believed to have been from a class called “hot Jupiters” - gas giants at high temperatures owing to a tight orbit around their host star.
Jawbone from Taiwan shows geographic reach of enigmatic archaic humans
By Reuters Confirmed Denisovan fossils now have been identified from three places - the Penghu Channel, Denisova Cave in Russia and the Tibetan Plateau in China’s Gansu province