Caltechâs Lightsail Experiment Brings Interstellar Travel Closer to Reality
A team of researchers at the California Institute of Technology devised a means of measuring the thin membranes of a lightsail, helping prove out a futuristic travel concept first imagined by Johannes Kepler over 400 years ago.
originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/877266
AI Designed Computer Chips That The Human Mind Can't Understand.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a63606123/ai-designed-computer-chips/
Our world runs on computer chips. From the chips that run new cars to the chips that help your phones and computers process information to the microchips that help track lost animals, thereâs very few aspects of modern human life that are not touched by chips. As a result, thereâs a huge and consistent push to make better and more innovative chips as fast as possibleâsometimes by any means necessary. And apparently, that sometimes means taking a portion of the design control out of human hands.
originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/877255
Bill Gates in FULL Panic Mode over Musk's Finding Out Where USAID Funds Went
Billionaire Bill Gates is in desperate damage control mode, making the rounds on mainstream media to push back against Elon Muskâs latest political moveâintegrating USAID into the State Department.
The shake-up would give Secretary of State Marco Rubio oversight of the agency, a scenario that could put an end to USAIDâs lucrative funding pipeline for Gatesâ various nonprofit initiatives.
Appearing on NBCâs Today Show, Gates attempted to downplay concerns, insisting that USAIDâs work is not politically motivated.
originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/877024
Biggest explosion since the Big Bang spotted: It nearly split a galaxy in two
https://www.ecoticias.com/en/biggest-explosion-since-the-big-bang/11094/
In the Ophiuchus galaxy cluster, astronomers spotted the largest explosion in the universe, and that explosion consisted of energy equivalent to a billion supernovae as it made a 1.5 million-light-year-wide bubble. The outburst, which began from a supermassive black hole and contradicted existing models of galaxy clusters, can help provide insights into them. The term is metaphorical, as the Big Bang wasnât an explosion in the traditional sense but the origin of the universe as we know it.
originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/876974
MicroStrategy rebrands as Strategy, adopts Bitcoin focus
MicroStrategy Incorporated, known for its business intelligence solutions, has officially rebranded to Strategy⢠and shifted its corporate focus towards Bitcoin, reflecting its new identity as a Bitcoin Treasury Company. The rebrand includes a new logo with a stylized 'âż' and an orange color scheme, symbolizing the company's commitment to Bitcoin. According to InvestingPro data, the company's bold strategy has yielded impressive results, with the stock delivering a remarkable 610% return over the past year and 166% over the last six months.
originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/876898
Blackrock (BLK) Plans to Launch a Bitcoin (BTC) ETP in Europe: Bloomberg
The fund would be based in Switzerland and BlackRock could start marketing it as soon as this month, according to the story.
originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/876862
DeepSeek Jailbreak Reveals Its Entire System Prompt
https://www.darkreading.com/application-security/deepseek-jailbreak-system-prompt
Researchers have tricked DeepSeek, the Chinese generative AI (GenAI) that debuted earlier this month to a whirlwind of publicity and user adoption, into revealing the instructions that define how it operates.
originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/873988
Trump freezes EU relations in favor of direct contacts with EU member states
https://ukraine.news-pravda.com/en/world/2025/01/27/24801.html
Trump freezes relations with the EU in favor of direct contacts with EU member states
In other words, Trump no longer needs a supranational superstructure in the form of the Brussels Euro-bureaucracy. In principle, taking into account the direct theft of Brussels in cases from Covid vaccinations to supplying the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Trump simply begins to count the money.
originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/866714
Historic solar system discovery: A 180â° turn in the way we view the universe
https://eladelantado.com/news/planet-nine-solar-system-discovery/
The cosmos, full of endless wonders and mysteries, keeps throwing us celestial curveballs. In a revelation that could reshape how we see the universe, a team of astronomers from Caltech, working alongside NASA, has hinted at the potential existence of a ninth planet lurking in the distant outskirts of our Solar System. Dubbed the âPlanet Nineâ placeholder, this enigmatic body might just be the puzzle piece astronomers have been hunting for over a century.
originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/861115
Extremely cold atoms can selectively defy entropy
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2464605-extremely-cold-atoms-can-selectively-defy-entropy/
When their quantum properties are precisely controlled, some ultracold atoms can resist the laws of physics that suggest everything tends towards disorder
originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/860873
The JFK files are reportedly going to be released within a few hours.
https://x.com/TomHoman_/status/1882154528755286149
President Trump is expected to make do on another campaign promise.
originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/860862
Channel Jamming Attacks on the Lightning Network: A Deep-Dive (2020)
https://btctimes.com/time-dilation-attacks-on-the-lightning-network/
In May this year, Bitcoin Core contributors Gleb Naumenko and Antoine Riard proposed the use of Fidelity Bonds for LN Routing to prevent channel jamming, a type of denial-of-service (DOS) attack that can occur on the Lightning Network.
Channel jamming, first described in 2015 by Rusty Russell, usually describes a scenario in which an attacker sends a payment to themselves through a series of routing nodes and then stops responding. However, channel jamming can also occur when a laggy receiver node does not complete a payment. As a consequence, the funds are locked in a routing channel until the payment times out, leaving them unavailable for other payments on the network.
originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/860859
Trump orders 'blackout' at CDC, FDA, NIH as agencies prepare for MAGA
Donald Trump has ordered a communications blackout at America's federal health agencies, according to reports.
The CDC, FDA, HHS and NIH have all been told to pause external communications, including publishing scientific reports, updating websites or issuing health advisories.
originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/860849
Beam me to the stars: Scientists propose wild new interstellar travel tech
"Chemical rockets that we use today, even with the extra speed boost from flying by planets, or from swinging by the sun for a boost, just don't have the ability to scale to useful interstellar speeds."
originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/860842
$47M Bitcoin wallet linked to Silk Road founder re-surfaces after a decade
https://cryptoslate.com/47m-bitcoin-wallet-linked-to-silk-road-founder-re-surfaces-after-a-decade/
Conor Grogan, a Director at Coinbase, has identified 430 BTC distributed across various wallets potentially tied to Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the Silk Road marketplace.
These Bitcoin holdings, untouched for over a decade, are estimated to be worth $47 million based on current market prices.
In a Jan. 22 post on X (formerly Twitter), Grogan pointed out that these funds are not among the more than 100,000 BTC seized by US authorities during Silk Roadâs 2013 shutdown.
originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/860825
Googleâs Gemini is already winning the next-gen assistant wars
https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/22/24349416/google-gemini-virtual-assistant-samsung-siri-alexa
One of the most important changes in Samsungâs new phones is a simple one: when you long-press the side button on your phone, instead of activating Samsungâs own Bixby assistant by default, youâll get Google Gemini.
originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/860814
Kessler Syndrome: Earthâs Orbit May Already Be Past the Point of No Return
https://indiandefencereview.com/kessler-syndrome-unfolding-earths-orbit/
The growing clutter of space debris in Earthâs orbit is raising alarm bells among experts who warn of a potential chain reaction of collisions known as Kessler Syndrome. This hypothetical scenario, first proposed by astrophysicist Donald Kessler in 1978, envisions a cascading effect where debris from one collision triggers subsequent impacts, creating an impenetrable cloud of space junk that could paralyze satellite operations and space exploration for decadesâor longer.
originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/859861
Unitree G1: Chinaâs humanoid robot grooves with new bionic upgrade
https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/china-humanoid-robot-walk-like-shakira
Chinese robotics firm Unitree has claimed its G1 robot boasts the smoothest walking and humanoid running system in the world, with movements so fluid even Shakiraâs âhips donât lie.â
Demonstrating impressive agility, the G1 can tackle steep inclinesâwhether ascending, descending, or moving sidewaysâwith precision.
A video posted by the firm also shows the humanoid doing well on uneven terrain, showcasing stability and control that surpass previous designs.
originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/859673
OpenAI reportedly plans to launch an AI agent early next year
https://www.theverge.com/2024/11/13/24295879/openai-agent-operator-autonomous-ai
OpenAI is preparing to release an autonomous AI agent that can control computers and perform tasks independently, code-named âOperator.â The company plans to debut it as a research preview and developer tool in January, according to Bloomberg.
This move intensifies the competition among tech giants developing AI agents: Anthropic recently introduced its âcomputer useâ capability, while Google is reportedly preparing its own version for a December release. The timing of Operatorâs eventual consumer release remains under wraps, but its development signals a pivotal shift toward AI systems that can actively engage with computer interfaces rather than just process text and images.
originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/859662
Researchers discover pieces of an ancient planet buried deep within the Earth
Seismic imaging has revealed two colossal regions deep within Earthâs mantle that could reshape our understanding of the planetâs composition and history.
originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/859658