Sci-Tech

Tech at CES shows how farmers can save time, money and the environment

by Juliette MICHEL Agence France Presse Las Vegas, United States (AFP) — Armed with a smartphone in today’s ever more connected world, farmers can remotely monitor the health of their fields, the level of feed in their silos or even the aging of wine in barrels. Both start-ups and agro-industry giants are exhibiting such cutting-edge tools — tools to help farmers collect and analyze data and improve decision-making — at the huge CES electronics show […]

Rate of scientific breakthroughs slowing over time: study

by Daniel Lawler and Juliette Collen Agence France Presse Paris, France (AFP) — The rate of ground-breaking scientific discoveries and technological innovation is slowing down despite an ever-growing amount of knowledge, according to an analysis released Wednesday of millions of research papers and patents. While previous research has shown downturns in individual disciplines, the study is the first that “emphatically, convincingly documents this decline of disruptiveness across all major fields of science and technology,” lead […]

Russian space chief praises US after ISS coolant leak

  Moscow, Russia (AFP) The head of Russian space agency Roscosmos on Tuesday praised Russia-US cooperation at the International Space Station following a major coolant leak from a Soyuz crew capsule. “Say hello to the entire American team. They proved themselves to be very worthy in this situation and lent us a helping hand,” Borisov said, speaking to the Russian crew on board the ISS. “But I hope we will manage on our own” in […]

Twitter users vote to oust Elon Musk as CEO

  SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Twitter users voted on Monday to oust owner Elon Musk as CEO in a highly unscientific poll he organized and promised to honor, just weeks after he took charge of the social media giant. A total of 57.5 percent of more than 17 million accounts voted for him to step down. Musk, who is also the boss of car maker Tesla and rocket firm SpaceX, has not yet […]

Temperature rising on Soyuz, crew not in danger

  Moscow, Russia (AFP) The temperature on the Soyuz capsule docked at the International Space Station has risen but the crew are not in danger, the Russian space agency said Friday as it assesses a leak. Roscosmos said a number of tests had been conducted following the discovery of a coolant leak on the Soyuz MS-22, and the temperature in the capsule had increased to 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit). On Wednesday, the leak […]

Tiny meteorite may have caused leak from Soyuz capsule

by Lucie Aubourg and Chris Lefkow in Washington with Ola Cichowlas in Moscow Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Russian and NASA engineers were assessing a coolant leak on Thursday from a Soyuz crew capsule docked with the International Space Station (ISS) that may have been caused by a micrometeorite strike. Dramatic NASA TV images showed white particles resembling snowflakes streaming out of the rear of the vessel for hours. The coolant leak forced […]

NASA capsule Orion splashes down after record-setting lunar voyage

  by Lucie AUBOURG Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — NASA’s Orion space capsule splashed down safely in the Pacific on Sunday, completing the Artemis 1 mission — a more than 25-day journey around the Moon with an eye to returning humans there in just a few years. After racing through the Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of 25,000 miles (40,000 kilometers) per hour, the uncrewed capsule floated down to the sea with the […]

Japanese billionaire Maezawa announces crew of artists for lunar voyage

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa announced Thursday eight crew members who will join him for a journey around the Moon planned for 2023 on a SpaceX rocket that is still under development. The mission, known as dearMoon, was first announced in 2018. Maezawa initially said he would invite a crew of six-to-eight artists, but later changed the entry requirements to a competition which applicants could apply for online. The eight people […]

Apple loosens tight grip on App Store pricing

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) – Apple on Tuesday announced the biggest upgrade to the App Store pricing system since the launch of the shop, allowing developers to charge from 29 cents to $10,000 for their offerings. The enhanced pricing options to be available for all transactions at the App Store by spring of next year were touted along with new capabilities intended to make it easier for those offering their wares to manage sales, returns, […]

As chatbot sophistication grows, AI debate intensifies

by Julie Jammot with Laurent Barthelemy in Paris Agence France Presse San Francisco, United States (AFP) — California start-up OpenAI has released a chatbot capable of answering a variety of questions, but its impressive performance has reopened the debate on the risks linked to artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. The conversations with ChatGPT, posted on Twitter by fascinated users, show a kind of omniscient machine, capable of explaining scientific concepts and writing scenes for a play, […]

NASA’s Orion spaceship slingshots around Moon, heads for home

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — NASA’s Orion spaceship made a close pass of the Moon and used a gravity assist to whip itself back towards Earth on Monday, marking the start of the return journey for the Artemis-1 mission. At its nearest point, the uncrewed capsule flew less than 80 miles (130 kilometers) from the surface, testing maneuvers that will be used during later Artemis missions that return humans to the rocky celestial body. Communication […]

Australia starts building ‘momentous’ radio telescope

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia on Monday started building a vast network of antennas in the Outback, its section of what planners say will eventually become one of the most powerful radio telescopes in the world. When complete, the antennas in Australia and a network of dishes in South Africa will form the Square Kilometer Array (SKA), a massive instrument that will aim to untangle mysteries about the creation of stars, galaxies and extraterrestrial life. […]