Organism That Eats Meteorites Could Help Us Find Alien Life

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Scientists found that a single-celled organism could live off of materials from meteorites, which could help in our hunt to find alien life in space.

A microbial descendant of some of Earth’s earliest life can not only survive by eating meteorites, but also seemingly thrive on the space rocks — a finding that could help us detect signs of past life throughout the universe.

Humans and all other animals need to eat organic matter to survive. The single-celled organism Metallosphaera sedula (M. sedula), however, can produce its energy by eating non-living things, such as metals — which allows it to thrive in some of the most hostile conditions on Earth, including inside volcanoes.

For a new study published on Monday in the journal Scientific Reports, a team led by scientists at the University of Vienna decided to see what would happen if they tried to feed M. sedula some of the meteorite Northwest Africa 1172, which was discovered in 2000.

To that end, they placed cells of the organism on sterilized slabs of the meteorite and fed other cells ground-up bits of it. A third group served as a control, with a diet of chalcopyrite, a copper-iron-sulphur mineral.

Surprisingly, the M. sedula gobbled up the meteorite even more readily than it did the terrestrial food, with its numbers growing far quicker on the former than the latter.

“We found that the reaction is quite happy,” researcher Tetyana Milojevic told Motherboard. “Our students in the lab also immediately noticed the cells are very vivid, they’re dancing on the space rock.”

Using an electron microscope, Milojevic’s team was able to see which specific meteorite metals their bacteria ate and chemically transformed, even after the organisms had died — and the scientists believe this information could help in our hunt for extraterrestrial life.

“We performed this study to reveal microbial fingerprints — metal-containing microfossils — left on rocky extraterrestrial material,” Milojevic told Gizmodo. “This should be helpful in tracing biosignatures for the search of life elsewhere in the Universe. If life ever occurred on another planet, similar microbial fingerprints could be still preserved in the geological record.”

READ MORE: Scientists Fed an Ancient Earth Organism Space Metals. It Started ‘Dancing’ [Motherboard]

More on meteorites: NASA Says It Found Building Blocks of Life in Fallen Meteorites

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Doctors Think Vaping Gave This Woman a Rare Lung Disease

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A woman developed a rare disease called

There’s now even more evidence that vaping isn’t nearly as safe as many people believe.

On Wednesday, an international team of researchers published a case study in the European Respiratory Journal. It details the treatment of a 49-year-old woman who went to the doctor complaining of coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath when she exerted herself.

Doctors eventually diagnosed the woman with a rare lung disease called hard-metal pneumoconiosis, also known as “cobalt lung.”

“Hard-metal pneumoconiosis is diagnosed by looking at a sample of patient’s lung tissue under the microscope,” Kirk Jones, one of the study’s co-authors, said in a press release. “It has a distinctive and unusual appearance that is not observed in other diseases. When we diagnose it, we are looking for occupational exposure to metal dust or vapour, usually cobalt, as a cause.”

But the woman was a retired dog trainer who’d never worked with metal, so the doctors were left looking for another possible cause — and they found it in the “ZenPen” marijuana vaporizer she’d started using six months prior to developing symptoms.

According to the case study, an analysis of the pen’s vapor turned up several toxic metals, including nickel, aluminum, lead, and cobalt. The researchers believe the metals likely leached out of the vape pen’s heated coil, eventually finding their way into the woman’s lungs.

“This is the first known case of a metal-induced toxicity in the lung that has followed from vaping,” co-author Rupal Shah said in the press release, “and it has resulted in long-term, probably permanent, scarring of the patient’s lungs.”

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This Roleplaying AI Makes a Great Dungeon Master

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A new roleplaying game uses a powerful AI algorithm to generate a text-based adventure in real time. And unlike past versions, the story makes sense.

ReRoll

When AI development firm OpenAI released its GPT-2 algorithm, it warned that the tech was capable of flooding the internet with fake news and propaganda. What it didn’t predict, however, is that the algorithm can also make a pretty effective dungeon master.

AI Dungeon 2 (playable here) uses the full-sized GPT-2 algorithm to bring players through a text adventure-style game that it writes in real-time based on the player’s prompts and commands. The game isn’t perfect — in my playing, it for some reason decided to name every single character “Dan” — but it’s fascinating all the same to let a powerful AI system take the wheel and steer the game’s journey.

It’s Learning

AI Dungeon 2 is a far cry from the first version of the game, which creator and Northwestern University grad student Nathan Whitmore built around a substantially weaker version of GPT-2. The first game was largely incoherent, but now it’s able to retain and remember settings, characters, and other basic elements of storytelling that usually elude artificial intelligence.

Dan overload detected.

Playing the game, I spent most of my time trying to get to the bottom of the whole Dan situation, following a mysterious Dan to a neighboring village, and delighting in a feast of fresh vegetables.

Meanwhile, AI scientist Janelle Shane wrote in her blog and tweeted about a much more exciting adventure, in which she ate the moon, competed in a baking contest with giraffes, and befriended skeletons.

READ MORE: Play AI Dungeon 2. Become a dragon. Eat the moon. [AI Weirdness]

More on GPT-2 Adventure: A Neural Network Dreams up This Text Adventure Game as You Play

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New Theory: Dark Matter Black Holes Are Detonating Stars

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Scientists have a new guess for what triggers white dwarf stars to blow up in supernovae: tiny black holes made of dark matter growing in their cores.

Chain Reaction

A pair of scientists has a new guess for what triggers dead stars called white dwarves to detonate in supernovae.

The hidden trigger that sets off the destructive chain reaction, the team suggests, may be a tiny black hole made of dark matter growing in the star’s core, according to New Scientist. Basically, dark matter — the mysterious, invisible substance that makes up most of the matter in the universe — accumulates at the center of a white dwarf until it collapses on itself and explodes.

Missing Piece

Astronomers have observed white dwarf stars — the corpses of stars that were too small to go supernova — detonating, but haven’t been able to develop models that explain why. The new study, published earlier this year in the journal Physical Review D, fills in the missing trigger.

“The dirty secret of supernovae is that in the computer models, we can’t ever actually get them to do the final ignition,” College of Charleston astrophysicist Ashley Pagnotta, who didn’t work on the study, told New Scientist. “There always has to be an injected trigger.”

Tiny Core

The researchers aren’t sure what would confirm their idea, because scientists haven’t figured out how to observe dark matter. Doing so during a supernova would be even more difficult.

“It would be something like the size of a proton, but it’s still extremely massive,” Queen’s University researcher Joseph Bramante told New Scientist.

READ MORE: Black holes formed from dark matter could be making dead stars explode [New Scientist]

More on stars dying: Two Dead Stars Are Orbiting Each Other’s Corpses Incredibly Fast

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Scientists Built a “FrogPhone” to Remotely Survey Frog Habitats

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Scientists built a new remote acoustic survey tool to track wild frog populations. The best part is they decided to name it the FrogPhone.

FrogPhone

Scientists have finally solved an age-old problem: how to track wild frog populations without leaving the lab.

The answer is an acoustic surveillance device delightfully dubbed the FrogPhone, according to a press release. Using the FrogPhone, scientists can access remote survey sites and record frog calls from up to 150 meters away, immediately gathering important information on the health of an ecosystem.

Ringbit

We’ll be the first to admit that the idea of a FrogPhone is low-key hilarious. But goofy name aside, the tech stands to make ecological research much more time and cost-efficient, according to research published Wednesday in the journal British Ecological Society.

Instead of traveling to an area each time they need new data, scientists now need only visit each habitat once to set up a FrogPhone receiver. After that, they can simply dial in from the comfort of the lab.

Glomp

The FrogPhone’s developers built a waterproof case that lets the device float, perhaps in the middle of a pond frequented by the slimy little fellas. Future iterations, per the press release, might include multi-directional microphones or broader capabilities for recording other animals’ cries, something that can help them better keep an eye on ecological health.

“The device allows us to monitor the local frog population with more frequency and ease,” said co-author and Region Frogwatch coordinator Anke Maria Hoefer, “which is significant as frog species are widely recognized as indicators of environmental health.”

READ MORE: Dial-a-frog: Researchers develop the ‘FrogPhone’ to remotely call frogs in the wild [British Ecological Society]

More on frogs: You Can Now Genetically Engineer Your Own Mutant Frogs for $499

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CDC: These Are the Brands Linked to the Vaping Epidemic

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The Centers for Disease Control has released a list of vaping brands EVALI sufferers said they used prior to contracting the lung disease.

As of Tuesday, 48 people have died from a mysterious lung disease health officials are now calling by the mouthful “e-cigarette or vaping product use associated lung injury,” often shortened to EVALI.

When researchers first identified the disease this summer, the only link they could find between patients was that they all vaped. But now, they’re starting to home in on exactly what the 2,291 known EVALI sufferers have been sucking into their lungs — and a shady vaping brand has emerged as a primary cause of the epidemic.

On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control released a list of THC vaping brands EVALI sufferers said they used prior to contracting the disease, and Dank Vapes — which isn’t so much a company as it is a label often used to market black-market cannabis oils — accounted for 56 percent of the products.

Other vaping brands used by EVALI sufferers included TKO (15 percent of products), Smart Cart (13 percent), and Rove (12 percent).

This is valuable information, because it could help ensure more people don’t fall victim to EVALI — but given that 20 percent of the 1,782 hospitalized patients the CDC has information on say they never vaped THC, it doesn’t entirely clear up the mystery behind the ongoing vaping epidemic.

“THC-containing products continue to be the most commonly reported e-cigarettes, or vaping, products used by EVALI patients, and it appears that vitamin E acetate is associated with EVALI,” the CDC wrote on Friday.

“However, many substances and product sources are being investigated, and there might be more than one cause,” it added. “Therefore, while the investigation continues, persons should consider refraining from the use of all e-cigarette, or vaping, products.”

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Watch an Electric Eel Light up a Christmas Tree

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The Tennessee Aquarium's electric eel, Miguel Wattson, can control the lights on a Christmas tree next to his tank through his shocks.

Light It Up

The Tennessee Aquarium has found a shocking yet wholesome way to celebrate the holiday season: the aquarium’s electric eel, Miguel Wattson, can control the lights on his very own Christmas tree.

“Whenever Miguel discharges electricity, sensors in the water deliver the charge to a set of speakers,” Joey Turnipseed, the aquarium’s audio visual production specialist, explained in a press release. “The speakers convert the discharge into the sound you hear and the festively flashing lights.”

Will Illuminate for Food

The display isn’t just jolly, either — it’s also educational. According to aquarist Kimberly Hurt, the duration of the tree’s illumination corresponds to Miguel’s current status.

“The rapid, dim blinking of the lights is caused by the constant, low-voltage blips of electricity he releases when he’s trying to find food,” Hurt said in the release. “The bigger flashes are caused by the higher voltage shocks he emits when he’s eating or excited.”

Tweeting Eel

If you can’t make it out to the Tennessee Aquarium this holiday season, you can still connect with Miguel from afar, since he has his very own Twitter account.

And just like he controls the Christmas tree, Miguel also plays an active role in maintaining his social media presence: sensors in his tank allow him to send tweets by emitting shocks above a certain electrical voltage.

READ MORE: Noeel: Electric Eel Lights Up Christmas Tree In Tennessee [NPR]

More on Christmas trees: Your Christmas Tree Could Be Recycled Into Paint or Sweeteners

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Bitcoin Cash (BCH) Bounces, a Move above $227 Increases the Prospect of a Rally – Coin Idol

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Dec 06, 2019 at 15:38 // News

Despite its false breakdown, Bitcoin Cash had been relatively stable since September. The coin had been exceptional in its fluctuation within the price range of $200 and $240. Each time there is a break down the coin bounces back to its original price range.

Recently, BCH is making a positive move as the price approaches the first resistance at $227. Nevertheless, if the current upward move is sustained and the bulls break above the first resistance, BCH will reach a high of $240. However, any hindrance by the coin at the first resistance will compel it to a sideways move.

Bitcoin Cash has been in a bear market since June. The coin can trade in the bull market if the bullish move is sustained and EMAs are breached. Presently, the coin is surging forward above 20% range of the stochastic.

Key Supply Zones: $320, $360, $400

Key Demand Zones: $200, $160, $120

The pair is in the third month of its sideways move. The bears have had the upper hand over the bulls at the bottom of the chart. The support line was under test on four occasions while the resistance line was tried on two occasions.

Meanwhile, the coin had been stable for position traders because of price stability. It has proved unprofitable for short term traders as the market fails to trend. Nevertheless, we expect that the bulls will break the price at $227.

Disclaimer. This analysis and forecast are the personal opinions of the author are not a recommendation to buy or sell cryptocurrency and should not be viewed as an endorsement by Coin Idol. Readers should do their own research before investing funds.

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Bitcoin Cash (BCH) Bounces, a Move above $227 Increases the Prospect of a Rally - Coin Idol

Open Positions Report: Where’s the money in the crypto market? Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash – FXStreet

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The basic concept of trading is to buy cheap and sell expensive. It is simple but in the world of trading conditions change very fast.

The perception of the value of an asset changes rapidly, and with it, the price someone is willing to pay. But the price paid for something is also important. Except in cases of need for liquidity or fear of losing, even more, no one sells below the cost price of their product.

In the world of trading stocks, currencies, or commodities, these magnitudes can be measured using option positions. In the crypto market, tools such as those provided by Intotheblock provide us with this information.

This tool provides us with information about the position in which the holders of a cryptocurrency are. This information defines three possible areas:

-In the Money: Defines the number of active addresses that are in profit. That is, if they sold their positions, they would make money.

-Out of the Money: Defines the number of active addresses that are losing money. In other words, if they sold their adpositions, they would lose money.

-At the Money: Defines the amount of addresses that are neutral. In other words, if they sold their positions, the result would be more or less neutral for their account.

Now let's see how these magnitudes are distributed in thee 4 top cryptocurrencies by capitalization.

In the distribution of positions in Bitcoin, there are currently 16.31 Mill of addresses (57.37%) In the Money, 10.91 Mill of addresses (38.39%) Out of Money and 1.21 Mill of addresses At the Money (4.24%).

The highest concentration of winning positions is in a range between $944 to $4,386 (2.8 Mill Bitcoins).

The highest concentration of losing positions are in the range between $10,051 and $19,310 (2.5 Mill Bitcoins).

The most remarkable information is the large volume of positions bought in the highest price range, which supports the idea that the price would tend to go up. In normal conditions, these buyers at high levels will not sell their Bitcoins.

It is also important to highlight the number of Bitcoins (1.2 Mill) quantified at zero or quasi zero cost. These are Bitcoins mined in the first moments. This group represents the biggest threat to the price.

In the distribution of positions in the Ethereum, there are 3.71 Mill of addresses (11.09%) In the Money, 28.89 Mill of addresses (86.47%) Out of Money and 227.2 K of addresses At the Money (2.43%).

The highest concentration of winning positions is between $0.01 to $145.67 (34.5 Mill Ethereums).

The largest concentration of losing positions are in the range between $153 and $175.86 (12.6 Mill Ethereums).

The most remarkable information is that the largest group in losses is just above the current price, which would be a reason for it to cost so much to exceed that level between $153 and $175 to the ETH/USD pair. There are many people who, when the price reaches these levels, will be making money and might be tempted to sell. These sales consume upside potential and complicate evolving to higher rates.

In the distribution of positions in Bitcoin Cash, currently, there are 14.8 Mill of addresses (84.77%) In the Money, 2.57 Mill of addresses (14.70%) Out of Money, and 93.5 K of addresses At the Money (0.54%).

The highest concentration of winning positions is in a range from $0.00 to $0.00 (5.95 Mill BCH).

The largest concentration of losing positions are in the range between $246 and $320 (1.82 Mill BCH).

The most remarkable information is that the highest concentration of winning positions is at 0 costs, so they are tokens obtained in the fork process, distributed among the Bitcoin forks.

It is also interesting to see how few addresses there are in the current range, ranging from $208 to $220. At this price level, there should be very little resistance, as few traders are willing to sell.

In the distribution of positions in Litecoin, currently are 571 K of addresses (15.14%) In the Money, 3.12 Mill of addresses (82.51%) Out of Money, and 88.6 K of addresses At the Money (2.35%).

The highest concentration of winning positions is between $28.4 to $44.5 (15.7 Mill from Litecoins).

The largest concentration of losing positions are in the range between $73.5 and $94.3 (9.4 Mill of Litecoins).

The most remarkable information is that the current price rests directly on the largest volume of traders who are in the money, so they have no anxiety to sell and thus give strength to the ongoing supports.

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Open Positions Report: Where's the money in the crypto market? Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash - FXStreet

Bitcoin Cash Price Analysis: BCH/USD ruthless bears gnaw the price towards $200 – FXStreet

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Cryptocurrencies continue to trade in intense selling pressure. As for Bitcoin Cash, pressure on key support is putting support areas such as $210 and $200 in jeopardy. The impressive correction above $220 failed to take the price action above $230. Instead, Bitcoin Cash formed a high around $227, later giving way to the ongoing retracement.

The break below the shallow short-term rising wedge pattern is also contributing to the dire declines experienced on Sunday. BCH is trading 3.4% lower on the day while the volatility expands. The price is also beneath the 50 SMA on the 4-hour chart.

If the support at $210 gives in, Bitcoin Cash could smash through the next support at $200. The region between $190 and $200 continues to be the saving grace for BCH, especially with heavy buyer congestion.

The RSI and the MACD show that the bears are bound to get more ruthless in the coming sessions. It is likely that Bitcoin will have a drab start for the week that begins on Monday.

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Bitcoin Cash Price Analysis: BCH/USD ruthless bears gnaw the price towards $200 - FXStreet

Understanding the distribution of the crypto market: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Cardano – FXStreet

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Financial analysts always keep an eye on the percentages by type of owner of any asset they analyze.

Everybody assumes that the owners of the professional investment group are on the right side of the market, while the individual investor is often on the wrong side of the market.

As a rule, the group of professional investors has priority access to new investment proposals. They have priority access to new company IPOs, capital available, and expert information.

In contrast, the individual investor often lags behind the decisions of professionals, buying what they want to sell, and selling what they want to buy.

The cryptocurrencies case is different from any other current asset.

The crypto market is relatively recent, as it is only 11 years since Satoshi Nakamoto published the White Paper of Bitcoin.

In the beginning, the only ones who had access to the appreciated token were technologists, cryptographers, developers and a few geeks who put their computers to mine Bitcoins.

That was more than a decade ago and today, there are still very few owners of Bitcoins with illustrious surnames from the financial world.

Despite the relative opacity that surrounds cryptocurrencies, the only thing truly opaque is the name of the owner and thats only in the cases in which exchange does not intervene. The rest of the information is public, freely accessible and decentralized.

This quality of blockchain technology allows us to know some exciting things that would be difficult for us to know in the case of Gold or Diamonds.

In this blockchain world, people store the units of value in digital wallets and their content and movements are public. The magnitudes to be taken into account and which are public are the number of tokens they keep and the time since the last transaction.

Today I am going to analyze the first of these magnitudes: the accumulated volume and its distribution.

Let's take a look at the profile of owners of the leading cryptocurrencies and their implications.

The study divides the owners of cryptocurrencies into three groups:

- Retailers: Wallets that have less than 0.1% of the total circulating.

- Investors: Wallets that have between 0.1% and 1% of total current assets.

- Whales: Wallets with more than 1% of total existing assets. *

* Whales is the name given to large owners, usually early adopters of this technology and accumulating hundreds of thousands of tokens.

Bitcoin has a very democratized distribution. 88.99% of the wallets belong to the group of Retailers, 9.59% to the group of investors and only 1.41% of whales.

From this distribution, we could deduce that the Bitcoin market is not as vulnerable to whale manipulations as it is believed and that a majority of its holders have small quantities.

Ethereum is distributed among retailers at 61.03%, while investors reach 31.51% and whales reach the figure of 7.45%.

In the case of Ethereum, we see that it is more vulnerable to massive actions since, between investors and whales, they approach the percentage control of the asset. This distribution highlights that Ethereum uses PoS (Proof of Stake) as a mining protocol, which requires "stacking" tokens and makes investors not sell their stocks massively.

The BCH is distributed among retailers at 71.8%, while investors reach 22.57% of the total working capital. Whales account for 5.63%.

The Bitcoin Cash case resembles the Ethereum profile, but in this case, it uses a PoW (Proof of Work) protocol in its mining, which does not require stacking tokens to increase the mining power. This mining method could justify because its owner profile is more similar to that of Bitcoin, which also uses PoW.

The distribution of Litecoin among retailers is 53.48%; investors accumulate 40.91% of the wallets and whales keep 5.62% of the total circulating.

Source: Intotheblock

Litecoin uses a PoW (Proof of Work) protocol, similar to Bitcoin, although the former makes intensive use of computational memory and the latter of computing power. As we can see, investors, who are not obliged to stack Litecoins, keep them in their portfolios in a massive way.

The distribution of Cardano among retailers is 58.59%; investors accumulate 7.52%, and whales gather a significant 33.89%.

Source: Intotheblock

Cardano uses a PoS (Proof of Stake) protocol. From the profile we have just seen, the original whales still maintain a large number of tokens and ultimately dominate the mining. The profile also shows a high vulnerability of Cardano to the great concentration of the current total.

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Understanding the distribution of the crypto market: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Cardano - FXStreet

Bitcoin Cash Price Analysis – Will The Uptrend Continue Above $212? – KryptoMoney

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Bitcoin cash price is likely approaching the next key break and must surpass $212 and to climb higher towards $226 and $236 resistance level.

After a strong rejection near the $225 resistance, the price of Bitcoin Cash declined below $215 level. BCH price tested the $205 support level and started trading in a range-bound movement. However, the coin stayed above the $202 support and the recent low was formed near $203.

At press time, Bitcoin Cash price is currently rising and trading at the $210 level.

On the upside, if more buyers emerge, the coin will rise and retest the $215 and the $226 level. Nevertheless, there is a crucial bearish trend line forming with resistance near $212 on the 4-hours chart.

On the other hand, an initial support is near the $205 and $202 level. If there is a downside break below $202, the price could decline heavily towards the support of $192 or $185.

Meanwhile, the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) line and the signal line are above the zero line which indicates a buy signal.

On the 1-hour chart, BCHUSD price is under pressure below the $215 level. However, the price is likely to recover $226 as long as there is no bearish close below the $200 support level.

Meanwhile, the MACD line and the signal line are below the zero line which indicates a sell signal.

Arathur Stephen is not registered as an investment adviser with any federal or state regulatory agency. The information above should not be construed as investment or trading advice and is not meant to be a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any cryptocurrencies. The information is solely provided for informational and educational purposes. Always seek the advice of a duly licensed professional before you make any investment.

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Bitcoin Cash Price Analysis - Will The Uptrend Continue Above $212? - KryptoMoney

Award-Winning Bay Area Nonprofit Now Accepts Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Ethereum Donations through BitPay – Send2Press Newswire

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SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Dec. 5, 2019 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) AmericaSCORES Bay Area, the award-winning nonprofit that has been studied for its proven benefits to student learning, health, and social-emotional skills of over 2,000 low-income youth, has partnered with blockchain technology and design firm Totem Block and BitPay, the largest global blockchain payment provider, to become an early adopter in accepting cryptocurrency donations.

Cryptocurrency can provide a tax relief option and local end-of-year charitable giving opportunity for donors. Though 2% of all donations to charitybillions of dollars in the U.S.in 2018 were made in cryptocurrency, very few nonprofits are able to accept cryptocurrency donations, and fewer still in the Bay Area, though it is the top location for cryptocurrency holdings worldwide. AmericaSCORES Bay Areas digital donation platform, implemented by Totem Block, steps into the gap and connects high net worth donors to actual impact and change in their communities.

AmericaSCORES has several programs with proven benefits to the health, social-emotional well being, and academic and creative skills of its youth. SCORES after-school programs train kids to write poetry, play soccer, and go out into their communities to perform service projects. AmericaSCORES also funds the building of soccer fields in urban spaces, giving kids a green place to play.

Accepting cryptocurrency donations through BitPay helps SCORES keep going with their mission of empowering poet-athletes to lead healthy lifestyles, be engaged and collaborative students and have the confidence and character to make a difference in the world.

AmericaSCORES has been named a 2019 RWJF Sports Award Finalist, one of only 12 in the country. This award recognizes professional teams, individuals and organizations that strengthen and serve communities through sport. It was named a 2019 Presidents Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition Community Leader. This honor was given to only 31 organizations or individuals. AmericaSCORES is 1 of 15 organizations to be recognized as a Best Practice Honoree from the Library of Congress for their unique literacy and poetry program.

As blockchain payments continue to move mainstream, we are seeing an increase in donations from the crypto community to valuable causes like SCORES, said Bill Zielke, CMO at BitPay. In accepting cryptocurrency donations through BitPay, SCORES can broaden its donor base who want to make donations using cryptocurrency while receiving settlements in US dollars.

The customer makes the donation and BitPay verifies the funds and accepts the Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash or Ether. SCORES has the option to take Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ether or US Dollars or a split. If SCORES chooses to take 100% fiat currency, the US Dollars are deposited into their bank account the next business day minus a 1% fee BitPay charges for the entire process. This fee is significantly less than the fees charged by credit cards, allowing organizations to keep a larger percentage of overall donations.

The ways in which people transact financially is changing, which means that philanthropy is also changing, said CEO of AmericaSCORES Bay Area Colin Schmidt. Accepting Bitcoin is a natural next step as a greater number of people use it. Two percent of donations in 2018 were made using cryptocurrency, which may not seem like a lot until you think about the scale of philanthropyhundreds of billions of dollars. We want to show that there are many ways to use cryptocurrency, which can practically benefit both an organization and a donor through transparency, securely and easily through a partner like Bitpay.

CEO of Totem, Jackie Morck adds, Were proud to partner with America SCORES to help them implement all the technology they need to accept cryptocurrencies, and reach the right audiences in the industry. After implementing a donation portal, weve partnered with BitPay for its easy set-up, long-standing reputation, and history of working with nonprofits. Were happy to help America SCORES be innovators in their field and provide more options for donors through using this exciting new technology.

About America SCORESSince 2001, SCORES has been delivering joyful learning opportunities to Bay Area children, giving students the support, skills, and confidence to meet new challenges and chart their own futures. Its mission is to empower its poet-athletes to lead healthy lifestyles, be engaged and collaborative students, and have the confidence and character to make a difference in the world. AmericaSCORES delivers free, accessible after school youth development programs that combine soccer, poetry and service learning. It has programs in San Francisco, Oakland, Daly City, San Rafael, Hayward, and Redwood City schools. For more information visit https://www.americascoresbayarea.org/.

About BitPayFounded in 2011, BitPay is the pioneer and the most experienced company in Bitcoin and blockchain payments. Its suite of products enables businesses to send and receive cross border payments, also enabling consumers to manage digital assets with the BitPay Wallet and turn digital assets into dollars with the BitPay Prepaid Visa Card. The company has offices in North America, Europe, and South America and has raised over $70 million from leading investors including Founders Fund, Index Ventures and Aquiline Technology Growth. For more information visit https://bitpay.com.

About TotemTotem is a blockchain technology and design firm that partners with clients to build creative, cutting-edge development solutions for forward-thinking companies. Totem uses diverse experience in vertical industries, specialized technology insights, and world-class ecosystem to create blockchain applications that are real, viable, and innovative. For more information visit https://totem.vegas/.

News Source: AmericaSCORES Bay Area

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Award-Winning Bay Area Nonprofit Now Accepts Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Ethereum Donations through BitPay - Send2Press Newswire

The Crypto Daily Movers and Shakers -07/12/19 – Yahoo Finance

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Bitcoin rose by 1.99% on Friday. Following on from a 2.77% rally on Thursday, Bitcoin ended the day at $7,588.3.

A choppy start to the day saw Bitcoin rise to a morning high $7,496.5 before falling to a late morning intraday low $7,350.0.

Steering clear of the first major support level at $7,243.7, Bitcoin rallied to a late afternoon intraday high $7,661.8.

Bitcoin broke through the first major resistance level at $7,583.6 before falling back to sub-$7,500 levels.

Late support delivered the upside on the day, with Bitcoin breaking back through the first major resistance level to hit $7,600 levels before easing back.

In spite of the upside on the day, the first major resistance level at $7,583.6 capped the upside on the day.

The near-term bearish trend, formed at late Junes swing hi $13,764.0, remained firmly intact, in spite of the upside in the current week.

For the bulls, Bitcoin would need to break out from $11,000 levels to form a near-term bullish trend.

Across the rest of the top 10 cryptos, it was a mixed day for the majors.

Bitcoin Cash SV led the way, rallying by 2.89%.

EOS (+1.62%), Litecoin (+1.14%), Ripples XRP (+2.04%), and Stellars Lumen (+1.11%) also saw solid gains.

Binance Coin (+0.19%) and Ethereum (+0.42%) trailed the pack, while Bitcoin Cash ABC bucked the trend, with a 0.12% loss.

Through the current week, the crypto total market cap slid from $203bn levels on Monday to a Wednesday low $195.19bn before hitting $204bn levels on Saturday. At the time of writing, the total market cap stood at $204.28bn.

Bitcoins dominance returned to 67% levels, supported by the strong gains on the day. 24-hour trading volumes failed to recover to $100bn levels, with volumes at sub-$60bn on Friday.

At the time of writing, Bitcoin was down by 0.31% to $7,564.6. A mixed start to the day saw Bitcoin rise to an early morning high $7,609.7 before falling back to a low $7,557.0.

Bitcoin left the major support and resistance levels untested early on.

Elsewhere, EOS (-0.05%), Ripples XRP (-0.28%), and Stellars Lumen (-0.22%) joined Bitcoin in the red.

It was a relatively positive day for the rest of the pack, however, with Binance Coin up by 0.44% to lead the way.

Bitcoin would need to move back through to $7,600 levels to support a run at the first major resistance level at $7,716.73.

Support from the broader market would be needed, however, for Bitcoin to break out from Fridays high $7,661.8.

Barring a broad-based crypto rebound on the day, Fridays high and resistance at $7,700 would likely pin Bitcoin back.

In the event of a rebound, Bitcoin could visit $7,800 levels before any pullback.

Failure to move back through to $7,600 levels could see Bitcoin struggle on the day.

A fall back through to sub-$7,530 levels would bring the first major support level at $7,404.93 into play.

Barring a crypto meltdown, however, Bitcoin should steer clear of sub-$7,300 levels for a 2nd consecutive day.

In the event of an extended reversal, the second major support level at $7,221.57 would come into play, however.

This article was originally posted on FX Empire

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The Crypto Daily Movers and Shakers -07/12/19 - Yahoo Finance

Bitcoin’s bumpy revolution may be only just beginning – The Independent

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Bitcoin was born out of despair. Hidden among the lines of code in the first ever batch of the cryptocurrency was a headline from the frontpage of that days edition ofThe Times: Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks.

It was 3 January, 2009, and the world was in the midst of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Banks were collapsing, businesses were foreclosing and people were losing their homes.

It was the result of the worst excesses and greed of a capitalistic system that was teetering on the edge of comprehensive collapsed. But Satoshi Nakamoto, bitcoins pseudonymous creator, believed he had a solution.

Sharing the full story, not just the headlines

It came in the form of a revolutionary electronic cash systemthat ditched centralised systems like banks and governments in favour of a peer-to-peer payments network supported by an online ledger known as a blockchain.

But for all its promise, it turned out to be a bumpy revolution. Nothing much actually happened for the first few years after bitcoins birth, and it lay largely dormantuntil after the worst of the periods economic turmoil had already passed.

On 3 January, 2009, the genesis block of bitcoin appeared. It came less than a year after the pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto detailed the cryptocurrency in a paper titled 'Bitcoin: A peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System'

Reuters

On 22 May, 2010, the first ever real-world bitcoin transaction took place. Lazlo Hanyecz bought two pizzas for 10,000 bitcoins the equivalent of $90 million at today's prices

Lazlo Hanyecz

Bitcoin soon gained notoriety for its use on the dark web. The Silk Road marketplace, established in 2011, was the first of hundreds of sites to offer illegal drugs and services in exchange for bitcoin

On 29 October, 2013, the first ever bitcoin ATM was installed in a coffee shop in Vancouver, Canada. The machine allowed people to exchange bitcoins for cash

REUTERS/Dimitris Michalakis

The world's biggest bitcoin exchange, MtGox, filed for bankruptcy in February 2014 after losing almost 750,000 of its customers bitcoins. At the time, this was around 7 per cent of all bitcoins and the market inevitably crashed

Getty Images

In 2015, Australian police raided the home of Craig Wright after the entrepreneur claimed he was Satoshi Nakamoto. He later rescinded the claim

Getty Images

On 1 August, 2017, an unresolvable dispute within the bitcoin community saw the network split. The fork of bitcoin's underlying blockchain technology spawned a new cryptocurrency: Bitcoin cash

REUTERS

Towards the end of 2017, the price of bitcoin surged to almost $20,000. This represented a 1,300 per cent increase from its price at the start of the year

Reuters

On 3 January, 2009, the genesis block of bitcoin appeared. It came less than a year after the pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto detailed the cryptocurrency in a paper titled 'Bitcoin: A peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System'

Reuters

On 22 May, 2010, the first ever real-world bitcoin transaction took place. Lazlo Hanyecz bought two pizzas for 10,000 bitcoins the equivalent of $90 million at today's prices

Lazlo Hanyecz

Bitcoin soon gained notoriety for its use on the dark web. The Silk Road marketplace, established in 2011, was the first of hundreds of sites to offer illegal drugs and services in exchange for bitcoin

On 29 October, 2013, the first ever bitcoin ATM was installed in a coffee shop in Vancouver, Canada. The machine allowed people to exchange bitcoins for cash

REUTERS/Dimitris Michalakis

The world's biggest bitcoin exchange, MtGox, filed for bankruptcy in February 2014 after losing almost 750,000 of its customers bitcoins. At the time, this was around 7 per cent of all bitcoins and the market inevitably crashed

Getty Images

In 2015, Australian police raided the home of Craig Wright after the entrepreneur claimed he was Satoshi Nakamoto. He later rescinded the claim

Getty Images

On 1 August, 2017, an unresolvable dispute within the bitcoin community saw the network split. The fork of bitcoin's underlying blockchain technology spawned a new cryptocurrency: Bitcoin cash

REUTERS

Towards the end of 2017, the price of bitcoin surged to almost $20,000. This represented a 1,300 per cent increase from its price at the start of the year

Reuters

In the early 2010s it was only a core group of cypherpunks and cryptography enthusiasts that really understood bitcoins potential but its semi-anonymous nature meant it soon found use among drug dealers and cyber criminals on the dark web.

After a brief price surge in 2012 it began to gain more widespread recognition and by late 2017 it was making frontpage headlines of its own as its market capitalisation briefly exceed $300 billion more than the entire GDPof over 140 countries.

Some warned at the time that the phenomenal price growth was the result of a bubble and, sure enough, it eventually crashed. Throughout 2018 its value tumbledrepeatedly and sometimes spectacularly as naysayers pronounced its death and late investors lost millions.

By the start of 2019, a bitcoin was worth less than $4,000 and excitement forthe great economic experiment had subsided before any truly mass-market use cases had even been realised.

But it was far from over. As the decade draws to a close, news about new digital currency projects have begun to emerge from vast multi-national corporations like Facebook, to some of the worlds biggest economies.

With each positive news story about cryptocurrency, the price of bitcoin hasgrown, yet the volatility remains.For some, this unpredictability is one of the reasons it can never achieve its potential as a mainstream form of currency.

Bitcoins first major price burst in 2013 was a small blip compared to subsequent price spikes of the 2010s (CoinMarketCap)

Sceptics remain and misconceptions of bitcoin being some kind ofmagic internet money with no inherent worth continue to dominate stale narratives about cryptocurrency.

Some cryptocurrency advocates point to the fact that, on the contrary, it is traditional currencies that can be created out of thin air through processes like quantitative easing. And while established currencies are no longer backed by gold or anything tangible, bitcoin has the blockchain to mathematically regulate a finite supply.

Nigel Green, CEO of London-based financial advisory firm deVere Group,claims cryptocurrencies areredefining and reshaping the financial systemand that critics are either ignoring, or simply not understanding, the promise they hold.

I would suggest that most people saying these things do not understand the crypto sector as it is relatively young and/or have vested interests in older, traditional ones, he tellsThe Independent.However, whether they like it or not, dyed-in-the-wool financial traditionalists need to accept that cryptocurrencies are here to stay.

What is cryptocurrency and the technology behind bitcoin and its rivals?

Bitcoin may have assured its place in history but its future remains uncertain.There have already been thousands of spin-offs there are currently 2,364 different cryptocurrencies listed on monitoring siteCoinMarketCap and some believe one of these will soon take its place as the dominant cryptocurrency.

Some of the more notable ones, like ethereum, ripple and bitcoin cash, offer something slightly different to bitcoin, such asquicker transaction times or greater anonymity.

Yet it is the pseudo cryptocurrencies being developed by countries and companies that could see the most mainstream success over the coming decade. They will not be decentralised and will likely be tools to track users rather than provide privacy, but they will solve two of the biggest problems: trust and stability.

Cryptocurrencies have arguably been the radical fintech innovation of the decade. But while the 2010s has been an exploratory phase introducing the concepts of cryptocurrencies and blockchain to the world the 2020s will be the decade for innovation and application, Christel Quek, co-founder of cryptocurrency company Bolt, tellsThe Independent.

Beyond new currencies inspired by bitcoin, a whole new industry is forming from its underlying blockchain technology. At its core, it provides an immutable andunhackableplatform for storing and transacting digital assets and records, meaningit could potentiallytransform everything from healthcare to the food industry.

Bitcoins underlying blockchain technology is set to transform dozens of industries (Gartner)

FelixShipkevich, a New York-based lawyer with expertise in blockchain regulations, says the technology "has the power to change the world for the better" by providing a new standard for accountability and trust.

Bitcoin has not only brought blockchain into existence, it has challengedregulatory obstacles that stand in the way of this new wave of applications being realised.

Cryptocurrencies have given rise to regulators acceptance of digital cash and fintech products and services that are both novel and progressive," Shipkevich tellsThe Independent. "Weve seen greater acceptance by regulators versus total rejection.

"We saw this happen in China, where crypto trading was strictly prohibited, but are now announcing the use of blockchain technology as a major government and fiscal technology initiative.

Thousands of cryptocurrencies have emerged in the 2010s, and more will certainly follow in the 2020s(Getty)

The 2010s may have been defined by bitcoin but the next 10 years will dictate which cryptocurrency truly takes off and emerges to rival traditional currencies.

It would be foolish to write-off bitcoin - its death has been pronounced more than 350 times in the press, according to a website tracking "bitcoin obituaries"- but its flaws could see it become simply a store of value rather than a mainstream form of exchange.

Much like MySpace and Bebo were usurped by Facebook in the early days of social media, another cryptocurrency could come along to take bitcoin's crown as the most popular cryptocurrency - maybe even Facebook's Libra.

If this happens, predictions about bitcoin's price reaching $500,000 or even $1 million over the next few years will appear wildly ambitious. Then again, it has proved its doubters wrong more than once before.

Cyber security pioneer and bitcoin believer John McAfee made a bold bet about the cryptocurrencys future (Twitter)

At the start of the decade, bitcoin was worth just $0.03. It will likely close out the 2010s somewhere north of $7,000.

Another Great Recession could cause enough of a seismic shift in the established order for bitcoin's price to rocket once again and for Satoshi Nakamotos vision to finally be realised.

Or it could continue its steady yet chaotic climb to achieve mainstream successthrough favourable regulation and greater commercial acceptance, which has been quietly underway over the last decade.

It may have been born out of despair but it enters the new decade full of hope.

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Bitcoin's bumpy revolution may be only just beginning - The Independent

Early BTC Investor Roger Ver Says Bitcoin Cash Set to Skyrocket A Thousand Times From Where It Is Now – The Daily Hodl

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In a recent interview on CNBCs Power Lunch, Roger Ver, supporter of Bitcoin Cash, the worlds fifth-largest cryptocurrency by market cap and the most successful offshoot of Bitcoin, says he expects its price to surge a thousand times.

He bases his speculation on the adoption of Bitcoin Cash by merchants and people who spend it like traditional money.

Ver, who is the founder of bitcoin.com, says Bitcoin Cash not Bitcoin is the actual cryptocurrency that utilizes the tech as originally designed by the anonymous inventor of Bitcoin.

I think [Bitcoin Cash] has the ability to go up a thousand times where it is currently, because its looking to become peer-to-peer electronic cash for the entire world. And it has more physical shops accepting it around the world.

It has more infrastructure being built on top of it. Its really an amazing investment. As one of the greatest investors ever said, Warren Buffett, Be greedy when others are fearful and fearful when others are greedy. I think thats true in general and specifically true about Bitcoin Cash.

Ver says Bitcoin.com, which offers a suite of services to help people buy, use, and storeBitcoin and Bitcoin Cash securely, has tens of thousands of new sign-ups each day.

The thing that I got so excited about when Bitcoin was less than $1 was peer-to-peer electronic cash for the world where you could send and receive any amount of money with anyone, anywhere, instantly, basically for free and there was nothing that anyone could do to stop it.

Ive been giving that little speech since 2011. Its still completely true about Bitcoin Cash today. Its no longer true about what everybody is calling Bitcoin. Bitcoin today is this brand, but the actual technology that works that made Bitcoin popular to begin with is now called Bitcoin Cash.

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Early BTC Investor Roger Ver Says Bitcoin Cash Set to Skyrocket A Thousand Times From Where It Is Now - The Daily Hodl

Altcoin apocalypse the dramatic fall of XRP, Bitcoin Cash and ZEC – Born2Invest

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Altcoins like Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, and ZCash are currently struggling for survival and analysts dont expect them to grow in value. Are we witnessing an altcoin apocalypse or is this crypto bear market just a blip?

The Born2Invest application is collecting business news from various trusted sources. You can find information about cryptocurrency and blockchain, economy, investing, markets, media, and personal finance.

The application is optimized and designed in a way that you can always find the necessary information.

As 2019 is coming to an end one thing is clear, the altcoin golden age is at an end. Two years ago the word ICO was on everyones lips.

In 2017, FOMO was the daily companion of every new investor and scammers took advantage and reaped huge rewards with fake ICOs and abandoned projects. Almost daily a new Bitcoin killer hit the market. However, few, if any, followed through on that promise.

Prior to the 2017 ICO rush, there were already a number of well-established altcoins of varying pedigree, like Ethereum, Ripple, Bitcoin Cash, ZCash and IOTA. Most of these coins hit their all-time high in 2017 and most have experienced a sustained decline since then.

Ethereum is 89% below its all-time high. This applies both to the pair ETH/USD and ETH/BTC. Bitcoin Cash is 95% below its all-time high in US dollars.

The most relevant example is probably ZCash. The anonymous cryptocurrency, which was among the top 20 coins for a long time, has lost almost everything in value compared to Bitcoin.

ZCash is currently 98% below its all-time high in US dollars. Looking at the ZEC/BTC currency pair, ZCash lost 99.98%.

Almost all altcoins have seen a significant drop since then and have performed significantly worse than Bitcoin, which is around 63% below its all-time high, but the return on investment for early investors is still significant.

Ethereum, XRP or IOTA have all had an enormously strong Return-On-Investment (ROI) value. All three altcoins have gained hundreds and thousands of percent since their ICO.

However, only a few investors were able to benefit from this price increase most of them probably have exited in the boom year 2017.

Some of the altcoins have held their positions over the last two years. Ethereum, XRP, Bitcoin Cash and Litecoin are still in the Top10. While Bitcoin has been able to increase its share price by more than 100% since August 5, 2017, the situation is much worse for most altcoins. No matter if it is Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash or IOTA.

Currently, the prices of the respective altcoin are a good 50% below the values at that time. Of course, at the end of December 2017, we saw abnormal prices for the altcoins.

Even those coins that performed well did not achieve significant gains over time. At the moment, Litecoin is trading at pretty much the same price as on August 5, 2017. XRP rose from $0.18 to $0.21 during this period, up 15%.

From a price and technical point of view, some of the featured altcoins such as Bitcoin Cash, or ZCash have been failures. Bitcoin Cash has an ROI of -62%. ZCash is -98%.

While other altcoins such as Ethereum or XRP have provided tremendous returns for those who bet on them, neither coin has been able to outperform Bitcoin in recent years.

The current market capitalization of the entire crypto market is almost $200 billion on August 5, 2017, it was about $100 billion.

While the MarketCap has now doubled, Ethereum, XRP, and Co. have had to lose a lot in market capitalization. However, one of the coins that have benefited massively from this growth is Bitcoin.

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(Featured image by WorldSpectrum via Pixabay)

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This article may include forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words believe, project, estimate, become, plan, will, and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks as well as uncertainties, including those discussed in the following cautionary statements and elsewhere in this article and on this site. Although the Company may believe that its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, the actual results that the Company may achieve may differ materially from any forward-looking statements, which reflect the opinions of the management of the Company only as of the date hereof. Additionally, please make sure to read these important disclosures.

First published in CRYPTOMONDAY, a third-party contributor translated and adapted the article from the original. In case of discrepancy, the original will prevail.

Although we made reasonable efforts to provide accurate translations, some parts may be incorrect. Born2Invest assumes no responsibility for errors, omissions or ambiguities in the translations provided on this website. Any person or entity relying on translated content does so at their own risk. Born2Invest is not responsible for losses caused by such reliance on the accuracy or reliability of translated information. If you wish to report an error or inaccuracy in the translation, we encourage you to contact us.

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Altcoin apocalypse the dramatic fall of XRP, Bitcoin Cash and ZEC - Born2Invest

Op-ed | Envisioning the next 50 years in space – SpaceNews

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Fifty years ago, the Apollo 11 moon landing changed how the world viewed space exploration. For the millions of people who watched Neil Armstrong take his first step on the moons surface, it inspired new horizons for the human spirit and imagination and even offered the possibility of life beyond our pale blue dot.

Its that same imagination that has led experts in the space industry to create increasingly sophisticated innovations like the International Space Station and the Mars Curiosity rover, which have led to further research and exploration in the past half-century.

Even so, since the 1969 moon landing, space exploration has largely stagnated. Humans havent revisited the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972 and a mere 571 people have been in Earths orbit.

Fortunately, a new Space Age is upon us that will rocket us past the stagnation. New technologies, decreasing costs, foreign interests and the emergence of the private sector have heralded the forthcoming of the second space race and with it a hopeful future on the horizon.

Over the next 50 years, at least a few key developments will transform our idea of space more than ever before.

Without a thriving and entrepreneurial spaceflight sector, deep-space exploration with people wont be sustainable. The private sector for now is focusing on how to reduce costs through assembly-line production techniques, which is critical to sustainable space tourism and exploration in the future.

While space exploration was popularized by the worlds government space programs, innovative events and breakthroughs wont come through the incremental funding of government space agencies, but instead through pioneering private space companies.

According to Scott Hubbard, a Stanford University professor who ran NASAs Ames Research Center, 75% of the global space enterprise is already commercial, including satellites belonging to the likes of SiriusXM radio and DirecTV. Its the human component that will take precedence in the nearest decades first, through the likes of space tourism and observation.

Similar to the economic forces that explored the American West, they will open up space to the many, even if they start with just the few.

Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin anticipate flying their first crewed suborbital space missions in 2020 with commercial flights to follow. Many would-be passengers are lining up to pay up to $250,000 to fly Virgin Galactics SpaceShipTwo or Blue Origins New Shepard to the edge of space for an out of this world view and several minutes of weightlessness.

As private companies seek to decrease the price of suborbital flight to as little as $50,000, it will provide increased access and interest in space tourism and observation. While the private sector adjusts for cost-efficiency, a 2019 USB report expects that high-speed travel via outer space will be fully functional in a decade and represent an annual market of at least $20 billion while competing with long-distance airline flights. Space tourism, in general, will be a $3 billion market by 2030.

Space settlement has been a hot topic even before robotic rovers started exploring Mars surface. As more people feel comfortable flying to space, an increase in space tourism will lay the foundations for people who want to start building lives there as well. However, space settlement offers major barriers including dangerous radiation, energy supply and simply getting life-sustaining supplies to these alien worlds.

However, settlements on the moon and Mars are shaping up to be a reality and not just the stuff of science fiction. NASAs Artemis program is pushing for humanitys return to the moon in 2024 and has already awarded contracts to Northrop Grumman for a lunar habitat, to Maxar Technologies for the lunar Gateways cornerstone Power and Propulsion Module and is just accepted proposals from industry for an Artemis lander it intends to contract as a service.

The European Space Agency, under the leadership of Jan Woerner, continues to push the Moon Village concept of open, collaborative exploration and utilization of the moon, is looking to this months ministerial conference to firm up Europes contribution to Artemis and the lunar Gateway.

Meanwhile, architect and design firms like Foster + Partners have unveiled plans for lunar habitats. The structures consist of modules shrouded in lunar soil that are then molded into an exterior shell to protect the dwellings from radiation, asteroid strikes and extreme temperatures.

This space architecture is also envisioned for Mars colonies, too. Both lunar and Martian habitats could feature inflatable pods that will serve as the base of these settlement while robot-operated 3D printers cement together regolith loose soil and rocks to form a protective shield around the pods.

Peter Diamandis, the chairman of X Prize Foundation, says that human lunar research outposts, one-way missions to Mars and the first births in space are what we can expect in the next 50 years.

While the timeline depends on the progress of space manufacturing and the ability to preserve human life on extraterrestrial planets, some experts predict that by 2061, millions of humans will have gone to space and thousands may live there.

Industry leaders have become more serious about mining for space resources, partially because Earths own resources are facing dire depletion due to climate change. Over the past several years, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has experimented with how to mine space for resources.

The space-resources community is actively working with the USGS to see how they can mine minerals, water and energy from the moon, Mars and asteroids. USGS expertise in mapping terrestrial resources should inform further research initiatives in the next several years so that space miners can rely on much needed geological maps for precise landing sites and resource-deposit selection.

According to Lazslo Kestay, a USGS research geologist, the organization has completed enough research to feel confident that the criteria they use to assess mineral, water and energy quality on Earth can be used to assess these same resources in space. Kestay says that nearby asteroids hold enough water and metal resources to support humans if they become completely spacefaring.

Lunar ice may be one of the last resources to be mined by humans because of its cost to mine and find it, but with NASAs follow the water mentality on Mars, it could become a reality and already companies like Blue Origin and Japans ispace have plans to mine for resources there, meaning past 2024 it could become a reality.

While humans likely wont become fully spacefaring in 50 years, the amount of activity in private and public sectors will force movement in utilizing space resources to benefit space settlements and even Earths population.

Although these plans are still developing, the next 50 years of space exploration will transform global societies as humans become more active between the Red Planet, the moon and Earth. While there are many political, economic and moral considerations to achieving these goals, innovations from the most forward-thinking private and commercial NewSpace companies are necessary to revolutionize how we learn about and explore space.

While the original moon landing gave humans a giant leap of hope toward space exploration, the next half century in advancements will allow us to more deeply consider our own place in the universe and the way we interact with each other and our environment inside and outside of our home planet.

Dylan Taylor is chairman & CEO of Voyager Space Holdings, founder of the global non-profit Space for Humanity and co-founding patron of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation.

This article originally appeared in the Nov. 11, 2019 issue of SpaceNews magazine.

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Op-ed | Envisioning the next 50 years in space - SpaceNews

Space Exploration: Across the final frontier | Science – Gulf News

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Emirates Mars Missions Hope Probe will study the environment of Mars and serve as a stepping stone for UAEs long-term space goals Image Credit: Gulf News Archives Highlights

The UAE space sector is a regional benchmark today with achievements including running 57 space-related establishments, empowering women to take on important roles and sending the countrys, and the regions, first astronaut to the International Space Station

On the UAEs 48th National Day, we are proud to witness the countrys rapid growth in various industries, including the space sector. We celebrate this special occasion with immense pride as we see our space industry establish a strong position in the global space sector.

In the 1970s, the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan articulated his vision of the UAE as a pioneer in space. Since then, we have been working steadily to grow our capabilities in space, and over the past few years since the UAE Space Agencys founding, our space sector has grown to become the leader in the regional sector. This has shown the entire world the limitless ambition and talent of the UAEs people when it comes to advancing our understanding of the universe through space science, research and exploration.

- Dr Mohammad Al Ahbabi, Director General, UAE Space Agency

We have set big goals, and with the support of our leadership and the motivation of our people, we are on the right track to achieving these goals. Space exploration will help us become a better nation through building human capabilities, which will support our development of advanced technologies for the benefit of humanity. This will also, by extension, accelerate the diversification of our national economy.

Within a few years, we have been successful in establishing a regulated space sector, similar to any leading spacefaring nation. Our space sector now has legislative and structural frameworks consisting of a comprehensive National Space Strategy, National Space Policy, Space Law, as well as a Space Investment Promotion Plan. In such a short time, our national space sector has also made incredible achievements on different levels, to a point that it now includes 57 space-related establishments, investments of more than Dh22 billion, 1,500 rewarding jobs, four space science and research centres, more than 30 international partnerships, 10 satellites in orbit, and outstanding space education programmes that prepare Emirati youth to lead the space sector in the future.

We have also been successful in inspiring and enabling Emirati women to contribute to our national space sector. At the UAE Space Agency, women represent around 45 per cent of our employees and across our national space sector they make up 35 per cent of the workforce. Womens involvement in the space sector enriches and contributes to its success.

Major milestones

In the past few years, we have achieved major milestones in the space sector that will shape the future of the UAE. We are currently working on major space exploration projects that will also play a major role in advancing our knowledge of space and the Earth for the benefit of the UAE and the entire region.

Last September, we witnessed the successful launch of the first Emirati astronaut, Hazza Al Mansouri, to the International Space Station (ISS), which was a historic achievement for the UAE space sector. This major milestone took the UAEs space sector to the next level of space exploration and scientific excellence, cementing the UAEs prominence globally.

Long-term goals

We are also proud to be leading the first regional and Arab mission to Mars, with the Emirates Mars Missions Hope Probe, that is due to be launched to Mars in 2020. The Hope Probe, which should further extend the UAEs leading position in the space sector, aims to develop Emirati capabilities, while enabling a more sustainable future on Earth.

Studying the environment of Mars will help us combat similar environmental challenges on Earth. This project will also serve as a stepping stone for reaching our long-term goals for building Mars Science City that simulates the Martian environment, as well as having a settlement on Mars in 2117.

As collaboration is key when it comes to working in space, we have partnered with local, regional and global entities to accomplish our goals. We have worked closely with leading international space entities to exchange knowledge and collaborate on advanced space missions.

Moreover, earlier this year, we launched the Arab Space Cooperation Group, which aims to enhance the Arab countries scientific efforts in the global space sector through consolidating the existing strengths and capabilities of Arab countries.

This reflects the UAEs efforts in shaping the future of the region through developing the regions human capabilities and bringing space scientists and explorers together to bring about greater benefits for the Arab world.

We are delighted to see the Arab Space Cooperation Group, which initially included 11 Arab countries, welcome three new Arab countries during a meeting held on the sidelines of the Dubai Airshow 2019 in November. We are always keen to work with neighbouring nations to enhance the Arab worlds contribution to the fields of space science, research and exploration. Our region has a lengthy and significant legacy in space, worthy of revival.

On this special day for the UAE, we are honoured to see how the UAE now serves as a role model for every young emerging spacefaring nation. We have achieved great success in a short period of time, and we are grateful to our wise leadership for their continuous support, which has enabled the UAE to thrive and stand out worldwide.

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Space Exploration: Across the final frontier | Science - Gulf News

What we now know (and still dont) about life on Mars – WTOP

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The first lander to reach Mars was launched nearly 50 years ago, but much about the red planet remains a mystery. After decades of roving, research and taking illuminating photos, the biggest question remains: Could there be life on Mars?

For decades, space was the final frontier. But as space exploration advanced, scientists increasingly set their sights on a new frontier: Mars.

The first lander to reach Mars was launched nearly 50 years ago, but much about the red planet remains a mystery. Scientists are still attempting to bring samples of Mars red soil back to Earth for further study, and human trips to Mars are still years from being feasible.

After decades of roving, research, and taking illuminating photos of the red planet, the biggest question remains: Could there be life on Mars?

To understand Mars potential for life, we need to go back in time about 3 or 4 billion years.

At that time, Mars and Earth shared many of the same characteristics. The red planet was warm and wet, with a robust atmosphere a far cry from the cold, unforgiving place it is today.

Mars is a planet that started with all the same raw materials as Earth, but along the way has suffered changes, said the European Space Agencys Director of Human and Robotic Exploration, David Parker. You could say its kind of broken down.

Because it was once Earths sister planet, Parker said scientists must ask themselves, When life got going on Earth, did it get going on Mars?

Mars lost its magnetic field, meaning nothing shields the planet (or potential life forms) from radiation. Mars also lost most of its atmosphere another deviation from Earth, where the atmosphere supports life by giving us oxygen and acting as a blanket for the planet.

Mars still has an atmosphere but its very thin and mostly carbon dioxide, so its colder, explained Parker.

That means the average temperature on Mars is -81 degrees Fahrenheit, which makes it an unforgiving planet for most life forms.

But just because Mars is cold and unprotected doesnt mean scientists have ruled out finding life.

In 2018, NASAs Curiosity rover found organic matter on Mars, which could mean that the building blocks for life once existed, or still exist, on Mars.

Organic matter preservation is central to understanding biological potential on Mars through time, wrote NASA researchers in the journal Science. Whether it holds a record of ancient life, is the food for extant life, or has existed in the absence of life, organic matter in martian materials holds chemical clues to planetary conditions and processes.

NASAs rover has also detected methane on Mars, which is considered the most simple organic molecule and could be another chemical clue of life.

With our current measurements, we have no way of telling if the methane source is biology or geology, or even ancient or modern, said Paul Mahaffy, director for NASA Goddards Solar System Exploration Division, in a June press release.

Meanwhile, Europe and Russias ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter launched in 2016 with the aim of detecting atmospheric gases that could mean theres active, biological life on Mars. The ESAs Parker said that while the Curiosity Rover found methane on parts of the surface, they have not detected methane all across Mars atmosphere.

We have not seen methane globally on Mars, which means methane gas is being produced somehow, Parker said. So is there a methane cycle on Mars?

The discovery of localized methane presents an exciting breakthrough because a common source of methane on Earth is microbial life, according to NASA.

Water and ice on Mars also provide valuable clues that suggest Mars might be more habitable than once thought.

In 2015, NASA scientists thought they found evidence of occasional flowing, salty water flows across the surface of Mars. However, another NASA study in 2017 determined that the flows were most likely grains of sand and dust.

But another breakthrough came in 2018 when the European Space Agency detected a small lake of liquid water beneath the southern polar ice cap of Mars, which the ESA said could further contribute to knowledge about Mars evolution and habitability.

And this year, NASAs Curiosity rover found evidence in Mars Gale Crater that there were once ancient salty lakes on the surface another hint that the red planet could have once supported microbial life.

Water is key because almost everywhere we find water on Earth, we find life, wrote NASA on their website.

Its not just liquid water that space scientists are interested in, but also ice. Parker said the ESA is currently working on research about the ice below Mars surface.

Were getting more and more information about subsurface water ice its further from the poles than we thought, Parker told CNN.

Ice could be further evidence of habitable conditions, and it could also be a valuable resource if space agencies send humans to Mars one day.

To unravel the more complex mysteries surrounding life on Mars, scientists want to collect samples, which would require a round-trip mission.

Because the really powerful scientific instruments are huge, we cant take them and never will be able to take them to Mars. So we need to bring Mars back to Earth, Parker said. By bringing Mars back, we can study it for the next 50 years.

Although no space agency has yet figured out how to launch an unmanned craft from the surface of Mars to get samples back to Earth, one way to bring back Martian samples would be for astronauts and cosmonauts to collect them in person.

But reaching Mars, which at its closest point is still about 33.9 million miles away from Earth, would be a feat of engineering.

Its is an order of magnitude farther away. Youre talking about a 3-year round-trip mission, said NASA spokeswoman Stephanie Schierholz.

If reaching the Moon was one giant leap for mankind, reaching Mars would be more like an Olympic long jump. And unlike traveling to the International Space Station (a mere 250 miles above Earth), traveling to Mars would potentially require a lot more packing.

We send up resupply missions every few months (to the space station), Schierholz said. We dont have the luxury of doing that if we go to Mars.

Despite the challenges, NASA is aiming to send astronauts to Mars by 2035. That means the first life on Mars could be us.

This content was republished with permission from CNN.

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What we now know (and still dont) about life on Mars - WTOP