Monthly Archives: July 2022

It's not what you think.Saury About That

It wasn't a "Stranger Things" portal opening to another dimension, like many social media users speculated online this week. In reality,it sounds like the mysterious red glow that pilot Dustin Maggard captured in photos and video of the Pacific Ocean was perfectly human in origin.

Yesterday, CNN reported that the cluster of red lights peeping through the clouds in Maggard's photos weremost likely just fishing boats. The outlet asked Dr. Neil Jacobs, a prominent weather modeling expert, about the creepy oceanic lights after netizens went wild trying to postulate the cause. Jacobs said the red lights are most often used on boats fishing for Pacific saury because the light attracts them.

"They were commercial fishing vessels," Jacobs told CNN's Jeanne Moos in the short clip. "I am [very certain]."

All in all, it's a very compelling explanation. Jacobs logged into a public database of fishing ships and used his know-how to locate the ships in question, which Moos said could even be seen from the International Space Station. Since then, Twitter users like journalist Ravi Prakash Kumar have posted photos of the ships during the day that really illustrate just how powerful the red lamps are.

Unfortunately, as with many things human in origin, the downside is not so pretty.

In 2019, English-language multilingual news site Nippon reported that Japan's saury haul was the lowest on record. The pub issued a warning about overfishing in the country's Pacific waters the same year. In 2021, Japan's fisheries managed to break its record low yet again. Along with its own country's fishery woes, Japanese fishing authorities were concerned in 2021 that China and Taiwan wouldn't play nice with new saury regulations.

Of course, Japan isn't the only fishing country in the world. But it seems to be paying the most attention to how badly saury populations are doing.

Perhaps this eerie red glow will illuminate more than just a viral video clip.

More on Japan: Japanese City Terrorized by Furious Baby-Snatching Monkeys

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Expert Finds Compelling Explanation for Mysterious Red Glow in Ocean - Futurism

Russia announcedon Tuesday that it's abandoning the International Space Station "after 2024," saying that it's looking to build its own orbiting station instead.

But according to a new Roscosmos interview with Vladimir Solovyov, head of flight operations for Russian space company Energia, the country's vision for its upcoming station dubbed Russian Orbital Service Station (ROSS) isn't exactly groundbreaking.

In fact, in many ways the ROSS station sounds like a step backwards compared to what the ISS is still capable of, despite nearing the end of its life cycle.

For one, the station won't be permanently inhabited like the ISS, or even China's brand-new space station.

In the interview, Solovyov defended the decision, pointing out the costs involved in having a rotational crew inhabit a space station. He argued that Russia could more effectively use the resources needed for a permanent crew to run scientific experiments in orbit, while also allowing the station to orbit the Earth in an untethered orientation.

"We propose to carry out manned flights to ROSS only when the necessary amount of work is collected, which only astronauts can perform," he told Roscosmos, as translated by Google. "We have yet to find a reasonable balance between the duration and frequency of flights."

Crewed expeditions to ROSS would only last up to two months to complete necessary repair works. The plan is to have crews visit ROSS twice a year, while the country's Progress spaceships will deliver cargo.

Thanks to the inclination of its planned orbit, a Sun-synchronous orbit, the station will be able to study the Earth's poles and magnetosphere. Weather and imaging satellites already use similar orbits allowing them to observe the surface below with consistent lighting since they always maintain the same relationship with the Sun.

Solovyov claims that phase one of construction could be completed as soon as 2030, at which point the station will feature a "Scientific and Energy Module" as well as a docking module that will add six docking stations.

The latter will resemble the Nauka module, which docked with the International Space Station last year, according to Solovyov.

In his telling, Russia is also aiming far beyond scientific endeavors in Earth's orbit.

"With political will and sufficient funding, ROSS can be used as a base for assembling a lunar or Martian complex," Solovyov said. Smaller and cheaper rockets could complete the remaining trip to the lunar surface with cosmonauts on board.

Completing the construction of a multi-segment space station is a gargantuan task and Russia's timeline is highly ambitious.

If past efforts are anything to go by, having crews visit a brand new station by 2030 is unrealistic. The development of Russia's Nauka module alone took decades Roscosmos was hoping to originally launch the segment back in 2007, but countless delays pushed the launch to last year.

Then there's the fact that the country's space program has largely shut itself off from the rest of the international space community following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with former Roscosmos chief Dmitri Rogozin choosing a scorched-Earth approach, burning plenty of bridges during his leadership.

And in a larger context, alargely uninhabited space station isn't exactly going to provide Russia with a groundbreaking new way to conduct scientific research in space.

With China setting a hard-to-follow precedent the country has a shot at completing the construction of its own space station in less than 18 months Russia's rapidly aging space program has its work cut out for it.

Russia's war efforts will also leave a sizeable hole in the country's financial resources, undermining expensive trips into space, let alone to the Moon.

It all raises the question of whether Russia is managing expectations. While ROSS will more than likely serve as a technological upgrade to the aging ISS, we can't help but think it's a bit of a downgrade as well, compared to the potential of a multi-national collaboration on a worthy successor to the ISS.

READ MORE: Vladimir Solovyov on the design of the Russian Orbital Station [Roscosmos]

More on Roscosmos: Russia Says It's Definitely Quitting the ISS But Doesn't Say When Exactly

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Russia's New Space Station Gets Sadder the More We Hear About It - Futurism

A team of NASA-funded researchers have discovered mysterious "pits"in the surface of the Moon that sit, according to new computer modeling, around a comparatively balmy 63 degrees Fahrenheit.

In other words, these pockets could serve as an excellent place for future astronauts to hang out in, considering temperatures on the lunar surface typically range from a blistering 260 degrees Fahrenheit down to a frosty minus 280 degrees Fahrenheit.The pits could also protect future settlers from micrometeorite showers and the Sun's relentless radiation.

There's also the tantalizing possibility that the pits lead to more extensive cave structures left behind by ancient lava flows, something scientists have suspected for a while but haven't been able to confirm.

"About 16 of the more than 200 pits are probably collapsed lava tubes," said Tyler Horvath, a doctoral student in planetary science at the University of California, Los Angeles, and lead author of a new paper published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, in a statement.

Horvath and his colleagues used data collected by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), which has been taking detailed measurements, including thermal images, of the lunar surface since 2009.

"Lunar pits are a fascinating feature on the lunar surface," said LRO scientist Noah Petro, in the statement. "Knowing that they create a stable thermal environment helps us paint a picture of these unique lunar features and the prospect of one day exploring them."

Scientists are certain that at least some of these pits feature overhangs, with lava tube caves perhaps lurking beyond them. If the theory holds up, the caves could serve as excellent shelter for future settlers and the pits could be an easy way in.

The team suspects the fact that these pits are shaded from the Sun allow them to be at a steady human-friendly temperature, trapping heat during the night, while protecting from too much heat during the day.

Researchers are already coming up with ways to explore these suspected lava tubes on the lunar surface using robots and drones.

The European Space Agency is also exploring ways to uncover the Moon's subterranean secrets, from dispatching remotely operated vehicles to crewed missions.

It's a tantalizing glimpse of what it could one day be like to settle the Moon, as these pits may be the best place to look for a place to survive.

"Humans evolved living in caves, and to caves we might return when we live on the Moon," said study coauthor David Paige in the statement.

READ MORE: NASA Spacecraft Finds Pits on the Moon That Always Hover Around a Comfortable Temperature [NASA]

More on lava tubes: NASA Spots Deep, Strange Hole on Mars

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NASA Finds Holes on the Moon Where It's Always a Comfortable Temperature - Futurism

Image by Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Can this man not just leave us all alone?

Following a too-short stint in prison for running a "Ponzi-like" securities fraud scheme, cursed "Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli the infamous pharmaceutical exec known for purchasing a life-saving drug and subsequently raising its price by 5,000 percent is unfortunately back in business, just months after his May 2022 release from jail.

His new venture? The former hedge fund manager and convicted felon has cofounded a Web3 drug discovery platform called Druglike yes, really which according to its website seeks to "democratize" the process of finding and developing new medicines.

It's an interesting move for someone who's been banned from the pharmaceutical industry for exceedingly undemocratic behavior. And as it probably goes without saying... we're pretty skeptical.

Drug discovery is, in short, the process by which new drugs are developed and approved for preclinical study. It's a long and tedious process that requires a lot of time, money, and resources.

According to a press release,Druglike is apparently building a "decentralized" drug discovery computing network, offering a free platform to aid the development of medicines.

"We started Druglike because in our experience, traditional drug discovery software is too difficult and expensive to use," claimed the Cracker Barrel enthusiast, as quoted in the press release. "Druglike will remove barriers to early-stage drug discovery, increase innovation and allow a broader group of contributors to share the rewards."

The endeavor's claims are rooted in something called "Proof-of-Optimization," which the press release describes as "a novel blockchain consensus mechanism" that supposedly allows for students, researchers, activists, and others to securely collaborate on molecule development.

"For the first time, any computer or phone with access to the web might be responsible and rewarded for discovering the next breakthrough medicine," Shkreli's remarks continued. "We will disrupt the economics of the drug business by allowing a wide pool of innovators and contributors, rather than only pharmaceutical giants, to profit from drug discovery."

To be fair, it doesn't sound like the worst idea in the world. But it's also presented by, ahem, Martin Shkreli, who is justifiably considered a supervillain by many. He's also been banned from pharmaceuticals for good reason, and it's uncomfortable to hear him preach about democratizing the industry that he notoriously manipulated for personal gain.

More on Pharma Bro: Pharma Bro Martin Shkreli Released From Prison, Seen Eating at Cracker Barrel

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Martin Shkreli Is out of Prison, so of Course He's Getting Into Web3 - Futurism

Pascal Finette knows a thing or two about disruption. But dont just take his word for it.

Finette, co-founder of Boulder, Colo.-based consultancy be radical, has gathered insights from interviews with hundreds of world-class leaders who successfully managed change and transformed their companies.

NRF Nexus 2022 recap

Take a look at more content from this years event in Southern California.

His high-energy NRF Nexus session was originally slated to focus on Foundations of practical futurism. But in the spirit of agility and after having numerous amazing conversations throughout the day he chose to focus on innovation, disruption and transformation instead.

Disruption, he quipped, is akin to tofu, which is eaten often but tastes like nothing on its own. In the same way, disruption doesnt really mean anything anymore. His take, then is to disrupt disruption. (Thats also the title of his forthcoming book, due out next year.)

Disruption is everywhere, and leaders typically only admit their fears about it behind closed doors. Finettes company which is focused on leading into and in the unknown became obsessed with the topic, and the interviews with leaders began about four years ago.

We asked them one simple question, Finette said. We said, Dont tell us the strategy, the big thinking, the models, the framework . I want to hear from you what you actually did. And when you speak with a lot of people, patterns emerge, he said.

First and foremost, transformation is not complicated. Its just really hard.

Throughout the talk, Finette shared five insights learned from the leaders: first principles, process, core/edge, leadership and upskilling.

First principles thinking, he said, goes back more than 2,000 years. Aristotle defined a first principle as the first basis from which a thing is known. It involves arguing from capital T truth upwards. Most people dont do this; theyre more likely to reason analogically, looking for similarities to gain understanding. First principles thinking is harder to do, and takes consistently more energy. And yet, the leaders interviewed all did some form of it.

This can happen from inside the organization out, starting with what is known to be fundamentally true about the business and customer. It can be done from the outside in, starting with what is known to be true about the world or market. Or it can involve parallel worlds, when parallels are drawn from adjacent industries.

Process, meanwhile, is about agility. Many organizations run agile to help with managing changing priorities, visibility, alignment, time to market and productivity. But thats often only in the software unit. Why not apply it across the organization?

Core/edge relates to the tension between the core (or current, optimized, low-risk state) of a business and the edge (or high-risk new stuff). Leaders are not taught how to be ambidextrous with these opposites.

Leading in retail

Learn moreleadership lessons from retail industry leaders.

Some handle the tension by keeping the two separate; one leader told Finette about maintaining future Fridays: Mondays to Thursdays are all about the core, but Fridays are entirely about working on the edge. Others believe there should be a membrane between the two, even if separated, such as transferring leadership established in the core to connect to the edge element. Still others believe in full integration.

None of these approaches is right or wrong; its unique to each company. But Finette discovered universally applicable truths in setting up the edge. Its important, for example, to consider ways of dealing with risk and reward. People and companies tend to fall into three broad categories: farmers (good at sustaining); gatherers (who innovate and explore but still want to join the farmers at the end of the day in sustaining); and hunters (who enjoy the thrill of the hunt and disrupt). The hunters take risks and recognize that they might well die in their adventures, but also know that they can be celebrated as heroes upon their return and get the biggest portion of meat.

If you are a company, are you actually even attracting hunters? he asked. And once the hunters are in place, are they being properly incentivized? Is the space available for them to be hunters? Too often, he said, farmers who do a good job are rewarded with opportunities that put them in the role of hunter. They might do well, but theyll also likely get ulcers at the end of the night.

Finette also touched on the benefits of small teams for edge projects, and giving those teams control over the process, rather than confining them to freedom within the system.

As for leadership, the interviews revealed insights different than what we normally see. Those include the ability to commit (such as allowing cowboys to fully be cowboys without chipping away at what makes them unique); being able to effectively lead into the unknown; inverting the org chart so that those at the bottom become sensors, providing firsthand insight rather than just executing; communicating in story; and being persistent.

Finally, Finette spoke of upskilling. Leaders must continue to learn the new rules of any game, and understand what the companys people really need to know. In addition, learning must be scaled to the edges, rather than assuming it will just trickle down. In closing, he reminded the audience that there are no maps. Think for yourself, he said. Besides, every map includes dragons.

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NRF | Learning the principles of disruption - NRF News

Who let one rip?Smelt It

It's not easy cohabitating inside a tiny metal box while screaming through outer space at over 17,000 mph especially when it comes to foul odors that can't escape by simply opening a window.

In a recent TikTok video yes, astronauts are on TikTok now European astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti recalled the very specific smell she encountered once boarding the International Space Station.

"When I got here a couple of months ago for my second flight, I could immediately smell a very peculiar odor that brought me back instantly to the memories and sensations of my first flight's odors," Cristoforetti said in the vid.

Cristoforetti is a seasoned pro when it comes to the ISS. She currently holds the record for the longest uninterrupted spaceflight by a European astronaut, having spent 199 days on board the ISS between November 2014 and June 2015. She was more recently sent to the station back in April on board a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft for a second stint.

The astronaut has used TikTok to share a number of videos over her latest flight, amassing millions of views.

Fortunately, the space station's stink didn't persist over time.

"But within a matter of days, I got used to it, and now I cannot smell it anymore," she said, adding that the station's filters take care of most of the smell.

But that doesn't mean the decades old orbital outpost is free from foul odors.

"There are, of course, a couple of places on space station that can become a little bit smelly," the astronaut admitted in her video.

For instance, "if you're close to a lot of trash," Cristoforetti recalled, pointing out that the station recently sent a Cygnus spacecraft full of crash to burn up in the atmosphere.

Then there are "big blue bags" that holds the crew's solid toilet waste, which can "of course be a little bit smelly as well," according to the astronaut.

As for number one, the "brine" that is left after the water has been removed from the recycled urine can also cause a bit of a stink on board the station.

"Other than that, the space station smells very pleasant," Cristoforetti concluded. Which is reassuring kind of.

READ MORE: International Space Station has 'peculiar odor,' astronaut says [Space.com]

More on the ISS: Elon Musk Lobs Casual Space Station Burn at Moscow

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Astronaut Complains of Pervasive Odor on Space Station - Futurism

We thank them for their service.In Memoriam

A Los Angeles-based visual effects artist who goes by the moniker Cinnamontographer has taken on the audacious task of forever enshrining an important cultural artifact in the form of a high-fidelity 3D scan.

Yes, we're talking about a frozen snack. In an exciting showcase of cutting edge tech, the animator showed off a dazzling, photorealistic rendition of a Choco Taco the iconic ice cream truck treat that is being officially discontinued by confectionary maker Klondike.

The discontinuation of the treat has turned into a media sensation, with millions mourning the loss of their favorite ice cream novelty.

"Not the Choco Taco!" Late Show host Stephen Colbert lamented earlier this week. "It was the only dessert with as much real beef as Taco Bell."

But thanks to the technological prowess of Cinnamontographer, we can at least gaze upon the treat in perpetuity before it disappears from ice cream trucks forever.

"We know how disappointing it is when your favorite frozen dessert isnt available anymore," Klondike wrote in a statement to a fan, as quoted by The Takeout. "Its always a tough decision for us to discontinue a product, especially when we hear from fans like you that really enjoyed it."

It's still unclear whether Klondike is messing with us. It certainly wouldn't be the first time a mainstream food item was discontinued, only to be resurrected later to much fanfare.

But we're not holding our breath when it comes to the Choco Taco. So for now, we'll have to contend ourselves with a photorealistic 3D render of the treat a chance to memorialize what has been lost.

More on ice cream: McDonald's Sued by Ice Cream Hackers for $900 Million

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National Hero Makes Perfect 3D Scan of a Choco Taco Before They Disappear Forever - Futurism

Not bad!Jankless

While Tesla CEO Elon Musks's oddly-shaped, historically janky Cybertruck might not look particularly efficient, a new independent analysis suggests that the much-delayed addition to the company's lineup of electric vehicles is surprisingly aerodynamic.

Aleix Lzaro Prat, a computer fluid dynamics engineer for a company called Numeric System, simulated the cyberpunk pickup's wind resistance in a digital model that he posted on LinkedIn, along with a written description of the car's simulated drag performance.

"Contrary to what many people would think, the sharp edge of the roof does not produce a big detachment! It is true that the flow it is not attached, but in fact the air follows down the slope quite seamlessly," read the engineer's analysis. "This is quite remarkable and a big aerodynamic advantage compared to other pick-up trucks."

Traditional pickup trucks are notoriously inefficient vehicles, including in terms of wind resistance. Most have a drag coefficient that is, the quantification of the aerodynamic efficiency of an object in a fluid environment between 0.55 and 0.65.

To put that in perspective, the average car tends to have a drag coefficient between 0.3 and 0.4, while the most aerodynamic vehicles are usually somewhere in the 0.26 and 0.22 range.

Musk's truck, on the other hand, has a drag coefficient of roughly 0.39 according to Prat's model a pretty stark difference when compared to the average pickup on the market.

While the engineer was optimistic about the brutalist vehicle's aerodynamic performance, they did have a few notes for the strangely designed machine.

"By adjusting couple surface features, in particular the surrounding edgy geometry of the wheel arches, the drag could be lowered even further," he added in their LinkedIn post.

All in all, hats off to Musk. While the delayed vehicle definitely has some other problems to fix, an aerodynamic design even if there's still some room to improve is no small feat for a vehicle so chunky.

More on the Tesla Cybertruck: Tesla Shows off Cybertruck, but There Are a Bunch of Wires Ripped out of the Steering Wheel for Some Reason

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New Analysis Finds That Blocky Cybertruck Has Enviable Wind Resistance - Futurism