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Scientists extract the sharpest image of a black hole yet
The EHT Collaboration has released the most detailed image yet of the M87 black hole, created with the aid of an additional telescope.
Google's new image verification tool combs metadata to find context and sniff out AI fakes
Google just released its "about this image" feature. The tool's part of traditional search and gives you all kinds of metadata.
MIT's 'PhotoGuard' protects your images from malicious AI edits
A new digital watermarking technique for MIT CSAIL seeks to prevent unauthorized image edits by malicious AI.
Microsoft adds photo editing features to OneDrive
Microsoft has updated OneDrive on Android and the web with new photo editing and viewing features.
See every square foot of asteroid Bennu, Earth's little frenemy
Bennu has the distinction of being the subject of the highest resolution mosaic ever made of any planetary body.
Google's AI can replicate your photos in the style of iconic paintings
There are loads of apps out there that use filters to turn your photos into works of art. You can give your selfie a delicate watercolor feel, for example, or ramp up the colors and composition to create a frenzied portrait of your pet. Now, thanks to Google, you can give your pics a makeover in the style of your favorite artist.
Twitter will no longer destroy the quality of uploaded JPEGs
Twitter is making some changes to the way it processes image uploads, and photographers on the platform are delighted. According to Twitter engineer Nolan O'Brien, JPEG encoding will now be preserved in images uploaded to Twitter via the web. Previously, images were transcoded, which meant lower quality pictures, much to the rightful annoyance of talented creators.
The first ever black hole image lands scientists $3 million prize
The scientists that captured the first image of a black hole are being rewarded with a $3 million prize. The Breakthrough prize, known as the "Oscars of Science," is sponsored by Silicon Valley execs such as Mark Zuckerberg and Sergey Brin, and recognizes top scientists in fields including life sciences, physics and math.
Apple's big iMovie iOS update includes green screen and more
It looks like Apple is taking the casual filmmaker a little more seriously. Its latest update for iMovie for iOS -- out today -- comes with a new green screen effect, better still image support, 80 new soundtracks, graphic overlays and more.
The Large Magellanic Cloud comes alive in a 204 megapixel image
The Large Magellanic Cloud is what Austin Powers might call a quasi galaxy, just one percent the Milky Way's size and orbiting it like a hanger-on. At a distance of 163,000 light-years from Earth, you might think it would take a space telescope like Hubble or a huge observatory to do it justice. But the 204-megapixel image above, showing the Magellanic Cloud in incredible, colorful detail, was shot by a small group called Ciel Austral using a telescope in Chile just 160mm (6.3 inches) across.
Watch the first ever image of a black hole be livestreamed here
What does a black hole look like? Black, probably. And big. That sounds pretty vague, but as the gravitational forces of a black hole are so strong even light is overpowered by them, we've never had a comprehensive image of one before. Until now. Today, scientists from six cities around the world will unveil the first ever image of a black hole -- called Sagittarius A* -- and you can watch the historic announcement live online. (Update: the image has been released. Check it out here!)
Sony's portable projector tech displays perfect images on curved surfaces
The future of portable projectors just got a whole lot clearer, as Sony launches two bits of tech that will give gives portable projectors both HD capabilities and the ability to provide a distortion-free picture even on curved surfaces. This means you could whip out your device anywhere and enjoy an almost crystal-clear picture, no matter what background you're projecting it onto.
NASA makes contact with satellite lost in space 13 years ago
Proving that things tend to turn up when you least expect them, NASA has just rediscovered a satellite it lost in space more than a decade ago. The Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE) was launched in 2000 to create the first comprehensive images of atmospheric plasma. It completed its initial mission in 2002, but failed to make contact again on a routine pass by the Earth in 2005. Scientists hoped an eclipse in 2007 would kickstart a reboot, but when it didn't the mission was declared over, and IMAGE was expected to spend the rest of its days floating peacefully through the universe. Earlier this month, however, an amateur astronomer spotted it in the skies.
Twitter uses smart cropping to make image previews more interesting
Twitter's recent character limit extension means we're spending more time reading tweets, but now the site now wants us to spend less time looking at pictures. Or more specifically, less time looking for the important bit of a picture. Thanks to Twitter's use of neural networks, picture previews will now be automatically cropped to their most interesting part.
NASA's Cassini probe bids farewell to Saturn with epic image
NASA's Cassini spacecraft was always destined to be a doomed hero. After two decades in space, diligently exploring Saturn and its many strange and beautiful moons, operators deliberately crashed the spacecraft into the planet to make sure the moons remain pristine and unaffected by debris. But not before the spacecraft took one final, breathtaking look at Saturn, which NASA has shared in tribute to the dedicated spacecraft. The image, "Farewell to Saturn", is a combination of 42 natural-color pictures showing a sweeping view of the planet and its rings. The image even captures six of the planet's moons, including Mimas, the so-called "Death Star" moon.
'Find It On eBay' searches with pictures instead of words
Finding stuff you actually want to buy on eBay is getting a whole lot easier thanks to the online shopping site's new Image Search function. Instead of trying every possible search term combination to come up with the exact thing you want, you can now simply upload a photo (Image Search) or click "Find It On eBay" when browsing another website, and the eBay app will surface relevant listings. Find It On eBay is now live on Android, while Image Search is live on both Android and iOS.
Astronomers create first image of dark matter web
See that image above? The one that looks like a cosmic rorschach test? That's the first composite image of a dark matter web that stretches between galaxies, according to a paper published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
The internet knows how unattractive I am
Honestly, I'm fine with being unattractive, because owning your flaws is the best way to avoid becoming defined by them. But if the subject comes up in conversation, I'll joke that, on a hypothetical scale, I'm a "four ... in bad light." The internet, however, has enabled me to find out precisely how other people rate my attractiveness. It's been a fun week.
ComiXology Unlimited offers all of the comics for $6 a month
ComiXology, Amazon's online comic book service, unveiled a new unlimited content subscription option on Tuesday. The $6 per month ComiXology Unlimited plan gives subscribers unfettered access to the service's archive, which includes titles from Image, Dark Horse, IDW and a bunch more -- basically every notable publisher outside of Marvel and DC. ComiXology will continue to sell individual issues from the Big Two, it just won't offer them on the unlimited plan.
Google lets you download Nexus upgrades without waiting
Google has long made Nexus and Pixel C factory images available for people who just can't wait to install new Android versions (or want an alternative restore option). However, they've always come with a big gotcha: since it's a complete system image, you have to wipe your phone clean. You won't have to start from scratch after today, though. Google has posted over-the-air update images for all its currently supported Nexus and Pixel C devices, giving you the satisfaction of an immediate upgrade (no weeks-long waits here) without nuking all your data.
