SOFIA
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Comets may have seeded Earth with life-supporting carbon
A snapshot of a comet carrying carbon as it zipped past Earth in 2016 is helping NASA learn more about the origins of life.
NASA confirms presence of water on sunlit surfaces of the Moon
Astronomers have long been aware of water ice present on the surface of the Moon, but it had only ever been discovered in deep, perpetually shadowed impact craters at its poles.
NASA finally found evidence of the universe's earliest molecule
Scientists have long suspected that, around 100,000 years after the big bang, helium and hydrogen combined to form the first molecule, helium hydride. That helped the universe begin to cool and led to the formation of stars. But, despite decades of searching, scientists could never locate helium hydride in space -- until now.
Dwarf planet Ceres' surface isn't what scientists expected
As much as we now know about Ceres, it's evident the dwarf planet still has a few surprises left. Astronomers have discovered that Ceres' surface isn't as carbon-rich as previously thought. A fresh batch of infrared scans shows that the surface is likely "contaminated" by material (dry pyroxene dust) from asteroid impacts, mixing in with 'wet' dust, ice and carbonates. While Ceres has previously been lumped into the same composition class as nearby asteroids, it turns out that it merely looks like its neighbors -- it's a different beast altogether when you dive deeper.
NASA and Germany extend the life of their flying observatory
SOFIA, the airborne telescope that backed up New Horizons in studying Pluto, will go on flights to observe our universe until the end of 2020. NASA and the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt or DLR) have extended their joint project for four more years. SOFIA is a 17-ton infrared telescope with an 8.9-foot-diameter primary mirror fitted into a Boeing 747SP wide-body plane. A hatch on the aircraft slides open so the telescope can get a view of the sky. And since it operates at altitudes of about 41,000 feet, it can make its observations above most of the water vapor in the Earth's atmosphere, which blocks some infrared waves.
FreedomPop is building a 'WiFi-first' smartphone with Intel
Budget carrier FeedomPop has signed a deal with Intel that will see it introduce a "WiFi-first" smartphone next year. The phone will use Intel's low-cost "SoFIA" Atom x3 processors and leverage WiFi hotspots wherever possible instead of mobile data, even for things like texting and calling. The phone will "seamlessly" switch between WiFi and cellular networks with no discernible difference to the user, and when it does connect to cellular it'll apparently be free. FreedomPop already offers a similar service -- its big selling point is that calls and texts are sent via mobile data or WiFi rather than traditional means -- but this will be the first phone purpose-built for its virtual network.
'Star Trek's' Uhura will join a NASA mission (but not to space)
Making geek dreams come true, Star Trek's original Lt. Uhura, Nichelle Nichols, announced a few days ago that she's going on a mission for NASA. But don't get your hopes up for Nichols getting into space -- she's actually flying on the agency's airborne observatory SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy), which studies things like the birth and death of stars, black holes in galactic centers and how new solar systems come together. Due to its unique observation location, it can detect things far out of reach for ground-based telescopes. Nichols says she'll be flying on September 15th, and she might even be able to share her experience live on her celebrity philanthropy site, Starpower. This isn't her first time on a NASA mission: she also flew on the first-generation Kuiper Airborne Observatory back in the '70s. SOFIA is an upgraded mission, which uses a customized Boeing 747 and six instruments for capturing the cosmos, including cameras, a photometer and spectrometers. [Thanks, Kristy]
Intel's success in China hinges on budget phones and tablets
"China is the number one market with connected products." That was how Intel's Senior Vice President Kirk Skaugen kicked off his keynote at IDF in Shenzhen, citing China's staggering 30 percent share of worldwide connected-device purchases in 2014. The country gobbled up 40 percent of the 46 million Intel-powered tablets shipped globally. Not bad, but 46 million is hardly anything compared to the 420.7 million smartphones shipped in China alone in the same year -- only a tiny percentage of which packed an Intel chip. Most others relied on Qualcomm, MediaTek and Samsung. Intel's smartphone market share is so small that it never dared to share the stats; it could be as low as 2.81 percent in the Android space, according to benchmark specialist AnTuTu.
Intel's latest Atom chips are meant for all of your connected devices
Intel's latest Atom processors aren't just for phones and tablets -- they're going to show up in many of the other devices you own before long. The chip maker has unveiled a new version of its Atom x3 (aka SoFIA) that's designed to run Internet of Things gadgets, such as smart appliances and outdoor sensors. They have built-in 3G or LTE data to stay online, and they're tough enough to survive extreme temperatures that would faze regular silicon. Unsurprisingly, these processors are made with Linux and Android in mind. There's no word from Intel as to which companies are using the new x3, but you'll definitely have to be patient. The developer kits don't start shipping until the second half of the year, so you probably won't see a truly wide range of Atom-powered gear until 2016.
The Big Picture: NASA flies massive SOFIA telescope to the stratosphere
It's a catch-22: the lenses of ground-based telescopes can be made huge, but are hamstrung by distortion from the atmosphere. Hubble-type telescopes don't have that issue, but must be small to be launched into space, and good luck fixing them. That's where NASA's SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) comes in: by sticking a 17-ton telescope into a Boeing 747, you can launch it up to 45,000 feet and get past 99 percent of our atmosphere's water vapor. That way, SOFIA astronomers can scan infrared signals to study planetary atmospheres, comets and interstellar star chemistry, to name a few projects. Naturally, it's a science- and gadget-lovers smorgasbord -- check the gallery and video below, or head over to NASA's SOFIA mission site.
Intel aims at China with its speedy LTE Cat 6 solution, shipping in Q2 this year
Marking Intel's 29th year in China, CEO Brian Krzanich took the stage at IDF Shenzhen with a little surprise: his company will be shipping its first Cat 6 multi-mode LTE solution, the XMM 7260, in Q2 this year. This follows the XMM 7160 that started shipping with Cat 4 LTE and half the number of basebands last October. The new solution has added support for China's popular TD-SCDMA plus TD-LTE networks, along with the usual 2G GSM, WCDMA plus FDD-LTE around the world. With Cat 6 LTE's carrier aggregation mode, the XMM 7260 can reach a top theoretical speed of 300Mbps, which is twice that of Cat 4 LTE.
Masthead Studios addresses player questions about Earthrise
Ah Earthrise, you keep dropping tiny breadcrumbs of game info for us each week. We hoard these little morsels and keep them in a jar, slowly trying to piece it all together. This week is no different and Earthrise developers Masthead Studios addressed questions from the playerbase on a few different topics. The main thing they discussed is how the game's tutorial will allow players to experiment with skills. In RP-terms, players in the tutorial will make use of "mnemonic adaptation kits" which imprint memories. The Masthead devs state, "Simply put, it lets you test drive certain skills - such as using weapons, crafting, etc. - before you dedicate yourself to development of those skills." Those kits, however, can't be used outside of the cloning facility and won't make their way into the game beyond the tutorial zone.
Earthrise mixes zone preview with lore in The Boneyard
Earthrise is the upcoming post-apocalyptic MMO from Masthead Studios, and a game with a substantial body of lore released already. Masthead Studios had a lore series on IGN in the past, and more recently MMORPG.com has been hosting dev blogs which explain the game's zones and how they are tied in with Earthrise's backstory. The latest dev blog from Masthead Studios is "The Boneyard", and focuses on the game's desert zone. As with their past combinations of lore releases and zone previews, The Boneyard sets the tone for the game: Humanity was wiped out in World War III. Nuclear and seismic warheads obliterated civilization while nanomachine clouds unleashed bio threats which finished the job.
Earthrise dev blog shows off the beauty and horror of the Cascade Mountains
The first MMO we're going to see from independent game developer Masthead Studios is Earthrise, a post-apocalyptic title that's bringing some new things to the table in the sci-fi/post-apocalyptic genre. If you've played games like Fallout 3, the setting of Earthrise will be quite different from what you might be expecting. The game will take place on a sprawling island called Enterra, with regions and environments ranging from lush jungles to futuristic urban centers. Of course Earthrise will have the requisite shattered city environments we'd expect of a post-apocalyptic backdrop, as well. Masthead Studios recently explained how terrain will impact gameplay, having written about some of the game's man-made environments like the Industrial Area. Now they're ready to discuss more about Enterra's natural environment with the Cascade Mountains, the focus of the latest Masthead Studios dev blog they've written for MMORPG.com.
Earthrise newsletter Issue X updates players on game's state of development
Newsletter X for the post-apocalyptic MMO Earthrise is here, after these community updates from Masthead Studios went on hiatus since March. This tenth newsletter mentions how their current development focus is on the game's crafting system, which they've said will allow for a high degree of customization, allowing skilled players to become well-known among their peers for their particular creations. There's also a fair amount of coverage of some of the various Earthrise community efforts, ranging from fansites to player-created art, as well as a media coverage recap. There's definitely a few things in there worth checking out if you're interested in keeping up with Earthrise. While Masthead Studios may not feel quite this way about the game, this writer feels that Earthrise has some of the makings of a terrestrial EVE Online: a sandbox setting; guild-level world and resource control in what are now called 'Concession grounds'; and hopefully with that, player politics. If they can develop Earthrise along these lines, we suspect it could prove to be popular with fans of both sci-fi and post-apocalyptic games.%Gallery-48760%
Earthrise devs shed some light on skill advancement
The latest bit of info we've come across about the upcoming post-apocalyptic MMO Earthrise sheds some more light on how skill advancement will work in the game. We've known that Earthrise will have a mix of both online and offline character advancement. The Masthead Studios response to the latest Question of the Week regarding skills, via Earthrise community manager Moll, explains their approach to progression. Moll writes: "Skills improvement is one of the pinnacles of Earthrise's sandbox gameplay. Players in Earthrise will gain skill points by killing monsters and completing quests. Those skill points can be invested in abilities, which are used in combat. The abilities interface dialog is interactive with options to buy and combine abilities by using tactics." Beyond this system of combining abilities Moll also writes that players won't be limited in terms of their skill choices and that a player can choose any skills in the game, in addition to combining all types of abilities into tactics. Moll says, "The skill advancement system is easy to learn and offers numerous possibilities for character customization, much more than many other games on the market." You can find the Question of the Week and feedback from the Earthrise community on the game's official forums.
Masthead Studios CEO explains reputation system in Earthrise
One of the upcoming sci-fi and post-apocalyptic MMOs that Massively is keeping an eye on is Earthrise, the first title from Masthead Studios.They've been very good with communicating with the media about the directions they're taking the game, with interviews each month painting a clearer picture of the upcoming title. The latest such interview we've come across is a brief one at German fan site Earthrise HQ, which spoke with Masthead Studios CEO Atanas Atanasov about a few aspects of the game. If you've been reading up on Earthrise, the interview hits some of the topics you'd expect -- the basic concepts of the game, for instance -- but also but heads into some new areas. Atanasov mentions faction capital cities that are expanded upon over time, "using meaningful events that progress not only their visual representation but their story and functionality as well." The interview also hits on the fact that Earthrise will have two reputation systems: Contribution and Reputation. Contribution, Atanasov says, is "the policy of Continoma to discern friend from foe by measuring each citizen's contribution to their system. The second system is Reputation. Numerous smaller organizations exist in Earthrise, each with its own agenda and plans. Players can do tasks for these organizations and grow in Reputation towards them. Organizations provide players with rare resources, monopolized designs that create new, different item combinations, as well as other rewards." For more from the Masthead Studios CEO on Earthrise, head on over to his interview with Earthrise HQ.%Gallery-48760%
Earthrise developers explain dodge game mechanics in PvP
We're curious about how Earthrise, a post-apocalyptic 'sandbox' MMO from Masthead Studios, is shaping up, especially after the preview of the game we got at GDC 2009. Fortunately the game's creators have been running a Question of the Week forum category, explaining some of the game mechanics involved with playing Earthrise.The latest QOTW deals with dodging in combat, something we've been wondering about, given that Masthead Studios previously stated they don't want players hopping around incessantly out on the battlefield. Jumping will of course be used to avoid damage or cross distances at a quicker pace but, if their original intentions hold true now, jumping and perhaps dodging will be tied in with abilities. Earthrise community manager Moll answers this question: "Will attacks and skills that do damage from a distance have instant effect or will a target perhaps be able to see it coming and have a slim possibility to dodge it completely?"
Earthrise interview explains Masthead Studios approach to sandbox design
Bulgarian game developer Masthead Studios has been putting a lot of effort into spreading the word about their upcoming post-apocalytic MMO Earthrise. Massively had a chance to sit down with Masthead Studios CEO Atanas Atanasov at GDC 2009 for a preview of Earthrise which gave us a taste of what to expect from the title, but we're always on the lookout for more info about the game. We've come across a short interview at QJ.NET with Atanasov that might be worth a read if you're excited about the dystopian MMO. He discusses some of the major game design decisions Masthead Studios made with Earthrise in respect to character progression (both online and offline) as well as departing from a few of the tried-and-true systems found in other MMOs on the market. Have a look at the Earthrise interview over at QJ.NET for more on the sandbox elements of this first release from Masthead Studios.
Earthrise lead technical artist Ed Mattinian discusses visual influences
The Bulgaria-based developer Masthead Studios is hard at work on their first massively multiplayer online game Earthrise, a title that's equal parts sci-fi and post-apocalyptic. Nolvadex from the Italian MMO news site Gamesource spoke with the game's lead technical artist Ed Mattinian about the look of Earthrise. Mattinian discusses balancing form with function when it comes to how technology is depicted in the game, trying to create a futuristic world that's not simply cold and sterile. He says, "I'd say that technological products have their own beauty to them. It's all about function and how that 'product' -- be it a weapon, a craft, or a teleporter - is designed for its function. That's the beauty that we're looking for."
