The Morning After: KFC's mission for lab-made nuggets
And Samsung oddly nixes some Health app features.
Welcome to a new week. We’ll get into the KFC science project a little later, but let’s start with Samsung. The company typically adds software updates and apps to its Galaxy phones with zeal, and a lot of the time, they go untouched, and we complain about all the bloat.
Is that what’s happened here? The company has notified German users that it’s removing weight, calorie (meal tracking) and caffeine tracking from the Samsung Health app through updates due later this month.
Was it a case of people not using the features? Or does the company have a new, even more impressive health app waiting in the wings? Its Galaxy Note reveal event is in a few weeks. Let’s see.
—Mat
The glass back is peeling off some Pixel 4 XL phones
Google has yet to say if it's a recurring problem.
Pixel 4 XL users on Google’s forums and Reddit are complaining about their phones’ glass backs peeling off. This appears to stem from the battery swelling — not an unheard of issue, but rarely with this kind of frequency, and it’s the kind of problem that would usually take months to appear. But this phone launched last October.
One Reddit user, who claims to manage a uBreakiFix store, said the Pixel 4 XL had a widely known problem with faulty connectors, which lead to battery swelling. Google hasn’t yet responded, but it’s bad timing. The company is expected to officially unveil the Pixel 4a very, very soon. Continue reading.
KFC hopes to develop the first lab-made chicken nuggets
3D bio-printed nuggets could be more eco-friendly and ethical.
KFC has teamed up with Moscow’s 3D Bioprinting Solutions with the goal of producing the world’s first lab-made chicken nuggets. The Russian firm is developing an additive printing technique using chicken cells and plant material that, ideally, recreates the “taste and texture” of natural chicken while keeping animal involvement to a minimum. KFC, meanwhile, will provide bread, spices and other ingredients to match the restaurant’s “signature” flavor.
KFC hopes to have a final nugget design ready for testing in Moscow by fall 2020. Mmm, nothing stokes the appetite like bio-printed nuggs. Continue reading.
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GitHub is done depositing its open-source codes in the Arctic
On ice.
Last year, GitHub revealed its plan to store all of its open-source software in an Arctic vault as part of its Archive Program. Now the code-hosting platform is done making sure future generations can access them even if civilization collapses within the next 1,000 years… and, er, you can still get to the Arctic.
The collection now sits inside a chamber within a decommissioned coal mine, under hundreds of meters of permafrost. Continue reading.
UAE successfully launches its Hope Probe on a mission to Mars
It's the country’s first mission to the red planet.
The UAE’s Mars-bound Hope mission has successfully launched from Japan's Tanegashima Space Center. About an hour after liftoff, the Hope Probe separated from the rocket to rapturous applause from controllers and engineers at the UAE Space Agency.
The Hope Probe should reach Mars orbit in February 2021 during the 50th anniversary of UAE unification. Instead of landing on the planet, it’ll orbit it for an entire Martian year, or 687 days. The aim of the $200 million mission is to get a more detailed picture of weather dynamics on the red planet ahead of future manned Mars missions. Continue reading.
But wait, there’s more...
Microsoft stops offering 12-month Xbox Live Gold memberships
Apple fans weigh in with their Watch Series 5 reviews
Nintendo is holding a 'Direct Mini' partner game showcase today
