Elon Musk finally launches X Money. What could possibly go wrong?
Expect bumps with X Money rollout as major US financial markets are excluded.
Latest headlines
How to Bring a Geothermal Well Back from the Dead
Startup Zanskar has created one of the most productive geothermal wells in the US at a power plant that had been in decline for years.
Boomers Can’t Stop Gifting Their Grandkids AI-Generated Slop Books
Parents are getting fed up with garbled bedtime stories that feature characters based on actual photos of their children.
NASA’s New 3D Model Shows the Earth Is a Lumpy Mess
We like to think of our home as a nice, smooth sphere. But mapping the Earth’s gravitational field provides a different view of the planet.
ICE’s New Detention Center Contracts Declare State Laws ‘Shall Not Apply’
One day after a federal judge ordered an ICE detention center opened to state health inspectors, the agency posted new contract terms that would void state oversight at four facilities.
Scientists find a simple way to stop cavities without drilling
A liquid brushed onto cavities in seconds may spare many young children from pain, infection, and surgery. A major U.S. trial found that silver diamine fluoride stopped decay in more than half of treated baby teeth. The treatment requires no drilling, shots, or sedation, although it does permanently darken the decayed area.
Your gut may help your brain decide what to remember
Signals traveling from the gut to the brain may help turn meals into lasting memories. Rats showed stronger memory activity after consuming nutritious foods, but not after drinking sweet liquids with little or no nutritional value. Blocking the vagus nerve erased this effect and made it harder for the animals to remember where food had been located. Over time, diets high in fat and sugar also weakened this memory system.
Why are so many dead bumblebees appearing on sidewalks?
Bumblebees naturally have short lives, but extreme heat and human activity are making survival harder. Pesticides can poison bees or destroy the flowers they depend on, while habitat loss leaves them with fewer safe places to live and feed. Protecting native plants and using fewer chemicals could help these vital pollinators recover.
A tiny molecular basket unlocks a powerful new kind of chemistry
Rice University chemists have found a new way to make neodymium, a rare-earth metal, interact with oxygen. Using a specially designed molecular structure described as a “basket,” the team positioned the atoms so they could form a bond once thought unlikely. The breakthrough produced highly reactive compounds that could eventually give chemists alternatives to iron-based molecules used in biological reactions and chemical manufacturing.
New microwave frying method could make french fries much healthier
A new cooking method could make French fries crispier in less time while significantly limiting how much oil they absorb. Researchers propose combining microwave heating, which keeps oil out, with conventional frying, which provides the crunch consumers expect.
Can’t sleep in the heat? These 8 tricks could save your night
Sleeping well during a heatwave starts with stopping the home from overheating. Close blinds against strong sunlight, ventilate when the air outside becomes cooler, and avoid using heat-producing appliances during the hottest hours. Moving to a cooler room, choosing light bedding and using fans or ice packs safely can also make hot nights more manageable.
The search for life on Jupiter's icy moon Europa just got more complicated
Europa’s hidden ocean has made the icy moon one of the solar system’s most promising places to search for habitable conditions. Scientists have hoped that water from this deep ocean might rise through cracks and form shallow reservoirs that future spacecraft could more easily study. New simulations suggest that journey is unlikely because turbulent water would rapidly lose heat, form ice crystals, and clog the fractures, sometimes within hours.
Audi has a new flagship designed with the US in mind: The 2027 Q9
The new full-size flagship SUV starts at $87,700 when it goes on sale in Q4.
Earth’s hidden “gold kitchen” lies beneath the seafloor
Deep beneath submarine volcanoes, Earth may be running a natural “gold kitchen.” By analyzing volcanic glass from the Kermadec island arc north of New Zealand, researchers found that water-rich mantle repeatedly melts beneath subduction zones, gradually concentrating gold in rising magma. The process works because intense melting breaks down sulfur-rich minerals that normally trap gold, releasing the metal into the melt.
4 in 5 toddler foods are ultra-processed
A grocery-store audit found that many foods marketed for toddlers may be far less healthy than parents expect. Of nearly 2,800 products examined in Texas, 81% were ultra-processed, and almost half failed at least one World Health Organization nutrient standard, often because they contained too much sugar, sodium, fat, or too many calories.
Reaction wheel failures leave Swift rescue mission spinning in orbit
"Preliminary investigation shows that two of Link's three reaction wheels currently are not operable."
DJI Lito 1 drone review
The DJI Lito 1 is an impressive entry-level drone thanks to features including omnidirectional obstacle sensing and respectable image quality.
College lab class ends with 32 people on antibiotics for deadly germ exposure
Lab students were supposed to ID a mild germ. They all identified a deadly pathogen.
One of Earth’s most explosive supervolcanoes is recharging with fresh magma
Deep beneath Japan’s mostly submerged Kikai caldera, scientists have discovered a vast magma reservoir that appears to be filling again. The volcano produced the largest eruption of the Holocene 7,300 years ago, and seismic surveys now show that fresh magma has likely entered the same underground system responsible for that catastrophe.
NASA fuels its next-gen Roman Space Telescope for August launch
Looks like everything is on track so far for an Aug. 30 launch.