Imagine slipping on a pair of shorts that could make walking feel like a breeze, almost as if you've instantly shed 20 pounds. Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, get ready to have your mind blown! Scientists at the Technical University of Munich have cooked up something that might just change the game for anyone who's ever wished walking was a little easier.

They call it the WalkON system, a pair of high-tech shorts that's not your average gym wear. These bad boys can cut down the energy you need for a stroll or jog by up to 18%! Whether you're a spring chicken or in your golden years, these shorts could be a game-changer, especially if stairs have become your nemesis or long walks leave you winded.

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The WalkON system combines sensors, artificial tendons and smart motors to enhance your natural walking motion. It starts with advanced sensors embedded in the shorts that continuously monitor the stress on your tendons. These sensors are incredibly precise, picking up on subtle changes in your movement, including how fast you’re walking and the angle of your hips.

Connected to these sensors are two thin artificial tendons that extend from your thighs to a specially designed waist belt. These tendons play a crucial role in how the system assists you. When you start to walk, the shorts analyze your gait pattern and can even detect the moment you transition from standing to walking. As each leg enters the "swing phase," the system knows exactly when to kick in.

At just the right moment, small but powerful motors activate and gently pull on the artificial tendons. This action helps lift your thigh, reducing the effort needed by your hip flexor muscles, making it feel much easier to move. What’s really impressive is how adaptable WalkON is; whether you prefer a slow stroll or a brisk jog, the system adjusts its level of assistance based on your speed and leg weight. All of this happens seamlessly, so you experience a natural enhancement to your movement rather than feeling like you’re being pushed or pulled by a machine.

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EXOSKELETON HELPS PARALYZED PEOPLE REGAIN INDEPENDENCE

The WalkON system significantly reduces energy expenditure by 18% for young people walking uphill. For older individuals walking on level ground, it decreases energy expenditure by 10%. This reduction in energy expenditure is equivalent to the feeling of instantly losing 22 pounds or 13 pounds, respectively. The system allows you to walk slowly or jog, providing versatility in movement. Participants in tests reported high satisfaction with the device, giving it a mean rating of 6 out of 7 for its ability to assist while maintaining a sense of control.

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The WalkON system can benefit anyone seeking to increase their mobility; however, it shows particular promise for older adults who may experience declining physical capabilities. Additionally, individuals weakened by illness can find significant advantages in using WalkON to enhance their mobility and independence. Furthermore, the device is designed for those looking to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle, making it a versatile solution for a wide range of users.

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Unlike traditional rigid exoskeletons, WalkON's soft, flexible design offers several advantages over its more cumbersome counterparts. Conventional exoskeletons often feature rigid frames that can be difficult and time-consuming to put on, limiting their practicality for daily use.

In contrast, WalkON's soft robotic shorts can be put on quickly and easily, similar to regular clothing, and are more than a mechanical device. Professor Lorenzia Masia, the lead researcher, aptly compares WalkON to an electric bike for walking. This analogy highlights the system's ability to enhance natural movement without overpowering it, making mobility more accessible and appealing to a wider range of users. The lightweight, tendon-driven design of WalkON allows for a more natural range of motion, adapting to the user's movements rather than constraining them.

Furthermore, WalkON's compact and unobtrusive nature addresses a common concern with exoskeletons: social acceptance. Its design allows it to be worn discreetly under regular clothing, potentially increasing user comfort in social situations. This feature, combined with its efficiency in reducing metabolic cost, positions WalkON as a more practical solution for everyday use compared to bulkier exoskeleton systems.

Given the current stage of development and testing, it's likely that WalkON could be available to you within the next three to five years, pending further research and regulatory approvals.

While no exact price point is yet available, we can compare it to other assistive technologies. Current exoskeletons can cost anywhere from $40,000 to $100,000-plus. However, given WalkON's simpler design and intended widespread use, it's possible that it could be priced more affordably, perhaps in the range of $5,000 to $15,000 when it first hits the market. As with many technologies, the price could decrease over time as production scales up.

The WalkON system's potential to enhance mobility for people of all ages, particularly older adults and those with health challenges, is immense. By making movement easier and more efficient, WalkON could encourage more active lifestyles, potentially improving overall health and quality of life for many individuals. While questions about availability and cost remain, the development of WalkON is a promising sign that we're moving towards more accessible and user-friendly mobility assistance solutions.

If you could design your own mobility assistance device, what features or capabilities would you include and why? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

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Imagine having a personal tennis coach who never gets tired, always hits the perfect shot, adapts to your skill level and is available 24/7. 

Enter the PongBot, a groundbreaking artificial intelligence-powered tennis robot that's turning heads in the tennis world. 

This isn't just another ball-serving machine; it's a smart training partner designed to elevate your tennis game.

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The PongBot comes with a clever clip-on sensor that tracks your position on the court. This sensor ensures that the PongBot can deliver shots tailored to your exact position, simulating the dynamic nature of a real tennis match. Additionally, this technology enables the AI match training feature to adjust ball speed and spin in real time, providing a highly immersive and challenging training experience.

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Want a personalized training experience? The PongBot app lets you create custom drills down to the individual ball level. Imagine programming a sequence like a deep forehand return, followed by a short backhand, two volleys and an overhead shot — all saved and ready for your next practice session. The PongBot offers up to 300 preprogrammed drills with three difficulty levels. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned player, there's a drill that'll challenge you just right.

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The real game-changer is the AI match training feature. The robot continuously reads your court position and analyzes your performance, adjusting ball speed and spin to simulate real match conditions. It's like having a smart opponent who knows exactly how to push your limits.

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The PongBot isn't just smart, it's powerful. It can serve balls at up to 80 mph with various spin types (topspin, underspin or no spin), reaching up to 60 rotations per second. With a ball capacity of 150 and a battery life of eight hours, you'll have plenty of time for an intense training session.

What truly sets the PongBot apart is its ability to integrate with the broader tennis technology ecosystem. It works seamlessly with smart devices like intelligent rackets and can sync performance data with the Apple Watch. The over-the-air updates promise continuous improvement, ensuring your training tool stays cutting-edge.

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The PongBot's journey began on Kickstarter, where it far exceeded its initial goal of just $10,000. This overwhelming support showcases not only the demand for innovative training solutions but also confidence in the creators behind this project. Early backers still have the chance to snag some fantastic deals. You can get the Pace S for about $699 or the Pro model for $899.

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Despite some caution often associated with crowdfunding platforms, potential backers can feel secure in their investment here; the team behind PongBot has solid backing from Qualcomm and experience in creating impressive robotics technology. If everything goes according to plan, backers can expect their machines to ship by December — just in time for some serious off-season training.

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By combining AI, smart sensors and adaptive training modes, PongBot offers tennis players an unprecedented opportunity to improve their game. Backed by Qualcomm and created by robotics experts who've already impressed the tech world with ping-pong robots, the PongBot isn't just another crowdfunding project. It's a serious training tool for players who are serious about improving their tennis game.

Would you feel comfortable using a robotic training partner like the PongBot to enhance your tennis skills? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact

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In a groundbreaking development, researchers at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) and Stanford University have successfully trained a robotic surgical system to perform complex tasks with the skill of human doctors. 

This achievement marks a significant step toward autonomous robotic surgery, potentially transforming the future of medical procedures.

The team utilized a da Vinci Surgical System, a robotic platform typically controlled remotely by surgeons. Using a machine learning technique called imitation learning, they trained the system to perform three critical surgical tasks: manipulating a needle, lifting body tissue and suturing.

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What sets this approach apart is the training method. Instead of painstakingly programming each movement, the robot learned by watching hundreds of videos recorded from wrist-mounted cameras on da Vinci robots during actual surgical procedures. This method allows the robot to learn from the collective experience of numerous skilled surgeons, potentially surpassing the capabilities of any single human operator.

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The researchers developed an AI model that merges imitation learning with the machine learning architecture used in popular language models like ChatGPT. However, this model operates in the language of robotics — kinematics — translating visual input into precise robotic movements. This sophisticated approach allows the system to understand and replicate complex surgical maneuvers with remarkable accuracy.

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The surgical system not only executed tasks as proficiently as human surgeons but also demonstrated the ability to correct its own mistakes. As Axel Krieger, assistant professor at JHU, noted, "Like if it drops the needle, it will automatically pick it up and continue. This isn't something I taught it to do." This level of autonomy and adaptability is crucial in surgical settings where unexpected situations can arise. The robot's ability to problem-solve and adjust its actions in real time could potentially reduce complications and improve patient outcomes.

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This breakthrough could significantly speed up the development of autonomous surgical robots. Traditional methods of programming robots for surgery are time-consuming and limited in scope. With this new approach, Krieger explains, "We only have to collect imitation learning of different procedures, and we can train a robot to learn it in a couple days." This rapid learning capability opens up possibilities for quickly adapting surgical robots to new procedures or techniques, potentially revolutionizing the field of robotic surgery.

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The JHU team is now working on expanding this technology to train robots to perform complete surgical procedures. While fully autonomous robotic surgery may still be years away, this innovation paves the way for safer and more accessible complex treatments worldwide. The ability to train robots on entire surgical procedures could lead to standardized, high-quality surgical care even in areas lacking specialized surgeons.

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By harnessing the power of AI and imitation learning, we're witnessing the birth of surgical robots that can learn and adapt much like human surgeons. As this technology continues to evolve, it holds the promise of reducing medical errors, increasing surgical precision, and potentially making advanced surgical procedures available to more patients globally. While there are still challenges to overcome, including ethical considerations and regulatory approvals, the future of AI-assisted and autonomous robotic surgery looks increasingly promising.

Would you feel comfortable undergoing surgery performed by a robotic system trained using AI and imitation learning? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact

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In the remote reaches of Siberia, a colossal scar on the Earth's surface is expanding at a breathtaking pace, swallowing up the frozen landscape and potentially unleashing ancient threats. The Batagaika crater, aptly nicknamed the "Gateway to Hell," is not just a geological curiosity, it's a stark reminder of the rapid changes our planet is undergoing.

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Imagine a gash in the Earth so large you could fit several football stadiums inside it. That's the Batagaika crater for you. This massive thermokarst depression – a fancy term for a giant permafrost-thaw sinkhole – is growing at an astonishing rate of 35 million cubic feet each year. To put that into perspective, it's like carving out a small town's worth of earth annually. Currently stretching about 0.6 miles long and 0.5 miles wide at its widest point, this behemoth shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, it's speeding up, driven by a vicious cycle of warming temperatures and melting ice. This study was published in the journal Geomorphology.

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Despite its name, permafrost isn't actually permanent. It's ground that's remained at or below freezing for at least two years. When this frozen soil thaws, it can't support the weight above it, leading to collapse and the formation of these massive "slumps." The Batagaika crater is a prime example of this process in overdrive. As the permafrost melts, it exposes more soil to sunlight, which then melts more permafrost. It's a feedback loop that's difficult to break, especially in our warming world.

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While the sheer size of the Batagaika crater is impressive, what's truly mind-boggling is its depth, both physical and temporal. The steep walls of this mega-slump reveal permafrost layers estimated to be 650,000 years old. That's older than our species. But with ancient ice comes ancient dangers. Scientists have already revived a 48,500-year-old "zombie virus" from Arctic permafrost, and there's concern about what other long-dormant pathogens might be awakening. It's not just a plot from some sci-fi movie anymore. It's a real consideration for modern science and medicine.

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The Batagaika crater isn't just releasing potential pathogens. It's also unleashing a significant amount of carbon into the atmosphere. According to recent studies, this single mega-slump is responsible for releasing 4,000 to 5,000 tons of organic carbon every year. That's equivalent to the annual emissions of about 1,000 cars. This release of carbon, previously locked away in the frozen ground, further contributes to global warming, potentially accelerating the very process that created the crater in the first place.

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The Batagaika crater, while extreme, is not unique. It represents a process happening across the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. As our planet continues to warm, more of these massive permafrost thaw features are likely to appear. While some might see the crater as a tourist attraction – and indeed it has become one – it's crucial to recognize it as a warning sign. The "Gateway to Hell" is more than just a catchy nickname; it's a portal into a possible future where rapid environmental changes reshape our world in ways we're only beginning to understand. The question remains: Will we heed the warning signs and take action, or will we continue to watch as more gateways open across our warming world?

What are your thoughts on the potential impacts of ancient pathogens being released from melting permafrost, and how do you think we should address the challenges posed by climate change? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

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In the 1930s, there were around 6.8 million farms in the United States. The size averaged at around 155 acres. Over the next several decades, the number of farms rapidly declined to around 1.9 million in 2023. Those farms grew larger, averaging around 464 acres.

As farming has changed over time, experts believe artificial intelligence (AI) can help farmers and producers make food faster and more efficiently.

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"I think there's a lot of potential for both increasing productivity on the crop side, but also for reducing the amount of resources that we use on the productivity side. There's the data that we can actually collect to increase yields and improve the nutritional quality. But then there's also the facilitate facilitating of reductions in labor availability," said Mason Earles, an assistant professor at UC Davis in the departments of Viticulture & Enology and Biological & Agricultural Engineering and researcher at the AI Institute for Next Generation Food Systems or AIFS.

The most recent data shows 41% of farmers reported labor shortages in 2018. That’s a 27% increase from those reporting shortages in 2014. The trend is expected to continue. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 2% decline in workers through 2033 despite the number of job openings remaining the same.

"We do more with less. It's not that it has no set way and has totally changed the traditional work, it is empowering, and it is increasing the productivity of existing workers," said Ilias Tagkopoulos, a computer science professor at UC Davis and the director of AIFS.

AIFS is funded through a grant from the USDA Institute of Food and Agriculture. It is part of USDA’s effort to conduct more research on utilizing Artificial Intelligence in agriculture.

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"One of the big things that I specifically focus on, and we work at the Institute for Food Systems is trying to say, how can I make an impact in agriculture and food systems across the board? Whether that has to do with production of different types of vegetables, fruits, nuts, other types of meats or other types of foods," Earles said. "There’s a lot of potential, we think, all the way from going from the research and lab side through startups, through corporate innovation. And we're here to kind of find a way to facilitate and integrate that along the way."

A USDA study shows just 27% of farmers are using emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence. Investment is expected to grow across the industry from more than $2 billion this year to more than $5 in 2028.

"What our vision is, is how can we have a healthier society and a more sustainable planet? Our mission is to leverage AI to build that, to help towards that goal," Tagkopoulos said. "AI is doing two things. One is making businesses more productive. And the second is to accelerate innovation. It accelerates innovation by actually focusing on what matters versus what's out there."

Researchers are looking into how AI hardware like sensors or robotics can better gather data in the field.

"One of the powers of AI is that it can process a massive amount of data in a very short amount of time and achieve really high performance in pattern recognition," Earles said.

The technology can help farmers decide where to apply fertilizer and when the best opportunities for harvest might be.

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"There's great examples out there of being able to process millions of images within the course of every hour to identify where there might be damage due to weeds, presence of weeds or disease or pest, and be able to use various types of either implements to precisely remove those weeds or pests so that the farmer see higher yields. And the consumer sees better fruit, veggies and other products that are coming out of those fields," Earles said.

One USDA project at the University of Arkansas is looking at using virtual reality to process poultry. Researchers will study whether robots can be used in the field while workers control the devices virtually. While fewer workers are expected to be needed, the cost of the equipment is high.

"The question there is how can you make this technology even more cost-effective and the even more practical, which is always a challenge," Tagkopoulos said.

Controlled environments or indoor farming also see high upfront costs. But some studies have shown that higher crop yields are possible because of fewer weather-related challenges and the ability to grow year-round.

"We see in the future more data being generated, more tools becoming available, easier, much less expensive in terms of AI tools to be able to give recommendations on when to irrigate, when to farm, where to sell. A lot of more collaboration among farmers because now they understand more that they need to share their data. And it's not about competition. It's about everybody winning out of it," Tagkopoulos said.

Controlled environments have received a lot of funding in the past few years. The USDA recently broke ground on a project at Cornell University to research grapes. The National Grape Improvement Center will help scientists study climate adaptable grape varieties and management strategies for growers.

"The opportunity to grow fruits and veggies and other types of crops where they may not otherwise be able to grow has huge potential for delivering all sorts of foods, fresh foods and nutritious foods to urban and or other areas," Earles said. "AI has the real potential to help us understand how to regulate those types of indoor climates so that it can optimize the output."

NASA has confirmed that after a pause in communications with Voyager 1 in late October, the spacecraft has regained its voice and resumed regular operations.

Voyager unexpectedly turned off its primary radio transmitter, known as its X-band, before turning on its much weaker S-band transmitter in October.

The interstellar spacecraft is currently located about 15.4 billion miles away from Earth and the S-band had not been used in over 40 years.

Communication between NASA and Voyager 1 has been spotty at times and the switch to the lower band prevented the Voyager mission team from downloading science data and information about the spacecraft’s status.

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Earlier this month, the team was able to reactivate the X-band transmitter and resume collection of data from the four operating science instruments onboard Voyager 1.

Now that the data can be collected and communications have resumed, engineers are finishing a few remaining tasks to return Voyager 1 back to the state it was in before the issue came up. One task is to reset the system that synchronizes Voyager 1’s three onboard computers.

The S-band was activated by the spacecraft’s fault protection system when engineers activated a heater on Voyager 1. The fault protection system determined the probe did not have enough power and automatically turned off systems that were not necessary to keep the spacecraft flying in order to keep providing power to critical systems.

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But in the process, the probes turned off all nonessential systems except for science instruments, NASA said, turning off the X-band and activating the S-band, which uses less power.

Voyager 1 had not used the S-band to communicate with Earth since 1981.

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Voyager 1′s odyssey began in 1977, when the spacecraft and its twin, Voyager 2, were launched on a tour of the gas giant planets of the solar system.

After beaming back dazzling postcard views of Jupiter’s giant red spot and Saturn’s shimmering rings, Voyager 2 hopscotched to Uranus and Neptune. Meanwhile, Voyager 1 used Saturn as a gravitational slingshot to power itself past Pluto.

There are 10 science instruments on each spacecraft, and according to NASA, four are currently being used to study the particles, plasma and magnetic fields in interstellar space.

Planet Earth is parting company with an asteroid that’s been tagging along as a "mini moon" for the past two months.

The harmless space rock will peel away on Monday, overcome by the stronger tug of the sun’s gravity. But it will zip closer for a quick visit in January.

NASA will use a radar antenna to observe the 33-foot asteroid then. That should deepen scientists’ understanding of the object known as 2024 PT5, quite possibly a boulder that was blasted off the moon by an impacting, crater-forming asteroid.

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While not technically a moon — NASA stresses it was never captured by Earth’s gravity and fully in orbit — it’s "an interesting object" worthy of study.

The astrophysicist brothers who identified the asteroid’s "mini moon behavior," Raul and Carlos de la Fuente Marcos of Complutense University of Madrid, have collaborated with telescopes in the Canary Islands for hundreds of observations so far.

Currently more than 2 million miles away, the object is too small and faint to see without a powerful telescope. It will pass as close as 1.1 million miles of Earth in January, maintaining a safe distance before it zooms farther into the solar system while orbiting the sun, not to return until 2055. That’s almost five times farther than the moon.

First spotted in August, the asteroid began its semi jog around Earth in late September, after coming under the grips of Earth’s gravity and following a horseshoe-shaped path. 

By the time it returns next year, it will be moving too fast — more than double its speed from September — to hang around, said Raul de la Fuente Marcos.

NASA will track the asteroid for more than a week in January using the Goldstone solar system radar antenna in California’s Mojave Desert, part of the Deep Space Network.

Current data suggest that during its 2055 visit, the sun-circling asteroid will once again make a temporary and partial lap around Earth.

Researchers have discovered a new species of glowing sea slug deep in the ocean’s midnight zone.

Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) scientists said in a press release on Tuesday that while Bathydevius caudactylus is classified as a sea slug, it was nicknamed the "mystery mollusk" because the creature was unlike any other that’s been encountered before.  

The mystery mollusk’s genus name, Bathydevius, is a play on the deep-sea animal’s "devious" nature that fooled researchers, the researchers said.

Bathydevius is the first nudibranch, or sea slug, known to live in the deep sea. The sea slug’s body is made up of a large gelatinous hood and paddle-like tail. It can glow with bioluminescence. 

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It lives at an extreme depth of 1,000 to 4,000 meters, or 3,300 to 13,100 feet, below the surface in the ocean’s midnight zone, creating a unique challenge for scientists who’ve worked for decades to catalog the mysterious animal.

"We’ve invested more than 20 years in understanding the natural history of this fascinating species of nudibranch," said MBARI Senior Scientist Bruce Robison. "Our discovery is a new piece of the puzzle that can help better understand the largest habitat on Earth."

Researchers found that Bathydevius evolved to find unique ways to survive in its environment.

It uses a cavernous hood to trap crustaceans "like a Venus fly trap plant," like some jellies, anemones and tunicates. The mysterious creature also hides from predators in plain sight, taking advantage of its transparent body. 

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If it feels threatened, however, the sea slug will light up with bioluminescence to deter and distract hungry predators. Researchers once observed the creature illuminate and detach a "a steadily glowing finger-like projection from the tail, likely serving as a decoy to distract a potential predator."

Bathydevius, like other nudibranchs, is a hermaphrodite, having both male and female sex organs. Researchers said that the animal will descend to the seafloor to spawn, using their muscular foot to anchor to the muddy seafloor before releasing their eggs.

MBARI scientists said that it was only thanks to the facility’s advanced underwater technology that they were able to compile the most comprehensive description of any deep-sea creature to date.

"What is exciting to me about the mystery mollusk is that it exemplifies how much we are learning as we spend more time in the deep sea, particularly below 2,000 meters," said MBARI Senior Scientist Steven Haddock. "For there to be a relatively large, unique, and glowing animal that is in a previously unknown family really underscores the importance of using new technology to catalog this vast environment." 

After a brief pause in communications with Voyager 1, NASA re-established a connection with the interstellar spacecraft located more than 15 billion miles away from Earth, using a frequency not used more than forty years.

Communication between NASA and Voyager 1 has been spotty at times. In fact, the spacecraft stopped sending readable data to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California on Nov. 14, 2023, and it was not until April that mission controllers began receiving commands once again.

More recently, the spacecraft turned off one of its two transmitters after what engineers suspected was due to Voyager 1’s fault protection system, which autonomously responds to onboard issues.

For instance, if the spacecraft uses too much power from its supply source, fault protection will kick in to conserve power by turning off non-essential systems, NASA explained.

VOYAGER 1 DETECTS ‘HUM’ WHILE IN INTERSTELLAR SPACE: REPORT

The space agency said the flight team sent a command to activate one of the spacecraft’s heaters on Oct. 16. The command takes nearly 23 hours to travel from Earth to the spacecraft, and then another 23 hours for the data to travel back.

Engineers suspected Voyager 1 should have had plenty of power to operate the heather, though the fault protection system was triggered.

On Oct. 18, the team learned about the issue, because the Deep Space Network was unable to detect Voyager 1’s signal. Communication between NASA and the spacecraft occurs on the X-band radio transmitter, named for the frequency it uses.

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The fault protection system lowered the rate the transmitter was able to send data back to NASA, engineers determined, therefore changing the X-band signal the Deep Space Network needed to listen for.

Once the signal was located, Voyager 1 appeared to be in a stable state and the team began investigating what happened.

But on Oct. 19, communication between the team and Voyager 1 stopped again, this time entirely.

The team believed Voyager 1’s fault protection system was triggered two more times and switched to a second radio transmitter called the S-band, which uses less power.

NASA RE-ESTABLISHES COMMUNICATION WITH VOYAGER 1 INTERSTELLAR SPACECRAFT THAT WENT SILENT FOR MONTHS

Voyager 1 had not used the S-band to communicate with Earth since 1981.

Engineers with the Deep Space Network were ultimately able to detect the spacecraft’s communication from the S-band. Rather than risk turning the X-band back on before finding out what caused the fault protection system to trigger, the team sent a command on Oct. 22 to confirm the S-band transmitter was working.

Now, the team is working to gather information to help them find out what happened so it can return Voyager 1 back to normal operations.

Voyager 1′s odyssey began in 1977 when the spacecraft and its twin, Voyager 2, were launched on a tour of the gas giant planets of the solar system.

After beaming back dazzling postcard views of Jupiter’s giant red spot and Saturn’s shimmering rings, Voyager 2 hopscotched to Uranus and Neptune. Meanwhile, Voyager 1 used Saturn as a gravitational slingshot to power itself past Pluto.

The Orionids meteor shower, which is considered to be one of the most beautiful showers of the year, could light up the sky with shooting stars through most of next month.

NASA said the Orionids peak during mid-October every year, and the meteors are known for their brightness and speed.

The ability to see the shooting stars depends on clear nighttime skies, as a bright waning gibbous moon moves between full and last quarter phases, outshining more faint meteors and reducing the number of meteors visible to sky-gazers.

According to NASA, some of the Orionids leave behind glowing "trains," or incandescent bits of debris in the wake of the meteor, which could last up to several minutes, and some faster meteors could also become fireballs.

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The Orionids meteors are pieces of the Halley's Comet and are framed by some of the brightest stars in the night sky.

"Each time that Halley returns to the inner solar system, its nucleus sheds ice and rocky dust into space. These dust grains eventually become the Orionids in October and the Eta Aquarids in May if they collide with Earth’s atmosphere," NASA said.

At the meteor shower’s peak, which is scheduled for Monday, skywatchers could see up to 15 meteors per hour, depending on where they are in the Northern Hemisphere.

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While clear skies are important, the second most crucial viewing condition is a dark sky away from light pollution.

Bill Cooke, who leads NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, suggests budding skywatchers find an area away from city lights.

"Come prepared with a blanket. Lie flat on your back and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible," he said on NASA’s site. "In less than 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adapt, and you will begin to see meteors."

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NASA says the Orionids are viewable in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres during the hours after midnight until dawn.

While the Orionids meteor shower peak is on Oct. 21, the Orionids will be active through Nov. 22.

It takes Halley’s Comet 76 years to orbit the sun, and the last time it was visible to casual astronomers was in 1986. The comet is not expected to enter the inner solar system again until 2061, NASA said.