AP Top Science News at 7:11 p.m. EDT
The first glow-in-the-dark animals may have been ancient corals deep in the ocean
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Yahoo NewsA rare 'devil comet' will reach peak brightness this weekend. Here's how you can see it.
On Sunday, the rare devil comet will reach its closest point to the sun, creating an illuminating sky show. Here is how skygazers can watch it.
- TechCrunch
Varda Space's orbital drug factory success fuels $90M in new funding
Varda Space Industries has closed a massive tranche of funding just weeks after its first drug manufacturing capsule returned from orbit. The company’s $90 million Series B round marks an inflection point for the company, which is now gearing up to scale from the initial demonstration mission to a regular set of missions carrying customer payloads, Varda founder Delian Asparouhov told TechCrunch. El Segundo-based Varda was founded in 2021 by Asparouhov, who is also a partner at Founders Fund, and Will Bruey, a spacecraft engineer who cut his teeth at SpaceX.
- Yahoo News
NASA releases 'unprecedented' Horsehead Nebula image captured by James Webb Space Telescope. What to know about the stellar nursery.
The image of the Horsehead Nebula captures the iconic nebula in a whole new light.
- TechCrunch
Space startups are licking their lips after NASA converts $11B Mars mission into a free-for-all
NASA administrator Bill Nelson has pronounced the agency's $11 billion, 15-year mission to collect and return samples from Mars insufficient. "The bottom line is, an $11 billion budget is too expensive, and a 2040 return date is too far away," Nelson said at a press conference. In other words, clear the decks and start over — with commercial providers on board from the get-go.
- Engadget
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft may finally take its first crewed flight next week
Boeing's Starliner crew capsule is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Launch Complex-41 in Florida on Monday, May 6. The launch window opens at 10:34PM ET. Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will be on board.
- TechCrunch
Snowflake releases a flagship generative AI model of its own
All-around, highly generalizable generative AI models were the name of the game once, and they arguably still are. Case in point: Snowflake, the cloud computing company, today unveiled Arctic LLM, a generative AI model that's described as "enterprise-grade." Available under an Apache 2.0 license, Arctic LLM is optimized for "enterprise workloads," including generating database code, Snowflake says, and is free for research and commercial use.
- Engadget
Physicist Peter Higgs, who predicted 'the God particle', has died at 94
Peter Higgs, the famous physicist who predicted the Higgs boson particle, has passed away at the age of 94. He won the Nobel Prize in 2013 for his research.
- TechCrunch
Boeing's Starliner set to fly astronauts for the first time on May 6
Boeing’s Starliner is a go for launch. Leaders from NASA and Boeing told reporters that the first crewed Starliner mission, which will see the capsule carry two astronauts to the International Space Station, is moving ahead toward its historic May 6 launch date. NASA and Boeing concluded that the capsule is ready for launch after completing a critical flight test review on Thursday.
- TechCrunch
Internal pre-Starlink SpaceX financials show big spending on moonshot bets
Confidential financial statements from SpaceX for 2018 and 2019 capture an early glimpse at the degree to which the company is likely dependent on its Starlink business unit, and bringing the Starship rocket online, to become cash flow positive. While the comprehensive balance sheets are five years old, they provide an intimate look inside the operations of arguably one of the most important, and secretive, private companies in the U.S. And they help shed light on what the company spent money on, and how much, as SpaceX grew itself from an unprofitable $2 billion in revenue to, reportedly, $9 billion for 2023 with a projected $15 billion in 2024 and $3 billion in earnings, sources familiar told Bloomberg in November. 2018 and 2019 were pivotal years for the company: In February 2018, SpaceX launched its Falcon Heavy rocket for the first time; the following March, the company nailed a pivotal flight test of its crew Dragon capsule, but exploded that same capsule a month later during ground testing.
- TechCrunch
Sundar Pichai on the challenge of innovating in a huge company and what he's excited about this year
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai took the stage on Wednesday at a Stanford event held by the university's business school, offering some small insights into what he thinks about running one of the world's most valuable tech companies. It was a notable appearance because Pichai's been having a bit of a rough go lately. Google is widely perceived to have gotten a late start on generative AI, trailing behind Microsoft-funded OpenAI.
- TechCrunch
TechCrunch Space: Rapidly responsive... space stations!?
While there are scant details as to the mission profile, I can't help but feel ultra-intrigued by this news from space station developer Gravitics, which was selected to develop orbital platforms to enable rapid response space missions. Gravitics co-founder and CMO Mike DeRosa did clarify in an email that the company is not putting a module on a rocket for a tactically responsive launch. Instead, the mission is related to developing “platforms to enable a new kind of tactically responsive space mission,” he said.
- Engadget
The Morning After: NASA has to make a time zone for the Moon
The biggest news stories this morning: Our favorite cheap smartphone is on sale for $250 right now, OnePlus rolls out its own version of Google’s Magic Eraser, How to watch (and record) the solar eclipse on April 8.
- TechCrunch
Proxima Fusion raises $21M to build on its 'stellarator' approach to nuclear fusion
Venture capitalists' appetite for fusion startups has been up and down in the last few years. For instance, the Fusion Industry Association found that while nuclear fusion companies had attracted over $6 billion in investment in 2023, $1.4 billion more than in 2022, the 27% growth proved slower than in 2022, as investors battled external fears such as inflation. The field reached a significant milestone in 2022 when the Department of Energy’s National Ignition Facility managed to bring about a fusion reaction that produced more power than was required to spark a fuel pellet.
- TechCrunch
Space diversity initiative builds steam with new leadership and K-12 focused National Space Day
A growing effort to attract more women and people of color into the space industry has shared some of its first results and a new occasion to rally around: National Space Day, May 3, when thousands of students will learn that not only can they do space stuff, but they really should start now. Space Workforce 2030 is a joint effort by the Space Foundation and Aerospace Corporation, amounting to basically a promise that they — and all their 29 company partners as of now — will transparently report the demographics of their workplaces, hiring and recruitment, and work together to identify ways to bring a more diverse crowd to the notoriously homogeneous space industry. The effort also now has an executive director in Melanie Stricklan, formerly of Slingshot Space (and the Air Force), who is now leading the organization full time.
- Yahoo Finance
Sierra Space, valued at $5.3 billion, eyes IPO to 'accelerate the new space economy'
Sierra Space, one of the space industry’s most valuable private companies, plans to go public within the next 18 months, according to its CEO.
- Yahoo Sports
How to watch the 2024 WNBA preseason tonight: Caitlin Clark’s first Indiana Fever game time, channel and more
The WNBA preseason tips off this Friday. Here's how you can catch Caitlin Clark's first game.
- Yahoo Sports
Formula 1: Miami Grand Prix sends cease and desist letter to prevent Donald Trump fundraiser during race
Race organizers say they'll revoke a Trump fundraiser's suite license if he holds an event for the former president on Sunday at the race.
- Yahoo Sports
NFL Draft grades for all 32 teams | Zero Blitz
Jason Fitz and Frank Schwab join forces to recap the draft in the best way they know how: letter grades! Fitz and Frank discuss all 32 teams division by division as they give a snapshot of how fans should be feeling heading into the 2024 season. The duo have key debates on the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, Las Vegas Raiders and more.
- Yahoo Sports
The best RBs for 2024 fantasy football according to our analysts
The Yahoo Fantasy football analysts reveal their first running back rankings for the 2024 NFL season.
- Yahoo Sports
New details emerge in alleged gambling ring behind Shohei Ohtani-Ippei Mizuhara scandal
It turns out the money was going from Ohtani's bank account to an illegal bookie to ... casinos.