As electric aspirations fade, Porsche sells its stake in Bugatti

​Porsche’s stake in Bugatti and Rimac Group have been sold to private equity.  A new chapter in the Bugatti story begins today. Twenty-eight years after bringing the storied luxury brand back from the dead, Volkswagen Group no longer counts Bugatti among its stable of brands. Porsche, which became the…

Carbon nanotube wiring gets closer to competing with copper

While this material degrades over time, it could point to better ones. Shortly after their discovery, carbon nanotubes seemed to be a material wonder. There were metallic and semiconducting forms; they were tiny and incredibly light; and they could only be broken by tearing apart chemical bonds. The ideas…

We still don’t have a more precise value for “Big G”

Such experiments bring “order to the universe, whether or not the number agrees with the expected value.” The gravitational constant, affectionally known as “Big G,” is one of the most fundamental constants of our universe. Its value describes the strength of the gravitational force acting on two masses separated…

US Space Command: Russia is now operationalizing co-orbital ASAT weapons

“They’re putting operational systems up within orbit reach of our high-value satellites.” After several tests of unusual “nesting doll” satellites in low-Earth orbit, Russia is now fielding operational anti-satellite weapons with valuable US government satellites in their crosshairs, the four-star general leading US Space Command said this week. Gen.…

Apple stops weirdly storing data that let cops spy on Signal chats 

Signal “very happy” Apple fixed bug storing private chats after app was deleted.  Apple fixed a security bug that made it possible for cops to access content from deleted Signal messages. Vulnerable users hoping to evade law enforcement surveillance often use encrypted apps like Signal to communicate sensitive information.…