To test stability control, it helps to have a wide-open space with very low grip. McLaren provided flights from Washington, DC, to Ivalo, Finland, and accommodation so Ars could drive its car on a frozen lake. Ars does not accept paid editorial content. SAARISELKÄ, FINLAND—If you’re expecting it, the…
Kaolinite pebbles show evidence of alteration under high rainfall conditions. A recent study showed that Mars was warm and wet billions of years ago. The finding contrasts with another theory that this era was mainly cold and icy. The result has implications for the idea that life could have…
What prompts this community to spend time looking for a creature that likely doesn’t exist? It was the image that launched a cultural icon. In 1967, in the Northern California woods, a 7-foot-tall, ape-like creature covered in black fur and walking upright was captured on camera, at one point…
“We observed materially lower leak rates compared to prior observations during WDR-1.” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said Saturday the agency is looking at ways to prevent the fueling problems plaguing the Space Launch System rocket before the Artemis III mission. Artemis III is slated to be the first crew…
Next-generation telescopes are mapping this outer frontier. Out beyond the orbit of Neptune lies an expansive ring of ancient relics, dynamical enigmas, and possibly a hidden planet—or two. The Kuiper Belt, a region of frozen debris about 30 to 50 times farther from the sun than the Earth is—and…
Don’t expect big changes yet. You might have noticed some reporting a few days ago that Android 17 was rolling out in beta form, but that didn’t happen. For reasons Google still has not explained, the release was canceled. Two days later, Android 17 is here for real. If…
Self-copying RNAs may have been a key stop along the pathway to life. There are plenty of unanswered questions about the origin of life on Earth. But the research community has largely reached consensus that one of the key steps was the emergence of an RNA molecule that could…
Robotaxis can’t escape the gig economy as Waymo tries to solve a human problem. Autonomous vehicles have a lot of potential. As long as you program them right, they won’t speed, won’t break traffic laws, and won’t get drunk, high, abusive, or violent. And the technology has been getting…
Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem sued for coercing platforms into censoring ICE posts. Pressure is mounting on tech companies to shield users from unlawful government requests that advocates say are making it harder to reliably share information about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) online. Alleging that ICE officers are…
This was the first launch of the Ariane 64, the most powerful rocket in European space history. The heavy version of Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket launched for the first time Thursday, hauling 32 spacecraft to low-Earth orbit for Amazon’s satellite broadband constellation. The Ariane 6 rocket lifted off from…
