Theres something about watches and lunar elements that makes both an attractive combo. LUNAR1,622 and the LUNAR 1969 watches by Sebastien Colen, or the more contemporary Swatch x Omega Moonphase watch are a testament to the fact. Now theres yet another timepiece carrying a piece of history thatll pique the interest of astronomy and space lovers. The Apollo Instruments DSKY Moonwatch by British startup Apollo Instruments is a retro-futuristic wristwatch straight out of the Cyberpunk universe.This piece carrying the Apollo Missions revered history is a reminder of how all the advanced computing started with the Apollo Guidance Computer. The timepiece was the first ever device to have silicon microchips developed for the Moon Mission. Fast forward to current times and all our gadgets, automobiles, and everyday consumer electronics can attribute their existence to this iconic computing machine.Designer: Apollo InstrumentsNow after 55 years the computer that made possible Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrins first footsteps on the lunar surface, reincarnates in a working miniature form as a cool wristwatch. DSKY (Display and Keyboard) Moonwatch is a true remake of the briefcase-sized computing machine as the maker got the original design blueprints from MIT Instrumentation Laboratory. The 4:6:1 scaled recreation of the watch with digital display has a working GPS waypoint navigation system, a working keyboard, and can be programmed to include your custom modules if you are into Arduino or Python coding. Targeted towards the nerdy audience it even comes with a 8-channel digital I/O port to interact with robotic devices or breadboard interfaces.According to Mark Clayton, Apollo Instruments Fonder, Moving forward I would like to see Apollo Instruments become a focal point for space enthusiasts with authentic quality products that not only allow our customers to immerse themselves into the narrative of mankinds greatest journey but also offer an engaging experience that will inspire creativity and a continued thirst for knowledge. On the functionality front, the watch will get future updates, so that developers can come up with useful features and users can install them on the device right away. For now, it comes with functions including time/date, configurable time zones, calculator stopwatch, alarm, and V35 lights function.Apollo Instruments DSKY Moonwatch is a cool piece of technology that is a reminder of how tech advancements came to be, and how the lunar mission became a possibility. If you also want to be a part of this cool piece of history, the watch can be pre-ordered for $311.The post This Apollo Moon Mission inspired calculator wristwatch is for every space enthusiast first appeared on Yanko Design.

Despite increasing evidence that water flowed on Mars billions of years ago, scientists have been mystified by what happened to the thick, carbon dioxiderich atmosphere that must have once kept that water from freezing.Now two MIT geologists think they know. Geology professor Oliver Jagoutz and Joshua Murray, PhD 24, propose that much of this missing atmosphere could be locked up in the planets clay-covered crust.While water was present on Mars, they suggest, the liquid could have trickled through certain rock types and set off a slow chain of reactions that progressively drew carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and converted it into methane, a form of carbon that could be stored in the clay for eons.This schematic illustrates the progressive alteration of iron-rich rocks on Mars as the rocks interact with water containing CO2 from the atmosphere. Over several billion years, this process could have stored enough CO2 in the clay surface, in the form of methane, to explain most of the CO2 that went missing from the planets early atmosphere.COURTESY OF THE RESEARCHERSThe researchers applied their knowledge of interactions between rocks and gases on Earth to how similar processes could play out on Mars. They found that the quantity of clay covering the Martian surface could hold up to 1.7 bar of CO2, which would be equivalent to around 80% of the planets early atmosphere. In some ways, Marss missing atmosphere could be hiding in plain sight, Murray says.The researchers think its possible that this sequestered carbon could one day be recovered and converted into propellant to fuel future missions between Mars and Earth.

Two MIT professors, an alumnus, and a former postdoc are among the winners of 2024s Nobel Prizes.From left: Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, Victor Ambros, and Gary RuvkunADAM GLANZMAN (ACEMOGLU); MICHELLE FIORENZA (JOHNSON); COURTESY OF UMASS CHAN MEDICAL SCHOOL (AMBROS); COURTESY OF THE HARVARD GAZETTE (RUVKUN)Professors Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson, PhD 89, shared the prize in economics with political scientist James Robinson of the University of Chicago, with whom they have long collaborated. Using evidence from the last 500 years, their work has empirically demonstrated that inclusive governments such as democracies, which extend individual rights and political liberties while upholding the rule of law, have generated greater economic activity than extractive political systems, where power is wielded by a small elite. Partly because economic growth depends on technological innovation, it is best sustained when countries protect property rights, giving more people the incentive to invent things.Acemoglu, an Institute Professor, has been a member of the MIT faculty since 1993. Johnson, the Ronald A. Kurtz Professor of Entrepreneurship at MIT Sloan, was chief economist of the International Monetary Fund from 2007 to 2008.Meanwhile, Victor Ambros 75, PhD 79, a professor at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, and Gary Ruvkun, a professor at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, shared the prize in medicine for their discovery of microRNA, a class of tiny RNA molecules that help govern gene regulation. This crucial mechanism allows cells with the same chromosomes to develop into cell types with different characteristics and functions.The foundation for their discoveries was laid by their work on mutant forms of the roundworm C. elegans as MIT postdocs in the lab of Professor H. Robert Horvitz (who would win a Nobel in 2002). Later, working independently, they showed that a certain roundworm gene produces a very short RNA molecule that binds to messenger RNA encoding a different gene and blocks it from being translated into protein. Since then, more than 1,000 microRNA genes have been found in humans.In an interview with the Journal of Cell Biology, Ambros also credited the contributions of collaborators including his wife, Rosalind Candy Lee 76, and postdoc Rhonda Feinbaum.

Brackish groundwater is a major potential source of drinking water in underserved areas of the world, but desalinating it affordably is a challenge. A new system developed by mechanical engineering professor Amos Winter, Jon Bessette, SM 22, and staff engineer Shane Pratt manages to do the job entirely on solar energy, with no need for batteries or grid power.The system is a variation of a previous design based on electrodialysis, which uses an electric field to draw out salt ions as water is pumped through a stack of ion-exchange membranes. That design incorporated both a solar array and a sensor-based control system that dialed the desalting process up and down in response to the amount of sunlight available, but it made the necessary calculations only every three minutes.(Left to right): Jon Bessette, Shane Pratt, and Muriel McWhinnie (UROP) stand in front of the electrodialysis desalination system during an installation in July.SHANE PRATTIn that time, a cloud could literally come by and block the sun, Winter says. So backup batteries were still needed.The new system, however, updates the desalination rate three to five times per second. That means it doesnt have to make up for any lag in solar energy, so it doesnt require batteries for energy storage.In a six-month trial in New Mexico, a prototype produced up to 5,000 liters per day despite large swings in weather and available sunlighttypically while harnessing more than 94% of the electrical energy generated by its solar panels. The team hopes to launch a company based on the technology soon.

Apple appears to be working on a minor update for its iPhone operating system, with different claims hinting towards the release of iOS 18.2.1 in the near future.Apple could release an iOS 18.2.1 update in the near future.Although iOS 18.3 was made available for developer testing on December 16, iOS 18.2 remains the latest release version of the operating system intended for the general public. Evidence of an upcoming iOS 18.2.1 update has appeared online since mid-December.iOS 18.2.1, expected to be little more than a simple bugfix update, was reportedly spotted by MacRumors in the site's analytics, though no details about a potential build number were provided. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

The annual Apple Pay donation campaign, which serves to help vulnerable communities affected by AIDS, has raised a total of $3 million in 2024.Apple has donated $3 million to fight AIDS worldwide.Apple has a long-standing partnership with the Global Fund, an organization that provides healthcare and distributes funding to people affected by HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis in developing nations. On December 1st of every year, Apple commemorates World AIDS Day with (PRODUCT)RED window displays and through the promotion of related books.The company raises more than just awareness, though, as it also holds a donation campaign, which aims to help communities affected by AIDS. The donation campaign is based on customer purchases from November 29 through December 8, as announced by Apple. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

The first phase of a monumental-scale new addition within LAs famed Hollywood Forever Cemetery has been revealed after a design from Lehrer Architects and Arquitectura y Diseo.Image: courtesy Tim GriffithThe Gower Court Mausoleum stands five stories and 100 feet above the landmark tourist attractions iconic palm grove, offering the deceased space for some 22,500 crypts and the public panoramic views of the city and Hollywood Sign beyond as one of the only true "new landmarks" to come to Los Angeles in recent memory.Image: courtesy Tim GriffithImage: courtesy Tim GriffithAlong with its Brazilian quartzite stone-coveredcrypts, the honeycombed Mausoleum's interior includes more than 30,000 niches for urn storage. They are connected via a circuit of open-air breezeways. Concrete is the primary building material, and the scale of the edifice was broken down thanks to a "vertical topographical landscape" incorporated by the inclusion ofstepped garden setbacks that extend 20 feet a...

Zaha Hadid Architects has won the pitch to design the Zhejiang Shaoxing Shangyu District Caoe River Culture and Art Centre, a central component of a new cultural quarter in Shaoxing, China.The ambitious project will feature a 1,400-seat grand theater, a 500-seat multifunctional hall, an arts and education center, a conference center, a heritage museum, and a digital art gallery, all spanning an expansive riverside site.

Microsoft explored new avenues for its first party and delivered some standout titles this year, while Sony presented a strong line-up of exclusives and a compelling mid-gen console refresh. By comparison, Nintendo is seemingly in a waiting period, with all attention focused on the Switchs successor. Nevertheless, it still offered an incredible range of titles this year, pulling from its wealth of IPs for some unexpected hits. This is in addition to various third-party games that made their mark on the platform. Check out our picks for the 15 best Switch games of 2024.Princess Peach: Showtime!One day, Nintendo woke up, looked back on how underwhelming Super Princess Peach was, and decided to do something about it. The result is Princess Peach: Showtime!, with Peach harnessing multiple forms across various plays to stop the sorceress Grape and her Sour Bunch. With a fun story, enjoyable gameplay, and solid level design, theres much to love, even if the performance would have been better.

The bone and tile floor was found in a building in Alkmaar's historic center. Municipality of AlkmaarArchaeologists have made a startling discovery in Alkmaar, a Dutch town famous for its cheese market. In a building under construction, they found a mosaiced floor made of tiles and sawed-up cow bones.According to astatement from the municipality of Alkmaar, it appears the floor was originally made completely of tile. When the tile degraded, the gaps were filled in with livestock bones. All of the bones are eithermetacarpals ormetatarsals, which are part of cows lower legs. Researchers think the floor could date to the 15th century.We were very happy to have the opportunity to see this bone floor with our own eyes, says Nancy de Jong, an archaeologist working at the site, in the statement, per a translation from theNL Times. It is always a privilege to uncover something from the distant past and contribute new information to the history of Alkmaar. Archaeologists were invited to examine the floor during the building's renovation. Heritage AlkmaarAlkmaar, located about 25 miles north of Amsterdam, is known for its traditional Dutchcheese market, which is the countrys oldest. The town had a communalcheese scale as far back as1365, and the earliest known record of its cheese market dates to 1408, perLive Sciences Kristina Killgrove. In the 1600s, the Alkmaar market traded millions of pounds of cheese, exporting it throughout Europe and European colonies. Alkmaar became home to theDutch Cheese Museum in 1983.Researchers saw the cow bone floor when they were invited to examine a house under renovation in Achterdam, Alkmaars red-light district. As archaeologists say in aFacebook post, the house was built around 1609, but the tile and bone floor may be older: The standing house might have been built atop an older foundation. As de Jong says in the statement, the floor was significantly worn down from extensive use.Other cow bone floors have been found in Holland. In fact, a strikingly similar example was unearthed in the nearby city of Hoorn, and others were discovered in Enkhuizen and Edam. All three likely date to the 15th century.The researchers say that tiles were a common and inexpensive material in 15th-century Holland, so they dont know why the floors builders used cow bones. The bovine material may have simply been a quicker, slightly cheaper fix for a crumbling tile floor, according to the statement. Alternatively, the bones could have been included because they were connected to the activities that occurred inside the building. The researchers will continue studying the site to learn more about its origins.The discovery of this floor is incredibly interesting, saysAnjo van de Ven, an Alkmaar heritage councilor, in the statement, per the NL Times. In the historical city center of Alkmaar, it is crucial to treat the soil carefully. There are still many hidden stories waiting to be uncovered.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Archaeology, Bones, Cattle, Cool Finds, European History, Food, Food History, History, Netherlands