By Passant Rabie Published January 24, 2025 | Comments (0) | Blue Ghost captured the blue marble while in Earth orbit. Firefly Aerospace Fireflys Blue Ghost lander began its journey to the Moon a little over a week ago, and the mission has already beamed back stellar snapshots from space. In addition to checking off a list of critical milestones, Blue Ghost also captured a classic photo of Earth and caught a brief moment of darkness as Earth eclipsed the Sun. Blue Ghost launched on Wednesday, January 15, on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, headed from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida toward the Moon. The mission, named Ghost Riders in the Sky, will spend 45 days traveling through space before attempting a soft touchdown on the lunar surface. Blue Ghosts first on-orbit image. Credit: Firefly Aerospace Shortly after liftoff, Blue Ghost captured its first image from space. The image shows the top deck of the lander, with the X-band antenna and NASAs LEXI payload visible under a bright flare from the Suns light. Six of Blue Ghosts payloads are already sending initial data back to Earth, while one payload, LuGRE, began its science operations, according to a Firefly Aerospace statement. Developed by the Italian Space Agency, LuGRE is tracking signals from GPS and Galileo satellites during our Earth to Moon transit to test signal acquisition and usage along the way, the company wrote. Blue Ghosts first engine burn with invisible plumes in the vacuum of space. Credit: Firefly Aerospace On January 18, the team at Firefly carried out Blue Ghosts first engine burn, firing up the landers thrusters and main engines in space for the first time. The engine burn brought the spacecraft closer to Earth in preparation for its upcoming maneuvers. As it orbits Earth, Blue Ghost captured a stunning eclipse from space. But rather than seeing the Moon wedge itself between us and the Sun, the lander viewed Earth briefly blocking the Suns light.Blue Ghost is set to orbit Earth for 25 days before performing an engine burn to place it on a trajectory toward the Moon. Blue Ghost will spend four days en route to the Moon, and another 16 orbiting Earths satellite before attempting to land on its dusty surface. The spacecraft captured stunningly impressive views of our planet while performing a second engine burn. The lander has about two weeks left in Earths orbit, and its taking full advantage of that timeOnce it reaches the Moon, Blue Ghostis targeting Mare Crisium, the site of an ancient asteroid impact site once filled with basaltic lava. The basalts in Mare Crisium are between 2.5 and 3.3 billion years old, according to NASA. The lander is packed with 10 scientific instruments to study the lunar surface and gather data to support future human missions to the Moon as part of NASAs Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. The Moon is about to be a busy place, with more of these commercial trips planned this year, including ispaces Resilience lander, which launched to the Moon alongside Blue Ghost but is set to reach the lunar surface in a few months time.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By Margherita Bassi Published January 21, 2025 By Isaac Schultz Published January 15, 2025 By Passant Rabie Published January 15, 2025 Isaac Schultz and Passant Rabie Published January 4, 2025 By Passant Rabie Published December 20, 2024 By Isaac Schultz Published December 18, 2024

By AJ Dellinger Published January 24, 2025 | Comments (0) | A person stands next to an antenna at the Helheim glacier in Greenland. Felipe Dana (AP) One of the challenges with Donald Trumps tendency to say outlandish, implausible things is that it can be difficult to tell when its a distraction and when its serious. Unfortunately for Denmark, it seems that Trumps obsession with taking over Greenland appears to be the latter. According to a report from the Financial Times, a call between Trump and Denmarks prime minister Mette Frederiksen went sideways, and now the Danes are freaking out. The story goes that Trump and Frederiksen spoke on the phone last week for about 45 minutes in what was expected to be a bit of a feeling-out between the two parties, given Trumps very public declaration that he would like to take Greenland off Denmarks hands. There apparently werent a lot of pleasantries exchanged before Trump got aggro. While Frederiksen reportedly expressed a willingness to cooperate with America, potentially allowing the U.S. to set up shop for military bases and dig up the islands wealth of mineral reserves, that was not enough for Trump. He wants to buy Greenland outright and reportedly was unwilling to move off position. He was very firm. It was a cold shower, a European official told the Financial Times. Before, it was hard to take it seriously. But I do think it is serious, and potentially very dangerous. So thats not great. Officials described the Danish government as being in crisis mode following call and said they are utterly freaked out by this. Denmark, which is a NATO member alongside the U.S., is now staring down the barrel of potential tariffs that would seek to inflict harm on the countrys economy until theyre willing to let go of Greenland. Theyre right to be worried. Per the U.S. State Deparment, America is Denmarks largest export market, and business between the two accounts for nearly 80,000 jobs for Danes. So there is a fair bit of opportunity for Trump to put the squeeze on, and hes reportedly sending some of the most annoying people possible to negotiate. Ken Howery, a former PayPal mafia member alongside Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, is reportedly Americas point person, pending Senate approval. And theres another Thiel ghoul, Dryden Brown, who appears ready to jump at the chance to turn Greenland into a techno-utopia, whether they want it or not.For what its worth, they do not want it. Greenland isnt exactly thrilled be to treated as a political football. While the island is home to just 57,000 people, it does have its own autonomous government, and its leader, Mte B. Egede, has stated they are not interested in becoming American property. Thus far, that has not really seemed to factor into the whole conversation. Instead, Trump and company are looking past the actual people and thinking entirely about exploiting the land.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By Lucas Ropek Published January 24, 2025 By Matthew Gault Published January 24, 2025 By AJ Dellinger Published January 24, 2025 By Lucas Ropek Published January 24, 2025 By Passant Rabie Published January 23, 2025 By Passant Rabie Published January 23, 2025

Willamette Pool House / Fieldwork Design and ArchitectureSave this picture! Dana Klein PhotographyHousesNewberg, United StatesArchitects: Fieldwork Design and ArchitectureAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:802 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2022 PhotographsPhotographs:Dana Klein PhotographyManufacturersBrands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers: Sky-Frame, Duravit, Miele, Ann Sacks, Cement Elegance, Fleetwood , Schoolhouse Electric, Velux, Watermark Designs Lead Architects: Cornell Anderson, Tonia Hein More SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. The Willamette Pool House is perched on a bluff above the Willamette River in Newberg, Oregon, offering sweeping views extending up and down the river. Positioned west of the property's main house, this outbuilding supports the new pool and spa with a lounge, kitchenette, changing room, steam shower, bathroom, and pool equipment room. Stacking floor-to-ceiling sliding doors seamlessly extend the interior space to a covered patio that features an outdoor dining area and kitchen.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!The material palette reflects and complements the main house, incorporating natural plaster walls and dark metal trim. A ceiling of locally sourced Oregon White Oak transitions to an exterior metal slat sunscreen, maintaining continuity between inside and outside. Skylights flood the steam shower's tiled walls and custom concrete sink with natural light, enhancing the space with warmth and brightness.Save this picture!The project seamlessly bridges indoor and outdoor spaces, celebrating the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest and the environment in which it is situated while blurring the line between nature and living space.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessAbout this officePublished on January 24, 2025Cite: "Willamette Pool House / Fieldwork Design and Architecture" 24 Jan 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1025600/willamette-pool-house-fieldwork-design-and-architecture&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

The commonly held belief that it takes 21 days to form a habit is a little off. Well, actually, its way off. According to new research from the University of South Australia, forming healthy habits can take two months to a year to form. But dont be discouraged; understanding how habit forming works can help you maintain life-long wellness habits.Adopting healthy habits is essential for long-term well-being, but forming these habits and breaking unhealthy ones can be challenging, said Ben Singh, a researcher from the University of South Australia, in a press release.Importance of Healthy HabitsHealthy habits, such as eating well, getting enough sleep, and daily exercise, can contribute to overall health. Unfortunately, in the hustle and bustle of modern life, its easy to sacrifice these habits. With these sacrifices come the risks of chronic health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, and an increased chance of stroke.Many of us want to re-start healthy habits at the beginning of the New Year, but find ourselves rather discouraged as we hit the 21-day mark and realize that these habits havent become as solidified as we had hoped.At the beginning of the year, many of us are setting goals and making plans for the months ahead things like being more active, cutting back on sugar, or making healthier food choices but while common wisdom suggests that it takes just 21 days to form such habits, these claims are not evidence-based, Singh said in a press release.Read More: The Science of Forming Healthy HabitsForming Healthy HabitsIn a first-of-its-kind study, the research team sifted through six different databases and pulled 20 different studies or questionnaires on self-reported habit forming. Overall, the research team looked at data from over 2,600 study participants whose ages ranged from around 21 years old to 73 years old. From the data, researchers noted that different factors played a part in how successful habit forming was.When trying to establish a new healthy habit, success can be influenced by a range of things, including how frequently we undertake the new activity, the timing of the practice, and whether we enjoy it or not, Singh said in a press release. If you add a new practice to your morning routine, the data shows that youre more likely to achieve it. Youre also more likely to stick to a new habit if you enjoy it.The study examined several health habits, including physical activity like daily stretching, increased water intake, vitamin consumption, flossing, and a healthy diet.Some of the results showed that it took about 66 days to maintain healthy eating, drinking, and exercise habits, while daily morning stretches took about 106 days to achieve, and evening stretches took about 154 days.In our research, weve found that habit formation starts within around two months, but there is significant variability, with formation times ranging from four days to nearly a year, said Singh in a press release. So, its important for people who are hoping to make healthier habits not to give up at that mythical three-week mark.Maintaining Healthy HabitsWith these findings, researchers hope they can provide more accurate information on healthy habit forming. From this, it may be easier for people to improve their health and reduce the risks of certain chronic illnesses.With this knowledge and other habit-making strategies, it can be possible to keep New Years resolutions well past January.Planning and intending to complete a new behavior can also help solidify a new habit, so make sure you continue to make time to include your new healthy habits into your everyday activities. This could be as easy as laying out your gym clothes the night before a morning walk or having a healthy lunch ready to go in the fridge, said Singh in a press release. Tailoring habit-building strategies into our day and making plans on how we can achieve them will put you in a position for success.Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:A graduate of UW-Whitewater, Monica Cull wrote for several organizations, including one that focused on bees and the natural world, before coming to Discover Magazine. Her current work also appears on her travel blog and Common State Magazine. Her love of science came from watching PBS shows as a kid with her mom and spending too much time binging Doctor Who.

This illustration does not describe early man blood types, but represents red blood cells in general. (Credit: Corona Borealis Studio/Shutterstock)NewsletterSign up for our email newsletter for the latest science newsWe can now track the spread of humanity by following a trail of bloodtypes.A group of researchers did just that, by analyzing genetic information from three groups of Early Man most recently Neanderthal and Homo sapiens (earlier work also included Denisovans, an extinct subspecies that roamed Asia until about 30,000 years ago).Although their analysis, which appears in Scientific Reports, stretches back about 120,000 years ago, it also offers some implications for current medicine and health. Different blood types confer different immune responses. Blood Type and HealthThe lack of variety in blood type within Neanderthals may have led them to their demise. While H. sapiens had wider diversity in blood types, which may have given them the immune system arsenal necessary to survive to present day.Nowadays, certain blood groups confer an advantage against pathogens such as cholera, malaria, one of the gastroenteritis viruses and, as we've seen recently, COVID, says Stphane Mazires, a geneticist at Aix-Marseille University in France who led the study. We can therefore imagine that the blood groups found in the first Sapiens may have equipped them with a new arsenal to face the new environments encountered as they spread across the world.To reach that conclusion, Mazires looked at previously sequenced genomes of three groups of Early Man: H. sapiens from 46,000 years to 16,500 years ago, Neanderthals from 120,000 years to 40,000 years ago, and a possible descendent of both Denisovans and Neanderthals from about 98,000 years ago. The DNA from these people came from throughout Eurasia.Blood Lines for Early ManThe results were both distinctive and compelling. The most striking pattern is that blood group gene diversity appears partitioned according to the hominid lineages, according to the paper. That partition by blood type was striking.The Late Neandertals showed surprisingly little change over 80,000 years. They also had less diverse blood types than either early H. sapiens or current humans. Two of the blood groups can still be found almost exclusively in modern people from Sub-Saharan Africa. We showed that all Neandertal shared the same blood group profile, says Mazires. Such low diversity is the signal of small populations.The oldest H. sapiens genomes, on the other hand, showed both more changes and diversity. Some of the genetic information related to blood type in that group is missing from both Neanderthal and Denisova genomes. Evidence for some of those specific blood types can now be found only in non-African populations.We showed that when entering Eurasia, they were carrying distinct blood types from Neanderthal, says Mazires. That means that the present-day geography of the blood groups in Eurasia originates from the Out of Africa of Sapiens.How Does This Impact Humans Today?So, what are the implications for current humans? They are two-fold, says Mazires. First, the study shows how different blood types can help fight against infectious disease. Second, it emphasizes the importance of monitoring blood during both transfusions and pregnancies. The presence of some rare subtypes that originated with the Neanderthals but outlived them can lead to complications.Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:Scientific Reports. Rapid Change in Red Cell Blood Group Systems After the Main Out of Africa of Homo Sapiens Before joining Discover Magazine, Paul Smaglik spent over 20 years as a science journalist, specializing in U.S. life science policy and global scientific career issues. He began his career in newspapers, but switched to scientific magazines. His work has appeared in publications including Science News, Science, Nature, and Scientific American.1 free article leftWant More? Get unlimited access for as low as $1.99/monthSubscribeAlready a subscriber?Register or Log In1 free articleSubscribeWant more?Keep reading for as low as $1.99!SubscribeAlready a subscriber?Register or Log In

Stan HoraczekShareWe may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more You likely know Teva best for its extensive sandals, which it has been making since the mid-80s. Now, the company has released its first truly winterized hiking boots, and Ive been wearing them for two weeks during the deepest part of winter. They took a little breaking in, but they live up to its promise of a truly winter-ready boot. Theyre available in both Mens and Womens sizes.Verdict: High-end materials like leather, suede, and riptop combine with heavy 200g Thinsulate insulation to keep feet warm and dry. The shape required some breaking in, but this is overall a great winter boot, even for tough terrain.Stan Horaczek ProsGreat grip with the White Spider rubber soleSnug fit with eyelet lacesWaterproofing holds upWarm thanks to high-grade insulationConsNo wide sizesContoured sole shape might not work for every footHow we tested the Teva Auroris hiking bootsMy colleague and I have spent a total of roughly 20 hours out in the cold Upstate New York winter. That includes hiking, chores, and 15 minutes spent standing in a puddle to test the waterproofing. We wore wool socks under the boots, as we normally would with hiking boots. Both testers had models that were true to size.FitI typically wear a size 12 Mens, and these fit as I would expect. I would love for a wide size option, but thats not always common across the board. A flexible sock inside the boot along with covered seams and zippers managed to avoid friction during movement. The sole does have considerable shape, while the upper is straighter, which took my feet a little while to work in. After a few wears, they felt comfortable as soon as I put them on.A series of speedhooks and D-rings in the ankle support make lockdown lacing simple. The included round laces are burly and hold up to hard pulling. Support and tractionThe layered sole includes a memory foam topsole, a layer of durable foam, and a footbed cover. The padding feels substantial as soon as you step into the boot, and it had no issue cushioning feet over rocky terrain. The thick sole makes this feel like a true winter boot, and the ankle support feels great with the lockdown lacing in place.Traction is good thanks to the dual-lug pattern, but there are other boots with grippier bite if youre regularly traversing very slippery terrain. The Auroris easily fits into spikes, however, so you can add extra traction if needed. The White Spider Rubber outsole is grippy and durable. Warmth and waterproofingThe 200g Thinsulate insulation inside is ideal for keeping feet warm in the 30-40 degree range, though we took them in conditions much colder than that. Combined with warm socks, we didnt have any issue with cold toes, even around 20 degrees. During warmer hikes, the insulation isnt overkill as it can be with some heavier 400g Thinsulate boots or boots with multiple types of insulation. We stood in an ankle-deep puddle for 15 minutes to see if water would seep in, but the leather, suede, and nylon upper held strong. Water can seep in if in higher water, but that largely depends on how well theyre tied. Final resultsTevas first pair of true winter boots deliver on their promises. Theyre not meant for arctic adventures but are great at keeping feet warm and dry during typical winter hikes. This is a great mid-weight option that will perform well into the winter. They also earn points for excellent aesthetics.Buy now in Mens sizes | Buy now in Womens sizes

ShareWe may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more Like clockwork, Samsung announced its new flagship smartphone lineup this week with the introduction of the Galaxy S25 line. It can be tough to keep track of whats new, so heres a breakdown of the S25 devices, which you can currently pre-order directly from Samsung fo the best possible price.Galaxy S25Samsung This is the base-model Galaxy S25 and it has gotten some tangible hardware upgrades. It now offers a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip inside, which is optimized to run the many, many AI features Samsung has implemented. It now has 12GB RAM, up from 8GB in the previous model.The display has remained at 6.2 inches with the same resolution as the S24. The S25, however, offers Samsungs new ProScaler AI tech, which it claims can improve the quality of an image by 40 percent. This is basically the magic enhance mode from every CSI TV show and its available across the S25 line.From a camera standpoint, the hardware hasnt change much from previous models.Rear Camera: Ultra Wide: 12 MP F2.2Wide: 50 MP F1.8 Adaptive Pixel Optical Quality 2xTele: 10 MP F2.4 3x optical zoomThe triple camera is still an advantage over the iPhone, which lacks the true telephoto that you get with the Galaxy phones. Hardware has mattered less and less with smartphone cameras in recent years, however, so were interested to see how the AI upgrades affect overall image capture in the new S25 phones.You can opt for 128GB or 256GB storage in the Galaxy S25, starting at $800.Pre-order the Galaxy S25Galaxy S25+Samsung From a hardware standpoint, the Galaxy S25+ has the same exact engine as the standard model. The S25+ has a 6.7-inch screen and offers 256GB and 512GB storage options.As with other big phones, theres more room for battery inside the S25+ than there is inside the standard version, so youll likely eek out more battery life per charge as well.Beyond those differences, dont expect much variance between the Galaxy S25 and S25+ models.Pre-order the Galaxy S25+Galaxy S25 UltraSamsung The Galaxy S25 Ultra is Samsungs true flagship smartphone. It comes toting a massive 6.9-inch screen with a slightly different, more rounded shape than previous models. The body is made of titanium with Gorilla Armor 2 on the display to make it more durable than before.This device relies on the same Snapdragon 8 Elite chip because its the most powerful practical option on the market at the moment. Unlike the lower-end models, the S25 Ultra has gotten an actual hardware upgrade in the camera department. Heres a breakdown of the new hardware.Rear Camera: Ultra Wide: 50 MP F1.9Wide: 200 MP F1.7 Adaptive Pixel Optical Quality 2xTele1: 50 MP F3.4, 5x optical zoom1, Optical Quality 10xTele2: 10 MP F2, 3x optical zoomThe big upgrade appears in the ultra-wide, which now has a 50-megapixel resolution instead of the 12-megapixel sensor found in the S24 Ultra.Pre-order the Galaxy S25 UltraAll of the Galaxy S25 phones start shipping in early February.

DeepSeek-R1, a new reasoning model made by Chinese researchers, completes tasks with a comparable proficiency to OpenAI's o1 at a fraction of the cost.

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PLATEAUPLATEAU SDK is a Japanese government-led initiative focused on developing 3D digital twins of cities and promoting their use across various applications. It also ensures that the data is publicly available, allowing anyone to access and use it within DCC software.The newly released PLATEAU SDK for Unity v3.2.0 beta includes a feature that automatically generates road networks, representing the layout of roads, including connections between roadways and intersections. Additionally, it now supports the generation of road markings such as crosswalks, lanes, and directional arrows for vehicles, as well as stepped sidewalks. Users can also freely edit the number and shape of lanes and use them in traffic simulation.PLATEAUPLATEAUPLATEAU provides high-resolution 3D city model data that can be imported into the engine, supporting high-quality rendering. It also offers tools for implementing pathfinding and running various simulations within the city. You can take advantage of other Unity features to customize 3D models based on specific needs and seamlessly integrate them with other systems and APIs.Theres also a similar toolkit for handling PLATEAUs 3D city model data in Unreal Engine, you can check it out here. Get PLATEAU SDK for Unity by clicking this link and join our80 Level Talent platformand ournew Discord server, follow us on Instagram,Twitter,LinkedIn,Telegram,TikTok, andThreads,where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.Source link The post Build Realistic Japanese Cities In 3D With This Unity Tool appeared first on CG SHARES.