Are we here by chance or design? A more pragmatic approach to the question, considering the subject matter, would be to assume that all answers are correct. In fact, that’s the basis of quantum physics. Here’s the simplest explanation of how it all works that you’ll ever read: imagine flipping a coin and then walking away secure in the knowledge that it landed on heads or tails. If we look at the entire universe and start zooming in until you get down to the tiniest particles, you’ll see the exact same effect in their interactions....

As a planetary scientist who studies the Moon, I view this unplanned impact as an exciting opportunity. The moon has been a steadfast witness to solar system history, its heavily cratered surface recording innumerable collisions over the last 4 billion years. However, scientists rarely get a glimpse of the projectiles – usually asteroids or comets – that form these craters. Without knowing the specifics of what created a crater, there is only so much scientists can learn by studying one....

This collection features 10 different sets of digital marketing skills that any seller will want to add to their assortment of abilities. Not only are they vital for launching digital marketing campaigns, they’re also economical. Right now as part of TNW Deal’s Semi-Annual Sale, you can take 50 percent off the price of each item by entering the code “LEARNIT” during checkout for a limited time. Instagram Marketing Want to know how Instagram influencers are turning the image-heavy social platform into a goldmine?...

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has found that Google may have misused its market share in Android in the country to prevent device manufacturers from opting for alternate versions of its mobile operating system. According to Reuters, which reviewed a 14-page order from CCI, “Google’s restrictions on manufacturers seemed to amount to imposition of ‘unfair conditions’ under India’s competition law.” Google’s Android is the most widely used operating system in India, with about 99 percent of its phones sold using the platform....

While dark matter holds galaxies and galaxy clusters together, dark energy fuels the ever-increasing rate at which the Universe expands. Although these effects are visible to astronomers, neither dark matter nor dark energy can be directly observed, making it difficult to study most of the Universe. “We can use indirect ways to study things, like looking at a shadow and making an educated guess about what’s casting the shadow. One way scientists indirectly study dark matter is by using gravitational lensing....

Psychedelics are psychotropic drugs: substances that affect your mental state. Other types of psychotropics include antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications. Psychedelics and other types of hallucinogens, however, are unique in their ability to temporarily induce intense hallucinations, emotions and disruptions of self-awareness. Researchers looking into the therapeutic potential of these effects have found that psychedelics can dramatically reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, PTSD, substance abuse and other psychiatric conditions. The intense experiences, or “trips,” that psychedelics induce are thought to create a temporary window of cognitive flexibility that allows patients to gain access to elusive parts of their psyches and forge better coping skills and thought patterns....

If you’re unfamiliar with Jony Ive, he’s the man behind lots of your favorite things. He left Apple last year after almost 30 years at the company. During that time, he oversaw the development of almost any modern Apple product or service you want to name, from the iPod to the Apple Stores themselves. Even more importantly, he helped build the design team that’s still pumping out quality shit to this very day....

Back at the end of March, Rivian closed its factories and offices to help quell the spread of COVID-19. But it seems that production is already starting to return to Normal, Illinois, where one Rivian factory is based, Week.com reports. A company spokesperson confirmed yesterday that a small group of essential workers returned to the plant mid-May. A second group will return next week, they added. [Read: Here’s how many cyclists it takes to charge a Tesla as fast as a Supercharger] Whether things actually will be normal is another matter, snafu....

This is good news for the move to eliminate diesel-powered cargo vehicles across the globe. Naturally, we’ll see more like this in developed countries first, and with different approaches. Yesterday, Hyundai delivered the first of its hydrogen fuel-cell trucks to commercial customers in Switzerland; Toyota also recently revealed its plans for a similar vehicle whose prototype will be ready next year. SHIFT is brought to you by Polestar. It’s time to accelerate the shift to sustainable mobility....

It’s a done deal: the world’s richest man has purchased Twitter. Cue the Imperial March. While we’re all waiting to see what happens now, it’s worth speculating on what the ramifications of the soon-to-be completed takeover could mean. Here’s what we know so far: Going private Twitter is currently a publicly-traded company, but it’s almost certainly going to be in Musk’s best interests to take the company private ASAP. Firstly, Musk, or whoever ultimately ends up in charge of Twitter (we’ll talk more about that in the “conspiracy theories” section of this article later), won’t have to file quarterly financial reports if the company’s private....

Google might now be working on a native solution to protect against stalking by AirTags and similar tracking devices. As spotted by 9to5Google, version 22.12.13 of Google Play Services includes code referencing ‘Unfamiliar device alerts’ and ‘Unfamiliar Tag Detected Notification.’ There are also specific strings referencing ‘Tile tag’ and ‘ATag,’ the latter presumably meaning AirTags. There’s also a third mention of a ‘Finder Tag,’ which could be an unreleased device or a stand-in for trackers in general....

Dubbed the Coalition Against Stalkerware (CAS), the collaborative effort aims to fight domestic violence, stalking, and harassment by addressing the use of stalkerware and raising public awareness about the issue. To that effect, the CAS intends to define best practices and improve the security industry’s response to stalkerware by sharing known samples among participating cybersecurity firms. In all, 10 organizations are part of the coalition: Avira, the EFF, G Data, Kaspersky, Malwarebytes, the National Network to End Domestic Violence, NortonLifeLock, Operation Safe Escape, Weisser Ring, and the Work with Perpetrators of Domestic Violence....

Did I want one as soon as I saw them? Of course. But am I confused about how it fits into my daily life? You betcha. So far, so Apple. I’ve now been using Apple’s trackers for over a month and while I’m impressed with the technical capabilities of them, I’ve yet to find a compelling reason to buy them. Unless you’re constantly losing stuff in your house. Then knock yourself out....

This isn’t a surprise, though. The firm announced this change last year to close the Japan Fair Trade Commission’s (JFTC) investigation that looked into the antimonopoly practices of Apple. The Cupertino-based company considers any app that provides digital content a reader app. Think of magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music, or video. So Netflixs and Spotifys of the world will finally be able to link to their website for account creation and management....

A report from Reuters noted that Vladimir Putin’s ruling Russia United party is expected to win again after a three-day voting process, despite a drop in its approval ratings. Navalny’s organization created a smart voting project that promotes candidates that could defeat the ruling party. He came up with the idea in 2018, and the organization later implemented the app, which aimed to promote more than 1,300 candidates at various levels....

The AirTag is IP67 water and dust resistant and features a built-in speaker to help you find it. Somewhat surprisingly, it’s operated via a removable battery rather than charging like many modern devices. You can locate the AirTag using Apple’s Find My app, and it’s paired to your phone much like AirPods, by simply bringing the unit close to your phone. Should the tracker be too far from your phone, you can place the AirTag into Lost mode and be notified if it’s been located by the Find My network — if it’s in range of other iPhone users, basically....

According to Reuters, an Australian newspaper says that eight of the country’s regulators have agreed to use their formal powers to press Facebook for answers as it readies to launch Libra. It comes after the tech giant failed to impress the regulators about its ‘cryptocurrency’ plans at a meeting in October. Similarly to their counterparts across the globe, Australian regulators have expressed concerns about Libra‘s potential effect on existing financial systems, and its use for money laundering purposes....

Over the last couple of years, other competitors such as Xiaomi, Huawei, Vivo, and OnePlus have released their own buds with some added features compatible with their own phones. These buds are much cheaper alternatives to Airpods for Android phone owners. I’ve been using two newly released wireless buds for over a week: OnePlus’ $79 buds and the $81 Vivo TWS Neo. To utilize their full feature set and sound settings, I used these buds with the OnePlus Nord and the Vivo X50 Pro....

Ever since then, Beethoven fans and musicologists have puzzled and lamented over what could have been. His notes teased at some magnificent reward, albeit one that seemed forever out of reach. Now, thanks to the work of a team of music historians, musicologists, composers, and computer scientists, Beethoven’s vision will come to life. I presided over the artificial intelligence side of the project, leading a group of scientists at the creative AI startup Playform AI that taught a machine both Beethoven’s entire body of work and his creative process....

When Elon Musk utters these words at Tesla’s Autonomy Day late April, a song plays inside my head: They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!. I imagine two burly men in white coats coming on stage, wrapping Elon in a tight jacket, and whisking him to a padded cell. (I last heard the song in the late sixties while I was still in France. The refrain obviously made a lasting impression....