Hera: a spacecraft to save humanity, the future of robotaxis in China, and unearthing the smallest ape

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Hera launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida on October 7 to investigate the site where NASA’s DART spacecraft collided with the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos.

DART proved that a spacecraft could possibly protect humanity from a dangerous asteroid. “Detective” Hera is now on its way, headed 110 million miles from Earth to find out what happened.

Once it arrives in December 2026, Hera will send back data that might save humanity from a potentially catastrophic impact in the future if we ever find ourselves in that predicament. Must-Reads.

Weekly Must Reads

Over the past year, several robotaxi firms have received permits for fully autonomous operations. 21 cities have launched pilot programs. For the first time, China has set industrial standards for passenger-carrying robotaxis.

But how far has robotaxi commercialization come in China? How close are these companies to breaking even?

Advancements in driverless technology and scaling operations, as well as achieving economies of scale, are crucial for robotaxi profitability. (Read More)

Hot topics

Innovation

> US develops portable device that extracts water from air using 50% less energy.

> Man duplicates himself in robotic version with identical look, similar expressions.

Culture

> Human kissing could have originated from great apes’ ‘groomer’s final kiss’: Study.

> 2,400-year-old theatre with 12,000-spectator capacity discovered in Turkey.

Science

> High-performance computing analyzes quantum photonics on a large scale, a first.

> Positive muons accelerated, ‘tamed’ for the first time using controlled beam.

Energy

> Lithium-sulfur EV batteries last longer with higher energy using SMU method.

> ITER contracts L&T for critical tasks linked to fusion reactor’s vacuum vessel.

And another thing

> How digital games are helping patients combat chronic diseases. [Interesting Engineering]

> Drop in vaping drives tobacco product use by U.S. youth to a record low. [Science News]

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