OuterPlaces

NASA video depicting the bubble nebula

The largest iceberg on record breaks off Antarctica.

Three telescopes in Chile are looking for exoplanets.

NASA's Parker Solar Probe will get closer to the Sun than any spacecraft.

An origami-inspired robot will explore other planets.

Self-healing fabric magically repairs itself with the heat from your fingers.

Eating in zero gravity could be coming to a restaurant near you.

Hyper realistic video game graphics are blurring the lines between dreams and reality.

Watch how gas giant planets like Jupiter or Saturn are born.

The Superb Bird of Paradise has feathers that absorb over 99.9% of light.

Canadian startup Outline Montreal integrates art & technology with their sound-reactive masks.

SpaceX Falcon Heavy launched successfully, carrying the classified Zuma into space.

NASA video showing the Cassini spacecraft's mission of exploring Saturnian system since 2004

The United Arab Emirates Martian probe – called "Hope" – is setting sail.

Isn’t it funny when you’re reading books from a <a href="https://rumble.com/v3fa3s-1905-electric-car.html" target="_blank">hundred years ago</a> or watching movies from the past century that portray what the future holds? Well, their future is now and unfortunately we are no closer to their predictions than they were. Sure, we’re launching rockets into outer space, but we probably have a few centuries of trials and tribulations to go until we manage to reach warp speed (sorry, Trekkies). Fortunately for us, our dream of flying a car is soon becoming a reality. We present you the PAL-V ‘flying car’ and it does exactly what it says it does. It was constructed by a Dutch company as a car which can easily transform into an aircraft. It can only host two passengers. The transition from one vehicle to the other takes about 5-10 minutes and you would need both a driving and a flying permit. The car is set to be released in 2019 and the preordering has already started. The cheaper model starts at $399,000 while another one costs $599,000. Having a device that can both roll on the road and <a href="https://rumble.com/v30p7d-home-made-flying-machines.html" target="_blank">soar in the sky</a> definitely has its convenient side. It would make transportation faster since you won’t be needing to change from tires to wings any time you reach a barrier. It also paves the way to developing this kind of technology that can benefit society in the long run. Sure, it’s nowhere nearly as cool as cars floating on thrusters, but we’re getting there. What do you think? Would you like to own this kind of vehicle? Would you even consider getting into one? Tell us more of what you think in the comments down below.

NASA is developing a plane that can break the speed of sound... With no sonic boom.

The human body is a marvelous design. Almost every single cell in it is there for a reason and almost every organ has a purpose. Evolution has made sure that we focus and enhance what’s necessary in our bodies and reduce the excess. Naturally, there would always be some leftover traits from our predecessors, but that is okay because we are not perfect and those tiny flaws are what makes us human. When it comes to extremities, we never seem to have enough. We could always use one more hand to hold things and have one more finger to type. Well, guess what? It has finally come true. A London-based designer called Danielle Clode has created a revolutionary third <a href="https://rumble.com/v40b9r-can-you-do-this-with-your-thumb.html" target="_blank">thumb</a>. This artificial limb is 3D printed and is attached to the exterior of our palm, right next to our pinky finger. It is controlled by pressure sensors under our toes and can help us do things more easily. It’s hard to adjust to everyday chores and duties once you’ve lost a limb so <a href="https://rumble.com/v40vjh-elephant-gets-new-prosthetic-leg.html" target="_blank">prosthetics</a> have been used for a long time to facilitate the movement of many people. You have to relearn how to do certain things, and the prosthetic is there to help you along the way. Ms. Clode was fascinated by the relationship between the human body and the artificial limbs so she decided to to create this prosthetic that can be used by everyone.

Astronauts headed outside the International Space Station for the first time this year.

IKEA Innovation Labs is experimenting with mealworms & beetle larvae (?!) in cafeteria food.

This new company is already in competition with SpaceX for NASA launches.

This high-tech shirt repels liquids, stains, & never needs to be ironed.

Whether it’s a child running after a ball, a herd of cows or a broken-down car, unexpected obstacles can prove deadly to drivers. A team of researchers has come up with a new laser-based system that efficiently produces images of objects that are hidden around a corner - a development which could allow autonomous vehicles to see obstacles before they come into the line of sight. The idea involves sending laser pulses towards a surface and measuring the time it takes for light to be reflected. But the new technology takes the idea further, using lasers to see around corners. The researchers used a setup in which a laser and photon detector were placed in front of a wall next to an object, and were separated from the object by a partition. <a href="https://rumble.com/v39u2t-student-builds-laser-shooting-pizza-box-robot-immediately-regrets-it.html" target="_blank">Laser pulses</a> were then fired at the wall at an angle and they wanted to collect light that bounced off the wall, hit the object and was then scattered by it. While previous approaches to the problem have involved directing laser pulses at one point on the wall and then collecting signals from another point, Stanford researchers used a different technique, pointing both the laser and the detector at the same point on the wall. They used the timing of the signals to remove those from light that bounced back directly. The remaining signals were then rapidly processed using an <a href="https://rumble.com/v3686r-algorithm-for-studying-planets.html" target="_blank">algorithm</a> to reconstruct the shape and form of the hidden object. But there are still obstacles to overcome such as improving the system so it is better at detecting objects that are not highly reflective or stationary, such as children or wild animals, and make sure it can be used outdoors in bright, sunny conditions.

A gym in California is using indoor cycling classes to create free energy.

This lightweight, invisible coating means you'll never have to soak your phone in rice again after dropping it in water.

A computerized self-stabilizing fork can help people with limited mobility eat more easily.