Russia sends humanoid robot to space, fails to dock with ISS

The Russian-built FEDOR was launched on a mission to help ISS astronauts.

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  • Russia launched a spacecraft carrying FEDOR, a humanoid robot.
  • Its mission is to help astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
  • Such androids can eventually help with dangerous missions likes spacewalks.
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Andrew Yang: Give truckers severance packages when driverless vehicles take over

The 2020 Democratic candidate's plan to give Americans a universal basic income seems to include a special provision for truckers.


Photo credit: ROSLAN RAHMAN / Contributor
  • Andrew Yang is a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate who's made technology and automation central to his campaign.
  • Yang says the U.S. needs a plan for how to manage the upcoming loss of millions of American trucking jobs to self-driving vehicles.
  • Yang wants to tax profits from self-driving trucks to give these laid-off truckers a "severance package."
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5 ways CRISPR will reshape humanity and the world

A transformational tool for the future of the world.

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  • The 'cut and paste' DNA tool CRISPR will one day eliminate deadly diseases.
  • The technology will give us the capability to genetically design our children and perhaps one day ourselves.
  • CRISPR is already revolutionizing certain fields of medicine.
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Hashtag politics: 4 key ways digital activism is inegalitarian

Many believe that the internet has made it easier for us to participate in political activism. But is that really true?

  • Protesting in person is costly in terms of money and resources; some people have children to take care of, jobs that can't be away from, or may not have time to attend a planning event.
  • The internet was supposed to be a way to sidestep this barrier to political activism. But this doesn't consider the other barriers preventing poor and working-class folks from participating in digital activism.
  • In particular, these people lack ASETs: access to computers, the skills to use them, the empowerment necessary to feel that using Twitter or other social media is for them, and the time to make use of digital platforms in an effective way.
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NASA just invested in 10 new visionary space technologies

Revolutionary space technology that'll take us into the future.

Photo by NASA on Unsplash
  • NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program invests in new space technology concepts every year.
  • This year's technologies range from smart space suits to Venus aircraft.
  • These concepts will be put to the test to see if they are viable.
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