Days before tickets go on sale for the limited theatrical run of Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon, Netflix decided to close out its Geeked Week 2023 festivities by dropping the first full trailer for the controversial director's latest spectacle-filled project. It's an epic and explosive first look at Rebel Moon -- Part One: A Child of Fire, a space adventure in which a young woman from the outskirts of the galaxy leads a band of rebels in a fight against a tyrant.

To anyone hung up on the plot's resemblance to a little franchise by the name of Star Wars, my response is: The overlords at LucasFilm would actually do well to check this one out. With the exception of Andor on Disney+, it's been years since I've cared about anything or anyone from the galaxy far, far away, a result of Star Wars falling into the same trap as Marvel. Hidebound, increasingly averse to creative risk-taking, paint-by-numbers plots, and visuals that stopped impressing me a long time ago. Say what you will about Snyder, but his movies tend to be wild, escapist, and unapologetically fun.

Sofia Boutella as Kora in Rebel Moon. Image source: Clay Enos/Netflix

Netflix is giving Rebel Moon a one-week run in select theaters starting Dec. 15, ahead of its Dec. 22 debut on the streamer, and I don't blame them. Snyder is clearly going for a supersized movie experience here -- in more ways than one, actually. His script, for example, was long enough that it required splitting Rebel Moon into two parts, with the second (Rebel Moon -- Part Two: The Scargiver) coming in April 2024. And as if that wasn't enough, both parts of the movie will also come with longer director's cuts.

"When a peaceful settlement on a moon in the furthest reaches of the universe finds itself threatened by the armies of the tyrannical Regent Balisarius," the official Netflix summary explains, "Kora (Sofia Boutella), a mysterious stranger living among the villagers, becomes their best hope for survival. Tasked with finding trained fighters who will unite with her in making an impossible stand against the Motherworld, Kora assembles a small band of warriors -- outsiders, insurgents, peasants, and orphans of war from different worlds who share a common need for redemption and revenge.

"As the shadow of an entire Realm bears down on the unlikeliest of moons, a new army of heroes is formed."

Checked the new Rebel Moon trailer below:

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Zack Snyder’s first full Rebel Moon trailer teases an epic, action-packed revenge saga originally appeared on BGR.com on Sun, 12 Nov 2023 at 22:16:25 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The James Webb space telescope has captured data that could help us better understand how Earth formed billions of years ago. According to the new data, James Webb has detected water vapor in planet-forming disks, which adds more credence to a long-standing theory on how planets like Earth are formed.

Webb detected the water vapor in two different compact disks of gas and dust, which surround two different starts – both of which are between two and three million years old. That’s actually pretty young in the grand scheme of our universe’s timeline. The two disks are located within the Taurus star-forming region, which rests roughly 430 light-years away from Earth.

The discovery of water vapor within these disks has led scientists to further theorize that planets form as part of a system known as “pebble accretion.” Essentially, small chunks of rock that are coated in ice experience friction from the gas within planetary-forming disks. This friction robs the pebbles of orbital energy, causing them to migrate inward, eventually forming together.

A protoplanetary disk similar to the ones that James Webb observed. Image source: Mopic / Adobe

This discovery lends additional support to the idea that the Earth and other planets formed thanks to this pebble accretion, with tiny particles eventually coming together and amazing into the massive planets that we are now busy living on and exploring. The entire process relies heavily on the smaller pebbles joining together to create protoplanets, which then pull even more pebbles and pieces together thanks to their higher gravity.

Getting a keen understanding of how Earth formed, as well as how other worlds formed, has been an astronomical goal for decades, and while we have had multiple theories for how that has happened, including theories on how the Moon formed from a collision between Earth and another planet, we haven’t found much hard evidence until now.

The presence of water vapor within the two planetary disks that James Webb observed is a smoking gun, if you will, that helps give more credit to the theory of pebble accretion and could help us better understand how other worlds out there formed, too. It might also explain if Jupiter ate other planets to become so big.

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James Webb discovery could help us understand how Earth formed originally appeared on BGR.com on Sun, 12 Nov 2023 at 20:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I'm a longtime iPhone user who has not upgraded to one of the iPhone 15 models. The iPhone 14 Pro is still an amazing device. It's practically the equivalent of the base iPhone 15. And I'm fairly confident that I could keep it for one more year after the iPhone 16 hits stores next September. But if the rumored Apple GPT is ready to debut with iOS 18 on the iPhone 16 series, I'll upgrade immediately, even if I have to pay more or get the iPhone 16 Pro Max for the best native generative AI experience.

The future of AI on the iPhone sounds promising already. A report from Korea says that the Phone 16 series will get a revamped Siri experience.

The rumor saying Siri will become the "ultimate virtual assistant" dropped on the heels of Samsug's big Gauss announcement. That's the Korean giant's ChatGPT equivalent that will probably debut on the Galaxy S24 as soon as January. That'll give Samsung a big head start. Also, it'll put plenty of pressure on Apple to deliver its own generative AI experience.

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I’ll upgrade to the iPhone 16 Pro Max if I have to, just for the native generative ChatGPT-like experience originally appeared on BGR.com on Sun, 12 Nov 2023 at 16:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Scientists have come one step closer to creating a synthetic yeast. For more than 15 years, researchers have worked tirelessly to build a complex cell with an entire genome from the ground up. And now they’ve hit a major milestone by managing to combine artificial versions of some of the 16 chromosomes in a single yeast cell successfully.

This feat is especially exciting because it reveals more information about the foundational processes within cells. It’s also a major step forward for the vision that some scientists have to create programmable cellular factories that can product medicines, materials, biofuels, and other things.

The creation of a synthetic yeast is a mammoth task in and of itself. In fact, Benjamin Blount, one of the co-authors on several new papers published on the topic in Cell and Cell Genomics this week, says that even creating one of these chromosomes is an astounding and difficult task. But then you have to combine all of that together in a way that doesn’t cause it to fall apart.

Image source: vchalup / Adobe

While genetic modification has come a long way in recent years, past attempts to edit things have only seen scientists modifying the individual genes, not the entire chromosomes, so this is a much more complicated process. While they haven’t entirely managed to combine all of them together into a single cell of synthetic yeast, the researchers have created artificial versions of all 16 chromosomes involved.

Now, they just need to find some way to bring them together without it falling apart. It’s a difficult task, but one that they will hopefully be able to pull off within the next few years. One step in this process means ensuring the artificial chromosomes are completely indistinguishable from the natural ones, Blount told Axios. 

So far, scientists have only managed to combine some of the synthetic yeast chromosomes into a single cell. That cell survived and reproduced, so now it’s just a matter of getting the other chromosomes introduced and stable.

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Scientists created the first yeast with artificial DNA originally appeared on BGR.com on Sun, 12 Nov 2023 at 12:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

When Humane unveiled the Ai Pin wearable on Thursday evening, we already knew everything about it. The specs, features, and price of the Ai Pin had leaked hours before the official announcement. Still, we lacked context and needed to see exactly how Humane pitched the device and whether that $699 price tag would be worth it.

After seeing Humane's display-less AI-based smartphone vision for the future, I can safely say that I'll never replace my iPhone with something like the Ai Pin. Never, ever, not in a thousand lifetimes. Not in this form.

The biggest problem with the device is the lack of a screen, which will make everything more difficult. Humane's desire to eliminate displays is noble, don't get me wrong. And I'd love to reduce my iPhone screen time with the help of AI. But we're not quite in a place where that can happen.

That said, I immediately thought about one use case scenario for the Humane Ai Pin where I'd have no trouble relying on an AI gadget rather than taking the iPhone from my pocket. It's running and walking sessions for me, but it could fit well with outdoor fitness activities.

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I can only think of one use for the Humane Ai Pin, and even that isn’t worth it originally appeared on BGR.com on Sun, 12 Nov 2023 at 10:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

For thousands of years, Martian rocks have bombarded Earth, sent flying through space after being ejected from their homeworld by violent impacts or volcanic processes. But as we collect these tiny samples, scientists have started to learn something interesting: the age of these Martian rocks doesn’t line up with what we know about Mars’ age as a whole. They’re a lot younger.

Mars is really old. Scientists believe the planet finished forming around 4.56 billion years ago, roughly 90 million years before our own planet. Further, evidence suggests that most of the Martian surface is old. So, why are chunks of Martian rock showing such a young age?

Mars landscape captured by the Pathfinder lander. Image source: NASA/JPL

The answer, they say, most likely lies in the constant bombardment of the Martian surface by meteorites and asteroids. With roughly 200 bombardments that create 4-meter craters each year, the Martian surface is constantly spewing more rock into space, some of which finds its way to Earth. The reason the Martian rock’s age doesn’t seem to add up is because the younger rock is replacing the older rock as it gets ejected from the planet.

This means that the younger rock from under the surface, which is still being replenished by volcanic activity, is eventually exposed to the surface and thus becomes the ejecta that meteorites send flying into space. This, a group of scientists explain in a paper published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, could help us understand why the Martian rocks found on Earth appear so young.

Understanding how Mars is changing – both inside and out – is important as NASA and others prepare for the first manned missions to Mars. Further, scientists are constantly looking for new ways to understand how the planets within our solar system formed, and how that can teach us more about the universe’s evolution as a whole.

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Martian rocks keep hitting Earth, but something doesn’t add up originally appeared on BGR.com on Sun, 12 Nov 2023 at 09:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Airbus is testing a new type of experimental wing that the company hopes could revolutionize how airplanes fly. The new extra performance wing demonstrator took off for the first time on November 6, from the Toulouse-Blagnac Airport in France. The small Cessna Citation VII is part of Airbus’ new test for the wings, which it originally began working on in September 2021.

If the tests prove successful, Airbus could come up with a revolutionary way to enhance how airplanes use their wings, allowing them to cut down on fuel consumption. Airbus says the project is focused on “accelerating and validating technologies that will improve and optimize wing aerodynamics and performance for any future aircraft.”

Airbus equipped the Citation VII with the new experiment wing, which Airbus says is compatible with new engine solutions and configurations to help reduce the overall CO2 emissions of the company’s airplanes. Burning fossil fuels like those used in gasoline continues to help fuel the ongoing climate change our planet is experiencing, and Airbus is just one of many trying to take some steps to cut down on the emissions humanity’s different industries create.

The company hasn’t shared exactly what is new about the experimental wings, or how much it will dent the company’s carbon footprint if they are indeed successful and utilized further. However, this is just one of many projects that Airbus has been working on to try to reduce the emissions from airplanes and make them more fuel-efficient.

While we don’t know the details of the new wing experiment, it is comforting to see companies looking for better ways to cut the amount of fuel usage on massive vehicles like aircraft, and while it is no doubt heavily pushed by the need to cut the cost of fuel, it still plays out nicely for climate change, too.

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Airbus is testing a new wing design that could revolutionize flight originally appeared on BGR.com on Sat, 11 Nov 2023 at 20:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Future missions to the Moon could see astronauts growing the first plants on the lunar surface. But, getting lunar soil to grow plants has been a tricky process. Scientists may have finally had a breakthrough in the process and believe putting Earth microbes into lunar soil could make it more habitable for plants.

Previous research into growing plants within soil from the Moon has shown that the soil on our satellite contains several elements vital to plant growth. However, experiments using lunar soil have shown that the Moon is just bad at hosting crops. So how do we fix that?

Well, the trick in getting lunar soil to grow plants more reliably may have to do with adding Earth’s microbes to the mix. See, microbes on our planet have helped make it more habitable over the years, and adding those microbes to the soil on the Moon could help us unlock those vital nutrients that we’ve discovered traces of.

Being able to grow plants in lunar soil could help us establish moon bases more reliably. Image source: designprojects / Adobe

This would then allow us to create lunar greenhouses effectively, allowing future missions to the Moon – like Artemis III – to set up growing areas and grow crops. This would also be important for creating sustainable Moon bases, which NASA and other space agencies hope to do within the next fifty to sixty years.

Of course, there are more variables at play than just getting lunar soil to play nice. But this is a vital first step that astronomers and astronauts need to solve if we ever hope to create actual, sustainable colonies on other planets and planetary bodies.

A new study helps highlight the important role that microbes could play in making the soil on the Moon more habitable for plants. Tests run on simulated lunar soil showed that plants grown with three species of bacteria (or microbes) had longer stems and roots after just six days of growth than those grown in normal simulated lunar soil without the additional microbes.

With so much attention on colonizing space beyond our own planet, these kinds of logistical problems are important to solve early on, especially if we want such missions to last beyond their initial windows.

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Earth microbes could help astronauts grow plants in lunar soil originally appeared on BGR.com on Sat, 11 Nov 2023 at 16:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Confession time: I've read the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels by Bryan Lee O'Malley, at this point, too many times to count. I also thought director Edgar Wright's 2010 live-action adaptation of the story was an absolute blast (obviously!). So you can only imagine how excited I am to return to Toronto to get re-acquainted with Scott, Wallace Wells, Ramona Flowers, Sex Bob-Omb, and the league of evil ex-boyfriends when a new eight-episode anime adaptation of the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels joins all the other brand new Netflix releases next week.

And it's not just because I'm such a fan of the story. It really does feel like it's been forever since we've had something this unapologetically fun to binge on the streaming giant. Based on the screener episodes that I've already started watching, I can confirm this anime treatment is an absolute delight for fans of the books -- while, at the same time, there are also plenty of surprises packed into the story.

That's because this isn't a straightforward adaptation of the books; the story goes to some unexpected places, including a shock death of [SPOILER] at the end of the first episode that I didn't see coming.

Image source: Netflix

Image source: Netflix

Of course, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off isn't the only new title coming to the streamer over the next several days. In addition to Netflix's animated romp about the bass-playing, lovelorn slacker who fights Ramona's ex-boyfriends in video game-style fights, next week's Netflix releases also include new episodes of The Crown, a documentary about gangsters, a new live Netflix sports event, and much more.

Once I finish watching the final showdown between Scott Pilgrim and Gideon Graves -- the most evil of Ramona's evil ex-boyfriends -- I'll be streaming the Netflix releases that you can read more about below (Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, by the way, debuts on Nov. 17).

The Crown: Season 6, Part 1 (Nov. 16)

This coming week, among other things, marks the beginning of the end of one of Netflix's biggest original releases of all time. The Crown, from creator Peter Morgan, did so much to supercharge the streamer's ambitions around original prestige -- and its peeling back the curtain around the British Royal Family brought in viewers by the tens of millions.

Given that it wants to squeeze every last bit of viewership it can out of the sixth and final season of the show as possible, Netflix has chopped up the final season into two parts. With 10 episodes in total, the first four episodes drop on Nov. 16, with the final six coming on Dec. 14.

Plot-wise, the new season deals (among other things) with Princess Diana’s and Dodi Fayed’s fateful car journey, during which they were relentlessly pursued by the paparazzi. Continues Netflix about the new season: “Prince William tries to integrate back into life at Eton in the wake of his mother’s death as the monarchy has to ride the wave of public opinion. As she reaches her Golden Jubilee, the Queen reflects on the future of the monarchy with the marriage of Charles and Camilla and the beginnings of a new Royal fairytale in William and Kate.”

Suburræterna (Nov. 14)

By way of setting up this next title of the coming week's Netflix releases, one easy point of comparison is HBO's Gomorrah. Which is to say: If, like me, you loved that one, this continuation of the Suburra saga should appeal to you, as well.

Mind you, I'm not saying Suburræterna is as good as Gomorrah -- but, then again, nothing is. Also, this new series is not too far below it in terms of quality, so that's saying something.

Netflix's three-season crime drama Suburra: Blood on Rome was a bloody-yet-addictive saga set in Italy's capital that shows how the Church, state, organized crime, and real estate developers collude and collide in a never-ending quest for power. Suburræterna is an eight-episode continuation of that story. New players, for example, are upsetting the power dynamic in Rome, and revolution is spreading from City Hall to the shores of Ostia.

Continues Netflix: "Spadino (Giacomo Ferrara) must return home to avoid his own family being eradicated along with it and will have to make new allies, even among people he would’ve never thought could join forces ... But war is war, and the control of Rome is once again at stake."

Two more can't-miss Netflix releases

In addition to those Netflix releases, meanwhile, here's a brief snapshot of what else is coming to the steamer over the next few days -- including a first-of-its-kind Netflix live event.

• How to Become a Mob Boss: In this 6-episode docuseries, coming on Nov. 14, Peter Dinklage's narration guides viewers through a "darkly satirical how-to guide that explores the rise and fall of history's most notorious mob bosses -- from Al Capone to Pablo Escobar -- and their tactics for success."
• The Netflix Cup: Swing to Survive: Netflix has experimented in fits and starts so far with live events (examples: Its Chris Rock special, and baby animal cam). On Nov. 14, Netflix will stream its first-ever live sporting event -- The Netflix Cup, featuring athletes from its series Formula 1: Drive to Survive and Full Swing. “The drivers and golfers will pair up to compete in a match play tournament at Wynn Golf Club at Wynn Las Vegas, the only 18-hole, championship golf course on the Las Vegas Strip, to kick off the week of the inaugural Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix.”

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Netflix new releases: Five of the biggest titles coming next week originally appeared on BGR.com on Sat, 11 Nov 2023 at 12:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

WhatsApp is Meta's (then Facebook's) most expensive purchase to date, with nearly $20 billion paid in 2014. It's also the most difficult one to monetize. The app is free, and everything in it is end-to-end encrypted. Placing personalized ads based on user-generated content and interests isn't possible. But Meta is looking to place ads inside WhatsApp. That's always been the case, and WhatsApp's head, Will Cathcart, confirmed as much in a recent interview.

However, WhatsApp won't put ads inside your chat inbox. Instead, you might see commercials in the status or channels. The latter is a feature that Meta seems to have copied from Telegram, which allows people to create communities inside WhatsApp. Before you get started with channels, you should know that's probably the only area in WhatsApp where texting isn't protected by end-to-end encryption.

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WhatsApp is getting ads, but it’s not as bad as it sounds originally appeared on BGR.com on Sat, 11 Nov 2023 at 10:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.