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  • 🚀 China's secret rover to the moon's far side, ocean-cleaning magnetic microrobots, deepfakes of celebrities attending Met Gala go viral

🚀 China's secret rover to the moon's far side, ocean-cleaning magnetic microrobots, deepfakes of celebrities attending Met Gala go viral

Plus: NASA supercomputer simulates falling into a black hole


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China’s latest mission is carrying a secret rover to the far side of the moon, as per reports. On May 3, China’s Chang’e-6 spacecraft embarked on the lunar journey.

China’s mission seeks to return the first samples from the lunar far side to Earth. All previous moon samples were collected from our natural satellite’s near side. Reportedly, the secret rover came into the spotlight after the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) unveiled spacecraft images with a rover possibly affixed to the side of the lander module.

Before the mission launch, China’s space agency provided various details about Chang’e-6, such as the landing site and science payloads. For an in-depth look at the details, read today’s Must-Read.

🔥Today’s job of the day as featured on jobs.interestingengineering.com:

> Senior Developer Technology Engineer - AI
> Security Engineer III - Penetration Tester

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MUST READ

🚀 Chang’e-6: China likely planning to deploy secret rover to moon’s far side

The only slight mention of the possible Chang’e-6 rover comes from the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics (SIC) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

In a post uploaded on its website, the institute details key materials developed and supplied by them for this mission. The translated version, written in Chinese, claims that the Chang’e 6 lunar rover has an infrared imaging spectrometer.

This instrument collects data on various surface properties, including composition, mineralogy, temperature mapping, and more.

🦠 Magnetic microrobot swarms clean water of microplastics and bacteria

Researchers have developed swarms of tiny robots, or microrobots, that not only clean microplastics from water but also bacteria along with it.

To create the microrobots, the team connected strands of a positively charged polymer to magnetic microparticles, which respond solely to magnetic fields for movement.

These robots can also be cleaned and reused, making it a sustainable solution.

👗 Met Gala mischief: Deepfakes of Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Rihanna go viral

Fake AI-generated images featuring Katy Perry and Rihanna supposedly attending the Met Gala circulated widely, showcasing the continued prevalence of deepfakes deceiving individuals online.

While some astute social media users quickly identified discrepancies in the images, platforms like X’s Community Notes also highlighted that the images were likely produced using artificial intelligence.

On May 6, an AI-generated image depicting Katy Perry in a floral dress garnered significant attention on X, amassing over 15.5 million views and 314,000 likes. However, keen observers noted discrepancies in the image, such as Perry’s missing arm and the mismatched carpet, indicating it was likely, not authentic.

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OUR SHOP

HOT TOPICS OF THE DAY

SCIENCE

> After combing data from the Beijing Spectrometer III, scientists are confident that they have found evidence for the ‘glueball’, particles formed from gluons, which provide the nuclear force that keeps quarks together. (More)

> NASA’s supercomputer has produced cutting-edge visualizations that allow viewers to plunge into the event horizon — the point at which a black hole’s gravitational pull becomes irresistible. (More)

> Scientists from the Hackett Group at EMBL Rome have developed a modular epigenome editing platform—a system to program epigenetic modifications at any location in the genome. (More)

ENERGY

> University of Ottawa researchers, in a bid to enhance solar energy harnessing technology, placed highly reflective white surfaces beneath the panels, which increased their energy output by 4.5%. (More)

> Researchers have developed an all-climate, energy and power-dense pseudocapacitor with a long cycle life, signifying an energy storage technology that is more versatile, reliable and sustainable. (More)

> Researchers have developed a method to make high-quality perovskite films at room temperature. Perovskite cells are better than silicon-based ones in that they are lightweight, flexible and can be applied as a spray or printed like ink. (More)

INNOVATION

> Stanford researchers have developed an AI-powered holographic imaging augmented reality headset that can overlay full-color, 3D-moving images on the lenses using holographic technology and is no more intrusive or bulky than a pair of glasses. (More)

> A new AI facial recognition model tested on ethnic skin has demonstrated the ability to accurately predict age using hand images. (More)

> A team of roboticists at the Chinese University of Hong Kong has created a robot snail with a helmet-like shell that moves by rolling around on bulldozer-like tracks. (More)

VIDEO

> The new Rogue 1 combat drone from FLIR Defense can hit 70mph while on operation. (More)

> Bird flu has been confirmed in U.S. cattle and poultry, as well as in pasteurized milk. WHO warns that it could become a species-hopping pandemic. (More)

> MIT has developed a new catalyst to take methane out of the equation. The idea is to render agriculture less harmful to the planet and turn back the climate change clock. (More)

IE QUIZ: THE RESULTS

In yesterday’s quiz, we asked, Which balls should you put in the hole in order to total 30?

The answer is: Green solid (6) + red stripe (11) + orange stripe (13) = 30

Ready for more brainy challenges? Gear up for future IE quizzes by following us on Instagram and Facebook! 

FROM THE WEB

> JSWT may have detected an atmosphere surrounding 55 Cancri e, a rocky exoplanet 41 light years from Earth

> 30-year US study confirms that higher consumption of most ultra-processed foods is linked to a slightly higher risk of death

> Computer models suggests that giant blobs of material near the Earth's core, believed to have been created by a cosmic collision 4.5 billion years ago, may be responsible for modern plate tectonics

> New research has uncovered the potentially harmful substances that are produced when e-liquids in vaping devices are heated for inhalation

> A genetic study has found that early summer fishing can have an evolutionary impact, resulting in smaller salmon

> New research shows human activity is significantly altering the ways in which marine organisms are fossilized

Additional Reads


⚙️ Mechanical:Explore the wonders of mechanical engineering.

🛩️ Aerospace: The latest on propulsion, satellites, aeronautics, and more.

🧑🏻‍🔧 Engineer Pros: The latest in engineering news, career updates, and insider knowledge.

🧠 AI Logs: Insights into the intricacies and developments within the realm of artificial intelligence.

🎬 IE Originals:Weekly round-up of our best science, tech & engineering videos.

🟩 Sustainability: Uncover green innovations and the latest trends shaping a sustainable future for the tech industry.

Electrical: From AI to smart grids, our newsletter energizes you on emerging tech.


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