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🪞 Saudi cuts 'The Line,' Illegal Starlink in Russia, Cosmic sneeze

Plus:A Tetris-inspired detector

Saudi Arabia’s 'The Line' project, which was set to consist of two parallel-running skyscrapers taller than the Empire State Building, has been previously reported by Interesting Engineering. However, we now know this is to be cut short — quite drastically— from 105 miles (170 kilometers) to 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers).

With its mirror finish that helps the structure blend into the arid environment, The Line project is quite the view. Better yet, an entire city is designed to be contained within the two parallel running structures. Find out more about this engineering marvel in today’s Must-Read.

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

> Chief Engineer, Manufacturing Operations
> Mechanical & Physical Engineer - Core Engine Calibration Engineer

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MUST READ

🪞 Neom: The Line project cut by 104 miles amid Saudi budget concerns

Neom’s ‘The Line’ project had plans to house up to 1.5 million people by the end of the decade. The futuristic city aims to be self-sufficient, with facilities for growing food and high-speed transportation contained within the mirrored walls.

However, people familiar with the developments have now told Bloomberg that plans for the city are being scaled back. Only a mile and a half (2.4 kilometers) of the city will actually be built by 2030.

Anonymous sources told the media outlet that the project’s resident capacity has now been scaled down to a mere 300,000. The plans for the 105-mile-long city are still in place, though, and the project intends to complete it someday.

🛰️ Pentagon and SpaceX work to prevent illegal Russian Starlink use in Ukraine

SpaceX’s Starlink terminals provide high-speed internet by connecting to the company’s thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit. Now, SpaceX is working with the Pentagon and Kyiv to prevent Russia from using its terminals illegally.

In recent months, reports have emerged that Russian forces have acquired Starlink terminals and they are using them to aid in their invasion. Since the start of the war, SpaceX has donated many Starlink terminals to Ukraine to help keep civilians connected.

Additionally, a recent report claimed that paramilitary forces in Sudan had acquired Starlink terminals via the black market. Officials from the opposing sides have reportedly asked SpaceX to intervene, though the terminals are thought to still be active. The news highlights SpaceX and Elon Musk’s immense power on the global stage. 

🌟 Cosmic ‘achoo!’: Baby star’s sneezing fits seen 450 light-years away

All is not calm in the cosmic cradle. Astronomers have caught a baby star in the act of sneezing tremendous bursts of energy and stellar material into the surrounding space.

Kyushu University researchers used an ALMA radio telescope to peer into the stellar nursery 450 light-years away from Earth. The ALMA array comprises 66 high-precision radio telescopes placed 5,000 meters above sea level in northern Chile.

Interestingly, the researchers have described these high-speed plumes as similar to “sneezes”. Their observations indicated that a newborn star’s protostellar disk emits magnetic flux, dust, and gas sneezes. This phenomenon may play a role in influencing the star’s growth.

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