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Tech for Change

A young woman with a smartphone walks past signage of the Youtube logo.

YouTube makes it easier for new creators to earn money

YouTube has made it easier for up-and-coming creators to start earning cash from their work after it lowered the bar for entry to the YouTube Partner Program.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 booster landing in June 2023.

SpaceX marks 200th rocket landing with perfect touchdown

SpaceX achieved its 200th Falcon 9 landing on Monday, confirming yet again the viability of its reusable spaceflight system.
Reddit website on a desktop.

Over 2.5B Reddit users flee to protest API changes

Reddit is broken right now due to over 2 billion users fleeing the platform in protest of its recent API changes.
This image captures the streak of an Earth-orbiting artificial satellite crossing Hubble's field of view during an observation of "The Mice" interacting galaxies (NGC 4676). A typical satellite trail is very thin and will affect less than 0.5% of a single Hubble exposure. Though in this case the satellite overlaps a portion of the target galaxy, the observation quality is not affected. That's because multiple exposures are taken of the same target. And the satellite trail is not in other frames. Developers at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, have software that identifies the bad pixels from the satellite photobombing, the extent to which they affect the image, and then flags them. When flagged, scientists can recover the full field of view. Even as the number of satellites increases over the decade, these tools for cleaning the images will still be applicable.

Hubble scientists create tool for erasing satellite trails from images

Astronomers worry about how satellites could impact scientific research. Now, researchers have created a tool to deal with satellite streaks in Hubble images.
The ChatGPT website on an iPhone.

Senators to get AI lessons ahead of regulation decisions

In a bid to get U.S. senators up to speed with AI ahead of regulating the technology, the lawmakers have been invited to attend a series of briefings.
A person conducting a Zoom call on a laptop while sat at a desk.

Zoom’s new AI tools will let you ditch meetings for good

Zoom IQ adopts OpenAI artificial intelligence to deliver a summary of conversations to users when they enter Zoom chats.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launching on Monday, June 5, 2023.

A SpaceX Dragon spaceship is carrying lots of fresh fruit to ISS

Besides science gear and hardware, SpaceX's Dragon is also carrying apples, blueberries, grapefruit, oranges, various cheeses, and cherry tomatoes for the crew.
Children using a smartphone.

Parents unite in smartphone ban for children

Parents in a town in Ireland have come together in a bid to remove the temptations of smartphones from their children’s daily life.
Profile of head on computer chip artificial intelligence.

These ingenious ideas could help make AI a little less evil

The winners of Mozilla’s Responsible AI Challenge contain a bunch of fantastic ideas that could put AI to good use in making the world a much better place.
Poster for Pride Month collection from Paramount+.

Paramount+ launches special campaign for Pride Month

In honor of Pride Month, Paramount+ is launching a special collection of LGTBQ+ films and TV shows under the banner A Mountain of Pride.
RuPaul posing for a promo photo for RuPaul's Drag Race.

Pluto TV will launch OUTtv Proud channel during Pride Month

To celebrate Pride Month, Pluto TV is launching its first LGBTQ+ channel, OUTtv Proud, with RuPaul’s Drag Race marathons and a spotlight on queer musicians.
Amazon logo on the headquarters building.

Amazon to pay $30M in FTC settlements over Alexa, Ring privacy violations

Regulators accused Amazon of violating privacy laws on a number of fronts, though the tech giant denies breaking the law.
ecoflow's delta max portable power station on a table

EcoFlow launches Delta 2 Max solar generator for home emergencies and outdoor adventures

The Delta 2 Max is a powerful solar generator that can power more than a dozen appliances and connects to a solar panel for increased longevity.
myceliotronics future computer chips mushroom based screenshot 2023 05 09 at 3 56 01 pm

How computer chips made of mushrooms could be the future

Future computer chips could be built on top of mushrooms, making a flexible circuit that is environmentally friendly and biodegradable.
First image of the full Earth disc from the Meteosat Third Generation Imager. The first image from Meteosat Third Generation – Imager 1 (MTG-I1) reveals a level of detail about the weather over Europe and Africa not previously possible from 36 000 km above Earth. The higher-resolution images provided by the instruments on board give weather forecasters more information about the clouds cloaking much of Europe and visible in the equatorial region of Africa and the Atlantic Ocean. Sand and sediment in the waters off Italy are also visible, as well as dust or smog being carried from south Asia. This degree of detail is not possible from the instruments on the Meteosat Second Generation satellites. The image was captured at 11:50 UTC on 18 March 2023 by the Flexible Combined Imager on MTG-I1.

See the first image of Earth from a new weather-monitoring satellite

A recently launched weather satellite has sent back its first image of Earth, showing our planet in gorgeous detail.
Proteus, an undersea laboratory aiming for deployment in 2026.

‘Undersea space station’ takes big step toward deployment

The plan to build a new underwater research habitat has taken a significant step forward after NOAA inked a deal with the team behind the facility.
Snowy mountains in the BBC's "Planet Earth."

Earth Day 2023: Check out these best nature documentaries of all time

As the world celebrates Earth Day once again, people can show their reverence for Mother Earth by watching this list of the best nature documentaries ever made.
plastic waste in the ocean

Plastic-eating bacteria are amazing. But they aren’t going to save the planet

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but plastic-eating bacteria aren’t going to save the planet. Here's why they aren’t a silver bullet for the environment.
An Aventon Level 2 ebike sits outside a grocery store.

I was wrong. E-bikes are so practical, they’re a transit cheat code

You’ve probably rolled your eyes at them. So have I. And we’re both wrong. E-bikes are the commuting solution right under your upturned nose.
iPhone 14 Pro showing Battery & Health

Your iPhone has a secret feature that helps the environment — here’s how it works

You're always going to need to charge up your iPhone, but did you know your iPhone has a clean charging feature enabled by default? Here's how it works.
Kia Niro EV Charging Port

Lithium-ion vs. NiMH: EV batteries explained and compared

Electric vehicles are on the rise, but not all EV batteries are created equal. Here's a look at the different kinds of EV batteries.
Sally Ride NASA

How NASA’s astronaut class of 1978 changed the face of space exploration

NASA's 1978 astronaut class was a turning point for the agency, and it set the stage for the more diverse and inclusive space program we have today
ElliQ showing a workout while displayed on a white background.

ElliQ is a smart home companion designed for your grandparents

ElliQ is a standalone smart home companion that provides an easy way to check the news, listen to music, chat with friends, or play a few games.
Jeep Wrangler 4xe charging at a NYC curbside charger.

What I’ve learned after a year of driving the best-selling plug-in hybrid in the U.S.

After a year and 6,000 miles driving my Wrangler 4xe, here's what I've loved and hated about owning a plug-in hybrid. And why I know I'm not ready for an EV.
Genesis Electrified GV70 Three Quarter

Genesis Electrified GV70 first drive review: a killer high-end EV with one flaw

The Genesis Electrified GV70 takes the much loved GV70 crossover and slaps a battery and electric powertrain in it. Is that the right strategy?
Users addicted to their phones

How a tiny social media break can give you surprisingly big health benefits

According to a remarkable research courtesy of Swansea University, cutting down on social media can fix health, immune function, loneliness, and depression.
electric car charging

Can electric car batteries be recycled?

Electric cars may be better for the environment than gas-powered cars, but they still have their own environmental challenges -- like their huge batteries.
An iPhone with apps from Black developers downloaded on it.

Our 5 favorite iPhone and Android apps by Black developers

As Black History Month comes to a close, here are five of some of the most thought-provoking apps made by Black developers in the U.S.
In the Neutral Buoyancy Lab at Johnson Space Center, NASA astronaut Victor Glover tests collection methods for ISS External Microorganisms, which examines microbes released from the space station to help limit contamination on future exploration missions.

The science experiments that the Crew-6 astronauts will be performing on the ISS

Four astronauts will soon launch to the ISS where they'll perform scientific research, working on a wide variety of experiments.
bill gates surprised

Bill Gates investment aims to tackle cow burps

Bill Gates' interest in battling climate change is well known, and his latest investment aims to help reduce methane emissions by tackling cow burps.
Digital Trends CES 2023 Tech For Change Award Winners Feature

Digital Trends’ Tech For Change CES 2023 Awards

Of all the world-changing technologies and innovative ideas on display at CES 2023, these ones impressed us the most.
acapela group voice cloning ad

This AI cloned my voice using just three minutes of audio

My Own Voice certainly isn't the only voice-cloning tool out there, but what's impressive about it is that it only needs a tiny amount of input.
Belkin chargers side-by-side comparison.

Belkin just made a huge bet on sustainability at CES 2023

Belkin has taken to CES 2023 to announce updates for some of its most popular accessories, which will now be made with post-consumer recycled plastic.
nasa swot launch

NASA launches fresh water observation satellite

NASA has launched its first mission to survey fresh water systems from a global perspective.