NASA 3D Prints Metal Space Fabric

A chainmail of the future, 3D-printed flexible metal space fabric is being produced by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab. As far as functionality goes, there are four important attributes: reflectivity, foldability, passive heat management and tensile strength. Each of these has untold applications. Because of its sheer strength, it could be used to shield spacecraft but its insulation capabilities could translate to future spacesuits. The foldability, …

Debunking a Long-Lasting Star Trek Theory

Mathematician James Grime has debunked a very popular Star Trek theory by using fairly simple math. The widely held belief that “redshirts” (those who work in engineering or security) die more often than any other character isn’t true, Grime says. While technically 10 gold-shirted, eight blue, and 25 red-shirted die in the series, that calculation ignores the fact that there are more redshirts than anybody …

Link About It: This Week’s Picks

The sounds of icebergs, "seeing" a black hole, Elon Musk's new endeavor and more in our look around the web

1. Keeping Up With the Machines, Elon Musk’s New Program It’s been a week now since serial entrepreneur (and futurist) Elon Musk announced the launch of Neuralink Corp, and to be honest, it’s still on our minds. With this new venture, Musk proposes developing a technology (known as “neural lace”) that would potentially implant electrodes into human brains, allowing us to keep up with the …