Future Stories

Drone-based tree planting can speed up tree planting by 100 times and at vastly lower cost.

China will start operating two new large Hualong nuclear reactors this year and another two next year Each Hualong nuclear reactor will generate one gigawatt of nuclear power. They were made by adapting third generation US and European nuclear reactor technology designs.

ARPA-E-funded alternative z-pinch fusion which is being developed by Zap Energy. Zap Energy is the most compact solution to Fusion Energy and does not use complex and costly magnetic coils. They surpassed ARPA-E Alpha Milestones in August 2018. Their reactor is consistently producing neutrons and they received $6.8 million ARPA-E OPEN funding. * The new Z-pinch has the simplest geometry of any magnetic confinement configuration. It is a cylindrical plasma column. The U.S. Department of Energy announced $98 million in funding for 40 new projects in 2018. Talk Polywell has had discussions of this work. Arxiv- Sustained neutron production from

There’s a lot going on in pop culture at the moment, but somehow we’re still thinking about The Orville ’s thrilling season two finale . Our immediate concern is that Seth MacFarlane’s sci-fi series has yet to be renewed by Fox, but here’s hoping that’s coming soon, and we can turn our attention to the other things on… Read more...

Venezuela might be in the regime change endgame and a new phase in the ongoing crisis. The US has threatened Cuba with full and complete sanctions and has offered members of Venezuela’s military the opportunity to get a deal if they switch sides. In early 2018, Nextbigfuture predicted that Venezuela’s economy would deteriorate so that less than 1 million barrels per day of oil would be exported and there would be a military coup or regime change. The prediction optimistically thought this would happen by the end of 2018. However, it has taken longer for the situation to develop and

Elon Musk has tweeted out new SpaceX computer-generated pictures of the metallic Starship on the Moon and Mars. The SpaceX Spaceship is the upper stage of what was called the BFR. It is being made with a steel alloy that is easier and cheaper to work than carbon composites. The SpaceX Starhopper is already testing the new Raptor engine which has about double the thrust of the current SpaceX Merlin engines. The rapid pace of SpaceX construction and testing could see a launch to orbit of a Starship by the end of this year or early next year. The combined

This past January, astronomers managed to capture the moment a space rock struck the Moon during a total lunar eclipse. Now we’re learning more about this unprecedented event, including the speed of the offending object and the intense temperatures reached during the impact. Read more...

NASA has delayed the SpaceX commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station from May 1st to May 3rd or late

At some point in the future, Marvel’s Black Panther sequel will hit theaters and continue the story of the African nation that played a key role in saving the universe from Thanos in Avengers: Endgame . Interestingly, Endgame might feature a few a hints about what’s in store for Wakanda, along with a curious detail… Read more...

Welcome back to Gaming Shelf, io9's regular column all about the latest in tabletop and board gaming news—focusing on everything that’s happening in science fiction and fantasy gaming. Right now, we’ve got a cool announcement involving an Alien roleplaying game, some more tabletop adaptations from video games, and a… Read more...

We see a lot of deals around the web over on Kinja Deals , but these were our ten favorites today. Read more...

You can hang around as many laboratories as you want, but there are zero chances you’ll ever get bitten by a spider and find yourself with superpowers. The easiest (and safest) way to realize your Spider-Man fantasies is to build this DIY web shooter instead , which also ensures no music stands will ever pose a threat… Read more...

Trust me. You are not prepared for what you’re about to see. Read more...

In happened one night, in the woods. Set designer Lisa Soper was on location filming a scene from the second season of Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina , when executive producer Sarah Schechter came up to her with an offer. Did she want to design the sets for the CW’s Batwoman pilot ? To answer the question,… Read more...

Before the Goku and company fought in multiverse-disrupting tournaments, they had to start somewhere. And right now you can see how Bulma, Piccolo, Tien and Goku first met by picking up the complete Dragon Ball manga box set for just $81. Read more...

I think I’m bad at role-playing games. I’m far too impatient, too lusty, too easily distracted. I usually leave a trail of dead party members behind me because I keep missing those five-second side-conversations earlier in the game that somehow butterfly-effect themselves into someone dying. Read more...

Avengers: Endgame was a riot of flashy fights and fan service, with enough humor thrown in to sometimes feel like a great comedy. It was silly and nonsensical , but above all it was entertaining, and when it needed to hit the emotional, dramatic beats it usually nailed them. Yet there was a point in the film where I… Read more...

The latest episode of Game of Thrones shocked audiences when it seemingly ended one of the show’s greatest conflicts and dashed hopes about a prophecy that’s been in place since the beginning. But we still have three episodes left , and the return of Azor Ahai and Lightbringer could still be fulfilled. But it would… Read more...

Did last week’s Game of Thrones fail to live up to the gorefest you dreamt up in your last fanfic? Well, buddy, do I have the deal for you. Right now you can pick up the beautifully bloody Devil May Cry 5 for the PS4 and Xbox One for a low $45. Read more...

An apparent human footprint uncovered by archaeologists in Chile has been dated to 15,600 years old, placing it among the oldest prints ever found in the New World. It’s an intriguing discovery that suggests an early settlement of South America by humans, but not everyone is convinced by the new evidence. Read more...

Avengers: Endgame is filled with cameos that range from shocking to heartbreaking. Most of them were created pretty much how you’d expect, with an actor physically on set to perform the role. However, one of those cameos was not like that—but to explain what that means requires touching on spoilers. Read more...

Is Matt Smith in the new Star Wars movie? Variety thought so but Lucasfilm decided to stay mum about the whole thing when it revealed the cast. Even Matt Smith himself refuted the claims . But the House of Mouse itself may have just thrown a new wrench in the works. Read more...

Discounted Sonos One speakers, Insomnia Coffee , and a sale on graduation party supplies lead off Tuesday’s best deals. Read more...

Scientists have good reason to believe that so-called water worlds—exoplanets with surfaces covered entirely by a single gigantic ocean—are common in the galaxy. But a new computer simulation suggests that not only are water worlds prevalent, they’re also teeming with water—and at mind-boggling scales. Imagine oceans… Read more...

The third Fantastic Beasts film has a release date. Get a look at new set pictures from the still untitled Bond 25 . Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss’ Dracula adds to its cast. Plus, what’s to come in basically every season finale on the CW, and a new look at Netflix’s The Society . Spoilers now! Read more...

Like the left side of a classic Sonic video game stage, the live-action Sonic The Hedgehog movie has been steadily approaching, whether we like it, or not, and the first trailer is here. Read more...

If you suddenly find yourself in need of extra controllers for your Super Smash Bros. parties (like I do, every other Saturday), PowerA’s Gamecube-style wireless controller is down to $40  on Amazon right now, an all-time low. It’s laid out exactly like the controller of yore and feels like a nice jolt of nostalgia,… Read more...

Leading up to this final season of Game of Thrones , we heard so much  about one huge battle —a battle that was going to be the biggest ever shown on TV, featuring practically every character you love from the show , filmed over multiple months. Read more...

Nuscale and South Korea's Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction are going to work together to deploy 60 MWe NuScale Power Module™ (NPM) worldwide.

Deathstroke debuted as an archenemy for the Teen Titans, and he’s maintained an antagonist relationship with the team and its different iterations throughout the years. Slade Wilson’s connection to Damian “Robin” Wayne drives the current “The Terminus Agenda” crossover between Deathstroke and Teen Titans , taking… Read more...

A reckoning has always been what American Gods promised us in exchange for our viewership, and with the finale of its second season, it delivered, though perhaps not in ways that one might have expected. Read more...

Western Rise is a well-established brand that already makes some of our favorite t-shirts , henleys , pants , and oxford shirts , but even with so many products already out on the market, they still like to launch new products on Kickstarter, at significant preorder discounts. Their latest, the Limitless Merino Wool Shirt … Read more...

Sure, everyone wants the Iron Throne, but this Game of Thrones -themed makeup by Urban Decay might be even more coveted than the power to rule the Seven Kingdoms. The products sold out on April 14, but today, many are back in stock. Read more...

Game of Thrones’ Battle of Winterfell was one of the greatest things I’ve ever seen. My body is still shaking—if you touched my arm, you could feel it in my nerves. You can’t point to one character whose story defined “ The Long Night ,” or led to the Night King’s fate . That’s because there are three . Read more...

The fourth installment of Hal Laboratory’s puzzle game series about box-shaped characters who can emit boxes from their bodies is tricky to recommend to series veterans, but it is a cinch to suggest to newcomers. For those who haven’t BoxBoy ’d before, it should take about 16 to decide if BoxBoy + BoxGirl is something… Read more...

The Carnival of Space 609 is up at Universe Today. Universe Today – Methane-Filled Lakes on Titan are “Surprisingly Deep”. During Cassini’s final flyby of Titan, it aimed its radar at some of the moon’s liquid lakes. The data shows that those lakes are up to 100 meters (300 ft) deep. The data from those final days also sheds new light on Titan’s hydrocarbon cycle. Hydrocarbon rains feed the lakes, which then are subject to evaporation. Some of the liquid seeps into the subsurface, which would leave reservoirs of liquid hydrocarbons below the surface. Universe Today – TESS Just Found

You would want to avoid initializing values that would start in numerical deadzones because then the quantum system would get stuck and would not reach a correct solution.

Ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft are a convenient alternative to calling a cab. Once users download the company’s app and register an account, they can start booking rides. Although ride-sharing services can be more expensive than a cab, it’s what people want. In an attempt to cut costs and increase profits, both Uber and Lyft have launched self-driving autonomous vehicles into their ride-sharing fleet. Large corporations like Google and Ford all plan to launch self-driving taxi services at half the cost of Uber. Although Google’s autonomous vehicle technology (Waymo) seems to be ahead of the curve, their cars aren’t perfect.

Turns out it’s not just Mark Ruffalo or Tom Holland who do things they shouldn’t when it comes to filming Marvel movies. Chris Pratt just happened to wait until after the movie was out to reveal his own leak. Read more...

Alienware’s thinnest gaming laptop ever is now cheaper than ever . The Alienware M15 Gaming unit with an i7-8750H processor, GTX 1070 Max Q graphics, 128GB NVMe SSD + 1TB SSHD storage and 16GB of RAM is down to $1,400. Read more...

MEMS Version of NanoMechanical Computer Design Was Mades, It should be able to make logic gates of 100-micron size with a megahertz chip that has no electromagnetic signature and is immune to radiation.

It’s a miracle that Deep Space Nine got to do what it did with the Star Trek franchise for seven seasons. But what if the series had continued on in the wake of the Dominion War? Part of the incoming extensive documentary What We Left Behind wants to give you a hint—and we’ve got an exclusive look at it in action. Read more...

If you’re going to make a biopic about J.R.R. Tolkien , you’d damned well better convey his passion for story and language. And, in this exclusive clip from Tolkien , you’ll see just that. Read more...

Filmmakers Phil Lord and Chris Miller just signed a new deal with Sony Pictures Television which will allow them to develop “a suite of television series based on Sony’s universe of Marvel characters,” according to The Hollywood Reporter . Read more...

For better or worse, Nintendo’s Poké Ball Plus is one of the most Nintendo gadgets ever made, and it’s never been cheaper than it is today. Read more...

Last night, Game of Thrones fans were treated to “The Long Night,” an episode years in the making, as humanity finally fought the White Walkers head on. And like those fans, the stars of the show were equally surprised and cautious when they found out how it was all going to end. Read more...

Avengers: Endgame is the culmination of a 22 film story that began back in 2008—so, obviously, it provides a lot of answers. And yet, much of it left us still scratching our heads in ways both good and bad. Yes, dear readers, we still have questions and, below, we’ll try to figure out the answers. Read more...

Last night’s Game of Thrones supposedly showcased the largest battle ever shot for TV. I say supposedly because I couldn’t see most of the action—nor could a lot of other people, who complained all over Twitter that the episode was too dark. Read more...

A $250 32GB Apple iPad , a discounted Sonos Smart One speaker , a YETI cooler , and an Anker Accessory Gold Box lead off Monday’s best deals. Read more...

Hagrid’s Hut? Keep it. Another attachment to the past Lego Hogwarts sets? Cool, but no big deal. A glistening, glittery Patronus figure? Okay, Lego, fine. You got me. Read more...

Avengers: Endgame is a celebratory victory lap that brings the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first universe-spanning epic to an end, and establishes a number of beginnings for the franchise’s future. But one moment left much to be desired, especially when you consider the context surrounding it. Read more...

An asteroid slammed down and did away with all the dinosaurs, paving the way for such developments as the human race, capitalism, and posting on the internet: it’s the story we all know and love. Yet if things had shaken out differently—if the asteroid had stayed in its place, and the dinosaurs allowed to proceed with… Read more...

Right now, Amazon will sell you a refurbished Lightning dock for just $19 . This first party dock allows your iPhone to sit upright in the dock, charge and sync, and even output audio through a 3.5mm jack. Read more...

Voyagers adds more names to its expansive cast. Get another look at what to expect from Disney’s Aladdin remake . Both Anson Mount and Ethan Peck discuss wanting to return to their Star Trek characters. Plus, what’s to come on Game of Thrones and Supergirl , and new looks at some of the new costumes of Far From Home .… Read more...

The dead may outnumber the living on Facebook within 50 years, a trend that will have grave implications for how we treat our digital heritage in the future.

After all these years, the White Walkers and their army arrived at Winterfell, where the amassed armies of the North and Daenerys’ troops have joined forces to fight for not just their survival, but for the survival of humanity as a whole. This battle has been teased since the show began in 2011, so it needed to be… Read more...

Last week was a lot of table setting , and this week—well, let’s talk about it! We know you want it, so here’s our weekly discussion space for you to hash out fan theories, congratulate yourself for guessing what was going to happen, and exchange notes on how this episode, the third of the six-episode final season,… Read more...

Brightburn , produced by James Gunn, is a dark take on superhero mythology. What if Superman wasn’t a nice, innocent, helpful child, but instead absolutely terrifying? Read more...

Nextbigfuture was excessively optimistic on quantum computer achieving a smooth takeoff based upon announcements in 2018 with the 72 qubit Google bristlecone, IonQ's trapped ion breakthrough and a flurry of other advancements in quantum computers from Intel and IBM.

Synthetic Speech Made from Brain Recordings is a step to brain prosthetic

It’s easy to question the intention of filmmakers who make the jump to comics. Are they passionate about the medium, or do they view comics as a way to develop intellectual property that can be adapted for film and television? There’s nothing inherently wrong with the latter, but it can often result in underwhelming… Read more...

We’re all thrilled about the Avengers this weekend . But, no matter our joy, we have to remember the fundamentals. Be nice to other people. Don’t spoil movies for people who don’t want them spoiled. Remember to spell the name of the movie correctly. Read more...

TCL’s affordable 6-series TVs are famous for offering every form of HDR (including top-shelf Dolby Vision), local dimming zones for better contrast and black levels, and even excellent Roku software. So if you want to upgrade after the tonight’s episode of Game of Thrones , the 55" is down to $530 , also an all-time low. Read more...

She’s got a strong argument, too. Read more...