The James Webb Telescope captures the Tarantula Nebula in stunning detail

The Tarantula Nebula has been photographed by several observatories in the past, but new images captured by the James Webb Telescope give us a clearer, sharper view of the star-forming region. Also known as 30 Doradus, the Tarantula Nebula is the largest and brightest star-forming region among the galaxies near our own, making it a favorite subject for scientists studying star formation. 

Astronomers used three of Webb’s infrared instruments to image the Tarantula Nebula. When viewed using Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), you’ll see the silky filaments that earned the nebula its name surrounding a cluster of massive young stars sparkling blue in the center of the image above. According to NASA, tens of thousands of these young stars have never been seen before as they were concealed by cosmic dust. Stellar winds and radiation from these young stars had hollowed out the center of the nebula, which is bound to keep shifting and changing shape. The filaments that surround them are hiding even more protostars, after all, and they’ll emerge to join the other stars at the center as they blow away the gas and dust obscuring them from our view. 

In fact, Webb’s Near-Infrared Spectrograph has observed one such star that has started emerging from behind its dusty veil. NASA says the star’s activity wouldn’t have been revealed without Webb’s high-resolution spectra at infrared wavelengths. The astronomers also used Webb’s Mid-infrared Instrument (MIRI) to view the nebula in longer infrared wavelengths and captured an image quite different from the one captured by NIRCam. This time, the young stars at the center of the nebula fade in the background, while the cooler gas and dust surrounding them glow and take the spotlight, as you can see below.

Tarantula Nebula
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production Team

As NASA explains, the Tarantula Nebula is of special interest to scientists studying star formation, because it has a chemical composition similar to the star forming regions during the universe’s “cosmic noon.” That’s the period in time when the universe was only a couple of billion years old and when star formation was at its peak. In our own galaxy, there are no regions producing new stars at a similarly furious pace. Also, star forming regions in the Milky Way have a different composition. By focusing the Webb Telescope on the Tarantula Nebula, scientists now have images to compare against deep observations of much distant galaxies from the actual cosmic noon, which could help them better understand the early years of the universe.

Nextdoor is trying to prevent neighbors from arguing about the midterms

Nextdoor is gearing up for a potentially contentious election season. Ahead of the midterms, the company says it will label election-related posts with information about how to vote, and will use in-app alerts to remind users to not let political conversations get overly “heated.”

In a blog post, the company says it will use “pop-up reminders” to encourage “civil political discourse” on election-related posts. “Nextdoor will use pop-up reminders when hurtful or harmful language is detected or anticipated via predictive technology,” the company writes.

Nextdoor will remind neighbors not to fight about the midterms.
Nextdoor

It’s not the first time the company has used these kinds of reminders to discourage nastiness between neighbors. The company previously introduced in-app alerts to remind people to be “empathetic” and keep conversations “constructive.” The latest notifications mirror that language. “Conversations about the election can get heated,” it says. “Check to make sure you’ve phrased it in a constructive way.”

Besides the reminders, the company is also partnering with vote.org and other organizations on in-app messages to encourage turnout and provide resources on how to register to vote.

William Barr Calls Judge’s Decision To Grant Trump’s Request For ‘Special Master’ ‘Wrong’

Barr, who argued the DOJ should appeal the decision, said a special master appointment would not impact the outcome of the investigation.

The Morning After: Biden outlines where the CHIPS act money is going

The US may have the edge in semiconductor design, but manufacture is still the crown jewel of places like Taiwan. To counter this, the Biden administration has outlined where it will allocate the $50 billion in investment the CHIPS act has allowed for. Of that, $28 billion is to boost domestic production of cutting-edge logic and memory chips. The money will be distributed as grants, cooperative agreements, loan guarantees or loan subsidies. A further $10 billion is to improve speciality chipmaking for the automotive, medical device and defense industries. And $11 billion is for US research and development facilities, with the intention of creating new chip technologies that’ll be made on American soil. It’s a huge commitment, and one that recognizes the importance of staying at the forefront of the chip world or risk permanently falling behind.

– Daniel Cooper

The biggest stories you might have missed

Google’s Pixel 7 and Pixel Watch event is scheduled for October 6th

And Meta’s virtual Connect event will stream live October 11th

Google Event
Google

As one technology giant announces its new slate of devices, another two set their dates for their own parties. Google has marked October 6th for its Pixel 7 and Pixel Watch event, with a live broadcast from New York City starting at 10 AM ET. Google spilled plenty of beans about what we could expect from the show at its I/O developer conference this summer. So we can expect the Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro and the new Pixel Watch to hog the spotlight. Then, on October 11th, Meta will hold its Connect event to show off all that’s new with augmented and virtual reality. We’re expecting this to be the first official unveiling of Facebook’s Project Cambria, a high-end VR headset likely to be sold under the name Meta Quest Pro. Plus another attempt or two to make Facebook’s vision for our augmented future look a bit less cringe.

Continue Reading (Google) Continue Reading (Meta).

The best fast chargers available right now

Investing in a good fast charger is vital if you’re always running out of juice.

Images of chargers.
Sam Rutherford

Sometimes, you just need to get electricity into your device as quickly and efficiently as you can, without causing it to blow up. That’s why there are now so many fantastic fast charging plugs on the market, to help you avoid running out of power when you’re on the go. But with so many to choose from, it’s hard to know which ones are worth your money, and why.

Don’t fret: Your friend and mine Sam Rutherford has tested 14 plugs to see which one is the best. No spoilers, but it looks like the best phone charger will set you back just $30 and give you far better performance than whatever you’re using right now.

Continue Reading.

The Los Angeles Unified School District is dealing with a ransomware attack

Schools were targeted over the Labor Day weekend.

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is dealing with the effects of a ransomware attack which struck on September 3rd. Officials have already started working with other federal agencies to tackle the issue and have already locked down its other systems. The attack has affected the district’s business systems, but school operations and classes remain in operation – as does its in-school safety and emergency systems. Hopefully, this latest in a long series of cyberattacks on US institutions will push better security to the top of the agenda to ensure this sort of thing doesn’t happen again.

Continue Reading.

AT&T sues T-Mobile over ‘dishonest and completely false’ senior discount ad campaign

T-Mobile’s penchant for calling out its rivals earns it another lawsuit.

Ooooh, it’s been a while since we’ve had a spicy skirmish between phone carriers, and so here comes AT&T to keep us all amused. The mobile giant has lobbed a lawsuit through T-Mobile’s window, alleging the magenta carrier has engaged in false advertising against its rival. The issue hinges on a senior discount that AT&T is piloting in Florida, giving users over the age of 55 cheaper phone plans. T-Mobile, which already offers a plan called Unlimited 55+, countrywide, has called out AT&T, saying it’s only offering senior discounts to Floridians. Naturally, AT&T thinks T-Mobile isn’t playing fair and will take things to court to get the claims retracted.

Continue Reading.

Surveillance Is Getting Less, Not More, 'Orwellian'

“If we begin to feel that we’re being surveilled all the time, our behavior changes. We begin to do less. We begin to think about things less. We begin to modify how we think.” – Tim Cook

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Alex Wagner Has 2 Wild Theories On Why ‘Hoarder’ Trump Kept Secret Docs

The MSNBC host gave Stephen Colbert her analysis during an appearance on “The Late Show.”

PS5 update rolls out globally with 1440p support, gamelists and new party features

Sony has rolled out the latest PlayStation 5 system update globally with a much-requested feature: 1440p video output. The feature, first previewed in beta last July, will finally provide an option between less-sharp 1080p and demanding 4K that can reduce framerates. It will be especially beneficial to users with PC monitors that natively support 1440p QHD (2,560 x 1,440) resolution. 

Your monitor or TV will need to support 1440p/60Hz or 1440p/120Hz, Sony said. You can select the setting from the “Screen and Video” menu in the settings, and a “Test 1440p Output” button lets you check to see if your monitor is supported. However, using 1440p will disable variable refresh rates (VRR) that sync game and monitor framerates. That means you may see screen tearing and other issues that reduce smoothness.

The update also includes Gamelists, essentially folders to store games. You can have up to 15 Gamelists with 100 games each that include a mix of digital and disc games. Other new features include the ability to request a Share Screen from a fellow party member, view new friends’ profiles and receive notifications to help you join a friend’s game from a party chat. A new feature in preview in the UK and US, meanwhile, lets you do YouTube searches using Voice Command from anywhere on PS5, including during gameplay.

Steve Bannon Says He's Being Indicted Again Because His Podcast Is Too Powerful

Steven Bannon, the former advisor to Donald Trump who helped turn the neo-fascist billionaire into a mainstream political entity, is expected to be indicted this week on new charges relating to his alleged scam to build a wall on private property at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a new report from the

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Watch A Republican Candidate Furiously Backpedal From His Own Words On Abortion

Scott Jensen is the latest GOP candidate trying to hide extreme views on abortion.

Signal makes Google strike organizer Meredith Walker its first president

Privacy-focused messaging app Signal has hired former Google manager and tech critic Meredith Whittaker as its first president, it announced in a blog post. She’s already on the board of directors, along with WhatsApp founder, interim CEO and Facebook critic Brian Acton and former CEO/encryption evangelist Moxie Marlinspike. Her focus, she said, will be on strategy, communication and the foundation’s long-term financial health.

“I will be working with Signal’s CEO and leadership, with a particular focus on guiding Signal’s strategy, ensuring our financial sustainability, sharpening and broadening Signal’s public communications, and whatever else is needed to strengthen the app and the org,” she said. Whittaker will also aid in the search for a permanent CEO to replace Acton.

Whittaker rose to prominence as the founder of Google’s Open Research Group and organizer of a walkout after it emerged that Google had paid off executives accused of sexual harassment, including Andy Rubin. She left the search giant in 2019, and went on to form the AI Now Institute at NYU, aiming to “ensure that AI systems are accountable to the communities and contexts in which they’re applied,” according to its mission statement. She’s also a senior adviser on AI to the Federal Trade Commission and joined the Signal Foundation’s board in 2020.

Signal currently counts over 140 million users after receiving a significant boost following a backlash against WhatsApp’s privacy policy changes last year. Along with Firefox, Signal is one of the few apps committed to privacy rather than revenue via data collection. To that end, Whittaker plans to focus on maintaining the company’s health via small donations from millions of users who “kick in a little bit,” she told The Washington Post. “We do have growth goals, but they are driven by our mission, not by a desire for profit,” she added.