Inside Mars, a ‘rocky road’ mantle reveals a violent past
10 Sep
Science & Technology

Inside Mars, a ‘rocky road’ mantle reveals a violent past

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A giant collision in Mars’ early history created a global magma ocean and buried large fragments of debris deep within the young planet. As Mars cooled, it formed a solid crust — eventually becoming a stagnant lid that trapped heat and slowed the planet’s internal motion. Credit: Vadim Sadovski / Imperial College London Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday.Don’t let the appetizing description fool you. When planetary scientists say the interior of Mars resembles a rocky road brownie more than a piece of buttery shortbread, the tasty metaphor masks billions of years of geological violence. In a re-examination of previous observations collected by NASA’s decommissioned InSight probe, researchers have discovered that the Martian mantle is embedded with ancient fragments measuring as much as 2.5 miles wide. The...
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Amazon’s rocky Alexa+ launch might justify Apple’s slow pace with next-gen Siri
12 Aug
Science & Technology

Amazon’s rocky Alexa+ launch might justify Apple’s slow pace with next-gen Siri

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Amazon has finally started rolling out Alexa+, its oft-delayed overhaul of the Alexa voice assistant built on large language model technology. However, Alexa+ shows how difficult it is to replace a mature voice assistant with generative AI, especially when users expect instant, consistent results for simple tasks. It’s a real reality check on the notion that Amazon has managed to release something Apple promised and hasn’t shipped. Alexa+, available as an limited preview on select Echo devices, was meant to blend the conversational abilities of generative AI with Alexa’s legacy skills like setting timers, playing music, and controlling smart home devices. The result, according to a detailed review from The New York Times, is more fluid conversations and some impressive new capabilities. However, the change creates serious reliability issues, missing features, and even basic commands failing. New York...
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