Until reading this piece in The Atlantic, I was not aware of the fact that the Mars Perseverance rover has a device onboard, the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment—MOXIE, that has been generating oxygen on the red planet.
Millions of miles away on Mars, in a barren crater just north of the equator, a rover is wandering around, carrying a gold-coated gadget the size of a toaster. The machine inhales the Martian air and strips away contaminants. It splits the atmospheric gas into constituent parts, takes what it needs, and then reassembles that blend to create something that is in very short supply on Mars: oxygen. Real, breathable oxygen, the kind you took in as you read these sentences.
After a bit of analysis, the machine puffs out the oxygen, harmlessly releasing the molecules into the Martian environment. The act makes this very sophisticated toaster, situated in the belly of NASA's Perseverance rover, the closest thing to a small tree on Mars.
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Ben Paik of Woby Design in Los Angeles upcycles thrashed skateboards by turning them into furniture. His latest piece is a cool and colorful pill-shaped tambour cabinet that gives off a fifties vibe. If you want to make one for yourself, he's offering the digital files for $15. He can also make one for you… READ THE REST
Adult animation has become a little formulaic. Since The Simpsons took pop culture by storm in the 90s, several television shows began to ape the show's format to great success. Consequently, adult animation can essentially be distilled into a handful of tropes that The Simpsons pioneered. Although some shows deviate from the formula, pretty much every entry in the… READ THE REST
Boing Boing contributor Clive Thompson has a specialty search engine which allows you to search on public domain books published prior to 1924. Clive is a big proponent of "rewilding" our attention and offers serendipity searches into weird old books as part of that noble effort. READ THE REST
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. Some people do it professionally, and some people do it recreationally, but thanks to smartphones, almost everybody can take a shot at being a photographer these days. Gone are the days of needing… READ THE REST
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. More people are working from laptops than ever these days. Whether you're self-employed, starting online education, or utilizing a work-from-home setup, you need to be able to work from anywhere. Laptops… READ THE REST
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. Between the stresses of work, classes, and home life, when was the last time you were able to relax and enjoy a little bit of free time? In a world of side… READ THE REST
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