You and I have the same ancestor

Plus, surplus food shopping is the vibe. Protect the whole fam online. Ahh, peace of mind »]( [StackSkills]( [Advertise]( | [Talk To Us](mailto:letschat@getthefuturist.com) | [Shop]( | [Unsubscribe]( [The Futurist is your daily tech, cosmic, and science (both weird or otherwise) newsletter with articles and content curated just for you.]( [/discover] [NASA scientists startled when Mars rover drives over rock, cracking it and revealing glinting crystals within | The Byte]( [NASA scientists startled when Mars rover drives over rock, cracking it and revealing glinting crystals within]( “NASA's Curiosity Mars rover inadvertently crushed a rock while exploring a sulfates-rich area — and revealed a treasure of glinting, yellow crystals. And according to the space agency, it's unlike anything the rover has come across so far. Instead of sulfur-based minerals, which have been discovered several times already in the area, the cracked-open rock turned out to be pure, elemental sulfur. ‘Finding a field of stones made of pure sulfur is like finding an oasis in the desert,’ said Curiosity project scientist Ashwin Vasavada in a NASA statement. ‘It shouldn't be there, so now we have to explain it. Discovering strange and unexpected things is what makes planetary exploration so exciting.’” [// The Byte »]( [/cosmos] [StackSocial - Calling all stargazers…! | [Partner] ]( [Calling all stargazers…!]( So after that last article, you’re probably wondering when we’ll finally be able to take casual trips up to Mars. Not yet… but you can kinda visit it from Earth — with a telescope. And this one comes with all the fixings to bring you 400x magnification so you can gaze upon the night sky with precision and clarity. Get it today for under $300. [Ad] [// Zoom in »]( [/whoa] [All life on Earth comes from one single ancestor. And it's so much older than we thought | Popular Mechanics]( [All life on Earth comes from one single ancestor. And it's so much older than we thought]( “Life on Earth had to begin somewhere, and scientists think that ‘somewhere’ is LUCA — or the Last Universal Common Ancestor. True to its name, this prokaryote-like organism represents the ancestor of every living thing, from the tiniest of bacteria to the grandest of blue whales. For years, scientists have estimated that LUCA likely arrived on the scene some 4 billion years ago, which is only 600 million years after the planet’s formation. But a new study from an international team of scientists pushes that timeline back even further to some 4.2 billion years ago while also discovering some fascinating details about what life for LUCA might’ve been like.” [// Popular Mechanics »]( [/travel] [15 places where borders get a little strange | Atlas Obscura]( [15 places where borders get a little strange]( “Borders are one of the defining geopolitical concepts of the modern world — separating countries and people, crafted through conflict and cooperation, disputed in every way possible. In some places, borders seem to take a life of their own because they represent a unique convergence or unusual quirk of topography or simply ignore the people around them. And each one has a story. … From an easy way to cross the Arctic Circle to visit Santa to a little lost bit of Michigan in Ohio, here are some of our favorite weird borders.” [// Atlas Obscura »]( [/digital] [StackSocial - Miss the good ol’ days of Microsoft? Here’s how you can get classic apps for life | [Partner] ]( [Miss the good ol’ days of Microsoft? Here’s how you can get classic apps for life]( Remember the classic days of Microsoft? Way back when you could work on your docs offline with cloud-free access? This lifetime license to Microsoft Office 2019 might just help scratch your nostalgic itch. It’s a singular payment — $25, the lowest ever — and you get to keep seven apps on your PC for life. Yeah: no subscriptions, no recurring fees, no joke. See for yourself if the hype is worth it when it comes to this best-selling bundle. (We certainly think it is.) [Ad] [// Get lifetime access »]( [/noms] [Too Good to Go debuts its largest US grocery partnership, with Whole Foods | Retail Brew]( [Too Good to Go debuts its largest US grocery partnership, with Whole Foods]( “Surplus food marketplace Too Good to Go this week announced its largest U.S. grocery partnership to date, rolling out at 450 Whole Foods Markets nationwide — and the Surprise Bags are already going viral. The collaboration began earlier this year with a pilot in seven stores in Austin, Texas, and added 200 more locations in early June. The largest batch of stores came online this week, per Too Good to Go. Stores in New York and Massachusetts are set to debut later this year.” [// Retail Brew »]( [/bites] [// Still working with just one screen? Let’s fix that. Here’s two additional monitors that attach to your laptop for better productivity — and way more space for visualizing »]( [// Weeknight dinners, meet your match. Cook faster and yummier meals with an Instant Pot, now for only $80 »]( [// There’s nothing fun about moving, especially for businesses. Make the tech switches easier — and IT-free — with PCmover »]( [/explore] [@swargayathra on Instagram]( [@swargayathra]( Interested in having one of your social posts featured in The Futurist? [// Get in touch »](mailto:letschat@getthefuturist.com) Powered by StackCommerce 73 Market Street | Venice, CA 90291 Copyright © 2023 StackCommerce All rights reserved [Unsubscribe.]( [View this email in your browser.](