Why our heliosphere is shaped like a croissant by the universe

Facebook Messenger is testing a feature to split payments. Why is DNA storage so sought after? Dec 05, 2021 [View on browser]( Greetings! Today, we're delving into a study explaining why our Sun's heliosphere is shaped the way it is — like a freshly baked croissant. After that, we snoop into the DNA storage technology and what makes it so appealing (ps. it's about data storage). And finally, we take a look at Facebook Messenger's upcoming Split Payments feature. Will it survive, or will it flop? This is The Blueprint. Keep reading. We'd like to get to know you better and improve our newsletter. [Take this survey and tell us more about you]( it’ll take only 1 minute! INNOVATION [DNA Storage Is Picking Up Pace, Why Has It Become So Sought After?]( [DNA ]( On December 2nd, we brought you the news about [Microsoft Research's new molecular controller]( that allows it to read and write DNA format much faster. In the last month or so, [three other new developments]( have popped up in DNA storage. What are these new developments? - Scientists at the Center for Synthetic Biology from the Northwestern University, Illinois, made a demonstration on DNA storage encoding that manages to fulfill three bits of information in an hour. This new method "relies on an enzymatic system." - Then, a team from the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) has devised a microchip that can significantly improve the speed at which data can be written in DNA form. The team expects a 100x improvement over current technologies for DNA storage. - Finally, a team in China at Southeast University in the country’s Jiangsu Province has been reported to be engineering a new process that could produce the first mass-market DNA storage device. Why the popularity? When you think about it, DNA storage is not a system that will become antiquated and abandoned like the floppy discs and CDs. After all, every living being is a testament to the data capacity of DNA computing. It can potentially offer a storage density of over 1 exabyte (=9 zettabytes, and 1 zettabyte=1 trillion gigabytes) in the space of a small refrigerator. [Read More]( SCIENCE [A Breakthrough Study Reveals How Our Sun's Heliosphere Is Shaped by the Universe]( [Sun's Heliosphere]( In March of 2020, physicists had [unveiled a new model of the heliosphere]( — a magnetosphere surrounding the Sun, reaching more than twice the distance of Pluto — and it showed a crescent-shaped magnetic force-field in the shape of a freshly-baked croissant. Now, [the same physicists have discovered]( why our heliosphere is of this particular shape. Why is it relevant? Maryland astrophysicist James Drake explains that the bubble surrounding us protects us from galactic cosmic rays, and the shape of it can affect [how those rays get into the system](. Researchers used computational modeling to test their theory that neutral hydrogen particles streaming from outside our solar system are what make it impossible for the heliosphere to flow uniformly. While seeking to prove that concept, they found that the presence of the neutrals colliding with the heliosphere triggers a phenomenon called the Rayleigh-Taylor instability. And what is Rayleigh-Taylor instability? When two materials of different densities collide the lighter material pushes against the heavier material causing crazy irregular shapes to form. And thus, the physicists found that the drag between the neutrals and ions is what generates the much-discussed croissant shape of our heliosphere. [Read More]( INNOVATION [Facebook Messenger Is Testing a Feature to Split Payments]( [Facebook Messenger Split Payments]( Meta is providing [a new payment service called Split Payments]( that is bound to at least make you curious if not interested. The announcement came on Friday along with some other news. "If you’ve struggled with dividing up (and getting paid back for) group dinners, shared household expenses, or even the monthly rent, it’s about to get easier. Next week for Messenger fans in the US, we’re starting to test Split Payments, a free and fast way to share the cost of bills and expenses," said the Facebook blog. How do you use it? Well, you simply click the “Get Started” button in a group chat or the Payments Hub in Messenger. It allows splitting a bill evenly or modifying the contribution amount for each individual. Finally, you can also add a personalized message. Once you confirm your Facebook Pay details, your request will be sent and viewable in your group chat thread. It's simple enough to be popular, but is it safe? With Facebook's history of [data breaches]( and [violation of privacy]( some customers might be wary about sharing their financial details with the firm. The firm is mainly seen as a way to connect with family and friends rather than a financial solution, so, will people actually make use of its new feature? Or, will other more established platforms such as Venmo lead the way? [Read More]( MAIL & MUSINGS Will Facebook Messenger's Split Payments feature see widespread adoption? Be sure you check back tomorrow for the results! [Us humans run on convenience, of course it will.]( [Nope, other established platforms like Venmo won't lose their place.]( [Regulators will have to stop Meta's aggressive expansion soon.]( [Only If it starts accepting crypto.]( Yesterday’s Results Yesterday, we asked what should our first action be against the growing problem of space debris to our readers. 43% think the next generation of satellites will be forced to up their end-of-life gameplan. 35% think there'll be dedicated de-orbiting satellites to mitigate the problem. 20% think a Kessler event is inevitable, we certainly hope not because the strain on infrastructure and danger to lives on Earth would be enormous. Finally, 7% want to blow up stuff. Up and coming satellites will be forced to have an end-of-life plan. 43% We Will have deorbiting satellites to help clean up this debris. 31% Kessler effect will eventually take care of it. 20% Shoot them away with missiles or something. 7% QUOTE OF THE DAY “ In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on. ” Robert Frost - Sept. 1954, “Robert Frost’s Secret” by Ray Josephs in “This Week Magazine” [Video]VIDEO OF THE DAY [NASA Designed Space Escape Pods That Were Never Used. Here's Why.]( Think of it as a lifeboat to get back home. [NASA Designed Space Escape Pods That Were Never Used. Here's Why.]( AND ANOTHER THING... - Nissan and JAXA have joined forces to [release a new lunar rover prototype](. - Movie dialogues have gotten [more difficult to understand]( here’s why. (SlashFilm) - Scientists say Mercury could be [a ‘relic’ of the early Earth](. - Comcast reduced ‘working latency’ by 90% with AQM. [Did anybody notice]( (APNIC Blog) - Russia has [deployed a nuclear-capable missile system]( in the Pacific, near Japan. - Courtney Love says she [has Elon Musk’s private emails](. (The Verge) - Amazon’s cloud is secretly [computing how to block the sun](. [Share to Win]SHARE TO WIN [All products]( Share The Blueprint! Give your friends deeper insights into engineering and tech, and win exclusive IE swag for free. [Read Details]( Share your link Copy & share your referral link with others. [ [Referral Program Terms and Conditions]( Prepared by Loukia Papadopoulos and Utku Kucukduner Enjoy reading? Don't forget to forward to a friend! Was this email forwarded to you? [Subscribe]( [About Us]( | [Advertise]( | [Contact Us]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Youtube]( [Linkedin]( [Instagram]( You are receiving this email because you have subscribed to our newsletter. 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