Technologies

Astronomers 3D-print stellar nurseries you can hold in your hand

There’s a beautiful new way to visualize the places where stars come from.

Nia Amara is both an astrophysicist and an artist. Those two passions have united in a project that’s helping scientists visualize stellar nurseries, the massive clouds of dust and gas where stars are born.

Amara and her team 3D-printed polished, baseball-size orbs that look like oversized marbles with swirling patterns inside. «We wanted an interactive object to help us visualize those structures where stars form so we can better understand the physical processes,» said Imara in a University of California, Santa Cruz, statement Thursday.

The models are made from opaque resin deposited inside transparent resin, which makes it look like the cosmic clouds are suspended within each globe. The researchers also made half-spheres that give a view into the cross sections of the nurseries.

The patterns came from running simulations of star-forming clouds that show how different processes affect stellar nurseries. Subtle differences in the simulation results stand out when seen in 3D.

«Just aesthetically they are really amazing to look at, and then you begin to notice the complex structures that are incredibly difficult to see with the usual techniques for visualizing these simulations,» said the Flatiron Institute’s John Forbes, co-author of a paper on the project published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters in August.

We’re used to viewing cosmic wonders like galaxies and nebulae on screens. Now imagine those celestial sights being rendered in a way that lets you hold them up, turn them and see into them. That’s a marvelous possibility suggested by Amara’s clever blend of astronomy and art.

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, April 9

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for April 9.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword could be tricky. I’d never heard that 1-Down Confucius quote before, but once I figured it out, it’s pretty witty. Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get at those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Word after «cheap as» or «old as»
Answer: DIRT

5A clue: Sean ___, director who won four Oscars for «Anora»
Answer: BAKER

6A clue: «It’s the Hard-Knock Life» musical
Answer: ANNIE

7A clue: Pastry at a tea shop
Answer: SCONE

8A clue: Works on a quilt, perhaps
Answer: SEWS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: «Never give a sword to a man who can’t ___»: Confucius
Answer: DANCE

2D clue: «You don’t need to tell me!»
Answer: IKNOW

3D clue: Straps for a horseback rider
Answer: REINS

4D clue: One might be shady
Answer: TREE

5D clue: Big Mouth Billy ___ (singing animatronic fish)
Answer: BASS

How to play more Mini Crosswords

The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.

Technologies

Loss-of-Pulse Detection Alerts on the Pixel Watch 3 Are Finally Here

The potentially life-saving feature that detects if your pulse stops is officially rolling out on the latest gen Pixel Watches in the US.

The US rollout for the Loss-of-Pulse detection feature on the Google Pixel 3 starts today. The feature identifies when your pulse is lost and can automatically call emergency services if you’re unresponsive. You can expect a prompt will pop up on your watch to enable it. Don’t worry if it hasn’t happened just yet — the roll-out is estimated to last a few weeks.

Google announced the Loss of Pulse Detection feature in 2024 for select EU countries and received FDA clearance in the US in February.

The watch uses an AI-based algorithm and signals from the existing multipath heart rate sensor (the flashing green light on the back of the watch) to monitor your pulse. If it suspects your pulse was lost, additional sensor signals will be activated to search for the pulse or identify movement.

When nothing is detected, the watch prompts you with an initial check-in. If you don’t respond to the message on the watch and no motion is detected, a loud alarm will play, and a countdown will appear on the screen. Then, an emergency services call is placed on your LTE smartwatch or phone. An automated message about the loss of pulse and your location will be shared with emergency operators.

While the Loss of Pulse Detection feature wasn’t made for any one specific health condition, this is another feature added to the Pixel 3’s impressive catalog of safety and health features, such as fall detection and irregular heart rhythm notifications. As a Google Pixel user, I’m happy to see another feature in the medical safety space, especially for one in which immediate intervention is necessary.

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for April 9, #1390

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle No. 1,390 for Wednesday, April 9.

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Wordle puzzle refers to a substance used in many foods. It’s also a hilarious punchline in my favorite Super Bowl commercial (outside of the Budweiser Clydesdales ads). If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.