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Elon Musk said on Wednesday a wireless device developed by his brain chip company Neuralink is expected to begin human clinical trials in six months.

The company is developing brain chip interfaces that it says could enable disabled patients to move and communicate again. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area and Austin, Texas, Neuralink has in recent years been conducting tests on animals as it seeks US regulatory approval to begin clinical trials in people.

“We want to be extremely careful and certain that it will work well before putting a device into a human but we’ve submitted I think most of our paperwork to the FDA and probably in about six months we should be able to upload Neuralink in a human,” Musk said during a much-awaited public update on the device.

The event was originally planned for October 31 but Musk postponed it just days before without giving a reason.

Neuralink’s last public presentation, more than a year ago, involved a monkey with a brain chip that played a computer game by thinking alone.

Musk is known for lofty goals such as colonizing Mars and saving humanity. His ambitions for Neuralink, which he launched in 2016, are of the same grand scale. He wants to develop a chip that would allow the brain to control complex electronic devices and eventually allow people with paralysis to regain motor function and treat brain diseases such as Parkinson’s, dementia and Alzheimer’s. He also talks about melding the brain with artificial intelligence.

Neuralink, however, is running behind schedule. Musk said in a 2019 presentation he was aiming to receive regulatory approval by the end of 2020. He then said at a conference in late 2021 that he hoped to start human trials this year.

Neuralink has repeatedly missed internal deadlines to gain US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to start human trials, current and former employees have said. Musk approached competitor Synchron earlier this year about a potential investment after he expressed frustration to Neuralink employees about their slow progress, Reuters reported in August.

Synchron crossed a major milestone in July by implanting its device in a patient in the United States for the first time. It received US regulatory clearance for human trials in 2021 and has completed studies in four people in Australia.

© Thomson Reuters 2022

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NASA’s Perseverance Rover Observes Googly Eye Eclipse on Mars

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November 1, 2024

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NASA's Perseverance Rover Observes Googly Eye Eclipse on Mars

NASA’s Perseverance rover which is positioned in the Jezero Crater on Mars, recently observed a remarkable celestial event as the moon Phobos drifted across the Sun. Captured on September 30, this moment offered a rare glimpse into Mars’ sky, where the unique “googly eye” effect of the eclipse unfolded for the rover’s Mastcam-Z camera. The video, released by NASA, illustrates the interplay of Martian moon orbits and provides valuable information on Phobos’ trajectory and its gradual shift towards Mars.

Unexpected Eclipse Creates ‘Googly Eye’ View on Mars

Perseverance, which has been observing Mars’ surface and sky since 2021, recorded the silhouette of Phobos moving rapidly across the Sun’s face from Mars’ western Jezero Crater. Phobos, the larger of Mars’ two moons, created a distinct “googly eye” visual effect as it partially blocked sunlight, a phenomenon not typically visible from Earth. The eclipse, captured on the mission’s 1,285th sol (Martian day), highlights Phobos’ swift orbit, which takes just 7.6 hours to complete a full circle around Mars. Due to its close orbit, Phobos regularly crosses Mars’ sky, allowing for these brief transits which last only about 30 seconds each.

Phobos’ Eerie Path and Future on Mars

Phobos, named by astronomer Asaph Hall in 1877 after the Greek deity associated with fear, measures about 27 kilometres at its widest. Unlike Earth’s larger moon, Phobos appears far smaller in the Martian sky. Its orbit brings it closer to Mars with time, which scientists predict will eventually cause Phobos to collide with the Martian surface within the next 50 million years. Past eclipses of Phobos, also recorded by other Mars rovers like Curiosity and Opportunity, continue to contribute essential data for understanding Mars’ moons and their shifting orbits.

Perseverance’s Mission and Future Mars Exploration

As part of NASA’s Mars 2020 mission, Perseverance focuses on exploring Martian geology and astrobiology. The mission, managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), is the first to collect samples of Mars’ surface material, which are intended to be retrieved in future joint missions with the European Space Agency (ESA). Perseverance’s Mastcam-Z, developed with support from Arizona State University, Malin Space Science Systems, and the Niels Bohr Institute, plays a crucial role in gathering high-resolution imagery to support geological studies. This mission aligns with NASA’s broader objective of preparing for human exploration on Mars, beginning with the Artemis missions to the Moon.

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South Korea teams up with NASA to send solar research tool to ISS

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November 1, 2024

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South Korea teams up with NASA to send solar research tool to ISS

South Korea’s space agency announced plans on Friday to launch a solar coronagraph to the International Space Station (ISS) in a collaborative mission with NASA. Developed as part of the Coronal Diagnostic Experiment (CODEX), this instrument is set to observe and gather data on the Sun’s corona and the solar wind as well as the stream of charged particles that flows from the Sun’s outer atmosphere. The CODEX device is scheduled to be launched aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on Monday, as reported by Yonhap News Agency.

Bilateral Project to Examine Solar Atmosphere

The CODEX project represents a very important collaboration between the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KASA) and NASA, with CODEX marking a pioneering achievement as the world’s first coronagraph equipped to measure temperature, velocity, and density within the solar wind. Once aboard the ISS, CODEX will be mounted on the station’s express logistics carrier, allowing for approx 55 minutes of solar observation in each 90-minute orbit around Earth. This data is expected to enhance researchers’ understanding of the solar wind, potentially aiding in space weather forecasting efforts.

South Korea’s Expanded Cooperation with NASA

Alongside the CODEX project, South Korea and the United States have broadened their partnership in space exploration. KASA and NASA signed a statement of cooperation, focusing on research initiatives including the Artemis lunar exploration programme. KASA’s involvement with the Artemis project includes studies on sustainable lunar exploration and advancements in Mars mission preparations. With this agreement, South Korea has become the fifth nation to officially collaborate with NASA on such initiatives.

Pioneering Studies and Technological Advancements

Under the framework of this agreement, South Korea and the US will work together on a variety of feasibility studies related to lunar landers, as well as advancements in communication, navigation, and astronaut support systems. In addition, collaborative efforts will span lunar surface science, autonomous power, robotic systems, and cis-lunar space operations—the area between Earth and the Moon.

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NASA’s satellite reveals fascinating tsunami data in Greenland

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November 1, 2024

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NASA's satellite reveals fascinating tsunami data in Greenland

An unprecedented nine-day tsunami following a significant rockslide in Greenland’s Dickson Fjord was recently recorded by the international Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite, a collaborative mission by NASA and France’s Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES). The event, which took place in September 2023, saw a unique pattern of seismic waves resonate around the world, marking one of the rare instances where satellite data captured a prolonged natural phenomenon with such clarity.

Satellite’s Breakthrough Detection in Remote Fjord

As per a report by NASA, the rockslide unleashed over 25 million cubic meters of rock and ice into the fjord, displacing the water and creating a massive wave that moved rhythmically between the fjord walls every 90 seconds for nine consecutive days. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientist Josh Willis highlighted this as a first, saying, “SWOT’s technology allowed us to see the wave contours, something we couldn’t achieve before.” The water levels on the northern side of Dickson Fjord rose as high as 1.2 metres in contrast to the southern side, emphasising the powerful impact of the rockslide.

Advanced Technology for Global Hazard Monitoring

At an altitude of around 900 kilometres, SWOT utilises a Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn) to measure surface water height with precision. This technology captured the event’s effects in the confined fjord setting, which conventional altimeters could not do due to their larger footprint. Nadya Vinogradova Shiffer, a scientist at NASA Headquarters, noted that this capability highlights SWOT’s potential for monitoring hazards, contributing to preparedness and disaster risk reduction.

Innovative Partnership in Satellite Research

Since its launch in December 2022, SWOT has been instrumental in mapping global water levels. Developed with contributions from the Canadian and UK space agencies, NASA leads the mission’s U.S. operations, including the KaRIn instrument, with CNES managing various onboard systems and support. The data collected promises ongoing contributions to scientific understanding of Earth’s water dynamics.

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