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Researchers produce a map of the Milky Way’s star cemetery

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The remains of huge stars that have later imploded into black holes and neutron stars have been mapped by researchers. According to the findings, close to one-third of the items in this “galactic graveyard” have been hurled out of the galaxy and it extends three times as high as the Milky Way.

According to a press release from David Sweeney, a PhD student at the Sydney Institute for Astronomy of the University of Sydney and the paper’s lead author published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, “These compact remnants of dead stars show a fundamentally different distribution and structure to the visible galaxy.” “The Milky Way itself has a “height” of the galactic underworld that is over three times greater. Additionally, a startling 30% of items have been totally ejected from the galaxy, continued Sweeney.

When stars that are more than eight times bigger than our Sun run out of fuel and abruptly collapse, black holes and neutron stars are created. When this occurs, a chain reaction occurs that causes the star’s outer layers to explode as a supernova. Depending on its initial mass, the core continues to contract until it either collapses into a neutron star or a black hole.

Because the cores of neutron stars are so dense, neutrons are created when protons and electrons mix at the subatomic level. This reduces the overall mass of the object to a sphere “smaller than a city.” The star will continue to collapse if its initial mass is greater than 25 times that of the Sun until its core becomes so dense that even light cannot escape, forming a black hole. Due to their density, both types of stellar remnants distort the surrounding space, time, and matter.

To develop the first thorough map of the “galactic underworld” where these ancient star corpses are located, the researchers painstakingly recreated their whole lifecycle.

“Up until now, we had no notion where to look, which is one of the challenges in locating these antique artefacts. The oldest black holes and neutron stars were made when the galaxy was younger and had a different shape, and they underwent extensive modifications over billions of years. It has been a major task to model all of this to find them,” said Sydney Institute for Astronomy’s Professor Peter Tuthill in a press statement. Tuthill is a co-author of the paper.

The study’s authors claim that newly produced neutron stars and black holes continue to conform to our galaxy, giving astronomers a hint as to where to seek. The oldest black holes and neutron stars, however, are comparable to “ghosts still haunting a house demolished long ago.”

“Accounting for the ‘kicks’ they receive at the violent moments of their genesis was the hardest challenge I had to solve in tracking down their true distribution. As a result of the asymmetric nature of supernova explosions and the great velocity—up to millions of kilometres per hour—at which the remnants are ejected, every object is propelled in a different, random direction, Sweeney said.

The researchers had to delve far back into cosmic time and reconstruct how these dead stars behaved over billions of years in order to pinpoint their location. The researchers used the analogy that it was like a snooker table where you would be able to determine where a ball went based on how hard and how you hit it.

Researchers from the University of Sydney and Monash University worked together to create complex models that stored the locations of the stars’ births, deaths, and final dispersal as our galaxy expanded.

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Lenovo’s Most Recent Laptop Features a Rollable OLED Display

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Laptop screens often feel cramped, but Lenovo’s ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable AI PC is here to change that. This cutting-edge device features a rollable OLED display that expands from a standard 14-inch screen to an elongated 16.7-inch display with the press of a button. The extended screen offers double the vertical space, perfect for stacking applications or viewing long documents. While the unusual aspect ratio may take some getting used to, the added real estate is a game-changer for productivity.

The rolling mechanism is activated either by a palm gesture or a keyboard button—the latter being much quicker. Lenovo has tested the rolling function 30,000 times to ensure durability, though repairing this futuristic feature might be challenging. Weighing just 3.7 pounds and measuring 19.9 mm thick when closed, the laptop is portable, albeit slightly top-heavy when open. Despite these quirks, it’s a sleek alternative to carrying an external monitor.

Launching in the first quarter of 2025, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable AI PC comes with a hefty $3,499 price tag. It’s powered by Intel’s Core Ultra 7 Series 2 processor and offers up to 32 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage, making it a high-performance machine ideal for demanding users.

Lenovo’s Legion Go S: SteamOS Gaming on the Go

As handheld gaming gains popularity, Lenovo has entered the arena with the Legion Go S, the first SteamOS handheld gaming console from a licensed manufacturer. Available in both SteamOS and Windows versions, the Legion Go S bridges the gap between desktop gaming and portability. Unlike other consoles, this device lacks dual-boot functionality, so users must choose their preferred operating system at checkout.

SteamOS offers seamless integration with cloud saves and game streaming from your PC, while the Windows version provides broader compatibility. Both variants share the same hardware: an 8-inch LCD display with a 1,920 x 1,200 resolution and 120 Hz variable refresh rate, powered by AMD’s Ryzen Z2 Go or Ryzen Z1 Extreme processors. While the screen is smaller than the original Legion Go, the compact size and a 55.5 watt-hour battery significantly improve battery life.

Priced at $730 for the Windows version and $500 for the SteamOS model, the Legion Go S launches this month, with additional configurations arriving in May starting at $600.

ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 6: Private Audio with AI Precision

Lenovo’s ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 6 is an all-in-one computer with a twist: its innovative “Lenovo Focus Sound” technology. Using a machine-learning algorithm and the built-in camera, this feature directs audio exclusively to the user sitting in front of the screen. This means coworkers nearby won’t hear a thing—even if you’re secretly streaming a show.

In practice, the effect is almost eerie, as if someone is whispering directly to you. The sound disappears entirely if you move away from the screen. While headphones are a practical alternative, this technology could redefine office audio privacy. The ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 6 is set to launch this quarter with a starting price of $2,539.

From rollable screens to private audio and handheld gaming innovations, Lenovo’s CES 2025 lineup demonstrates the company’s dedication to pushing technological boundaries. Whether you’re a multitasker, a gamer, or a privacy-conscious professional, there’s something for everyone in this bold new lineup.

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Threads uses a more sophisticated search to compete with Bluesky

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Instagram Threads, a rival to Meta’s X, will have an enhanced search experience, the firm said Monday. The app, which is based on Instagram’s social graph and provides a Meta-run substitute for Elon Musk’s X, is introducing a new feature that lets users search for certain posts by date ranges and user profiles.

Compared to X’s advanced search, which now allows users to refine queries by language, keywords, exact phrases, excluded terms, hashtags, and more, this is less thorough. However, it does make it simpler for users of Threads to find particular messages. Additionally, it will make Threads’ search more comparable to Bluesky’s, which also lets users use sophisticated queries to restrict searches by user profiles, date ranges, and other criteria. However, not all of the filtering options are yet visible in the Bluesky app’s user interface.

In order to counter the danger posed by social networking startup Bluesky, which has quickly gained traction as another X competitor, Meta has started launching new features in quick succession in recent days. Bluesky had more than 9 million users in September, but in the weeks after the U.S. elections, users left X due to Elon Musk’s political views and other policy changes, including plans to alter the way blocks operate and let AI companies train on X user data. According to Bluesky, there are currently around 24 million users.

Meta’s Threads introduced new features to counter Bluesky’s potential, such as an improved algorithm, a design modification that makes switching between feeds easier, and the option for users to select their own default feed. Additionally, it was observed creating Starter Packs, its own version of Bluesky’s user-curated recommendation lists.

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Apple’s own 5G modem-equipped iPhone SE 4 is “confirmed” to launch in March

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Tom O’Malley, an analyst at Barclays, recently visited Asia with his colleagues to speak with suppliers and makers of electronics. The analysts said they had “confirmed” that a fourth-generation iPhone SE with an Apple-designed 5G modem is scheduled to launch near the end of the first quarter next year in a research note they released this week that outlines the main conclusions from the trip. That timeline implies that the next iPhone SE will be unveiled in March, similar to when the present model was unveiled in 2022, in keeping with earlier rumors.

The rumored features of the fourth-generation iPhone SE include a 6.1-inch OLED display, Face ID, a newer A-series chip, a USB-C port, a single 48-megapixel rear camera, 8GB of RAM to enable Apple Intelligence support, and the previously mentioned Apple-designed 5G modem. The SE is anticipated to have a similar design to the base iPhone 14.

Since 2018, Apple is said to have been developing its own 5G modem for iPhones, a move that will let it lessen and eventually do away with its reliance on Qualcomm. With Qualcomm’s 5G modem supply arrangement for iPhone launches extended through 2026 earlier this year, Apple still has plenty of time to finish switching to its own modem. In addition to the fourth-generation iPhone SE, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo earlier stated that the so-called “iPhone 17 Air” would come with a 5G modem that was created by Apple.

Whether Apple’s initial 5G modem would offer any advantages to consumers over Qualcomm’s modems, such quicker speeds, is uncertain.

Qualcomm was sued by Apple in 2017 for anticompetitive behavior and $1 billion in unpaid royalties. In 2019, Apple purchased the majority of Intel’s smartphone modem business after the two firms reached a settlement in the dispute. Apple was able to support its development by acquiring a portfolio of patents relating to cellular technology. It appears that we will eventually be able to enjoy the results of our effort in four more months.

On March 8, 2022, Apple made the announcement of the third-generation iPhone SE online. With antiquated features like a Touch ID button, a Lightning port, and large bezels surrounding the screen, the handset resembles the iPhone 8. The iPhone SE presently retails for $429 in the United States, but the new model may see a price increase of at least a little.

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