You might be familiar with Hal from 2001: A Space Odyssey, a robot whose sentient actions made life a little dicey for Hal’s astronaut friends. Mars rover Opportunity just got a “Hal” infusion from NASA. Space.com reports that new software uploaded to the rover now allows Opportunity to decide just what kind of observations it wants to make about Mars.Opportunity has been roaming the surface of Mars for seven years. The largely solar-powered machine travels along the planet’s surface, taking pictures of the changing landscape. But now, it will be able to make additional decisions about the kind of photographs it will take. Opportunity stops to analyze rocks and other interests for the scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.This new software is making things much easier for Opportunity. The software is called Autonomous Exploration for Gathering Increased Science, or AEGIS. It allows Opportunity to photograph a vast array of objects. Formerly, images of objects had to be transmitted to Earth for analysis. Based on these pictures, ground operators would check for targets of interest to examine on a later day. Valuable time would be lost, and ground operators might miss further details if they decided the object wasn’t a high priority.Now, Opportunity can use the formerly wasted “in-between” time to go on to investigate something of interest. As Tara Estlin of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory told Space.com, “It’s a way to get some bonus science.”The new software has already proved helpful to the rover. On March 4, Opportunity found an unnamed rock after analyzing a wider-angle photo taken by the rover’s navigation camera at the end of a drive. According to Estlin, “It found exactly the target we would want it to find. This checkout went just as we had planned, thanks to many people’s work, but it’s still amazing to see Opportunity performing a new autonomous activity after more than six years on Mars.”While its sister rover, Spirit, is hunkered down for the Martian winter, Opportunity remains on track for the crater Endeavor. Scientists are excited to see exactly what this newly equipped rover will find.Katherine Butler covers space news for the Mother Nature Network.More from Mother Nature Network:
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Man’s dog suddenly becomes protective of his wife, Internet clocks the reason right away
The online community came through in a big way.
Reddit user Girlfriendhatesmefor’s three-year-old pitbull, Otis, had recently become overprotective of his wife. So he asked the online community if they knew what might be wrong with the dog.
“A week or two ago, my wife got some sort of stomach bug,” the Reddit user wrote under the subreddit /r/dogs. “She was really nauseous and ill for about a week. Otis is very in tune with her emotions (we once got in a fight and she was upset, I swear he was staring daggers at me lol) and during this time didn’t even want to leave her to go on walks. We thought it was adorable!”
His wife soon felt better, butthe dog’s behavior didn’t change.
Otis knew before they did. Canva Girlfriendhatesmefor began to fear that Otis’ behavior may be an early sign of an aggression issue or an indication that the dog was hurt or sick.
So he threw a question out to fellow Reddit users: “Has anyone else’s dog suddenly developed attachment/aggression issues? Any and all advice appreciated, even if it’s that we’re being paranoid!”
The most popular response to his thread was by ZZBC.
Any chance your wife is pregnant?
ZZBC | Reddit
The potential news hit Girlfriendhatesmefor like a ton of bricks. A few days later, Girlfriendhatesmefor posted an update and ZZBC was right!
“The wifey is pregnant!” the father-to-be wrote. “Otis is still being overprotective but it all makes sense now! Thanks for all the advice and kind words! Sorry for the delayed reply, I didn’t check back until just now!”
Redditors responded with similar experiences.
Anecdotal I know but I swear my dog knew I was pregnant before I was. He was super clingy (more than normal) and was always resting his head on my belly.
realityisworse | Reddit
So why do dogs get overprotective when someone is pregnant?
Jeff Werber, PhD, president and chief veterinarian of the Century Veterinary Group in Los Angeles, told Health.com that “dogs can also smell the hormonal changes going on in a woman’s body at that time.” He added the dog may “not understand that this new scent of your skin and breath is caused by a developing baby, but they will know that something is different with you—which might cause them to be more curious or attentive.”
The big lesson here is to listen to your pets and to ask questions when their behavior abruptly changes. They may be trying to tell you something, and the news may be life-changing.
This article originally appeared last year.
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14 images of badass women who destroyed stereotypes and inspired future generations
These trailblazers redefined what a woman could be.
Throughout history, women have stood up and fought to break down barriers imposed on them from stereotypes and societal expectations. The trailblazers in these photos made history and redefined what a woman could be. In doing so, they paved the way for future generations to stand up and continue to fight for equality.
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Why mass shootings spawn conspiracy theories
Mass shootings and conspiracy theories have a long history.
While conspiracy theories are not limited to any topic, there is one type of event that seems particularly likely to spark them: mass shootings, typically defined as attacks in which a shooter kills at least four other people.
When one person kills many others in a single incident, particularly when it seems random, people naturally seek out answers for why the tragedy happened. After all, if a mass shooting is random, anyone can be a target.
Pointing to some nefarious plan by a powerful group – such as the government – can be more comforting than the idea that the attack was the result of a disturbed or mentally ill individual who obtained a firearm legally.
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Want to reconnect with someone but aren’t sure what to say? Try this simple, no-risk way to reach out.
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