Why bitcoin price is trending  CNN

4 teams trending up -- and down -- in '26 standings projections  MLB.com

Trending tickers: AMD, Super Micro Computer, Chipotle, Novo Nordisk and UBS  Yahoo Finance UK

Hillary Clinton demands public Epstein testimony, rips into House Oversight Chair | TRENDING  The Hill

Vikings' Rough Offseason Gets Even Worse While Lions Trending Up  Detroit Jock City

1. Steam Machine and Steam Frame delays are the latest product of the RAM crisis  Ars Technica
2. Valve’s Steam Machine has been delayed, and the RAM crisis will impact pricing  The Verge
3. Valve updates hardware launch timing due to component pricing  GamesIndustry.biz
4. AMD Says Valve Is 'On Track' to Ship Steam Machine Early This Year, but We Still Don't Know the Price  IGN
5. Valve Reconsiders Steam Frame Price & Release Date Amid RAM & Storage Shortage  Road to VR

1. Google teases AirDrop support for more Android phones ‘very soon’  9to5Google
2. Google just confirmed what Android fans have been praying to hear about AirDrop sharing  Android Authority
3. Google hints at big AirDrop expansion for Android "very soon"  Ars Technica
4. Google to expand Quick Share-AirDrop interoperability  AppleInsider
5. Exciting AirDrop Feature Set to Launch for Android Devices in the Near Future  wadenanews.ca

1. Google Shows Off Pixel 10a With No Camera Bump  Gizmodo
2. Google Pixel 10A: Preorders, Release Date, Price  CNET
3. Google’s full lineup of Pixel 10a colors leak, including vibrant ‘Berry’  9to5Google
4. Exclusive: Official Google Pixel 10a Renders Showing the 'Obsidian' Model  Android Headlines
5. You can pre-order the Pixel 10a on February 18  Engadget

1. New Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Leak Confirms Bad Battery News  Forbes
2. Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Release Date: New Leaks, Disappointing News  Forbes
3. Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Might Have an Even More Ridiculous Camera Zoom  Gizmodo
4. Galaxy S26 series will ‘100%’ not have Qi2 magnets built-in, leak reveals  9to5Google
5. Galaxy S26 vs S25 battery specs and charging: What the leaks reveal  SamMobile

1. Ikea’s cheap new smart home gear is struggling to get connected  The Verge
2. Google Home struggles with buttons as IKEA confirms Matter connectivity issues  9to5Google
3. I spent way too long on IKEA’s ‘New In’ page – here are the 5 best launches from January  T3
4. 'We're still a home furnishing company, it's just that adding smart functionality can give our products superpowers': IKEA exec shares the brand's big smart home plans  TechRadar
5. IKEA acknowledges connectivity problems with budget Matter-over-Thread devices  9to5Mac

Two next-generation satellite missions announced Thursday will help NASA better understand Earth and improve capabilities to foresee environmental events and mitigate disasters.

“NASA uses the unique vantage point of space to study our home planet to deliver life-saving data into the hands of disaster response and decision-makers every day for the benefit of all, while also informing future exploration across our solar system,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington. “By understanding Earth’s surface topography, ecosystems and atmosphere, while also enabling longer range weather forecasting, these missions will help us better study the extreme environments beyond our home planet to ensure the safety of astronauts and spacecraft as we return to the Moon with the Artemis campaign and journey onward to Mars and beyond.”

These two missions were selected for continued development as part of NASA’s Earth System Explorers Program, which conducts principal investigator-led Earth science missions based on key priorities laid out by the science community and national needs. The program is designed to enable high-quality Earth system science investigations to focus on previously identified key targeted observables.

The STRIVE (Stratosphere Troposphere Response using Infrared Vertically-resolved light Explorer) mission will provide daily, near-global, high-resolution measurements of temperature, a variety of Earth’s atmospheric elements, and aerosol properties from the upper troposphere to the mesosphere – at a much higher spatial density than any previous mission. It also will measure vertical profiles of ozone and trace gasses needed to understand the recovery of the ozone layer. The data collected from STRIVE would support longer-range weather forecasts, an important tool in protecting coastal communities, where nearly half the world’s population lives. The mission is led by Lyatt Jaeglé at the University of Washington in Seattle.

The EDGE (Earth Dynamics Geodetic Explorer) mission will observe the three-dimensional structure of terrestrial ecosystems and the surface topography of glaciers, ice sheets, and sea ice. The mission will provide an advancement beyond the measurements currently recorded from space by NASA’s ICESat-2 (Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite 2) and GEDI (Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation). The data collected by EDGE will measure conditions affecting land and sea transportation corridors, terrain, and other areas of commercial interest. The mission is led by Helen Amanda Fricker at the University of California San Diego.

The selected missions will advance to the next phase of development. Each mission will be subject to confirmation review in 2027, which will assess the progress of the missions and the availability of funds. If confirmed, the total estimated cost of each mission, not including launch, will not exceed $355 million with a mission launch date of no earlier than 2030.

For more information about the Earth System Explorers Program, visit:

https://explorers.larc.nasa.gov/2023ESE

-end-

Liz Vlock
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
elizabeth.a.vlock@nasa.gov

What does a welder do?

A welder uses tools that join two or more parts through forces such as heat or pressure. Metals are the materials most commonly used in welding, but it’s also possible to weld thermoplastics or wood. Welders use their hands, skills, and problem-solving abilities to create something new.

At NASA, welders use different types of welding processes to assemble spacecraft and rocket components. Welders also put their expertise to work on equipment and facilities that make space exploration possible, such as launch pads, fuel tanks, propellant lines, and buildings where rockets are assembled.

What are the different types of welding?

Welding can be done in many different ways. Here are some of the types of welding used at NASA:

• Arc Welding: Uses electricity to melt metals and fuse them together. There are many types of arc welding, including TIG and MIG welding, described below.
• Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) Welding: Uses a protective gas like argon or helium to keep the metal from reacting with air. TIG welding doesn’t leave behind splatter or residue, giving a clean, precise weld.
• Metal Inert Gas (MIG) Welding: While not as clean and precise as TIG welding, is used for fast, strong welds on thicker materials, like sheet metal.
• Laser Welding: Enables welders to create tiny, perfect joints for delicate components.
• Ultrasonic Welding: Uses sound and friction to create a solid-state bond between layers of metal.

How can I become a welder?

After graduating from high school, there are a couple of pathways to choose from. You can pursue an associate’s degree in welding, typically a two-year program available through community colleges and technical schools. Another option is to obtain a certificate from a vocational school or trade school. An apprenticeship during or after this training is often the next step toward a career as a professional welder.

How can I start preparing today to become a welder?

Taking a welding class at your high school or local college is a great way to find out whether it’s a skill you enjoy. Research welding degrees and programs at colleges and schools to determine which one(s) fit your needs and interest. It’s also a good idea to research job vacancies to learn what employers are looking for. Finally, seek out opportunities for hands-on experience to help you practice and improve your welding skills.

Advice from other NASA welders

• “Building your knowledge in math and science is always a helpful tool, as you’ll need to understand measurements, geometry, and materials.” – Spencer Wells, engineering technician, Kennedy Space Center
• “One of the best ways to set yourself up as a welder is by attending a vocational school for welding, and then working in an apprentice/internship to gain work experience and training.” – Enricque Lee, tool and die apprentice, NASA’s Glenn Research Center

Additional Resources

• Occupational Outlook for Welders: Pay, Education, Job Outlook, and More (From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
• NASA Careers
• Career Spotlight: Engineer
• Career Spotlight: Scientist
• Career Spotlight: Technologist
• Career Spotlight: Mathematician

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission is preparing to launch for a long-duration science mission aboard the International Space Station. During the mission, select crew members will participate in human health studies focused on understanding how astronauts’ bodies adapt to the low-gravity environment of space, including a new study examining subtle changes in blood flow.

The experiments, led by NASA’s Human Research Program, include astronauts performing ultrasounds of their blood vessels to study altered circulation and completing simulated lunar landings to assess disorientation during gravitational transitions, among other tasks. The results will help NASA plan for extended stays in space and future exploration missions.

The new study, called Venous Flow, will examine whether time aboard the space station increases the chance of crew members developing blood clots. In weightlessness, blood and other bodily fluids can move toward the head, potentially altering circulation. Any resulting blood clots could pose serious health risks, including strokes.

“Our goal is to use this information to better understand how fluid shifts affect clotting risk, so that when astronauts go on long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars, we can build the best strategies to keep them safe,” said Dr. Jason Lytle, a physiologist at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston who is leading the study. 

To learn more, crew members in this study will undergo preflight and postflight MRIs, ultrasound scans, blood draws, and blood pressure checks. During the flight, crew members also will capture their own jugular vein ultrasounds, take blood pressure readings, and draw blood samples for scientists to analyze after their return to Earth.

In another study, called Manual Piloting, select crew members will perform multiple simulated Moon landings before, during, and after the mission. Designed to assess their piloting and decision-making skills, participants attempt to fly a virtual spacecraft toward the lunar South Pole region — the same area future Artemis crews plan to explore.

“Astronauts may experience disorientation during gravitational transitions, which can make tasks like landing a spacecraft challenging,” said Dr. Scott Wood, a neuroscientist at NASA Johnson who is coordinating the investigation.

While spacecraft landings on the Moon and Mars are expected to be automated, crews must be prepared to take over and pilot the vehicle if necessary.

 “This study will help us examine astronauts’ ability to operate a spacecraft after adapting from one gravity environment to another, and whether training near the end of their spaceflight can help prepare crews for landing,” said Wood. “We’ll monitor their ability to manually override, redirect, and control a vehicle, which will guide our strategy for training Artemis crews for future Moon missions.”

The risk of astronauts experiencing disorientation from gravitational transitions increases the longer they’re in space. For this study, which debuted during the agency’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission, researchers plan to recruit seven astronauts for short-term private missions lasting up to 30 days and 14 astronauts for long-duration missions lasting at least 106 days. A control group performing the same tasks as the astronauts will provide a basis of comparison.

A different study will investigate potential treatments for spaceflight associated neuro-ocular syndrome, or SANS, which causes vision and eye changes. Researchers will examine whether taking a daily B vitamin supplement can help relieve SANS symptoms.

After returning to Earth, select crew members will participate in a study that documents any injuries, such as scrapes or bruises that may occur during landing. Transitioning from weightlessness to Earth’s gravity can increase the injury risk without proper safeguards. The data will help researchers improve spacecraft design to better protect crews from landing forces.

____

NASA’s Human Research Program

NASA’s Human Research Program pursues methods and technologies to support safe, productive human space travel. Through science conducted in laboratories, ground-based analogs, commercial missions, the International Space Station and Artemis missions, the program scrutinizes how spaceflight affects human bodies and behaviors. Such research drives the program’s quest to innovate ways that keep astronauts healthy and mission ready as human space exploration expands to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

This new Hubble image, released on Jan. 30, 2026, is the sharpest taken of NGC 7722, a lenticular galaxy located about 187 million light-years away in the constellation Pegasus. A lenticular, meaning “lens-shaped,” galaxy is a type whose classification sits between more familiar spiral galaxies and elliptical galaxies. It is also less common than spirals and ellipticals — partly because these galaxies have a somewhat ambiguous appearance, making it hard to determine if it is a spiral, an elliptical, or something in between.

Learn more about this observation.

Image credit:  ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. J. Foley (UC Santa Cruz), Dark Energy Survey/DOE/FNAL/DECam/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA; Acknowledgment: Mehmet Yüksek

No Olympic competitions covers more ground than the 50-kilometer cross-country ski races. The grueling event takes more than 2 hours to complete, requiring competitors to ski a distance longer than a marathon. That’s still, however, less than an eighth of the distance between the two official host cities of the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics—Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.

With events spread across more than 22,000 square kilometers (8,500 square miles) and eight cities or towns in northern Italy, these are the most geographically dispersed Games in Olympic history. The decentralized design was intentional, allowing planners to control costs and make the event more sustainable by using existing venues rather than constructing several expensive new facilities. More than 90 percent of the venues are existing or temporary facilities, including some refurbished facilities that were used in the 1956 Cortina d’Ampezzo Games.                              

About 2,900 athletes will compete across 116 events over 19 days in 13 venues in what will be the third time Italy has hosted the Games. Several of the key event venues are visible in these satellite images of the two largest host cities—Milan and Verona. The OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8 and 9 captured the images on December 8 and 9, 2025, respectively.

Olympic festivities will kick off officially on February 6 at San Siro Stadium with performances by pop star Mariah Carey, classical singer Andrea Bocelli, classical instrumentalist Lang Lang, and Italian singer-songwriter Laura Pausini. Built in 1925, San Siro is Italy’s largest stadium and the longtime home of renowned football clubs AC Milan and Inter Milan.

Milan will mostly host indoor ice events in several other venues around the city. Ice hockey will be spread across two venues, the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena and the temporary Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena. The former, located east of the city in the green and residential Santa Giulia district, is the only new permanent venue constructed for the Games. The latter, in Milano Ice Park, is a temporary transformation of the Fiera Milano Rho exhibition center, a complex of pavilions and a convention center northwest of the city center.

Speed skating and figure skating will be in the Milano Ice Skating Arena, an 11,500-person stadium in Assago, a small town just outside of Milan. Outside of the Olympics, the multisport facility is used by a skating school and basketball team and as a venue for tennis, squash, swimming, and several other sports.

The February 22 closing ceremonies will take place in Verona, a city of about 250,000 people 150 kilometers east of Milan, in Verona Arena, an ancient Roman amphitheater that was built between the 1st and 3rd centuries. What was once used for animal hunts and gladiator battles will serve as the backdrop for musicians, dancers, and artists in a ceremony that organizers say will honor the spirit of athletics and Italy’s rich cultural heritage. The arena, with a seating capacity of about 22,000, is the third-largest surviving amphitheater in Europe and unusually well-preserved.

New events this year will include men’s and women’s ski mountaineering, skeleton mixed team relay, women’s doubles luge, freestyle skiing dual moguls, and women’s large hill ski jumping. The 2026 Olympic mascots are Tina and Milo, a brother-and-sister pair of cheerful, scarf-wearing animated stoats with names inspired by Milan and Cortina. Stoats, also called ermine, are fierce predators in the weasel family known for reportedly mesmerizing prey with energetic dances and for having fur that changes from dark brown in the summer to white in the winter. In Italy, stoats typically live in the mountains above 3,500 meters (11,500 feet).

NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Adam Voiland.

References & Resources

• ArchDaily (2026, February 6) Six Sites Host the Olympic Villages of Milano Cortina 2026 With a Focus on Existing Infrastructure. Accessed February 4, 2026.
• ESPN (2026, January 16) New events at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Accessed February 4, 2026.
• International Olympic Committee (2026, January 29) Key facts and figures about the upcoming Olympic Winter Games. Accessed February 4, 2026.
• International Olympic Committee (2026, January 9) Milano Cortina 2026: Reaching new heights in the heart of the Dolomites. Accessed February 4, 2026.
• International Olympic Committee (2025, October 23) Over 125 years of Olympic venues: post-Games use. Accessed February 4, 2026.
• National Park Stilfser Joch The Stoat or ermine. Accessed February 4, 2026.
• Nicoliello, M. (2024) A New Era for the Olympic Games Following a Sustainability Path: The Case of Milan-Cortina 2026. Business for Sustainability, 22, 163-181.
• Raco, M. & Di Vita, S. (2024) Replacing place with space: the influences and the challenges of the new norm on the Milan-Cortina Winter Games 2026. Planning Perspectives, 39,(3), 710-719.
• SportsTravel (2026, February 3) Olympic Winter Games Preview: Venue Guide. Accessed February 4, 2026.
• The New York Times (2023, July 3) GOATs Are Everywhere in Sports. So What Really Defines Greatness? Accessed February 4, 2026.

A16z VC Jennifer Li⁠, who oversees some of the firm's fastest growing AI companies, warns founders not to believe every ARR claim made on X.

The new model is build to accelerate the capabilities of Codex, the agentic coding tool OpenAI launched earlier this week.

An alleged ransomware attack has taken down the systems of the Sapienza University of Rome.

We’re starting to see the idea of Musk-owned orbital AI data clusters cohere into an actual plan.

Get ready for some selfies that are out of this world. Crew-12 is expected to head to the International Space Station next week, while the highly anticipated Artemis II mission -- which will bring humans around the moon for the first time since the 1960s -- was delayed until March.