24news

A study shows self-driving cars could prevent more than 1 million U.S. road injuries by 2035, cutting traffic-related accidents by 3.6%. Researchers modelled multiple adoption and safety scenarios, highlighting the potential of AVs to reduce human-error crashes. Future studies on highways are needed to fully assess the public health benefits of autonomous vehicles.

Astronomers have measured the mass and distance of a rogue planet for the first time. Using observations from Earth and the Gaia space telescope, the planet was found to be just under Saturn’s mass and about 10,000 light-years away. The study highlights how free-floating planets are ejected from star systems and improves understanding of planetary dynamics.

Starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, The Rip is a tense Netflix thriller from Joe Carnahan that follows a Miami police narcotics unit whose loyalty and ethics crumble after they discover a fortune in cash, attracting dangerous attention and relentless scrutiny.

As low Earth orbit becomes crowded, very low Earth orbit satellites are emerging as a promising alternative. Operating closer to Earth, they offer faster communication, sharper imaging, and better weather data. Advances in propulsion are helping overcome atmospheric drag, opening the door to wider use of this challenging but valuable orbital region.

Qualcomm has announced the Snapdragon X2 Plus chipset ahead of CES 2026. The new compute platform features the company’s third-generation Oryon CPU architecture and an 80 TOPS neural engine for local AI inference. It is positioned within the Snapdragon X Series and will power the first wave of Copilot+ PC laptops arriving in early 2026.

SpaceX has launched its first Starlink mission of 2026, sending 29 satellites into low Earth orbit aboard a new Falcon 9 rocket. The booster completed a successful landing at sea, while the mission further expanded the company’s global broadband network, which now serves remote regions with limited internet access.