Month: March 2022

Enlarge / Fire ants form a protrusion from an ant raft. (credit: Vernerey Research Group/CU Boulder)

Fire ants are a textbook example of collective behavior, capable of behaving as individuals, and also banding together to form floating rafts in response to flooding. Now a pair of mechanical engineers from the University of Colorado, Boulder, have identified some simple rules that seem to govern how floating rafts of fire ants contract and expand their shape over time, according to a new paper published in the journal PLOS Computational Biology. The hope is that by gaining a better understanding of the simple rules underlying fire ant behavior, they can develop better algorithms controlling how swarms of robots interact.

It’s not a matter of brain power or careful planning. “This behavior could, essentially, occur spontaneously,” said co-author Robert Wagner. “There doesn’t necessarily need to be any central decision-making by the ants.” Indeed, “Single ants are not as smart as one may think, but, collectively, they become very intelligent and resilient communities,” said co-author Franck Vernerey.

As we’ve reported previously,  a few ants spaced well apart behave like individual ants. But pack enough of them closely together, and they behave more like a single unit, exhibiting both solid and liquid properties. They can form rafts or towers, and you can even pour them from a teapot like a fluid.  Fire ants also excel at regulating their own traffic flow.

Enlarge (credit: Ars Technica)

It’s the weekend, which means it’s time for another Dealmaster. Our latest roundup of the best tech deals from around the web includes a nice chance to save on a Nintendo eShop digital gift card. As of this writing, a $50 gift card for Nintendo’s online game store is available for $45 at Amazon. This isn’t a massive discount, clearly, but it effectively nets you a free $5 if you plan on picking up a new Switch game or two anyway. It’s worth noting that this credit is applicable to purchases on the older Wii U and Nintendo 3DS as well, so if you want to download games on those consoles before their stores shut down next year, this is one way to save a few bucks along the way.

Besides that, our roundup also includes a rare discount on Paramount+ subscriptions. You’ll have to be a new or returning user to take advantage, but if that’s the case, you can take 80 percent off a three-month membership for either the ad-supported “Essential” tier or the (mostly) ad-free “Premium” tier when you use the code “BIRTHDAY” at checkout. This brings the former plan down to $1 per month (instead of $5) and the latter plan—which also includes a live feed of your local CBS station and lets you download shows for later—down to $2 per month (instead of $10).

In general, the streaming service formerly known as CBS All Access doesn’t have as deep a library as competitors like Netflix and HBO Max, but if you wanted to check out shows like Star Trek: Discovery or the upcoming Halo series—or if you just need Nickelodeon shows for your kids—this is a more affordable way to sample the service. Just note that, by default, your subscription will be set to auto-renew at its usual going rate once the discounted period is up. ViacomCBS says this deal will expire on March 7.

Enlarge (credit: janiecbros | Getty Images)

For more than 20 years, the Landsat 7 satellite circled Earth every 99 minutes or so, capturing images of almost all the planet’s surface each 16 days. One of many craft that observed the changing globe, it revealed melting glaciers in Greenland, the growth of shrimp farms in Mexico, and the extent of deforestation in Papua New Guinea. But after Landsat 7 ran short on fuel, its useful life effectively ended. In space, regular servicing has not been an option.

Now, though, NASA has a potential fix for such enfeebled satellites. In a few years, the agency plans to launch a robot into orbit and maneuver it to within grabbing distance of Landsat 7. The robot will use a mechanical arm to catch hold of it and refuel it, mid-air.

If successful, the mission would mark a milestone—the first time a satellite would be refueled in space. And this mission is just one of a number of planned public and private ventures intended to use robots to repair and improve the billions of dollars’ worth of satellites in orbit.

Enlarge / The promotional key art for Apple’s “Peek performance” event. (credit: Apple)

At 1pm EDT on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, Apple will broadcast its first product launch event of 2022. We’re expecting new product announcements and more, and as always, we’ll be liveblogging the proceedings right here at Ars Technica.

In case you didn’t catch our roundup already, it looks likely that Apple may introduce a new version of the iPhone SE, name a release window for iOS 15.4, and much more, including potentially a new iPad Air, updated Macs, and maybe even a first look at the next step for Apple Silicon.

Additionally, Apple’s spring events often have some updates about services like Apple TV+, Apple Fitness+, Apple Music, and more.

Enlarge (credit: Elena Lacey | Getty Images)

On Thursday, hackers defaced a Russian Space Research Institute website and leaked files that they allege are stolen from Roscosmos, the Russian space agency. Their message? “Leave Ukraine alone else Anonymous will f*ck you up even more.” Meanwhile a DDoS attack pummeled Russia’s .ru “top level domain,” with the aim of essentially cutting off access to all URLs that end in .ru. These are just the latest incidents in a surge of hacktivism in support of Ukraine.

Protests against Russia’s war of choice with Ukraine have been held around the world, including in 48 Russian cities. The global community has raised millions of dollars for Ukraine through cryptocurrency donations, and private companies from Shell and BP to Apple have temporarily or permanently pulled out of the Russian market. Amidst the havoc, hacktivists are joining the cacophony in an attempt to make a statement and advance their cause.