The International Space Station is like no other place on Earth, and not just because it’s not actually on Earth at all. The orbiting laboratory is inhabited by crews of scientists that live there for months before being changed out for fresh faces, and this poses a huge challenge when it comes to cleanliness.

It’s not that astronauts are any messier than the rest of us, but they’re definitely still human, and being human means carrying a whole host of microorganisms with you on a daily basis. Recent research has revealed that the bacteria spread by humans to the ISS is actually mutating, posing a potential risk for future spacegoers, but researchers are now testing a new antimicrobial coating that could help clean things up a bit.

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1. Scientists are trying to make the International Space Station’s bathroom a little less gross

Scientists are trying to make the International Space Station’s bathroom a little less gross originally appeared on BGR.com on Tue, 19 Mar 2019 at 23:07:53 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Back in the day, before the advent of the modern-day smartphone, the only way to waste time in class was to trade notes with friends, doodle some crude drawings on your notebook, or maybe play a few rudimentary video games on your graphing calculator. Flash forward to 2019 and the learning environment is markedly different. These days, college students are increasingly using their school’s Wi-Fi network to access streaming content from the likes of sites like Netflix and Hulu. In turn, bandwidth can sometimes take a discernible hit. Though universities are well equipped to handle an insane amount of traffic, things change quite a bit when you’re talking about thousands of students streaming HD content at the same time.

In light of that, one high-profile university recently embarked on a somewhat controversial measures to preserve their precious bandwidth. Highlighting the issue, the Chicago Tribune reports that Purdue University recently blocked students from using streaming services at academic buildings on campus. According to the report, Purdue opted for this course of action after hearing complaints from teachers regarding academic applications not running smoothly during class.

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1. Purdue University bans Wi-Fi access to streaming sites like Netflix following teacher complaints

Purdue University bans Wi-Fi access to streaming sites like Netflix following teacher complaints originally appeared on BGR.com on Tue, 19 Mar 2019 at 22:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As big tech and entertainment giants like Apple and Disney roll out new streaming TV services later this year to rival existing players like Netflix and HBO, it’s certainly leaving consumers with a dizzying array of choices to pick from in order to get their streaming fix.

On Monday, Apple is expected to finally unveil what it’s been working on in the streaming TV space, including details of its planned offerings and the original series its commissioned. This will give consumers already subscribed to everything from cable TV to Netflix just one more option to think about.

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1. The average US consumer now pays for three streaming video services

The average US consumer now pays for three streaming video services originally appeared on BGR.com on Tue, 19 Mar 2019 at 22:05:07 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One of NASA’s most exciting ongoing missions is that of the InSight lander that currently calls Mars home. The robotic lander has the potential to teach scientists a great deal about the Red Planet and its history, but first NASA has to figure out what to do with one of its important, but underperforming, instruments.

The tool, which is described as a “self-hammering mole” is designed to dig several meters into the planet in order to take temperature readings and paint a more complete picture of what is going on deep inside. Unfortunately the instrument’s first attempt fell well short of expectations, and its engineers aren’t sure why.

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1. NASA’s InSight lander still has a big problem, and nobody is quite sure how to fix it

NASA’s InSight lander still has a big problem, and nobody is quite sure how to fix it originally appeared on BGR.com on Tue, 19 Mar 2019 at 21:03:15 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Netflix sparked a bit of an outcry last week when the streaming giant cancelled One Day at a Time, a Netflix original family comedy inspired by the old Norman Lear series of the same name.

The cancellation led Netflix to issue a rare explanation on social media, which this Facebook post from the company noting: “The choice did not come easily — we spent several weeks trying to find a way to make another season work but in the end simply not enough people watched to justify another season.” Which was no doubt still unsatisfactory to the show’s fans, and made many of them wonder if the show could be resurrected somewhere else.

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1. This is why Netflix canceled your favorite show

This is why Netflix canceled your favorite show originally appeared on BGR.com on Tue, 19 Mar 2019 at 20:08:39 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s been an interesting and unusually busy week thus far for Apple. In the span of a few days, Apple unveiled a brand new iPad Air and iPad Mini along with a revamped iMac lineup. What’s more, there are now rumblings that Apple may release a refreshed iPod Touch later in the week. With Apple seemingly on a hardware release binge, there’s a good chance the company is getting some of its relatively minor hardware announcements out of the way before its special event next week.

Though Apple’s special media event — which will kick off next Monday — will reportedly focus on media related endeavors, there is also a chance we might see some new hardware in the form of AirPods 2 and, believe it or not, the long-delayed AirPower charging mat Apple originally unveiled all the way back in September of 2018.

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1. iOS 12.2 beta suggests AirPower release may be right around the corner

iOS 12.2 beta suggests AirPower release may be right around the corner originally appeared on BGR.com on Tue, 19 Mar 2019 at 19:06:59 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Many of NASA’s satellites spend their entire lives pointed deep into the cosmos, but the space agency also had plenty of lenses pointed back down towards Earth. NASA tracks all kinds of things that happen here on our planet, including weather systems and natural disasters like the record-setting floods currently taking place in Nebraska.

In a new series of images, NASA’s Landsat 8 satellite shows how dramatically much of Nebraska has changed as flood waters turned otherwise calm waterways into lake-sized bodies of water spilling into populated areas. The following before-and-after photos were snapped a year apart.

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1. NASA captures devastating Nebraska floods from high above

NASA captures devastating Nebraska floods from high above originally appeared on BGR.com on Tue, 19 Mar 2019 at 18:35:40 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Firefox’s latest release aims to fix one of the most annoying things about surfing around the web — videos with sound that autoplay when you load a new page, which can now be blocked in Firefox 66 along with slow-loading images and ads that interrupt the page-loading experience.

Today’s release includes a host of other minor new features, but it’s the video-blocking that’s arguably the most headline-worthy. Worth noting is that sites like Facebook which often autoplay videos without sound won’t be affected by the feature, nor will a site like Netflix that automatically tees up a new video once the current one you’re watching is finished.

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1. Firefox can now block autoplaying videos with sound across the web

Firefox can now block autoplaying videos with sound across the web originally appeared on BGR.com on Tue, 19 Mar 2019 at 18:04:43 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One of the best-selling video game series of all time is finally making its way to mobile devices. On Monday, Activision announced that it is teaming up with Chinese game publisher Tencent to bring Call of Duty: Mobile to the West. Made by Tencent’s Timi studio, the free-to-play game draws on maps, modes, weapons, and characters from the history of the franchise, including the Black Ops and the Modern Warfare series.

Call of Duty: Mobile will focus entirely on competitive multiplayer, featuring familiar modes like Team Deathmatch, Search and Destroy and Free-For-All. Classic maps such as Nuketown, Crash, and Hijacked will be included as well, and players can “earn and unlock classic Call of Duty characters, weapons, scorestreaks and other gear to equip and customize their loadouts as they battle to be among the best in the world.”

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1. ‘Call of Duty: Mobile’ brings the popular series to iOS and Android for free

‘Call of Duty: Mobile’ brings the popular series to iOS and Android for free originally appeared on BGR.com on Tue, 19 Mar 2019 at 17:33:21 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Most people play video games for their entertainment value or simply to kill a bit of time, but games have also proven useful in a variety of medical contexts. Customized interactive digital experiences have helped patients battle symptoms of PTSD and even train doctors to be better at their jobs.

Now, researchers from Northwestern Medicine have developed a retro-styled arcade game designed specifically for stroke survivors. The game, which has since been tested on over 30 volunteers, has demonstrated its effectiveness at promoting muscle control and increased mobility in individuals who suffered reduced mobility for decades.

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1. Scientists are using a video game to help stroke victims regain movement

Scientists are using a video game to help stroke victims regain movement originally appeared on BGR.com on Tue, 19 Mar 2019 at 17:02:45 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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