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Today is the fall equinox, aka the autumnal equinox. It is the first official day of autumn where daytime and nighttime are approximately the same lengths. There are two equinoxes every year – in September and March – when the sun shines directly on the equator and the length of day and night is nearly the same. The one in March is known as the spring, or vernal, equinox, and marks the beginning of spring. on 22 Sep 2017

A group of researchers at Columbia University have gotten us a step closer to the robots in our imaginations. The 3-D-printed muscle meant for soft, fleshy robots can lift 1,000 times its own weight and exert three times more force than human muscles. “We’ve been making great strides toward making robot minds, but robot bodies are still primitive,” Hod Lipson, a mechanical engineering professor at Columbia University, said in a release. “This is a big piece of the puzzle.” on 21 Sep 2017

A pet parrot managed to place an online shopping order by mimicking its owner on a voice-controlled smart speaker, a British newspaper reported Wednesday. Buddy the parrot ordered a $13.50 set of gift boxes via Amazon's Alexa voice-controlled system, The Sun reported. The mystery order triggered an inquest in Corienne Pretorius's house in southeast London, but after ruling out her husband and son, she figured out Buddy was to blame after hearing him interact with the speaker. on 21 Sep 2017