Jason Murdock
Reporter
Jason Murdock is a staff reporter for Newsweek.
Based in London, Murdock previously covered cybersecurity for the International Business Times UK and B2B tech for V3.co.uk. Winner of The Drum's 'Digital Writer of the Year' award in 2017. Contact: j.murdock@newsweek.com
NASA and Virgin Galactic Are Developing Supersonic Air Travel
The collaboration, formalized by the signing of a Space Act Agreement this week, will aim to make "technically feasible, high Mach vehicles for civil applications."
Robots That Clean Floors with Ultraviolet Rays Tested in Pittsburgh Airport
Developed in collaboration with technology firm Carnegie Robotics, executives say the modified Liberty SC50 machines are designed to kill microbes in high-traffic areas across the airport.
Donald Trump's Plans for Mining the Moon Edge Closer with 'Artemis Accords'
Plans to propose "safety zones" comes after the president signed an executive order about the "recovery and use of space resources," including from the moon and celestial bodies.
Police Searching for Missing Man Around Crocodile-Infested Waters
"There's... crocodiles in the proximity of where the vessel was located and other marine activity that would be quite concerning if someone were to have entered the water," one police officer said.
Renewable Energy Produced More Electricity Than Coal for 40 Days Straight
The transition away from coal for electricity generation in the U.S. accelerated in 2020 due to lower gas prices, warmer weather and the economic conditions resulting from COVID-19, analysis found.
Michigan Man Wiped Nose on Employee Who Asked Him to Wear Mask, Police Say
Police said the man walked over to the unnamed store clerk and wiped his nose and face on her shirt. He allegedly said: "Here, I will use this as a mask."
LAPD Officer Arrested for Attempted Murder After Camping Trip Shooting
Ismael Tamayo, 44, was taken into custody by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department after deputies responded to a report of a shooting, finding one victim with a gunshot wound to his body.
Elon Musk Shares Image of SpaceX Starship's Raptor Engine Attached to SN4
Last week, Musk confirmed the SN4 prototype had passed a cryogenic proof test, which marked a big milestone for the project that is designed to send crew and cargo to the moon, and even Mars.
Texas Man Uses Stimulus Check to Buy Hotdogs and Burgers for His Neighbors
A gathering appeared to take place despite social distancing guidance in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with attendees in close proximity and largely without face masks.
'Move On': Musk Cuts Into NASA Conference Call During COVID-19 Question
The SpaceX boss recent fumed against U.S. shelter-in-place orders during a Tesla earnings call, saying: "This is not democratic. This is not freedom. Give people back their goddamn freedom."
Pizza Business Owner Shares Harsh Reality Behind Food Delivery Apps
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many restaurants without an internal delivery service have turned to apps including Grubhub, DoorDash, Postmates or UberEats to operate, but at what cost?
Georgia Teens No Longer Have to Take a Road Test to Get a Driver's License
In an efforts to maintain social distancing, the state's Department of Driver Services (DDS) can no longer have an employee monitoring an applicant from inside the same vehicle during a road test.
Tesla Faces Lawsuit after Model X with 'Dozing Driver' Blamed for Crash
Documents filed in a San Jose federal court Tuesday described the case of Yoshihiro Umeda, the 44-year-old victim, as being the first "autopilot-related death involving a pedestrian."
Trump, Musk Hydroxychloroquine 'Endorsements' Tied to Spike in Web Searches
University researchers have stressed it remains vital to rely on "evidence-based medicine" and reiterated the official health warning that there is no known cure or vaccine for COVID-19.
Quest for Fusion Energy May Be Advanced by Machine Learning and AI
Algorithms are increasingly being deployed to predict disruptions that could potentially occur during fusion experiments and may help turn the long-discussed energy source into reality, experts say.
Elon Musk Blasts Coronavirus Lockdowns: 'FREE AMERICA NOW'
"Reopen with care and appropriate protection, but don't put everyone under de facto house arrest," the Tesla CEO wrote after health officials in California extended stay-at-home orders.
Google's AI Health Screening Claimed 90% Accuracy, but Failed to Deliver
Google said its AI showed a "specialist-level accuracy" of more than 90 percent for the detection of referable cases of diabetic retinopathy (DR). In reality, it quickly faced unforeseen challenges.
Great White Shark Unama'ki Is Heading Even Further Into the Open Ocean
Unama'ki is one of the many sharks currently being tracked by experts from the U.S marine data organization OCEARCH.
Is Hulu Down? Streaming Service Experiences Temporary Outages Across U.S.
DownDetector, a website that tracks the availability of websites, confirmed that problems had been recorded in a variety of locations spanning the U.S., from New York to San Francisco.
'War Against COVID-19' Being Secretly Waged by Scientists and Billionaires
The assembled group—Scientists to Stop COVID-19—has reportedly worked behind-the-scenes in recent months, compiling a report containing some possible responses to the spreading infectious disease.
COVID-19 Pandemic Can Now Be Tracked Through Google Searches
"Search terms related to COVID-19 are highly correlated with the trends in daily new cases and new deaths of COVID-19 in the US," researchers said. Unfortunately, predictive capabilities were low.
Russian Space Chief Calls Elon Musk a 'Pentagon Contractor'
"The satellite constellation deployed by the company will also be used for military purposes. It is of dual use," Roscosmos director-general Dmitry Rogozin claimed on Twitter this week.
New Smart Patch Monitors Health at Molecular Level to Reduce Diabetes Risk
Devices that can track heart rates and step counts are now common in watches and cell phones, but a new type of wearable is being developed to go deeper, measuring "dietary biomarkers" in the body.
Elon Musk's SpaceX Starship Spacecraft Just Overcame a Big Hurdle
Taking place at a SpaceX site in Texas, the SN4 prototype became the first full-scale build to pass the crucial test following a series of setbacks with prior models including the MK1, SN1 and SN3.
Nintendo Confirms Hack Attack Has Exposed 160,000 User Accounts
"We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused and concern to our customers and related parties. In the future, we will make further efforts to strengthen security," Nintendo said.
China Planning 500,000 New 5G Base Stations by End of Year Despite COVID-19
"China's 5G has pressed the fast forward button," Wen Ku, a director at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), said this week.
DNA Breakthrough Identifies Suspect in Cold Case Murder of California Teen
Investigators said the body of 17-year-old high school student Mary London was found on a then-rural stretch of San Juan Road in North Sacramento in 1981.
Oregon Man Sues Property Firm for Allegedly Tracking His Stimulus Check
Austin Goodrich, 22, filed legal action accusing his landlord of tracking the status of his coronavirus stimulus check "without permission in an attempt to coercively collect rent from him."
Elon Musk Says SpaceX is 'Fixing' Brightness of Starlink Satellites
The Starlink mission is intended to deliver "high speed broadband internet to locations where access has been unreliable, expensive, or completely unavailable," SpaceX reiterated this week.
Zoom's New App Update Combats 'Zoombombing' and Boosts Encryption
The software experienced a surge in use during the COVID-19 pandemic while garnering criticism for security and privacy bugs.
