US researchers refine ion engines that could make chemical rockets look obsolete
The big picture: In deep-space travel, the race is no longer about who has the biggest rocket – it's about who can build the smartest plasma engine. As the competition to reach Mars intensifies, engineers in the US, Russia, and China are accelerating development of propulsion systems that trade conventional fuel for charged particles and magnetic fields.
Connecting the dots: When Google's Threat Analysis Group uncovered unusual network activity rippling across millions of internet-connected devices, something didn't add up. The traffic patterns didn't match typical malware signatures. Instead, what they found looked more like a massive distributed relay system: millions of private phones, computers, and smart home devices quietly moving data for someone else. That someone, Google now says, was a Chinese company called IPIDEA.