How to get the iOS 10 and macOS Sierra public betas

With upgrades from almost all popular operating systems on the run, the trend of upgrading their devices has become up and about.  Some people don't know how to even upgrade their devices so this post has been put up


After getting our first look at iOS 10 and macOS Sierra at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference, we’ve been eager to get our hands on Apple’s latest operating systems. It’s been less than a month, and Apple has already started rolling out the public betas. As long as you’re willing to put up with potentially buggy software, now’s your opportunity to try the latest and greatest out of Cupertino.
Before you consider installing either one of these betas, you need to make sure that you have a complete backup. For your iOS device, plug into either a Windows PC or a Mac, and press the “Back Up Now” button in iTunes. As for your Mac, you’re probably best off making a bootable backup with an app like Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper. Once you’ve verified that all of your data is backed up properly, it’s safe to proceed.

Install iOS 10

Head to Apple’s beta website, and sign-up for access. You’ll need to log in with your existing AppleID, and then agree to the terms and conditions. Next, you’ll need to visit this page on your iOS device to download the beta profile. Install the new profile, and reboot your device once it’s finished.

Once you’ve rebooted, launch the Settings app. Navigate to General > Software Update, and you should see the beta update on the right-hand side. Tap “Download and Install,” and then wait for the process to finish. You’ll need to reboot once more, and you’ll be ready to roll.

Install macOS Sierra

Just like with iOS 10, you’ll need to register for the beta program by logging in with your AppleID, and agreeing to the fine print. Once that’s done, go to the “Enroll Your Devices” section of the beta website. Click on the “macOS” tab, scroll down, and click the “Redeem Code” button. This will launch the App Store, and begin the download.
Once it’s finished downloading, the installation app will automatically launch. If you’re ready to make the jump, you can simply follow the on-screen prompts to upgrade to macOS Sierra. But if you need some time, don’t hesitate to simply quit out of the app, and come back later. The installer is titled “Install macOS Sierra Public Beta,” and it will be sitting in your Applications folder.

Is it worth it?

As with any unfinished software, there are bound to be bugs, crashes, and some wonkiness all around. If you only have a single device, you shouldn’t move to the unstable version. But if you have some spare time and an extra device (or partition) lying around, it can be fun to get a sneak peek. If all of that sounds peachy-keen to you, let’s look at what the updates have to offer.
First off, we have iOS. The Messages app has been overhauled with stickers and drawing tools, it’s easier to act on notifications, smart home devices can be controlled with the new Home app, Apple Pay works on the web, and third-party apps can finally work properly with Siri. There’s no single big change here, but Apple is making a handful of smart improvements that will make long-time iOS users very happy.
On the macOS side, you’ll see a very similar group of small changes that make the overall experience better. The addition of Siri is probably the single largest user-facing feature, but that’s not all Apple has up its sleeve. For those of us with tiny SSDs, the Optimized Storage feature will be a game changer. Old, unused files can be automatically moved to the cloud to help clear out space. And my personal favorite? The Universal Clipboard allows you to copy text and multimedia files from your Mac to your iOS device. That feature alone is worth the upgrade in my eyes.
Even if you have no interest whatsoever in participating in the betas, you’ll still receive all of those features and many more when iOS 10 and macOS Sierra release for free later this year.

Every massage trough and from the brain to the body, goes through the passageway "neurons"

The human body is controlled by electrical impulses in, for example, the brain, the heart and nervous system. These electrical signals create tiny magnetic fields, which doctors could use to diagnose various diseases, for example diseases of the brain or heart problems in young foetuses. Researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute have now succeeded in developing a method for extremely precise measurements of such ultra-small magnetic fields with an optical magnetic field sensor. The results are published in the scientific journal, Scientific Reports.

Small magnetic fields from the human body can usually only be picked up by very sensitive superconducting magnetic field sensors that have to be cooled by liquid helium to near absolute zero (which is minus 273 degrees Celsius). But now researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen have developed a much cheaper and more practical optical magnetic field sensor that even works at room temperature or at body temperature.

"The optical magnetic field sensor is based on a gas of caesium atoms in a small glass container. Each caesium atom is equivalent to a small bar magnet, which is affected by external magnetic fields. The atoms and thus the magnetic field are picked up using laser light. The method is based on quantum optics and atomic physics and can be used to measure extremely small magnetic fields," explains Kasper Jensen, assistant professor in the Center for Quantum Optics, Quantop at the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen.

The researchers at the Niels Bohr Institute have been developing the sensitive magnetic field sensor for several years in the Quantum research group laboratories.

The magnetic field sensor itself consists of a glass container, which has a channel that is approximately 1cm long and 1 mm wide. At the bottom of the glass container is caesium metal. Caesium evaporates into gas at room temperature and the gas atoms rise up into the small channel in the sensor head. Each caesium atom rotates around itself and the axis is like a tiny bar magnet. Now the sensor is held close to a nerve, which emits an electrical nerve pulse. The electrical pulse has a magnetic field that causes a change in the tilt of the axes of the caesium atoms and by sending a laser beam through the gas, you can read the ultra-small magnetic fields of the nerve signals.

The laboratory tests, which were carried out in collaboration with researchers from the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, have shown that you can use the magnetic field sensor to detect the magnetic fields from the electrical impulses from the nervous system. The tests were done on the sciatic nerve from a frog, which in many ways resemble the nerves in the human body. For practical reasons, the nerve was removed from the frog before the tests, but it is also possible to pick up electrical impulses from live frogs or from humans.

The advantage of the optical sensor is precisely that the magnetic fields and electrical impulses can be safely and easily picked up at a distance of a few millimetres or centimetres – without the sensor actually coming into contact with the body.

"We expect that the sensor will be used for special medical examinations, where it is important for the sensor not to be directly in contact with the body, for example, for diagnosing heart problems in tiny foetuses. Here the magnetic field sensor is placed on the mother's abdomen and you can easily and safely detect the heartbeat of the foetus and you will be able to diagnose any heart problems at an early stage so that the foetus can get the right treatment quickly," explains Eugene Polzik, professor and head of Quantop at the Niels Bohr Institute.

Eugene Polzik explains that you can calculate the speed at which the nerve impulses are moving from the measured signals. There are a large number of diseases where the nerves are damaged, for example, multiple scleroses, where the nerve impulses move more slowly than in people who are not ill. Other issues could, for example, be a number of eye diseases where you will be able to make the diagnosis without having to put electrodes on the eye or Alzheimer's, where you will be able to measure the electrical signals in specific nerve pathways.

Network of carbon between nerve tissues

A  new material made of carbon nanotubes supports the growth of nerve fibers, bridging segregated neural explants and providing a functional re-connection. The study, which was coordinated by SISSA in Trieste, also observed biocompatibility of the material in vivo, demonstrating that implanting it into the brain of small rodents does not cause large scars or a marked immune response. The study, published in Science Advances demonstrates that the material could be evaluated for prosthetic nervous system applications.

"Under the microscope, it looks like a knotted tangle of tubes. It was initially studied for cleaning up spilled hydrocarbons in the sea," explains Laura Ballerini, SISSA Professor and coordinator of the recently published study. It was Maurizio Prato's intuition, however, that pushed them to investigate the possibility of applying such material to nerve tissue. The idea of developing the hybrids of neurons and nano-materials was the result of a long-term project and collaboration between Prato (University of Trieste) and Ballerini's (SISSA) groups.

In the present study, Ballerini and her team first investigated the material's reaction to nerve tissue in vitro. "We explanted two spinal cord segments and cultured them together, but separated them by 300 microns," says Sadaf Usmani, a Ph.D. student at the School and first author of the study. "In those conditions, without any scaffolds reconstructing the space between the two explants, we observed growth of nerve fibers that extended in straight bundles in any direction, but not necessarily toward the other tissue. If we insert a small piece of the carbon sponge into the space between the two, however, we see dense growth of nerve fibers that fill the structure and intertwine with the other sample."

"Observing fiber reaching the contralateral explant is not enough, however," points out University of Trieste researcher and one of the authors of the study, Denis Scaini. "You have to show that there is a functional connection between the two populations of neurons." For this, SISSA Professor David Zoccolan and his team were crucial. "With signal analysis techniques they had already developed, we were able to demonstrate two things: first, that spontaneous nervous activity in the two samples was actually correlated, indicating a connection, that was not there when the sponge was absent, and second, that by applying an electrical signal to one of the samples, the activity of the second sample could be triggered, but only when the nanotubes were present."

The results in the lab were extremely positive. But this was not sufficient for Ballerini and her colleagues. "In order to continue to invest additional energy and resources to the study for potential applications, is crucial to test if the material is accepted by living organisms without negative consequences," says Ballerini.

To perform these tests, Ballerini's team worked closely with SISSA researcher Federica Rosselli. "We implanted small portions of the material into the brains of healthy rodents. After four weeks, we observed that the material was well tolerated. There were limited scars, as well as low immune responses, and some biological indicators even showed that there could be positive implications. There was also a progressive invasion of neurons within the sponge. The rats were vital and healthy during the entire four weeks," says Usmani.

"In conclusion," says Ballerini, "the excellent results encourage us to continue this line of research. These materials could be useful for covering electrodes used for treating movement disorders like Parkinson's because they are well accepted by tissue, while the implants being used today become less effective over time because of scar tissue. We hope this encourages other research teams with multidisciplinary expertise to expand this type of study even further."

2020 NASA Rover for mars almost ready for takeoff

After an extensive review process and passing a major development milestone, NASA is ready to proceed with final design and construction of its next Mars rover, currently targeted to launch in summer of 2020 and arrive on the Red Planet in February 2021.

The Mars 2020 rover will investigate a region of Mars where the ancient environment may have been favorable for microbial life, probing the Martian rocks for evidence of past life. Throughout its investigation, it will collect samples of soil and rock, and cache them on the surface for potential return to Earth by a future mission.

"The Mars 2020 rover is the first step in a potential multi-mission campaign to return carefully selected and sealed samples of Martian rocks and soil to Earth," said Geoffrey Yoder, acting associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "This mission marks a significant milestone in NASA's Journey to Mars—to determine whether life has ever existed on Mars, and to advance our goal of sending humans to the Red Planet."

To reduce risk and provide cost savings, the 2020 rover will look much like its six-wheeled, one-ton predecessor, Curiosity, but with an array of new science instruments and enhancements to explore Mars as never before. For example, the rover will conduct the first investigation into the usability and availability of Martian resources, including oxygen, in preparation for human missions.

Mars 2020 will carry an entirely new subsystem to collect and prepare Martian rocks and soil samples that includes a coring drill on its arm and a rack of sample tubes. About 30 of these sample tubes will be deposited at select locations for return on a potential future sample-retrieval mission. In laboratories on Earth, specimens from Mars could be analyzed for evidence of past life on Mars and possible health hazards for future human missions.

Two science instruments mounted on the rover's robotic arm will be used to search for signs of past life and determine where to collect samples by analyzing the chemical, mineral, physical and organic characteristics of Martian rocks. On the rover's mast, two science instruments will provide high-resolution imaging and three types of spectroscopy for characterizing rocks and soil from a distance, also helping to determine which rock targets to explore up close.

A suite of sensors on the mast and deck will monitor weather conditions and the dust environment, and a ground-penetrating radar will assess sub-surface geologic structure.

The Mars 2020 rover will use the same sky crane landing system as Curiosity, but will have the ability to land in more challenging terrain with two enhancements, making more rugged sites eligible as safe landing candidates.

"By adding what's known as range trigger, we can specify where we want the parachute to open, not just at what velocity we want it to open," said Allen Chen, Mars 2020 entry, descent and landing lead at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "That shrinks our landing area by nearly half."

Terrain-relative navigation on the new rover will use onboard analysis of downward-looking images taken during descent, matching them to a map that indicates zones designated unsafe for landing.

"As it is descending, the spacecraft can tell whether it is headed for one of the unsafe zones and divert to safe ground nearby," said Chen. "With this capability, we can now consider landing areas with unsafe zones that previously would have disqualified the whole area. Also, we can land closer to a specific science destination, for less driving after landing."

There will be a suite of cameras and a microphone that will capture the never-before-seen or heard imagery and sounds of the entry, descent and landing sequence. Information from the descent cameras and microphone will provide valuable data to assist in planning future Mars landings, and make for thrilling video.

"Nobody has ever seen what a parachute looks like as it is opening in the Martian atmosphere," said JPL's David Gruel, assistant flight system manager for the Mars 2020 mission. "So this will provide valuable engineering information."

Microphones have flown on previous missions to Mars, including NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander in 2008, but never have actually been used on the surface of the Red Planet.

"This will be a great opportunity for the public to hear the sounds of Mars for the first time, and it could also provide useful engineering information," said Mars 2020 Deputy Project Manager Matt Wallace of JPL.

Once a mission receives preliminary approval, it must go through four rigorous technical and programmatic reviews - known as Key Decision Points (KDP) - to proceed through the phases of development prior to launch. Phase A involves concept and requirements definition, Phase B is preliminary design and technology development, Phase C is final design and fabrication, and Phase D is system assembly, testing and launch. Mars 2020 has just passed its KDP-C milestone.

"Since Mars 2020 is leveraging the design and some spare hardware from Curiosity, a significant amount of the mission's heritage components have already been built during Phases A and B," said George Tahu, Mars 2020 program executive at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "With the KDP to enter Phase C completed, the project is proceeding with final design and construction of the new systems, as well as the rest of the heritage elements for the mission."

The Mars 2020 mission is part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program. Driven by scientific discovery, the program currently includes two active rovers and three NASA spacecraft orbiting Mars. NASA also plans to launch a stationary Mars lander in 2018, InSight, to study the deep interior of Mars.