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NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory likes to dip its feet in cutting edge consumer hardware from time to time, as evidenced by its trial use of the Leap Motion to remotely control a Mars rover. Well, you can't get much more cutting edge than virtual reality, which is why the team was so intrigued by the Oculus Rift when they first saw it at PAX last year. They signed up for a dev kit as soon as they could, cobbled the Rift together with a stereoscopic 360-degree panorama of Mars obtained from Curiosity, strapped on the VR goggles and found themselves magically transported to the Red planet.

According to our interview with Human Interfaces Engineer Victor Luo, they then added terrain imagery captured from satellites so users could actually "walk" on Mars' rocky surface using an Xbox controller -- "with up to 25 centimeters per pixel." "However, we thought it'd be great if we could literally 'walk' on the terrain," said Luo. With that in mind, they contacted the people behind the Virtuix Omni treadmill. It so happens they were in the area for E3, so they brought the contraption up to JPL headquarters, hooked it up, and sure enough, they were able to "wander around" the surface of Mars with their own two feet. Join us after the break for more on our interview with Luo, plus a video clip of the aforementioned virtual Mars tour.

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A couple of tasters, who claim they're unpaid and impartial, are currently chomping their way through some very expensive artificial flesh at a publicity event in London. According to the BBC's science correspondent Pallab Ghosh, who is also at the gathering, the main feedback so far is that the meat -- which is presented as a burger -- isn't as juicy or tasty as the real thing, mainly because it's totally lean. The substance was grown by a team at the University of Maastricht, with a spot of funding from none other than Google visionary Sergey Brin, who believes the technology is on the "cusp of viability" as a solution to animal welfare issues. Lead researcher Prof. Mark Post doesn't seem too disheartened by the tasters' comments, but says he's working to improve flavor. At a current cost of $325,000 per patty, people are going to expect something special regardless of the ethical or ecological arguments -- and some cajun spices probably won't cut it.

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If you thought Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) was done with the EverQuest brand, well, think again. The company has come up with a successor to the classic MMO with EverQuest Next (EQN), which aims to give MMO die-hards a world they can mold and disrupt to their heart's content. According to Sony, "there are no levels" in EQN, but with around 40 different classes at launch, players can mix and match abilities and develop them as they go along. The game will also be smart enough to learn from your decisions, offering up related opportunities so you can do more of what you like, be it crafting weapons or beating up orcs. Further, NPCs are given "motivations" and "core values" so that they'll attack you not just 'cause you're within aggro range, but because they want your gold for example.

Perhaps the biggest departure from other MMOs is that EQN introduces the idea of fully destructible environments that would result in permanent change to the landscape. Blow a hole in the wall? Well, it'll stay that way, at least until someone else comes along to patch it. Since you can now destroy things, SOE also launched something called EverQuest Next Landmark, a sandbox that lets gamers create objects and buildings in the EverQuest world with the same tools SOE designers used to make the game. Amateur game architects can share their creations with friends, or collaborate with them on larger projects. Landmark will launch as a "Free to Play" title later this year, and marks the first stage in EQN's release. As for EverQuest Next itself, well, its pricing and availability has yet to be announced. Until then, treat yourself to some gameplay footage and read up on what's new in the press release after the break.

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Alt-week takes a look at the best science and alternative tech stories from the last seven days.

We didn't intend for there to be a theme this week, but there is. It's been all about unusual craft this last seven days. Whether it's nature-inspired sea drones, interplanetary exploration, or walking planes, ground control isn't calling Major Tom, it's gone way weirder that. This is alt-week.

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You love robots, and you love rocket launches... right? So, you're going to want to watch the double whammy this afternoon we're guessing. That cutesy little Kirobo fella is making his way up to the ISS, and you can see it unfold live, right here, with coverage starting at 3:00pm ET. So, grab a sandwich and get comfortable. Though, we can't promise Kirobo will be making an actual appearance, stranger things have happened.

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If it weren't for Chris Messina, #FirstWorldProblems wouldn't exist. Since creating hashtags back in 2007 as way of grouping online conversations, he's spent his time focusing on design and the open web at Google. Perhaps more accurately, redesign. Messina is responsible for the search giant's revamped brand badges, profiles and +1 button, as well as helping create the Google Developers knowledge base. After over three years at Mountain View's cavernous digs though, he's leaving for something a little more intimate. Starting next week, he'll call NeonMob -- a sort of online art / trading card / sticker collecting-hybrid start-up -- home. There, he'll focus on the site's growth and new media-activities like building a community. Oh, and as of right now, he's two pieces shy of completing his first sticker set. Maybe if you help him out, he'll return the favor -- it kind of is his job, after all.

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You've seen the review, now enjoy the real thing for yourself. This week's giveaway centers around the hottest tablet at the moment, the Nexus 7. Our friends at NaturalMotion want to get one into a lucky reader's hands so they can enjoy the company's signature game, CSR Racing. The app is free, so it's definitely worth giving it a good look on whatever Android device you use. While you're waiting for it to download and install, make sure you head to the widget below to enter to win. Good luck!

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Turbulence. A minor bother for us, but a huge issue for enlisted seamen. So-called "ducts" in the lower atmosphere can wreak all sorts of maritime havoc; trapping radar and causing radio comms to travel further than expected and into the hands of the enemy. The Office of Naval Research's Ocean Battlespace Sensing Department (rad name, right?) isn't satisfied with using balloons to keep track of the ducts anymore, and is deploying drones instead, including Insitu's ScanEagle shown above. The result should be a greater understanding of how atmospheric conditions affect radar and communications, which could ultimately provide a tactical advantage -- at least while we wait on those 100-kilowatt lasers.

[Image credit: Wikimedia Commons]

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Insitu's Scan Eagle X200 and AeroVironment's Puma (above) are the first UAVs to snag FAA approval for commercial operations, and they're set to take to the skies later this summer. Prior to this, the only way the private sector could fly an unmanned vessel in US airspace was with an experimental airworthiness certification -- and that cert prohibits business activities. It's worth noting that these craft weigh less than 55 pounds and measure four and a half feet long; they aren't Predator drones, by any means.

Come August, a "major energy company" will use the X200 to patrol the Alaskan coast, keeping an eye on ice floes and migrating whales where the firm is doing petroleum exploration. Plans for the Puma sound slightly more action-packed, as it's expected to support oil spill emergency response-crews and watch over wildlife in the Beaufort Sea. See, this is how it all begins: First we start trusting them with our lives, then it all takes a turn for the worse.

[Image credit: Wikimedia Commons]

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We know, we know, Google has the whole hot air balloon thing covered. But this idea is a bit different. It consists of a group of "helikites," or small load-bearing balloon-kite hybrids, which can quickly be launched to form a network of LTE or WLAN masts up to an altitude of 2.5 miles, providing data coverage following an earthquake or tsunami. A standalone rugged suitcase, or "Portable Land Rapid Deployment Unit," contains everything needed for activation in tough conditions. Researchers behind the project, including German R&D firm TriaGnoSys, have even found a way to integrate the temporary network with existing cell towers that remain in tact on the ground -- a feature that makes the system suitable not only for emergencies, but also for expanding mobile coverage during planned events in remote locations. Of course, the helikites would eventually drift apart and lose connectivity, probably after around four days depending on the wind, but these things never travel quite as far as you'd expect.

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The city responsible for the first solar-powered family car and a building shaped like a UFO is no stranger to creativity. Eindhoven, Netherlands was recently named "most inventive city" by Forbes magazine, probably thanks to the High Tech Campus (HTC) research and development center located there. The HTC is the result of the Dutch government's initiative to bolster high-tech innovation in the region after rounds of layoffs from companies like Philips. Scads of tech firms are holed up within HTC's walls including IBM, Intel and Accenture, with a focus on open cooperation and sharing of ideas and resources. Apparently, this has paid off in spades. According to the HTC's website, the campus is responsible for roughly 50 percent of the Netherlands' almost 10,000 patents each year. Yowza.

[Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons]

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It's official: humans suck at self-discipline so much, researchers thought it necessary to create a tooth sensor that detects if you're smoking or stuffing your face and can tell doctors about it. The National Taiwan University Team led by Hao-hua Chu recently tested prototypes by gluing them to eight people's dentures. Thanks to the device's accelerometers, it was able to differentiate between chewing, smoking, speaking and coughing 94 percent of the time. It would've been better if it could also distinguish healthy food from not, but that's not going to happen anytime soon. After all, the scientists first have to develop an onboard power source (the prototypes required external batteries) and mouth-safe Bluetooth connectivity to transmit data to smartphones. Also, the team wants to shrink the already-teensy sensor down so it can fit inside cavities or on crowns. We don't know about you, but we might choose between cavity-healing gel or these high tech fillings in the future.

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