Every day we get up, have a cup of coffee and get ready for work. Below are a handful of stories from around the tech world condensed to fit into a single cup of coffee. Here are the things you need to know before you step foot out your door (or in front of a webcam) and step into the real world this morning.
So sit back, grab a cup and start your morning off right with some “Quick Bytes” from Innovation and technology today.
Total lunar eclipse: Tuesday, November 8
People in the US will have the chance to see a rare lunar eclipse this week. On Tuesday, November 8, the Earth, Sun, and Moon will align to create a Blood Moon eclipse. The phenomenon marks the last total lunar eclipse until 2025.
According to NASA, residents from coast to coast will be able to witness the eclipse which is expected to begin at 12:02 am PST.
The eclipse will last for several hours, reaching totality at approximately 2:17 am PST and ending at approximately 5:50 am PST.
Meta Plans Mass layoffs
According to the Wall Street Journal, Facebook parent company Meta Platforms plans to begin large-scale layoffs, with an official announcement scheduled for Wednesday.
According to reports, the downsizing initiative could affect thousands of the company’s more than 87,000 employees. Company officials have already told employees to cancel non-essential travel beginning this week.
The largest set of layoffs in the company’s 18-year history is likely due to the failure of its metaverse project, which has had an abysmal number of active users despite an extensive marketing campaign. Meta’s market value has plunged more than $700 billion from its all-time high.
Twitter Inc. cut nearly half its staff last week after Elon Musk took over as CEO. The upcoming Meta announcement coupled with Twitter’s biggest layoff in history could be a harbinger of things to come for the tech sector after a period of massive growth during COVID.
Synthetic photosynthesis could reduce greenhouse gases and provide an alternative fuel
Scientists have found a way to trigger the process of photosynthesis in a synthetic material.
The process has great potential to create a technology that could significantly reduce greenhouse gases linked to climate change, while also creating a clean way to produce energy.
Fernando Uribe-Romo, a professor of chemistry at the University of Central Florida, and his team of students created a way to trigger a chemical reaction in a synthetic material called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) that break down carbon dioxide into harmless organic materials. .
The results of their research are published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A.
The carbon created from the chemical process could be used as solar fuel, according to Uribe-Romo.
China supply issues to limit availability of iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max
Apple Inc. has warned of supply problems regarding its latest iPhone. China’s restrictions due to COVID-19 have affected the production of the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models, according to the Wall Street Journal.
An assembly factory in Zhengzhou, China, is operating at reduced capacity, which will affect the supply of Apple’s higher-end models heading into the holiday season.
Last week, Apple supplier Foxconn Technology Group entered a week-long lockdown at its Zhengzhou compound after battling a weeks-long COVID-19 outbreak. The facility, known as iPhone City, is the world’s largest assembly site for Apple smartphones and home to hundreds of thousands of workers.
NASA will send a spacecraft to asteroid 16 Psyche