Is Google on the cusp of losing its pole position in the search engine world? An ongoing antitrust trial the US Justice Department brought against Google for its alleged monopolization could change the company’s dominance in the search engine world, although it remains unclear what the outcome of the trial will be, the Associated Press says, citing industry players and experts. Google pays USD bns, including to Apple, to secure its position as the default search engine on smartphones and web browsers, which don’t necessarily “preclude users from switching to a different search engine in their settings, but it’s a tedious process that few people bother to navigate,” the AP notes. Apple executive Eddy Cue defended the company's decision to use Google as the default search engine on iPhones, claiming it provides the best experience for customers.

What are competitors asking for? The chance to be the default search engine on devices. However, the repercussions could be vast: iPhones, without Google as their default search engine, can focus on their own search engines which would increase the device’s price point and make it less accessible to the market. Google has an almost “hypnotic grip” on users, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in his testimony at the trial, suggesting that changing the default search engine would be the best way to break this habit. Nadella also signaled that Microsoft could potentially buy this position for Bing if Google's rivals are not excluded from paying for it.

Do smartphones have nine lives? Unlike cars, your smartphone is born with an expiry date. Androids are viable for four years, while iPhones can keep going for eight years, the Washington Post reports, citing digital security experts. Extending their lives are the consistent security software updates — even if your operating software is out of date. Samsung is committed to five years of phone updates ; however, if you notice that you are getting only two updates a year, then it is time to model up. Not doing so means that you could be susceptible to hackers and other security infringements as the manufacturer has lost interest in your device’s model.

Avoid the security risks and befriend the second-hand market. Since you can determine your smartphone’s death date you can start to dig into the used phone market to buy a phone that can be one to two generations ahead to ensure that your data remains safe. Aside from ensuring that you still have the same apps running smoothly, doing so would be budget-friendly and environmentally-friendly since most phone parts are made of non-recyclable material.

The infrastructural challenges of building NASA’s new outpost on the moon? The space agency’s efforts to create a permanent intergalactic outpost has prompted them to use moondust, a pestilence for all spacesuits and space vehicles alike, to be melted and created into roads, reports The Guardian. By using a giant lens, the agency intends to melt the lunar soil to create smooth dirt-free roads and environment on the moon. They plan to build buildings and house equipment which would be clogged with moon dust when they land on the surface as they take hours to settle due to a lack of gravity.

A giant magnifying glass + moondust will create the outpost’s material. Scientists at the Federal Institute of Materials Research and Testing in Berlin experimented with using a 50mm diameter laser beam to heat a substance similar to moondust to 1.6kºC, causing it to melt. They traced out triangle shapes that, once cooled, could be interlocked to create solid surfaces that can be used as lunar roads or landing pads. The lens, which would concentrate the power of the sun, much like a magnifying glass, is a creative solution replacing the need to transport building materials for a conventional laser machine, and utilizes the moon’s most abundant resource: the dust.

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