2020: SCIENCE STORIES, MOMENTS, MEMORIES, and EPHEMERA

Compiled by The Verge, a science and technology news website that existed in 2020

The following files were selected by Verge staff in November 2020. The stories contained are by no means exhaustive; they are a few snapshots of life in 2020.

Within this file folder are the original assets included in the time capsule, as well as a video exploring the capsule’s storage medium: synthetic DNA.

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artemis_accords: Established a common set of principles to govern the civil exploration and use of outer space; signed October 13th, 2020.

bank_message: Bank phone menu recording, October 2020.

DM_2_goodbye: Astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken saying goodbye to their families before launching to space.

dream_nightmare: Audio from interview with Black aerospace engineer Kayla Watson. Captured during a conversation concerning the simultaneous launch of the NASA / SpaceX DM-2 mission and widespread protests in response to the death of George Floyd.

essential_workers: Self-portraits of health care professionals after working a shift while wearing personal protective equipment (PPE).

Nature_memes: Nature returning to urban settings during COVID-19 lockdowns, real and imagined.

phosphine: Alleged detection of phosphine gas in cloud layer of Venus suggestive of extraterrestrial life (full paper).

ppe_design: Open-source design for 3D printable face shield, designed to protect health care workers from COVID-19 during nationwide equipment shortage (Prusa Research).

quarantine_cheers: Community ruckus in London to support frontline health care workers during coronavirus lockdown, spring 2020. Captured by Verge senior editor Tom Warren.

Robot_swab.mp4: Prototype robot auto-swabber for COVID-19 nasopharyngeal swab test (Brain Navi).

slack_montage: Series of messages within Verge Science team from late January 2020.

smoke_cyclones: Confluence of wildfire smoke and multiple tropical cyclones over North America, September 14th – 16th, 2020.

smoke_san_francisco: Apocalyptic skies over San Francisco, September 9th, 2020. Photo by Verge senior video director Vjeran Pavic.

zoom_team.gif: Verge Science team self-portrait, October 2020.

zoonotic_virus_associations: Map of virus-sharing “network” among wild and domesticated mammalian species (full paper).

artemis_accords.pdf

bank_message.mp3

DM_2_Goodbye.mp4

dream_nightmare.mp3

essential_workers_1.jpg

essential_workers_2.jpg

nature_meme_1.jpg

nature_meme_2.gif

nature_meme_3.jpg

nature_meme_4.jpg

phosphine_1.xlsx

phosphine_2.jpg

covid19_headband_rc1.stl

covid19_headband_rc2.stl

covid19_headband_rc3.stl

quarantine_cheer_1.mp4

quarantine_cheer_2.mp4

Robot_swab.mp4

slack_montage.jpg

smoke_cyclones.jpg

smoke_san_francisco.jpg

zoom_team.gif

zoonotic_virus_associations_1.jpg

zoonotic_virus_associations_2.xlsx