FBI raids home of prominent computer scientist who has gone incommunicado by Dan Goodin on 2025-03-30 19:41 (#6W9EB) Indiana University quietly removes profile of tenured professor and refuses to say why.
NASA’s Curiosity rover has found the longest chain carbon molecules yet on Mars by Derek Ward-Thompson and Megan Argo, The Conversati on 2025-03-30 11:00 (#6W97E) It's a significant finding in the search for alienlife.
What could possibly go wrong? DOGE to rapidly rebuild Social Security codebase. by Makena Kelly, wired.com on 2025-03-29 14:08 (#6W8VX) A safe and proper rewrite should take years not months.
The CDC buried a measles forecast that stressed the need for vaccinations by Patricia Callahan, ProPublica on 2025-03-29 10:50 (#6W8TD) The move is a sign that the public health agency may be falling in line under RFK Jr.
Elon Musk’s X has a new owner—Elon Musk’s xAI by Jon Brodkin on 2025-03-28 23:59 (#6W8KC) xAI buys X; deal values social network at $33 billion, $11B less than Musk paid.
New Windows 11 build makes mandatory Microsoft Account sign-in even more mandatory by Andrew Cunningham on 2025-03-28 23:28 (#6W8KD) "Bypassnro" is an easy MS Account workaround for Home and Pro Windows editions.
Why do LLMs make stuff up? New research peers under the hood. by Kyle Orland on 2025-03-28 22:33 (#6W8KE) Claude's faulty "known entity" neurons sometime override its "don't answer" circuitry.
Beyond RGB: A new image file format efficiently stores invisible light data by Benj Edwards on 2025-03-28 22:11 (#6W8HQ) New Spectral JPEG XL compression reduces file sizes, making spectral imaging more practical.
Report: US scientists lost $3 billion in NIH grants since Trump took office by Beth Mole on 2025-03-28 21:21 (#6W8HR) Scientists warn pipeline of lifesaving discoveries and younger scientists is drying up.
Oracle has reportedly suffered 2 separate breaches exposing thousands of customers‘ PII by Dan Goodin on 2025-03-28 19:41 (#6W8CN) Alleged breaches affect Oracle Cloud and Oracle Health.
Google discontinues Nest Protect smoke alarm and Nest x Yale lock by Ryan Whitwam on 2025-03-28 19:29 (#6W8CP) Google continues backing away from smart home hardware.
Ex-FCC chairs from both parties say CBS news distortion investigation is bogus by Jon Brodkin on 2025-03-28 18:58 (#6W8CQ) CBS probe "unprecedented," say chairs who served under George H.W. Bush and Obama.
NASA to put Starliner’s thrusters through an extensive workout before next launch by Eric Berger on 2025-03-28 18:47 (#6W8CR) "We'll continue to work through certification toward the end of this year."
Google solves its mysterious Pixel problem, announces 9a launch date by Ryan Whitwam on 2025-03-28 16:50 (#6W89Z) Google has sorted out its Pixel problems and will begin the 9a rollout on April 10.
Corning’s new ceramic glass might save your next phone from disaster by Ryan Whitwam on 2025-03-28 16:02 (#6W877) Gorilla Glass Ceramic will appear on its first phone in the coming months.
Trump annoyed the Smithsonian isn’t promoting discredited racial ideas by John Timmer on 2025-03-28 15:53 (#6W878) New executive order slams museum for recognizing "race is not a biological reality."
What to make of Nintendo’s mention of new “Switch 2 Edition games” by Kyle Orland on 2025-03-28 15:20 (#6W879) Fine print suggests visual upgrades for original Switch games on new hardware.
Gran Turismo 7 expands its use of AI/ML-trained NPCs with good effect by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2025-03-28 15:01 (#6W87A) First, Sony made an unbeatable AI driver; now, it's retrained it to be a good NPC.
Tel‘Aran’Rhiod at last—the Wheel of Time reveals the world of dreams by Andrew Cunningham & Lee Hutchinson on 2025-03-28 13:11 (#6W848) Perrin broods, Sea Folk sail, and Aes Sedai plot as we jump into episode five.
EU will go easy with Apple, Facebook punishment to avoid Trump’s wrath by Barbara Moens and Henry Foy, Financial Times on 2025-03-28 12:45 (#6W816) Lawbreaking under DMA to be punished-but not too severely.
Gemini hackers can deliver more potent attacks with a helping hand from… Gemini by Dan Goodin on 2025-03-28 11:00 (#6W817) Hacking LLMs has always been more art than science. A new attack on Gemini could change that.
Rocket Report: Stoke is stoked; sovereignty is the buzzword in Europe by Stephen Clark on 2025-03-28 11:00 (#6W818) "The idea that we will be able to do it through America... I think is very, very doubtful."
Trump can’t fire us, FTC Democrats tell court after being ejected from office by Jon Brodkin on 2025-03-27 20:55 (#6W7NE) "A President cannot remove an FTC Commissioner without cause," lawsuit says.
Study of Lyft rideshare data confirms minorities get more tickets by John Timmer on 2025-03-27 20:22 (#6W7NF) Researchers ascribe it to "animus or prejudice against minority drivers."
Google announces Maps screenshot analysis, AI itineraries to help you plan trips by Ryan Whitwam on 2025-03-27 19:04 (#6W7K2) Google wants to help you get away this summer with, you guessed it, AI.
Discord is planning an IPO this year, and big changes could be on the horizon by Samuel Axon on 2025-03-27 18:22 (#6W7FQ) IPO will mean more revenue pressure and possibly more ads.
Elon Musk and Trump win fight to keep DOGE’s work secret by Jon Brodkin on 2025-03-27 17:43 (#6W7FR) Musk and DOGE don't have to comply with discovery order, appeals court rules.
Pillars of Eternity is getting turn-based combat, all but demanding replays by Kevin Purdy on 2025-03-27 17:26 (#6W7FS) A surprising addition in patch notes for a 10-year-old CRPG classic.
As NASA faces cuts, China reveals ambitious plans for planetary exploration by Eric Berger on 2025-03-27 17:13 (#6W7FT) These grand Chinese plans come as NASA faces budget cuts.
“This will be a painful period”: RFK Jr. slashes 24% of US health dept. by Beth Mole on 2025-03-27 17:01 (#6W7FV) "I want to promise you now that we are going to do more with less," RFK Jr. said.
Nintendo’s new system for sharing digital Switch games, explained by Kyle Orland on 2025-03-27 15:58 (#6W7CB) "Virtual game cards" don't require an Internet check-in after the initial loan.
Researchers get spiking neural behavior out of a pair of transistors by John Timmer on 2025-03-27 15:32 (#6W7CC) New approach to improving AI performance turns a silicon problem into a feature.
Maybe Trump should go back to calling his missile shield the Iron Dome by Stephen Clark on 2025-03-27 15:08 (#6W7CD) Trump created the Space Force, Biden grew it, and now its top general worries about cutbacks.
Auto industry braces for chaos as Trump sets 25% tariff on all imports by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2025-03-27 14:01 (#6W792) Expect new cars to cost thousands of dollars more as a result of the new tariffs.
TSMC’s $100 billion pledge won’t resurrect US chipmaking, says Intel’s ex-CEO by Financial Times on 2025-03-27 13:16 (#6W766) US must boost R&D to gain "semiconductor leadership."
OpenAI’s new AI image generator is potent and bound to provoke by Benj Edwards on 2025-03-27 11:15 (#6W767) The visual apocalypse is probably nigh, but perhaps seeing was never believing.
After 50 million miles, Waymos crash a lot less than human drivers by Timothy B. Lee on 2025-03-27 11:00 (#6W73K) Waymo has been in dozens of crashes. Most were not Waymo's fault.
After a spacecraft was damaged en route to launch, NASA says it won’t launch by Eric Berger on 2025-03-26 21:34 (#6W6QY) "Following initial evaluation, there also is damage to the cargo module."
Newer Kindles get a work-around for touchscreen page-turning in new software update by Andrew Cunningham on 2025-03-26 20:42 (#6W6N5) "Double tap to page turn" works on latest Paperwhite and Kindle Colorsoft.
Measles quickly spreading in Kansas counties with alarmingly low vaccination by Beth Mole on 2025-03-26 20:29 (#6W6N6) Meanwhile, Texas kids reportedly getting liver damage from supplement touted by RFK Jr.
With Vulcan’s certification, Space Force is no longer solely reliant on SpaceX by Eric Berger on 2025-03-26 19:57 (#6W6N7) US Space Force to United Launch Alliance: "I have been and always shall be your friend."
Google makes Android development private, will continue open source releases by Ryan Whitwam on 2025-03-26 19:20 (#6W6N8) Google says this change will simplify things for developers and OEMs.
The Atlantic publishes texts showing Trump admin sent bombing plan to reporter by Jon Brodkin on 2025-03-26 18:28 (#6W6JK) "Nobody was texting war plans," secretary of defense claimed to reporters.
Also, a Rivian EV spinoff, wants us to “move beyond cars” by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2025-03-26 16:51 (#6W6FZ) Think e-bikes and scooters, not cars or SUVs.
Gemini 2.5 Pro is here with bigger numbers and great vibes by Ryan Whitwam on 2025-03-26 15:36 (#6W6C8) Google's new "thinking" model is ready to think for you.
F1’s cruel side is on show as Red Bull to fire Liam Lawson after 2 races by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2025-03-26 15:27 (#6W6C9) Red Bull will promote Yuki Tsunoda after Liam Lawson's two bad races.
Discredited anti-vaccine advocate will lead CDC study on vaccines and autism by Beth Mole on 2025-03-26 15:10 (#6W6CA) David Geier has been disciplined for practicing medicine without a license.
Broadcom’s VMware says Siemens pirated “thousands” of copies of its software by Scharon Harding on 2025-03-26 14:54 (#6W6CB) VMware claims Siemens showed it a list of the VMware products it's using unlicensed.
Lawsuits targeting diversity efforts in science are multiplying by Claudia López Lloreda, Undark Magazine on 2025-03-26 13:58 (#6W6CC) A recent lawsuit highlights the vulnerability of programs intended to promote DEI.
Does all intelligent life face a Great Filter? by Paul Sutter on 2025-03-26 13:35 (#6W694) The Universe should be full of alien civilizations. Why can't we find any?