Denisovans may have met us in the Pacific by John Timmer on 2021-04-19 17:55 (#5GSK2) Different island populations also intermingled in complex ways.
Dishy McFlatface to become “fully mobile,” allowing Starlink use away from home by Jon Brodkin on 2021-04-19 17:35 (#5GSK3) Musk: Starlink customers will be able to use their dishes "anywhere" by year-end.
Fitbit announces new style-focused Luxe smartband by Corey Gaskin on 2021-04-19 17:00 (#5GSFP) The Luxe is the Fitbit's first attempt at a stylish fitness tracker.
“Chrome Memories”—an early look at Google’s UI update to History by Jim Salter on 2021-04-19 16:58 (#5GSFQ) The new view is hidden behind a feature flag that defaults to "off" for now.
Years after Google and Apple, Samsung finally gets eSIM working in the US by Ron Amadeo on 2021-04-19 16:03 (#5GSCK) If you have the Note 20 and T-Mobile, you can finally ditch your plastic SIM card.
Amazon’s first Internet satellites will not launch on Blue Origin rockets by Eric Berger on 2021-04-19 16:00 (#5GSCM) "ULA is a fantastic partner that’s successfully launched dozens of missions."
Cracking the case: New study sheds more light on the “Brazil nut effect” by Jennifer Ouellette on 2021-04-19 15:41 (#5GSCN) Shape and orientation of a given Brazil nut is the key to its upward movement.
Nintendo sues Bowser (not that one) over Team Xecuter’s Switch hacks by Kyle Orland on 2021-04-19 15:25 (#5GS9A) Civil suit seeks monetary damages following Bowser's October arrest.
NASA has flown a helicopter on Mars, and it went brilliantly [Updated] by Eric Berger on 2021-04-19 11:10 (#5GQHK) This is all experimental, but Ingenuity pulled it off.
Who will win the self-driving race? Here are eight possibilities by Timothy B. Lee on 2021-04-19 11:00 (#5GRY1) The state of the self-driving industry, from Argo to Zoox.
This electric fastback is the next Audi A6 e-tron, due in late 2022 by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2021-04-19 05:00 (#5GRMN) It's the first car to use the new Premium Platform Electric architecture.
The humble shrub that’s predicting a terrible fire season by WIRED on 2021-04-18 11:00 (#5GQYK) Chamise is kind of a crystal ball for understanding how badly California might burn.
Novel hydrogels can safely remove graffiti from vandalized street art by Jennifer Ouellette on 2021-04-17 18:39 (#5GQGF) Italian chemists successfully tested their hydrogels on actual street art in Florence.
At 38.5% vaccinated, US may be running low on people eager for a shot by Beth Mole on 2021-04-17 11:31 (#5GQ3S) Some worry the country can't keep up the current pace of vaccination.
DC’s Rorschach: A detective walks into a world shaped by squids and superheroes by Nathan Mattise on 2021-04-17 10:00 (#5GQ2E) During COVID-19, Rorschach has been something to look forward to each month.
NASA selects SpaceX as its sole provider for a lunar lander by Eric Berger on 2021-04-16 21:35 (#5GPME) "We looked at what’s the best value to the government."
21.5-inch iMac supply dwindles amid chip shortages, possible refresh by Samuel Axon on 2021-04-16 21:30 (#5GPMF) A new iMac landing next week is a real possibility.
Backdoored developer tool that stole credentials escaped notice for 3 months by Dan Goodin on 2021-04-16 20:07 (#5GPJ8) AWS credentials and private repository tokens could allow self-perpetuating attacks.
Arkansas House passes unconstitutional bill putting creationism in schools by John Timmer on 2021-04-16 19:40 (#5GPGD) Despite unanimous Democratic opposition, the bill moves on to the Senate.
Dogecoin has risen 400 percent in the last week because why not by Timothy B. Lee on 2021-04-16 18:56 (#5GPGE) Dogecoin rallied after Elon Musk tweeted a photo of "Doge Barking at the Moon."
Today’s best deals: Board games we like, indoor security cameras, and more by Ars Staff on 2021-04-16 18:10 (#5GPE5) Dealmaster also has deals on LG monitors, Amazon devices, and PC games.
Valve Anti-Cheat’s “permanent” bans now have one major exception by Kyle Orland on 2021-04-16 17:18 (#5GPC0) Bans older than five years no longer apply to Valve's CS:GO esports events.
Google loses “Location History” court battle in Australia by Ron Amadeo on 2021-04-16 17:02 (#5GPC1) Google's confusing privacy settings will earn it some kind of punishment in Australia.
Congressmen ask Biden admin to keep chip design software away from China by Tim De Chant on 2021-04-16 16:09 (#5GP8Z) And no fab should use American tools to sell advanced chips to China, they add.
NPD: PlayStation 5’s first 5 months are best ever for a US console launch by Sam Machkovech on 2021-04-16 15:21 (#5GP5X) Last month, PS5 throne was solely on "dollars" basis. Current Switch sales still lead.
Mercedes goes all out with its new electric luxury sedan, the EQS by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2021-04-16 14:59 (#5GP5Y) The S-Class is regularly ranked world's best luxury car. Can the EQS match that?
SARS-CoV-2 variant found in Brazil: More infectious, may limit immunity by John Timmer on 2021-04-16 14:25 (#5GP29) Some hints of greater lethality and lowered immunity, but a lot of uncertainty.
Google veteran pans Tesla Autopilot: “We were doing better in 2010” by Timothy B. Lee on 2021-04-16 11:41 (#5GNTA) Aurora more than doubled in size when it acquired Uber's self-driving project.
Almost everything we’d want in a gaming laptop—the Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 by Jim Salter on 2021-04-16 11:15 (#5GNQQ) This year's ROG Zephyrus is a surprisingly well-behaved beast—but it is a beast.
Rocket Report: SpaceX to build huge launch tower, Branson sells Virgin stock by Eric Berger on 2021-04-16 11:00 (#5GNQR) "For us, it’s super important to have a launchpad in mainland Europe."
Resident Evil 4 VR announced for Oculus Quest 2 as a first-person remake by Sam Machkovech on 2021-04-15 23:03 (#5GN87) More information to come in next week's "Oculus Gaming Showcase."
99.992% of fully vaccinated people have dodged COVID, CDC data shows by Beth Mole on 2021-04-15 21:46 (#5GN6H) No vaccine is 100% effective. But the COVID vaccines seem pretty darn good.
Popular software development tool Docker gets Apple M1 support by Samuel Axon on 2021-04-15 21:39 (#5GN6J) Another one of the most popular development tools now supports the M1.
MIT scientists study spider web structure by translating it into music by Jennifer Ouellette on 2021-04-15 21:25 (#5GN6K) We may one day be able to communicate with spiders in "language" of web vibrations.
US government strikes back at Kremlin for SolarWinds hack campaign by Dan Goodin on 2021-04-15 20:17 (#5GN1M) Treasury Department says it's sanctioning 6 Russian firms for supporting the hacks.
Striking Charter workers build ISP where “profits are returned to users” by Jon Brodkin on 2021-04-15 18:32 (#5GMZ3) They built the Spectrum cable network—now they're building a wireless ISP in NYC.
Walmart invests in self-driving startup Cruise by Timothy B. Lee on 2021-04-15 18:19 (#5GMZ4) Cruise says it's about two years from commercial launch. We've heard that before.
Bezos says Amazon should “do a better job for our employees” after union vote by Tim De Chant on 2021-04-15 16:54 (#5GMSB) Farewell letter also reveals his concerns about the company’s carbon footprint.
Google Earth is now a 3D time machine by Ron Amadeo on 2021-04-15 16:17 (#5GMSC) Google puts 20 petabytes of historical satellite data into the Google Earth globe.
Intel, Nvidia, TSMC execs agree: Chip shortage could last into 2023 by Sam Machkovech on 2021-04-15 14:30 (#5GMJ8) Companies reeling from natural disasters and massive demand from OEMs, consumers.
CDC expert panel punts on deciding fate of J&J COVID vaccine by Beth Mole on 2021-04-15 11:46 (#5GM88) Experts brace for more clotting cases, as 52% of doses were given in the last 2 weeks.
The looming software kill-switch lurking in aging PlayStation hardware by Kyle Orland on 2021-04-15 10:45 (#5GM67) Dying internal batteries and online timer checks make a disaster waiting to happen.
What to expect from Apple’s “Spring Loaded” event on April 20 by Samuel Axon on 2021-04-14 21:35 (#5GKKG) This event is mysterious, but we're confident iPads will figure prominently.
Comparing the actual US grid to the one predicted 15 years ago by John Timmer on 2021-04-14 20:44 (#5GKH7) Demand and carbon emissions are way down, renewables far more common than expected.
AT&T/Verizon workers’ union urges states to regulate ISPs as utilities by Jon Brodkin on 2021-04-14 18:31 (#5GKAE) "Three decades of of industry-driven deregulation have failed us," union says.
The very common vaccine ingredient at the center of J&J, AstraZeneca drama by Beth Mole on 2021-04-14 18:30 (#5GKAF) Adenoviruses are an obvious link, but a puzzling suspect in the dangerous cases.
Everything we know about Audi’s next electric crossover, the Q4 e-tron by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2021-04-14 17:15 (#5GK7B) The Q4 e-tron and Q4 Sportback e-tron share a platform with VW's ID.4 crossover.
Fast and Furious 9 drops a new trailer ahead of June 25 release by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2021-04-14 16:52 (#5GK7C) First flying cars. Then an endless runway. Then a submarine. Now magnets.
Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile kill their cross-carrier RCS messaging plans by Ron Amadeo on 2021-04-14 16:28 (#5GK4W) Carriers reveal they've wasted the last 18 months pretending to do an RCS rollout.
Oculus Quest 2 gets official wireless-VR mode, 120 Hz support via patch by Sam Machkovech on 2021-04-14 14:37 (#5GJX5) Vague dates, stern warnings, and Facebook's aspiration to VR-ize your home office.