Scientists create new class of “Turing patterns” in colonies of E. coli by Jennifer Ouellette on 2021-02-23 23:10 (#5EJKC) Computer science pioneer Alan Turing first proposed the patterning mechanism in 1952.
Garden-variety germs may explode in COVID’s wake, study suggests by Beth Mole on 2021-02-23 21:55 (#5EJH7) In coronavirus's wake, garden-variety germs may come roaring back.
Attack of the Murder Hornets is a nature doc shot through horror/sci-fi lens by Jennifer Ouellette on 2021-02-23 20:59 (#5EJEV) Director Michael Paul Stephenson brings his unique sensibility to documentary genre.
Grab a recommended Anker indoor security camera for $30 today by Ars Staff on 2021-02-23 20:36 (#5EJEW) Dealmaster also has deals on Nintendo Joy-Cons, gaming monitors, and more.
Pixel 5a leak shows a headphone jack, flat screen, and a familiar design by Ron Amadeo on 2021-02-23 19:46 (#5EJC8) The Pixel 5a design is a case of "if it's not broke, don't fix it."
Lenovo updates ThinkPad lineup with 16:10 screens and more by Samuel Axon on 2021-02-23 19:38 (#5EJC9) The new laptops launch this spring.
Facebook to reverse Australia news ban after lawmakers alter bill by Kate Cox on 2021-02-23 18:57 (#5EJ9C) Australian Facebook users' News Feeds can once again have actual news in them.
SEC halts trading of iced tea company that pivoted to blockchain by Timothy B. Lee on 2021-02-23 18:46 (#5EJ9D) The company's blockchain business "never became operational," SEC says.
The Ars Technica low-end USB shootout by Jim Salter on 2021-02-23 18:21 (#5EJ6W) Tired of everything being 4.5+ stars on Amazon? We'll show you the real winners.
Sony announces new PSVR hardware for PlayStation 5 by Kyle Orland on 2021-02-23 17:19 (#5EJ3M) New headset coming after 2021 will have higher resolution and new controllers.
Samsung now updates Android for longer than Google does by Ron Amadeo on 2021-02-23 16:20 (#5EHZK) Galaxy devices going back to 2019 are now getting four years of security updates.
Jeep asked to change name of its SUV by the Cherokee Nation by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2021-02-23 15:59 (#5EHZM) The Jeep Cherokee name "does not honor us," says Cherokee Nation Chief Hoskin.
Musk: Starlink will hit 300Mbps and expand to “most of Earth” this year by Jon Brodkin on 2021-02-23 15:52 (#5EHZN) SpaceX CEO teases higher speeds, lower latency, and near-global coverage.
Chip shortage may threaten PlayStation 5 supplies at Christmas by Financial Times on 2021-02-23 15:44 (#5EHZP) Sony’s gaming chief refuses to guarantee there will be enough consoles to meet demand.
A politician who said politicians shouldn’t run NASA wants to run NASA by Eric Berger on 2021-02-23 15:09 (#5EHVZ) "Now is not the time to turn back the clock at NASA."
The bitcoin blockchain is helping keep a botnet from being taken down by Dan Goodin on 2021-02-23 14:00 (#5EHRR) Wallet transactions camouflage the IP address of the botnet's control server.
$200 Puro Pro hybrid over-the-ear headphones are almost perfect by Jim Salter on 2021-02-23 13:00 (#5EHP0) These full-featured, flagship Bluetooth headphones impressed us mightily.
Here’s the first of Hyundai’s new 800-volt EVs—the Ioniq 5 by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2021-02-23 07:00 (#5EHAY) Due this fall, it features clever fast-charging tech and an expansive interior.
Epic will pay off class-action loot-box settlement with in-game currency by Kyle Orland on 2021-02-22 23:15 (#5EH1V) Fortnite and Rocket League players will get over $78 million in digital goods.
Humans had never seen a spacecraft land on another planet—until now by Eric Berger on 2021-02-22 23:10 (#5EH1W) "I can, and have, watched those videos for hours."
Microsoft throws Google under the bus in European news fight by Timothy B. Lee on 2021-02-22 22:28 (#5EH1X) Google has blasted "link tax" proposals as antithetical to the open Web.
Huawei’s new $2,800 foldable phone copies Samsung’s Galaxy Fold line by Ron Amadeo on 2021-02-22 20:59 (#5EGXD) The phone looks great, but can Huawei even get the parts for it?
AT&T and Frontier have let phone networks fall apart, Calif. regulator finds by Jon Brodkin on 2021-02-22 20:44 (#5EGXE) AT&T raised phone prices 153% over a decade as service got steadily worse.
Software bugs reportedly keep Arizona inmates jailed past release dates by Kate Cox on 2021-02-22 18:17 (#5EGMW) State law was updated in 2019, but the state's software suite still hasn't been.
Apple beats Samsung in phone sales for first time since 2016 by Samuel Axon on 2021-02-22 18:04 (#5EGMX) Apple sold almost 80 million phones in Q4 2020.
Self-driving companies are inching toward fully driverless service by Timothy B. Lee on 2021-02-22 17:54 (#5EGMY) Motional has completed 100,000 rides with safety drivers in Las Vegas.
Blaming a wiggly jet stream on climate change? Not so fast by Scott K. Johnson on 2021-02-22 17:36 (#5EGMZ) The hypothesis is easy to understand, but it’s far from a consensus.
Consumer Reports creates a “green choice” for vehicle reviews by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2021-02-22 16:22 (#5EGE6) The publication will now grade vehicles according to their environmental impact.
Take-Two DMCA takes down reverse-engineered GTA source code by Kyle Orland on 2021-02-22 16:13 (#5EGE7) EULA prohibitions likely prevent any fair use arguments.
After Saturday’s engine failure, Boeing says many 777s should be grounded by Eric Berger on 2021-02-22 14:19 (#5EG8C) Many of the engine components fell over populated areas.
A curious observer’s guide to quantum mechanics, pt 7: The quantum century by Ars Contributors on 2021-02-21 14:00 (#5EF5T) Manipulating quantum devices has been like getting an intoxicating new superpower for society.
The AI research paper was real. The “co-author” wasn’t by WIRED on 2021-02-21 11:50 (#5EF38) An MIT professor found his name on two papers with which he had no connection.
New malware found on 30,000 Macs has security pros stumped by Dan Goodin on 2021-02-20 15:10 (#5EEDB) With no payload, analysts are struggling to learn what this mature malware does.
As coronavirus variants spread, the US struggles to keep up by WIRED on 2021-02-20 13:00 (#5EEAD) Without federal strategy or enough funding, US sequencing superpowers don't work.
What’s new in the first Android 12 Developer Preview by Ron Amadeo on 2021-02-19 23:30 (#5EDVK) Lots of hidden features, and hints that the leak from the other day is true.
Diablo II Resurrected tops BlizzCon announcement flurry by Sam Machkovech on 2021-02-19 22:59 (#5EDST) Expected announcements for Diablo IV, Diablo Immortal, Hearthstone, more.
Study blames Earth’s magnetic field flip for climate change, extinctions by John Timmer on 2021-02-19 22:46 (#5EDSV) Study suggests that one magnetic event caused everything from extinctions to art.
Bitcoin’s value just passed $1 trillion by Timothy B. Lee on 2021-02-19 22:28 (#5EDQ4) Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto may have mined 1M bitcoins worth $55 billion.
Pfizer vaccine doesn’t need ultra-cold storage after all, company says by Beth Mole on 2021-02-19 21:47 (#5EDQ5) The pharma giant and partner BioNTech have asked FDA to revise the vaccine's label.
NASA releases “exhilarating” image of Mars rover just above the planet by Eric Berger on 2021-02-19 21:12 (#5EDMS) "It is exhilarating. It is absolutely exhilarating."
Apple faces development hurdles with MagSafe battery pack accessory by Samuel Axon on 2021-02-19 19:17 (#5EDFE) Development ran into a hitch when software falsely reported overheating.
It took a year, but Gwyneth Paltrow figured out how to exploit the pandemic by Beth Mole on 2021-02-19 18:50 (#5EDFF) Paltrow treats her long COVID with $8,600 hiking necklace, $112 mocktail glass.
Comcast reluctantly drops data-cap enforcement in 12 states for rest of 2021 by Jon Brodkin on 2021-02-19 17:26 (#5ED9Q) ISP grants reprieve in Northeast but still caps users in most of its US territory.
UK Supreme Court says Uber drivers are not independent contractors by Timothy B. Lee on 2021-02-19 17:14 (#5ED9R) Uber's "gig economy" business model is under attack around the world.
Valve gets dragged into Apple and Epic’s legal fight over Fortnite by Kyle Orland on 2021-02-19 17:06 (#5ED9S) Apple seeks vast troves of Steam sales data; Valve says it's irrelevant to the case.
New browser-tracking hack works even when you flush caches or go incognito by Dan Goodin on 2021-02-19 12:54 (#5ECXA) At least 4 top browsers affected by "powerful tracking vector," researchers say.
Burning Crusade Classic leaks ahead of BlizzCon by Sam Machkovech on 2021-02-19 02:29 (#5ECDH) BlizzCon leak includes vague "2021" release window, offers option to stay "vanilla."
Microsoft says SolarWinds hackers stole source code for 3 products by Dan Goodin on 2021-02-19 02:20 (#5ECCD) The company said it found no indication the breach allowed customers to be hacked.
Perseverance on Mars: Where it is, and what the next steps are by John Timmer on 2021-02-19 00:57 (#5ECBA) NASA's first chat about its newest rover talks about the landing and what's next.
Robinhood says GameStop volatility was a “1 in 3.5 million” black swan by Kyle Orland on 2021-02-19 00:45 (#5ECBB) CEO Tenev tells House committee quicker trade settlements would prevent a repeat.