NASA’s science budget won’t be a train wreck after all by Eric Berger on 2026-01-05 22:14 (#72KQZ) "There's very little to not like in this."
Under anti-vaccine RFK Jr., CDC slashes childhood vaccine schedule by Beth Mole on 2026-01-05 21:57 (#72KR0) The changes are modeled after a small country with universal health care.
The nation’s strictest privacy law just took effect, to data brokers’ chagrin by Dan Goodin on 2026-01-05 21:42 (#72KR1) Californians can now submit demands requiring 500 brokers to delete their data.
Anna’s Archive loses .org domain, says suspension likely unrelated to Spotify piracy by Jon Brodkin on 2026-01-05 20:38 (#72KN5) "We don't believe this has to do with our Spotify backup," Anna's Archive says.
Stewart Cheifet, PBS host who chronicled the PC revolution, dies at 87 by Benj Edwards on 2026-01-05 20:28 (#72KN6) Cheifet produced more than 400 episodes of TV tracing the rise of personal computing.
Amazon Alexa+ released to the general public via an early access website by Scharon Harding on 2026-01-05 20:01 (#72KN7) Amazon brings back browser-based Alexa but will eventually add a paywall.
SanDisk says goodbye to WD Blue and Black SSDs, hello to new “Optimus” drives by Andrew Cunningham on 2026-01-05 19:32 (#72KN8) Optimus SSDs will continue with the same model numbers that the WD SSDs used.
BioWare’s Anthem will soon be completely unplayable by Kyle Orland on 2026-01-05 19:15 (#72KN9) Replay the troubled jetpack shooter before the servers shut down for good on Jan. 12.
Google TV’s big Gemini update adds image and video generation, voice control for settings by Ryan Whitwam on 2026-01-05 17:51 (#72KJG) Google TV will let you generate and watch AI content on the big screen.
X blames users for Grok-generated CSAM; no fixes announced by Ashley Belanger on 2026-01-05 17:42 (#72KJH) Critics call for App Store ban after Grok sexualized images of minors.
Earliest African cremation was 9,500 years ago by Jennifer Ouellette on 2026-01-05 17:10 (#72KEZ) New findings prompt a rethinking of group labor and ritual in ancient hunter-gatherer communities.
Providers dropping common anesthesia drug that’s also a climate super pollutant by Phil McKenna, Inside Climate News on 2026-01-05 16:48 (#72KF0) The European Union now prohibits desflurane's use during most procedures.
Ars readers gave over $42,000 in our 2025 Charity Drive by Kyle Orland on 2026-01-05 15:26 (#72KBS) Ars' total charity haul since 2007 now tops $585,000.
Hands off! An on-the-road demo of Mercedes’ advanced new driver assist by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2026-01-05 14:00 (#72K8W) It's like Tesla Autopilot, but made by a company with a culture of safety.
Our annual power ranking of US rocket companies has changes near the top and bottom by Eric Berger on 2026-01-05 12:00 (#72K8X) There are some fresh faces entering the rankings this year.
No, Grok can’t really “apologize” for posting non-consensual sexual images by Kyle Orland on 2026-01-02 23:08 (#72J05) Letting the unreliable Grok be its own "spokesperson" lets xAI off the hook.
Healthy 18-year-old welder nearly died of anthrax—the 9th such puzzling case by Beth Mole on 2026-01-02 22:36 (#72J06) "Welder's Anthrax" was first coined in 2022, when seven cases had been identified.
OpenAI reorganizes some teams to build audio-based AI hardware products by Samuel Axon on 2026-01-02 21:27 (#72HZA) Voice has lagged in adoption behind screens. OpenAI wants to change that.
Researchers spot Saturn-sized planet in the “Einstein desert” by John Timmer on 2026-01-02 20:54 (#72HZB) Rogue, free-floating planets appear to have two distinct origins.
SpaceX begins “significant reconfiguration” of Starlink satellite constellation by Stephen Clark on 2026-01-02 19:03 (#72HMG) "Biggest advantage of lower altitude is that beam diameter is smaller for a given antenna size."
Final reminder: Donate to win swag in our annual Charity Drive sweepstakes by Kyle Orland on 2026-01-02 17:10 (#72HG4) Today is your last chance to add to this year's charity haul of nearly $38,000.
xAI silent after Grok sexualized images of kids; dril mocks Grok’s “apology” by Ashley Belanger on 2026-01-02 16:50 (#72HG5) xAI may be liable for Grok generating AI CSAM.
Tesla sales fell by 9 percent in 2025, its second yearly decline by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2026-01-02 16:30 (#72HG6) Deadly doors, a busted battery bet, and a toxic owner: What's not to like?
After half a decade, the Russian space station segment stopped leaking by Eric Berger on 2026-01-02 15:30 (#72HG7) "NASA and Roscosmos continue to monitor and investigate the previously observed cracks."
Marvel rings in new year with Wonder Man trailer by Jennifer Ouellette on 2026-01-01 20:18 (#72H05) "Acting is the sum of everything you've experienced. The joy. Sadness. Loss, Heartbreak."
Research roundup: 7 cool science stories we almost missed by Jennifer Ouellette on 2026-01-01 19:43 (#72H06) Double-detonating "superkilonova," Roman liquid gypsum burials, biomechanics of kangaroo posture, and more.
“Streaming stops feeling infinite”: What subscribers can expect in 2026 by Scharon Harding on 2026-01-01 13:00 (#72GSV) Streaming may get a little worse before it gets better.
Film Technica: Our top picks for the best films of 2025 by Jennifer Ouellette on 2026-01-01 12:00 (#72GSW) Streamers made a strong showing this year, as did horror. Big tentpoles, superhero sagas mostly fell flat.
Here we go again: Retiring coal plant forced to stay open by Trump Admin by John Timmer on 2025-12-31 16:30 (#72GEQ) This time, a Colorado plant scheduled to shut down will be kept on standby.
Supply chains, AI, and the cloud: The biggest failures (and one success) of 2025 by Dan Goodin on 2025-12-31 13:15 (#72GA6) The past year has seen plenty of hacks and outages. Here are the ones topping the list.
From prophet to product: How AI came back down to earth in 2025 by Benj Edwards on 2025-12-31 12:00 (#72G8A) In a year where lofty promises collided with inconvenient research, would-be oracles became software tools.
The science of how (and when) we decide to self-censor by Jennifer Ouellette on 2025-12-30 21:30 (#72FXJ) The study's main takeaway: "Be bold. It is the thing that slows down authoritarian creep."
Lawsuit over Trump rejecting medical research grants is settled by John Timmer on 2025-12-30 20:45 (#72FXK) Settlement forces NIH to review grants previously rejected on ideological grounds.
DOGE did not find $2T in fraud, but that doesn’t matter, Musk allies say by Ashley Belanger on 2025-12-30 20:30 (#72FVN) Musk allies spin DOGE as having a "higher purpose" beyond federal budget cuts.
NJ’s answer to flooding: it has bought out and demolished 1,200 properties by Emilie Lounsberry on 2025-12-30 20:00 (#72FVP) The state deals with flooding and sea level rise by buying homes in flood prone areas.
Stranger Things series finale trailer is here by Jennifer Ouellette on 2025-12-30 19:00 (#72FVQ) Netflix's finale will also have a two-day theatrical release to more than 600 locations.
Condé Nast user database reportedly breached, Ars unaffected by Ken Fisher on 2025-12-30 18:45 (#72FVR) A serious data breach has occurred, but Ars users have nothing to worry about.
Looking for friends, lobsters may stumble into an ecological trap by John Timmer on 2025-12-30 15:00 (#72FPQ) Gathering for mutual defense puts young spiny lobsters at risk of predators.
The top 5 most horrifying and fascinating medical cases of 2025 by Beth Mole on 2025-12-30 14:00 (#72FKS) Florida man makes two appearances on the list.
The 10 best vehicles Ars Technica drove in 2025 by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2025-12-30 13:30 (#72FKT) Of all the cars we've driven and reviewed this year, these are our picks.
US can’t deport hate speech researcher for protected speech, lawsuit says by Ashley Belanger on 2025-12-29 21:30 (#72F6R) On Monday, US officials must explain what steps they took to enforce shocking visa bans.
Leonardo’s wood charring method predates Japanese practice by Jennifer Ouellette on 2025-12-29 19:30 (#72F4Y) Yakisugi, a Japanese technique of burning wood surfaces, creates a protective carbonized layer
Researchers make “neuromorphic” artificial skin for robots by John Timmer on 2025-12-29 19:00 (#72F4Z) Information from sensors is transmitted using neural-style activity spikes.
China drafts world’s strictest rules to end AI-encouraged suicide, violence by Ashley Belanger on 2025-12-29 16:30 (#72F1T) China wants a human to intervene and notify guardians if suicide is ever mentioned.
A quirky guide to myths and lore based in actual science by Jennifer Ouellette on 2025-12-29 15:30 (#72F1V) Folklorist/historian Adrienne Mayor on her new book Mythopedia: A Brief Compendium of Natural History Lore
GPS is vulnerable to jamming—here’s how we might fix it by Sarah Scoles/Undark on 2025-12-29 15:10 (#72F1W) GPS jamming has gotten cheap and easy, but there are potential solutions.
Remembering what Windows 10 did right—and how it made modern Windows more annoying by Andrew Cunningham on 2025-12-29 13:00 (#72EX7) Remembering Windows 10's rollout can help diagnose what ails Windows 11.
I switched to eSIM in 2025, and I am full of regret by Ryan Whitwam on 2025-12-29 12:45 (#72EX8) Swapping SIM cards used to be easy, and then came eSIM.
Big Tech basically took Trump’s unpredictable trade war lying down by Ashley Belanger on 2025-12-29 12:00 (#72EX9) From Apple gifting a gold statue to the US taking a stake in Intel.
Embark on a visual voyage of art inspired by black holes by Jennifer Ouellette on 2025-12-26 16:40 (#72DJJ) Art and science converge in Lynn Gamwell's book, Conjuring the Void: The Art of Black Holes