US FDA pulls its emergency approval of chloroquine use for COVID-19 by John Timmer on 2020-06-15 20:09 (#54MR1) As evidence built, justification for using the drug was hard to come by.
Political groups use “deeply spooky” protester location data, report finds by Kate Cox on 2020-06-15 19:46 (#54MR2) Activists want demonstrators to stay active—but privacy implications abound.
More than 7 in 10 Americans won’t use contact-tracing apps, data shows by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2020-06-15 19:06 (#54MQA) That's a decline from April, when only 1 in 2 rejected the idea.
Paleolithic French didn’t let their dead rest peacefully by Kiona N. Smith on 2020-06-15 19:00 (#54MQB) The unusual burials hint at complex social structure and spiritual beliefs.
FCC Republican has “deep reservations” about Trump’s social media crackdown by Jon Brodkin on 2020-06-15 18:35 (#54MQC) FCC may have no authority to impose Trump’s Big Tech order, O’Rielly said.
Google is messing with the address bar again—new experiment hides URL path by Ron Amadeo on 2020-06-15 18:16 (#54MQD) New address-bar tweak would show only the domain name instead of the page URL.
The 16-inch MacBook Pro got a new GPU option that’s up to 75% faster by Samuel Axon on 2020-06-15 17:05 (#54MF1) Apple has also begun selling an SSD upgrade kit for the Mac Pro.
Living the Top Gun dream, on a budget by Ars Staff on 2020-06-15 16:20 (#54MF3) DIY kit planes that replicate classic warbirds have become (slightly) more accessible.
The PlayStation 5 looks to be the biggest game console ever made by Kyle Orland on 2020-06-15 15:21 (#54M6J) Contextual photo analysis suggests a 15-inch+ width, ~550-cubic-inch volume.
Intel will soon bake anti-malware defenses directly into its CPUs by Dan Goodin on 2020-06-15 13:00 (#54M4R) Control-Flow Enforcement Technology will debut in Tiger Lake microarchitecture.
The US military is getting serious about nuclear thermal propulsion by Eric Berger on 2020-06-15 12:18 (#54M4S) “Activity in cislunar space is expected to increase considerably in the coming years.”
An ancient Roman city has been fully mapped using ground-penetrating radar by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-06-14 21:27 (#54KZZ) Archaeologists have found a monument, market, temple, bath complex, and water pipes.
PSA: This year’s confusing, virtual E3, condensed in a single handy site by Sam Machkovech on 2020-06-14 17:45 (#54KYM) We, too, needed help sifting through over 250 game trailers and counting.
Neurons discovered that put mice in a hibernation-like state by John Timmer on 2020-06-14 13:00 (#54KX2) It’s not yet clear whether these neurons function the same way in other mammals.
Deepfakes aren’t very good—nor are the tools to detect them by WIRED on 2020-06-14 10:50 (#54KW8) Winning algorithm from a Facebook-led challenge missed one-third of altered videos.
Review: Artemis Fowl is a crushing disappointment by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-06-13 21:24 (#54KS0) Film gets titular character completely wrong. Did anyone involved even read the books?
Plate tectonics vs. erosion—what sets the height of a mountain range? by Scott K. Johnson on 2020-06-13 16:17 (#54KN1) Wish your mountain was a little bit taller? Blame plate tectonics.
Not a lot of sourdough starters: Our brief escapes amid continued COVID chaos by Ars Staff on 2020-06-13 13:30 (#54KHY) At least we're holding onto pandemic hobbies that require no human interaction or travel.
Spies can eavesdrop by watching a light bulb’s variations by WIRED on 2020-06-13 11:07 (#54KFB) Technique allows for real-time listening in on a room hundreds of feet away.
SpaceX launches its third rocket in two weeks [Updated] by Eric Berger on 2020-06-13 09:55 (#54JXZ) This is the first time the company has launched a Falcon 9 rocket without a static fire.
With theaters still closed, Warner Bros. shifts Tenet release to July 31 [Updated] by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-06-12 23:23 (#53S53) Instead, on July 17, the studio will re-release Inception for 10th anniversary screenings
After months of silence, CDC holds press briefing, issues new COVID advice by Beth Mole on 2020-06-12 20:45 (#54K42) CDC suggests rallies and other large in-person events are of the highest risk.
Plastic rain is the new acid rain by WIRED on 2020-06-12 19:20 (#54JY0) Plastic rain could prove to be a more insidious problem than acid rain.
Trump hasn’t followed through on plan to withdraw US from WHO by Jon Brodkin on 2020-06-12 18:03 (#54JX6) Trump said US would immediately exit WHO on May 29—it hasn't happened.
South Asia now has the oldest evidence of bows and arrows outside Africa by Kiona N. Smith on 2020-06-12 18:01 (#54JX7) The bone arrowheads are between 48,000 and 34,000 years old.
Study: People who hoard toilet paper are just looking for a symbol of safety by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-06-12 18:00 (#54JX8) Older people more likely to hoard toilet paper; Americans hoarded more than Europeans.
Light, the company behind the Nokia 9 camera, quits the smartphone business by Ron Amadeo on 2020-06-12 17:33 (#54JX9) Light's hardware-based approach to image stacking didn't make enough of a difference.
NASA’s new chief of human spaceflight has a commercial background by Eric Berger on 2020-06-12 16:34 (#54JWP) “I’m a big fan of Kathy Lueders!”
New Google rule bans discriminatory targeting for housing ads by Kate Cox on 2020-06-12 16:26 (#54JWQ) Google said it’s “working closely” with regulators who sued Facebook over same.
Most COVID cases don’t spread virus—it’s the superspreaders we need to stop by Beth Mole on 2020-06-12 15:21 (#54JW6) Mounting evidence on superspreaders suggests a shift in thinking about social distancing.
Face masks don’t even have to work especially well to be effective by John Timmer on 2020-06-12 13:53 (#54JV8) But to stop the pandemic, they have to be combined with lockdowns.
Rocket Report: Brazil opens equatorial launch site, Kerbal launch slips by Eric Berger on 2020-06-12 11:00 (#54JSR) “That is not in the cards right now.”
Jedi Temple Challenge brings out your inner pint-sized Padawan wannabe by Kate Cox on 2020-06-12 10:15 (#54JS3) A throwback to ’90s shows for the parents; Ars’ resident 6-year-old liked it, too.
The Last of Us Part 2 review: A less confident, less focused sequel by Kyle Orland on 2020-06-12 07:01 (#54JQW) For all its good points, Part 2 never seems sure what it wants to be.
Knoxville shuts down parts of its network after being hit by ransomware by Dan Goodin on 2020-06-12 01:35 (#54JPK) Knoxville is the 51st city or state entity hit by the ransomware scourge this year.
OpenZFS removed offensive terminology from its code by Jim Salter on 2020-06-12 01:18 (#54JPM) The terminology removed was inaccurate, as well as inappropriate.
Hands on with Android 11 Beta 1—A new media player and suggested apps by Ron Amadeo on 2020-06-11 23:53 (#54JP0) The Android 11 Beta gets a surprise release with little fanfare.
Sony finally reveals PlayStation 5 hardware—and a discless “Digital Edition” by Sam Machkovech on 2020-06-11 21:24 (#54JNF) Game-announcement bonanza ends with reveal, but still no price, release date.
Machine-learning clusters in Azure hijacked to mine cryptocurrency by Dan Goodin on 2020-06-11 21:20 (#54JNG) Microsoft shuts down hacking spree that preyed on misconfigured machines.
Spider-Man, Ratchet and Clank, Gran Turismo, and more are coming to PS5 by Kyle Orland on 2020-06-11 20:09 (#54JMS) Horizon, Hitman, Demon's Souls and more round out PS5's software debut.
Ubisoft’s next open-world game leaks as an unfinished prototype on Stadia by Sam Machkovech on 2020-06-11 20:07 (#54JMT) Not indicative of final product, but already has serious Breath of the Wild vibes.
Honda’s Civic Si is a car for people who wish they could drive a Gundam by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2020-06-11 19:07 (#54JMB) There's plenty of boy racer appeal to Honda's 205hp Civic Si coupé.
Archaeologists may have found site of the Red Lion, London’s first playhouse by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-06-11 18:41 (#54JMC) Although shortlived, the playhouse eventually led to construction of the Globe Theatre.
A bunch of Nintendo Switch games are back on sale today by Ars Staff on 2020-06-11 18:02 (#54JKW) Dealmaster also has deals on Apple devices, Bose wireless headphones, and more.
FCC has “serious doubts” that SpaceX can deliver latencies under 100ms by Jon Brodkin on 2020-06-11 17:55 (#54JKX) SpaceX can apply in low-latency tier, but FCC says it faces “substantial challenge.”
Linux distro review: System76’s Ubuntu-based Pop!_OS by Jim Salter on 2020-06-11 16:56 (#54JK5) You don’t need a System76 laptop to take advantage of this user-friendly distro.
Internet Archive ends “emergency library” early to appease publishers by Timothy B. Lee on 2020-06-11 16:36 (#54JK6) Online library asks publishers to “call off their costly assault.”
Zoom cites Chinese law to defend censorship of human rights activists by Timothy B. Lee on 2020-06-11 15:44 (#54JJP) Zoom says it can’t “change the laws of governments opposed to free speech.”
Linus from Linus Tech Tips looks back on YouTube comments and Internet fame by Lee Hutchinson on 2020-06-11 15:10 (#54JJ1) The patron saint of ludicrous builds started out painting houses in Canada.
2 million cases and counting: US COVID-19 outbreak charges on amid reopening by Beth Mole on 2020-06-11 14:23 (#54JJ2) Despite testing boosts, experts say increases are real; fear of second wave looms.