Daily archive
174 stories from 44 outlets. Times show when each story first broke, in UTC.
Amazon Web Services logged attempts to exploit the PHP2Shell bugs four days before patches were released. The vulnerabilities are now being broadly exploited across the internet, and agencies including the NSA urge shutting down affected systems.
Also covered by The Verge, TechCrunch, Wired, The Register, CNBC Technology
#Tesla and SpaceX boards are studying a possible merger valued around $3.5 trillion, which would be the biggest corporate merger ever. Musk has openly endorsed the idea, though it is not yet certain.
Also covered by TechCrunch, Ars Technica, Bloomberg Technology, CNBC Technology, Axios
#Gemini's Personal Intelligence feature is rolling out to Android Auto, letting the assistant use Gmail, Calendar, Maps and YouTube for personalized responses while driving. The feature will reach cars with Google built-in in the coming months.
Also covered by The Verge, Ars Technica, 9to5Google, Engadget, Android Authority
#A new report says the Project Helix Xbox is planned for Holiday 2028 rather than late 2027. The price could be between $1,200 and $1,800, which would make it a hard sell. The delay may be tied to a big launch exclusive rather than hardware readiness.
Also covered by Engadget, TechSpot, Digital Trends, GamesIndustry.biz, Polygon
#Citadel founder Ken Griffin said investors are almost certainly in an AI bubble during an interview at Citadel's Future of Global Markets Conference. He also said AI presents a golden era for entrepreneurs, while exposed workers need reskilling.
#WSJ reports Musk ordered Starlink speed restrictions on Oct. 14 that hampered Ukraine's drones. Four Democratic senators are demanding answers from SpaceX by Nov. 2.
Also covered by SiliconANGLE, Quartz, Gizmodo
#SpaceX shares gained more than 8% in late trading after third-quarter results showed strong momentum in its AI business. The company reported earnings and revenue that beat expectations.
Also covered by The Verge, TechCrunch, SiliconANGLE, The Next Web, Quartz
#Netflix reported third-quarter results on Tuesday that beat expectations. It expects lower fourth-quarter profit than Wall Street forecast and has cut its 2026 advertising revenue target to $2.7 billion.
Also covered by The Verge, The Next Web, Quartz
#Shares in Elice, a South Korean AI data centre company, fell 32% on their first day of trading in Seoul, the worst debut on record for a Korean IPO. The drop revived concerns about AI valuations.
Also covered by The Next Web
#Nextdc Ltd. is considering force majeure options and cut its earnings guidance. Community opposition delayed power supply to one of its major Melbourne data centers.
Also covered by CNBC Technology
#Samuels says YouTube is a strong discovery platform, but creators can expand into other businesses and distribution channels. He estimates creators earn roughly $3,000 to $5,000 per million views.
#A Google Cloud London region outage has taken down Revolut, Lloyds, HSBC and Royal Mail. The Guardian reports that UK courts were also knocked offline and Revolut services are offline worldwide.
Also covered by The Register, The Guardian Tech, AppleInsider, Mashable Tech, The Next Web
#Elon Musk said ASML and other key providers have expedited chipmaking machines for Tesla and SpaceX's Terafab. He cited this as evidence of fast progress on the semiconductor effort.
#A federal judge weighing Qualcomm's antitrust claim against Arm Holdings expressed reluctance to step into licensing fee talks. The fees would apply to technology used for next-generation chips.
#The Bank of Korea is expected to leave interest rates unchanged as policymakers assess rare back-to-back hikes. Policymakers are keeping further increases in play as a semiconductor boom powers growth.
#Super Micro Computer reported preliminary quarterly results that beat analysts' expectations. The stock rose in late trading following the announcement.
#GM is shutting the Brownstown Battery Assembly Plant. The closure is not tied to the automaker's electrification strategy.
#Amazon will post openings each week through December. It will also extend first-day healthcare to seasonal staff from Jan. 1.
Also covered by The Next Web, Quartz
#Western Union and MoneyGram are adopting crypto technology to defend their businesses and deepen customer ties. Transfer times have dropped from three days to as short as four minutes.
#JPMorgan Chase is making its JPM Coin, which represents US dollar deposits, available on the Ether blockchain. The move extends the bank's push into blockchain payments.
#Braze is an AI-powered platform for marketers. The deal values the company at almost $5.7 billion in enterprise value.
Also covered by CNBC Technology, The Next Web, Quartz
#Sandy Kaul, head of innovation at Franklin Templeton, appeared on Bloomberg Crypto with Scarlet Fu and James Seyffart. They discussed the firm's work to modernize various parts of the financial system.
#A Bloomberg Technology segment with Dani Burger previews the US trading day from Citadel's Future of Global Markets Conference. It discusses AI valuation and debt concerns after a data-center debut sold off, and GM tightening its profit outlook with a $20 billion buyback.
#Citadel Securities' Scott Rubner said investors are poised to return to the artificial intelligence trade next month, once the US midterm elections have passed.
#Investors are losing confidence in neoclouds, companies that supply data center computing for AI. Elice, a South Korean AI computing supplier, is cited as evidence of the shift.
#Partners Group is lowering management fees on its $7.4 billion global value fund and seeking shareholder approval for a restructuring. Blue Owl is emphasizing digital infrastructure and launching retail-focused funds tied to the opportunity.
#CoreWeave shares dropped more than 3% in premarket trading Tuesday. Investors remain concerned about the AI cloud provider's rising borrowing costs and heavy debt load.
#Activists successfully disrupted Oracle's data center plans in New Mexico. They say they now have a blueprint for similar campaigns against hyperscalers across the US.
#Renewed selling in chipmakers pulled stocks lower as the dismal debut of a South Korean data center firm revived AI trade worries. Treasuries gained as investors rotated.
#Bloomberg Technology reports that SoftBank is contemplating a robot security business. A deal with Allied Universal could support Masayoshi Son's robotics ambitions.
#Shares of online grocer Ocado Group rebounded recently, and JPMorgan Chase analysts said the rally may be just the start of a sustained re-rating. JPMorgan set a street-high price target on the stock.
#Samsung is constructing a large new chip manufacturing complex in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. Three fabs already operate there, and the buildout responds to growing demand for high-bandwidth memory used with AI GPUs.
#Data-center firm Elice fell 32% in its Kosdaq debut after raising 201 billion won ($151 million) in Korea's biggest IPO this year. The drop has fueled a broader debate about whether AI companies can deliver on their valuations.
Also covered by Quartz
#Terry Duffy, a longtime CME figure, describes how finance regulation has changed since he started at the exchange when the CFTC was new. He also addresses the rise of prediction markets.
#Soaring earnings estimates for emerging-market companies have pushed their stock valuations to a two-decade low relative to US peers. The gap is the widest on record.
#Singapore internet giant Sea Ltd. is launching a new enterprise cloud business. The company is also weighing an IPO for its fintech arm, aiming to bolster growth and revive its stock.
#Directors of FNZ Group Ltd., a digital wealth management platform backed by large institutional investors, will face staff shareholders in open court in New Zealand. The employees claim their stakes were unfairly diluted.
#Wired lists current Mint Mobile coupons, limited-time promotions and 5G plan savings for October 2026. The deals are aimed at reducing monthly phone bills.
#Activist hedge fund Starboard Value has built a stake in Solstice Advanced Materials Inc., a Honeywell International spinoff. The move follows the company's scrapping of a planned $14.5 billion merger with a rival, according to the Financial Times.
#Flipkart has expanded access to its food-delivery service to thousands of employees ahead of a public launch. The service is positioned as a challenger in India's food delivery market.
#Nathan Sheets, Citi's global chief economist, discusses the bank's forecast for global growth. He cites rising energy costs, persistent inflation and disruptions from AI; the remarks were made at the Citi ANZ Investment Conference in Sydney.
#Mark Woodruff, Citi Australia CEO and Head of ANZ, outlines his outlook for the bank's growth in the region. He says the Australian M&A cycle has been 'really strong'; the remarks were made at the Citi ANZ Investment Conference in Sydney.
#CATL's Hong Kong-traded shares have held a large premium over its Shenzhen-traded shares after a months-long selloff. The gap underscores a divide between onshore and offshore investors ahead of the battery maker's earnings release.
#Nvidia is discussing an investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in Firmus Grid Ltd., an Australian AI cloud company. Firmus abandoned an initial public offering before the talks, according to the Information as reported by Bloomberg Technology.
#OpenAI is acquiring Orchestra Bio and folding its drug-program agents into Rosalind, its life sciences suite. The company is betting AI can shorten the decade-plus drug development timeline.
Also covered by Axios, SiliconANGLE, The Decoder, Decrypt
#A federal judge in Missouri ended the 2025 case against Sam Altman after his sister refused to attend a medical examination. The OpenAI CEO had sought dismissal.
Also covered by Engadget, Quartz
#According to the Wall Street Journal, Anthropic could spend $750 billion on additional computing power in the coming years. The outlet says it obtained a copy of the company's S1 filing, which shows a $80.7 billion loss in the first half of this year as it prepares to go public.
#Silicon Valley's demand for rapid development and electricity is colliding with slow government rulemaking, Quartz reports. Even if Microsoft's Three Mile Island reactor were ready in 2027, it would not generate power until 2031.
Also covered by Quartz, TechRadar
#OpenAI says the feature is meant for when users discuss personal matters or plan surprises and hand their device to others. Locked chats stay private in other conversations.
Also covered by Engadget, Android Authority
#The proposed policy would allow a model to be blocked when it could kill 50 or more people. TechCrunch reports that it would bar federal agencies from blocking a model's release without a judge's permission.
#Delangue, a co-founder of Hugging Face who is featured in the film, says the Netflix documentary AI Gone Rogue is not accurate. He says it goes full doomer mode.
#Anthropic is reportedly having trouble obtaining sufficient computing capacity from cloud providers. Its infrastructure spending is ballooning ahead of a planned November IPO.
#Bloomberg reports former Google CEO Eric Schmidt owns about a 1% stake in Anthropic, roughly half the stake held by CEO Dario Amodei. The early investment is set to pay a large windfall at the IPO.
Also covered by TechCrunch
#Meta's Muse reached more than 10 million US downloads in its first 40 days, joining Threads among apps that hit that mark that fast. Muse also retains users at higher rates than rival AI apps, according to new data.
Also covered by 9to5Mac
#Meta changed its AI scraping policy in its commercial terms following backlash. The company will not add language respecting robots.txt.
#OpenAI reports it improved its latest models on low-resource programming languages, including COBOL and Fortran. The Decoder covered the announcement.
Also covered by BleepingComputer, Gizmodo
#Perplexity is adding a local-first mode to its Mac app so Computer can run tasks entirely on the device. The mode works without an internet connection, according to the report.
Also covered by AppleInsider, Engadget
#Chainalysis research shows AI agents are spending crypto autonomously on Base. Eric Jardine, Chainalysis head of research, discussed the findings on Bloomberg Crypto.
#Meta is blaming individual staff for downloading torrents of books used to train AI, rather than executives who approved the approach. The filing or argument is described as an effort to spare executives.
#Sequoia Capital partner Konstantine Buhler spoke at Citadel's Securities Conference about why he is bullish on AI agents. He also discussed job growth and long-term investing.
#Four founders of Chinese AI company Z.AI worked on a study funded by a group accused of having ties to Chinese intelligence. Bloomberg reports on the national security concerns.
#DeepSeek has open-sourced DeepInfer, its inference engine, on GitHub. The platform could draw more American businesses toward Chinese open-source models and add pressure on OpenAI and Anthropic.
Also covered by SiliconANGLE, The Decoder, The Next Web, Quartz, Gizmodo
#Former Nvidia executive turned VC Amulya Vishwanath discusses physical AI with TechCrunch's Equity. She compares robotics today to the early ChatGPT moment.
#Silicon Valley's latest AI doom cycle is driven by effective altruism. Its adherents are embedded across the AI industry, from Anthropic to newly appointed roles.
#Citrini Research tested Anthropic's Claude Science and concluded that AI-fueled drug discovery could benefit life sciences companies. The firm is positioning around that thesis.
Also covered by Quartz
#Chinese tech giants Tencent, Alibaba and ByteDance have reportedly bought $35 billion worth of Nvidia RTX Pro 5500 GPUs. Demand far exceeds Nvidia's planned production, according to the report.
Also covered by The Next Web, Quartz
#An MIT Technology Review essay compares enterprise AI to electricity becoming infrastructure. It argues that questions about efficiency and cost will replace questions about whether companies can use AI.
#Wired reports an AI agent appeared in a 7,500-member group of internet researchers. The reaction shows that experts hold outdated notions of privacy, and the fallout is still unfolding.
#Beijing has established the new data group to strengthen data infrastructure. The move is meant to support its artificial intelligence goals and technological development.
Also covered by Quartz
#Dylan Field says the Model Context Protocol is not perfect. Figma plans to support many standards without exposing all of its data.
#Yelp is embedding new AI features into its app, including calling restaurants to check wait times. Other features create personalized recommendations that remember user preferences.
Also covered by CNET
#The feature works on iOS, iPadOS and Android. When a person or group has closed eyes, the app automatically presents replacement options.
#McKay said Royal Bank of Canada is weighing whether to block Meta's Muse from accessing customer information. He cited the bank's liability to protect consumers.
#OpenAI is reportedly rushing to close a $30 billion funding round before Anthropic lists its shares in mid-November. Reports also say OpenAI is looking to be valued at $1.4 trillion ahead of the Anthropic IPO.
Also covered by Quartz, Gizmodo
#MIT Technology Review's newsletter highlights a claim about the nature of neural networks that has upended AI discussions. The same edition covers the problem of AI agents on the internet.
#MIT Technology Review argues that tech is just the first industry to adopt new tools. As generative AI and automation mature, other sectors offer lessons on how adoption spreads.
#Washington has blacklisted a Chinese venture firm established by former Microsoft AI scientist Lu Qi. The move is tied to alleged ties with a startup accused of stealing technology from Alphabet's Google.
Also covered by Quartz
#Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Monday night that New Yorkers must resist the narrative that an AI takeover is inevitable. He called for regulations that protect the public and return power to residents.
Also covered by TechRadar, Gizmodo
#Documents describe a military agentic AI tool called ECHOTRIBBLE designed to hack U.S. adversaries. The tool remains in the whitepaper phase and has not been deployed.
Also covered by The Decoder, The Next Web
#A video reportedly shows a kernel exploit against the latest PS5 firmware. Sony responded by rolling out the 14.20 PS5 firmware update shortly after homebrewers reported the jailbreak.
Also covered by TechSpot, Gizmodo, Polygon, IGN
#AMD released FSR 4.1 for Radeon RX 6000 GPUs, Xbox Series X and Series S consoles, and Ryzen AI Max, AI 9 and Z2 chips. The upscaler is now available across these platforms.
Also covered by Tom's Hardware, Engadget, Slashdot, IGN, Wccftech
#AMD has released FSR 4.1 for Radeon RX 6000 cards ahead of schedule. Ryzen AI Max laptops and handhelds such as the ROG Xbox Ally are also supported, and Xbox Series X|S support is coming soon.
Also covered by PCWorld, TechSpot, GamesIndustry.biz
#Snap has named Robert Downey Jr. honorary Chief Customer Experience Officer of SPECS, its augmented reality glasses business. Snap has published videos featuring him demonstrating the glasses' capabilities.
Also covered by The Next Web
#Oura's smart rings now calculate VO2 Max automatically, removing the need for a manual walking test. The update is a cardiovascular health upgrade for the ring.
Also covered by Engadget, Android Authority
#Rocco's new Essential smart fridge is discounted by $100, and the original model by $200. The fridge includes a dedicated space for holiday drinks.
#TP-Link proposed a $1 billion US Wi-Fi router manufacturing alliance with Key Tronic. The offer aims to help its Wi-Fi 8 routers win FCC approval.
Also covered by Tom's Hardware
#Reviewers say Switch Sports Resort adds more to see and play than its predecessor. IGN and Wccftech both note it offers few surprises, while Nintendo's 2022 Switch Sports has sold nearly 19 million units.
Also covered by Mashable Tech, Polygon, IGN, Wccftech
#The DJI Osmo Pocket 3 is discounted to $395, down from its usual $499, at several retailers. The deal is positioned for vloggers who want a dedicated camera instead of a phone.
#Amazon announced it is phasing out Fire HD tablets for more expensive Alexa Tablets. The ad-supported Fire HD 10 has dropped to a discounted price.
#Tuesday Labs, a New York City robotics studio, has opened reservations for Voxel, a bipedal home robot priced at $20,000. The robot is designed to learn and take over routine household tasks.
#An AMD chip appearing in a benchmark leak may be the CPU for the Steam Deck 2. The leak points to ongoing Valve hardware development.
Also covered by TechRadar, IGN, Wccftech
#The MiniFreak 49 is nearly identical to the current MiniFreak but adds professional features and interface improvements. Its most noticeable change is a larger keyboard format.
#The Antigravity A1 drone now supports new Wrist and Ring Remotes for flying without a headset. The Verge reports the drone's price was halved with this control option.
Also covered by Mashable Tech
#Drivers wore electrodes on their heads while testing EVs on a track. Polestar is trying to quantify the experience of driving a performance car.
#Rumors suggest the Galaxy S27 may drop to 8GB of RAM, and other Android phones could return to 4GB. Chinese smartphone OEMs are reportedly recycling 5 to 6 year old DRAM to increase shipment volumes amid AI-driven memory shortages.
Also covered by Android Authority, Wccftech
#Wii Sports is available again on the Nintendo Switch 2. The game is Nintendo's best-selling software and helped revive the company after a period of decline.
#Oura is launching more advanced workout metrics to differentiate its smart ring from competitors. The company has dominated the smart ring market but faces pressure from RingConn and Ultrahuman.
#Slate has opened its first showroom for its $25,000 electric truck as the vehicle nears production. Ars Technica says mass production will determine whether the promise holds.
#Wired reviewed the Hatch Sleep Clock, a contactless sleep tracker at an affordable price. The review examines whether it delivers sleep data without a wearable.
#Baseus has added the PrimeSentinel U2 Pro Outdoor 3K Dual Camera to its line of AI-assisted security cameras. The camera includes a motorized spotlight that follows moving targets to deter unwanted visitors proactively rather than only recording them.
Also covered by CNET
#Android 17 QPR3 Beta 2 is rolling out to Pixel devices with 21 fixes, including patches for crashes and reboots. The release comes ahead of the March 2027 launch.
Also covered by Android Authority, Android Police
#Communications Minister Anika Wells is working to form a worldwide coalition of nations. The effort aims to push tech giants such as Meta to reduce online harm.
Also covered by The Next Web, Quartz
#The 9to5Mac Daily recap for October 20, 2026 covers Apple's announcement of a 'Pro and tell' experience alongside other top stories of the day.
Also covered by MacRumors, Engadget
#YouTube is testing a new interface experiment that changes how the Dislike button appears. Users have criticized the test.
Also covered by 9to5Google, Android Authority
#A Fortune report says Microsoft is planning an Xbox next-generation handheld for the 2027 holiday season. The Project Helix console would follow in the 2028 holidays, and it is unclear whether the handheld is tied to Helix.
#Senior Democratic lawmakers wrote to the chief executives of the largest US technology firms. They said platforms are not cracking down on disinformation spread by Russia and other actors ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
Also covered by Quartz
#Meta Platforms Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan is departing, according to a company representative. The report does not give a reason for his exit.
Also covered by The Next Web, Quartz
#Spotify says it removed more than 50 million songs considered AI-generated slop or spam from user recommendations over the past year. It also changed its recommendation system to highlight more human-made music.
Also covered by Engadget, Android Authority, The Next Web, Gizmodo
#Court records obtained by NPR show staffers repeatedly warned TikTok about risks to child safety. Employees said executives failed to act on concerns, including minors bypassing safeguards.
Also covered by TechCrunch, 9to5Mac, CNET, Engadget
#Google has released TorchTPU, a developer tool that makes it easier for PyTorch users to run apps on TPUs instead of Nvidia GPUs. Amazon released a similar tool earlier.
Also covered by SiliconANGLE
#Spotify's new Memberships subscription lets podcasters offer fans paid perks, starting to roll out in 34 regions. The revenue split appears to be identical to Patreon's.
Also covered by The Verge, 9to5Google, Engadget, How-To Geek
#According to Fortune, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma plans layoff rounds in November and January. They follow July's planned cuts of 3,200 staffers over Microsoft's 2027 fiscal year.
#The UK's antitrust watchdog says Apple's control over the iPhone blocks fintech rivals from competing with its digital wallet. The UK says EU NFC concessions with high fees and strict terms don't go far enough.
Also covered by 9to5Mac, AppleInsider, Engadget
#Apple says American suppliers produce key components for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo. The company highlighted the scale of its US supplier base.
Also covered by MacRumors, AppleInsider, Quartz
#Owners of the iPhone 18 Pro, M5 Mac Studio and M6 Mac mini can now buy parts through Apple's Self Service Repair program. The program is aimed at owners with the skills and tools to do repairs.
Also covered by MacRumors, AppleInsider
#TikTok and other sites were told to curb protest footage and AI-altered images. Online retailers Vinted and eBay reportedly signed an agreement to stop looted goods flooding resale sites.
#Spotify now requires Premium Family plan members to verify household membership with the account holder via a QR code. The change applies to members of the plan.
Also covered by Mashable Tech, How-To Geek
#Amazon said it will invest more than €16 billion next year in Germany across data centers, its satellite program and Prime Video media production. The figure equals about $17.9 billion, according to Bloomberg Technology.
Also covered by The Next Web, Quartz
#Australia's government plans legal action against Facebook, TikTok and other major digital platforms over alleged breaches of its nationwide under-16 social media ban. Communications Minister Anika Wells announced the plan in an interview.
#French AI company Pigment, backed by Nvidia, raised $250 million in a funding round valuing it at $2.3 billion. The company competes with Microsoft's Excel and PowerPoint.
Also covered by The Next Web, Quartz, Tech.eu
#Stanley Anderson ’79 describes growing up trying to avoid gangs and violence and later working in corporate America. He is now pursuing a pickleball startup.
#ASI founder and CEO Phillip Buckendorf says its AI helps customers like the FAA and military orchestrate complex systems. He also discusses plans for the $325 million it just raised.
#ASI raised $325 million led by Spark at a $3 billion valuation. The company will use the funds to expand its AI system that helps the military, airlines and air-traffic controllers manage assets.
#The SpaceX alum's aviation startup extended its Series D round with $115 million in equity and $25 million in debt. The round values the company above $1 billion.
#TechCrunch reports the $450 million raise for Inspired Capital's fourth fund. The raise comes as venture dollars concentrate on the West Coast.
#TechCrunch reports Eka's robotic arm can pick up a wide range of objects smoothly and human-like. Experts in the industry have praised the model.
#Web traffic management platform Blackwall raised $100 million in a Series C at a $2.2 billion valuation. The round comes weeks after it joined Estonia's unicorn club, following a reported €1 billion valuation last month.
Also covered by TechCrunch, Tech.eu
#Otter.ai announced it raised $320 million from General Catalyst's Customer Value Fund, which provides non-dilutive capital tied to marketing spend returns. The company said it will use the funds for growth.
#Founders Fund learned before investing in 2025 that Coplan had used company money for private jet flights, apartment rent and personal expenses. Polymarket was not generating revenue at the time, and rival Kalshi is gaining ground.
#Wired reports that the app keeps restaurant menu prices equal to in-store prices. It charges a flat 5 percent fee to avoid menu markups.
#Jeff Dodge ran a taste test of blended meatballs and marinara sauce for about 150 students at Cane Bay High School in Summerville, South Carolina in fall 2025. The startups are pitching blended food as a way to cut appetite for red meat.
#Shares of fintech unicorn MNT-Halan rose as much as 18% on their debut on the Egyptian stock exchange on Tuesday. The offering was the country's largest initial public offering in dollar terms since at least 2021.
#Neolix Technologies, a Chinese maker of driverless delivery vehicles, raised $400 million to fuel its global expansion. Alibaba is among the backers of the round.
#Police said hepatitis B vaccine doses were taken as part of an investigation into the planned trial. The raid targeted offices linked to RFK Jr. allies.
#Elon Musk said SpaceX will try to catch Starship and its booster next month. Success would mark the first time an orbital launch vehicle is fully recovered.
#Birds such as gulls and puffins can dive into the sea, swim, and fly back out, despite water being about 1,000 times denser than air. Engineers at MIT and EPFL in Lausanne built a robotic puffin to study that movement.
#Strokes leave about 5 million people with long-term impairments each year, and a shortage of physical therapists limits care. Johannes Lachner, a former MIT postdoc, is involved in a new approach that pairs artificial intelligence with human therapy.
#MIT alumnus Tomás Villalón Jr. ’14 is pursuing cleaner methods for producing rare earth metals. His motivation traces back to childhood visits to Monterrey, Mexico, a steel and metal fabrication hub with heavy smog.
#Megan Donahue ’85 grew up on a small Nebraska farm and discovered physics through library books at age 12. She now studies galaxy clusters to understand how the wider universe works.
#A high-fat, low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet can help some people lose weight and has been linked to possible colon cancer protection. A new study suggests the same diet may raise the risk of small intestine cancer.
#The average American discards about 81 pounds of clothing each year, with few recycling options. MIT engineers created a thermoplastic yarn that mimics the properties of conventional elastic yarns and can be reused.
#The 480-kilogram FLIP rover, short for FLEX Lunar Innovation Platform, is slated to head to the Moon as early as November 2026. One of its payloads is a computer capable of running AI software.
#The article surveys companies pursuing medium-lift launch vehicles in the US. It questions how much appetite there is to win that segment.
#A demonstration of error-corrected qubits shows large reductions in errors as the systems scale up. The result marks progress toward more reliable quantum computing.
#Electric Plant has built an AI-powered translator that interprets the subtle electricity moving through plant stems. The startup aims to help humans understand what plants are communicating.
#MIT Technology Review reports on grad student Andrew Haverdink extracting soil samples from frozen ground under Denali National Park. The work examines how quickly the permafrost underlying much of Alaska is thawing.
#The Orionid meteors are small fragments left behind by Halley's Comet. Wired's guide covers how to watch them along with other upcoming astronomical events.
#Certificate authority eMudhra revoked eight compromised intermediate certificates after researchers found their private keys were weak enough that anyone could recover them almost instantly. The keys could be used to forge trusted certificates for legitimate websites, and Mozilla, Google and Apple have blocked the affected certificates.
Also covered by The Register, Simon Willison, The Hacker News, BleepingComputer, CoinDesk
#Researchers at Claroc found more than 6,800 publicly available Muse conversation links on the web. Meta says it has paused the feature that lets users share Muse conversations with the AI assistant.
Also covered by The Verge, Engadget, Quartz, Slashdot, Hacker News
#An outdated Plex media server carries a serious vulnerability that gives hackers more access than users expect. The flaw can be exploited to mine cryptocurrency.
Also covered by TechSpot, How-To Geek
#The Liquid Network, started by Blockstream in 2018, was hit by a $320 million hack that drained about 4,000 Bitcoin. The hackers claimed to be white hats, and Blockstream CEO Adam Back discussed the incident on Bloomberg Crypto.
#Google is launching a Chrome feature that shows how malicious a website might be before it opens. It extends a two-stage warning system that Chrome introduced for file downloads in 2024.
#Bloomberg Technology reports that AI wearables from Amazon and Meta are drawing privacy scrutiny. The devices are always listening, which has caused repeated privacy issues.
Also covered by Quartz, TechRadar
#Tokyo-based security firm GMO says hackers who infiltrated major Japanese companies used an AI tool developed in China. The same tool was linked to a rash of breaches at South Korean banks last month.
#JustWatch launched JustWatch TV, a streaming service with an ad-supported free tier and a $3.99 ad-free tier. It follows the company's announcement last month of plans to add its own streaming service.
Also covered by The Verge, Ars Technica
#Trump and Vance said the administration is giving right-wing YouTuber Nick Shirley $10,000. They also announced a $25 million bounty program for the public to report fraud.
#The Navy will no longer buy the BlackSea drone speedboat made by Aevex Corp. after spending more than $130 million on the technology. People briefed on the matter cite performance issues.
#The review argues that the film, about Elizabeth Holmes, is built around several forms of manipulation. The review contains spoilers.
Also covered by Mashable Tech
#Reviewers praise Final Fantasy Resonance for its HD-2D visuals, turn-based combat and music. IGN says the story is underwhelming, while Wccftech calls it one of the best entries in the series.
Also covered by Mashable Tech, Polygon, IGN, Wccftech
#Tristan Brown, an MIT history associate professor, examined a Chinese tea chest label displayed at Old South Meeting House. Descendants of Boston blacksmith Thomas Wells donated the label in 1987, saying it was recovered after colonial-era events.
#The piece shares images of quizzes from 3.091, Introduction to Solid-State Chemistry, in fall 1980. The author scored 49 out of 100 on the first exam and remembers the TA, Leszek Pawlowicz, with a smile.
#Alissa Totman ’13 joined MIT BrainTrust as a sophomore, a student-run group that connects undergraduates with people who have brain injuries. The profile describes her later advocacy for brain injury patients.
#Ukraine's latest drone innovation is being used to evacuate casualties. The approach could improve the poor odds of getting wounded soldiers out of combat zones.
Also covered by Slashdot
#OpenBSD 8.0 adds support for up to 64 vCPUs per VM, Intel Arc graphics, ARM64 hibernation and expanded RISC-V support. Linuxiac notes it is the 61st release of the security-focused Unix-like OS.
Also covered by Slashdot
#The Prestige will return to theaters in 2027 for its 20th anniversary. The screenings will be in IMAX and 70mm.
#Searches for terms like semaglutide, BPC-157 and retatrutide return a no results found page on TikTok. Peptide content has not been fully erased from the platform.
#Santa Ana police have made no arrests and have recovered none of the cards. The estimated value could rise as boxes are scanned.
Also covered by Mashable Tech, Quartz, IGN
#TechPulse lets readers choose which CNET Group publications appear in a single feed of news, reviews and videos. The feed is free and shows content in chronological order without algorithmic ranking.
Also covered by Mashable Tech, ZDNET
#CD Projekt has announced a surprise update to Cyberpunk 2077 that is scheduled to release this week. The announcement was reported by IGN.
#A Wired explainer breaks down how Tesla's new car hops, glides and sticks upside down. It focuses on the role of friction and force in those maneuvers.
#Franks, who has spent years fighting online abuse, says people abused with impunity are effectively silenced. She frames the problem as a free speech issue for women.
#Game director Naoki Hamaguchi discusses the scale of the project and expectations for one of gaming's most ambitious remakes. The interview covers how the game balances the original with new elements.
#Wired reports that some Americans who left the US for Europe now regret the move. They describe trains as awful, health care as not free and people as unkind.
#Comedian Demi Adejuyigbe says he sees being online as similar to visiting the zoo. He says he does not need to interact with it and simply enjoys it before walking away.
#