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2026-04-04 01:53:04 CEST

Trump proposes steep cut to NASA budget as astronauts head for the Moon
President Donald Trump released a budget blueprint on Friday calling for a 23 percent cut to NASA's budget, two days after the agency launched four astronauts on the first crewed lunar mission in more than 50 years.
The spending proposal for fiscal year 2027 is the opening salvo in a multi-month budget process. Both houses of Congress must pass their own appropriations bills, reconcile any differences between the two, and then send the final budget to the White House for President Trump's signature. Fiscal year 2027 begins on October 1.
The White House requested a similar cut to NASA last year. The Republican-led [Congress resoundingly rejected][1] the proposal and kept NASA's budget close to its level in the final year of the Biden administration. Like last year's budget, the proposal from the Trump administration will undergo major changes as Congress weighs in over the coming months.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/01/nasas-science-budget-wont-be-a-train-wreck-after-all/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/04/trump-proposes-steep-cut-to-nasa-budget-as-astronauts-head-for-the-moon/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/04/trump-proposes-steep-cut-to-nasa-budget-as-astronauts-head-for-the-moon/#comments
The exhaust plume from the launch of NASA's Artemis II mission was seen by astronaut Chris Williams onboard the International Space Station.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/04/trump-proposes-steep-cut-to-nasa-budget-as-astronauts-head-for-the-moon/

2026-04-04 01:10:00 CEST

As Artemis II zooms to the Moon, everything seems to be going swimmingly
As the Artemis II lunar mission moved into its third day on Friday, and with the spacecraft's big engine firing behind it, the four astronauts on board had a little more downtime.
So the four crew members—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—had their first opportunities to speak with their families at length, and also did a couple of media events. They held medical conferences with physicians back in Houston, although these were apparently routine since none of the crew members were experiencing space adaptation sickness.
And they had some time to take pictures. Wiseman, the mission's commander, sent a particularly spectacular image on Friday morning that showed our planet's night side (with a relatively long exposure). Among the beautiful details in this image were not one but two auroras, as well as zodiacal light in the bottom right of the image. The Sun is visible in the distance, lighting the far side of the Earth.
[Read full article][1]
[Comments][2]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/04/as-artemis-ii-zooms-to-the-moon-everything-seems-to-be-going-swimmingly/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/04/as-artemis-ii-zooms-to-the-moon-everything-seems-to-be-going-swimmingly/#comments
Reid Wiseman took this image of planet Earth from Orion.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/04/as-artemis-ii-zooms-to-the-moon-everything-seems-to-be-going-swimmingly/

2026-04-04 01:09:55 CEST

Ice Age dice show early Native Americans may have understood probability
Native Americans have been playing with dice in games of chance for more than 12,000 years, according to [a new paper][1] published in the journal American Antiquity. And the oldest examples of Native American dice predate the earliest currently known dice in the Old World by millennia.
“Historians have traditionally treated dice and probability as Old World innovations,” [said author Robert Madden][2], a graduate student at Colorado State University. “What the archaeological record shows is that ancient Native American groups were deliberately making objects designed to produce random outcomes, and using those outcomes in structured games, thousands of years earlier than previously recognized.”
Madden's interest in Native American gaming started with [Maya ballgames][3] and then expanded to include Native American dice and games of chance. These were rudimentary dice with just two sides, rather than the six sides of modern dice, typically described as "binary lots." And Madden found they were common to virtually every Native American tribe. Archaeologists had traced the use of such dice back 2,000 years, but most were hesitant to conclude that dice-like artifacts older than that were, in fact, dice.
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-antiquity/article/probability-in-the-pleistocene-origins-and-antiquity-of-native-american-dice-games-of-chance-and-gambling/E38C7B1F4CE7F417D8EFAC5AFEEF20A2
[2]: https://libarts.source.colostate.edu/how-native-americans-shaped-gambling-and-probability/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/03/3400-year-old-mesoamerican-ball-court-sheds-light-on-origins-of-the-game/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/04/ice-age-dice-show-early-native-americans-may-have-understood-probability/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/04/ice-age-dice-show-early-native-americans-may-have-understood-probability/#comments
Early examples of Native American dice.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/04/ice-age-dice-show-early-native-americans-may-have-understood-probability/

2026-04-03 23:37:06 CEST

OpenClaw gives users yet another reason to be freaked out about security
For more than a month, security practitioners have been warning about the perils of using OpenClaw, the viral AI agentic tool that has taken the development community by storm. A recently fixed vulnerability provides an object lesson for why.
OpenClaw, which was introduced in November and now boasts [347,000 stars][1] on Github, by design takes control of a user’s computer and interacts with other apps and platforms to assist with a host of tasks, including organizing files, doing research, and shopping online. To be useful, it needs access—and lots of it—to as many resources as possible. Telegram, Discord, Slack, local and shared network files, accounts, and logged in sessions are only some of the intended resources. Once the access is given, OpenClaw is designed to act precisely as the user would, with the same broad permissions and capabilities.
## Severe impact
Earlier this week, OpenClaw developers released security patches for three high-severity vulnerabilities. The severity rating of one in particular, [CVE-2026-33579][2], is rated from 8.1 to 9.8 out of a possible 10 depending on the metric used—and for good reason. It allows anyone with pairing privileges (the lowest-level permission) to gain administrative status. With that, the attacker has control of whatever resources the OpenClaw instance does.
[Read full article][3]
[Comments][4]
[1]: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
[2]: https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2026-33579/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/04/heres-why-its-prudent-for-openclaw-users-to-assume-compromise/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/04/heres-why-its-prudent-for-openclaw-users-to-assume-compromise/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/04/heres-why-its-prudent-for-openclaw-users-to-assume-compromise/

2026-04-03 23:37:01 CEST

Trump ignores biggest reasons his AI data center buildout is failing
Donald Trump is facing significant hurdles after declaring, in a series of executive orders last year, that rapid construction of AI data centers was among his top priorities to ensure the US wins the AI race against China.
Perhaps most likely to frustrate the president, his aggressive tariffs on Chinese imports are reportedly hindering most data center projects.
Earlier this week, Bloomberg [reported][1] that "almost half of the US data centers planned for this year are expected to be delayed or canceled" because developers can't import enough transformers, switchgear, and batteries to build out the power infrastructure that every data center needs.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-04-01/us-ai-data-center-expansion-relies-on-chinese-electrical-equipment-imports
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/04/sad-trumps-ai-data-center-push-is-failing-blame-his-own-tariffs/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/04/sad-trumps-ai-data-center-push-is-failing-blame-his-own-tariffs/#comments
Donald Trump holds up a picture of a data center.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/04/sad-trumps-ai-data-center-push-is-failing-blame-his-own-tariffs/

2026-04-03 23:36:56 CEST

"Cognitive surrender" leads AI users to abandon logical thinking, research finds
When it comes to large language model-powered tools, there are generally two broad categories of users. On one side are those who treat AI as a powerful but sometimes faulty service that needs careful human oversight and review to detect reasoning or factual flaws in responses. On the other side are those who routinely outsource their critical thinking to what they see as an all-knowing machine.
Recent research goes a long way to forming a new psychological framework for that second group, which regularly engages in "cognitive surrender" to AI's seemingly authoritative answers. That research also provides some experimental examination of when and why people are willing to outsource their critical thinking to AI, and how factors like time pressure and external incentives can affect that decision.
## Just ask the answer machine
In ["Thinking—Fast, Slow, and Artificial: How AI is Reshaping Human Reasoning and the Rise of Cognitive Surrender,"][1] researchers from the University of Pennsylvania sought to build on existing scholarship that outlines two broad categories of decision-making: one shaped by "fast, intuitive, and affective processing" (System 1); and one shaped by "slow, deliberative, and analytical reasoning" (System 2). The onset of AI systems, the researchers argue, has created a new, third category of "artificial cognition" in which decisions are driven by "external, automated, data-driven reasoning originating from algorithmic systems rather than the human mind."
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6097646
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/04/research-finds-ai-users-scarily-willing-to-surrender-their-cognition-to-llms/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/04/research-finds-ai-users-scarily-willing-to-surrender-their-cognition-to-llms/#comments
Artist's conception of an average AI user's image of an LLM's ultra-rational thought process.
https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/04/research-finds-ai-users-scarily-willing-to-surrender-their-cognition-to-llms/

2026-04-03 23:36:50 CEST

Elon Musk insists banks working on SpaceX IPO must buy Grok subscriptions
Banks and other firms that want to work on SpaceX's initial public offering (IPO) are being required to buy subscriptions to the Grok AI service, The New York Times [reported today][1].
Elon Musk "is requiring banks, law firms, auditors and other advisers working on the IPO to buy subscriptions to Grok, his artificial intelligence chatbot that is part of SpaceX," the NYT wrote, citing anonymous sources who are familiar with the confidential negotiations. "Some of the banks have agreed to spend tens of millions on the chatbot and they have already started integrating Grok into their IT systems."
SpaceX reportedly [filed IPO paperwork][2] with the Securities and Exchange Commission this week. The IPO filing came two months after [SpaceX purchased xAI][3], the Musk company that produces Grok. xAI purchased the X social network in March 2025.
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/business/spacex-ipo-grok-elon-musk.html
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/04/spacex-finally-files-for-ipo-targets-1-75-trillion-valuation/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/02/spacex-acquires-xai-plans-1-million-satellite-constellation-to-power-it/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/04/elon-musk-insists-banks-working-on-spacex-ipo-must-buy-grok-subscriptions/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/04/elon-musk-insists-banks-working-on-spacex-ipo-must-buy-grok-subscriptions/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/04/elon-musk-insists-banks-working-on-spacex-ipo-must-buy-grok-subscriptions/

2026-04-03 20:18:33 CEST

Netflix must refund customers for years of price hikes, Italian court rules
A Rome court has ruled that the price hikes Netflix imposed on subscribers in Italy in 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2024 were unlawful. The court ordered Netflix to refund affected customers by up to 500 euros (about $576), depending on their plan.
The lawsuit was brought by Italian consumer advocacy group Movimento Consumatori, which alleged that the price hikes violate the Consumer Code, Italian legislation that aims to protect consumer rights. The Consumer Code [says][1] it's unlawful for a “professional to unilaterally modify the clauses of the contract, or the characteristics of the product or service to be provided, without a justified reason indicated in the contract itself,” according to a Google-provided translation.
The court’s April 1 ruling determined that Netflix's contracts were required to explain in advance why prices or other terms might change in the future.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://www.normattiva.it/esporta/attoCompleto?atto.dataPubblicazioneGazzetta=2005-10-08&atto.codiceRedazionale=005G0232
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/04/netflix-ordered-to-refund-subscribers-up-to-e500-for-unlawful-price-hikes/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/04/netflix-ordered-to-refund-subscribers-up-to-e500-for-unlawful-price-hikes/#comments
The Netflix logo is displayed above Netflix corporate offices on December 5, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/04/netflix-ordered-to-refund-subscribers-up-to-e500-for-unlawful-price-hikes/

2026-04-03 17:47:42 CEST

EV adoption in America: Who's winning, who's losing?
With the war in the Persian Gulf now more than a month old, the effect on fuel prices is plain to see: On average, they're up almost a dollar per gallon, or 25 percent, [according to AAA][1]. For a nation as addicted to the automotive as we are, that's bad news. Except, of course, for electric vehicles.
The last half year has been rough for EV adoption here in the US. At the end of last September, the Trump administration abolished the federal tax credit for both new and used EVs, one of a series of policies that has disincentivized automakers to build EVs and consumers to buy them. Battery factories have been cancelled or [repurposed][2], and EV lineups have [been slashed][3] as OEMs [write down][4] billions of dollars in the process.
Some analysts have predicted a particularly grim Q1 2026. Cox Automotive, for example, forecast a 6.5 percent overall decrease in new car sales for the first three months of the year but a 28 percent decrease in EV sales for the same period. Without sustained high fuel prices, Stephanie Valdez Streaty, Cox's director of industry insights, expects people to make fewer trips. "To materially change buying behavior and drive a trend toward smaller, more efficient vehicles, consumers would need to believe gas prices will remain elevated for years, not just months," [Cox said][5].
[Read full article][6]
[Comments][7]
[1]: https://gasprices.aaa.com
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/12/ford-ends-f-150-lightning-production-starts-battery-storage-business/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/03/facing-heavy-losses-honda-cancels-its-three-us-made-electric-vehicles/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/01/fewer-american-evs-costs-gm-6-billion-even-as-its-chinese-sales-boom/
[5]: https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/26/business/4-dollar-gas-impact-on-ev-sales
[6]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/04/ev-adoption-in-america-whos-winning-whos-losing/
[7]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/04/ev-adoption-in-america-whos-winning-whos-losing/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/04/ev-adoption-in-america-whos-winning-whos-losing/

2026-04-03 15:50:18 CEST

OpenAI takes on another "side quest," buys tech-focused talk show TBPN
OpenAI has struck a deal to acquire TBPN, a technology-focused talk show popular in Silicon Valley, making an unexpected move into broadcasting after pledging to abandon “side quests” and focus on its core business.
The ChatGPT maker had purchased the 11-person company in a “low hundreds of millions of dollars” deal, according to a person with knowledge of the terms.
TBPN, or Technology Business Programming Network, has acquired a devoted following among start-up founders and their investors since its launch in October 2024.
[Read full article][1]
[Comments][2]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/04/openai-takes-on-another-side-quest-buys-tech-focused-talk-show-tbpn/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/04/openai-takes-on-another-side-quest-buys-tech-focused-talk-show-tbpn/#comments
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks during the Microsoft Build conference at the Seattle Convention Center Summit Building in Seattle, Washington on May 21, 2024. (Photo by Jason Redmond / AFP)
https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/04/openai-takes-on-another-side-quest-buys-tech-focused-talk-show-tbpn/

2026-04-03 05:19:03 CEST

Four astronauts are now inexorably bound for the Moon
The Orion spacecraft successfully fired its main engine for 5 minutes and 50 seconds on Thursday, sending four astronauts on a free-return trajectory around the Moon. For NASA and the Artemis II crew members, this marked a point of no return for more than week.
Most Americans, indeed about three-quarters of the population around the world, have not witnessed humans leaving low-Earth orbit in their lifetimes. The last time this occurred was 1972, with the final Apollo Moon mission.
The “translunar injection” burn of Orion’s main engine occurred about one day after the successful launch of the mission on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket from Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday. This burn was the last major firing of Orion’s main engine, and sets the crew on a course to fly around the Moon on Monday, slingshot back toward Earth under lunar gravity, and splash down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday, April 10.
[Read full article][1]
[Comments][2]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/04/four-astronauts-are-now-inexorably-bound-for-the-moon/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/04/four-astronauts-are-now-inexorably-bound-for-the-moon/#comments
There's no turning back now, Artemis II is on the way to the Moon.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/04/four-astronauts-are-now-inexorably-bound-for-the-moon/

2026-04-03 01:57:48 CEST

Perplexity's "Incognito Mode" is a "sham," lawsuit says
Perplexity's AI search engine encourages users to go deeper with their prompts by engaging in chat sessions that a [lawsuit][1] has alleged are often shared in their entirety with Google and Meta without users' knowledge or consent.
"This happened to every user regardless of whether or not they signed up for a Perplexity account," the lawsuit alleged, while stressing that "enormous volumes of sensitive information from both subscribed and non-subscribed users" are shared.
Using developer tools, the lawsuit found that opening prompts are always shared, as are any follow-up questions the search engine asks that a user clicks on. Privacy concerns are seemingly worse for non-subscribed users, the complaint alleged. Their initial prompts are shared with "a URL through which the entire conversation may be accessed by third parties like Meta and Google."
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Doe-v-Perplexity-Complaint-3-31-26.pdf
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/04/perplexitys-incognito-mode-is-a-sham-lawsuit-says/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/04/perplexitys-incognito-mode-is-a-sham-lawsuit-says/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/04/perplexitys-incognito-mode-is-a-sham-lawsuit-says/

2026-04-02 22:53:02 CEST

Renewables dominate 2025's newly installed generating capacity
On Wednesday, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) released its numbers on what was built in 2025. And much as [we saw in the US][1], solar power is the primary driver of change. The numbers show that the world installed an average of 1.4 gigawatts of solar capacity every day last year, for a total of 511 GW. That brings the total solar capacity up to 2.4 Terawatts, making it the largest single source of renewable capacity by far, at more than a Terawatt above either wind or hydro.
Obviously, the actual power generated will be less than the rated capacity. And because solar panels have become so cheap, the economics now favor installing panels in areas that get far less sunlight—places in which photovoltaics would have been a questionable decision just five years earlier. So we're likely to see the energy produced for each unit of capacity (termed the capacity factor) decline over the coming years.
How much of a factor is that? 2025's power-generation numbers are not yet available, but [data from 2024][2] shows photovoltaics generating 7 percent of the world's power, with wind at 8 percent and nuclear at 9. That's despite having 1.9 times as much solar capacity as wind capacity. Still, despite the lower capacity factor, solar is catching up fast. As these numbers don't include concentrated solar power or last year's data, it's possible that solar has already become the second-largest source of carbon-free electricity (after hydropower). If not, we're certain to see that happen before the decade is out.
[Read full article][3]
[Comments][4]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/02/final-2025-data-is-in-us-energy-use-is-up-as-solar-passes-hydro/
[2]: https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/global-electricity-generation-by-source-2024
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/04/globally-86-percent-of-the-new-generating-capacity-was-renewable-in-2025/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/04/globally-86-percent-of-the-new-generating-capacity-was-renewable-in-2025/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/04/globally-86-percent-of-the-new-generating-capacity-was-renewable-in-2025/

2026-04-02 22:52:56 CEST

New Rowhammer attacks give complete control of machines running Nvidia GPUs
The cost of high-performance GPUs, typically $8,000 or more, means they are frequently shared among dozens of users in cloud environments. Two new attacks demonstrate how a malicious user can gain full root control of a host machine by performing novel Rowhammer attacks on high-performance GPU cards made by Nvidia.
The attacks exploit memory hardware’s increasing susceptibility to bit flips, in which 0s stored in memory switch to 1s and vice versa. In [2014][1], researchers first demonstrated that repeated, rapid access—or “hammering”—of memory hardware known as [DRAM][2] creates electrical disturbances that flip bits. A [year later][3], a different research team showed that by targeting specific DRAM rows storing sensitive data, an attacker could exploit the phenomenon to escalate an unprivileged user to root or evade security sandbox protections. Both attacks targeted DDR3 generations of DRAM.
## From CPU to GPU: Rowhammer's decade-long journey
Over the past decade, dozens of newer Rowhammer attacks have evolved to, among other things:
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://users.ece.cmu.edu/~yoonguk/papers/kim-isca14.pdf
[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_random-access_memory
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/03/cutting-edge-hack-gives-super-user-status-by-exploiting-dram-weakness/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/04/new-rowhammer-attacks-give-complete-control-of-machines-running-nvidia-gpus/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/04/new-rowhammer-attacks-give-complete-control-of-machines-running-nvidia-gpus/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/04/new-rowhammer-attacks-give-complete-control-of-machines-running-nvidia-gpus/

2026-04-02 22:52:51 CEST

New fossil deposits show complex animal groups predating the Cambrian
The details of how animal life began are a bit murky. Most of the groups familiar today are present in the Cambrian, a period when they rapidly diversified, with familiar features evolving alongside bizarre creatures with no obvious modern equivalents. There are hints that some forms of present animal life predated the Cambrian. But most of the organisms we've found in Ediacaran deposits have no obvious relationship to anything we're familiar with.
The complete absence of these creatures in later strata suggest they might have vanished in [a mass-extinction event][1] that cleared the way for the explosion of Cambrian species. But a new series of fossils found at a site in China includes examples of groups that flourished in the Cambrian living side-by-side with a few Ediacaran species. The deposits suggest that there might have been a gradual shift into the Cambrian.
## Ediacaran and more
The newly described fossils, described by a team from Yunnan University and Oxford University, come from just south of Kunming, near Fuxian Lake. The rocks they're in are part of the larger Dengying Formation, within a segment that's known to include deposits from the Edicaran, which ranged from 635 to 540 million years ago. They come from close to the end of the period, only about 7 million years before the first clearly Cambrian deposits.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End-Ediacaran_extinction
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/04/new-fossil-deposits-show-complex-animal-groups-predating-the-cambrian/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/04/new-fossil-deposits-show-complex-animal-groups-predating-the-cambrian/#comments
We're not entirely sure what this is, but it's probably bilateral.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/04/new-fossil-deposits-show-complex-animal-groups-predating-the-cambrian/

2026-04-02 22:52:45 CEST

Male octopuses guided through mating by female hormones
Octopuses are one of the most alien creatures on Earth. The lack of bones makes them amazing shapeshifters, most of them can change color like chameleons, and they pump blue copper-based blood through their bodies using three distinct hearts. They rely on a decentralized nervous system, where two-thirds of their neurons reside in their arms, allowing each limb to independently taste, touch, and make decisions for itself.
Now, a team of scientists led by Pablo S. Villar, a molecular biologist at Harvard University, for the first time took a close look at octopuses' sex life. It turned out it was just as weird.
## Love in the dark
The deep ocean is a challenging place to find a partner, especially since octopuses are solitary animals that wander the seafloor alone, mating only during highly infrequent encounters. The exact mechanics of their reproduction when they do find each other have long puzzled biologists. We knew that male octopuses don't rely on flashy plumage or complex mating calls and that they use a specialized appendage called the hectocotylus—basically a modified tentacle—to identify females.
[Read full article][1]
[Comments][2]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/04/male-octopuses-guided-through-mating-by-female-hormones/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/04/male-octopuses-guided-through-mating-by-female-hormones/#comments
A two-spot octopus in its normal habitat.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/04/male-octopuses-guided-through-mating-by-female-hormones/

2026-04-02 22:52:40 CEST

Google Vids gets AI upgrade with Veo and Lyria models, directable AI avatars
OpenAI might be [pulling back][1] on video generation, but Google is forging ahead with a [major AI update][2] to its Vids editing product. The company's latest video and audio models are now integrated with the tool, and you can choose from various controllable avatars to appear in generated videos. Your creations are also easier to share on YouTube now.
Veo 3.1 is the biggest part of the Vids upgrade. Google first deployed this updated model in Gemini [late last year][3], promising a substantial improvement in realism and consistency. While Google has pitched Veo as a tool for filmmakers, that's not how it positions Vids. Google suggests using the AI tools in Vids to create animated party flyers, business sizzle reels, or a video greeting card. You can use Vids for free, but you won't be able to generate very many videos without an AI subscription.
Google Vids: Generate Videos with Veo 3.1.
If you're not paying for any AI access on your account, you only get 10 video generations per month. AI Pro subscribers can get 50 videos, and those paying for Google's spendy AI Ultra plan (either personal or enterprise) get 1,000 videos per month. Like most other Veo implementations, the videos are eight seconds long and 720p resolution.
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/03/openai-plans-to-shut-down-sora-just-15-months-after-its-launch/
[2]: https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/workspace/google-vids-updates-lyria-veo/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/google/2025/10/googles-ai-videos-get-a-big-upgrade-with-veo-3-1/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/04/google-vids-gets-ai-upgrade-with-veo-and-lyria-models-directable-ai-avatars/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/04/google-vids-gets-ai-upgrade-with-veo-and-lyria-models-directable-ai-avatars/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/04/google-vids-gets-ai-upgrade-with-veo-and-lyria-models-directable-ai-avatars/

2026-04-02 22:52:35 CEST

SpaceX tries to convince FCC that Amazon put satellites into wrong altitude
Starlink operator SpaceX claims that Amazon violated orbital debris requirements by launching satellites into initial altitudes that are too high, increasing the risk of collision with other satellites and spacecraft. SpaceX, which recently [reported two Starlink satellite failures][1] that created new space debris, yesterday accused Amazon and its launch partner Arianespace of negligence that "needlessly and significantly increases risk to other operational systems and inhabited spacecraft."
Amazon Leo, formerly known as Kuiper Systems, is launching satellites into low-Earth orbits (LEO) to compete against Starlink's much larger constellation of broadband satellites. Amazon denied that its launch altitudes violate any requirements or impose a safety risk and said SpaceX itself helped Amazon launch satellites into a similar altitude last year when Amazon used SpaceX as a launch partner.
SpaceX only objected to the launch parameters after moving its Starlink satellites into nearby altitudes, Amazon said. Changing the altitude of a recent Leo launch would have delayed it by months, according to Amazon. Both Amazon and SpaceX have accused each other of using FCC proceedings to [delay the other's satellite launches][2] at various times over the years.
[Read full article][3]
[Comments][4]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/starlink-satellite-breaks-apart-into-tens-of-objects-spacex-confirms-anomaly/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/09/amazon-slams-spacex-tells-fcc-that-musk-led-companies-are-rule-breakers/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/04/spacex-claims-amazon-leo-launches-could-crash-into-starlink-satellites/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/04/spacex-claims-amazon-leo-launches-could-crash-into-starlink-satellites/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/04/spacex-claims-amazon-leo-launches-could-crash-into-starlink-satellites/

2026-04-02 18:59:57 CEST

Why is NASA bothering to go back to the Moon if we've already been there?
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla.—The first time NASA launched humans toward the Moon, in December 1968, the United States was a deeply fractured nation.
The historic flight of three people into the unknown brought a measure of solace to a country riven by assassinations, riots, political discord, and a deeply unpopular foreign war.
If history does not repeat itself, it certainly rhymes. Today, four humans are on the way to the Moon, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen. They do so, once again, amid a troubled world.
[Read full article][1]
[Comments][2]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/04/artemis-ii-is-unlikely-to-be-the-cultural-touchstone-apollo-8-was-and-thats-ok/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/04/artemis-ii-is-unlikely-to-be-the-cultural-touchstone-apollo-8-was-and-thats-ok/#comments
NASA's Artemis II mission launches on Wednesday evening from Florida.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/04/artemis-ii-is-unlikely-to-be-the-cultural-touchstone-apollo-8-was-and-thats-ok/

2026-04-02 18:59:51 CEST

Anthropic says its leak-focused DMCA effort unintentionally hit legit GitHub forks
An Anthropic-backed DMCA effort to remove its [recently leaked Claude Code client source code][1] from GitHub this week resulted in the accidental removal of many legitimate forks of its official public code repository. While that overzealous takedown has now been reversed, Anthropic still faces an extreme uphill battle in limiting the spread of its recently leaked code.
[The DMCA notice][2] that GitHub received late Tuesday focuses on a repository containing the leaked source code originally posted by GitHub user nirholas ([archived here][3]) and nearly 100 specifically named forks of that repository. In a note appended to that request, though, GitHub said it had acted to take down a network of 8,100 similar forked repositories because "the submitter alleged that all or most of the forks were infringing to the same extent as the parent repository."
That expanded takedown affected many repositories that didn't contain leaked code but instead forked [Anthropic's official public Claude Code repository][4], which the company shares to encourage public bug reports and fixes. Many coders [took][5] [to][6] [social][7] [media][8] to complain about being swept up in the DMCA dragnet despite not sharing any leaked code.
[Read full article][9]
[Comments][10]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/03/entire-claude-code-cli-source-code-leaks-thanks-to-exposed-map-file/
[2]: https://github.com/github/dmca/blob/master/2026/03/2026-03-31-anthropic.md
[3]: https://web.archive.org/web/20260331130836/https://github.com/nirholas/claude-code
[4]: https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code
[5]: https://x.com/robertmclaws/status/2039129333428871463
[6]: https://x.com/yassersstudio/status/2039630328675930446
[7]: https://x.com/trq212/status/2039415036645679167
[8]: https://x.com/0xOzen/status/2039651302070792620
[9]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/04/anthropic-says-its-leak-focused-dmca-effort-unintentionally-hit-legit-github-forks/
[10]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/04/anthropic-says-its-leak-focused-dmca-effort-unintentionally-hit-legit-github-forks/#comments
Artist's conception of Anthropic trying to stop the spread of its leaked client source code.
https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/04/anthropic-says-its-leak-focused-dmca-effort-unintentionally-hit-legit-github-forks/

2026-04-02 18:59:46 CEST

This Ford is the quickest production car at the Nürburgring, ever
When it comes to automotive bragging rights, a good Nürburgring Nordschleife lap time is right up there with the best of them. And today, those bragging rights belong to Ford. The automaker revealed that its GT Mk IV, an evolution of the mid-engined supercar it created in 2016, is now the fastest production car to ever lap the 12.9-mile (20.8-km) race track in Germany, with a time of 6 minutes, 15.997 seconds set by Frédéric Vervisch.
The century-old racetrack in Germany's Eifel region was built during the Great Depression as a way to create jobs but also to provide Germany's car industry with a place to test its products. In addition to races, it was—and remains—open to the public for leisure driving.
Well, for some definition of leisure: The place isn't known as the Green Hell for nothing, with hundreds of feet of elevation change across 12.9 miles (20.8 km) and between 73–170 corners, depending how you count them. After years of driving it online, I got my first laps there last summer and can report that in real life, it is bumpy and narrow, and I'd need another hundred laps or so before I started to feel properly comfortable.
[Read full article][1]
[Comments][2]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/04/a-production-ford-sets-third-fastest-time-ever-at-the-nurburgring/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/04/a-production-ford-sets-third-fastest-time-ever-at-the-nurburgring/#comments
Fréd Vervisch drives a Ford Mk IV through the karussel corner at the Nürburgring Nordschleife on his way to setting a new production car record.
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/04/a-production-ford-sets-third-fastest-time-ever-at-the-nurburgring/

2026-04-02 18:59:41 CEST

Google announces Gemma 4 open AI models, switches to Apache 2.0 license
Google's Gemini AI models have improved by leaps and bounds over the past year, but you can only use Gemini on Google's terms. The company's Gemma open-weight models have provided more freedom, but Gemma 3, which launched [over a year ago][1], is getting a bit long in the tooth. Starting today, developers can start working with [Gemma 4][2], which comes in four sizes optimized for local usage. Google has also acknowledged developer frustrations with AI licensing, so it's dumping the custom Gemma license.
Like past versions of its open-weight models, Google has designed Gemma 4 to be usable on local machines. That can mean plenty of things, of course. The two large Gemma variants, 26B Mixture of Experts and 31B Dense, are designed to run unquantized in bfloat16 format on a single 80GB Nvidia H100 GPU. Granted, that's a $20,000 AI accelerator, but it's still local hardware. If quantized to run at lower precision, these big models will fit on consumer GPUs.
Google also claims it has focused on reducing latency to really take advantage of Gemma's local processing. The 26B Mixture of Experts model activates only 3.8 billion of its 26 billion parameters in inference mode, giving it much higher tokens-per-second than similarly sized models. Meanwhile, 31B Dense is more about quality than speed, but Google expects developers to fine-tune it for specific uses.
[Read full article][3]
[Comments][4]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/03/googles-new-gemma-3-ai-model-is-optimized-to-run-on-a-single-gpu/
[2]: https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/technology/developers-tools/gemma-4/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/04/google-announces-gemma-4-open-ai-models-switches-to-apache-2-0-license/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/04/google-announces-gemma-4-open-ai-models-switches-to-apache-2-0-license/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/04/google-announces-gemma-4-open-ai-models-switches-to-apache-2-0-license/

2026-04-02 16:17:35 CEST

Amazon is trying to buy Globalstar to compete with SpaceX's Starlink
Amazon is in talks to acquire the satellite telecommunications group Globalstar, a deal that would bolster the e-commerce giant’s effort to build its own low-Earth orbit satellite business.
The two sides were still negotiating over some of the complexities of a deal after lengthy talks, according to people familiar with the matter.
One complicating factor has been Apple’s ownership of a 20 percent stake in Globalstar, necessitating negotiations between Amazon and Apple, the people said.
[Read full article][1]
[Comments][2]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/04/amazon-is-trying-to-buy-globalstar-to-compete-with-spacexs-starlink/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/04/amazon-is-trying-to-buy-globalstar-to-compete-with-spacexs-starlink/#comments
An artist's illustration of the Ariane 6's upper stage in orbit with a stack of Amazon Leo satellites awaiting deployment.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/04/amazon-is-trying-to-buy-globalstar-to-compete-with-spacexs-starlink/

2026-04-02 16:17:30 CEST

Tesla sales grew by 6% in Q1, but company has an overproduction problem
This morning, Tesla published its production and delivery results for the first three months of 2026. And for the first time [in a while][1], the news has been largely positive. The automaker built a total of 408,386 electric vehicles, a 12.6 percent increase [from Q1 2025][2].
Almost all of those EVs were Models 3 and Y—the company built 394,611 of these, a 14.2 percent increase compared to the same quarter last year. The rest were mostly Cybertrucks, as we learned at the end of January that the aging Models S and X had [finally been put out to pasture][3]. At 14 years, the Model S's service to Tesla showed longevity beaten only by Nissan's R35 GT-R, which was old enough to vote when it was finally retired.
## Overproduction
Tesla also recorded an increase in sales for Q1, though not to the same degree. It sold a total of 358,023 EVs, a 6.3 percent increase compared to the same quarter in 2025. Unfortunately for Tesla, that growth is only half as much as the increase in production.
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/01/2025-sees-teslas-annual-revenue-fall-for-the-first-time/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/04/tesla-sales-and-production-slumped-heavily-in-q1-2025/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/01/tesla-kills-models-s-and-x-to-build-humanoid-robots-instead/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/04/tesla-sales-grew-by-6-in-q1-but-company-has-an-overproduction-problem/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/04/tesla-sales-grew-by-6-in-q1-but-company-has-an-overproduction-problem/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/04/tesla-sales-grew-by-6-in-q1-but-company-has-an-overproduction-problem/

2026-04-02 02:53:12 CEST

Artemis II, NASA's most daring mission in generations, launches to the Moon
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla.—Three Americans and one Canadian launched into orbit from Florida's Space Coast on Wednesday, flying the most powerful rocket ridden by humans on the first leg of a nine-day voyage around the Moon.
Perched atop the 322-foot-tall (98-meter) Space Launch System rocket, the four astronauts lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center at 6:35 pm EDT (22:35 UTC).
Four hydrogen-fueled RS-25 engines and two solid rocket boosters flashed to life to push the nearly 6 million-pound rocket from its moorings at Launch Complex 39B. The engines and boosters collectively generated 8.8 million pounds of thrust, outclassing NASA's Saturn V rocket used for Apollo lunar missions.
[Read full article][1]
[Comments][2]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/04/four-astronauts-depart-for-the-moon-with-a-fiery-send-off-from-cape-canaveral/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/04/four-astronauts-depart-for-the-moon-with-a-fiery-send-off-from-cape-canaveral/#comments
Artemis II ascends from Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/04/four-astronauts-depart-for-the-moon-with-a-fiery-send-off-from-cape-canaveral/

2026-04-01 23:03:14 CEST

Research roundup: 7 cool science stories we almost missed
It’s a regrettable reality that there is never enough time to cover all the interesting scientific stories we come across. So every month, we highlight a handful of the best stories that nearly slipped through the cracks. March's list includes puzzle-solving raccoons; the physics of folding a crepe; the rediscovery of a lost page from an Archimedes manuscript; and the 2026 winner of the annual Dance Your PhD contest, among other highlights.
## Puzzle-solving raccoons
[Raccoon interacting with puzzle box.] Credit: [Hannah Griebling/CC BY][1]
Raccoons (aka "trash pandas") are notorious pests in urban and suburban settings because of their penchant for rooting around trash and compost bins; even latches and other safeguards can't entirely keep them at bay. It might be more than food searching behavior, scientists at the University of British Columbia concluded. According to their [paper][2] published in the journal Animal Behavior, raccoons are not only nimble and dextrous with their paws, they also excel at solving puzzles, which might be why they thrive so well in human-centric environments.
[Read full article][3]
[Comments][4]
[1]: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en
[2]: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000334722600028X?via%3Dihub
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/04/research-roundup-7-cool-science-stories-we-almost-missed-3/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/04/research-roundup-7-cool-science-stories-we-almost-missed-3/#comments
This year's winner of the Dance Your PhD contest celebrates piezoelectricity
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/04/research-roundup-7-cool-science-stories-we-almost-missed-3/

2026-04-01 23:03:09 CEST

Here's what that Claude Code source leak reveals about Anthropic's plans
Yesterday's [surprise leak of the source code for Anthropic's Claude Code][1] revealed a lot about the vibe-coding scaffolding the company has built around its proprietary Claude model. But observers digging through over 512,000 lines of code across more than 2,000 files have also discovered references to disabled, hidden, or inactive features that provide a peek into the potential roadmap for future features.
Chief among these features is [Kairos][2], a persistent daemon that can operate in the background even when the Claude Code terminal window is closed. The system would use periodic "<tick>" prompts to regularly review whether new actions are needed and [a "PROACTIVE" flag][3] for "surfacing something the user hasn't asked for and needs to see now."
Kairos makes use of a file-based "memory system" designed to allow for persistent operation across user sessions. [A prompt][4] hidden behind a disabled "KAIROS" flag in the code explains that the system is designed to "have a complete picture of who the user is, how they'd like to collaborate with you, what behaviors to avoid or repeat, and the context behind the work the user gives you."
[Read full article][5]
[Comments][6]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/03/entire-claude-code-cli-source-code-leaks-thanks-to-exposed-map-file/
[2]: https://github.com/zackautocracy/claude-code/blob/4b9d30f7953273e567a18eb819f4eddd45fcc877/src/memdir/memdir.ts#L319
[3]: https://github.com/zackautocracy/claude-code/blob/4b9d30f7953273e567a18eb819f4eddd45fcc877/src/tools/BriefTool/BriefTool.ts#L34
[4]: https://github.com/zackautocracy/claude-code/blob/main/src/memdir/teamMemPrompts.ts
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/04/heres-what-that-claude-code-source-leak-reveals-about-anthropics-plans/
[6]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/04/heres-what-that-claude-code-source-leak-reveals-about-anthropics-plans/#comments
The Claude Code source code suggests it could be serving up many new features in the near future.
https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/04/heres-what-that-claude-code-source-leak-reveals-about-anthropics-plans/

2026-04-01 23:03:04 CEST

Nvidia rolls out its fix for PC gaming's "compiling shaders" wait times
PC gamers who are tired of waiting for their games to "compile shaders" during some load times may want to dig into [the latest beta version of the Nvidia App][1]. Alongside new DLSS 4.5 Multi Frame Generation features, the app includes the beta rollout of a feature that allows your machine to automatically compile new shaders while it's idle.
Nvidia's new Auto Shader Compilation system promises to "reduc[e] the frequency of game runtime compilation after driver updates" for users running [Nvidia's GeForce Game Ready Driver 595.97 WHQL][2] or later. When the feature is active and your machine is idle, the app will automatically start rebuilding DirectX drivers for your games so they're all set to roll the next time they launch.
While the feature defaults to being turned off when the Nvidia App is first downloaded, users can activate it by going to the Graphics Tab > Global Settings > Shader Cache. There, they can set aside disk space for precompiled shaders and decide how many system resources the compilation process should use. App users can also manually force shader recompilation through the app rather than waiting for the machine to go idle.
[Read full article][3]
[Comments][4]
[1]: https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/news/nvidia-app-dlss-4-5-dynamic-multi-frame-generation-available-now/
[2]: https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/drivers/details/265874/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/04/nvidias-new-app-lets-you-precompile-gaming-shaders-during-machine-idle-time/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/04/nvidias-new-app-lets-you-precompile-gaming-shaders-during-machine-idle-time/#comments
When your computer isn't doing anything else, Nvidia thinks it might as well compile some shaders for your games.
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/04/nvidias-new-app-lets-you-precompile-gaming-shaders-during-machine-idle-time/

2026-04-01 21:34:41 CEST

Musk loves Grok’s “roasts.” Swiss official sues in attempt to neuter them.
Last month, Swiss Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter filed a criminal complaint over an offensive Grok post generated by an X user that requested that the chatbot "roast" the government official.
[According to Bloomberg][1], Keller-Sutter's complaint seeks to hold the X user accountable for defamation and verbal abuse. She also "asked the prosecutor to assess whether X also bears responsibility" for failing to block Grok's misogynistic and "vulgar" outputs.
The finance ministry described the Grok output as "blatant denigration of a woman," Bloomberg reported, while emphasizing that "such misogyny must not be seen as normal or acceptable."
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-01/swiss-finance-minister-sues-over-grok-s-sexist-outburst
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/04/grok-degrades-women-with-vulgar-roasts-swiss-govt-officials-lawsuit-says/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/04/grok-degrades-women-with-vulgar-roasts-swiss-govt-officials-lawsuit-says/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/04/grok-degrades-women-with-vulgar-roasts-swiss-govt-officials-lawsuit-says/

2026-04-01 21:34:36 CEST

Official White House app developer also a UFO conspiracy theorist
On March 27, the White House [announced][1] a “powerful new official mobile app,” calling it “the fastest, most powerful way to stay informed and engaged with the Trump Administration.”
While armchair [developers][2] and [infosec experts][3] have questioned some of the app’s technical design choices, a [former FBI special agent][4] uncovered an unusual fact: The small business owner behind the White House app has a side hobby as a conspiracy theorist.
The White House app was created by [45Press][5], a company based in Canfield, Ohio, a town of fewer than 8,000 people located roughly halfway between Cleveland and Pittsburgh. (Donald Trump was the 45th president of the United States.) The company’s website describes it as a “design, development, and DevOps agency” and a WordPress VIP Agency Partner; it lists Amazon, NBC, and Sony as past clients.
[Read full article][6]
[Comments][7]
[1]: https://www.whitehouse.gov/releases/2026/03/new-white-house-app-delivers-unparalleled-access-to-the-trump-administration/
[2]: https://blog.thereallo.dev/blog/decompiling-the-white-house-app
[3]: https://www.atomic.computer/blog/white-house-app-security-analysis/
[4]: https://hax4libre.com/jokers-wild/
[5]: https://45press.com/
[6]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/04/official-white-house-app-developer-also-a-ufo-conspiracy-theorist/
[7]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/04/official-white-house-app-developer-also-a-ufo-conspiracy-theorist/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/04/official-white-house-app-developer-also-a-ufo-conspiracy-theorist/

2026-04-01 20:36:25 CEST

Trump defunding of NPR and PBS blocked by judge, but damage is already done
A federal judge ruled that President Trump's executive order defunding NPR and PBS violated the First Amendment and issued a permanent injunction stating that executive branch agencies cannot enforce it.
The Trump order's "instruction that all federal agencies stop funding NPR and PBS constitutes a penalty for engaging in speech disfavored by the President and cannot be lawfully implemented by any executive department or agency," Judge Randolph Moss, an Obama appointee in US District Court for the District of Columbia, [ruled yesterday][1].
The ruling against Trump in the case filed by NPR, PBS, and several stations may not have much practical impact. Trump's May 2025 [executive order][2] was followed by Congress [rescinding][3] the entire Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) budget of $1.1 billion for fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.280953/gov.uscourts.dcd.280953.81.0_4.pdf
[2]: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/05/ending-taxpayer-subsidization-of-biased-media/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/07/senate-votes-to-kill-entire-public-broadcasting-budget-in-blow-to-npr-and-pbs/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/04/trump-defunding-of-npr-and-pbs-blocked-by-judge-but-damage-is-already-done/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/04/trump-defunding-of-npr-and-pbs-blocked-by-judge-but-damage-is-already-done/#comments
People at a rally urge Congress to protect funding for public broadcasters outside NPR headquarters in Washington, DC, on March 26, 2025.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/04/trump-defunding-of-npr-and-pbs-blocked-by-judge-but-damage-is-already-done/

2026-04-01 20:36:20 CEST

SpaceX finally files for IPO, targets $1.75 trillion valuation
Elon Musk’s rocket company SpaceX has confidentially filed to go public, firing the starting gun on what is expected to be the biggest initial public offering in history.
The Texas-headquartered company had this week filed paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the listing, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Confidential filings allow companies to advance their listing plans without publicly revealing their financials. SpaceX last month acquired Musk’s lossmaking AI start-up xAI for $250 billion.
[Read full article][1]
[Comments][2]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/04/spacex-finally-files-for-ipo-targets-1-75-trillion-valuation/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/04/spacex-finally-files-for-ipo-targets-1-75-trillion-valuation/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/04/spacex-finally-files-for-ipo-targets-1-75-trillion-valuation/

2026-04-01 18:31:11 CEST

Kia shows off small cars in NY: The 2027 EV3 and 2027 Seltos Hybrid
Today marks a refreshing change from the [doom and gloom][1] we've seen in the EV industry over the last few weeks.
New York is holding its annual auto show, and while these events don't hold as much relevance for the media as they did a decade ago, Kia is keeping the spirit alive, this morning debuting a couple of new vehicles for model year 2027 that we think hit the current mood. These are not ginormous three-rows. They're not even mid-sized SUVs. People have been asking for small cars, and it seems at least Kia has heard the message with the 2027 EV3 and a new Seltos, which will now offer a hybrid option.
## EV3
We got our first look at the EV more than two years ago, together with the EV4 sedan. Despite [our drive of the latter last year][2], the EV4's US launch was shelved. That's not true for the EV3, which sticks with more popular SUV styling that mimics the bigger EV9. Ars drove the EV3 briefly in 2025, too—[check out Kristin Shaw's early drive impressions][3] to learn more about how it handled.
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/03/gm-idles-electric-truck-factory-lays-off-1300-workers-for-a-month/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/06/kia-hasnt-forgotten-the-small-electric-sedan-we-try-the-2026-ev4/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/02/kias-ev-strategy-smaller-cheaper-cars-like-ev3-hatch-and-ev4-sedan/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/04/kia-shows-off-small-cars-in-ny-the-2027-ev3-and-2027-seltos-hybrid/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/04/kia-shows-off-small-cars-in-ny-the-2027-ev3-and-2027-seltos-hybrid/#comments
The EV3 goes on sale in the US in late 2026. It's too early for pricing but we expect it to start around $35,000.
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/04/kia-shows-off-small-cars-in-ny-the-2027-ev3-and-2027-seltos-hybrid/

2026-04-01 18:31:06 CEST

A word from Editor Moonshark about Artemis II
Hello! Is Moonshark. Moonshark say, long time since Moonshark have front page article but Moonshark believe is overdue if Moonshark does say so Moonshark self.
Moonshark is shark from Moon, and Moon have important event come soon: is visit by astronauts from Earth for first time since before Moonshark born! Moonshark excited say hello! Hello Earth astronauts!
## Moon is best
Moonshark remember stories from Old Grandpa Moonshark about other times astronaut come visit Moon. Grandpa Moonshark ramble a lot, but also got autograph from Pete Conrad. Grandpa Moonshark say Pete Conrad definitely funniest astronaut come Moon. But Moonshark also hear Artemis II astronaut Victor Glover very funny too, so maybe Moonshark meet Victor and get one up on Old Grandpa Moonshark, make Old Grandpa Moonshark jealous!
[Read full article][1]
[Comments][2]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/staff/2026/04/a-word-from-editor-moonshark-about-artemis-ii/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/staff/2026/04/a-word-from-editor-moonshark-about-artemis-ii/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/staff/2026/04/a-word-from-editor-moonshark-about-artemis-ii/

2026-04-01 17:06:28 CEST

Launch day has arrived for NASA's Artemis II mission—here's what to expect
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Florida—Launching to the Moon is an all-day undertaking, something the four astronauts waiting to climb aboard NASA's Artemis II rocket know well.
"It is actually a very long day," said Victor Glover, the pilot on Artemis II. "We wake up about eight hours before launch, and there's a pretty tight schedule of things to get out there."
Glover and his three crewmates have their schedules planned to the minute throughout the nine-day Artemis II mission. If all goes according to plan, their mission will carry them more than a quarter-million miles from Earth, farther from home than anyone has ventured in human history. After looping behind the Moon, the astronauts and their Orion capsule will fall back to Earth at some 25,000 mph (40,000 km/hr), setting another record for the fastest that humans have ever traveled.
[Read full article][1]
[Comments][2]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/04/launch-day-has-arrived-for-nasas-artemis-ii-mission-heres-what-to-expect/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/04/launch-day-has-arrived-for-nasas-artemis-ii-mission-heres-what-to-expect/#comments
The Sun rises on NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where the Artemis II mission is set to launch as soon as Wednesday.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/04/launch-day-has-arrived-for-nasas-artemis-ii-mission-heres-what-to-expect/

2026-04-01 17:06:22 CEST

Sweden goes back to basics, swapping screens for books in the classroom
In 2023, the Swedish government announced that the country’s schools would be [going][1] [back to basics][2], emphasizing skills such as reading and writing, particularly in early grades. After mostly being sidelined, physical books are now being reintroduced into classrooms, and students are learning to write the old-fashioned way: by hand, with a pencil or pen, on sheets of paper. The Swedish government also plans to make schools [cellphone-free][3] throughout the country.
Educational authorities have been investing heavily. Last year alone, the education ministry [allocated][4] $83 million to purchase textbooks and teachers’ guides. In a country with about 11 million people, the [aim][5] is for every student to have a physical textbook for each subject. The government also put $54 million towards the purchase of fiction and non-fiction books for students.
These moves represent a dramatic pivot from [previous][6] decades, during which Sweden—and many other nations—[moved away][7] from physical books [in favor][8] of tablets and digital resources in an effort to prepare students for life in an online world. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Nordic country’s efforts have sparked a [debate][9] on the role of digital technology in education, one that extends well beyond the country’s borders. US parents in districts that have adopted digital technology to a great extent may be wondering if educators will reverse course, too.
[Read full article][10]
[Comments][11]
[1]: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0360131524000289
[2]: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/11/sweden-says-back-to-basics-schooling-works-on-paper#:~:text=To%20counter%20Sweden's%20decline%20in,network%20of%20factors%20in%20education.%E2%80%9D
[3]: https://swedenherald.com/article/government-to-introduce-mobile-phone-ban-in-primary-schools-this-autumn
[4]: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/get-britain-reading/article/sweden-schools-books-classrooms-5fbp0bvc7?
[5]: https://www.government.se/articles/2024/02/government-investing-in-more-reading-time-and-less-screen-time/
[6]: https://www.ri.se/en/story/digitalised-schools-more-than-simply-programming-and-source-criticism#:~:text=The%20Swedish%20Government%20has%20decided%20that%20all,programme%20and%20to%20critically%20review%20online%20news
[7]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/articles/cx24mw7r9glo
[8]: https://world-education-blog.org/2024/07/15/are-digital-textbooks-the-way-of-the-future-can-publishers-keep-up/#:~:t
[9]: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0360131524000289
[10]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/04/sweden-goes-back-to-basics-swapping-screens-for-books-in-the-classroom/
[11]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/04/sweden-goes-back-to-basics-swapping-screens-for-books-in-the-classroom/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/04/sweden-goes-back-to-basics-swapping-screens-for-books-in-the-classroom/

2026-04-01 17:06:16 CEST

Black hole mergers put limits on star-destroying supernovae
Many of the early exoplanet discoveries were exciting on their own, confirming that there really were strange new worlds out in the Universe. But over time, our focus has shifted more toward numbers, as we began using the frequency of objects like super-Earths and mini-Neptunes to learn more about how planets form. With four gravitational wave detectors now having generated years of data, we may be on the verge of seeing something similar happen with black hole mergers.
On Wednesday, researchers released an analysis suggesting that there's a "mass gap" in the population of black holes that we've detected so far. And that gap supports the idea that some stars are so massive that they die in something called a pair-instability supernova, which is so violent that it leaves nothing but debris behind.
## That's not stable
Black holes result from the collapse of a star's core during a supernova. While the outer layers of a star explode outward, the innermost layers plunge inward, funneling a fraction of the star's mass into the black hole (or neutron star if the star's mass is too small). We're not sure what the upper limit on a star's mass is, so you might naively think the distribution of black hole masses tails off gently.
[Read full article][1]
[Comments][2]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/04/black-hole-mergers-put-limits-on-star-destroying-supernovae/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/04/black-hole-mergers-put-limits-on-star-destroying-supernovae/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/04/black-hole-mergers-put-limits-on-star-destroying-supernovae/

2026-04-01 03:54:07 CEST

NASA is leading the way to the Moon, but the military won't be far behind
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Florida—The US military has always been part of NASA's human spaceflight program. The first astronauts were nearly all military pilots, and two of the four crew members set to fly around the Moon on NASA's Artemis II mission were Navy test pilots before joining the astronaut corps.
Artemis II, the first crew mission to the Moon's vicinity since 1972, is [set for launch Wednesday][1] from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Commander Reid Wiseman and pilot Victor Glover, both Navy test pilots, will be at the controls of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for the ride to space. NASA astronaut Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen round out the four-person crew.
The mission will depart from NASA property on Florida's Space Coast, but the Space Force will play an important role in the launch. A range crew from the Space Force will track the SLS rocket as it arcs over the Atlantic Ocean. Their primary job will be ensuring public safety, with the unenviable responsibility of sending a destruct signal to the rocket if it flies off course. Thankfully for the astronauts inside the spacecraft, the Orion capsule has an abort rocket to pull it away from an exploding launch vehicle in the event of a catastrophic failure.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/03/after-more-than-53-years-humans-may-finally-return-to-the-moon-this-week/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/03/nasa-is-leading-the-way-to-the-moon-but-the-military-wont-be-far-behind/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/03/nasa-is-leading-the-way-to-the-moon-but-the-military-wont-be-far-behind/#comments
A Turkish special operations soldier silhouetted by the Moon.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/03/nasa-is-leading-the-way-to-the-moon-but-the-military-wont-be-far-behind/

2026-04-01 02:13:03 CEST

Running local models on Macs gets faster with Ollama's MLX support
Ollama, a runtime system for operating large language models on a local computer, has introduced support for Apple's open source [MLX][1] framework for machine learning. Additionally, Ollama says it has improved caching performance and now supports Nvidia's [NVFP4][2] format for model compression, making for much more efficient memory usage in certain models.
Combined, these developments promise significantly improved performance on Macs with Apple Silicon chips (M1 or later)—and the timing couldn't be better, as local models are starting to gain steam in ways they haven't before outside researcher and hobbyist communities.
The recent runaway success of OpenClaw—which raced its way to over 300,000 stars [on GitHub][3], made headlines with experiments like [Moltbook][4] and became an obsession in China [in particular][5]—has many people experimenting with running models on their machines.
[Read full article][6]
[Comments][7]
[1]: https://opensource.apple.com/projects/mlx/
[2]: https://developer.nvidia.com/blog/introducing-nvfp4-for-efficient-and-accurate-low-precision-inference/
[3]: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/03/meta-acquires-moltbook-the-ai-agent-social-network/
[5]: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-03-13/gripped-by-openclaw-china-runs-massive-risky-ai-experiment
[6]: https://arstechnica.com/apple/2026/03/running-local-models-on-macs-gets-faster-with-ollamas-mlx-support/
[7]: https://arstechnica.com/apple/2026/03/running-local-models-on-macs-gets-faster-with-ollamas-mlx-support/#comments
A graphic made by Ollama to announce MLX support.
https://arstechnica.com/apple/2026/03/running-local-models-on-macs-gets-faster-with-ollamas-mlx-support/

2026-04-01 00:32:42 CEST

Starlink satellite breaks apart into "tens of objects"; SpaceX confirms "anomaly"
SpaceX's Starlink division confirmed yesterday that it lost contact with a satellite on Sunday and is trying to locate space debris that might have been produced by... whatever happened there.
Starlink said there appeared to be "no new risk" to other space operations and did not use the word "explosion." But it seems that something caused a Starlink broadband satellite to break apart into at least tens of pieces. LeoLabs, which operates a [radar network][1] that can track objects in low Earth orbit, [said in an X post][2] that it "detected a fragment creation event involving SpaceX Starlink 34343," one of the [10,000 or so][3] Starlink satellites in orbit.
"LeoLabs Global Radar Network immediately detected tens of objects in the vicinity of the satellite after the event, with a first pass over our radar site in the Azores, Portugal," LeoLabs said. "Additional fragments may have been produced—analysis is ongoing."
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://leolabs.space/radars/
[2]: https://x.com/LeoLabs_Space/status/2038680177408880719
[3]: https://planet4589.org/space/con/star/stats.html
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/starlink-satellite-breaks-apart-into-tens-of-objects-spacex-confirms-anomaly/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/starlink-satellite-breaks-apart-into-tens-of-objects-spacex-confirms-anomaly/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/starlink-satellite-breaks-apart-into-tens-of-objects-spacex-confirms-anomaly/

2026-04-01 00:32:36 CEST

RFK Jr. wants Americans to use peptides that were banned over safety risks
Anti-vaccine Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—who has long dismissed reams of data on lifesaving vaccines as being insufficient to prove safety—is pushing the Food and Drug Administration to lift restrictions on over a dozen injectable peptide treatments. The treatments have little to no efficacy data behind them and were previously banned by the FDA for posing significant safety risks.
Kennedy is a self-proclaimed "big fan" of the risky treatments. Peptides, generally, are chains of amino acids linked together with peptide bonds, a link between the carboxyl group of one amino acid and the amino group of another. Bioactive peptides can have a range of cellular functions and influence various biochemical processes. Well-established, FDA-approved types of peptide drugs include GLP-1s for obesity and insulin for diabetes. But online, peptide drugs are now seemingly synonymous with unproven, non-FDA-approved treatment. They've grown extremely popular among wellness influencers, celebrities, and "biohackers," who claim without evidence that peptides can treat various diseases, reverse aging, and improve appearance.
On February 27, Kennedy touted such unproven peptides as a guest on Joe Rogan's podcast, saying he had used them to treat injuries with "really good effect." He also vowed to end the FDA's "war on peptides" and revealed his plan to reverse the FDA's restrictions on many of them.
[Read full article][1]
[Comments][2]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/03/rfk-jr-s-fda-expected-to-lift-restrictions-on-risky-unproven-peptides/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/03/rfk-jr-s-fda-expected-to-lift-restrictions-on-risky-unproven-peptides/#comments
US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Grapevine, Texas, on March 27, 2026.
https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/03/rfk-jr-s-fda-expected-to-lift-restrictions-on-risky-unproven-peptides/

2026-03-31 22:54:12 CEST

Entire Claude Code CLI source code leaks thanks to exposed map file
The entire source code for Anthropic's Claude Code command line interface application (not the models themselves) has been leaked and disseminated, apparently thanks to a serious internal error. The leak gives competitors and armchair enthusiasts a detailed blueprint for how Claude Code works—a significant setback for a company that has seen explosive user growth and industry impact over the past several months.
Early this morning, Anthropic published version 2.1.88 of Claude Code npm package—but it was quickly discovered that package included a source map file, which could be used to access the entirety of Claude Code's source—almost 2,000 TypeScript files and more than 512,000 lines of code.
Security researcher Chaofan Shou was the first to publicly [point it out on X][1], with a link to an archive containing the files. The codebase was then put in a public GitHub repository, and it has been forked tens of thousands of times.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://x.com/Fried_rice/status/2038894956459290963
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/03/entire-claude-code-cli-source-code-leaks-thanks-to-exposed-map-file/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/03/entire-claude-code-cli-source-code-leaks-thanks-to-exposed-map-file/#comments
A screenshot of Claude Code running in the command line.
https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/03/entire-claude-code-cli-source-code-leaks-thanks-to-exposed-map-file/

2026-03-31 22:54:07 CEST

It's a race against time to save Krypto in Supergirl trailer
We haven't heard much about Warner Bros.' forthcoming [*Supergirl*][1], starring Milly Alcock in the title role, since the first teaser dropped back in December. But with its summer release approaching, the studio just released the first official full trailer, and it's definitely a crowd-pleaser.
As [previously reported][2], we met Alcock’s Supergirl briefly at the end of *Superman*, when she showed up to collect her dog Krypto, still a bit hungover from partying on a red-sun planet. She is more jaded than her cousin, having witnessed the destruction of Krypton and the loss of everything and everyone she loved. “He sees the good in everyone, and I see the truth,” she says in the teaser.
Kara, aka Supergirl, is turning 23 and declares it will be the best year yet, which is admittedly “not a very high bar to clear.” While she might not be too keen on the prospect, she’s going to be a superhero nonetheless. Per the logline: “When an unexpected and ruthless adversary strikes too close to home, Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, reluctantly joins forces with an unlikely companion on an epic, interstellar journey of vengeance and justice.”
[Read full article][3]
[Comments][4]
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supergirl_(2026_film)
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/culture/2025/12/milly-alcock-is-out-for-revenge-in-supergirl-teaser/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/03/its-a-race-against-time-to-save-krypto-in-supergirl-trailer/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/03/its-a-race-against-time-to-save-krypto-in-supergirl-trailer/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/03/its-a-race-against-time-to-save-krypto-in-supergirl-trailer/

2026-03-31 22:54:01 CEST

Sweaty, glassy-eyed Tiger Woods blames cell phone use for his car crash
Celebrities—they're just like us!
We recently covered a strange story out of Michigan last week, where a woman [connected to a Zoom court hearing while driving her car down the road][1]—and then tried to gaslight the judge about this fact. At the end of that piece, I noted just how often I see similar kinds of distracted driving, where people are (illegally in my state) one-handing cell phones even while navigating tricky intersections.
Famous people aren't immune from this kind of behavior, either. Police in Martin County, Florida, today [released their affidavit][2] used to arrest golfer Tiger Woods after a car crash last week near his home. Woods was driving down a residential street, apparently at high speed, and managed to clip the trailer of another vehicle. He then swerved hard enough to flip his vehicle onto its side as it went skidding down the road. Woods had to be helped out through the front passenger-seat window of his SUV.
[Read full article][3]
[Comments][4]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/judge-irate-as-defendant-joins-by-zoom-while-driving-then-lies-about-it/
[2]: https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/woods-says-looking-phone-crash-174839398.html?guccounter=1
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/sweaty-glassy-eyed-tiger-woods-blames-cell-phone-use-for-his-car-crash/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/sweaty-glassy-eyed-tiger-woods-blames-cell-phone-use-for-his-car-crash/#comments
Tiger Woods' most recent mug shot.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/sweaty-glassy-eyed-tiger-woods-blames-cell-phone-use-for-his-car-crash/

2026-03-31 22:53:55 CEST

He-Man gets an origin story in Masters of the Universe trailer
We've got a brand new trailer for *[Masters of the Universe][1], *the new film adaptation of the 1980s *He-Man and the Masters of the Universe* series.
As [previously reported][2], Sony Pictures gained the rights in 2009, and there were multiple script rewrites and much shuffling of possible directors (with John Chu, McG, and David S. Goyer among the candidates). This went on until 2022, when Netflix acquired the rights after its success with animated shows starring Kyle Allen as He-Man. Netflix canceled the project the following year, though, citing budget concerns, so Allen never got that big-screen break. And then Amazon MGM stepped in, tapping Travis Knight (*Bumblebee*,* Kubo and the Two Strings*) as director and casting Nicholas Galitzine (2021’s *Cinderella*,* 100 Nights of Hero*) as He-Man.
In addition to Galitzine, the cast includes Camila Mendes as Teela; Jared Leto as Keldor/Skeletor; Alison Brie as Professor Evelyn Powers (aka Evil-Lyn), lieutenant to Skeletor; Idris Elba as Duncan/Man-at-Arms; Morena Baccarin as the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull; Johannes Haukur as Malcolm/Fisto; James Purefoy and Charlotte Riley as King Randor and Queen Marlena, rulers of Eternia; Sasheer Zamata as Suzie, Adam/He-Man’s BFF on Earth; Kristen Wiig as Roboto; Jon Xue Zhang as Ram-Man; Kojo Attah as the bounty hunter Tri-Klops; Sam C. Wilson as cyborg/weapons expert Kronis/Trap-Jaw; and Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson as Goat Man.
[Read full article][3]
[Comments][4]
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masters_of_the_Universe_(2026_film)
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/01/check-out-the-first-trailer-for-masters-of-the-universe/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/03/he-man-gets-an-origin-story-in-masters-of-the-universe-trailer/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/03/he-man-gets-an-origin-story-in-masters-of-the-universe-trailer/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/03/he-man-gets-an-origin-story-in-masters-of-the-universe-trailer/

2026-03-31 20:28:19 CEST

This is my third Orion launch, but it feels totally different
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla.—This will be the third time I have observed NASA’s Orion spacecraft take flight. But with this one, for the first time, am I genuinely hopeful about the future of the space agency and its plans to build a station on the surface of the Moon.
The two previous flights, in 2014 and 2022, both felt hollow. NASA, an aging bureaucracy, has repeatedly sought to recapture its fading glory while also looking toward a supposedly brighter future. Agency leaders would say things like this, from then-NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden, after the first Orion launch in 2014: “This is the beginning of the Mars era.”
It wasn’t. No one who was paying attention believed it. But it was the kind of thing you had to say, I guess.
[Read full article][1]
[Comments][2]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/features/2026/03/this-is-my-third-orion-launch-but-it-feels-totally-different/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/features/2026/03/this-is-my-third-orion-launch-but-it-feels-totally-different/#comments
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman speaks at the Ignition event on March 24.
https://arstechnica.com/features/2026/03/this-is-my-third-orion-launch-but-it-feels-totally-different/

2026-03-31 20:28:14 CEST

OkCupid gave 3 million dating-app photos to facial recognition firm, FTC says
OkCupid and its owner Match Group reached a settlement with the Trump administration for not telling dating-app customers that nearly 3 million user photos were shared with a company making a facial recognition system. OkCupid also gave the facial recognition firm access to user location information and other details without customers' consent, the Federal Trade Commission said.
OkCupid and Match do not have to pay a financial penalty in a deal made with the FTC over an incident from 2014. OkCupid and Match did not admit or deny the allegations but agreed to a permanent prohibition barring them from misrepresenting how they use and share personal data, the FTC [said yesterday][1].
The FTC has been run entirely by Republicans since President Trump [fired both Democratic commissioners][2]. The proposed [settlement][3] requires approval from a judge and was submitted in US District Court for the Northern District of Texas.
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/03/ftc-takes-action-against-match-okcupid-deceiving-users-sharing-personal-data-third-party
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/03/trump-fires-both-ftc-democrats-in-challenge-to-supreme-court-precedent/
[3]: https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/MatchGroupAmericasandHumorRainbowStipulatedOrder.pdf
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/okcupid-match-pay-no-fine-for-sharing-user-photos-with-facial-recognition-firm/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/okcupid-match-pay-no-fine-for-sharing-user-photos-with-facial-recognition-firm/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/okcupid-match-pay-no-fine-for-sharing-user-photos-with-facial-recognition-firm/

2026-03-31 20:28:09 CEST

You can finally change the goofy Gmail address you chose years ago
Someone is celebrating a birthday tomorrow—it's Gmail. The iconic email service debuted [22 years ago][1] on April 1, forever altering what people expected from free email. But 22 years is a long time, and the username you chose when you finally got your hands on an invite in 2004 may not have stood the test of time. [Starting today][2], Google will let US-based users ditch an old username without creating a new account.
Google started testing this option some months ago, both in the US and internationally. Today, the name change feature is rolling out widely in the US. You can check for the option on [this account page][3] to get started (you'll have to log in). Some of the accounts we've checked already have the option, but it could take a while for it to appear for everyone.
Over the years, many users have abandoned old Gmail addresses because the handle is too personal or their names have changed. Now, you don't have to abandon anything. When the option appears, you'll be able to change the username portion of your email (the part before @gmail) to anything you desire. However, Google says you can only change your address once every 12 months. The company hasn't explained why you're limited to one change per year, but it may be a measure to combat spam.
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/uncategorized/2004/03/3596-2/
[2]: https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/workspace/google-account-username-change/
[3]: http://myaccount.google.com/google-account-email
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/you-can-finally-change-the-goofy-gmail-address-you-chose-years-ago/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/you-can-finally-change-the-goofy-gmail-address-you-chose-years-ago/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/you-can-finally-change-the-goofy-gmail-address-you-chose-years-ago/

2026-03-31 20:28:04 CEST

New quantum-computing advances heighten threat to elliptic curve cryptosystems
Building a utility-scale quantum computer that can crack one of the most vital cryptosystems—elliptic curves—doesn’t require nearly the resources anticipated just a year or two ago, two independently written whitepapers have concluded. In one, researchers demonstrated the use of neutral atoms as reconfigurable qubits that have free access to each other. They went on to show this approach could allow a quantum computer to break 256-bit elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) in 10 days while using 100 times less overhead than previously estimated. In a second paper, Google researchers demonstrated how to break ECC-securing blockchains for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in less than 9 minutes while achieving a 20-fold resource reduction.
Taken together, the papers are the latest sign that cryptographically relevant quantum computing (CRQC) at utility-scale is making meaningful progress. The advances are largely being driven by new quantum architectures developed by physicists and computer scientists in a push to create quantum computers that operate correctly even in the presence of errors that occur whenever qubits—the quantum analog to classical computing bits—interact with their environment. The other key drivers are ever-more efficient algorithms to supercharge Shor’s algorithm, the 1994 series of equations proving that quantum computing could break the ECC and RSA cryptosystems in polynomial time, specifically [cubic time][1], far faster than the exponential time provided by today’s classical computers.
Neither paper has been peer-reviewed.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_complexity
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/03/new-quantum-computing-advances-heighten-threat-to-elliptic-curve-cryptosystems/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/03/new-quantum-computing-advances-heighten-threat-to-elliptic-curve-cryptosystems/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/03/new-quantum-computing-advances-heighten-threat-to-elliptic-curve-cryptosystems/

2026-03-31 18:51:32 CEST

Costco sued for seeking refunds on tariffs customers paid
A [proposed class action][1] has accused Costco of unjust enrichment after the retail giant allegedly made customers pay for tariffs, then planned to pocket the full refund [after they were deemed unlawful][2].
Costco "collected the tariff costs from consumers through elevated pricing, while simultaneously seeking refunds of the same tariff payments from the federal government," the complaint alleged. Unless the court intervenes, "Costco stands to recover the same tariff payments twice."
Filed in a US District Court in Washington, the lawsuit points to public statements from Costco executives that customers said made it clear that the company had raised prices on some goods while the tariffs were in effect. But the company has since offered "no legally binding commitment to return tariff-related overcharges to the consumers who actually paid them."
[Read full article][3]
[Comments][4]
[1]: https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Briggs-et-al-v-Costco-Complaint-3-27-26.pdf
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/02/supreme-court-blocks-trumps-emergency-tariffs-billions-in-refunds-may-be-owed/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/costco-sued-for-seeking-refunds-on-tariffs-customers-paid/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/costco-sued-for-seeking-refunds-on-tariffs-customers-paid/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/costco-sued-for-seeking-refunds-on-tariffs-customers-paid/

2026-03-31 17:20:36 CEST

How did Anthropic measure AI's "theoretical capabilities" in the job market?
If you follow the ongoing debate over AI's growing economic impact, you may have seen the graphic below floating around this month. It comes from [an Anthropic report on the labor market impacts of AI][1] and is meant to compare the current "observed exposure" of occupations to LLMs (in red) to the "theoretical capability" of those same LLMs (in blue) across 22 job categories.
While the current "observed exposure" area is interesting in its own right, it's the blue "theoretical capability" that jumps out. At a glance, the graph implies that LLM-based systems could perform at least 80 percent of the individual "job tasks" across a shockingly wide range of human occupations, at least theoretically. It looks like Anthropic is predicting that LLMs will eventually be able to do the vast majority of jobs in broad categories ranging from "Arts & Media" and "Office & Admin" to "Legal, Business & Finance," and even "Management."
That "theoretical AI coverage" area seems like it's destined to eat a huge swath of the US job market! Credit: [Anthropic][2]
Digging into the basis for those "theoretical capability" numbers, though, provides a much less chilling image of AI's future occupational impacts. When you drill down into the specifics, that blue field represents some outdated and heavily speculative educated guesses about where AI is likely to improve human productivity and not necessarily where it will take over for humans altogether.
[Read full article][3]
[Comments][4]
[1]: https://www.anthropic.com/research/labor-market-impacts
[2]: https://www.anthropic.com/research/labor-market-impacts
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/03/how-did-anthropic-measure-ais-theoretical-capabilities-in-the-job-market/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/03/how-did-anthropic-measure-ais-theoretical-capabilities-in-the-job-market/#comments
Is AI poised to crush the job market like a giant robot hand crushing a cubicle worker?
https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/03/how-did-anthropic-measure-ais-theoretical-capabilities-in-the-job-market/

2026-03-31 17:20:31 CEST

No more Chinese Polestar 3s as production shifts entirely to the US
The Volvo factory outside Charleston, South Carolina, will get even busier this year. Formerly the site that built the S60 sedan, in recent years it shifted to building big electric SUVs, the [EX90][1] and closely related [Polestar 3][2]. Today, Volvo and Polestar announced that Charleston will now be the sole production site for the Polestar 3; until now, it was also being built at a factory in Chengdu, China.
"The move to consolidate global Polestar 3 production in Charleston help[s] generate efficiencies for both companies, whilst also underscoring our confidence in the plant and the role it plays in our manufacturing footprint," said Håkan Samuelsson, chief executive of Volvo Cars. "The US is a very important market for Volvo Cars, both to support our growth ambitions as well as a strategic production site to meet regional and export demands."
Volvo had a challenging 2025, with sales falling by 7 percent. Meanwhile, Polestar, which was spun out from the Swedish OEM's performance arm into a standalone startup in [2017][3], had a rather good 2025, seeing a 34 percent increase in sales. So increasing the proportion of Polestar 3s to come out of South Carolina seems sensible.
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/07/2025-volvo-ex90-a-low-key-luxury-electric-suv/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/07/2025-polestar-3-drives-sporty-looks-sharp-can-be-a-little-annoying/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2017/10/volvo-tears-up-the-rules-with-a-subscription-only-600-hp-electric-gt/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/03/polestar-3-production-consolidated-to-the-us-to-keep-volvo-factory-busy/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/03/polestar-3-production-consolidated-to-the-us-to-keep-volvo-factory-busy/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/03/polestar-3-production-consolidated-to-the-us-to-keep-volvo-factory-busy/

2026-03-31 17:20:25 CEST

After more than 53 years, humans may finally return to the Moon this week
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Florida—The two-day countdown for the launch of NASA's Artemis II mission began Monday evening, with clocks timed for the first of six opportunities in early April to send a crew of four astronauts around the far side of the Moon.
Liftoff from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida is scheduled for a two-hour launch window opening at 6:24 pm EDT (22:24 UTC) on Wednesday. NASA has backup launch opportunities each day through Monday, April 6, or else the mission will have to wait until the end of the month.
Mission managers said Monday that all systems were looking good for launch this week. The weather forecast is favorable, with an 80 percent chance of acceptable conditions for liftoff Wednesday. The only weather concern at the launch site in Florida is a low chance of rain showers and cloud cover that could present a risk of lightning. But with a two-hour launch window, there should be plenty of time to wait out any scattered storms.
[Read full article][1]
[Comments][2]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/03/after-more-than-53-years-humans-may-finally-return-to-the-moon-this-week/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/03/after-more-than-53-years-humans-may-finally-return-to-the-moon-this-week/#comments
The SLS rocket on its launch pad at Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/03/after-more-than-53-years-humans-may-finally-return-to-the-moon-this-week/

2026-03-31 17:20:20 CEST

What's the best cabin layout for aircraft evacuation?
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires that, in the event of an emergency, all airplane passengers must be able to evacuate any aircraft within a 90-second window. But is that a realistic requirement, particularly given the increasing number of elderly passengers who might need more time and assistance? According to a [new paper][1] published in the journal AIP Advances, it is not. Various simulated scenarios showed evacuation times significantly higher than the 90-second requirement.
This isn't the first time scientists have puzzled over this kind of optimization problem. [Back in 2011][2], Jason Steffen, now a physicist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, [became intrigued][3] by the question of the most efficient boarding method; he applied the same optimization routine used to solve the famous [traveling salesman problem][4] to airline boarding strategies. Steffen fully expected that boarding from the back to the front would be the most efficient strategy and was surprised when his results showed that strategy was actually the least efficient.
The most efficient, [aka the “Steffen method,”][5] has the passengers board in a series of waves. Field tests [bore out the results][6], showing that Steffen’s method was almost twice as fast as boarding back-to-front or rotating blocks of rows and 20–30 percent faster than random boarding. The key is parallelism: The ideal scenario is having more than one person sitting down at the same time.
[Read full article][7]
[Comments][8]
[1]: https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0310405
[2]: https://arxiv.org/PS_cache/arxiv/pdf/1108/1108.5211v1.pdf
[3]: https://home.fnal.gov/~jsteffen/airplanes.html
[4]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travelling_salesman_problem
[5]: https://www.vox.com/2014/4/25/5647696/the-way-we-board-airplanes-makes-absolutely-no-sense
[6]: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0969699711000986?via%3Dihub
[7]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/whats-the-best-cabin-layout-for-aircraft-evacuation/
[8]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/whats-the-best-cabin-layout-for-aircraft-evacuation/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/whats-the-best-cabin-layout-for-aircraft-evacuation/

2026-03-31 15:58:38 CEST

As electric truck demand craters, GM lays off workers and idles plant
After getting a little overoptimistic about the speed and nature of electric vehicle adoption here in the US, automakers are [now scaling back][1] their production plans. The imposition of tariffs and the abolishment of federal EV incentives are mostly to blame, although the domestic OEMs' attempt to easily transition their full-size truck customers into all-electric versions has stumbled thanks to a mix of range and towing anxiety.
General Motors has been well represented in the large electric vehicle segment by Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC with a mix of pickup trucks and SUVs. But the plant that assembles them—Factory Zero in Hamtramck, Michigan—was idled two weeks ago. Thirteen hundred workers have been [temporarily laid off][2] until it restarts on April 13, resuming production of the [Escalade IQ][3], Chevrolet Silverado EV, [GMC Sierra EV][4], and the [GMC Hummer EVs][5].
In [late October last year][6], GM permanently laid off 1,700 workers in Michigan and Tennessee at EV and battery plants, including Factory Zero. Then, it also idled the production line for the big EVs for about a month before restarting with just a single shift. At least production will restart at all. In December Ford [canceled][7] its F-150 Lightning pickup truck, and Ram [never even got][8] a battery EV truck into production.
[Read full article][9]
[Comments][10]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/03/honda-cancels-the-two-electric-vehicles-it-was-developing-with-sony/
[2]: https://www.autonews.com/general-motors/an-gm-factory-zero-idled-again-0330/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/03/the-2025-cadillac-escalade-iq-first-drive-460-miles-on-a-single-charge/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2024/11/the-2025-gmc-sierra-ev-denali-brings-big-power-at-a-bigger-cost/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2024/11/driving-the-biggest-least-efficient-electric-car-the-hummer-ev-suv/
[6]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/10/weak-ev-demand-sees-gm-lay-off-1700-workers-at-two-plants/
[7]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/12/ford-ends-f-150-lightning-production-starts-battery-storage-business/
[8]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/02/theres-a-battery-bigger-than-in-most-bevs-inside-the-ramcharger-hybrid/
[9]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/03/gm-idles-electric-truck-factory-lays-off-1300-workers-for-a-month/
[10]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/03/gm-idles-electric-truck-factory-lays-off-1300-workers-for-a-month/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/03/gm-idles-electric-truck-factory-lays-off-1300-workers-for-a-month/

2026-03-31 15:58:32 CEST

Iran's hackers are on the offensive against the US and Israel
As missile sirens wailed over Israel earlier this month, thousands of Israelis received texts claiming to be from their military, encouraging them to download a fake shelter app, which could have stolen reams of personal data.
Others received a mass text saying: “Netanyahu is dead. Death is approaching you and soon the gates of hell will open before you. Before the fire of Iranian missiles destroys you, leave Palestine.”
The messages, cyber security experts say, are the most visible end of a vast war being waged in the far reaches of the Internet between Iran, Israel and the US, and their online sympathisers.
[Read full article][1]
[Comments][2]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/03/irans-hackers-are-on-the-offensive-against-the-us-and-israel/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/03/irans-hackers-are-on-the-offensive-against-the-us-and-israel/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/03/irans-hackers-are-on-the-offensive-against-the-us-and-israel/

2026-03-31 01:15:02 CEST

Water utility announces it's ditching fluoride—then reveals it did so years ago
Residents of Birmingham, Alabama, were abruptly informed earlier this month that their water utility had decided to stop adding fluoride to city water. Then, days later, they learned that the utility had actually stopped adding fluoride years ago.
On March 20, [Central Alabama Water (CAW) made an announcement][1] that it had discontinued water fluoridation. The announcement cited "aging equipment" and "increasing maintenance and component replacement" as justifications for the removal of fluoride, which it indicated had already occurred. But the water utility also highlighted unsubstantiated health concerns and noted that people can buy toothpaste and mouthwash that contain fluoride to protect their teeth.
Emphasizing that there are "questions about the long‑term health effects," CAW said, "ending drinking water fluoridation allows customers and their health care providers to make more individualized decisions about fluoride use."
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://caw-al.gov/central-alabama-water-discontinues-adding-fluoride-to-drinking-water/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/03/water-utility-announces-its-ditching-fluoride-then-reveals-it-did-so-years-ago/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/03/water-utility-announces-its-ditching-fluoride-then-reveals-it-did-so-years-ago/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/03/water-utility-announces-its-ditching-fluoride-then-reveals-it-did-so-years-ago/

2026-03-30 22:34:17 CEST

Judge halts Nexstar/Tegna merger after FCC let firms exceed TV ownership limit
Although the Trump administration approved Nexstar Media Group’s $6.2 billion purchase of Tegna, a US judge has ordered the two companies to stop integrating their assets and operations. US District Judge Troy Nunley, an Obama appointee, [issued a temporary restraining order][1] on Friday prohibiting integration of the companies until further rulings by the court.
"Defendants must immediately cease all ongoing actions relating to integration and consolidation of Nexstar and Tegna," wrote Nunley, the chief judge in US District Court for the Eastern District of California.
Nunley said he agrees with plaintiff DirecTV that immediate integration of the merging firms could eliminate competition, result in newsroom layoffs and shutdowns, and make it more difficult to divest Tegna stations if the court ends up requiring a divestiture after reviewing the merger. DirecTV has established that "the Nexstar-TEGNA merger will substantially lessen competition in markets in which it participates," and that there would be irreparable harm if a restraining order isn't issued, Nunley wrote.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.caed.484734/gov.uscourts.caed.484734.60.0_3.pdf
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/judge-halts-nexstar-tegna-merger-after-fcc-let-firms-exceed-tv-ownership-limit/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/judge-halts-nexstar-tegna-merger-after-fcc-let-firms-exceed-tv-ownership-limit/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/judge-halts-nexstar-tegna-merger-after-fcc-let-firms-exceed-tv-ownership-limit/

2026-03-30 21:10:26 CEST

Meta hopes SCOTUS piracy ruling will help it beat lawsuit over torrenting AI data
Looks like Meta is hoping the recent Supreme Court ruling that found [Internet service providers aren't liable for piracy][1] on their networks will help the social media giant dodge liability claims over its [torrenting of AI training data][2].
Last week, Meta filed a [statement][3] in a lawsuit that alleged that Meta should be liable under copyright law for contributory infringement simply because the company knows how torrenting works. By seeding perhaps 80 terabytes of pirated works, the company allegedly knew it was inducing infringement by allowing uploads to help speed up its downloads, the plaintiffs, Entrepreneur Media, argued.
This contributory infringement claim is much easier to prove than a separate claim raised in a class action filed by book authors in *Kadrey v. Meta*, which alleged that [Meta's torrenting meant it was liable for a "distribution" claim][4] of direct copyright infringement. TorrentFreak [noted][5] that the authors' claim required evidence that Meta torrented an entire work, whereas the contributory infringement claim only depends on proving that Meta facilitated torrent transfers.
[Read full article][6]
[Comments][7]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/supreme-court-rejects-sonys-attempt-to-kick-music-pirates-off-the-internet/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/02/meta-torrented-over-81-7tb-of-pirated-books-to-train-ai-authors-say/
[3]: https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Entrepreneur-Media-v-Meta-Statement-on-Recent-Decision-3-25-26.pdf
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/02/meta-defends-its-vast-book-torrenting-were-just-a-leech-no-proof-of-seeding/
[5]: https://torrentfreak.com/judge-allows-bittorrent-seeding-claims-against-meta-despite-lawyers-lame-excuses/
[6]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/meta-hopes-scotus-piracy-ruling-will-help-it-beat-lawsuit-over-torrenting-ai-data/
[7]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/meta-hopes-scotus-piracy-ruling-will-help-it-beat-lawsuit-over-torrenting-ai-data/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/meta-hopes-scotus-piracy-ruling-will-help-it-beat-lawsuit-over-torrenting-ai-data/

2026-03-30 20:17:07 CEST

After 16 years and $8 billion, the military's new GPS software still doesn't work
Last year, just before the Fourth of July holiday, the US Space Force officially took ownership of a new operating system for the GPS navigation network, raising hopes that one of the military's most troubled space programs might finally bear fruit.
The GPS Next-Generation Operational Control System, or OCX, is designed for command and control of the military's constellation of more than 30 GPS satellites. It consists of software to handle new signals and jam-resistant capabilities of the latest generation of GPS satellites, GPS III, which started launching in 2018. The ground segment also includes two master control stations and upgrades to ground monitoring stations around the world, among other hardware elements.
RTX Corporation, formerly known as Raytheon, won a Pentagon contract in 2010 to develop and deliver the control system. The program was supposed to be complete in 2016 at a cost of $3.7 billion. Today, the official cost for the ground system for the [GPS III satellites][1] stands at $7.6 billion. RTX is developing an OCX augmentation projected to cost more than $400 million to support a new series of GPS IIIF satellites set to begin launching next year, bringing the total effort to $8 billion.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/03/spacex-swipes-yet-another-military-contract-from-united-launch-alliance/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/03/after-16-years-and-8-billion-the-militarys-new-gps-software-still-doesnt-work/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/03/after-16-years-and-8-billion-the-militarys-new-gps-software-still-doesnt-work/#comments
US Space Force Guardians assigned to Space Delta 5 monitor computer workstations at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/03/after-16-years-and-8-billion-the-militarys-new-gps-software-still-doesnt-work/

2026-03-30 20:17:02 CEST

F1 in Japan: Oh no, what have they done to all the fast corners?
Following this past weekend's Japanese Grand Prix, Formula 1 goes into a five-week hiatus now that war in the Gulf has made it impossible to hold races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The unplanned break is probably welcomed up and down the paddock as teams, drivers, and officials try to get their heads around this new generation of F1 car and the radical new demands it places on them all. Those new challenges were on full display at Suzuka.
On the plus side, the race itself was quite exciting. That's something you could not have said in 2025, [a snoozefest with cars driving in procession][1] and few opportunities to overtake. A hefty reduction in aerodynamic downforce for 2026 means that cars can follow each other more closely. But after this visit to one of motorsport's most-loved, most challenging circuits, it's very hard to avoid the conclusion that F1 has painted itself into a corner with its new hybrid systems. The sport itself recognizes this; on April 9, it will hold crisis talks to try to find a solution.
## You don't have the energy
The problem, as we have been warned for some time, is the new hybrid power trains, which combine a 1.6 L V6 that generates 400 kW (536 hp) with a 350 kW (469 hp) electric motor. Getting to a near 50:50 split between internal combustion and electric power was key to attracting new auto manufacturers to the sport, and Audi, Ford, Cadillac, and Honda were all enticed by the 2026 rules. The electric motor is fed by a 1.1 kWh (4 MJ) battery pack, but depending on the track, cars are allowed to deploy 8–9 MJ from the electric side, which means recovering that energy while out on track.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/04/f1-in-japan-reminds-us-a-great-track-might-not-make-for-a-great-race/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/03/f1-in-japan-oh-no-what-have-they-done-to-all-the-fast-corners/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/03/f1-in-japan-oh-no-what-have-they-done-to-all-the-fast-corners/#comments
The start of the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/03/f1-in-japan-oh-no-what-have-they-done-to-all-the-fast-corners/

2026-03-30 16:25:12 CEST

What happened to Amelia Earhart? New book takes on the case.
Famed aviator [Amelia Earhart][1] mysteriously disappeared in 1937 during an attempt to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the globe. Speculative theories abound about what really happened to Earhart, but while tantalizing hints of her fate have popped up from time to time over the last 90 years, none have proved conclusive. The people behind those theories, and the extraordinary woman who still inspires them, are the focus of an eminently readable new book, [*Lost: Amelia Earhart's Three Mysterious Deaths and One Extraordinary Life*][2], by Rachel Hartigan.
A former editor of The Washington Post's Book World, Hartigan worked for National Geographic magazine for 12 years, covering such diverse topics as the genetics of persimmon trees and the history of women's suffrage. So why a book about Amelia Earhart? Hartigan acknowledged that she asked that question herself "in the darkest moments of writing."
After all, there are countless biographies for readers of all ages, as well as books touting various theories about Earhart's disappearance, not to mention occasional news coverage about the latest attempts to locate Earhart's plane or her remains. (Just last fall, [we reported][3] on Laurie Gwen Shapiro's [*The Aviator and the Showman*][4], a biography exploring Earhart's unconventional marriage to George Putnam, a flamboyant publisher with a flair for marketing.) "I just didn't feel there was a book that tied everything together," Hartigan told Ars. "You get these news stories of people saying they know where Amelia Earhart is, but you don't have any context beyond the immediate story, all the things that make it a full picture."
[Read full article][5]
[Comments][6]
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amelia_Earhart
[2]: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1426222548?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/culture/2025/09/new-amelia-earhart-bio-delves-into-her-unconventional-marriage/
[4]: https://www.amazon.com/Aviator-Showman-Earhart-Marriage-American/dp/0593295900
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/what-happened-to-amelia-earhart-new-book-takes-on-the-case/
[6]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/what-happened-to-amelia-earhart-new-book-takes-on-the-case/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/what-happened-to-amelia-earhart-new-book-takes-on-the-case/

2026-03-30 16:25:06 CEST

Trump convenes "God Squad" to override Endangered Species Act, up oil production
The Trump administration is turning to the nuclear option on endangered-species protections in the name of national security.
A rarely tapped panel nicknamed the “God Squad” will meet Tuesday to discuss whether overriding Endangered Species Act regulations for all federally regulated fossil fuel operations in the Gulf of Mexico is more important than preventing the extinction of several imperiled species. That includes sea turtles and a whale species down to its last 51 individuals.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum [announced][1] the upcoming Endangered Species Committee meeting last week, with no details on specific projects in the Gulf or the basis for what would constitute an extraordinary action. Only twice in the panel’s nearly half-century has it ever lifted restrictions.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/03/16/2026-05242/endangered-species-committee-meeting-announcement
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/trump-convenes-god-squad-to-override-endangered-species-act-up-oil-production/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/trump-convenes-god-squad-to-override-endangered-species-act-up-oil-production/#comments
Aerial view of an oil production platform in the Gulf of Mexico.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/trump-convenes-god-squad-to-override-endangered-species-act-up-oil-production/

2026-03-29 15:08:32 CEST

Pints meet prop bets: Polymarket’s “Situation Room” pop-up bar in DC
Polymarket’s temporary makeover of a K Street bar as “The Situation Room” yielded a few notable differences from other Washington watering holes: more laptops open, more overheard conversations about cryptocurrency, and more screens—most of which were not showing sports.
The New York-based prediction market announced in a [March 18 thread on X][1] that it was opening what it called “the world's first bar dedicated to monitoring the situation,” touting the availability of “live X feeds, flight radar, Bloomberg terminals, and Polymarket screens.” The bar would only be there for a three-day run.
The reality—as reported by journalists who showed up for a press-preview event Friday night—fell vastly short of that, with power and Wi-Fi problems that [left all the displays dark][2]. Polymarket fixed the screens the next day, however, and on my own visit on Sunday afternoon, dozens of displays offered a choice of CNN, CBS, the local Fox station, FS1, and various pages on Polymarket’s site. No normal bar would have CNBC or C-SPAN on, but those networks were a logical fit for this one.
[Read full article][3]
[Comments][4]
[1]: https://x.com/Polymarket/status/2034272538465841410
[2]: https://washingtonian.com/2026/03/20/not-much-situation-monitoring-happened-on-the-opening-night-of-polymarkets-pop-up-bar/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/03/pints-meet-prop-bets-polymarkets-situation-room-pop-up-bar-in-dc/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/03/pints-meet-prop-bets-polymarkets-situation-room-pop-up-bar-in-dc/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/03/pints-meet-prop-bets-polymarkets-situation-room-pop-up-bar-in-dc/

2026-03-29 13:11:17 CEST

Polygraphs have major flaws. Are there better options?
When George W. Maschke applied to work for the FBI in 1994, he had already held a security clearance for over 11 years. The government had deemed him trustworthy through his career in the Army. But soon, a machine and a man would not come to the same conclusion.
His application to be a special agent had passed initial muster. And so, in the spring of 1995, according to his account, he found himself sitting across from an FBI polygraph examiner, answering questions about his life and loyalties.
He told the truth, he said in an interview with Undark. But in a blog post on his website, he recalled the examiner told him that the polygraph machine—which measured some of Maschke’s physiological responses—indicated that he was being deceptive about keeping classified information secret, and about his contacts with foreign intelligence agencies.
[Read full article][1]
[Comments][2]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/polygraphs-have-major-flaws-are-there-better-options/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/polygraphs-have-major-flaws-are-there-better-options/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/polygraphs-have-major-flaws-are-there-better-options/

2026-03-28 14:17:50 CET

Explanation for why we don't see two-foot-long dragonflies anymore fails
Three-hundred million years ago, the skies of the late Palaeozoic era were buzzing with giant insects. *Meganeuropsis permiana*, a predatory insect resembling a modern-day dragonfly, had a wingspan of over 70 centimeters and weighed 100 grams. Biologists looked at these ancient behemoths and asked why bugs aren’t this big anymore. Thirty years ago, they came up with an [answer][1] known as the "oxygen constrain hypothesis."
For decades, we thought that any dragonflies the size of hawks needed highly oxygenated air to survive because insect breathing systems are less efficient than those of mammals, birds, or reptiles. As atmospheric oxygen levels dropped, there wasn’t enough to support giant bugs anymore. “It’s a simple, elegant explanation,” said Edward Snelling, a professor of veterinary science at the University of Pretoria. “But it’s wrong.”
## Insect breathing
Unlike mammals, insects don't have a centralized pair of lungs and a closed circulatory system that delivers oxygen-rich blood to their tissues. “They breathe through internalized tubing called the tracheal system,” Snelling explained.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://www.nature.com/articles/375117a0
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/leading-explanation-for-ancient-giant-flying-insects-gets-squashed/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/leading-explanation-for-ancient-giant-flying-insects-gets-squashed/#comments
Imagine one of these, but the size of the entire forearm.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/leading-explanation-for-ancient-giant-flying-insects-gets-squashed/

2026-03-28 13:09:14 CET

How new fishing tech can reduce bycatch of turtles and other creatures
Our oceans are full of sophisticated, perfect traps: Nets, hooks, fishing lines. Designed to capture animals destined for our dinner tables, they often catch other wildlife too.
This accidental harvest is known as bycatch, and every year it causes the death [of millions of marine animals][1], including whales, dolphins, sharks, turtles, and seabirds. Nets and gear can asphyxiate animals or cause fatal injuries; even when the animals are tossed back to sea, they frequently die. Bycatch is also a dilemma for fishermen—entangled creatures can destroy equipment, costing time, money, and fisheries’ reputations.
Over the decades, conservationists, researchers, and fishermen have developed ways to minimize various kinds of bycatch in different fishing stocks around the world. But putting these solutions to work is often a challenge, and many mitigation strategies are never widely implemented.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://www.wwf.org.uk/whats-in-the-net#:~:text=It%20is%20estimated%20that%20every%20year%20fisheries%20bycatch%20kills%3A%20720%2C000%20seabirds%2C%20300%2C000%20whales%20and%20dolphins%2C%20345%2C000%20seals%20and%20sea%20lions%2C%20over%20250%2C000%20turtles%2C%20and%20more%20than%201.1%20million%20tonnes%20of%20sharks%20and%20rays.%20Many%20of%20these%20species%20are%20endangered%20or%20on%20the%20brink%20of%20extinction.%C2%A0
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/how-new-fishing-tech-can-reduce-bycatch-of-turtles-and-other-creatures/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/how-new-fishing-tech-can-reduce-bycatch-of-turtles-and-other-creatures/#comments
A turtle escapes from a net via a turtle excluder device. The contraptions direct the creatures to an opening without letting shrimp—the target catch—get away.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/how-new-fishing-tech-can-reduce-bycatch-of-turtles-and-other-creatures/

2026-03-28 13:09:09 CET

Getting formal about quantum mechanics' lack of causality
Over a decade ago, when I was first starting to pretend I could write about quantum mechanics, I [covered a truly bizarre experiment][1]. One half of a pair of entangled photons was sent through a device it could navigate as either a particle or a wave. After it was clear of the device, the other half of the pair was measured in a way that forced the first to act as one or the other. Once that was done, the first invariably behaved as if it were whatever the measurement made it into the whole time.
It was as if the measurement had reached backward in time to alter the photon's behavior, raising questions about whether causality itself actually applied to quantum mechanics.
Unbeknownst to me, physicists have been asking the same question and have designed experiments to probe it in detail. A few weeks back, they provided an experiment that seems to indicate it's possible to create quantum superpositions of two different series of events, essentially making the question of whether A or B happened first a matter of probability*. While the current experiment leaves a few loopholes, the researchers behind the work think they could ultimately be eliminated.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2012/11/measurements-retroactively-force-photons-to-be-both-wave-and-particle/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/getting-formal-about-quantum-mechanics-lack-of-causality/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/getting-formal-about-quantum-mechanics-lack-of-causality/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/getting-formal-about-quantum-mechanics-lack-of-causality/

2026-03-28 00:04:05 CET

Outbreak linked to raw cheese grows; 9 cases total, one with kidney failure
Two more illnesses have been identified in an *E. coli* outbreak linked to unpasteurized cheese and milk, [the Food and Drug Administration reported Thursday][1]. The maker of the products, California-based Raw Farm, continues to deny the link and has refused to issue a recall.
According to the FDA, at least nine people have been sickened in three states, an increase of two cases since [the outbreak was announced earlier this month][2]. Three of the nine cases required hospitalization, and one person developed a life-threatening complication called Hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, which causes a type of kidney failure.
Outbreak investigators have interviewed eight of the nine people sickened. All eight reported consuming unpasteurized dairy. One person couldn't recall a brand, but the remaining seven all singled out products from Raw Farm. Five people ate Raw Farm's raw cheddar, and two drank Raw Farm's raw milk. Whole genome sequencing of the *E. coli *isolates from the patients shows high similarity, suggesting they came from a common source.
[Read full article][3]
[Comments][4]
[1]: https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-e-coli-o157h7-raw-cheddar-cheese-march-2026
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/03/fda-links-raw-cheese-to-outbreak-makers-100-disagree-refuse-recall/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/03/kidney-failure-case-reported-in-raw-cheese-outbreak-maker-still-denies-link/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/03/kidney-failure-case-reported-in-raw-cheese-outbreak-maker-still-denies-link/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/03/kidney-failure-case-reported-in-raw-cheese-outbreak-maker-still-denies-link/

2026-03-28 00:04:00 CET

With new plugins feature, OpenAI officially takes Codex beyond coding
OpenAI has added plugin support to its agentic coding app Codex in an apparent attempt to match similar features offered by competitors Anthropic (in Claude Code) and Google (in Gemini's command line interface).
What OpenAI calls "plugins" are actually bundles that may include skills ("prompts that describe workflows to Codex"—a standard feature in tools like this these days), app integrations, and MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers.
The idea is that they make it possible to configure Codex in certain ways for specific tasks to be easier for the user and replicable across multiple users in an organization.
[Read full article][1]
[Comments][2]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/03/openai-brings-plugins-to-codex-closing-some-of-the-gap-with-claude-code/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/03/openai-brings-plugins-to-codex-closing-some-of-the-gap-with-claude-code/#comments
A screenshot of the plugins menu in Codex.
https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/03/openai-brings-plugins-to-codex-closing-some-of-the-gap-with-claude-code/

2026-03-28 00:03:55 CET

Playing Wolfenstein 3D with one hand in 2026
Like practically everyone who owned a PC in the early '90s, I tore through the shareware episode of *Wolfenstein 3D *shortly after it came out. At the time, the game’s mere existence seemed like a magic trick, offering a smooth-scrolling first-person perspective that was unlike pretty much anything I had ever seen. Strictly speaking, the game might have been ironically two-dimensional (lacking even the simulated gameplay “height” of follow-up *Doom*), but the sense of depth conveyed by the viewpoint was simply mind-blowing.
Coming back to *Wolfenstein 3D *in 2026 feels quite a bit different. The initial magic trick of the game’s perspective has worn off after nearly 35 years of playing the countless first-person shooters it inspired. And the advancements in shooter design since 1992 make some of the decisions id Software made for its first experiment in the genre feel a bit archaic from a modern perspective.
Still, it’s fascinating to look back at *Wolfenstein 3D* today and see the seeds that would sprout into one of gaming’s most popular genres. Playing it today feels like going to a car museum and taking a Model T for a spin, with all the confusion and danger that entails.
[Read full article][1]
[Comments][2]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/03/playing-wolfenstein-3d-with-one-hand-in-2026/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/03/playing-wolfenstein-3d-with-one-hand-in-2026/#comments
Not a lot of cover to be found in rooms like this...
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/03/playing-wolfenstein-3d-with-one-hand-in-2026/

2026-03-27 22:29:37 CET

AV1’s open, royalty-free promise in question as Dolby sues Snapchat over codec
AOMedia Video 1 (AV1) was invented by a group of technology companies to be an open, royalty-free alternative to other video codecs, like HEVC/H.265. But a lawsuit that Dolby Laboratories Inc. filed this week against Snap Inc. calls all that into question with claims of patent infringement.
Numerous lawsuits are currently open in the US regarding the use of HEVC. Relevant patent holders, such as Nokia and InterDigital, have sued numerous [hardware vendors and streaming service providers][1] in pursuit of licensing fees for the use of patented technologies deemed essential to HEVC.
It’s a touch rarer to see a lawsuit filed over the implementation of AV1. The Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia), whose members include Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Mozilla, and Netflix, [says][2] it developed AV1 “under a royalty-free patent policy ([Alliance for Open Media Patent License 1.0][3])” and that the standard is “supported by high-quality reference implementations under a simple, permissive license ([BSD 3-Clause Clear License][4]).”
[Read full article][5]
[Comments][6]
[1]: https://www.streamtvinsider.com/video/nokia-sues-amazon-hp-over-video-compression-technology
[2]: https://aomedia.org/resources/The-Future-of-Innovation-is-Open/
[3]: https://aomedia.org/about/legal/
[4]: https://aomedia.org/license/software-license/bsd-3-c-c/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/av1s-open-royalty-free-promise-in-question-as-dolby-sues-snapchat-over-codec/
[6]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/av1s-open-royalty-free-promise-in-question-as-dolby-sues-snapchat-over-codec/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/av1s-open-royalty-free-promise-in-question-as-dolby-sues-snapchat-over-codec/

2026-03-27 22:29:31 CET

Judge irate as defendant joins by Zoom while driving—then lies about it
A local judge in Woodhaven, Michigan, lost it this week when a [defendant showed up][1] to her court hearing late, on Zoom, and... while driving a car.
Kimberly Carroll was facing a hearing over a few thousand dollars that she allegedly owed and had defaulted on. She was allowed to attend remotely, but when the hearing began, she wasn't yet available on Zoom.
When she finally joined, [Judge Michael McNally][2] told her she needed to turn her camera on.
[Read full article][3]
[Comments][4]
[1]: https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/do-you-think-im-stupid-wayne-county-judge-berates-woman-joining-court-while-driving
[2]: https://33court.com/honorable-Michael-k-mcnally/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/judge-irate-as-defendant-joins-by-zoom-while-driving-then-lies-about-it/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/judge-irate-as-defendant-joins-by-zoom-while-driving-then-lies-about-it/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/judge-irate-as-defendant-joins-by-zoom-while-driving-then-lies-about-it/

2026-03-27 21:30:19 CET

Hegseth, Trump had no authority to order Anthropic to be blacklisted, judge says
"Classic First Amendment retaliation." That's how US District Judge Rita Lin described the Department of War's [effort to blacklist Anthropic and designate it a supply-chain risk][1].
By all appearances, "these measures appear designed to punish Anthropic," Lin wrote in an order granting Anthropic's request for a preliminary injunction.
Officials seemingly had no authority to take such extreme actions without considering less restrictive alternatives or offering any evidence that Anthropic posed an urgent risk to national security, Lin said. Instead, "the Department of War’s records show that it designated Anthropic as a supply chain risk because of its 'hostile manner through the press.'"
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/anthropic-sues-us-over-blacklisting-white-house-calls-firm-radical-left-woke/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/hegseth-trump-had-no-authority-to-order-anthropic-to-be-blacklisted-judge-says/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/hegseth-trump-had-no-authority-to-order-anthropic-to-be-blacklisted-judge-says/#comments
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth called Anthropic "arrogant" for warning of AI safety concerns.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/hegseth-trump-had-no-authority-to-order-anthropic-to-be-blacklisted-judge-says/

2026-03-27 18:36:21 CET

No one is happy with NASA's new idea for private space stations
Most elements of [a major NASA event][1] this week that laid out spaceflight plans for the coming decade were well received: a Moon base, a focus on less talk and more action, and working with industry to streamline regulations so increased innovation can propel the United States further into space.
However, one aspect of this event, named Ignition, has begun to run into serious turbulence. It involves NASA's attempt to navigate a difficult issue with no clear solution: finding a commercial replacement for the aging International Space Station.
During the Ignition event on Tuesday, NASA leaders had blunt words for the future of commercial activity in low-Earth orbit. Essentially, they are not confident in the viability of a commercial marketplace for humans there, and the agency's plan to work with private companies to develop independent space stations does not appear to be headed toward success. Plenty of people in the industry share these concerns, but NASA officials have not expressed them out loud before.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/03/nasa-kills-lunar-space-station-to-focus-on-ambitious-moon-base/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/03/what-happens-next-with-nasas-plan-to-replace-the-iss-source-it-could-get-ugly/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/03/what-happens-next-with-nasas-plan-to-replace-the-iss-source-it-could-get-ugly/#comments
NASA has proposed that a new core module be added to the International Space Station.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/03/what-happens-next-with-nasas-plan-to-replace-the-iss-source-it-could-get-ugly/

2026-03-27 18:36:16 CET

Sony is raising PlayStation 5 prices again, this time by between $100 and $150
Memory and storage shortages and price hikes that [started hitting PC components][1] late last year have steadily rippled outward across all kinds of consumer tech—some products have [disappeared,][2] [gone out of stock,][3] or been [delayed][4], and [others][5] have undergone [multiple rounds][6] of price hikes.
Today's bad news comes from Sony, which is [raising prices][7] for PlayStation 5 consoles in the US [just eight months after their last price hike][8]. The drive-less Digital Edition will increase from $500 to $600; the base PS5 with an optical drive will increase from $550 to $650; and the PS5 Pro is going up from $750 to a whopping $900. At the beginning of 2025, these consoles cost $450, $500, and $700, respectively.
Sony, [Microsoft][9], and [Nintendo][10] had all announced one or more price increases for one or more consoles throughout 2025, though these were driven more by [the Trump administration's tariffs][11] on imported goods than component shortages. Game console price cuts [had already become less common][12] over the course of the 2010s, making consoles like the 5-plus-year-old PS5 [historically expensive][13] compared to older consoles at this point in their lifespans.
[Read full article][14]
[Comments][15]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/01/ram-shortage-chaos-expands-to-gpus-high-capacity-ssds-and-even-hard-drives/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/apples-512gb-mac-studio-vanishes-a-quiet-acknowledgement-of-the-ram-shortage/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/02/valves-steam-deck-intermittently-out-of-stock-as-ram-shortage-drags-on/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/02/ram-shortage-delays-valves-steam-machine-desktop-and-steam-frame-headset/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/02/frameworks-ram-prices-climbing-on-a-monthly-cadence-with-more-hikes-to-come/
[6]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/02/ongoing-ram-crisis-prompts-raspberry-pis-second-price-hike-in-two-months/
[7]: https://blog.playstation.com/2026/03/27/new-price-changes-for-ps5-ps5-pro-and-playstation-portal-remote-player/
[8]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/08/sony-joins-xbox-and-nintendo-in-hiking-playstation-5-prices-in-the-us/
[9]: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2025/09/microsoft-raises-xbox-console-prices-for-the-second-time-this-year/
[10]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/08/citing-market-conditions-nintendo-hikes-prices-for-original-switch-consoles/
[11]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/02/supreme-court-blocks-trumps-emergency-tariffs-billions-in-refunds-may-be-owed/
[12]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/05/chips-arent-improving-like-they-used-to-and-its-killing-game-console-price-cuts/
[13]: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2025/08/todays-game-consoles-are-historically-overpriced/
[14]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/sony-is-raising-playstation-5-prices-again-this-time-by-between-100-and-150/
[15]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/sony-is-raising-playstation-5-prices-again-this-time-by-between-100-and-150/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/sony-is-raising-playstation-5-prices-again-this-time-by-between-100-and-150/

2026-03-27 18:36:10 CET

DOJ confirms FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal email was hacked
Iran-linked hackers successfully broke into FBI Director Kash Patel's personal email, the Department of Justice confirmed [to Reuters][1] on Friday.
Reuters could not authenticate the leaked emails themselves but noted that the Gmail address matched an email account "linked to Patel in previous data breaches ⁠preserved by the dark web intelligence firm District 4 Labs." The DOJ suggested the emails appeared to be authentic.
On their website, the Handala Hack Team boasted that Patel "will now find his name among the list of successfully hacked victims." The hacker group taunted Patel by sharing photos of him sniffing cigars and holding up a jug of rum, along with other documents that Reuters reported were from 2010 to 2019.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/iran-linked-hackers-claim-breach-of-fbi-directors-personal-email-doj-official-2026-03-27/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/doj-confirms-fbi-director-kash-patels-personal-email-was-hacked/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/doj-confirms-fbi-director-kash-patels-personal-email-was-hacked/#comments
FBI Director Kash Patel's personal email account was hacked.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/doj-confirms-fbi-director-kash-patels-personal-email-was-hacked/

2026-03-27 16:29:54 CET

Apple pulls the plug on its high-priced, oft-neglected Mac Pro desktop
After more than a decade of [flirting with the idea][1], Apple has finally discontinued the Mac Pro tower. The company [confirmed to 9to5Mac][2] that the latest Mac Pro iteration—an M2 Ultra model first released in mid-2023—would be its last, at least for the time being. There are no plans to make another Mac Pro.
The discontinuation of the Mac Pro should come as no surprise to anyone who has been paying attention. Reporting from late last year [suggested][3] that the Mac Pro had been put "on the back burner," but the desktop has clearly been in danger of falling off the stove since at least the mid-2010s, during the six-year period where the controversial cylindrical "trash can" Mac Pro design languished without updates.
Apple briefly rededicated itself to its pro desktop in 2019 with a new design that hearkened back to more versatile, upgradeable, be-handled versions of the Power Mac and Mac Pro. But by the time it was updated again with M2 Ultra four years later, it was already clear that the idea of a huge and expandable Mac desktop was out of step with the Apple Silicon era. The desktop's demise confirms that, at least in Apple's estimation, the Mac Pro was trying to fill a niche that no longer exists.
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/11/report-claims-that-apple-has-yet-again-put-the-mac-pro-on-the-back-burner/
[2]: https://9to5mac.com/2026/03/26/apple-discontinues-the-mac-pro/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/11/report-claims-that-apple-has-yet-again-put-the-mac-pro-on-the-back-burner/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/apple-has-finally-discontinued-the-mac-pro-desktop-after-years-of-fitful-effort/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/apple-has-finally-discontinued-the-mac-pro-desktop-after-years-of-fitful-effort/#comments
The 2019 Mac Pro tower. Apple re-used its design for the first and only Apple Silicon Mac Pro in 2023.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/apple-has-finally-discontinued-the-mac-pro-desktop-after-years-of-fitful-effort/

2026-03-27 15:19:29 CET

Rocket Report: Russia reopens gateway to ISS; Cape Canaveral hosts missile test
Welcome to Edition 8.35 of the Rocket Report! The headlines this week are again dominated by the big changes afoot in NASA's exploration program, with the announcement of a Moon base and a nuclear-powered rocket to Mars. The shakeups come as the agency is just a week away from launching Artemis II, a circumlunar flight carrying a crew of four around the Moon. The Ars space team will be writing extensively about this mission in the days ahead, and we may skip the Rocket Report next week to focus on our Artemis II coverage.
As always, we [welcome reader submissions][1]. If you don't want to miss an issue, please subscribe using the box below (the form will not appear on AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report will include information on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets, as well as a quick look ahead at the next three launches on the calendar.
NASA announces nuclear rocket demo. NASA's announcement Tuesday that it will "pause" work on a lunar space station and focus on [building a surface base on the Moon][2] was no big surprise to anyone paying attention to the Trump administration’s space policy. But what should NASA do with hardware already built for the Gateway outpost? NASA spent close to $4.5 billion on developing a human-tended complex in orbit around the Moon since the Gateway program’s official start in 2019. There are pieces of the station undergoing construction and testing in factories scattered around the world. The centerpiece of Gateway, called the Power and Propulsion Element, is closest to being ready for launch. NASA’s rejigged exploration roadmap, revealed Tuesday in an all-day event at NASA headquarters in Washington, calls for repurposing the core module for a nuclear-electric propulsion demonstration in deep space, [Ars reports][3].
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://arstechnica.wufoo.com/forms/launch-stories/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/03/nasa-kills-lunar-space-station-to-focus-on-ambitious-moon-base/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/03/here-is-nasas-plan-for-nuking-gateway-and-sending-it-to-mars/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/03/rocket-report-russian-megaconstellation-takes-off-isar-preps-for-second-launch/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/03/rocket-report-russian-megaconstellation-takes-off-isar-preps-for-second-launch/#comments
A Russian Soyuz rocket lifts off Sunday, March 22, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan with the Progress MS-33 supply ship for the International Space Station.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/03/rocket-report-russian-megaconstellation-takes-off-isar-preps-for-second-launch/

2026-03-27 15:19:23 CET

AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition crams 208MB of cache into a single chip
For about four years now, AMD has offered special "X3D" variants of its high-end desktop processors with an extra 64MB of L3 cache attached, an addition that disproportionately benefits games. AMD calls this "3D V-Cache" because it stacks the cache directly on top of (for Ryzen 5000 and 7000) or beneath (for Ryzen 9000) the CPU die.
The 12- and 16-core Ryzen chips have their CPU cores split between two silicon chiplets, which has historically made the 7900X3D, 7950X3D, 9900X3D, and 9950X3D a bit weird. One of their two CPU chiplets has the 64MB of 3D V-Cache attached, and one does not. AMD relies on its driver software to make sure that software that benefits from the extra cache is run on the V-Cache-enabled CPU cores, which usually works well [but][1] [is][2] [occasionally][3] [error-prone][4].
Enter the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition, a mouthful of a chip that includes 64MB of 3D V-Cache on both processor dies, without the hybrid arrangement that has defined the other chips up until now. This gives the chip a grand total of 208MB of cache—16MB of L2 cache, the 32MB of L3 cache built into each of the two CPU dies (for a total of 64MB), and then another 64MB chunk of 3D V-Cache per die. In total, AMD says the new chip should be as much as 10 percent faster than the 9950X3D in games and other apps that benefit from the extra cache.
[Read full article][5]
[Comments][6]
[1]: https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/9950x3d-core-parking-and-excessive-temperature-issues.3889147/
[2]: https://www.overclock.net/threads/how-i-fixed-core-parking-on-my-9950x3d-and-taichi-lite.1815819/
[3]: https://steamcommunity.com/app/2479810/discussions/0/603034778380384912/
[4]: https://rog-forum.asus.com/t5/hardware-build-advice/9950x3d-not-parking-cores-in-battlefield-6/td-p/1119469
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/amds-ryzen-9-9950x3d2-dual-edition-crams-208mb-of-cache-into-a-single-chip/
[6]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/amds-ryzen-9-9950x3d2-dual-edition-crams-208mb-of-cache-into-a-single-chip/#comments
AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/amds-ryzen-9-9950x3d2-dual-edition-crams-208mb-of-cache-into-a-single-chip/

2026-03-27 15:19:18 CET

Senators want US energy information agency to monitor data center electricity usage
Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren and Republican Senator Josh Hawley are urging the US’s central energy information agency to provide better information on how much electricity data centers actually use.
In a joint letter sent to the Energy Information Administration Thursday morning, seen by WIRED, Hawley and Warren press the agency to publicly collect “comprehensive, annual energy-use disclosures” on data centers. This information, they write, is “essential for accurate grid planning and will support policymaking to prevent large companies from increasing electricity costs for American families.”
As the data center boom spreads across the country, there have been widespread worries from voters about how their massive energy needs may increase consumers’ electric bills; this concern [helped shape][1] some midterm elections in data-center-heavy states, including Virginia and Georgia. Last month, Hawley [cosponsored][2] a bill with Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal that would require data centers to supply their own power sources in order to protect consumers. Earlier this month, Donald Trump [convened][3] a group of executives from Big Tech companies at the White House to sign a nonbinding (and toothless) agreement pledging to pay for their own power for data centers.
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://www.wired.com/story/the-data-center-resistance-has-arrived/
[2]: https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-blumenthal-introduce-bill-to-prevent-data-centers-from-increasing-electricity-costs-for-americans/
[3]: https://www.wired.com/story/big-tech-signs-white-house-data-center-pledge-with-good-optics-not-much-substance/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/senators-want-us-energy-information-agency-to-monitor-data-center-electricity-usage/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/senators-want-us-energy-information-agency-to-monitor-data-center-electricity-usage/#comments
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) speaks on April 1, 2019 in Washington, DC.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/senators-want-us-energy-information-agency-to-monitor-data-center-electricity-usage/

2026-03-27 15:19:12 CET

Rivian and VW Group complete winter testing of new zonal architecture
RV Tech, a joint venture between Volkswagen Group and Rivian, has completed a successful winter test program, it said this morning. The partnership was created in 2024 when VW Group [announced it would invest][1] $5.8 billion in the American electric vehicle maker to gain access to Rivian's expertise in vehicle software and electronic architecture. VW Group initially paid Rivian $1 billion in cash, with further payments over time: the completion of the winter testing milestone should unlock a further $1 billion payment.
VW's decision to turn to Rivian followed a tortuous history of its own internal software development. It [created a new division][2] in 2019 just to develop software for cars, then immediately bit off more than it could chew by trying to simultaneously develop three different vehicle operating systems. [Things went the opposite of smoothly][3], with software-related delays to the two new platforms used by cars like the VW ID.4 and Porsche Macan that led to chairman Herbert Diess' firing and the third platform delayed until late in this decade.
Rivian, meanwhile, had no such problems developing its own vehicle electronic architecture and software, starting from a clean sheet unencumbered by generations of legacy cruft. As a startup automaker, Rivian needs money, and since Volkswagen needs better tech, the joint venture makes a lot of sense.
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2024/06/vw-invests-5b-into-rivian-signaling-deep-tech-ties-and-collaborations/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2019/09/volkswagen-audi-porsche-vw-group-plans-one-os-to-rule-them-all/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2023/04/whats-going-on-with-volkswagens-software-division/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/03/rivian-and-vw-group-complete-winter-testing-of-new-zonal-architecture/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/03/rivian-and-vw-group-complete-winter-testing-of-new-zonal-architecture/#comments
A Volkswagen ID.EVERY1 was one of the reference vehicles being tested in northern Sweden.
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/03/rivian-and-vw-group-complete-winter-testing-of-new-zonal-architecture/

2026-03-26 20:22:35 CET

The debut of Gemini 3.1 Flash Live could make it harder to know if you're talking to a robot
Text generated by artificial intelligence often has a particular vibe that gives it away as machine-generated, but it has become harder to pick out those idiosyncrasies as the tech has improved. We may be seeing a similar evolution of generative AI audio. Google has [announced][1] a new AI audio model called Gemini 3.1 Flash Live—as the name implies, it's designed for real-time conversation. It's rolling out in some Google products starting today, and developers will be able to start building their own chatty robots with the model, too.
Google says this AI is much faster and produces speech with a more natural cadence, aiming to solve a long-running issue with AI-generated speech. Like a chatbot, there's always a delay between input and output in generative audio systems. Longer delays and unnatural inflection make conversations feel sluggish and harder to follow. Researchers generally believe 300 milliseconds of latency is about the limit for optimal speech perception, but Google has not specified any particular delay for Gemini 3.1 Flash Live. It just vaguely has the speed you need.
But benchmark numbers? Google has plenty of those, which it claims show that 3.1 Flash Live will be a more reliable way to have audio-to-audio AI conversations. For example, a big gain in the ComplexFuncBench Audio shows the new model is better at complex, multi-step tasks. Gemini 3.1 Flash Live also tops the charts in the Big Bench Audio test, which evaluates reasoning with a set of 1,000 audio questions.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/models-and-research/gemini-models/gemini-3-1-flash-live/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/03/the-debut-of-gemini-3-1-flash-live-could-make-it-harder-to-know-if-youre-talking-to-a-robot/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/03/the-debut-of-gemini-3-1-flash-live-could-make-it-harder-to-know-if-youre-talking-to-a-robot/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/03/the-debut-of-gemini-3-1-flash-live-could-make-it-harder-to-know-if-youre-talking-to-a-robot/

2026-03-26 20:22:30 CET

Study: Sycophantic AI can undermine human judgment
We all need a little validation now and then from friends or family, but sometimes too much validation can backfire—and the same is true of AI chatbots. There have been several [recent cases][1] of overly sycophantic [AI tools][2] leading to negative outcomes, including users [harming][3] themselves and/or [others][4]. But the harm might not be limited to these extreme cases, according to a [new paper][5] published in the journal Science. As more people rely on AI tools for everyday advice and guidance, their tendency to overly flatter and agree with users can have harmful effects on those users' judgment, particularly in the social sphere.
The study showed that such tools can reinforce maladaptive beliefs, discourage users from accepting responsibility for a situation, or discourage them from repairing damaged relationships. That said, the authors were quick to emphasize during a media briefing that their findings were not intended to feed into "doomsday sentiments" about such AI models. Rather, the objective is to further our understanding of how such AI models work and their impact on human users, in hopes of making them better while the models are still in the early-ish development stages.
Co-author Myra Cheng, a graduate student at Stanford University, said she and her co-authors were inspired to study this issue after they began noticing a pronounced increase in the number of people around them who had started relying on AI chatbots for relationship advice—and often ended up receiving bad advice because the AI would take their side no matter what. Their interest was bolstered by recent surveys showing nearly half of Americans under 30 have asked an AI tool for personal advice. "Given how common this is becoming, we wanted to understand how an overly affirming AI advice might impact people's real-world relationships," said Cheng.
[Read full article][6]
[Comments][7]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/01/chatgpt-wrote-goodnight-moon-suicide-lullaby-for-man-who-later-killed-himself/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/07/ai-therapy-bots-fuel-delusions-and-give-dangerous-advice-stanford-study-finds/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/lawsuit-google-gemini-sent-man-on-violent-missions-set-suicide-countdown/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/12/openai-refuses-to-say-where-chatgpt-logs-go-when-users-die/
[5]: http://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aec8352
[6]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/study-sycophantic-ai-can-undermine-human-judgment/
[7]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/study-sycophantic-ai-can-undermine-human-judgment/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/study-sycophantic-ai-can-undermine-human-judgment/

2026-03-26 20:22:25 CET

You've got $20,000 to spend on an EV: Here are some options
With a new war in the Middle East driving up gas prices, American drivers are once again remembering that electric vehicles are much cheaper to operate and therefore worth considering. Buying a brand-new EV might not be the best way to save money, but the good news is that the used EV market continues to grow, and for the buyer looking to spend between $15,000–$20,000 on something electric, we're starting to hit a real sweet spot.
Over the past few weeks, we've looked at used EVs on a smaller budget. If you don't need much range, [even $5,000][1] will get you behind the wheel of a Nissan Leaf. [At $10,000][2], BMW's interesting i3 becomes affordable, as does the Chevrolet Bolt, although expect examples to have some mileage on them. [For $15,000][3] you can find newer Bolts and bigger-batteried i3s, as well as some of Hyundai and Kia's smaller or older EVs.
Once we jump up into the next (arbitrary) price bracket—$15,000 to $20,000—many of the newer, longer-range EVs that debuted post-pandemic are now affordable.
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/01/how-far-does-5000-go-when-you-want-an-electric-car/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/02/chevy-bolt-bmw-i3-or-something-else-at-10k-you-have-lots-of-ev-options/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/03/there-are-plenty-of-great-choices-if-you-want-to-spend-less-than-15k-on-an-ev/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/03/youve-got-20000-to-spend-on-an-ev-here-are-some-options/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/03/youve-got-20000-to-spend-on-an-ev-here-are-some-options/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/03/youve-got-20000-to-spend-on-an-ev-here-are-some-options/

2026-03-26 18:30:39 CET

OpenAI “indefinitely” shelves plans for erotic ChatGPT
Following backlash, OpenAI won't be rolling out an erotic version of ChatGPT any time soon.
[According to the Financial Times][1], the controversial plan has been shelved "indefinitely" as OpenAI "refocuses" its attention on "core products."
Insiders told FT that OpenAI mulled scrapping the "adult mode" plan entirely, as even [its own advisors warned][2] that ChatGPT users could form unhealthy attachments, which might harm their mental health. One advisor chillingly suggested that the tweak risked turning ChatGPT into a "sexy suicide coach."
[Read full article][3]
[Comments][4]
[1]: https://www.ft.com/content/de9bf0af-b241-424f-8229-5870b1c0d93d
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/chatgpt-may-soon-become-sexy-suicide-coach-openai-advisor-reportedly-warned/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/chatgpt-wont-talk-dirty-any-time-soon-as-sexy-mode-turns-off-investors-report-says/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/chatgpt-wont-talk-dirty-any-time-soon-as-sexy-mode-turns-off-investors-report-says/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/chatgpt-wont-talk-dirty-any-time-soon-as-sexy-mode-turns-off-investors-report-says/

2026-03-26 18:30:33 CET

Intel Core Ultra 270K and 250K Plus review: Conditionally great CPUs
Many of our graphics card reviews early last year and in the early 2020s focused on the difficulties of reviewing and recommending graphics cards when the manufacturer-suggested price points effectively didn't exist. Now, reviews of *any* new PC component have to contend with the much more broadly awful market for consumer PC parts as AI data center-fueled demand for RAM and flash memory chips drives up prices for DDR5 kits, SSDs, and GPUs.
In our August 2025 system guide, 32GB of DDR5 and a decent 2TB SSD would run you less than $200. Today, you'd pay between three and four times as much for similar components.
This is the context that Intel's Core Ultra 200S Plus chips—the $199 Core Ultra 5 250K Plus and $299 Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, still codenamed Arrow Lake just like the originals—have launched into. They're solid performers, they're reasonably power-efficient, and for heavy multi-threaded workloads, they're a better value than what AMD can offer for the same price (though even years-old non-X3D AMD chips retain a small edge in games).
[Read full article][1]
[Comments][2]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/intel-core-ultra-270k-and-250k-plus-review-conditionally-great-cpus/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/intel-core-ultra-270k-and-250k-plus-review-conditionally-great-cpus/#comments
Intel's Core Ultra 7 270K Plus.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/intel-core-ultra-270k-and-250k-plus-review-conditionally-great-cpus/

2026-03-26 16:47:00 CET

The Corvette E-Ray is dead, long live the Grand Sport X
Chevrolet provided flights from Albany, New York, to Las Vegas, Nevada, and accommodation so Ars could check out the new Grand Sport. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.
Chevrolet has developed something of a modern tradition with recent generations of the Corvette: As a new generation approaches, [the company rolls out the Grand Sport][1]. It's intended to be a sort of "sweet spot" version of the ’Vette, pairing the go-fast bits of the higher-spec machines with the entry-level motor found in the Stingray.
If that pattern holds, the mid-engined, eighth-generation Corvette may be nearing the end—because this is the new Grand Sport. This one, though, is different. It comes with an all-new V8 at its heart, one with substantially more power and torque than the current base Stingray. If that's not enough, you can also get it with the [ZR1X's][2] electric motor and battery. That model is called the Grand Sport X, and it's the effective replacement for the first all-wheel-drive hybrid Corvette.
Yes, the E-Ray is dead, [three years][3] after Chevrolet raised eyebrows by putting a hybrid system where many said it didn't belong. But you can't argue with that system's all-weather capability. It lives on in the new Grand Sport X, which pairs a 186-horsepower (139 kW) electric motor on the front axle with a new V8 at the rear.
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2016/07/chevrolet-hits-it-out-of-the-park-with-the-2017-corvette-grand-sport/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/06/the-first-corvette-hypercar-chevrolets-1250-hp-zr1x-hybrid-breaks-cover/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2023/01/heres-everything-we-know-about-the-2024-corvette-e-ray-hybrid/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/03/the-corvette-e-ray-is-dead-long-live-the-grand-sport-x/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/03/the-corvette-e-ray-is-dead-long-live-the-grand-sport-x/#comments
Meet the C8 generation Corvette Grand Sport.
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/03/the-corvette-e-ray-is-dead-long-live-the-grand-sport-x/

2026-03-26 16:46:55 CET

Damaged church floor may have revealed the grave of the fourth musketeer
Recent repairs to a centuries-old tile floor at a church in the Netherlands may have revealed the skeleton of the French Musketeer d’Artagnan.
Today, Charles de Batz de Castlemore, Count d'Artagnan, is best known as a character in *The Three Musketeers*, written by Alexandre Dumas and eventually played by both Gene Kelly [and future Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy][1]—but he was a real French military officer and spy. D’Artagnan died during a siege, and the whereabouts of his body have remained a mystery for more than 350 years. But an archaeologist in the Netherlands recently unearthed a skeleton from the floor of a 17th-century church that could actually be d’Artagnan.
## “It is only the dead who do not return”
The ground beneath the centuries-old Saints Peter and Paul Church subsided earlier this year, cracking a few of the blue tiles that pave the chapel’s floor. During repairs, church staff decided to have a look beneath the floor to see if there was any truth to the rumor that d’Artagnan—famous French Musketeer and inspiration for a series of swashbuckling novels—lay buried beneath their church. It turns out that there actually was a skeleton buried under the church floor, and there’s a decent chance it’s d’Artagnan himself.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Musketeers_(2004_musical)
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/archaeologists-may-have-found-the-grave-of-the-legendary-fourth-musketeer/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/archaeologists-may-have-found-the-grave-of-the-legendary-fourth-musketeer/#comments
This could be the skeleton of the real-life d'Artagnan.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/archaeologists-may-have-found-the-grave-of-the-legendary-fourth-musketeer/

2026-03-26 15:46:46 CET

2026's historic snow drought is bad news for the West
Across much of the Western United States, winter 2026 was the year the snow never came. Many ski resorts got by with snowmaking but [shut down][1] their [winter operations early][2]. Fire officials and water supply managers are worried about summer.
Where I live in Boise, Idaho, temperatures [hit the low 80s][3] Fahrenheit (high-20s Celsius) in mid-March. The same heat dome sent temperatures [soaring to 105° F][4] (40° C) in Phoenix.
Ordinarily, water managers and [hydrologists like me][5] who study the Western US expect the mountain snowpacks to be at their [fullest around April 1][6]. Snowpacks are natural reservoirs of water that farms and communities depend on through the hot, dry summer. Their [snow water equivalent][7], meaning the amount of liquid water in the snowpack, is seen as a bellwether for water supplies.
[Read full article][8]
[Comments][9]
[1]: https://www.cpr.org/2026/03/20/colorado-ski-areas-closing-dates-early/
[2]: https://www.powder.com/news/california-ski-resorts-closing-dates-2026
[3]: https://weather.com/forecast/regional/news/2026-03-23-march-record-heat-wave-southwest-plains-california-arizona-0
[4]: https://ktar.com/arizona-weather-news/heat-record-phoenix-march-22/5838935/
[5]: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=6WrzB2cAAAAJ&hl=en
[6]: https://oehha.ca.gov/climate-change/epic-2022/impacts-physical-systems/snow-water-content
[7]: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/northwest/topic/snow-water-equivalent-swe-its-importance-northwest
[8]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/2026s-historic-snow-drought-is-bad-news-for-the-west/
[9]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/2026s-historic-snow-drought-is-bad-news-for-the-west/#comments
The snow drought was evident in Park City, Utah, on Feb. 9, 2026. This golf course is normally used for cross-country skiing in winter.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/2026s-historic-snow-drought-is-bad-news-for-the-west/

2026-03-25 23:04:07 CET

BRINC's new police drone uses Starlink, carries Narcan, chases vehicles at 60mph
Drone startup BRINC [announced][1] Tuesday a significant upgrade for its law enforcement drones. BRINC’s newest model, Guardian, will have Starlink connectivity on every unit—a first for commercially available drones.
This new model, which will enter production later this year, has a flight time of over an hour and can reach a top speed of over 60 miles per hour. BRINC calls it the “first drone that can pursue vehicles.”
Additionally, Guardian can carry numerous payloads from its charging “nest,” including a floatation device, a defibrillator, epipens, the overdose-reversal drug Narcan, and more. The nest can also robotically swap batteries in about a minute, the company claims.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/brinc-unveils-guardian-launching-the-next-era-of-drone-as-first-responder-302723095.html
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/brincs-new-police-drone-uses-starlink-carries-narcan-chases-vehicles-at-60mph/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/brincs-new-police-drone-uses-starlink-carries-narcan-chases-vehicles-at-60mph/#comments
The Guardian bustin' bad guys with its onboard spotlight.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/brincs-new-police-drone-uses-starlink-carries-narcan-chases-vehicles-at-60mph/

2026-03-25 21:45:20 CET

We got an audience with the "Lunar Viceroy" to talk how NASA will build a Moon base
At the end of a long day on Tuesday, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman looked down at a table littered with microphones and jokingly referred to the space agency's new Moon base manager, [Carlos Garcia-Galan][1], as the "Lunar Viceroy." It was a bit of humor, but it also seemed to represent affection from Isaacman for a long-time NASA employee so willingly taking on a major new challenge.
Garcia-Galan was, in many ways, the emerging star at the daylong Ignition event in Washington, DC. Heretofore he has largely been an anonymous engineer at NASA who has now been thrust into a very public role of leading the agency's ambitious Moon base initiative. (His official title, by the way, is program executive.)
Ars had a chance to speak with Garcia-Galan about NASA's plans and, more importantly, how they might be implemented. Here is a lightly edited (for clarity) transcript of that conversation.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://www.nasa.gov/people/carlos-garcia-galan/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/03/we-got-an-audience-with-the-lunar-viceroy-to-talk-how-nasa-will-build-a-moon-base/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/03/we-got-an-audience-with-the-lunar-viceroy-to-talk-how-nasa-will-build-a-moon-base/#comments
NASA Moon Base Program Executive Carlos Garcia-Galan speaks during the Ignition event on Tuesday.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/03/we-got-an-audience-with-the-lunar-viceroy-to-talk-how-nasa-will-build-a-moon-base/

2026-03-25 21:45:15 CET

Reddit will require "fishy" accounts to verify they are run by a human
Reddit will require accounts that exhibit “automated or otherwise fishy behavior” to verify that a human runs them, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman said in a [Reddit post][1] today. The verification process aims to combat unwanted bots from flooding Reddit at a time when AI bots are poised to [take over the Internet][2].
“As AI becomes a bigger part of the Internet, we want to make sure that when you’re on Reddit, you know when you’re talking to a person and when you’re not,” Huffman said.
Human verification will only occur if Reddit suspects that an account is a bot. This is “rare” and won’t apply to “most users,” Huffman emphasized. If the account cannot prove that it's human, it “may be restricted,” he said.
[Read full article][3]
[Comments][4]
[1]: https://old.reddit.com/user/spez/comments/1s3ezrc/humans_welcome_bots_must_wear_name_tags/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/02/increase-of-ai-bots-on-the-internet-sparks-arms-race/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/reddit-will-require-fishy-accounts-to-verify-they-are-run-by-a-human/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/reddit-will-require-fishy-accounts-to-verify-they-are-run-by-a-human/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/reddit-will-require-fishy-accounts-to-verify-they-are-run-by-a-human/

2026-03-25 21:45:10 CET

Here is NASA's plan for nuking Gateway and sending it to Mars
NASA's announcement Tuesday that it will "pause" work on a lunar space station and focus on [building a surface base on the Moon][1] was no big surprise to anyone paying attention to the Trump administration's space policy.
But what should NASA do with hardware already built for the Gateway outpost? NASA spent close to $4.5 billion on developing a human-tended complex in orbit around the Moon since the Gateway program's official start in 2019. There are pieces of the station undergoing construction and testing in factories scattered around the world.
The centerpiece of Gateway, called the Power and Propulsion Element, is closest to being ready for launch. NASA's rejigged exploration roadmap, revealed Tuesday in an all-day event at NASA headquarters in Washington, calls for repurposing the core module for a nuclear-electric propulsion demonstration in deep space.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/03/nasa-kills-lunar-space-station-to-focus-on-ambitious-moon-base/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/03/here-is-nasas-plan-for-nuking-gateway-and-sending-it-to-mars/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/03/here-is-nasas-plan-for-nuking-gateway-and-sending-it-to-mars/#comments
Artist's illustration of NASA's Space Reactor-1 mission approaching Mars.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/03/here-is-nasas-plan-for-nuking-gateway-and-sending-it-to-mars/

2026-03-25 20:20:16 CET

Nintendo is raising prices of Switch 2 game cartridges starting in May
The downloadable versions of Nintendo's first-party Switch games have always cost the same amount to buy, despite the costs of manufacturing and shipping physical releases. This was still true when the Switch 2 launched last year, despite persistent [rumors and misinformation to the contrary][1].
But that's finally, definitively changing later this year. Nintendo [announced today][2] that beginning in May and for new game releases going forward, the physical releases of new Switch 2-exclusive first-party games will cost more than the digital versions of the same game. That will start with the May 21 release of *Yoshi and the Mysterious Book*, which will cost $60 in Nintendo's online store but $70 for a physical copy.
"Nintendo games offer the same experiences whether in packaged or digital format, and this change simply reflects the different costs associated with producing and distributing each format and offers players more choice in how they can buy and play Nintendo games," reads the company's [brief announcement about the change][3]. Nintendo notes that retailers are free to charge what they want for physical and digital games, but aside from sales or other promotions most tend to follow Nintendo's guidance on pricing.
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2025/04/nintendo-switch-2s-gameless-game-key-cards-are-going-to-be-very-common/
[2]: https://www.nintendo.com/us/whatsnew/about-nintendo-switch-2-game-pricing/
[3]: https://www.nintendo.com/us/whatsnew/about-nintendo-switch-2-game-pricing/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/03/nintendo-will-start-charging-more-for-physical-switch-2-games-than-digital-copies/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/03/nintendo-will-start-charging-more-for-physical-switch-2-games-than-digital-copies/#comments
Yoshi's storybook-themed Switch 2 adventure will cost more if you want a physical copy.
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/03/nintendo-will-start-charging-more-for-physical-switch-2-games-than-digital-copies/

2026-03-25 20:20:10 CET

Meta, YouTube must pay $3M to woman who got hooked on apps as a child
On Wednesday, a Los Angeles jury ordered Meta and YouTube to pay $3 million in damages to a young woman who successfully argued that the companies' social media apps were designed to addict children.
Meta will pay the majority of the fine, 70 percent, while YouTube-owner Google is on the hook for 30 percent, the jury decided.
During the six-week trial, the jury heard that Meta and Google designed apps with features like auto-play, infinite scroll, and algorithmic recommendations to keep kids online. Feeling trapped in a cycle of constantly using these apps caused the plaintiff, known as K.G.M., "crippling mental distress," CNBC [reported][1]. She developed "severe body dysmorphia, depression, and suicidal thoughts," and every notification that came through made it harder to stop logging in.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/25/meta-youtube-los-angeles-california-verdict.html
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/meta-youtube-must-pay-3m-to-woman-who-got-hooked-on-apps-as-a-child/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/meta-youtube-must-pay-3m-to-woman-who-got-hooked-on-apps-as-a-child/#comments
Laura Marquez-Garrett (3R, gray blazer), plaintiffs' attorney for Social Media Victims Law Center, gathers with family members of victims as they react to news that the jury has found Meta and YouTube liable in the social media addiction trial, outside the Los Angeles Superior Court.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/meta-youtube-must-pay-3m-to-woman-who-got-hooked-on-apps-as-a-child/

2026-03-25 19:29:13 CET

Antibiotic resistance among germs swells during droughts, study suggests
For as long as we've known that soil bacteria manufacture molecular weapons to fight each other, we've been swiping their battle plans. In clinics and hospitals, those turf-war weapons have become miraculous drugs of modern medicine—antibiotics—that blow away otherwise deadly infections.
But, of course, there's a dark side of mimicking microbial munitions—bacteria have defenses, too, namely antibiotic resistance. You're probably aware that we're facing a rising threat of drug resistance among disease-causing bacteria, one that is rendering much of our stolen weaponry obsolete and making infections harder to defeat.
Often, this growing crisis is framed as a clinical failure: We're overusing and misusing antibiotics, hastening our bacterial foes' natural ability to develop and spread resistance. While this is certainly true, [a new study in Nature Microbiology][1] this week identifies a potentially new driver of rising antibiotic resistance—and we're at least partly to blame for this one, too.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-026-02274-x
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/03/antibiotic-resistance-among-germs-swells-during-droughts-study-suggests/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/03/antibiotic-resistance-among-germs-swells-during-droughts-study-suggests/#comments
A traditional boat is stranded in the mud as water recedes in the drought-striken Chibayish marshes in Iraq's southern Dhi Qar province on July 30, 2025.
https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/03/antibiotic-resistance-among-germs-swells-during-droughts-study-suggests/

2026-03-25 19:29:07 CET

Google's TurboQuant AI-compression algorithm can reduce LLM memory usage by 6x
Even if you don't know much about the inner workings of generative AI models, you probably know they need a lot of memory. Hence, it is currently almost impossible to buy a measly stick of RAM [without getting fleeced][1]. Google Research recently [revealed TurboQuant][2], a compression algorithm that reduces the memory footprint of large language models (LLMs) while also boosting speed and maintaining accuracy.
TurboQuant is aimed at reducing the size of the key-value cache, which Google likens to a "digital cheat sheet" that stores important information so it doesn't have to be recomputed. This cheat sheet is necessary because, as we say all the time, LLMs don't actually know anything; they can do a good impression of knowing things through the use of vectors, which map the semantic meaning of tokenized text. When two vectors are similar, that means they have conceptual similarity.
High-dimensional vectors, which can have hundreds or thousands of embeddings, may describe complex information like the pixels in an image or a large data set. They also occupy a lot of memory and inflate the size of the key-value cache, bottlenecking performance. To make models smaller and more efficient, developers employ quantization techniques to [run them at lower precision][3]. The drawback is that the outputs get worse—the quality of token estimation goes down. With TurboQuant, Google's early results show an 8x performance increase and 6x reduction in memory usage in some tests *without* a loss of quality.
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/12/for-just-a-couple-of-months-in-the-middle-of-2025-it-was-an-ok-time-to-build-a-pc/
[2]: https://research.google/blog/turboquant-redefining-ai-efficiency-with-extreme-compression/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/12/the-npu-in-your-phone-keeps-improving-why-isnt-that-making-ai-better/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/03/google-says-new-turboquant-compression-can-lower-ai-memory-usage-without-sacrificing-quality/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/03/google-says-new-turboquant-compression-can-lower-ai-memory-usage-without-sacrificing-quality/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/03/google-says-new-turboquant-compression-can-lower-ai-memory-usage-without-sacrificing-quality/

2026-03-25 19:29:02 CET

Supreme Court rejects Sony's attempt to kick music pirates off the Internet
The Supreme Court today decided that Internet service providers cannot be held liable for their customers' copyright infringement unless they take specific steps that cause users to violate copyrights. The court ruled unanimously in favor of Internet provider Cox Communications, though two justices did not agree with the majority's reasoning.
The ruling effectively means that ISPs do not have to conduct mass terminations of Internet users accused of illegally downloading or uploading pirated files. If the court had ruled otherwise, ISPs could have been compelled to strictly police their networks for piracy in order to avoid billion-dollar court verdicts under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
The long-running case is *Cox Communications v. Sony Music Entertainment*. Cox was hit with a [$1 billion verdict][1] for music piracy in 2019. Although the damages award was [overturned][2] in 2024, a federal appeals court still found that Cox was liable for willful contributory infringement.
[Read full article][3]
[Comments][4]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/12/cox-communications-hit-with-1-billion-verdict-over-music-piracy/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/02/court-blocks-1-billion-copyright-ruling-that-punished-isp-for-its-users-piracy/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/supreme-court-rejects-sonys-attempt-to-kick-music-pirates-off-the-internet/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/supreme-court-rejects-sonys-attempt-to-kick-music-pirates-off-the-internet/#comments
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito (L) and Clarence Thomas (R) at the inauguration of President Trump on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/supreme-court-rejects-sonys-attempt-to-kick-music-pirates-off-the-internet/

2026-03-25 18:25:00 CET

Google bumps up Q Day deadline to 2029, far sooner than previously thought
Google is dramatically shortening its deadline readiness for the arrival of Q Day, the point at which existing quantum computers can break public-key cryptography algorithms that secure decades' worth of secrets belonging to militaries, banks, governments, and nearly every individual on earth.
In a [post][1] published on Wednesday, Google said it is giving itself until 2029 to prepare for this event. The post went on to warn that the rest of the world needs to follow suit by adopting PQC—short for post-quantum cryptography—algorithms to augment or replace elliptic curves and RSA, both of which will be broken.
## The end is nigh
“As a pioneer in both quantum and PQC, it’s our responsibility to lead by example and share an ambitious timeline,” wrote Heather Adkins, Google’s VP of security engineering, and Sophie Schmieg, a senior cryptography engineer. “By doing this, we hope to provide the clarity and urgency needed to accelerate digital transitions not only for Google, but also across the industry.”
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/technology/safety-security/cryptography-migration-timeline/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/03/google-bumps-up-q-day-estimate-to-2029-far-sooner-than-previously-thought/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/03/google-bumps-up-q-day-estimate-to-2029-far-sooner-than-previously-thought/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/03/google-bumps-up-q-day-estimate-to-2029-far-sooner-than-previously-thought/