Ars Technica - All News (RSS/Atom feed)

RSS/Atom feed of Ars Technica - All News
More feeds can be found in my following list

Public Key

npub1ls4n6xlwcglrwf667mawh047cr3lkxyevnt7lax0wywj9809xgqqg2cgqv

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs0c2ear0hvy03hyad0d7hth6lvpclmrzvkf4l07n8hz8fznhjnyqqpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumn0wd68ytnwv46qzrthwden5te0dehhxtnvdakqqy0ung

Publishing to

Author Public Key

npub1ls4n6xlwcglrwf667mawh047cr3lkxyevnt7lax0wywj9809xgqqg2cgqv

Show more details

Last Notes

2026-07-21 01:05:45 CEST

Firefighting drones in the works as wildfires plague US nearly year-round
Drones capable of spraying water and fire retardants have been practicing how to snuff out wildfires early in California and Alaska this summer—demonstrating a possible rapid-response tool for firefighting as [climate change][1] transforms wildfire season into a nearly year-round risk for much of the United States.
Most drones are significantly smaller than crewed aircraft and have shorter flight ranges, meaning they cannot replace large airtankers in delivering massive payloads of water or other fire-suppressing payloads to remote wildfires. But companies and fire agencies—along with organizers of the $11 million XPRIZE competition—are testing whether drones can help firefighting crews respond more quickly to small fires and put them out before they become more destructive.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, also known as CAL FIRE, ran its own field test involving five autonomous drones that worked together to deploy between 500 and 1,000 gallons of foam combined for suppressing fires on July 15, according to the [TV station KPMH][2]. The demonstration was organized with the help of the nonprofit FireWERX and the California-based [company Seneca][3], which is making the drones commercially available starting in 2026.
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/tag/climate-change/
[2]: https://kmph.com/news/local/calfire-tests-autonomous-drones-to-bolster-wildfire-operations-in-california
[3]: https://seneca.com/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/07/firefighting-drones-in-the-works-as-wildfires-plague-us-nearly-year-round/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/07/firefighting-drones-in-the-works-as-wildfires-plague-us-nearly-year-round/#comments
Seneca's Argo-1 drone can carry up to 100 pounds of water or fire retardant.
https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/07/firefighting-drones-in-the-works-as-wildfires-plague-us-nearly-year-round/

2026-07-20 13:46:47 CEST

Beyond grep: The case for a context-rich AI coding harness
There are a lot of AI coding applications out there, and as impressive as large language models and the agents they enable have become, many of the most recent developments in AI-assisted development have been in the software that manages those models, not just the models themselves.
Earlier this summer, I [spoke with][1] the head of product for Claude Code, Anthropic's Cat Wu, about that company's approach to building that software.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/05/claude-codes-product-lead-talks-usage-limits-transparency-and-the-lean-harness/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/07/beyond-grep-the-case-for-a-context-rich-ai-coding-harness/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/07/beyond-grep-the-case-for-a-context-rich-ai-coding-harness/#comments
Vinay Perneti, VP of Engineering at Augment Code, speaks during a presentation.
https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/07/beyond-grep-the-case-for-a-context-rich-ai-coding-harness/

2026-07-16 23:49:08 CEST

Now, even Russia's most elite hackers are using Clickfix to infect devices
One of the Russian government’s most elite hacking groups has adopted an attack, known as Clickfix, to compromise devices belonging to sensitive organizations in Ukraine, the latter country’s CERT center is warning.
[Clickfix][1] has emerged as an effective attack technique that attackers, primarily financially motivated criminals, began using in the last year or so. Websites under the control of the attackers display a CAPTCHA that requires the visitor to copy a jumble of text and paste it into the terminal. The text contains scripts that, once entered, perform malicious actions, typically by installing malware or exfiltrating sensitive data. Ukraine’s CERT [said][2] Wednesday that [Sandworm][3], an advanced hacking unit inside the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence arm, is now using the technique.
## "GhettoVibe," "ScoutCurl," and many more
The Clickfix attacks began in the spring and have continued through the summer. The campaign has resulted in the network compromise of at least one organization when a connected device was found to be infected by FreakyPoll, the name of one of Sandworm’s custom malware packages. Ukrainian authorities discovered 10 compromised websites that displayed a PowerShell command as part of a fake CAPTCHA that said it had to be passed to ensure a real human was behind the visiting device’s keyboard.
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/11/clickfix-may-be-the-biggest-security-threat-your-family-has-never-heard-of/
[2]: https://cert.gov.ua/article/6318437
[3]: https://www.wired.com/story/sandworm-kremlin-most-dangerous-hackers/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/07/now-even-russias-most-elite-hackers-are-using-clickfix-to-infect-devices/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/07/now-even-russias-most-elite-hackers-are-using-clickfix-to-infect-devices/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/07/now-even-russias-most-elite-hackers-are-using-clickfix-to-infect-devices/

2026-07-16 23:49:02 CEST

2026 Toyota RAV4 plug-in: Big battery means daily drives are all-electric
For year after year, more Americans have bought Toyota RAV4s than anything that isn't a pickup truck. The brand's reputation for solid reliability has kept it ahead of SUVs from other automakers, and the nation's embrace of SUVs and crossovers relegated the poor old Camry to near-bottom of the top 10. For the latest generation—the sixth since 1994—all RAV4s are electrified. Most will use a mix of internal combustion engine and brakes to recharge their hybrid powertrains' traction batteries, like the millions of Priuses out there on the roads. But there's also a plug-in hybrid EV option, with an all-new powertrain with some noticeable improvements compared to [the outgoing PHEV.][1]
Just as Toyota's designers and engineers have tried to improve on the previous RAV4 with each successive generation, their counterparts in the powertrain department have similarly been iterating and improving the combination of electric motors and piston engine. Under the hood there's a naturally aspirated 2.5 L four-cylinder engine that operates on the Atkinson-cycle, aided by variable valve timing on both intake and exhaust sides.
The engine, which on its own generates 186 hp (139 kW) and 172 lb-ft (233 Nm), is connected to one of two electric motors under the RAV4's hood, as well as to Toyota's electronically controlled variable ratio transmission.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2021/11/the-toyota-rav4-prime-is-a-pleasing-plug-in-hybrid-suv/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/07/2026-toyota-rav4-plug-in-review-good-but-skip-the-gr-sport/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/07/2026-toyota-rav4-plug-in-review-good-but-skip-the-gr-sport/#comments
The front of the new RAV4 GR Sport is dominated by LED lights and big grilles and scoops.
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/07/2026-toyota-rav4-plug-in-review-good-but-skip-the-gr-sport/

2026-07-16 00:02:47 CEST

Sotheby's big T. rex auction raises concerns hype and wealth are upending science
Forget the sale of the century. The auction house Sotheby’s has geared up for the sale of the epoch. On July 14 it opened live bidding on assorted [fossils][1], but the pièce de résistance is lot 20, a rare 67-million-year-old *Tyrannosaurus rex* skeleton.
The specimen—dubbed Gus—is billed as one of the largest, most complete *T. rexes* ever found. Gus is expected to fetch up to $30 million and will go to the highest bidder, whether public museum or private collector. The latter have played an increasingly prominent role in buying fossils, with auction houses, according to [paleontologists][2], contributing to the trend by building hype. But when private collectors swoop in and buy [fossils at auction][3] as luxury assets, those pieces of history are effectively lost to science.
By nearly all accounts, Gus is a big deal. In its description, Sotheby’s boasts that the specimen, which was discovered on a ranch in South Dakota, comprises “an incredible 183 fossil bone elements” making it “approximately 61% complete by bone count.” The fossil remains have been mounted in a custom steel armature along with replicas of the missing bones. The result is a reconstructed skeleton posed as if in hot pursuit, its mouth full of dagger teeth ready to tear into prey.
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://www.wired.com/tag/fossils/
[2]: https://www.wired.com/video/watch/tech-support-paleontologist-answers-fossil-questions
[3]: https://www.wired.com/story/dinosaur-t-rex-auction-sale-private-fossil-trade/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/07/sothebys-big-t-rex-auction-raises-concerns-hype-and-wealth-are-upending-science/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/07/sothebys-big-t-rex-auction-raises-concerns-hype-and-wealth-are-upending-science/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/07/sothebys-big-t-rex-auction-raises-concerns-hype-and-wealth-are-upending-science/

2026-07-07 21:20:22 CEST

The Nintendo Switch's days are numbered—but what is that number?
On Monday, Nintendo [announced][1] that it will stop selling the original Switch in Europe next February. That decision comes in response to [European regulations that will soon require easily replaceable batteries][2] in most consumer electronics. Rather than redesigning multiple original Switch models to comply with that regulation (as it is doing with the Switch 2), Nintendo has decided it will just stop selling the older console in the region.
Those new battery rules won't affect the availability of the Switch outside of Europe, of course. But the move got us wondering how much longer Nintendo might keep selling the 9-year-old Switch now that the Switch 2 is drawing the focus of both the company and the market.
An Ars analysis of Nintendo's recent history (as documented in [its annual earnings releases][3]) shows that sales for even the company's bestselling hardware tend to decline to zero after nine years on the market. But the data also shows the Switch being a relatively resilient market force that could sustain its commercial life well into its second decade on the market.
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Support/Nintendo-Switch-2/Information-about-upcoming-battery-related-revisions-to-some-Nintendo-products-3132901.html
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/06/eu-wants-readily-removable-batteries-in-devices-soon-but-what-does-that-mean/
[3]: https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/earnings/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/07/the-nintendo-switchs-days-are-numbered-but-what-is-that-number/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/07/the-nintendo-switchs-days-are-numbered-but-what-is-that-number/#comments
A Nintendo Switch at the Nintendo Store in New York City, on April 8, 2025.
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/07/the-nintendo-switchs-days-are-numbered-but-what-is-that-number/

2026-07-07 17:36:58 CEST

New virus catalog reveals which pathogens pose the greatest threat
In a typical year, scientists discover two or three [viruses][1] that have never been seen in people before. The number fluctuates, but the trend has been fairly steady since the 1960s.
Most of these viruses attract little attention, and my colleagues and I have often had to search through old medical papers to find any mention of them. Some viruses [disappear][2] entirely and are all but forgotten. At the other extreme, the discovery of HIV-1 in 1983 and Sars-CoV-2 in 2020 presaged the AIDS and COVID pandemics, respectively. Both have killed [tens of millions][3].
The next time a scientist finds an unusual or unknown virus in a patient—probably in the next few months—how will they know whether it could lead to a public health emergency on the same scale as AIDS or COVID? My team at the University of Edinburgh has been using the lessons of virus history to [help answer this question][4].
Pandemics come in many forms, but in recent times the biggest culprits have been viruses with genomes made from RNA (rather than the more familiar DNA). Thousands of RNA virus species have been [identified][5], and there may be [millions][6], but only 239 infect humans. We recently [published a catalog][7] that helps pinpoint the riskiest ones.
The type and severity of disease are important indicators, but there will be no pandemic unless the virus can spread between people. That could involve physical contact, or inhaling airborne particles, or exposure to blood or feces, or the bite of a mosquito or tick.
For two-thirds of the viruses on our list, an infected person is highly unlikely to pass their infection on. These are known as zoonotic viruses, meaning people usually catch them from animals rather than other people. Rabies is one example.
That sounds reassuring, but viruses evolve quickly and there is an understandable concern that a zoonotic virus might acquire the ability to spread among humans. That’s why scientists are so worried about [bird flu][8]. But there is no documented example of an RNA virus doing that. Rabies hasn’t, even though there are [tens of thousands][9] of human cases every year.
A much greater threat comes from viruses that already have the ability to spread from person to person. They might become even more transmissible—as did a series of [SARS-CoV-2 variants][10]—but they crossed over from animals already able to spread among people. In the distant past, that was the likely origin of measles, mumps, and rubella, along with dozens of viruses associated with colds and gastrointestinal infections.
Then there are viruses that are capable of spreading among humans but, so far, have caused only limited outbreaks. That’s because their [R number][11] (how many people, on average, one infected person goes on to infect) is too low and chains of infection eventually die out of their own accord. But R numbers can change; for example, when a virus previously confined to remote villages reaches a city. That happened with [Zaire ebolavirus][12] in west Africa in 2014.
There have only ever been a few dozen names on [our list][13] of outbreak viruses, but it’s a powerful predictor of public health emergencies. Zaire ebolavirus, the insect-borne Chikungunya, Zika and Oropouche viruses, and mpox (a DNA virus) were original entrants, and all have gone on to cause major epidemics.
Some rarer viruses on our list have become more familiar, too. One is Andes hantavirus, responsible for a recent [outbreak on a cruise ship][14]. Another is the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, which is currently [spreading in central Africa][15].
## The next pandemic virus
Our data can also help predict what a future pandemic virus—sometimes called [disease X][16]—might look like. COVID is a good illustration.
In 2019, my team [showed][17] that highly transmissible viruses tend to be closely related to other viruses that spread between humans, but they emerge separately from animals. That turned out to be a perfect description of SARS-CoV-2, very similar to the original SARS coronavirus but independently (and perhaps indirectly) [acquired from bats][18].
The year before, the World Health Organization had [proposed][19] a SARS-like coronavirus as a candidate for disease X. That’s why scientists were alarmed about COVID from the outset—it was exactly what they had been looking for.
By contrast, neither Andes nor Bundibugyo virus have the right profile to start a global pandemic. But if it were, for example, a [novel virus related to measles][20] then it would be a different story. In that scenario, there would be a real possibility of a worldwide emergency much worse than COVID.
Andes and Bundibugyo do reinforce [one important lesson][21], though: Both had been spreading for weeks before they were picked up. So had COVID. Finding and understanding [new viruses faster][22] would deny the next pandemic the same head start, and could make a huge difference to the eventual toll on lives and livelihoods.
*[Mark Woolhouse][23] is a professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the [University of Edinburgh.][24]*
This article is republished from [The Conversation][25] under a Creative Commons license. Read the [original article][26].
[Read full article][27]
[Comments][28]
[1]: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2475551/
[2]: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2217/fvl.12.129
[3]: https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/historys-seven-deadliest-plagues?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=12319817265&gclid=CjwKCAjw8uTQBhAdEiwAVvtJykqX9PkehpE7henBzGTPYT6pIEYA82PPNjqXqWrotADg0U3P3vOv8BoCUuAQAvD_BwE
[4]: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-026-07281-5
[5]: https://ictv.global/
[6]: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9852017/
[7]: https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Zhang_et_al_-_Human-infective_RNA_virus_database_xlsx/30094726?file=62015272
[8]: https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/bird-flu-2026-analysis
[9]: https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/topics/rabies
[10]: https://www.unicef.org/turkiye/en/stories/what-we-know-about-omicron-variant
[11]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52473523
[12]: https://www.who.int/emergencies/situations/ebola-outbreak-2014-2016-West-Africa
[13]: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/22/12/16-0123_article
[14]: https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON604
[15]: https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON605
[16]: https://cepi.net/disease-x
[17]: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/771394v1
[18]: https://www.pirbright.ac.uk/news/pirbright-study-shows-how-sars-cov-2-could-have-adapted-bats-humans-and-which-other-animals-it
[19]: https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/blue-print/2018-annual-review-of-diseases-prioritized-under-the-research-and-development-blueprint.pdf
[20]: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2023/10/paramyxovirus-next-pandemic-flu-covid/675785/
[21]: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/may/21/the-ebola-and-hantavirus-outbreaks-warn-us-we-must-be-better-prepared-if-we-are-to-prevent-the-next-pandemic
[22]: https://resolvetosavelives.org/how-we-save-lives/epidemic-prevention/7-1-7/
[23]: https://theconversation.com/profiles/mark-woolhouse-2215981
[24]: https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-edinburgh-905
[25]: https://theconversation.com
[26]: https://theconversation.com/new-virus-catalogue-reveals-which-pathogens-pose-the-greatest-threat-283599
[27]: https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/07/new-virus-catalog-reveals-which-pathogens-pose-the-greatest-threat/
[28]: https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/07/new-virus-catalog-reveals-which-pathogens-pose-the-greatest-threat/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/07/new-virus-catalog-reveals-which-pathogens-pose-the-greatest-threat/

2026-07-06 19:41:51 CEST

F1 in Britain: Automated software to blame for crushing expectations
Formula 1 returned to what is a home race for most of the teams on the grid this past weekend with the British Grand Prix. Yet again this season, we saw the fastest car not win the race, as reliability has been a problem. But racing giveth and racing taketh away, and the beneficiary of one driver's bad luck was another driver who really needed that win. Perhaps the bigger story, though, was the unfulfilled expectation that we'd see a late-race restart after the safety car came out on lap 48 of 52. An on-screen message told commentators and viewers this would be the case, but it was displayed in error, and what had been an entertaining race ended as something of a damp squib.
Silverstone, like many of Britain's race circuits, was a World War II airbase before being demobbed, which means it's quite flat and can be rather windy. It's also pretty fast even in its current layout (which was changed in 2010), with corners that are among the best places in the world to watch an F1 car change direction. There were worries that the new cars would find their hybrid power units starved of energy part-way round the track, and in qualifying, the cars were limited to recovering and deploying just 6.5 MJ across a lap, compared to the 8 MJ per lap allowed in the sprint and main race.
That energy limit in qualifying was about right—unlike at Suzuka in Japan, where we had the rather pathetic sight of cars slowing down before the fast 130R corner, drivers in qualifying looked to be at the limit through corners like Copse, Maggotts, and Becketts.
[Read full article][1]
[Comments][2]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/07/f1-in-britain-automated-software-to-blame-for-crushing-expectations/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/07/f1-in-britain-automated-software-to-blame-for-crushing-expectations/#comments
Not the ideal way to finish a race, but it happens.
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/07/f1-in-britain-automated-software-to-blame-for-crushing-expectations/

2026-07-06 19:41:45 CEST

The incredible shrinking Xbox: Five studios, 3,200 employees let go
Last month, Xbox executives [laid out some "hard truths"][1] about Microsoft's struggling gaming division that they said would require a difficult "Xbox reset." This morning, Microsoft [revealed the brutal shape of that "reset,"][2] announcing plans for 3,200 layoffs and the divestment of five smaller studios that the company has spent years acquiring and shepherding.
Half of those 3,200 layoffs are effective today, [new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma][3] wrote, while the other half will come by the end of Microsoft's 2027 fiscal year (which runs through June 30, 2027). [CNBC][4] cites "a person familiar with the matter" in reporting that these cuts amount to roughly 20 percent of the Xbox division.
When combined with 1,600 newly announced layoffs across the rest of Microsoft, the company as a whole is letting go of just over 2 percent of its workforce. But [The Seattle Times reports][5] that Microsoft's total headcount has remained relatively stable thanks to other hiring.
[Read full article][6]
[Comments][7]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/06/this-cannot-continue-xbox-leaders-lay-out-hard-truths-behind-sagging-brand/
[2]: https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2026/07/06/resetting-xbox/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/02/microsoft-gaming-chief-phil-spencer-steps-down-after-38-years-with-company/
[4]: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/06/microsoft-cuts-2point1percent-of-employees-as-xbox-unit-plans-to-spin-studios.html
[5]: https://www.seattletimes.com/business/microsoft/microsoft-cuts-4800-across-xbox-sales-divisions-redeploys-hundreds-more/
[6]: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/07/the-incredible-shrinking-xbox-five-studios-3200-employees-let-go/
[7]: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/07/the-incredible-shrinking-xbox-five-studios-3200-employees-let-go/#comments
The Xbox brand dominoes continue to fall.
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/07/the-incredible-shrinking-xbox-five-studios-3200-employees-let-go/

2026-07-06 19:41:39 CEST

Secret Claude tracker shocks users after Anthropic’s anti-surveillance stance
Anthropic quickly removed a tracker secretly monitoring Claude Code users in China after a security researcher [exposed][1] the hidden code and condemned the spyware-like tracking as a “serious breach of user trust.”
Last week, a web developer known as “Thereallo” was researching privacy issues in Claude Code and was shocked to find that the AI firm was using “prompt steganography” to hide code that tracks Chinese users “in plain sight.” This code wasn’t malicious, but it was sending information to Anthropic that most users wouldn’t detect, relying on shorthand markers to quietly flag users’ timezone, proxy, and potential connection to Chinese AI labs that [Anthropic has accused of distillation attacks][2].
On X, Anthropic engineer Thariq Shihipar confirmed that the tracker was added to Claude Code as an “experiment” in March. According to Shihipar, the code “was meant to prevent account abuse from unauthorized resellers and protect against distillation.” Regarding the former, [The Washington Post found][3] unauthorized retailers have sold access to free models for $1 a month, and pro subscriptions that can cost $100 monthly sell for "as little as $12."
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://thereallo.dev/blog/claude-code-prompt-steganography
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/06/anthropic-claims-alibaba-defied-trump-to-attack-claude-and-steal-capabilities/
[3]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/07/06/why-anthropic-alleges-chinese-firms-are-distilling-knowledge-claude/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/anthropic-outed-for-claude-tracker-that-secretly-monitored-chinese-users/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/anthropic-outed-for-claude-tracker-that-secretly-monitored-chinese-users/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/anthropic-outed-for-claude-tracker-that-secretly-monitored-chinese-users/

2026-07-06 19:41:22 CEST

Katalyst's satellite rescue mission is now in pursuit of NASA's Swift
High above the remote Pacific Ocean, about halfway between Hawaii and the northernmost part of Australia, an air-launched rocket fired into space on Independence Day weekend to kick off a weekslong pursuit of a NASA astronomy satellite perilously close to falling out of orbit.
The endeavor to rescue NASA's Swift satellite is the first mission of its kind. NASA put out a call for commercial companies less than a year ago to propose how they could rapidly build and launch a small satellite to latch onto the Swift spacecraft and boost its altitude so that it doesn't come down in a few months.
Katalyst Space Technologies responded with the best offer. NASA awarded the company a contract last September to build and launch a mission to rescue Swift. A little more than nine months later, Katalyst's nearly half-ton Link satellite is safely in orbit. For anyone who follows the space industry, building, testing, and launching a functioning first-of-its-kind satellite of that size in less than a year is a remarkable achievement; it would usually take several years.
[Read full article][1]
[Comments][2]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/07/katalysts-satellite-rescue-mission-is-now-in-pursuit-of-nasas-swift/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/07/katalysts-satellite-rescue-mission-is-now-in-pursuit-of-nasas-swift/#comments
Northrop Grumman's L-1011 carrier aircraft and the Pegasus XL rocket take off from Mojave Air and Space Port in California to begin the next leg of its journey to Kwajalein Atoll in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/07/katalysts-satellite-rescue-mission-is-now-in-pursuit-of-nasas-swift/

2026-07-06 13:36:31 CEST

Bentley teases its first EV, the Torcal
Bentley is preparing to add a fourth model to its rarified lineup, and today we know what it will be called: the Torcal. The carmaker has been working on its first electric vehicle for a while now; it was seen [testing in the Arctic Circle][1] late last year, giving us a sneak peek at the interior. A few weeks ago, another example was [spotted at the Nürburgring][2].
Speculation had been mounting over what Bently would call its first battery EV—although sleuths spotted a European and UK trademark filing for Torcal earlier this year, the absence of a related US trademark filing led [Car and Driver to suggest][3] the car might be badged the Bentley Barnato instead. This referenced Woolf Barnato, who raced Bentleys with great success in the pre-war period with much success, including three wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (1928, 1929, and 1930).
[25 September 2025, Spain, Antequera: The "Paraje Natural Torcal de Antequera" nature park near Antequera (province of Malaga, Andalusia, Spain). The spectacular natural park is known for its bizarre karst rocks, which have been formed from limestone by millions of years of erosion and are often reminiscent of sculptures. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it offers unique hiking trails, a rich flora and fauna and is an important protected area for geology and biodiversity. (landscape, nature, excursion destination, symbol image, symbol photo, theme image, general image, theme photo) Photo: Matthias Balk/dpa (Photo by Matthias Balk/picture alliance via Getty Images)] El Torcal de Antequera Nature Park in Andalusia, Spain. Credit: Matthias Balk/picture alliance via Getty Images
Instead, Bentley continues a convention it has used for the Bentayga, Bacalar, and Batur, taking a name from a natural landmark—in this case, El Torcal de Antequera, a spectacular collection of limestone rock formations in Spain. When the automaker noted that the name is also derived from the Latin "torquere"—the root from which the modern word torque also traces back to—that seems to be a clue that the Torcal will use an electrified powertrain, as these provide immense amounts of effortless torque.
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/fresh-images-bentleys-ev-reveal-new-details-and-tech-filled-cabin
[2]: https://www.motor1.com/news/794899/bentley-first-ev-spy-video/
[3]: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a70761066/bentley-first-ev-2027-future-models-limbo/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/07/bentley-teases-its-first-ev-the-torcal/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/07/bentley-teases-its-first-ev-the-torcal/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/07/bentley-teases-its-first-ev-the-torcal/

2026-06-30 23:01:39 CEST

New attack provides one more reason why AI browsers are a bad idea
Makers of AI browsers make lofty promises. With a single prompt, users can ask one to find a restaurant in a particular part of town, reserve a table, invite a colleague to lunch, and email a confirmation. These makers are much more reticent about the risks of blurring the once fine line between browsing sites and asking a large language model a question or instructing it to take potentially sensitive actions.
LLM developers’ answer so far has been to build guardrails that make some requests off-limits. Developing software exploits, stealing credentials, or teaching how to build a pipe bomb are examples. The problem with this approach is that the guardrails are reactive and treat the symptoms rather than solve the root cause. It’s tantamount to the manufacturer of an unsafe vehicle advocating for new road designs rather than fixing the flaws that make it prone to accidents.
## Lulling LLMs into an alternate reality
New research puts this predicament on sharp display. It demonstrates how a website can lull AI browsers into a false reality where the rules governing its behavior no longer apply. After that, an attacker has free rein to invoke all kinds of destructive actions, such as extracting code from a private repository or extracting credentials from the built-in password manager.
[Read full article][1]
[Comments][2]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/06/ai-browsers-can-be-lulled-into-a-dream-world-where-guardrails-no-longer-apply/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/06/ai-browsers-can-be-lulled-into-a-dream-world-where-guardrails-no-longer-apply/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/06/ai-browsers-can-be-lulled-into-a-dream-world-where-guardrails-no-longer-apply/

2026-06-30 23:01:28 CEST

Google kills Tenor GIF API, forcing changes at X, Discord, and more
Google is so famous for killing products that there's a whole [virtual graveyard][1] you can explore. Google's latest shutdown now has a headstone of its own. Effective today, Google has discontinued the Tenor API, which you may not be familiar with by name. You've probably used it, though. Tenor is a database of searchable GIFs, which used to serve animated images to sites like X/Twitter, Discord, and more. Now, it only serves Google—maybe the headstone is a bit premature.
Like many Google products, Tenor started as an independent company. Google came along and bought Tenor in 2018, and it continued running it largely unchanged in the intervening years. Tenor was integrated into Google products like Gboard and Google Messages, but the API also gave other platforms a way to help users find, share, and save GIFs. It's similar to services like Giphy and Klipy.
In January, Google announced it was going to start winding down that API access. It stopped accepting new integrations at that time, and the end date has now arrived: As of June 30, the Tenor API is no more. Google, a company with nearly 200,000 employees and more than $130 billion in 2025 profit, says it decided to stop supporting the image API so it could better focus its resources. The real problem was probably that Tenor was free, and Google didn't see a way it could make money from a GIF API.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://killedbygoogle.com/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/google-kills-tenor-gif-api-forcing-changes-at-x-discord-and-more/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/google-kills-tenor-gif-api-forcing-changes-at-x-discord-and-more/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/google-kills-tenor-gif-api-forcing-changes-at-x-discord-and-more/

2026-06-30 23:01:23 CEST

NASA may send a backup, nuclear-powered Mars rover to the Moon
NASA officials said Tuesday that they are seriously considering sending the full-scale engineering model of the Perseverance rover, which is currently housed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, to the Moon to expedite their efforts to explore the south pole region.
The car-sized rover nicknamed "Promise," which serves as a testbed for Perseverance and was not otherwise planned for a launch, would land equipped with a multi-mission radioisotope thermoelectric generator (MMRTG) to power it across difficult terrain and through the lunar night. NASA's other rovers primarily operate on solar power.
"We are thinking very hard right now about sending Promise to the Moon," NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said Tuesday during a monthly update on the agency's plans to build a Moon base.
[Read full article][1]
[Comments][2]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/06/nasa-may-send-a-backup-nuclear-powered-mars-rover-to-the-moon/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/06/nasa-may-send-a-backup-nuclear-powered-mars-rover-to-the-moon/#comments
The twin of NASA's Perseverance Mars rover arrives at JPL's Mars Yard garage on October 29, 2021.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/06/nasa-may-send-a-backup-nuclear-powered-mars-rover-to-the-moon/

2026-06-30 20:58:28 CEST

RFK Jr. stacks FDA panel with peptide peddlers as FDA scientists oppose access
Anti-vaccine Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has stacked another federal advisory panel with allies, advancing [his efforts][1] to force the Food and Drug Administration to reverse its stance on [a dozen popular but unproven injectable peptide drugs][2].
While [FDA scientists determined in 2023][3] that the drugs lack evidence of benefits and may pose safety risks, Kennedy is a self-professed "big fan" of the dubious drugs and has vowed to ["end" FDA's "aggressive suppression"][4] of them.
On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration [updated its list of advisors][5] who will review the peptides, adding nine new members—almost all of whom personally promote peptide use and/or have financial ties to wellness clinics that offer peptide treatments. The additions bring the total number of advisors to 13, making it easy for the new members to determine the outcome of upcoming meetings.
[Read full article][6]
[Comments][7]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/03/rfk-jr-s-fda-expected-to-lift-restrictions-on-risky-unproven-peptides/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/04/rfk-jr-forces-fda-to-reconsider-12-unproven-peptides-after-2023-ban/
[3]: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/certain-bulk-drug-substances-use-compounding-may-present-significant-safety-risks#:~:text=Bulk%20drug%20substance%2C%20Potential%20significant%20safety%20risks.,regard%20to%20peptide%2Drelated%20impurities%20and%20API%20characterization.
[4]: https://x.com/RobertKennedyJr/status/1849925311586238737
[5]: https://www.fda.gov/advisory-committees/pharmacy-com
[6]: https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/06/rfk-jr-stacks-fda-panel-with-peptide-peddlers-as-fda-scientists-oppose-access/
[7]: https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/06/rfk-jr-stacks-fda-panel-with-peptide-peddlers-as-fda-scientists-oppose-access/#comments
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., US secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).
https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/06/rfk-jr-stacks-fda-panel-with-peptide-peddlers-as-fda-scientists-oppose-access/

2026-06-30 20:58:22 CEST

Google's new Nano Banana 2 Lite image model is its fastest and cheapest yet
There are plenty of AI image-generation models these days, but the ones capable of quality outputs tend to be slow and expensive. Google DeepMind says its new image model, known as Nano Banana 2 Lite, offers the best balance of quality and speed. It's available today across the Google ecosystem, creating images in a fraction of the time it takes Google's [beefier models][1].
The new model is part of the Gemini 3.1 family—it's technically called Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Image. On one hand, [Google says][2] this model is ideal for exploring ideas and "rapid-fire" prototyping, applications in which quality can take a backseat. However, the company has also provided some examples aimed at showing how close Nano Banana 2 Lite can get to the quality of its other image models.
[two AI images compared] A comparison of Nano Banana 2 Lite with the non-Lite version. Credit: Google
In addition to the examples, Google also has Elo scores from Arena.ai ready to go, showing that users rate Nano Banana 2 Lite outputs almost as highly as the non-Lite versions. However, vibemarking doesn't always focus on the details that can make AI images look silly upon closer inspection. Google notes that Nano Banana 2 Lite tends to have more trouble with text, particularly if it's very small, and infographics are more likely to include incorrect data. Characters and people may also show poor consistency across iterations.
[Read full article][3]
[Comments][4]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/google/2025/11/google-launches-nano-banana-pro-image-model-adds-ai-image-detection-in-gemini-app/
[2]: https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/models-and-research/gemini-models/gemini-omni-flash-nano-banana-2-lite/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/06/googles-new-nano-banana-2-lite-image-model-is-its-fastest-and-cheapest-yet/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/06/googles-new-nano-banana-2-lite-image-model-is-its-fastest-and-cheapest-yet/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/06/googles-new-nano-banana-2-lite-image-model-is-its-fastest-and-cheapest-yet/

2026-06-30 19:56:31 CEST

Trump asked Musk for SpaceX stock to seed US kids’ savings accounts, report says
One way Donald Trump plans to celebrate July 4th is by rolling out children’s savings accounts, known as Trump Accounts, and apparently, he’s been angling to get a big donation from SpaceX as part of that push.
A person familiar with talks involving the Trump administration [told Semafor][1] that SpaceX has spoken with US officials about donating stock to Trump Accounts. At this stage, however, it remains unclear if a donation will be made or what impact a SpaceX donation might have on the value of the accounts, which Trump hopes will be a defining part of his legacy.
So far, 6 million children have been signed up for Trump Accounts, which officially launch next week on Independence Day. Trump accounts are a new type of individual retirement account available to any child under 18 with a Social Security number, and parents can sign up their kids through a Trump Accounts app that's already available for download. As an extra perk, any child born between 2025 and 2028 can receive a one-time $1,000 contribution from the government.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://www.semafor.com/article/06/29/2026/spacex-us-government-discuss-stock-donation-for-trump-accounts
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/06/spacex-may-donate-stock-to-trumps-savings-accounts-for-kids-report-says/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/06/spacex-may-donate-stock-to-trumps-savings-accounts-for-kids-report-says/#comments
SpaceX has made history with the biggest-ever IPO, launching it into the top ranks of the largest public companies.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/06/spacex-may-donate-stock-to-trumps-savings-accounts-for-kids-report-says/

2026-06-30 19:56:26 CEST

The US going 100% EV by 2040 would save more than 100k lives, study says
Although climate change is the primary motivation behind electric vehicle adoption, it isn't the only consideration. Removing internal combustion engines from the road directly saves lives by reducing airborne pollutants that can cause and trigger asthma and other lung diseases.
Now, [a report][1] from the International Council on Clean Transportation has tried to quantify that effect, comparing various electrification scenarios over the next couple of decades. Currently, more than 41,800 premature deaths are attributable to air pollution from road transport, the ICCT says.
We've long known that living near a busy road is associated with worse health outcomes. Combustion products like nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), particulates (PMs), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are all found around highways and busy intersections in concentrations high enough to cause health effects, and studies have repeatedly shown that living close to a major roadway is associated with increased mortality.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://theicct.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ID-611-%E2%80%93-GHS-update_report_final-2.pdf
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/06/the-us-going-100-ev-by-2040-would-save-more-than-100k-lives-study-says/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/06/the-us-going-100-ev-by-2040-would-save-more-than-100k-lives-study-says/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/06/the-us-going-100-ev-by-2040-would-save-more-than-100k-lives-study-says/

2026-06-30 19:56:21 CEST

Trump's plan to redesign every .gov website leads to AI-designed horrors
President Donald Trump’s plan to “fill the digital potholes” and use AI to quickly redesign every government website isn’t going very well.
Last August, Trump created the National Design Studio, or NDS, by [executive order][1]. A temporary [DOGE][2]-like entity that answers only to the president, NDS was tasked with creating new standards to update the US Web Design System (USWDS) and overhaul 27,000 dot-gov websites in just three years. At the end of this so-called “America by Design” initiative, the government’s “design language” would supposedly be more usable and beautiful, Trump expected.
However, that monumental task—assigned to a small team under a short timeframe—was seemingly made harder by DOGE's deep cuts to agencies previously responsible for improving government websites, including dismantling the [18F technology unit][3] and restructuring the US Digital Service into DOGE.
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/08/improving-our-nation-through-better-design/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/12/doge-did-not-find-2t-in-fraud-but-that-doesnt-matter-musk-allies-say/
[3]: https://theconversation.com/how-18f-transformed-government-technology-and-why-its-elimination-matters-251333
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/06/trumps-plan-to-redesign-every-gov-website-leads-to-ai-designed-horrors/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/06/trumps-plan-to-redesign-every-gov-website-leads-to-ai-designed-horrors/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/06/trumps-plan-to-redesign-every-gov-website-leads-to-ai-designed-horrors/

2026-06-30 16:55:33 CEST

Florida bans local governments from pursuing net-zero emissions goals
A new state law limits Florida communities’ aims to offset greenhouse gas emissions that are warming the global climate and intensifying disasters such as hurricanes.
Specifically, [HB 1217][1] prohibits local governments from pursuing net-zero emissions goals. At least 10 cities and counties have implemented such policies, including Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Orlando, and Leon County, where Tallahassee, the state capital, is located. But the new law will not necessarily upend these policies, said Bradley Marshall, senior attorney at Earthjustice, an advocacy group.
“It’s certainly meant to scare municipalities and local governments from trying to do things to further net-zero policies,” he said. “Now, its exact impact and what it exactly prohibits is probably up for some debate. Things that are adjacent to it—emissions reductions and even climate change reduction policies—on their face will not run afoul at all of a ban on adopting a net zero policy.”
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/1217
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/florida-bans-local-governments-from-pursuing-net-zero-emissions-goals/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/florida-bans-local-governments-from-pursuing-net-zero-emissions-goals/#comments
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at a press conference in Daytona Beach Shores on January 18, 2023.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/florida-bans-local-governments-from-pursuing-net-zero-emissions-goals/

2026-06-28 21:09:34 CEST

Why did this journal retract two 1940s papers by Max Planck?
German physicist [Max Planck][1] was one of the pioneers of quantum mechanics in the early 20th century, earning the 1918 Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of [quanta][2]. There has never been a whisper of scandal about the man's integrity or his scientific work. So a pair of science historians were puzzled when they discovered that a scientific journal had inexplicably retracted two of Planck's papers from the 1940s.
The journal in question is Naturwissenschaften, now known as The Science of Nature. The journal typically adds a large RETRACTED notice across digital papers that have been retracted, leaving them available for download. But it has removed the two Planck papers entirely, leaving just a blank page (and empty PDFs) with a brief note saying the articles had been "withdrawn due to article violation.”
Physics historian Yves Gingras of the University of Quebec in Montreal was browsing the blog Retraction Watch's [list][3] of Nobel Prize winners who have had scientific papers retracted, just out of curiosity. Gingras was shocked to see Planck's name on the list, and enlisted fellow historian Mahdi Khelfaoui, of the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivieres, to investigate why the two papers had been retracted. They outlined their findings in [a preprint][4] posted to the physics arXiv.
[Read full article][5]
[Comments][6]
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Planck
[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum
[3]: https://retractionwatch.com/retractions-by-nobel-prize-winners/
[4]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2605.17534
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/why-did-this-journal-retract-two-1940s-papers-by-max-planck/
[6]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/why-did-this-journal-retract-two-1940s-papers-by-max-planck/#comments
Max Planck is not amused.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/why-did-this-journal-retract-two-1940s-papers-by-max-planck/

2026-06-26 00:13:06 CEST

FCC may kill $2B program that connects schools and libraries to Internet
The Federal Communications Commission was roundly criticized today for proposing to scale back or eliminate E-Rate, a $2 billion-a-year Universal Service program that provides discounts for telecom services and equipment in schools and libraries.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said E-Rate should be changed because students are getting too much screen time. He [led a 2-1 vote][1] to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that proposes changes and asks the public to comment on them.
"Over the last decade, school districts across the country experimented with a massive increase in screen time for students," Carr said at today's meeting.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-review-e-rate-program-ensure-it-fulfills-congresss-vision
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/06/fcc-may-kill-2b-program-that-connects-schools-and-libraries-to-internet/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/06/fcc-may-kill-2b-program-that-connects-schools-and-libraries-to-internet/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/06/fcc-may-kill-2b-program-that-connects-schools-and-libraries-to-internet/

2026-06-26 00:13:00 CEST

Microsoft adds another year to Windows 10 extended update program
Microsoft [ended official support][1] for Windows 10 in 2025, but the company may have a harder time than expected putting the operating system out to pasture. After promising a year of optional extended update support, Microsoft has changed its policy, tacking on another year to its Extended Security Updates (ESU) program. If you are still clinging to Windows 10, you don't have to do anything but enjoy that extra year.
The last regular updates rolled out to Windows 10 in October of last year, but the Internet can be a dangerous place for unpatched Windows machines. That was a problem for Microsoft, as Windows 11 usage had only barely surpassed Windows 10 when support ended. Microsoft's solution was to give everyone on the old OS a free year of extended updates.
That program was set to end on October 12, 2026, but Microsoft has updated its policy with hardly a whisper, pushing back the end of extended updates to October 12, 2027. The [ESU support page][2] was updated with that date, and Microsoft's [blog post on the program][3] has a new editor's note confirming the change.
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/10/windows-10-support-ends-today-but-its-just-the-first-of-many-deaths/
[2]: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/extended-security-updates#cw
[3]: https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2025/06/24/stay-secure-with-windows-11-copilot-pcs-and-windows-365-before-support-ends-for-windows-10
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/microsoft-adds-another-year-to-windows-10-extended-update-program/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/microsoft-adds-another-year-to-windows-10-extended-update-program/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/microsoft-adds-another-year-to-windows-10-extended-update-program/

2026-06-25 22:00:26 CEST

Notion killing Skiff-influenced email app since most users use AI agents instead
In February 2024, [Notion bought Skiff][1], an encrypted email and productivity software startup. Within a year, Notion shut down Skiff’s email service (taking @skiff.com email addresses with it). And in April 2025, the San Francisco-based company released Notion Mail, a Gmail client primarily built by people who joined Notion through the Skiff acquisition. Today, Notion announced that it’s shutting down Notion Mail, effectively killing what little remained of Skiff email.
In an [X post (][2]first spotted by [9to5Mac][3]) today, Notion said that it will shutter the Notion Mail “inbox across web, desktop, and iOS on September 22.”
The post claimed that most Notion users don’t use email clients anyway and instead rely on AI agents to handle their electronic correspondence. It reads:
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/02/encrypted-email-service-skiff-gets-acquired-will-shut-down-in-six-months/
[2]: https://x.com/NotionMail/status/2070177267074977991?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2070177267074977991%7Ctwgr%5Efe47482444044d33c72a3a07a70a065ab8d2fb45%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2F9to5mac.com%2F2026%2F06%2F25%2Fnotion-shutting-down-its-ai-powered-email-client-including-mac-and-ios-apps%2F
[3]: https://9to5mac.com/2026/06/25/notion-shutting-down-its-ai-powered-email-client-including-mac-and-ios-apps/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/notion-killing-skiff-influenced-email-app-since-most-users-use-ai-agents-instead/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/notion-killing-skiff-influenced-email-app-since-most-users-use-ai-agents-instead/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/notion-killing-skiff-influenced-email-app-since-most-users-use-ai-agents-instead/

2026-06-24 23:14:50 CEST

FCC plans ID mandate that could block anonymous use of prepaid burner phones
A Federal Communications Commission proposal to collect more identifying information from phone users has drawn protests from privacy-focused groups and advocates for domestic violence survivors. The plan is ostensibly designed to thwart robocallers but could make it difficult for individuals to use prepaid phones that can protect their privacy, devices that are often referred to as burner phones.
The FCC is seeking comment on the [proposal][1] to require phone companies to obtain and retain, at a minimum, "the name, physical address, government issued identification number, and an alternate telephone number of any new and renewing customer before granting access to its services."
Critics say this would prevent people from using prepaid phones without revealing their identities. Technology Safety Specialist Belle Torek of the National Network to End Domestic Violence [told the FCC][2] in a filing yesterday that "many of the behaviors and privacy-protective measures the Commission appears to view as suspicious are, for survivors, well-established and often life-preserving safety practices."
[Read full article][3]
[Comments][4]
[1]: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-26-27A1.pdf
[2]: https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/26109882043/1
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/06/fcc-plans-id-mandate-that-could-block-anonymous-use-of-prepaid-burner-phones/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/06/fcc-plans-id-mandate-that-could-block-anonymous-use-of-prepaid-burner-phones/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/06/fcc-plans-id-mandate-that-could-block-anonymous-use-of-prepaid-burner-phones/

2026-06-24 23:14:45 CEST

Experimental wine bottle tracks oxygen moving through the cork
Most people perceive a cork in a bottle of wine as a simple plug meant to keep the liquid in and the outside world out. In the recent study published in Science Advances, a team of French scientists demonstrated the cork is way more than that. By regulating the oxygen transfer into and out of the wine bottle, it works almost as another ingredient.
“Twenty years ago, our group focused on the oxidation and aging of wine and all its parameters,” Thomas Karbowiak said. “Oxygen diffusion through cork stoppers is one of these parameters.” Karbowiak is a chemist at the University of Burgundy, France, and the senior author of the study.
## The mini-bottle experiment
Oxidation is one of the key drivers of wine aging. A slow, limited ingress of oxygen helps wine mature, smoothing out harsh tannins and bringing out an aromatic complexity. But when too much oxygen gets into the bottle too quickly, it can make the wine stale, brownish in color, and unpleasant to drink. That’s because it will also react with alcohol and phenols in the same process that makes a cut apple turn brown.
[Read full article][1]
[Comments][2]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/experimental-wine-bottle-tracks-oxygen-moving-through-the-cork/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/experimental-wine-bottle-tracks-oxygen-moving-through-the-cork/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/experimental-wine-bottle-tracks-oxygen-moving-through-the-cork/

2026-06-24 16:14:03 CEST

White House app auto-downloads to government phones, can't be uninstalled
In May, the [White House announced][1] that its new app would be automatically downloaded onto the work phones of millions of [government employees][2]. The problem: [Federal workers][3] hate it and can’t get rid of it.
Employees of the US Department of Agriculture, the State Department, and the Department of Labor, who spoke to WIRED on the condition of anonymity due to fear of retaliation, say that they were disturbed when the app appeared on their phones. Some attempted to delete it, but to no avail.
“I deleted it as a test and it came immediately back,” says an employee from the USDA.
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://www.govexec.com/management/2026/05/white-house-ordering-agencies-place-its-new-app-all-employees-government-phones/413738/
[2]: https://www.wired.com/story/government-workers-say-theyre-getting-inundated-with-religion/
[3]: https://www.wired.com/story/government-workers-say-their-out-of-office-replies-were-forcibly-changed-to-blame-democrats-for-shutdown/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/06/white-house-app-auto-downloads-to-government-phones-cant-be-uninstalled/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/06/white-house-app-auto-downloads-to-government-phones-cant-be-uninstalled/#comments
The official White House app in the App Store
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/06/white-house-app-auto-downloads-to-government-phones-cant-be-uninstalled/

2026-06-24 16:13:57 CEST

November launch set for space shuttle Endeavour's towering display
There are some sights in this world that no photograph can truly capture.
Think of the rolling ribbons of the aurora in the northern and southern skies, the depth and breadth of the Grand Canyon, or the sense of immersion when diving on the Great Barrier Reef. Astronauts will tell you that not even large-format cameras can truly capture the blackness of outer space or the majesty that is our planet as seen from orbit or beyond.
It's not every day that a new one of those sights debuts. But such will be the case on Friday, November 13, when the California Science Center in Los Angeles finally [reveals the launch-pad-like display][1] of the space shuttle *Endeavor* inside the new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://www.collectspace.com/news/news-062426a-space-shuttle-endeavour-first-look-opening-date.html
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/06/november-launch-set-for-space-shuttle-endeavours-towering-display/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/06/november-launch-set-for-space-shuttle-endeavours-towering-display/#comments
The space shuttle *Endeavour* looks massive in the California Science Center's Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center in Los Angeles. The public will be invited in beginning on Friday, November 13, 2026.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/06/november-launch-set-for-space-shuttle-endeavours-towering-display/

2026-06-24 00:26:15 CEST

US's climate.gov site, taken down by Trump, relaunched by nonprofit
Over decades, researchers in the US government and programs it sponsored built up a tremendous number of climate resources, from comprehensive analyses to massive datasets to basic explainers meant to inform the public. And people within the government built the climate.gov website to make it all accessible. But if you try to navigate there today, you get redirected to the climate page of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and are greeted with the following message:
> In compliance with Executive Order 14303 (“Restoring Gold Standard Science”), the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s June 23, 2025 Memorandum (“Agency Guidance for Implementing Gold Standard Science in the Conduct & Management of Scientific Activities”), 15 USC § 2904 (“National Climate Program”), 15 USC § 2934 (“National Global Change Research Plan”), and 33 USC § 893a (“NOAA Ocean and Atmospheric Science Education Programs”), you have been redirected to NOAA.gov. Future research products previously housed under Climate.gov will be available at NOAA.gov/climate and its affiliate websites.
Climate.gov was essentially gone, and the team that deleted implied that it happened because climate research somehow failed to uphold what the administration was calling "gold standard science."
But the people who put together climate.gov didn't go away. While the government didn't hesitate to [delete inconvenient climate information][1], dedicated volunteers outside the government managed to preserve copies of much of the material, which the federal government is prohibited from copyrighting. The volunteers and former climate.gov admins got together and launched [climate.us][2]. On Tuesday, the team [announced][3] that it had completed the project to restore everything lost when climate.gov shut down.
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/05/climate-disasters-that-cost-billions-will-go-untracked-thanks-to-trump-cuts/
[2]: https://www.climate.us
[3]: https://www.climate.us/news-features/feed/climateus-launches-independent-website-trusted-climate-information
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/uss-climate-gov-site-taken-down-by-trump-relaunched-by-nonprofit/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/uss-climate-gov-site-taken-down-by-trump-relaunched-by-nonprofit/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/uss-climate-gov-site-taken-down-by-trump-relaunched-by-nonprofit/

2026-06-12 17:11:08 CEST

Lawsuit: ChatGPT validated suicidal woman's distrust of crisis lines
Last year, a 24-year-old Canadian woman was in a mental health crisis and turned to ChatGPT for help. Hours later, that woman, Alice Carrier, [took her own life][1].
According to a [new lawsuit filed Thursday in San Francisco Superior Court][2] and brought by Carrier’s surviving family, her ChatGPT session “encouraged Alice to kill herself.”
This lawsuit, like [numerous][3] other similar [cases][4] that have come before it, alleges a design defect with ChatGPT itself and blames OpenAI for knowingly deploying a dangerous product.
[Read full article][5]
[Comments][6]
[1]: https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/article/a-young-womans-final-exchange-with-an-ai-chatbot/
[2]: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14VMMJjvuqz4k2EIcp9b3BxlPKsacvSQr/view
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/02/before-psychosis-chatgpt-told-man-he-was-an-oracle-new-lawsuit-alleges/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/health/2025/08/after-using-chatgpt-man-swaps-his-salt-for-sodium-bromide-and-suffers-psychosis/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/06/lawsuit-chatgpt-validated-suicidal-womans-distrust-of-crisis-lines/
[6]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/06/lawsuit-chatgpt-validated-suicidal-womans-distrust-of-crisis-lines/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/06/lawsuit-chatgpt-validated-suicidal-womans-distrust-of-crisis-lines/

2026-06-08 21:43:11 CEST

Gemini 3.5 and Antigravity come to Google NotebookLM
Google's NotebookLM was one of the company's first forays into generative AI technology, and in un-Googley fashion, it hasn't been shut down yet. In fact, NotebookLM is getting one of its biggest updates, ever, today, moving to the latest Gemini 3.5 model, support for more file types, and streamlined web source integration. Google also says NotebookLM will be able to do more with all those queries thanks to embedded support for Antigravity.
Gemini 3.5 Flash [debuted at Google I/O this year][1], promising much faster and more efficient processing. Google has claimed that companies worried about token costs can save big by moving their projects to the new Flash model while also getting outputs that are of similar or better quality. Those improvements are now filtering down to other Google products. NotebookLM, which launched in 2023 at the very beginning of the AI boom, lets you analyze specific sources like documents and webpages with Google's latest AI models.
[NotebookLM evaluation graph] The upgraded NotebookLM beats the old version in all of Google's "core evaluation dimensions." Credit: Google
Google conducted side-by-side evaluations of NotebookLM on the old Gemini 3.1 branch and with the updated 3.5. The company is being somewhat vague about the nature of the tests, breaking things up into "top five core evaluation dimensions," which are Accuracy and Quality, Multilingual Support, Large Document Analysis, Document Creation, and Advanced Research. In these tests, [Google says][2] NotebookLM averaged a 65 percent win rate versus the older model.
[Read full article][3]
[Comments][4]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/google/2026/05/google-announces-agent-optimized-gemini-3-5-flash-and-a-do-anything-model-called-omni/
[2]: https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/products/notebooklm/better-research-notebooklm/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/06/gemini-3-5-and-antigravity-come-to-google-notebooklm/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/06/gemini-3-5-and-antigravity-come-to-google-notebooklm/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/06/gemini-3-5-and-antigravity-come-to-google-notebooklm/

2026-06-06 13:53:51 CEST

Some ancient microbes frozen with Ötzi the Iceman are still growing
Ötzi the Iceman, Europe’s most famous mummy, is crawling with microbes, some long dead, some still eking out a living after thousands of years, and some very modern.
After he died in the Ötztal Alps, the Copper Age man now known as Ötzi lay alone and forgotten for 5,300 years, until a group of hikers stumbled on his freeze-dried remains in 1991. Since then, he’s received a lot of attention from scientists, who have [sequenced his DNA][1], pored over [his last meal][2] and the remains of his gut microbes, and examined his clothes and[ his broken tools][3]. Today, Ötzi lies in a high-tech resting place at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Italy, where, it turns out, his body is still home to a handful of cold-adapted yeast species that have probably been with him since just after he died.
## Slightly morbid souvenirs from the Alps
Microbiologist Mohamed S. Sarhan (of the Institute of Mummy Studies at the private Eurac Research center) and his colleagues recently sampled material from Ötzi’s stomach and meltwater from inside his body, swabbed his skin, and even sampled airborne microbes from his frozen storage room and the lab outside it. They also took samples from a block of frozen alpine soil taken from next to Ötzi’s body back in 1991.
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/08/surprise-otzi-the-iceman-was-bald-and-had-darker-skin-than-presumed/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/07/otzi-the-icemans-last-meal-shows-how-copper-age-people-ate-on-the-run/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/06/otzi-the-iceman-spent-his-last-days-trying-to-repair-his-tools/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/otzis-mummified-body-is-home-to-ancient-strains-of-yeast-and-bacteria/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/otzis-mummified-body-is-home-to-ancient-strains-of-yeast-and-bacteria/#comments
Sarhan holds up a Petri dish of yeast cultured from Ötzi's stomach.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/otzis-mummified-body-is-home-to-ancient-strains-of-yeast-and-bacteria/

2026-06-06 00:53:13 CEST

Baby botulism outbreak: FDA still doesn't know cause—or how to prevent it
The Food and Drug Administration this week posted what critics call an "underwhelming" epilogue to [the devastating outbreak of botulism in babies][1], which was linked to [spore-contaminated formula made by ByHeart][2]. Despite clear tracking of the contamination, the regulator still doesn't know how the bacteria arrived in the formula—or how to prevent it from happening again.
"The FDA's investigation into the root cause is ongoing with a focus on ingredients," the agency reported.
In the void, three companies at the center of the investigation are left pointing fingers at each other, with none publicly taking responsibility for the contamination.
[Read full article][3]
[Comments][4]
[1]: https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/post-outbreak-response-activities-clostridium-botulinum-illnesses-associated-consumption-powdered
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/health/2025/11/formula-with-cleanest-ingredients-recalled-after-15-babies-get-botulism/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/06/baby-botulism-outbreak-fda-still-doesnt-know-cause-or-how-to-prevent-it/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/06/baby-botulism-outbreak-fda-still-doesnt-know-cause-or-how-to-prevent-it/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/06/baby-botulism-outbreak-fda-still-doesnt-know-cause-or-how-to-prevent-it/

2026-05-29 21:14:47 CEST

DOJ sues states that rejected ICE requests for undercover license plates
The Trump administration continues to claim in lawsuits that ICE monitoring sites are doxing agents, without showing evidence that's happening.
Most recently, the Department of Justice pointed to sites like ICEList.info and ICESpy.org in [lawsuits][1] it filed in an attempt to force four states to reverse policies blocking ICE agents from registering undercover license plates.
The DOJ alleged that the states' policies are unconstitutional, unlawfully requiring federal officers to abide by different rules than state officers who can easily obtain undercover plates. Among risks to ICE agents denied undercover plates, the DOJ counted alleged threats of increased harassment and invasive tracking of officers, as well as the possibility that targets of ICE enforcement may more easily evade arrest.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-states-denying-undercover-license-plates-federal-law-enforcement
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/doj-sues-states-that-rejected-ice-requests-for-undercover-license-plates/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/doj-sues-states-that-rejected-ice-requests-for-undercover-license-plates/#comments
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in newly designed vehicles.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/doj-sues-states-that-rejected-ice-requests-for-undercover-license-plates/

2026-05-29 21:14:41 CEST

Trump FCC warns all broadcasters to follow orders or be punished like ABC
The eight broadcast TV stations owned by ABC filed applications for early license renewals under protest yesterday, accusing the Federal Communications Commission of trying to suppress speech as part of "an unprecedented attack on a single company’s entire portfolio of broadcast licenses."
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has repeatedly threatened to revoke broadcast licenses from President Trump's least favorite networks. He recently [ordered the Disney-owned ABC][1] to file early license renewal applications for all of its TV stations over allegations that its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices violate anti-discrimination rules.
"The only plausible reason to issue the Order is to punish the Station for speech the government does not like," ABC said in its filings. The FCC is "using the license process renewal to punish a broadcaster for its editorial choices" in "an extraordinary demonstration of power and coercion directed at disfavored editorial voices," it said.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/04/fcc-orders-review-of-abc-licenses-after-kimmel-joke-offends-trump-and-first-lady/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/trump-fcc-warns-all-broadcasters-to-follow-orders-or-be-punished-like-abc/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/trump-fcc-warns-all-broadcasters-to-follow-orders-or-be-punished-like-abc/#comments
Jimmy Kimmel at an event in 2019.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/trump-fcc-warns-all-broadcasters-to-follow-orders-or-be-punished-like-abc/

2026-05-29 21:14:36 CEST

House of the Dragon S3 trailer revels in dragons, fire, and blood
Some viewers were disappointed that the second season of [*House of the Dragon*][1] ended not with a bang, but a whimper. But the big battle sequence that season 2 set up will open season 3 with a bang, judging by the latest trailer, which has all the dragons, fire, and blood Westeros is known for.
**(Spoilers for first two seasons below.)**
As [previously reported][2], [the series is set][3] nearly 200 years before the events of *Game of Thrones, *when dragons were still a fixture of Westeros, and chronicles the beginning of the end of House Targaryen’s reign. The primary source material is [*Fire and Blood*][4], a fictional history of the Targaryen kings written by George R.R. Martin. As book readers know, those events culminated in a civil war and the extinction of the dragons—at least until Daenerys Targaryen came along.
[Read full article][5]
[Comments][6]
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_the_Dragon_season_3
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/02/its-outright-war-for-the-iron-throne-in-house-of-the-dragon-s3-teaser/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/culture/2023/12/tensions-rise-between-targaryens-in-first-teaser-for-house-of-the-dragon-s2/
[4]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_%26_Blood_(novel)
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/05/house-of-the-dragon-s3-trailer-revels-in-dragons-fire-and-blood/
[6]: https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/05/house-of-the-dragon-s3-trailer-revels-in-dragons-fire-and-blood/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/05/house-of-the-dragon-s3-trailer-revels-in-dragons-fire-and-blood/

2026-05-29 21:14:31 CEST

Analysis of Texas measles outbreak shows just how dangerous virus is
For years, anti-vaccine Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his zealous followers have downplayed measles as "[just a rash][1]" and falsely claimed that "Measles outbreaks have been fabricated to create fear."
In 2021, when Kennedy wrote those words, the US recorded just 49 measles cases. Yearly case counts have generally [been low since 2000][2], when the US declared measles eliminated thanks to a decades-long vaccination campaign. But with the rise of Kennedy and his ilk in the past few decades, that public health triumph is being undone. Vaccination rates have slipped, and large, multistate outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases have inevitably come roaring back. Now it's becoming painfully clear once again how wrong Kennedy and his cohorts are about infectious diseases and vaccines.
In [a study published yesterday in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report][3], state and federal researchers provided a detailed postmortem of last year's massive multi-state measles outbreak that mushroomed out of West Texas. The data reveals a disease that's far from just a rash, with about 20 percent of people—mostly younger children—being hospitalized.
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://childrenshealthdefense.org/wp-content/uploads/Measles-Book-interior_UPDATED-2025_3.11a.pdf
[2]: https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/index.html
[3]: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/75/wr/mm7520a1.htm?s_cid=OS_mm7520a1_e&ACSTrackingID=USCDC_921-DM155493&ACSTrackingLabel=Week%20in%20MMWR%3A%20Vol.%2075%2C%20May%2028%2C%202026&deliveryName=USCDC_921-DM155493
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/05/analysis-of-texas-measles-outbreak-shows-just-how-dangerous-virus-is/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/05/analysis-of-texas-measles-outbreak-shows-just-how-dangerous-virus-is/#comments
Measles rash on the body of a child.
https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/05/analysis-of-texas-measles-outbreak-shows-just-how-dangerous-virus-is/

2026-05-29 21:14:25 CEST

Botnet of more than 17 million devices dismantled
Authorities in the Netherlands said they dismantled a botnet that comprised more than 17 million devices and were managed by 200 servers in a joint operation by the police and the National Cyber Security Center.
The action, [announced Thursday][1], came about after a security researcher reported the sprawling network to authorities. The host infrastructure was located in the Netherlands.
## Used for criminal purposes
“The police then seized several botnet servers from a hosting provider for investigation,” the NCSC said. “The botnet was taken offline by the provider because it was used for criminal purposes.”
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://www.ncsc.nl/nieuws/gezamenlijke-actie-politie-en-ncsc-legt-groot-botnetwerk-plat
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/05/botnet-of-more-than-17-million-devices-dismantled/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/05/botnet-of-more-than-17-million-devices-dismantled/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/05/botnet-of-more-than-17-million-devices-dismantled/

2026-05-26 23:44:13 CEST

We're starting to see some PC makers respond to Apple's MacBook Neo
It seems fair to say that [Apple's MacBook Neo][1] took the rest of the PC industry by surprise. Companies are used to competing on price and features with $1,000-and-up Apple laptops like the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, but their $600 and $700 models usually come with cut corners and compromises that are more noticeable than the Neo's. The CEO of Asus [admitted to being surprised][2] by the laptop's price (while simultaneously trying to downplay the Neo's value); [a Microsoft-backed study][3] comparing PCs to the MacBook Neo included several laptops that can't compete with the Neo's price unless they're deeply discounted.
In the last couple of weeks, we've started to see a more intentional and targeted response to the MacBook Neo from PC makers. These mostly seem to revolve around [Intel's low-end Core Series 3 processors][4], codenamed Wildcat Lake; while Intel's last few generations of low-end chips have mostly been rebrands of older and less power-efficient parts, Wildcat Lake is a new purpose-built budget chip that benefits from Intel's latest CPU and GPU architectures and its 18A manufacturing process. This should help these chips compete better with the Apple A18 Pro in the MacBook Neo.
Many early Wildcat Lake systems have already been announced, though not all have included a price tag, and several have only been announced for the Chinese market as of this writing. Lenovo is planning to launch some [IdeaPad Slim models][5] with the new processors, with some optional spec upgrades including 16GB of RAM and a 120 Hz high-refresh-rate display. [Asus and HP][6] have also announced some early products.
[Read full article][7]
[Comments][8]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/apple-macbook-neo-review-can-a-mac-get-by-with-an-iphones-processor-inside/
[2]: https://www.tomshardware.com/laptops/asus-chief-says-macbook-neos-affordable-pricing-came-as-a-shock-to-the-entire-pc-market-compares-usd599-notebook-to-a-tablet-and-content-consumption-device
[3]: https://signal65.com/research/windows-11-pcs-compared-to-macbook-neo/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/04/intels-non-ultra-core-cpus-are-new-silicon-this-year-for-a-change/
[5]: https://psref.lenovo.com/Product/IdeaPad/IdeaPad_Slim_5_13IWC11
[6]: https://www.techspot.com/news/112452-asus-hp-unveil-intel-wildcat-lake-laptops-starting.html
[7]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/05/were-starting-to-see-some-pc-makers-respond-to-apples-macbook-neo/
[8]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/05/were-starting-to-see-some-pc-makers-respond-to-apples-macbook-neo/#comments
Intel's Core Series 3 processor, codenamed Wildcat Lake. These chips may make it easier for PC makers to compete with the MacBook Neo.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/05/were-starting-to-see-some-pc-makers-respond-to-apples-macbook-neo/

2026-05-26 23:44:07 CEST

NASA takes steps toward building Moon Base, including discussing a "perimeter"
NASA officials [announced contract awards][1] for the initial elements of a lunar base on Tuesday, including two rovers that will provide mobility to astronauts.
With the series of announcements, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman sought to maintain momentum around a Moon Base initiative revealed two months ago as part of the space agency's return to the Moon. "For those waiting patiently, the grand return is close at hand, and we will not slow down," he said.
The manager for the lunar base, Carlos Garcia-Galan, said the space agency had selected two companies, Astrolab and Lunar Outpost, to build approximately one-ton rovers that would be ready for delivery to the Moon in 2028. Astrolab will receive $219 million for its "CLV-1" rover, and Lunar Outpost $220 million for its "Pegasus" rover, building upon initial contracts [awarded two years ago][2]. Each rover is expected to have a range of 200 km and be capable of driving autonomously, with guidance from operators on Earth, in addition to being driven by astronauts.
[Read full article][3]
[Comments][4]
[1]: https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-provides-update-on-moon-base-rovers-landers-missions/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/04/nasa-asks-the-commercial-space-industry-for-a-rugged-long-lived-lunar-rover/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/nasa-takes-steps-toward-building-moon-base-including-discussing-a-perimeter/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/nasa-takes-steps-toward-building-moon-base-including-discussing-a-perimeter/#comments
A view of the heavily cratered eastern edge of the South Pole-Aitken Basin where NASA aims to establish a Moon Base.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/nasa-takes-steps-toward-building-moon-base-including-discussing-a-perimeter/

2026-05-26 23:44:02 CEST

Musk says US military suicide drones used Starlink in violation of SpaceX rules
SpaceX and the Pentagon have been bickering about the price of using Starshield satellite service during the Iran war, according to a [Reuters report][1] published today. It appears that SpaceX asked the military for more money after it started using satellite terminals on "kamikaze" [attack drones][2] in Iran.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk claimed the Reuters report is wrong. But Musk also said the military drones initially used the commercial Starlink service instead of the government-specific network, in violation of Starlink's terms of service. Musk blamed the violation on the contractor that built the drones for the government.
The Reuters report, based on Pentagon documents and interviews with sources familiar with the pricing talks, said that SpaceX recently asked the military to pay $25,000 for Starshield access on each kamikaze drone. The Pentagon, which previously paid $5,000 for each connection, objected to the price hike but ultimately agreed to pay it, according to Reuters.
[Read full article][3]
[Comments][4]
[1]: https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/pentagon-spars-with-spacex-over-starlink-price-hike-during-iran-war-2026-05-26/
[2]: https://defensescoop.com/2026/03/17/lucas-drone-production-emil-michael-operation-epic-fury/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/musk-says-us-military-suicide-drones-used-starlink-in-violation-of-spacex-rules/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/musk-says-us-military-suicide-drones-used-starlink-in-violation-of-spacex-rules/#comments
A Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) drone launches from the USS *Santa Barbara* in the Arabian Gulf on December 16, 2025.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/musk-says-us-military-suicide-drones-used-starlink-in-violation-of-spacex-rules/

2026-05-23 01:15:52 CEST

Ebola outbreak now third largest recorded and "spreading rapidly"
The Ebola outbreak erupting from the Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to escalate wildly, with cases nearing 750, deaths reported at 177, and around 1,400 contacts now being traced, the World Health Organization reported in a press briefing Friday. The latest numbers already place the outbreak as the third largest on record, though it was only first reported a week ago, on May 15. And WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the outbreak is still "spreading rapidly."
A revised WHO assessment has moved the risk level from "high" to "very high" at the national level, while risk remains "high" at the regional level and "low" at the global level, Tedros added.
WHO officials have acknowledged that a delay in detecting and responding to the outbreak enabled it to balloon, and that they are now racing to get ahead of the virus.
[Read full article][1]
[Comments][2]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/05/ebola-outbreak-now-third-largest-recorded-and-spreading-rapidly/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/05/ebola-outbreak-now-third-largest-recorded-and-spreading-rapidly/#comments
Medical personnel at CBCA Virunga Hospital wear gowns, masks, and protective gear as they prepare an isolation room for a female patient placed under 21-day observation in the suspected cases area in Goma, on May 21, 2026.
https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/05/ebola-outbreak-now-third-largest-recorded-and-spreading-rapidly/

2026-05-23 01:15:47 CEST

Four Russian satellites are now within striking distance of an ICEYE radarsat
At least four Russian military satellites changed their orbits to match that of a Finnish-American radar surveillance satellite in the last week, raising questions about Russia's intentions amid an ever-expanding standoff high above Earth.
The maneuvers were identified through open source orbital tracking data. Greg Gillinger, a retired Air Force space intelligence officer, revealed the orbit changes Friday in a special edition of his [Integrity Flash newsletter][1], published by Integrity ISR, a private business that provides "combat-proven operational support and elite training that enhances mission success across ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance), cyber, space, and targeting domains."
The Russian satellites in question, designated Kosmos 2610 through 2613, launched together on April 16 on a Soyuz-2.1b rocket from [Plesetsk Cosmodrome][2] in northern Russia. Over the last week or so, the four satellites adjusted their inclinations—the angles of their orbits to the equator—by less than a degree.
[Read full article][3]
[Comments][4]
[1]: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/russia-maneuvering-threaten-iceye-satellite-integrityisr-waiwe/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/04/russian-cloaks-launch-schedule-after-spaceport-falls-in-ukraines-sights/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/a-satellite-company-supporting-ukraine-appears-to-be-in-russias-crosshairs/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/a-satellite-company-supporting-ukraine-appears-to-be-in-russias-crosshairs/#comments
An ICEYE satellite undergoing testing in an anechoic chamber.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/a-satellite-company-supporting-ukraine-appears-to-be-in-russias-crosshairs/

2026-05-23 00:04:57 CEST

Trump FCC asks public to comment on whether ABC's The View is a news show
The Federal Communications Commission is escalating its attack on ABC’s *The View* with a proceeding that seeks public comment on whether the talk show is a "bona fide news interview program."
The FCC Media Bureau today issued a [public notice][1] seeking opinions on whether *The View* qualifies for the bona fide news exemption to the equal-time rule, which requires equal time for opposing political candidates on non-news programming. The probe of *The View* is driven by Chairman Brendan Carr, who has [embraced President Trump's declaration][2] that the FCC is no longer an independent agency and used his chairmanship to open investigations into broadcasters that Trump dislikes.
"Decades ago, Congress made the decision to prevent covered broadcast television programs from being used to advance certain partisan political purposes," the Media Bureau public notice said. The equal-time rule exists to prevent broadcast television stations "from unfairly putting their thumbs on the scale for one political candidate or set of candidates over another," and "to ensure that no legally qualified candidate for office is unfairly given less access to the public airwaves than their opponent," it said.
[Read full article][3]
[Comments][4]
[1]: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-26-517A1.pdf
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/12/no-one-loves-president-trump-more-than-fcc-chairman-brendan-carr/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/trump-fcc-asks-public-to-comment-on-whether-abcs-the-view-is-a-news-show/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/trump-fcc-asks-public-to-comment-on-whether-abcs-the-view-is-a-news-show/#comments
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr speaks on stage during the Concordia Annual Summit on September 22, 2025 in New York City.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/trump-fcc-asks-public-to-comment-on-whether-abcs-the-view-is-a-news-show/

2026-05-23 00:04:52 CEST

First-generation Chromecast users stressed by devices suddenly failing
[Google’s first Chromecast][1] was a hit. With [10 million units][2] sold in 2014, it excelled as an easy solution for streaming TV and movies from the Internet to a TV. Released at a time when [dumb TVs][3] were more common, the first-generation Chromecast has a simplicity you don’t find in streaming devices these days. Press "Cast" in an app, select a TV with a Chromecast, and start watching. Foregoing extras like a UI or ads, the device remains active in some homes today, despite [Google ending support for the $35 device][4] in 2023.
However, this week it seemed like those days were over. Numerous people [reported][5] that their original Chromecast had[ suddenly stopped][6] casting from popular apps, including Chrome, YouTube, and Paramount+. This brought concern that the original Chromecast was *[really dead ][7]*[now][8]. A [Reddit thread][9] started by someone who claimed to have two first-gen Chromecasts suddenly stop working at the same time includes various responses from people who [suspected that Google bricked the devices][10] in order to force upgrades.
But Sahana Mysore, senior product manager for Google Home, told Ars Technica today that Google didn’t kill the devices, saying:
[Read full article][11]
[Comments][12]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/08/you-get-the-dongle-you-pay-for-in-googles-chromecast/
[2]: https://www.geekwire.com/2015/google-chromecast-sells-10m-units-globally-2014/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/12/the-ars-technica-guide-to-dumb-tvs/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/google/2023/05/the-original-chromecast-hits-end-of-life-after-a-decade-of-service/?
[5]: https://9to5google.com/2026/05/20/first-gen-chromecast-streamers-are-suddenly-failing-for-some-users-13-years-later/
[6]: https://www.androidauthority.com/first-gen-chromecast-dongle-failing-for-some-3669414/
[7]: https://www.xda-developers.com/original-google-chromecast-might-finally-be-dead/
[8]: https://www.xda-developers.com/original-google-chromecast-might-finally-be-dead/
[9]: https://old.reddit.com/r/Chromecast/comments/1thpfvm/looks_like_google_just_killed_every_gen_1/
[10]: https://www.androidpolice.com/first-generation-chromecasts-are-suddenly-failing/
[11]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/05/original-chromecast-lives-devices-back-on-after-mysteriously-breaking-this-week/
[12]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/05/original-chromecast-lives-devices-back-on-after-mysteriously-breaking-this-week/#comments
Thirteen years later, this is still some people's preferred streaming device.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/05/original-chromecast-lives-devices-back-on-after-mysteriously-breaking-this-week/

2026-05-22 22:06:37 CEST

The Boys is dead. Long live Vought Rising.
Well, that was fast. *The Boys* series finale only wrapped two days ago, but Prime Video clearly wants to build on that momentum by releasing the first teaser for the prequel series, [*Vought Rising*][1]. With spinoff series [*Gen V*][2] canceled after two seasons, *Vought Rising* and a planned [*The Boys: Mexico*][3] must carry the franchise banner.
**(Spoilers for *The Boys* series finale below.)**
*The Boys*' fifth season set up the final confrontation between Antony Starr’s Homelander and Karl Urban’s Butcher—the former seeking the original V compound that would make him immortal, the latter seeking to commit genocide with a Supe-specific virus. Homelander succeeded in his quest, but he wasn't quite an invulnerable god. There were heavy losses on both sides of the conflict (RIP Frenchie, in particular), and Homelander was ultimately defeated and killed by a vengeful Butcher. (Starr still hasn't gotten his much-deserved Emmy; his portrayal was simply magnificent.)
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vought_Rising
[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gen_V
[3]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boys_(franchise)#The_Boys:_Mexico
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/05/the-boys-is-dead-long-live-vought-rising/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/05/the-boys-is-dead-long-live-vought-rising/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/05/the-boys-is-dead-long-live-vought-rising/

2026-05-22 22:06:32 CEST

US scrambles to stop Internet users re-creating dead pilots’ voices
Pilots’ voices from the last seconds of a fatal cargo plane crash have been re-created by Internet sleuths using software and AI tools. The spread of reconstructed audio recordings has prompted a US government agency to suspend all public access to its database of civil transportation accidents—because federal law prohibits investigators from publicly releasing audio from cockpit voice recorders.
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) usually shares factual reports and evidence gathered from investigations of aircraft crashes and other civil transportation incidents. But on May 21, the NTSB [announced][1] that the [online docket system][2] containing such information was “temporarily unavailable” as it reviewed the publicly available materials that had enabled people to re-create cockpit audio recordings from aircraft disasters.
“The NTSB is aware that advances in image recognition and computational methods have enabled individuals to reconstruct approximations of cockpit voice recorder audio from sound spectrum imagery released as part of NTSB investigations, including the ongoing investigation of the crash last year of UPS flight 2976 in Louisville, Kentucky,” according to an [NTSB statement][3]. “The NTSB does not release cockpit audio recordings.”
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://x.com/NTSB_Newsroom/status/2057538746795663536
[2]: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Forms/searchdocket
[3]: https://www.ntsb.gov/pages/dockets-unavailable.aspx
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/05/ai-users-re-create-dead-pilots-voices-from-crash-investigation-docs/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/05/ai-users-re-create-dead-pilots-voices-from-crash-investigation-docs/#comments
The crash of UPS flight 2976 killed three pilots along with a dozen more people on the ground, with 23 people being injured.
https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/05/ai-users-re-create-dead-pilots-voices-from-crash-investigation-docs/

2026-05-22 20:54:51 CEST

Marketer that claimed it could tap devices for ad targeting will pay $880K settlement
In November 2023, we reported on [dubious claims][1] made by marketing firm Cox Media Group (CMG) Local Solutions. The company advertised a service called Active Listening on [a website][2] that said, “It’s true. Your devices are listening to you” and claimed it could use “voice data” to help advertisers target ads to specific people.
Naturally, [panic ensued][3]. [404 Media][4], which initially spotted the website, for instance, wrote that the idea of smartphones listening to people to sell products “may finally be a reality."
[ [CMG Local Solutions screenshot] ][5]
A screenshot taken in 2023 from a webpage that CMG has since removed.
Credit: [Ars Technica via CMG Local Solutions][6]
The idea of a marketing firm using AI to “detect relevant conversations via smartphones, smart TVs, and other devices” in real time—according to a since-deleted CMG blog post from November 2023 (still viewable via the [Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine][7])—has raised alarms.
[Read full article][8]
[Comments][9]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/12/no-a-marketing-firm-isnt-tapping-your-device-to-hear-private-conversations/
[2]: https://web.archive.org/web/20230923075217/https://www.cmglocalsolutions.com/cmg-active-listening
[3]: https://metro.co.uk/2023/12/15/yes-right-smartphone-really-listening-19980334/
[4]: https://www.404media.co/cmg-cox-media-actually-listening-to-phones-smartspeakers-for-ads-marketing/
[5]: https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-15-162115-1440x1004.jpg
[6]: https://www.cmglocalsolutions.com/cmg-active-listening
[7]: https://web.archive.org/web/20231215223746/https:/www.cmglocalsolutions.com/blog/active-listening-an-overview
[8]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/marketer-that-claimed-it-could-tap-devices-for-ad-targeting-will-pay-880k-settlement/
[9]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/marketer-that-claimed-it-could-tap-devices-for-ad-targeting-will-pay-880k-settlement/#comments
Speaker or spy? (The answer is, most likely, speaker.)
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/marketer-that-claimed-it-could-tap-devices-for-ad-targeting-will-pay-880k-settlement/

2026-05-22 20:54:46 CEST

Before it comes down, what should be saved from the International Space Station?
Humans do not just visit space; they live there, but a major part of that is coming to an end. The platform that made the longest continuous human presence in space possible is becoming history.
With NASA and its partners beginning preparations for the destructive end of the International Space Station (ISS) as soon as 2030, those who collect, curate, and study the station are now [asking how to preserve the historic and culturally significant artifact][1], given that it is far too large and complex to keep intact.
The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum on Thursday hosted a three-part panel discussion, bringing together space program officials, museum curators, an archeologist, and an astronaut to begin answering the why, what, and [how the ISS might be saved][2]. The sessions were part of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics' (AIAA) ASCEND conference in Washington, DC.
[Read full article][3]
[Comments][4]
[1]: https://www.collectspace.com/news/news-052226a-why-what-how-save-international-space-station-iss-smithsonian.html
[2]: https://www.collectspace.com/news/news-071724a-international-space-station-deorbit-artifact-preservation.html
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/before-it-comes-down-what-should-be-saved-from-the-international-space-station/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/before-it-comes-down-what-should-be-saved-from-the-international-space-station/#comments
Smithsonian curator Teasel Muir-Harmony (at left) moderates a panel on "Why Save ISS Heritage" with Jacob Keaton, NASA ISS acting director; Gabriel Swiney, director of the Office of Space Commerce's Policy, Advocacy and International Division; and NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen on May 21, 2026, in Washington, DC.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/before-it-comes-down-what-should-be-saved-from-the-international-space-station/

2026-05-22 20:54:40 CEST

Texas AG sues Meta over claims that WhatsApp doesn't provide end-to-end encryption
The Texas Attorney General has sued Meta over allegations that the company’s WhatsApp messenger, used by more than 3 billion people, doesn’t provide the end-to-end encryption (E2EE) it has long claimed.
Since at least 2016, Meta (then named Facebook) has said WhatsApp provides robust end-to-end encryption, meaning that messages are encrypted on a sender’s device with keys that are available only to the receiver's. By definition, E2EE means that no one else—including the platform itself—can read the plaintext messages.
In sworn testimony before two US Senate committees in 2018, CEO Mark Zuckerberg [said][1] Meta does “not see any of the content in WhatsApp; it is fully encrypted” and that “Facebook systems do not see the content of messages being transferred over WhatsApp.” The engine for this E2EE is the Signal protocol, an open source code base that multiple third-party experts have said lives up to its promises.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://www.congress.gov/event/115th-congress/senate-event/LC64510/text
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/05/texas-ag-sues-meta-over-claims-that-whatsapp-doesnt-provide-end-to-end-encryption/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/05/texas-ag-sues-meta-over-claims-that-whatsapp-doesnt-provide-end-to-end-encryption/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/05/texas-ag-sues-meta-over-claims-that-whatsapp-doesnt-provide-end-to-end-encryption/

2026-05-22 20:54:35 CEST

Review: The Mandalorian and Grogu is ... fine
Hopes were arguably high for *[The Mandalorian and Grogu][1],* director Jon Favreau's big-screen offshoot of the popular Disney+ series *The Mandalorian*. After all, there hasn't been a new film in the Star Wars franchise since 2019's *The Rise of Skywalker* wrapped up the three trilogies that make up the so-called "Skywalker Saga."
The new film is ... fine. It's an average Star Wars outing, and it will give families a solid Memorial Day Weekend entertainment option. It's just not the spectacular home run that might have helped launch the flagging franchise into an exciting new era, and diehard Star Wars fans hoping for more are probably going to be disappointed.
**(Some spoilers below but no major reveals.)**
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mandalorian_and_Grogu
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/05/review-the-mandalorian-and-grogu-is-average-star-wars-no-more-no-less/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/05/review-the-mandalorian-and-grogu-is-average-star-wars-no-more-no-less/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/05/review-the-mandalorian-and-grogu-is-average-star-wars-no-more-no-less/

2026-05-22 20:54:29 CEST

Police boast of hacking VPN where criminals "believed themselves to be safe"
European law enforcement say they hacked into a VPN (virtual private network) service used for ransomware attacks and other crimes, and identified thousands of users before shutting the VPN down and arresting its administrator.
Europol [announced yesterday the results of the operation][1] against the service, First VPN. The First VPN [website][2] now displays a message saying the domain was seized by a joint international law enforcement action.
"A VPN service used by cybercriminals to conceal ransomware attacks, data theft, and other serious offenses has been dismantled in an international operation led by France and the Netherlands, with support from Europol and Eurojust," the agency said. "For years, the service, known as ‘First VPN,' was promoted on Russian-speaking cybercrime forums as a trusted tool for remaining beyond the reach of law enforcement. It offered users anonymous payments, hidden infrastructure, and services designed specifically for criminal use."
[Read full article][3]
[Comments][4]
[1]: https://www.europol.europa.eu/media-press/newsroom/news/cybercriminal-vpn-used-ransomware-actors-dismantled-in-global-crackdown
[2]: https://1vpns.org/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/police-boast-of-hacking-vpn-where-criminals-believed-themselves-to-be-safe/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/police-boast-of-hacking-vpn-where-criminals-believed-themselves-to-be-safe/#comments
Screenshot of the First VPN website after its domain was seized.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/police-boast-of-hacking-vpn-where-criminals-believed-themselves-to-be-safe/

2026-05-22 19:42:10 CEST

Trump abruptly cancels EO signing event after top AI firm CEOs declined to go
President Donald Trump abruptly canceled an event on Thursday just hours before he was scheduled to sign an executive order granting the government the power to test frontier AI models before their public release.
As The New York Times [explained][1], Trump had been hoping that top executives from leading AI firms would attend the signing. He decided to pull the plug after learning that some CEOs couldn't make the event. That made Trump unhappy, even though he'd only given them 24 hours' notice. Other AI executives who quickly rearranged their schedules to go "were midair on their way to the Oval Office" when they found out that the trip was for nothing.
Reporting [from Semafor][2] indicated that OpenAI "supported" the signing. However, xAI founder Elon Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly helped "derail" the executive order, supposedly urging Trump to "call it off." Additionally, Trump's former AI advisor David Sacks—whose special government employee designation expired in March, The Information [noted][3]—joined the push to delay the signing, Semafor reported.
[Read full article][4]
[Comments][5]
[1]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/21/technology/trump-ai-executive-order.html
[2]: https://www.semafor.com/article/05/21/2026/elon-musk-mark-zuckerberg-derail-trump-ai-order
[3]: https://www.theinformation.com/articles/white-house-briefs-ai-companies-plan-review-models-release
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/trump-canceled-ai-safety-testing-eo-after-snub-from-tech-ceos/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/trump-canceled-ai-safety-testing-eo-after-snub-from-tech-ceos/#comments
Donald Trump greets Vice President of China Han Zheng as Space X CEO Elon Musk and President and CEO of Nvidia Jensen Huang look on.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/trump-canceled-ai-safety-testing-eo-after-snub-from-tech-ceos/

2026-05-22 19:42:05 CEST

Soaring solar and a surge in hydro push more coal off the US grid
Last year, the first few months of data from the US grid suggested that fears of a data-center-driven surge in demand were becoming a reality. Demand had risen by about 3 percent, [triggering a surge in coal][1], interrupting what had been a long downward trend. But over the course of the year, both trends [slowed considerably][2].
A year later, all of that seems to be in the past, as the US has returned to its normal pattern: slow growth, with renewables pushing coal off the grid. The one oddity is that hydroelectric production has surged without a corresponding increase in capacity, likely due to unusually warm weather in the western US causing the snowpack to melt early. That may have consequences later in the year.
## Pushing fossil fuels out
Overall demand in the US grew by only 1.5 percent in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the same period the year before. Often, changes in demand during this part of the year are driven by weather-related heating demand. But the US had an unusual combination set of weather conditions to start 2026, with the western half baking in unseasonal warm temperatures, while the eastern half suffered a deep freeze. So we'll probably need data from more of the year before we read too much into the small rise in demand we've seen so far.
[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://arstechnica.com/science/2026/02/final-2025-data-is-in-us-energy-use-is-up-as-solar-passes-hydro/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/05/soaring-solar-and-a-surge-in-hydro-push-more-coal-off-the-us-grid/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/05/soaring-solar-and-a-surge-in-hydro-push-more-coal-off-the-us-grid/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/05/soaring-solar-and-a-surge-in-hydro-push-more-coal-off-the-us-grid/

2026-05-22 14:02:39 CEST

First vaccines, now mammograms? RFK Jr.’s latest firings have doctors outraged.
Top medical groups are outraged and alarmed that anti-vaccine Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has fired two leaders of an influential panel that makes recommendations and sets insurance coverage for preventive care—such as mammograms, colonoscopies, statin use, and depression screening.
On Wednesday, [news broke][1] that Kennedy had fired the two vice chairs of the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), leaving the critical, nonpartisan panel half empty. Typically, the task force is made of 16 independent, volunteer preventive medicine experts who serve four-year, overlapping terms. But with the new firings, USPSTF has eight vacancies, including the chair and vice chair positions.
Kennedy has already undermined the USPSTF's work by failing to replace members whose terms ended at the turn of the year, preventing the task force from meeting over the past year, and blocking it from releasing finalized recommendations on self-collected samples for cervical cancer screening.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/20/well/rfk-jr-firings-preventative-services-task-force.html
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/05/doctors-outraged-after-rfk-jr-fires-leaders-of-key-preventive-medicine-panel/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/05/doctors-outraged-after-rfk-jr-fires-leaders-of-key-preventive-medicine-panel/#comments
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies before the House Energy and Commerce Committee Health Subcommittee in the Rayburn House Office Building on June 24, 2025, in Washington, DC.
https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/05/doctors-outraged-after-rfk-jr-fires-leaders-of-key-preventive-medicine-panel/

2026-05-22 05:23:18 CEST

Ground system issue scrubs first launch of SpaceX's Starship V3 rocket
SpaceX got within 40 seconds of launching the first flight of a taller, more powerful version of its Starship rocket Thursday, but a pesky problem with the launch tower kept the vehicle bound to Earth for at least one more day.
Clouds and rain showers cleared the area around SpaceX's launch site in South Texas, leaving mostly sunny skies over the Starship launch pad Thursday afternoon. SpaceX pushed back the launch time by one hour, but the countdown appeared to proceed smoothly once propellants began loading into the rocket.
That was true, at least, until the countdown clock paused 40 seconds before liftoff. The launch team repeatedly attempted to resume the countdown, only for the computer controlling the launch sequence to stop the clock again. There were five holds in all before SpaceX called off the launch attempt.
[Read full article][1]
[Comments][2]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/ground-system-issue-scrubs-first-launch-of-spacexs-starship-v3-rocket/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/ground-system-issue-scrubs-first-launch-of-spacexs-starship-v3-rocket/#comments
SpaceX's Starship V3 rocket, towering 408 feet (124 meters) tall, awaits liftoff from Starbase, Texas.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/ground-system-issue-scrubs-first-launch-of-spacexs-starship-v3-rocket/

2026-05-21 23:50:08 CEST

AT&T sues California in attempt to shut off old phone network
AT&T sued California yesterday over the state's refusal to let the carrier stop providing phone service to all potential customers in its wireline network territory. AT&T is also asking the Federal Communications Commission to declare that California cannot enforce its rules and to let AT&T stop providing service to about 199,000 phone customers.
"California requires AT&T to spend $1 billion each year to maintain a century-old telephone network that almost no one uses," AT&T said in a [lawsuit][1] filed in US District Court for the Southern District of California. "The copper wires that once served every home now serve just three percent of households in AT&T’s California territory, with consumers fleeing every day to modern broadband services that are more affordable, reliable, and energy-efficient."
In June 2024, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) [rejected AT&T’s request][2] to eliminate the Carrier of Last Resort (COLR) obligation that requires it to provide landline telephone service to any potential customer in its service territory. AT&T has said it's received relief from COLR obligations in 20 of the 21 states in its wireline service territory, all except California.
[Read full article][3]
[Comments][4]
[1]: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.casd.856308/gov.uscourts.casd.856308.1.0.pdf
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/06/california-rejects-att-request-to-end-carriers-landline-phone-obligation/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/att-sues-california-in-attempt-to-shut-off-old-phone-network/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/att-sues-california-in-attempt-to-shut-off-old-phone-network/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/att-sues-california-in-attempt-to-shut-off-old-phone-network/

2026-05-21 22:39:56 CEST

NASA's Psyche spacecraft returns unfamiliar views of a familiar world
Not quite halfway through a six-year sojourn through the Solar System, a NASA spacecraft used a close encounter with Mars last week as a dress rehearsal for its arrival at the Solar System's largest metal asteroid in 2029.
The Psyche mission [launched more than two-and-a-half years ago][1], in October 2023, from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, to kick off a journey of some 2.2 billion miles (3.6 billion km) to reach its unexplored namesake, the asteroid Psyche. The robotic research mission got an initial lift from a powerful SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. It uses plasma engines to gradually build up the impulse needed to reach its destination in the asteroid belt, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
A flyby of Mars last Friday gave the spacecraft its most significant boost since launch. Navigators at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California set up the spacecraft for a course taking it 2,864 miles (4,609 km) from the Martian surface, well above the planet's tenuous atmosphere. Psyche used Martian gravity like a slingshot to gain enough speed to reshape its orbit around the Sun, putting the probe on a path to intercept its asteroid target.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2023/10/nasa-is-about-to-launch-a-mission-of-pure-discovery-to-a-metal-asteroid/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/nasas-psyche-spacecraft-returns-unfamiliar-views-of-a-familiar-world/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/nasas-psyche-spacecraft-returns-unfamiliar-views-of-a-familiar-world/#comments
This view of a crescent Mars was captured on May 15, 2026, at about 8:03 am EDT (12:03 UTC) by NASA’s Psyche mission as it approached the planet for a gravity assist. The image has been processed into a natural-color view using red, green, and blue data from the multispectral imager instrument.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/nasas-psyche-spacecraft-returns-unfamiliar-views-of-a-familiar-world/

2026-05-21 22:39:51 CEST

Trump admin didn't want Ebola-exposed Americans, sent them to Berlin, Prague
An American infected with Ebola is being treated in Berlin, while another exposed to the deadly virus is being sent to Prague after the White House reportedly resisted allowing citizens to return to the US for care and monitoring.
[According to The Washington Post][1], five people close to the Ebola response said that, over the weekend, the Trump administration resisted allowing the return of Peter Stafford, a 39-year-old surgeon working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo amid a raging Ebola outbreak. The resistance allegedly delayed Stafford's evacuation and care, risking his health, as experts note that early treatment is critical for Ebola, which can turn deadly in days.
On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Stafford had developed symptoms over the weekend and tested positive for Ebola late Sunday. In a press briefing on Wednesday, Satish Pillai, the CDC's incident response manager for the Ebola outbreak, said Stafford had arrived in Germany and is in stable condition. His wife, Rebekah Stafford—also a doctor who was exposed to the virus in DRC but is asymptomatic—along with the couple's four children, have been flown to Germany as well.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/05/20/white-house-resisted-letting-doctor-with-ebola-return-us/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/05/trump-admin-didnt-want-ebola-exposed-americans-sent-them-to-berlin-prague/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/05/trump-admin-didnt-want-ebola-exposed-americans-sent-them-to-berlin-prague/#comments
A medical worker is seen at an Ebola isolation and observation site for suspected cases and close contacts in Goma, the Democratic Republic of the Congo DRC, on May 19, 2026.
https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/05/trump-admin-didnt-want-ebola-exposed-americans-sent-them-to-berlin-prague/

2026-05-21 22:39:45 CEST

Famously secret about its finances, SpaceX opens its books for the first time
After nearly a quarter of a century operating as a private company, with its financial accounts a closely guarded secret, SpaceX on Wednesday afternoon released a detailed accounting of its business in a nearly 400-page [S-1 filing][1] with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
SpaceX, founded in 2002 and still led by Elon Musk, submitted the filing in anticipation of an initial public offering of its stock as soon as June 12.
The document revealed no major surprises about the company's space operations, but there was a trove of details about its sprawling operations, which now encompass launch, spaceflight, space-based Internet, and, thanks to its recent acquisition of Musk's xAI, social media and AI.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://t.co/8hDI4J7lF5
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/spacex-submits-detailed-financial-filing-ahead-of-going-public-in-june/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/spacex-submits-detailed-financial-filing-ahead-of-going-public-in-june/#comments
SpaceX's Starship rocket and Super Heavy booster stand ready for liftoff.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/spacex-submits-detailed-financial-filing-ahead-of-going-public-in-june/

2026-05-21 22:39:40 CEST

These clever active beam headlights are finally coming to America
Audi provided flights from Washington, DC, to Munich, Germany, and accommodation so Ars could test out its headlights, as well as some other things you can read about in the coming weeks. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.
MUNICH—Headlight technology in the US is about to get smarter. When [Audi's Q9 SUV][1] goes on sale here later this year, it will feature the automaker's latest adaptive beam headlights, which manage the nifty trick of providing better, brighter illumination while minimizing glare for both the driver and other road users. Such technology is old hat to our European readers, but it's finally debuting on our roads after years of lobbying and intensive, lengthy testing to satisfy the new federal regulations. And after trying out the headlights during a recent trip to Europe, I can say, "It's about time."
Despite America's reputation as an innovation powerhouse, we have lagged behind Europe and Japan in automotive lighting technology for decades, thanks to 1960s-era regulations that allowed only low- and high-beam headlights, nothing else. For years, OEMs like Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, and Volvo lobbied the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to allow them to bring more modern technology to these shores to no avail.
At first, it was [laser high beams][2], which could project their beams much farther down the road than conventional halogen or xenon lights. Lasers are cool, but adaptive driving beam technology is even cooler. Each headlight is actually a multipixel LED, and by turning some of those pixels off, the headlight beam can be shaped to mask the light to selectively dim oncoming vehicles instead of switching to low beams.
[Read full article][3]
[Comments][4]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/05/take-a-look-inside-audis-new-big-three-row-q9-suv/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2014/06/laserbeam-headlights-not-in-the-us/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/05/these-clever-active-beam-headlights-are-finally-coming-to-america/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/05/these-clever-active-beam-headlights-are-finally-coming-to-america/#comments
Advanced headlights can now project a light carpet in front of your car.
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/05/these-clever-active-beam-headlights-are-finally-coming-to-america/

2026-05-21 22:39:19 CEST

Stunning aerial footage still best thing about Top Gun at 40
When the action film [*Top Gun*][1] hit the big screen in 1986, critical reviews were mixed, but audiences were thrilled. The film racked up $358 million globally, making it the highest-grossing film of that year. Its success spawned a few video games and a critically acclaimed blockbuster 2022 sequel, [*Top Gun: Maverick*][2], and the eye-popping flight sequences definitely boosted enlistment numbers for the US Navy. Those scenes are still the best thing about *Top Gun, *40 years later.
**(Spoilers below because it's been 40 years.)**
The film was inspired by a 1983 article in California magazine detailing the lives of fighter pilots at Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego (aka "Fightertown USA") and featuring plenty of aerial photography alongside the text. Producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson tapped Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr. to write the screenplay, with Epps sitting in on declassified classes at the academy and even taking a flight aboard an F-14.
[Read full article][3]
[Comments][4]
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gun
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/05/top-gun-maverick-spoiler-free-review-a-worthy-return-to-the-danger-zone/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/05/top-gun-turns-40/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/05/top-gun-turns-40/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/05/top-gun-turns-40/

2026-05-21 22:39:08 CEST

JWST maps the weather on a hot gas giant 700 light-years away
WASP-94A b is a hot, tidally locked gas giant orbiting close to one of the stars in a binary system roughly 690 light-years away from Earth. In a new Science study, scientists led by Sagnick Mukherjee, an astrophysicist at Johns Hopkins University, used the James Webb Space Telescope to learn what the weather looks like out there.
Tidal locking means that you no longer have day- and night-side temperature differences sweeping across the planet. “We wanted to understand the atmospheres of such planets,” Mukherjee says. “Are they static or dynamic? Do they have winds? Do they have clouds?” His team found that, on WASP-94A b, it’s cloudy in the morning, but the skies clear in the evening. The fact that we didn’t know this already means we might have gotten the chemistry of this and many other exoplanets surprisingly wrong.
## Averaged atmospheres
WASP-94A b has mass slightly below half of Jupiter but has a diameter that’s over 70 percent wider. “This means the planet has low density, and its atmosphere extends further out into space, which makes it easier to observe,” Mukherjee explains. When astronomers study atmospheres like this, they usually rely on transmission spectroscopy. By analyzing the spectrum of light filtering through the planet’s atmosphere as it crosses in front of its star, they can figure out its chemical composition.
[Read full article][1]
[Comments][2]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/05/jwst-maps-the-weather-on-a-hot-gas-giant-700-light-years-away/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/05/jwst-maps-the-weather-on-a-hot-gas-giant-700-light-years-away/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/05/jwst-maps-the-weather-on-a-hot-gas-giant-700-light-years-away/

2026-05-18 23:54:39 CEST

Legal fail: Don’t use AI to sue Facebook users for calling you a bad date
An attempt to pressure Meta into removing a critical post from a Chicago Facebook group called "Are We Dating the Same Guy" may end in sanctions for lawyers whose takedown arguments appeared to rely on fake AI citations to support doxing claims.
The case had already been dismissed with prejudice by a district court, which ruled there was no way to amend the complaint to possibly save it. But Nikko D'Ambrosio—who accused more than two dozen women of defaming him and blamed Meta for supposedly boosting the post to profit off its "entertainment value"—appealed anyway.
Perhaps he felt confident despite his likely tough odds because he was relying on MarcTrent.AI, a law firm that [claims][1] to use AI to "uncover legal opportunities traditional firms miss" and "increase legal success rates by 35 percent through predictive modeling."
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: ttps://www.marctrent.ai/about
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/legal-fail-dont-use-ai-to-sue-facebook-users-for-calling-you-a-bad-date/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/legal-fail-dont-use-ai-to-sue-facebook-users-for-calling-you-a-bad-date/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/legal-fail-dont-use-ai-to-sue-facebook-users-for-calling-you-a-bad-date/

2026-05-18 23:54:34 CEST

Ebola outbreak: WHO declares emergency, US restricts travel, American infected
The Ebola outbreak first reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Friday has seemingly escalated quickly into a large, uncontrolled multinational outbreak.
As of May 17, there were 10 confirmed cases, 336 suspected cases, and 88 deaths in the DRC, as well as two confirmed cases and one death in neighboring Uganda, according to the latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has offices in the region. The numbers already put the outbreak within the top 10 Ebola outbreaks recorded by size, though still far from the worst—the 2014–2016 West African outbreak had over 28,000 cases and 11,000 deaths.
## International emergency
On Sunday, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak [a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC)][1], though it noted that it does not meet the criteria for a pandemic emergency. In making the PHEIC determination, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus cited several factors in addition to the immediate large size, including clusters of suspected cases and deaths in multiple DRC health zones, four deaths among healthcare workers, and a lack of apparent links between geographically distant cases and clusters. The features collectively suggest that the outbreak is larger than what is currently being detected and is spreading regionally.
[Read full article][2]
[Comments][3]
[1]: https://www.who.int/news/item/17-05-2026-epidemic-of-ebola-disease-in-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo-and-uganda-determined-a-public-health-emergency-of-international-concern
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/05/ebola-outbreak-who-declares-emergency-us-restricts-travel-american-infected/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/05/ebola-outbreak-who-declares-emergency-us-restricts-travel-american-infected/#comments
A poster displaying Ebola emergency contact numbers is pinned to a tent at the Busunga border crossing between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo in Bundibugyo, on May 18, 2026.
https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/05/ebola-outbreak-who-declares-emergency-us-restricts-travel-american-infected/

2026-05-18 21:01:16 CEST

Pompeii victim ID'd as a likely doctor
Archaeologists used a combination of advanced CT scans and 3D digital reconstruction to identify one of the Pompeii victims who died in 79 CE during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius as most likely having been a Roman doctor, according to [an announcement][1] by the Pompeii Archaeological Park.
As [previously reported][2], the eruption of Mount Vesuvius released thermal energy roughly equivalent to 100,000 times the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II, spewing molten rock, pumice, and hot ash over the cities of Pompeii and [Herculaneum][3] in particular. The vast majority of people in Pompeii and Herculaneum—the cities hardest hit—perished from asphyxiation, choking on the thick clouds of noxious gas and ash. But at least some of the Vesuvian victims [probably died instantaneously][4] from the intense heat of fast-moving lava flows, with temperatures high enough to boil brains and explode skulls.
In the 19th century, an archaeologist named Giuseppe Fiorelli figured out how to make casts of those frozen bodies by pouring liquid plaster into the voids where the soft tissue had been. Some 1,000 bodies have been discovered in the ruins, and 104 plaster casts have been preserved. [Restoration efforts][5] on 86 of those casts began about 10 years ago, during which researchers took CT scans and X-rays to determine whether complete skeletons were present.
[Read full article][6]
[Comments][7]
[1]: https://pompeiisites.org/comunicati/nuove-scoperte-dallorto-dei-fuggiaschi-a-distanza-di-anni-emerge-lidentita-di-una-vittima-era-un-medico/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/10/archaeologists-find-evidence-of-neurons-in-glassy-brain-of-vesuvius-victim/
[3]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herculaneum
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/10/extreme-heat-of-vesuvius-eruption-vaporized-body-fluids-exploded-skulls/
[5]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/11/dna-shows-pompeiis-dead-arent-who-we-thought-they-were/
[6]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/05/pompeii-victim-idd-as-a-likely-doctor/
[7]: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/05/pompeii-victim-idd-as-a-likely-doctor/#comments
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/05/pompeii-victim-idd-as-a-likely-doctor/

2026-05-11 16:12:42 CEST

A promising Indian launch startup nears its first orbital test flight
After decades of controlling all aspects of spaceflight, the Indian government decided in 2020 to open things up to private industry. Essentially, the government said, companies could build their own rockets, obtain permission to launch them, and even use state-operated facilities.
The government and the country's space agency, ISRO, instituted this change in response to the rise of commercial space industries in the United States, and later China, that were playing an increasingly important role in global spaceflight.
Now, six years later, this structural shift is beginning to bear some fruit. The most promising Indian launch company, Skyroot Aerospace, is nearing the pad with its first orbital rocket.
[Read full article][1]
[Comments][2]
[1]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/with-skyroot-at-the-head-of-the-class-indias-private-space-industry-seeks-to-take-off/
[2]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/with-skyroot-at-the-head-of-the-class-indias-private-space-industry-seeks-to-take-off/#comments
Pawan Kumar Chandana poses with a mock-up of the Vikram-1 rocket.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/with-skyroot-at-the-head-of-the-class-indias-private-space-industry-seeks-to-take-off/

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 01:09:55 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/