Tech, AI, science news. MIT Tech Review, Wired, Verge, Ars, and more.
Published dates (RSS): 21 Jan – 11 Aug
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. NASA’s new dark energy space telescope can also detect killer asteroids At the end of August, NASA is set to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope from Kennedy Space…
Previously rumored to be called Pixel Glow, this feature could bring a visual twist to Google’s next Pixel series
Often sold as ‘herbal’ solutions for sexual prowess, research has found many supplements are cut with prescription medications that could harm the people who take them Read more in the Antiviral series Sexual enhancement supplements have always been a bit of a joke: you walk into a supplement store (or chuck a search into Google) and voilà – hilariously titled drugs that supposedly give you the…
Buying a phone from the carrier now includes an option to get it for zero dollars upfront, not even taxes – for customers who qualify.
Madeleine Finlay travels to the Rothbury estate in Northumberland, in north-east England. It’s a piece of land that has been in the same family for 700 years, but now it has been put up for sale and the UK’s Wildlife Trusts are trying to raise £30m to secure it intact. To find out what makes the area so special, Madeleine speaks to Katy Barke, the head of nature recovery for Northumberland…
The eclipse is technically a partial lunar eclipse, but at 93% coverage, it’s close enough.
The solution to today’s puzzle Earlier today I set you the following puzzle, suggested by Briton Alex Chui, the most successful ever candidate at the International Mathematical Olympiad. Last month Alex, who is a pupil at Tonbridge School in Kent, became the first person to win a medal at the olympiad for seven years in a row. Bravo! Continue reading...
A genius puzzle from a teenage genius UPDATE: Read the solution here. Last month, British student Alex Chui became the all-time most successful contestant at the International Mathematical Olympiad. Chui, a year 13 student at Tonbridge School in Kent, scored 100 per cent in this year’s event, held in Shanghai, winning him a gold medal, and bringing his tally of medals to seven, five of them…
A new batch of Normal F****** Sunglasses is on the way. “Useless for perverts,” The Onion says.
Funders have picked a damaging fight with scientists and the public. They should reconsider their plans The iconic Lovell telescope, housed at the Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire, has always expanded our view of the universe – from tracking the Sputnik launch in 1957 to its current contributions to the study of dark matter. It is now threatened with closure after it was announced that…
What if the Goldilocks zone is for idiots?
CNET readers expect to see a new foldable iPhone this year, but that’s not what’s at the top of their wish list.
Specialist glasses are all but sold out online ahead of the UK's most significant eclipse since 1999.
BBC ScienceGiving your controllers a good clean can help with stick drift.
EngadgetWith some shops running out of stock, it may be too late to buy eclipse glasses - but you can still safely watch the spectacle using some household items.
BBC ScienceSpaceX launched 29 more of its Starlink internet satellites to orbit from Florida's Space Coast today (Aug. 11).
Space.comApple is seemingly developing an iOS feature that can verify when a photograph was taken using an iPhone camera. 9to5Mac reports that the iOS 27 beta 5 includes code references for an "Apple Refere…
The VergeThe maker of Until Dawn and Directive 8020 says it's cutting jobs to ensure it remains sustainable.
Engadget"Scientists can study the sun's corona in a way we can't from anywhere else in the solar system."
Space.comCameras are typically banned in courtrooms, and Meta Glasses are no exception in England and Wales.
EngadgetState laws around driving with headphones vary, so make sure you know what's legal.
EngadgetTrump has resisted urge to fire FCC Democrat despite recent Supreme Court win.
Ars TechnicaThe firm says it has invested in the chalk stream and water quality is "influenced by a range of factors".
BBC ScienceLook to the skies on Wednesday because one of the most spectacular solar eclipses for decades is coming the UK's way with likely optimum viewing conditions for many.
BBC ScienceWithout property rights in space, one of the most important economic incentives for the commercial development — and ultimately the settlement — of celestial bodies is missing.
Space.comThe PC gaming world has tried to move on from bulky, heavier mice, but the Naga V3 Pro proves that it still has its place.
WiredZoom has patched a major security vulnerability that could allow an attacker to hijack anyone's device during a meeting. In a blog post on Tuesday, researchers at A Security say they uncovered the …
The VergeThe PS5 may not support Bluetooth audio directly, but there are workarounds.
EngadgetThe FDA approved Samsung's Galaxy Buds hearing aid feature, which will soon be available alongside a hearing test.
EngadgetPeople should take precautions while witnessing the "amazing celestial event", an expert says.
BBC SciencePresident Eisenhower inspects the Discoverer 13 capsule after its return to Earth.
Space.comThe Lion Nebula glows gloriously in this new snapshot from the James Webb Space Telescope.
Space.comNew research finds that by making the fossil fuel industry more productive, AI could help increase carbon emissions by up to nearly 5 percent—vastly outpacing the impact of data centers.
WiredMusic streaming platform creates ‘AI persona’ label that will appear on profiles and track listings in crackdown on fake performers Spotify is to label AI artists and exclude them from algorithm re…
The Guardian TechIs Garmin's new option worth $100 more than the Fitbit Air?
EngadgetEarlier this summer, Amazon customers began noticing that emails related to their online orders looked sparse: Order confirmation emails didn't name specific items anymore, and instead listed only …
The VergeAcademic paper says often illicit trade exposes enthusiasts – and postal workers handling items – to serious risks A growing global trade in mummified human remains has been described by academics …
The Guardian SciencePhone and Bluetooth signals could turn roadside cameras into far richer tracking tools.
Ars TechnicaMotorola's Moto Watch looks like a capable and affordable timepiece, but looks are deceiving.
EngadgetA new open world model from LTX shows how open-weights models can be used and customized by anyone.
CNET NewsStamped on artist profiles, it’ll help listeners figure out who’s an AI musician, and who isn’t.
CNET NewsThe company previously teased it would change messaging in May.
EngadgetThe streaming service has faced an onslaught of AI-generated music.
EngadgetOperating a million or more data centers in space would mean a massive increase in air pollution from rocket launches and concentrations of toxic ash from reentering satellites.
Space.comGuliKit announced its first wireless controller to use an improved version of the anti-drift tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) thumbsticks featured in its budget-friendly ES Pro that debuted nearly…
The VergeBumble was famously built around exclusively giving women the power to initiate messages in heterosexual matches when it first launched in 2014 - but now the times they are a-changin' for the datin…
The VergeSpotify will soon label AI artists and remove their music from your recommendations. The change, which will start rolling out in mid-September, means you'll see an "AI Persona" badge on an artist's…
The VergeResearchers say it took fewer than 20 prompts for a public AI tool to find a flaw (now fixed) allowing anyone on a Zoom call to hijack another participants’ device.
WiredSome parts of England could see up to 96 per cent of the moon covering the sun on 12 August.
BBC ScienceAnthropic has pledged to start marking Claude-generated text and images with machine-readable data, in an effort to comply with European rules for AI transparency. "Generated text will carry embedd…
The VergeGlasses to watch the eclipse have become a rare commodity in Cornwall.
BBC ScienceThis is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. These startups are chasing the next big thing in LLMs Nine …
MIT Technology ReviewAlso: Google executives jump ship in race for AI dominance Hello, TechScape readers! Danielle Abril, editor of the Guardian’s Reworked series on AI and the future of work, filling in for Blake Mont…
The Guardian Tech"If anyone does see one, they had better go play the lottery asap!"
Space.comJoby Aviation announced it was acquiring Dayton, Ohio-based defense firm Resonant Sciences in a $500 million deal, in a bid by the electric aircraft company to expand further into the military indu…
The VergeNASA successfully executed a plan to extend the life of Voyager 2's scientific instruments.
EngadgetI tried the red-light therapy masks flooding my feed and consulted with professionals to find out which ones are worth the splurge.
WiredWhy passkey apps treat Windows differently than other operating systems.
Ars TechnicaUp to 95% of the Sun will slowly disappear behind the Moon in the most dramatic eclipse visible from the UK since August 1999.
BBC ScienceIf you care about good air, it’s time for a dehumidifier. These are the best ones we’ve tested for everything from basements to drying laundry.
WiredOn August 12, the moon will pass in front of the sun, completely obscuring it in a solar eclipse. According to Nasa, parts of Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Russia and Portugal will experience a total …
The Guardian ScienceMathematician James Maynard has spent a lot of time this past year "soul searching." A professor at the University of Oxford and winner of the prestigious Fields Medal, Maynard told The Verge he's …
The Verge