Linking ideas with the world
[…] The American Chemical Society on Monday shared preliminary findings from Los Alamos physicist Terence Tarnowsky, who has uncovered evidence – albeit from simulations – that the waste from traditional nuclear reactors could be further refined into tritium, turning more than 90,000 metric tons of useless and deadly garbage into a valuable resource. And by Read more about Physicist simulates turning nuclear waste into fusion fuel[…]
U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on Monday the UK had agreed to drop its mandate for iPhone maker Apple to provide a “backdoor” that would have enabled access to the protected encrypted data of American citizens. Gabbard issued the statement on X saying she had worked for months with Britain, along with Read more about US spy chief Gabbard says UK agreed to drop ‘backdoor’ mandate for Apple[…]
[…] In the body, the shapes of many collagen-containing tissues, including corneas, are held in place by attractions of oppositely charged components. These tissues contain a lot of water, so applying an electric potential to them lowers the tissue’s pH, making it more acidic. By altering the pH, the rigid attractions within the tissue are Read more about Forget LASIK: Safer, cheaper vision correction could be coming soon[…]
An experimental mRNA vaccine boosted the tumor-fighting effects of immunotherapy in a mouse-model study, bringing researchers one step closer to their goal of developing a universal vaccine to “wake up” the immune system against cancer. Published recently in Nature Biomedical Engineering, the University of Florida study showed that like a one-two punch, pairing the test vaccine Read more about A new mRNA cancer vaccine just wiped out tumors in mice[…]
“Sni5Gect [is] a framework that sniffs messages from pre-authentication 5G communication in real-time,” the researchers from the Singapore University of Technology and Design explained of their work, presented this week at the 34th USENIX security bash, “and injects targeted attack payload in downlink communication towards the UE [User Equipment, i.e. a phone].” Designed to take Read more about Boffins release 5G traffic sniffing tool[…]
Now that AI developers are getting paid like pro athletes, it’s fitting that fans are placing big bets on how well they’re doing their jobs. On Kalshi, Polymarket and other sites where people wager “predictions” on real-world events, gamblers lay down millions each month on their picks for AI’s top model. The AI arms race Read more about Gamblers Now Bet on AI Models Like Racehorses[…]
Denmark kicked off its EU Presidency on July 1, 2025, and, among its first actions, lawmakers swiftly reintroduced the controversial child sexual abuse (CSAM) scanning bill to the top of the agenda. Having been deemed by critics as Chat Control, the bill aims to introduce new obligations for all messaging services operating in Europe to Read more about The EU could be scanning your chats by October 2025 with Chat Control[…]
Researchers at Columbia Engineering have built a cancer therapy that makes bacteria and viruses work as a team. In a study published recently in Nature Biomedical Engineering, the Synthetic Biological Systems Lab shows how their system hides a virus inside a tumor-seeking bacterium, smuggles it past the immune system, and unleashes it inside cancerous tumors. The Read more about Trojan horse bacteria sneak cancer-killing viruses into tumors[…]
[…] While not a traditional “labor issue,” like union rights and equal pay, the government’s role in regulating and restricting forms of expression that can be produced, distributed, and monetized for entertainment media consumption is a dimension of the age-gating issue often overlooked and/or ignored. Digital sex workers’ incomes and living conditions are dependent on Read more about How Age Verification Laws Targeting Online Porn Could Be (And Should Be) Viewed As A Labor Rights Issue[…]
14 months ago a jury ruled against Boeing, awarding $81 million in damages to failed electric airplane startup Zunum. “Zunum alleged that Boeing, while ostensibly investing seed money to get the startup off the ground, stole Zunum’s technology and actively undermined its attempts to build a business,” the Seattle Times reported at the time. But Read more about $81M ‘Trade Secrets’ Verdict Against Boeing Was Overturned – and Then Reinstated[…]
[…] Zveare, who has found bugs in carmakers’ customer systems and vehicle management systems before, found the flaw earlier this year as part of a weekend project, he told TechCrunch. He said while the security flaws in the portal’s login system was a challenge to find, once he found it, the bugs let him bypass Read more about Security flaws in a carmaker’s web portal let one hacker remotely unlock cars from anywhere[…]
In a scientific study involving thousands of test subjects, eight months and four different kinds of phishing training, the average improvement rate of falling for phishing scams was a whopping 1.7%. “Is all of this focus on training worth the outcome?” asked researcher Ariana Mirian, a senior security researcher at Censys and recently a Ph.D. Read more about Phishing training is pretty pointless, researchers find[…]
Google has issued a security update for its Chrome browser which you should apply right now. That’s because Google has fixed six issues in its widely-used browser, half of which are rated as having a high severity. The Chrome Stable channel has been updated to 139.0.7258.127/.128 for Windows, Mac and 139.0.7258.127 for Linux, Google said Read more about Google Issues New Update Warning To 3.5 Billion Chrome Users[…]
Nearly a quarter of people over the age of 40 experience painful osteoarthritis, making it a leading cause of disability in adults. Osteoarthritis degrades joint-cushioning cartilage, and there is currently no way of reversing this damage: the only option is to manage pain with medication, and eventually, joint replacement. Researchers from the University of Utah, Read more about One small walking adjustment could delay knee surgery for years[…]
Russian hackers took control of a Norwegian dam this year, opening a floodgate and allowing water to flow unnoticed for four hours, Norway’s intelligence service has said. The admission, by the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST), marks the first time that Oslo has formally attributed the cyber-attack in April on Bremanger, western Norway, to Moscow. Read more about Russian hackers seized control of Norwegian dam, spy chief says[…]
A recent ruling by the German Federal Court of Justice (BGH) has reopened the possibility that using ad blocking software could violate copyright law in Germany. In a decision last month, the BGH – the final court of appeals on civil and criminal matters – partially overturned an appeals court decision in an 11-year copyright Read more about German court revives case that could threaten ad blockers[…]
[…] on the cutting edge of this field, neuroscientists have more recently developed brain implants that can turn neural signals directly into whole words. These brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) largely require users to physically attempt to speak, however—and that can be a slow and tiring process. But now a new development in neural prosthetics changes that, Read more about New Brain Device Is First to Read Out Inner Speech[…]
Keratin-based films guide biomimetic enamel remineralization by promoting organized hydroxyapatite growth under physiological conditions. Advanced biophysical characterization confirms keratin’s structural adaptability and mineral ions-binding affinity, supporting mineral nucleation and hierarchical crystal assembly. This study establishes keratin as a promising, sustainable platform for functional enamel regeneration, offering a clinically translatable approach for repairing demineralized dental enamel Read more about Hair based toothpased could fix your tooth enamel[…]
[…] when politicians are demanding that technologists NERD HARDER! to realize their cherished impossibilities. That’s just happened, and in relation to one of the scariest, most destructive NERD HARDER! tech policies ever to be assayed (a stiff competition). I’m talking about the UK Online Safety Act, which imposes a duty on websites to verify the Read more about Pluralistic: “Privacy preserving age verification” is bullshit[…]
After more than a decade, the Pebble smartwatch is back, and it already looks enticing for those of us who can’t be bothered with today’s health data-obsessed, sensor-filled, and all-too-weighty wearables. The company behind the revitalized watch shared its final designs for what’s coming, and it may be the simple smartwatch we’ve been missing since Read more about This Is the New Pebble Smartwatch, and Yes, It’s Now Called Pebble Again[…]
Privacy groups report a surge in UK police facial recognition scans of databases secretly stocked with passport photos lacking parliamentary oversight. Big Brother Watch says the UK government has allowed images from the country’s passport and immigration databases to be made available to facial recognition systems, without informing the public or parliament. The group claims Read more about UK passport database images used in facial recognition scans[…]
Australia’s Federal Court has given Epic Games another win in its global fight against the way Apple and Google run their app stores. The Court yesterday delivered its oral decision in a long-running case that, like similar cases elsewhere, considered whether the tech giants abuse market power by preventing developers from pursuing distribution channels that Read more about Epic Games has another win over Apple and Google, in Oz[…]
This is a list of writing and formatting conventions typical of AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, with real examples taken from Wikipedia articles and drafts. Its purpose is to act as a field guide in helping detect undisclosed AI-generated content. Note that not all text featuring the following indicators is AI-generated; large language models (LLMs), Read more about Wikipedia:Signs of AI writing – Wikipedia[…]
Age verification has officially arrived in the UK thanks to the Online Safety Act (OSA), a UK law requiring online platforms to check that all UK-based users are at least eighteen years old before allowing them to access broad categories of “harmful” content that go far beyond graphic sexual content. EFF has extensively criticized the Read more about Be Warned: Lessons From Reddit’s Chaotic UK Age Verification Rollout[…]
TL;DR: These are eyedrops which cure your growing inability to read as you age and last for 8 hours. […] presbyopia affects nearly one in two adults over 40, yet treatment options have remained largely static for decades, confined to optical corrections or surgical procedures. The FDA’s green light for Vizz — the first drop-based, Read more about FDA Approval of Vizz Eye Drops Revolutionizes Presbyopia (inablity to read with age) Treatment[…]