As quantum computing threats loom, Microsoft updates its core crypto library
Enlarge (credit: Getty Images) Microsoft has updated a key cryptographic library with two new encryption algorithms designed to withstand attacks…
Android apps are blocking sideloading and forcing Google Play versions instead
Enlarge / It’s never explained what this collection of app icons quite represents. A disorganized app you tossed together by…
The Milky Way’s supermassive black hole is spinning incredibly fast and at the wrong angle. Scientists may finally know why.
Observations from the Event Horizon Telescope may reveal a secret merger in our supermassive black hole’s past, potentially explaining the…
Taylor Swift cites AI deepfakes in endorsement for Kamala Harris
Enlarge / A screenshot of Taylor Swift’s Kamala Harris Instagram post, captured on September 11, 2024. (credit: Taylor Swift /…
Google’s ad tech empire may be $95B and “too big” to sell, analysts warn DOJ
Enlarge / A staffer with the Paul, Weiss legal firm wheels boxes of legal documents into the Albert V. Bryan…
Old Easter Island genomes show no sign of a population collapse
Enlarge / The moai of Rapa Nui. (credit: Don Farrall) Rapa Nui, often referred to as Easter Island, is one…
The PS5 Pro brings the game console’s disc drive era to an end
Enlarge / Notice anything missing from the one and only model of the PS5 Pro? (credit: Sony) Here at Ars,…
Human drivers are to blame for most serious Waymo collisions
Enlarge / A Waymo vehicle in San Francisco. (credit: Photo by JasonDoiy via Getty Images) On a Friday evening last…
In abortion ban states, sterilization spiked after Dobbs and kept climbing
Enlarge / A woman holds a placard saying “No Forced Births” as abortion rights activists gather at the Monroe County…
Fossils of bone-crushing and meat-slashing Tasmanian tiger ancestors discovered in Australia
Three newfound thylacine relatives recently unearthed in Australia suggest that marsupial predators were more widespread in ancient Australia than previously…
Wild gorillas in Gabon eat plants with antibacterial abilities against drug-resistant E. coli
Wild gorillas eat the same tree bark used by traditional healers, which can inhibit the growth of E. coli in…
Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse? One of the brightest stars in the sky may actually be 2 stars, study hints
Betelgeuse, one of the brightest stars in the sky, may have a secret sunlike companion that drives the star’s mysterious…
Researchers identify a critical threshold for relationship breakups
A large longitudinal study of romantic relationships found that relationship satisfaction tends to decline over time, but the decrease is…
The 2024 VW Golf GTI is the last of its kind with a manual transmission
Enlarge / The latest Volkswagen Golf GTI isn’t perfect, but it has enough charm to overcome its flaws. (credit: Jonathan…
‘God of Chaos’ asteroid Apophis could still hit Earth in 2029, study hints — but we won’t know for 3 more years
New simulations reveal that there is an extremely small chance that the “city-killer” asteroid Apophis could be nudged onto a…
Gulf Stream collapse would throw tropical monsoons into chaos for at least 100 years, study finds
If Atlantic Ocean currents collapse due to melting ice sheets, researchers predict there will be huge shifts in tropical monsoon…
Watch ‘spaghetti monster’ with dozens of pink-tipped sausage legs swimming near Nazca Ridge
Researchers exploring the seafloor off the coast of Chile recently captured mesmerizing footage of a flying spaghetti monster — a…
Men’s gaze patterns toward women’s bodies signal risk of sexual aggression
A recent study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior sheds light on the link between men’s habitual body gaze…
The future of Boeing’s crewed spaceflight program is muddy after Starliner’s return
Enlarge / Boeing’s uncrewed Starliner spaceraft backs away from the International Space Station moments after undocking on September 6, 2024.…
Ancient DNA unveils a previously unknown line of Neandertals
DNA from a partial skeleton found in France indicates that European Neandertals consisted of at least two genetically distinct populations.
DNA of ‘Thorin,’ one of the last Neanderthals, finally sequenced, revealing inbreeding and 50,000 years of genetic isolation
Thorin — nicknamed after a dwarf in J. R. R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” — is also called the “last Neanderthal”…
Easter Island’s population never collapsed, but it did have contact with Native Americans, DNA study suggests
A DNA analysis of 15 Rapa Nui individuals revealed that there was never a population collapse on Easter Island and…
Proposed underwater data center surprises regulators who hadn’t heard about it
(credit: BalticServers.com) Data centers powering the generative AI boom are gulping water and exhausting electricity at what some researchers view…
Can your personality predict depression across your lifespan?
Personality traits like neuroticism and introversion are significant predictors of depression across the lifespan, according to research published in the…
California droughts may help valley fever spread
Droughts temporarily dampen the number of valley fever cases across the state, but cases spike in the years after rains…
New infidelity research shows being cheated on is linked to lasting health problems
A new study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships has found that the negative effects of being…
New system uses evaporation to greatly cool artificial turf
This is another in our series of stories identifying new technologies and actions that can slow climate change, reduce its impacts or help…
The Andromeda Galaxy glows rosy red in gorgeous new Hubble Telescope image
The Andromeda Galaxy, the Milky Way’s closest galactic neighbor, glows brightly in a new Hubble Space Telescope image with swathes…
Scientists spot ancient ‘smiley face’ on Mars — and it could contain signs of life
Newly released images of Mars reveal a “smiley” salt deposit on the Red Planet’s surface. A related study suggests that…
New study links Donald Trump’s rhetoric to surge in hate on Twitter
A recent study published in Social Science Quarterly has found evidence linking former President Donald Trump’s rhetoric about COVID-19 to…
Rogue WHOIS server gives researcher superpowers no one should ever have
Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images) It’s not every day that a security researcher acquires the ability to generate…
Watch an eel climb up its predator’s digestive tract and wriggle to freedom through its gills
An eel inside the digestive tract of a dark sleeper fish before its escape attempt.
Amazingly simple discovery extends Li-ion battery lifespan by 50% — meaning you don’t have to replace your gadgets as often
Batteries used in smartphones or in EVs normally charge for 10 hours on their first cycle, but turbo-charging them to…
SARS-CoV-2 evolves faster in the brain, shedding light on long COVID
A new study published in Nature Microbiology has revealed that SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, evolves more rapidly in…
SpaceX says regulators will keep Starship grounded until at least November
Enlarge / Artist’s illustration of catch arms ensnaring SpaceX’s Super Heavy booster. (credit: SpaceX) The Federal Aviation Administration has signaled…
How are ideological rigidity and political conservatism connected to death anxiety?
A recent study published in Psychological Reports examined how individuals’ ideological rigidity and political conservatism influence their reactions to people…
“HAIL HOLY TERROR”: Two US citizens charged for running online “Terrorgram Collective”
The US government recently announced multiple charges against the alleged leaders of the “Terrorgram Collective,” which does just what it…
AI ruling on jobless claims could make mistakes courts can’t undo, experts warn
Enlarge (credit: Westend61 | Westend61) Nevada will soon become the first state to use AI to help speed up the…
What??? James Webb telescope finds giant question mark in space
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have discovered a pair of distant galaxies being twisted into a cosmic question…
NASA spacecraft captures 1st photo of its giant solar sail while tumbling in space
NASA’s testing a solar sail system in space, and the spacecraft that brought the tech there has snapped a photo.
Lack of sleep appears to have a troubling impact on kids’ brain development
Shorter sleep and later bedtimes are linked to potentially harmful functional changes to parts of the brain important for coping…
Huawei’s $2,800 trifold phone is a real thing it wants people to hold and use
Enlarge / In the U.S., a folding phone has you carrying around nearly $2,000 of fragile, folding OLED phone. In…
Woman drips with sweat from a bite of food due to rare nerve-wiring mix-up
Enlarge (credit: Getty | MICHAEL KAPPELER) The human body is full of marvels, some even bordering on miraculous. That includes…
‘Microbes of death’ can reveal when a frozen body died, forensic scientists explain
Getting an accurate estimate of when someone died is a critical part of forensic investigations. In extremely cold conditions, molecular…
Decision speed: A new window into hidden social preferences
Researchers have discovered that people can infer the preferences of others by observing how quickly they make decisions in social…
X-ray footage shows how Japanese eels escape from a predator’s stomach
Enlarge / “The only species of fish confirmed to be able to escape from the digestive tract of the predatory…
All-open source MNT Reform laptop is getting a sequel with a refined design
Enlarge / More streamlined (but still user-replaceable) battery packs are responsible for some of the Reform Next’s space savings. (credit:…
Does conforming to feminine norms affect college women’s mental health?
Conforming to certain feminine norms, such as modesty, thinness, and appearance, is associated with increased psychological distress among college women,…
Sony announces PS5 Pro, a $700 graphical upgrade available Nov. 7
Enlarge / The cool racing stripe means it’s faster. (credit: Sony) Sony today announced the PlayStation 5 Pro, a mid-generation…
New psychology research untangles the links between valuing happiness and well-being
A recent study published in Psychological Science explored the relationship between how much people value happiness and their overall well-being.…