Science and Technolgy blog
Enlarge / iOS 18’s home screen color tinting and grid-based app icons in action. (credit: Samuel Axon) Apart from the much-ballyhooed (and delayed) Apple Intelligence, a big change to home screen customization and app icon placement is one of iOS…
In 2011, a ghostly depression, known as “the mitten,” appeared on the surface of and ice sheet in Greenland after the unprecedented collapse of a concealed subglacial lake.
Enlarge / The Windy Fire blazes through the Long Meadow Grove of giant sequoia trees near The Trail of 100 Giants overnight in Sequoia National Forest on September 21, 2021, near California Hot Springs, California. (credit: David McNew/Getty Images) Space…
Enlarge / The Fifty-Eight holes board from Çapmalı. (credit: W. Crist et al., 2024) An ancient board game known as Hounds and Jackals has long been believed to have originated in Egypt. However, according to a paper published in the…
Enlarge (credit: Andriy Onufriyenko via Getty Images) OpenAI truly does not want you to know what its latest AI model is “thinking.” Since the company launched its “Strawberry” AI model family last week, touting so-called reasoning abilities with o1-preview and…
Enlarge / Andrew J. Pincus, attorney for TikTok and ByteDance, leaves the E. Barrett Prettyman US Court House with members of his legal team as the U.S. Court of Appeals hears oral arguments in the case TikTok Inc. v. Merrick…
Enlarge / A recall notice is posted next to Boar’s Head meats that are displayed at a Safeway store on July 31, 2024, in San Rafael, California. (credit: Getty | Justin Sullivan) The Boar’s Head deli-meat plant at the epicenter…
Enlarge (credit: Getty Images) A supply chain failure that compromises Secure Boot protections on computing devices from across the device-making industry extends to a much larger number of models than previously known, including those used in ATMs, point-of-sale terminals, and…
Right now, it looks like cosmology is at a tipping point. Will the James Webb telescope resolve the issue by revealing new physics?
Humanoid robots have long been a staple of science fiction, but there is now real progress being made. A range of new models made by or backed by the likes of Boston Dynamics, Tesla and OpenAI are able to walk…
Enlarge / Apple’s M3 Max-powered 16-inch MacBook Pro. New Pro laptops and some desktops could be on tap for later this fall. (credit: Andrew Cunningham) Apple’s newest iPhones and Apple Watches don’t come out until later this week, but the…
Enlarge / It’s a somewhat pricey plug-in hybrid, but it’s also quite competent. (credit: Jonathan Gitlin) Arguably, some of Lexus’ greatest innovations have been in its product strategy as much as any technology to emerge from its R&D labs. When…
Enlarge / Illustration of a person who refuses to check their iPhone’s messages until RCS is enabled on their MVNO carrier, out of respect for their Android-toting friends and family. (credit: Getty Images) The future of inter-OS mobile messaging is…
Enlarge / Supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro participate in an event in the central area of Sao Paulo, Brazil, on September 7, 2024. Bolsonaro backers called for the impeachment of Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. (credit: Getty Images…
A study tracks how the structure of the brain changes during pregnancy, drawing on brain scans gathered before, during and just after one person’s pregnancy.
A new study published in the American Political Science Review explores how Donald Trump’s role on the reality television show The Apprentice helped propel his success in the 2016 Republican presidential primary. The research suggests that Trump’s carefully cultivated image…
Vibrant auroras could be visible as far south as Oregon and Pennsylvania tonight as Earth reels from a “strong” G3-class geomagnetic storm. However, the nearly full Harvest Moon may complicate viewing opportunities.
It’s more difficult than you think to evolve knees that work well for a lifetime.
Enlarge Today is the official release date for the public versions of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS 15 Sequoia, and a scad of other Apple software updates, the foundation that Apple will use for Apple Intelligence and whatever other features…
Enlarge / Just some of the inventive character designs included in UFO 50. (credit: Mossmouth) If you’ve spent any time with retro gaming emulators, you’re likely familiar with the joy of browsing through a long list of (legally obtained) ROMs…
Researchers have recreated the bizarre spider-like features seen on the surface of Mars for the first time ever. The breakthrough could help unravel further mysteries surrounding the static Martian arachnids.
An analysis of around a dozen teenagers who lived during the Paleolithic reveals that they hit puberty around the same time modern teens do.
A series of studies conducted with U.S. and Canadian children and adults examined whether people believe that their abilities would improve if they used objects owned by celebrities with related skills. The results showed that people prefer using objects that…
Enlarge / Zihao Ou, who helped develop this solution, holds a tube of it. One key challenge in medical imaging is to look past skin and other tissue that are opaque to see internal organs and structures. This is the…
Enlarge (credit: Apple) The macOS 15 Sequoia update will inevitably be known as “the AI one” in retrospect, introducing, as it does, the first wave of “Apple Intelligence” features. That’s funny because none of that stuff is actually ready for…
Enlarge (credit: Benj Edwards / Mike Kemp via Getty Images) On Thursday, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison shared his vision for an AI-powered surveillance future during a company financial meeting, reports Business Insider. During an investor Q&A, Ellison described a world…
Enlarge / TV camera during a game between the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens on December 25, 2023 in Santa Clara, California. (credit: Getty Images | Robin Alam/ISI Photos ) DirecTV and Disney agreed to a new distribution contract…
A tiny asteroid will orbit around our planet for 53 days from the end of September.
A recent study published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin explored how the 2020 Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests impacted racial bias in the United States. Researchers found that implicit racial bias—bias that operates subconsciously—decreased rapidly following the protests. However,…
Neuroscientist Liz Chrastil’s brain scans before, during and after pregnancy are providing the first view of a mom-to-be’s structural brain changes.
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An image of a biofluorescent frog perched on a bioluminescent mushroom is the People’s Choice winner for the Beaker Street Science Photography Competition 2024.
According to a new study published in Biological Psychology, facial attractiveness and positive personality traits independently reduce negative responses to unfair offers in economic decision-making. In social interactions, both facial attractiveness and perceived personality traits can significantly influence decision-making. Previous…
In a first, astronomers captured how convective forces power the quick bubbling movement of gas cells on the surface of a distant, massive star.
The newfound barracks may have been built partly because the Libyans were becoming a growing threat to ancient Egypt.
A recent study published in PLOS One highlights the potential psychological risks associated with exposure to TikTok content, particularly videos that promote disordered eating and unhealthy body ideals. The research shows that women who viewed pro-anorexia (pro-ana) content on the…
This is another in a year-long series of stories identifying how the burgeoning use of artificial intelligence is impacting our lives — and ways we can work to make those impacts as beneficial as possible. Ramin Hasani peered through a microscope at a…
Kugelblitz (noun, “KOO-ghull-blitz”) A kugelblitz is a black hole made of pure light. Such objects are only theoretical. Some laws of physics suggest they should be able to exist. Others suggest that in real life, a kugelblitz could never actually…
The jade burial suit was made using thousands of pieces of jade held together with gold thread.
New observations with JWST have confirmed that supermassive black holes have the power to quench star formation across their surrounding galaxies.
Scientists finally know why ultraviolent superstorms flare up on Uranus and Neptune
With the rise of AI models and automated bots, we find out whether there is any weight to the idea that the internet is now mostly dominated by machines or if it’s still a human hangout.
A recent study published in Nature Medicine has provided promising evidence that a new form of deep brain stimulation, known as adaptive deep brain stimulation (adaptive DBS), could improve the management of Parkinson’s disease symptoms. Unlike traditional methods, this approach…
The “fastest evolving vertebrate” title is hotly contested, but here are a few contenders.
Tulip trees were long renowned for their carbon storage. Their unique wood may be responsible.
Parents who believe in “sexuality blindfolding,” the idea that avoiding conversations about LGBTQ+ identities can reduce bias, are less likely to talk to their children about these topics, a new study reveals. Published in Social Psychological and Personality Science, the…
A recent study out of China has uncovered new insights into how listening to classical music can positively influence the brain, offering a potential non-drug approach to treating depression. Published in Cell Reports, the research demonstrates that Western classical music…
A recent study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders sheds light on the brain network dysfunctions associated with behavioral addictions. This meta-analysis of previous research found that people with behavioral addictions show distinct patterns of brain connectivity. Specifically, these…
On Sunday, Sept. 22, day and night will be nearly equal in length as Earth spins side-on to the sun and autumn officially begins in the Northern Hemisphere.
A recent study examined the effects of mindfulness-based programs on individuals with severe mental illness. It found that participants who underwent these programs were more likely to experience spiritual, blissful and unity experiences, insightfulness, disembodiment, and changed meanings up to…
