Researchers from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences excavated a 5th-century burial jar containing the skeletal remains of a young man, along with two knives placed inside. The unusual burial method has left the team puzzled about the circumstances of his death and interment.
A new opinion analysis argues that digital advertising is shifting toward transaction-based models where the point of purchase itself has become a key driver of brand demand, not just its final step. This trend, described as 'commerce media,' extends the retail media concept beyond retailers and CPG brands into other transactional ecosystems like travel and finance.
Researchers Kevin Max and Yang Shen at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology have developed an algorithm called Spi-Fly that mimics how fruit fly brains process and remember smells. Published in Neuromorphic Computing and Engineering, the work targets a key weakness of existing electronic noses: their tendency to forget previously learned odors when trained on new ones.
Microsoft will end unlimited cloud streaming for Game Pass Ultimate subscribers, replacing it with monthly hour allotments: 15 hours for Ultimate, 10 for Premium, and 5 for Essential. Users who want more can buy extra cloud playtime hours through the Xbox Store, a feature now open even to people without a Game Pass subscription, including Xbox One owners wanting to try newer titles.
OpenAI unveiled GPT-6 Astra, its newest flagship model, claiming top-tier performance in browsing the web, operating software, and solving complex math problems. The rollout begins with enterprise users in OpenAI's Daybreak early access program before expanding to ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Business subscribers, though availability for free users remains unconfirmed. Cofounder Greg Brockman told reporters he believes the company may have just ushered in the AGI era with this release.
Ugreen has released the MagFlow Pro Magnetic Power Bank, a $149.99 10,000mAh device it calls the first liquid-cooled power bank with wireless charging. A small pump circulates coolant past a copper foil layer to pull heat away from its Qi2.2 wireless coil, visible through a window on the front, while a lanyard-integrated USB-C cable and separate USB-C port allow wired charging of extra devices.
Microsoft plans to reorganize its financial reporting starting next fiscal quarter, dropping its existing three segments—Productivity and Business Processes, Intelligent Cloud, and More Personal Computing—in favor of two new categories: Devices and Consumer, and Agents and Infra. The change, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, is meant to better reflect how the company's business now revolves around AI agents and infrastructure.
Stryker completed the first surgical procedure using SportSuite Vision, an Apple Vision Pro app that overlays arthroscopic video, HipCheck, HipMap and CT imaging directly into a surgeon's field of view. The hip arthroscopy took place at Duke Health, performed by orthopedic surgeon Chad Mather III, after the app received FDA De Novo authorization on July 17.
Apple's watchOS 27 beta eliminates the long-standing feature where double-clicking the Digital Crown quickly toggled between two recently used apps or the last app and the watch face. Instead, a single or double click now brings up the same new 'dynamic app grid' showing Siri plus five suggested apps, meaning the quick-switch shortcut has no direct replacement. The writer flagged this to Apple as early as June and again during the July public beta, but the behavior persists as of the current beta.
Joe Drygas, Vice President of AT&T's Global Enterprise Business, describes how he rose through the company over 25 years by treating each new role as requiring a reinvented version of himself, comparing the approach to how elite athletes adapt their training as their roles evolve. He also credits deliberate scheduling of personal routines, like workouts and sleep, with reducing uncertainty and improving his leadership clarity.
Billionaire investor Leon Black skipped a scheduled sworn deposition before the House Oversight Committee on Thursday, instead filing a federal lawsuit seeking to block subpoenas tied to the panel's investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. Committee leaders responded by saying they would consider holding Black in contempt of Congress.
TikTok is adding several new comment features: voice comments up to 60 seconds long for users 18 and older, rolling out over the next month; comment polls with up to five options that creators can track results for, already live globally; and photo comment upgrades including live photo uploads available now and the ability to post up to nine images in a carousel comment within the next month.