Checkmarx researchers uncovered a malicious npm package called 'indexed-btree,' which mimics the legitimate 'sorted-btree' library and has racked up 2 million weekly downloads. Rather than embedding malicious code in install scripts—now restricted by npm's June 2026 security measures—the attackers hid a malware loader inside the package's commonly used BTree.prototype.set() method, which activates only when called with a specific key. Once triggered, the malware gathers system data such as hostname, CPU, memory, and uptime, and sends it to attackers who reportedly control a wallet holding 109 ETH, though its link to this campaign is unconfirmed.
Academics led by Eindhoven University's Pavlo Bazilinskyy are hosting an industry workshop this week focused on deterring passengers from having sex in autonomous vehicles, which lack a human driver to enforce norms. The team, drawing from systems engineering, psychology and tourism studies, is using the topic to explore broader questions about behavior and design in shared robotaxi spaces.
FutureBit, maker of the Apollo ASIC miners, launched HashFly, a web-based demo that simulates a portion of Google's recently released fruit fly brain connectome to process simplified Bitcoin-style hashing tasks. The tool lights up simulated neurons tied to photoreceptor and PPL101 cells as it checks blocks against an adjustable difficulty target, though it performs far simpler computations than real Bitcoin mining.
FutureBit, maker of the Apollo ASIC miners, released HashFly, a browser-based proof of concept that simulates part of a fruit fly's neural connectome—recently mapped and shared by Google—to process simplified Bitcoin-style hashing tasks. The demo uses simulated photoreceptor and PPL101 neurons to check double-SHA-256 targets, with adjustable difficulty levels far below real Bitcoin mining complexity.
A regular Google Maps user says that despite Google's edge in local search and data depth, Apple Maps outperforms it in several everyday ways. The comparison highlights Apple's progress in rebuilding its navigation app over the past decade, with a notably cleaner, less ad-cluttered interface as a standout advantage.
Researchers led by Randon Flores and Robert Eagle at UCLA measured T. rex body temperature by analyzing carbonate minerals in fossilized tooth enamel, using a method called clumped isotope thermometry. Their results indicate the dinosaur's body ran at about 36°C, similar to a modern elephant, suggesting it generated internal heat rather than relying on the environment.
Researchers publishing in Science found that corals rely on microscopic hairlike cilia to stir water and pull in oxygen when their photosynthetic algae go dormant at night. As ocean water warms, it holds less oxygen, forcing cilia to beat faster to compensate, but past a critical temperature this frantic motion consumes more oxygen than it delivers, effectively suffocating the coral polyps.
A new Nature study led by Max Planck Institute astrophysicist Sunmyon Chon simulated conditions in the early universe and found that rapidly forming black holes can generate light signatures matching the mysterious 'little red dots' seen by the James Webb Space Telescope. The team argues these objects quickly develop dense, thick gas disks that produce a strong hydrogen-alpha glow resembling what's observed in these ancient regions of space.
Security researchers including Joshua Corman of the Institute for Security and Technology say the immediate danger to energy infrastructure comes from malicious humans using generative AI tools, not from AI systems acting autonomously. They note that much of the grid's equipment, including power plants often decades old, was never built with internet connectivity or cyber defense in mind, leaving it exposed as attackers gain more powerful tools.
The Verge's Version History podcast released a new episode examining how Texas Instruments built and maintained near-total dominance of the graphing calculator business since the early 2000s. Hosts David Pierce, Nilay Patel, and Victoria Song discuss the company's history as part of a back-to-school themed season that will also cover One Laptop Per Child, Chromebooks, LeapPad, and overhead projectors.
President Trump used a Saturday Truth Social post to declare the creation of an 'AI Force,' comparing it to his Space Force initiative, and said he would soon name an AI 'czar.' He offered no details on the group's structure, mandate, or funding, and the White House did not clarify whether it would function as a military or civilian body.
Spain's Intellectual Property Commission, part of the Ministry of Culture, has ordered internet providers to block access to Archive.today and several of its mirror domains. Users who try to visit the archiving service are now redirected to a government notice labeling the site 'illegal' and accusing visitors of facilitating access to copyright-protected material.
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