A new tool called SubSmith lets users transform their own video files into language-learning content by generating and working with subtitles for immersion-based study. It's aimed at learners who prefer building study material from local files like downloaded shows, podcasts, or MKV files rather than relying solely on streaming platforms. The launch is accompanied by guides, including timeline estimators for Japanese and Spanish learners and instructions for sentence mining from local media.
Intel CFO David Zinsner told Deutsche Bank's 2026 Technology Conference that defect density on the company's upcoming 14A (1.4nm-class) manufacturing process is dropping faster than internal targets and faster than any node since 22nm. Both internal design teams and outside customers are now engaging with 14A, though Intel isn't expected to hit high-volume manufacturing until 2028.
NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is scheduled to launch Sunday from Kennedy Space Center aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. The $4.3 billion observatory began as a surveillance satellite platform built by the National Reconnaissance Office for post-9/11 intelligence gathering, which was donated to NASA after the spy program was scrapped before launch.
Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) has proposed a major residential rate reduction plan expected to save Hoosier customers roughly $59 million in electric bills through 2027, or about $100 annually for a typical household. The utility also intends to freeze rates for three years, crediting rising demand from data centers and other large customers for boosting revenue enough to offset costs. The proposal now awaits approval from the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, with a decision anticipated by June 2027.
A technical writeup describes a fast method for computing the volume of any simple, closed, triangulated 3D mesh by applying the divergence theorem. Instead of directly integrating over the mesh's interior, the approach converts the volume integral into a surface integral using a chosen vector field with unit divergence, then sums contributions from each triangle in the mesh.
RhinoShield and Sent Into Space sent an iPhone 17 Pro fitted with RhinoShield's AirX case up on a high-altitude balloon from Kiruna, Sweden, then released it from over 30,600 meters. After a 25-minute fall through temperatures as low as minus 60 degrees Celsius, the phone landed intact in remote terrain and was later recovered, powered on, and used to make calls and take photos. Guinness World Records confirmed the feat as the highest drop of a phone in a case onto natural landforms.
Google is letting Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) users import select owned ebooks from Google Play Books directly into notebooks for analysis. The feature, called Expert Intelligence, covers over 100,000 titles from publishers like Penguin Random House and O'Reilly Media, and includes partnerships with 15 bestselling authors. Users can then apply Gemini Notebook tools like Audio Overviews and Infographics to the imported book content, and combine multiple titles in one notebook.
DeepSeek, the AI lab founded by Liang Wenfeng, has relied on his hedge fund High-Flyer Quant for early funding and computing power, but is now courting outside investors as its needs expand. Meanwhile, High-Flyer's affiliates have taken sizable pre-IPO stakes in Chinese hard-tech firms like memory chipmaker CXMT and robotics company Unitree, even as volatility in AI and chip stocks has hit the fund's returns.
Job-market data from Indeed shows science postings requiring AI skills are climbing even as overall science job listings decline. Institutions like the Quadram Institute in Norwich now expect researchers outside traditional computing fields, including food scientists, to have basic machine-learning literacy, with its CEO calling the absence of such skills a red flag for candidates.
A phase III trial of intismeran, a personalized cancer vaccine developed by Merck and Moderna, showed that melanoma patients who received it had longer recurrence-free survival than those given a placebo. The double-blind study of more than 1,100 participants builds on an earlier phase II trial with 157 patients and moves the vaccine closer to regulatory approval.
A Nature briefing discusses how singer Dolly Parton has become an unlikely fixture in scientific culture, with researchers naming newly discovered species and phenomena after her. The piece highlights the crossover between pop culture and taxonomy, noting several examples where scientists have honored Parton in their published work.
Apple has unveiled several Apple Pay upgrades tied to iOS 27, including a redesigned checkout screen that lets users swipe between cards and view balances and rewards at a glance. The company also partnered with American Express to let customers redeem Membership Rewards points directly during checkout, valued at 0.7 cents per point. Additionally, a new 'Tap to Share' feature extends Tap to Pay on iPhone, letting shoppers share contact and loyalty info with merchants in-store.
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