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Tech News
In a lengthy essay, Bill Gates cautioned that artificial intelligence is advancing faster than governments and institutions can prepare for, with no coordinated strategy in place to manage its effects. He called for regulation and international cooperation to address risks to employment, safety and general well-being.
Researchers found that elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations enhance grass growth in savannah ecosystems even under dry conditions. The study suggests that higher CO2 levels help these grasses use water more efficiently, allowing them to sustain productivity during periods of reduced rainfall.
Scientists modeled how Mars' gravity field shifts over time due to solar tides, using a technique that lets gravity harmonic coefficients vary periodically at annual, semi-annual and other frequencies within orbit-determination software. By tracking these small periodic gravity variations, they detected a thermal anomaly located beneath the boundary separating Mars' northern lowlands and southern highlands, known as the crustal dichotomy.
SpaceX announced plans for a new spaceport, Starbase Louisiana, in Vermillion Parish, designed to support thousands of launches per year for its Starship rocket. The project, valued at $100 billion, follows a seven-year site search and is expected to create around 10,000 jobs, according to Elon Musk. SpaceX also pledged to fund coastal wetland restoration efforts alongside the state as part of the deal.
For people who forgo long-term-care insurance and instead plan to pay out of pocket, a key question is which type of account should hold those reserved funds. The discussion centers on balancing accessibility, tax treatment, and growth potential given that care costs may arise unpredictably and years in the future.
Billionaire investor Mark Cuban has publicly criticized California's Proposition 40, a proposed 5% wealth tax targeting billionaires. Cuban argues the measure would disproportionately harm startup founders whose net worth is tied up in illiquid company equity rather than cash, making it difficult for them to pay a tax based on paper wealth.
Waymo announced plans to bring its autonomous vehicles to Munich, aiming to launch commercial robotaxi service there by the end of 2027, marking its first deployment in the European Union. The company will begin mapping streets and testing with safety drivers in the coming weeks while seeking permits from local, state and federal authorities. Munich follows London, where Waymo hopes to start public rides as soon as next month, as part of a broader European push that includes new subsidiaries in France, Spain, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
Fervo Energy is launching its first utility-scale power plant, aiming to prove that enhanced geothermal technology can produce reliable, round-the-clock clean energy at commercial scale. The project follows a period in which geothermal has lagged far behind solar and wind as a share of the renewable energy mix.
Global Energy Monitor's updated tracking shows gas-fired power capacity in development specifically for data centers reached over 189 gigawatts by mid-2026, up from 97 gigawatts at the end of 2025 and just 4 gigawatts in early 2024. The surge reflects tech companies building private 'behind-the-meter' gas plants to power AI data centers rather than waiting for grid connections.
Apple has canceled its plan to move iCloud+ Hide My Email addresses to a new private.icloud.com domain, just two months after announcing the change. The company said Hide My Email will stay on icloud.com, though Sign in with Apple will still shift new addresses from privaterelay.appleid.com to private.icloud.com later this year, with old addresses continuing to work.
It has been two decades since the International Astronomical Union voted in August 2006 to strip Pluto of its planetary status, reclassifying it as a dwarf planet after astronomers discovered a similarly sized object, later named Eris, in 2005. The decision remains contentious, with figures like NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and actor William Shatner recently arguing Pluto deserves to be called a planet again.
Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses, built with EssilorLuxottica, are facing criticism after users were found photographing and filming strangers without consent, then posting the footage online. Critics have dubbed the devices 'pervert glasses' amid mounting concerns about privacy and ethical misuse.