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Scientists spent 10 years on a superbug mystery - Google's AI solved it in 48 hours

What just happened? Researchers at Imperial College London say an artificial intelligence-based science tool created by Google needed just 48 hours to solve a problem that took them roughly a decade to answer and verify on their own. The tool in question is called "co-scientist" and the problem they presented it with was straightforward enough: why are some superbugs resistant to antibiotics? Professor José R Penadés told the BBC that Google's tool reached the same hypothesis that his team had

Meta approves massive bonuses for executives after broad layoffs

Meta has offered up a lucrative new executive bonus plan, according to a company filing released Thursday . Under the new plan, executives could earn a yearly bonus of 200 percent of their base salary, which is up from 75 percent. This comes just after Meta announced sweeping layoffs impacting five percent of its workforce . A committee for Meta’s board of directors approved the change on February 13, on the grounds that the “target total cash compensation” for its executives “was at or below t

Richard Feynman's blackboard at the time of his death (1988)

These digitized collections are accessible for purposes of education and research. Due to the nature of archival collections, archivists at the Caltech Archives and Special Collections are not always able to identify copyright and rights of privacy, publicity, or trademark. We are eager to hear from any rights holders, so that we may obtain accurate information. Upon request, we’ll remove material from public view while we address a rights issue.

20 years working on the same software product

I released version 1 of my table seating planning software, PerfectTablePlan, in February 2005. 20 years ago this month. It was a different world. A world of Windows, shareware and CDs. A lot has changed since then, but PerfectTablePlan is now at version 7 and still going strong. PerfectTablePlan v1 PerfectTablePlan v7 I have released several other products since then, and done some training and consulting, but PerfectTablePlan remains my most successful product. It’s success is due to a lot

Report: OpenAI plans to shift compute needs from Microsoft to SoftBank

In Brief OpenAI is forecasting a major shift in the next five years around who it gets most of its computing power from, The Information reported on Friday. By 2030, OpenAI expects to get three-quarters of its data center capacity from Stargate, a project that’s expected to be heavily financed by SoftBank, one of OpenAI’s newest financial backers. That represents a major shift away from Microsoft, OpenAI’s biggest shareholder, who fulfills most of the startup’s power needs today. The change w

Scientists attach insect antennae to drones for smell-based navigation

Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years.TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust In a nutshell: Researchers in Japan have merged robotic technology with the finely tuned senses of silk moths to create a bio-hybrid drone. By harnessing nature's expertly evolved ability to track scents over long distances, this innovation could aid in disaster response efforts. Traditional drones rely on visual sensors like cameras and lasers for navigation, but these can be unreliable in harsh c

Block shares plunge 17%, head for worst day in 5 years after earnings miss

Block shares plunged 16% on Friday and headed for their steepest drop since 2020 after the company reported fourth-quarter earnings that missed estimates and issued guidance for 2025 that failed to reassure investors. In its financial report late Thursday, Block reported earnings of 71 cents per share, falling short of the average analyst estimate of 87 cents, according to LSEG. Revenue of $6.03 billion also missed expectations of $6.29 billion. The company posted $2.31 billion in gross profit

Sony’s next Xperia flagship could go all out with not one, not two, but three Exmor T sensors

Alex Walker-Todd / Android Authority TL;DR A rumor claims the Xperia 1 VII will use Exmor T sensors for all three rear cameras. Last year’s model only had an Exmor T sensor for the main camera. The Exmor T sensors could reduce noise in low-light shots and improve dynamic range. Last year’s Xperia 1 VI did little to improve the rear camera situation from the previous year. The hardware was largely identical to the Xperia V, but with some quality-of-life improvements. But a new rumor suggests

Tech pioneer who accelerated internet speeds receives prestigious IEEE Medal

"Today, I don't know anybody who can say they know what artificial intelligence is going to bring us in five years, let alone one year or two years," says Henry Samueli, a pioneer in digital modem technology and recipient of the IEEE's 2025 Medal of Honor. Tiernan Ray/ZDNET In the early days of the consumer internet, most access was via a dial-up modem, a device hooked up to a phone line that transmitted requests for web pages via squeaks and squawks like someone yelling into the line. Also: M

DC Is Relaunching Batman for Only the Fourth Time in Almost 85 Years

A Batman #1 doesn’t come along very often. Well, unless you’ve been reading comics for the past 15 years, in which case, it’s come along a couple times already. Modern comic books! But even then, in what is about to be eight-and-a-half-decades of Batman that’s still not a lot of relaunches–and DC is going all-in to make this fourth one stand out. Last night at ComicsPro DC confirmed that the fourth-ever relaunch of the primary, solo Batman book (there are of course, dozens upon dozens upon doze

Topics: batman bruce dc new years

EV battery manufacturing capacity will rise when 10 plants come online this year

This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy, and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here. Ten new electric vehicle battery factories are on track to go online this year in the United States. This includes large plants from global battery giants such as Panasonic, Samsung, and SK On, and automakers such as Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Stellantis, and Toyota. If they all open in 2025, the country’s EV batte

Meta approves plan for bigger executive bonuses following 5% layoffs

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg appears at the Meta Connect event in Menlo Park, California, on Sept. 25, 2024. Executives at Meta stand to get bigger bonuses this year. The company said in a corporate filing Thursday that it had approved "an increase in the target bonus percentage" for its annual bonus plan for executives. Meta's named executive officers could earn a bonus of 200% of their base salary under the new plan, up from the 75% they earned previously, according to the filing. The updated b

The best VPN services of 2025: Expert tested and reviewed

Virtual private networks (VPNs) encrypt your data and hide your IP address. But there is far more to VPNs than that: they are essential tools to stop others from spying on your online activities, and they can help protect your sensitive information from theft. A VPN is vital when you are traveling or when you have to use public Wi-Fi networks. They forge an encrypted tunnel between your device and the service you are trying to access, which can prevent eavesdropping and stop you from being so e

Putin Dangles a Nuclear Arms Treaty While Accusing Ukraine of ‘Hysteria’

The last remaining nuclear arms control treaty between the U.S. and Russia will expire in February 2026. While answering questions in St. Petersburg, Russian President Vladimir Putin dangled the possibility of extending it. The cost of the nuclear arms control treaty was subtle but clear. Putin wants everyone to ignore Kyiv’s “hysteria” over not being part of the negotiations for the end of Russia’s war in Ukraine. The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) is an Obama-era treaty betwe

What does the e stand for in iPhone 16e?

The rumors turned out to be correct, even if most were styling it with a capital E rather than a lower-case one: the iPhone SE 4 is officially named the iPhone 16e. One question is what the e stands for. Apple has often been vague about the meaning of suffices like S, R, and SE when appended to various iPhone models, but it did provide an answer this time … Majin Bu was correct Leaker Majin Bu was first to suggest the new name, at the beginning of January, and was correct with all the details

There’s a new Avatar: The Last Airbender cartoon coming to Nickelodeon

It’s been ten long years since Avatar: The Legend of Korra aired its final episode and over 15 years since Avatar: The Last Airbender bowed out. Now, finally, Nickelodeon has greenlit a sequel series and it sounds pretty awesome. Deadline reports that Avatar: Seven Havens will be a 2D animated 26-episode followup that chronicles the rise of the next Avatar after Korra. Franchise creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko are developing the series, so we know it's in good hands. The plot sou

I tried Google Photos' AI search and it was surprisingly bad - 3 ways to fix it

Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET One practical use case for AI natural language processing is being able to search your photos with the ease of a conversational prompt. As a result, Google unveiled a feature called Ask Photos last year and started rolling out early access to users via Google Labs in September. The feature finally rolled out to me -- and the results were surprising. I was excited to try it out for myself. Even though I am a long-time iPhone user, I've used Google Photos for about a decade f

A cryptocurrency scam that turned a small town against itself

Online scams are as old as the internet, but the rise of crypto has given con artists a valuable new tool — digital coins that can be transferred instantly, without oversight from banks legally obligated to monitor transactions for malfeasance. In 2023, crypto fraud cost American investors an estimated $4.8 billion, according to the F.B.I. The scams are so common that law-enforcement authorities have taken to calling them by a pithy name: Pig butchering, a rough translation of an expression wide

NASA Makes Big Update to Asteroid Potentially on Collision Course With Earth in 2032

The potentially hazardous asteroid 2024 YR4 caused consternation over the last few weeks as its odds of hitting Earth in 2032 dramatically rose. Now, those odds have plummeted to near-zero, as astronomers’ calculations of the asteroid’s path have been updated to indicate that Earth is almost certainly not in the space rock’s plans. Almost. According to NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), the asteroid’s current chance of hitting the planet in 2032 is 0.28%, or a 1-in-360 shot. T

Best Noise-Canceling Earbuds for 2025

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 S2: In 2023, Bowers & Wilkins upgraded its fantastic-sounding PI7 noise-canceling earbuds. The new S2 model has better battery life and Bluetooth range, now up to 25 meters (double the previous range). Additionally, the buds now integrate into the new Bowers & Wilkins Music app for iOS and Android and have a much-improved setup experience. Learn more in our full Bowers & Wilkins PI7 review. JBL Live Pro 2: Over the years, JBL has put out some decent true-wireless earbuds, b

Best Headsets for Working From Home in 2025

A few years ago Shokz turned its OpenRun (formerly Aeropex) bone-conduction headphones into a more communications-friendly headset with an integrated boom microphone called the OpenComm ($140), which remains available. The second-generation OpenComm 2 UC costs more than the original, but it has an upgraded Bluetooth 5.1 chipset that improves performance a bit and now allows for the firmware upgrades that are required for Zoom certification. Additionally, the microphone has moved from the left ea

Rivian reports first quarter of ‘positive gross profit’

is transportation editor with 10+ years of experience who covers EVs, public transportation, and aviation. His work has appeared in The New York Daily News and City & State. Rivian announced a significant milestone today, reporting its first “positive gross profit” in its fourth quarter earnings for 2024. It was a sign that the struggling company’s efforts to slash costs through the gut overhaul of its R1 electric vehicles is starting to yield some positive results. But dark clouds loom ahead,

Tesla to test virtual queues at Supercharging locations

Road rage has been around for a while. A newer phenomenon that’s cropping up is EV charging rage — the feeling when a fellow EV owner cuts the line to grab one of the only working charge ports. It’s common enough that people posted altercations between EV drivers on social media and forums. In at least one case, the EV charging rage turned deadly. In response to this rage, and specifically to a fight that broke out at a packed Supercharger station, Tesla announced in a post on X this week it w

Topics: ev post rage tesla year

CEO of Clearview AI, a controversial facial recognition startup, has resigned

The CEO of Clearview AI, the controversial facial recognition startup that created a searchable database of 30 billion photos by scraping the internet, has resigned, according to a statement he supplied to TechCrunch. The CEO, Hoan Ton-That, said “it is time for the next chapter in my life” and that he would remain on as a board member of Clearview AI. He declined to comment when asked for more details on what specifically sparked his resignation. The news was first reported by Forbes. Clearvi

PlayStation 6 likely to launch in 2028, says former Sony exec

Forward-looking: Now that the PlayStation 5 Pro is here, attention is turning toward Sony's next generation of its console, the PlayStation 6. There's been plenty of speculation about when it will arrive, and according to Shuhei Yoshida, the former Sony exec who was head of SIE Worldwide Studios, we could be waiting until 2028. Yoshida worked at Sony for 38 years, 31 of which were spent at PlayStation. After leaving the company on January 15, 2025, he gave a lengthy interview to GamesBeat. Amo

The best sleep trackers of 2025: Expert tested and reviewed

The Oura Ring 4 is a competitive sleep tracker, with insights into sleep efficiency, restfulness, readiness, latency, and more. I've been using the Oura Ring for a while now, and it has not only given me deeper insight into my sleep but also supplements those data points with explanations behind the numbers. Oura claims to accurately track sleep cycles, total sleep time, resting heart rate, heart rate variability, and movement. These features have been enhanced with the rollout of the fourth-ge

Lox – Oxidized Astrodynamics – A safe, ergonomic astrodynamics library

Lox – Oxidized Astrodynamics A safe, ergonomic astrodynamics library for the modern space industry Note: Lox is under active development and does not yet have a stable release. The API of all crates is subject to significant change. Features Lox exposes a comprehensive astrodynamics API at varying levels of granularity. The high-level interface offered by lox-space is designed specifically for mission planning and analysis, while crates like lox-time , lox-earth and lox-orbits provide tools

Topics: data earth lox space time

Best Wireless Earbuds of 2025

Master & Dynamic MW09: Master & Dynamic headphones and earbuds have always featured unique, eye-catching designs that include premium materials like aluminum, sapphire glass and Kevlar. Its latest MW09 flagship true wireless earbuds ($349) look pretty similar to its earlier MW08 buds but have some upgrades on the inside that deliver better performance, particularly when it comes to noise cancellation. The earbuds sound great but are mysteriously out of stock everywhere, so we dropped them from t

The Odds of a City-Killing Asteroid Hitting Earth Keep Rising

An asteroid discovered late last year is continuing to stir public interest as its odds of striking planet Earth less than eight years from now continue to increase. Two weeks ago, when Ars first wrote about the asteroid, designated 2024 YR4, NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies estimated a 1.9 percent chance of an impact with Earth in 2032. NASA’s most recent estimate has the likelihood of a strike increasing to 3.2 percent. Now that’s not particularly high, but it’s also not zero. Ars

AI cracks superbug problem in two days that took scientists years

AI cracks superbug problem in two days that took scientists years Cases of tuberculosis (pictured) have increased in the UK and worldwide as the disease increases its resistance to antibiotics A complex problem that took microbiologists a decade to get to the bottom of has been solved in just two days by a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool. Professor José R Penadés and his team at Imperial College London had spent years working out and proving why some superbugs are immune to antibiotics.