GoKawiil
Tech News
Gizmodo has released its annual science awards, recognizing what its editors consider the year's most significant discoveries, breakthroughs, and scientific stories. The list spans multiple fields of research and highlights work the publication believes had outsized impact in 2026.
NASA's Curiosity rover team identified organic compounds in ancient clay deposits on Mars that resemble molecules thought to have contributed to life's origins on Earth. The discovery earned the mission's chemistry lab team recognition at the Gizmodo Science Fair for providing strong chemical evidence of Mars's past potential habitability.
In a Decoder podcast interview, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman discussed Apple's recent iPhone hardware event, which marked John Ternus's debut as CEO following Tim Cook's departure less than two weeks earlier. The event also introduced the iPhone Duo, Apple's first foldable smartphone, a launch Gurman says was deliberately timed to coincide with the leadership transition.
Acer chairperson Jason Chen said PC prices will keep rising 5-20% through late 2025, plateau in early 2027, then start falling as memory chip supplies normalize sooner than manufacturers claim. He pushed back on suppliers like SK hynix and Adata, who warn shortages could persist until 2030 or beyond, arguing these companies are inflating fears to protect profit margins.
A group of artists has designed a conceptual tote bag that functions as an emergency flotation device, unfolding into a wearable vest that inflates via a pull cord. Under normal circumstances it looks and works like a standard tote, but is intended for use if flooding, such as in a subway, becomes life-threatening.
As robotaxis from multiple companies expand on public roads, firefighters, police and paramedics face a growing patchwork of different manufacturer-specific procedures, hotlines and access methods for handling incidents involving autonomous vehicles. Tesla's two-door Cybercab, which has no steering wheel and is built for full autonomy, highlights this gap since it lacks conventional controls first responders might expect to use in emergencies.
A design commentary challenges the popular claim that 'taste' will be designers' defense against automation, arguing that simply recognizing quality after the fact offers no real edge. Instead, the piece contends the true creative advantage lies in identifying and committing to ideas before their value is widely recognized, not in judging what's already accepted as good.
BonBon, a New York-based Swedish candy company known for its cult following, is expanding into major retail with launches at Target and FAO Schwarz. The brand's creative director says maintaining tight, hand-driven design control is central to preserving its Swedish candy identity as it scales into big-box retail.
Abode has released two new security sensors in 2026: a $35 garage door tilt sensor and a $50 outdoor contact sensor built for gates, sheds and barns. A CNET reviewer tested both alongside an Abode starter kit and found them accurate, fast to set up, and well integrated with Abode's hub and app.
WIRED polled 634 women working in the technology industry about their daily experiences, gathering candid feedback on workplace culture and emerging tools. Respondents described ongoing friction with male-dominated office dynamics even as executives increasingly integrate AI into their routines.
A longtime WIRED writer and editor published a personal essay recounting a 17-year career marked by repeated instances of sexism, including being paid less than a male predecessor, having her parenting fitness questioned by bosses, and working at a publication where men appeared on 70 covers versus four for women. She traces her discomfort with some men in the industry back to her early days interning at WIRED in 2009, when the newsroom lacked female editors and reinforced narratives crediting men as the primary innovators in tech.
A profile piece follows Thinking Machines Lab founder Mira Murati at a black-tie AI-industry gala in San Francisco, where she struggled to be heard over a chattering crowd despite her prominent status as a former OpenAI CTO who now runs a $12 billion startup. The writer uses the scene to explore why, unlike male tech leaders such as Elon Musk, Jensen Huang or Sam Altman, no single woman comes quickly to mind when people are asked who holds the most power in Silicon Valley.