Researchers have developed Dust, a method that pretrains transformer language models without relying on traditional backpropagation. By perturbing activations at each token, Dust efficiently estimates gradients in parallel, showing competitive performance and potential to surpass backprop in high-compute scenarios. The approach significantly outperforms existing evolutionary strategies in efficiency, especially at larger model scales.
qlabs.sh
· 2026-10-05
Scientists had previously estimated that Mars's north polar ice cap contained roughly 25% dust mixed in with water ice. New research revises that figure sharply downward, indicating the ice is much purer than earlier models suggested.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-10-02
A team led by planetary scientist Hiroki Karyu at Tohoku University used a microphysical model to explain the yellowish haze in Venus' lower atmosphere, first seen by Venera and Pioneer Venus probes in the 1970s. The study, published in Nature Astronomy, found the haze forms when sulfuric acid reacts with dust particles left behind by meteorites burning up in the atmosphere, ruling out volcanic ash or surface dust as the source.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-10-01
A hardware advisory explains that placing a desktop tower directly on the floor exposes its intake fans to higher concentrations of dust, pet hair and pollen than surfaces like desks or shelves. This debris coats internal components, blocking airflow and forcing the system into thermal throttling, which slows performance during demanding tasks like gaming.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-27
A study published in Nature reports that the amount of dust circulating in Earth's atmosphere has decreased in recent years, based on research measuring atmospheric dust trends. The findings indicate a shift in dust behavior that could relate to changes in land use, vegetation, or climate patterns.
nature.com
· 2026-09-22
The Atlantic hurricane season has passed its usual mid-September peak without producing a single hurricane, an unusual lull caused by Saharan dust and strong wind shear suppressing storm development. Records dating to 1851 show only one prior year, 1941, without a hurricane by mid-September, and the National Hurricane Center says essentially no chance of one forming before Thursday.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-15
CNET compared Apple's newly announced iPhone Duo foldable against Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8, finding the two devices closely matched given their similar passport-style shape and near-identical pricing. Samsung's phone is thinner both folded and unfolded and charges faster over a wired connection, while Apple's Duo offers full dust and water resistance versus the Fold 8's more limited IP48 rating, plus MagSafe wireless charging that Samsung's device lacks.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-09-14
At IFA, Ecovacs showed off its new Deebot X12S OmniCyclone robot vacuum, which builds on the X12 with stronger suction and a dust-mite-focused cleaning mode, but its water-jet stain removal demo failed to hit the intended spot during a live demonstration. The company says third-party testing found the robot removes over 97% of dust mite allergens and nearly 96% of dust mites from carpet, aiming at allergy-prone households.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-04
At IFA, Ecovacs unveiled the Deebot X12S OmniCyclone, an update to its X12 robot vacuum that adds dust mite removal capability while retaining the water jet stain-loosening feature from its predecessor. In a live demonstration, the reporter observed the stain-removal spray fail to actually hit its intended target, raising questions about that feature's reliability, though independent testing by SGS in Singapore found the device removed over 97% of dust mite allergens and 95% of dust mites from carpet.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-04
Ecovacs has unveiled the Deebot X12S OmniCyclone, an updated robot vacuum designed to dig deeper into carpet fibers to remove dust mites and allergens. Independent testing by SGS Testing & Control Services Singapore found it eliminated an average of 97.44% of dust mite allergens and 95.45% of dust mites from carpet. The model also boosts suction to 53 air watts, a 60% increase over its predecessor, and retains a self-cleaning roller and stain-spray feature from the previous X12 generation.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-04
Optoma's GT2400HDR is a short-throw laser projector priced under $1,300, positioned as an affordable option for home golf simulator setups compared to 4K projectors costing $5,000 or more. It runs continuously for up to 30,000 hours without a bulb, stays cool during use, carries an IP6X dust rating, and weighs under 7 pounds for easy repositioning.
wired.com
· 2026-08-25
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