Day: June 23, 2025

We finally may be able to rid the world of mosquitoes. But should we? (hell yes! And ticks please!)

Posted on by Robin Edgar

They buzz, they bite, and they cause some of the deadliest diseases known to humanity. Mosquitoes are perhaps the planet’s most universally reviled animals. If we could zap them off the face of the Earth, should we? Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post. The Read more about We finally may be able to rid the world of mosquitoes. But should we? (hell yes! And ticks please!)[…]

ESA – “The models were right”: astronomers find ‘missing’ matter

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Astronomers have discovered a huge filament of hot gas bridging four galaxy clusters. At 10 times as massive as our galaxy, the thread could contain some of the Universe’s ‘missing’ matter, addressing a decades-long mystery. The astronomers used the European Space Agency’s XMM-Newton and JAXA’s Suzaku X-ray space telescopes to make the discovery. Over one-third Read more about ESA – “The models were right”: astronomers find ‘missing’ matter[…]

Traceable random numbers from a non-local quantum advantage

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The unpredictability of random numbers is fundamental to both digital security1,2 and applications that fairly distribute resources3,4. However, existing random number generators have limitations—the generation processes cannot be fully traced, audited and certified to be unpredictable. The algorithmic steps used in pseudorandom number generators5 are auditable, but they cannot guarantee that their outputs were a Read more about Traceable random numbers from a non-local quantum advantage[…]

16 billion passwords exposed in colossal data breach

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] , the Cybernews research team discovered a plethora of supermassive datasets, housing billions upon billions of login credentials. From social media and corporate platforms to VPNs and developer portals, no stone was left unturned. Our team has been closely monitoring the web since the beginning of the year. So far, they’ve discovered 30 exposed Read more about 16 billion passwords exposed in colossal data breach[…]

UK data watchdog fines 23andMe £2.3M over incompetently handled 2023 DNA megabreach

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The UK’s data watchdog is fining beleaguered DNA testing outfit 23andMe £2.31 million ($3.13 million) over its 2023 mega breach. Among the various security failings demonstrated by the genetics company were: Unsatisfactory authentication measures, including lack of mandatory MFA and unsecure password requirements No measures taken to prevent accessing and downloading raw genetic data No Read more about UK data watchdog fines 23andMe £2.3M over incompetently handled 2023 DNA megabreach[…]

MiniMax M1 model claims Chinese LLM crown from DeepSeek and is completely open source

Posted on by Robin Edgar

MiniMax, an AI firm based in Shanghai, has released an open source reasoning model that challenges Chinese rival DeepSeek and US-based Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google in terms of performance and cost. MiniMax-M1 was released Monday under an Apache software license, and thus is actually open source, unlike Meta’s Llama family, offered under a community license Read more about MiniMax M1 model claims Chinese LLM crown from DeepSeek and is completely open source[…]

Silicon Valley Execs Join the Army as Lt Colonel Officers (But Won’t Have to Attend Boot Camp)

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The U.S. military recently announced that four executives from some of the top tech companies in Silicon Valley have joined the Army Reserve as direct-commissioned officers. The move is part of a push to speed up the adoption of technology in the military, but as the news outlet Task & Purpose points out, it’s pretty Read more about Silicon Valley Execs Join the Army as Lt Colonel Officers (But Won’t Have to Attend Boot Camp)[…]

Makers of air fryers and smart speakers told to respect users’ right to privacy in UK

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Makers of air fryers, smart speakers, fertility trackers and smart TVs have been told to respect people’s rights to privacy by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). People have reported feeling powerless to control how data is gathered, used and shared in their own homes and on their bodies. After reports of air fryers designed Read more about Makers of air fryers and smart speakers told to respect users’ right to privacy in UK[…]

Microsoft Is Deleting Old Drivers From Windows Update – does the manufacturer still exist? If not, your hardware just turned into junk.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In a move that could quietly wreak havoc across the Windows ecosystem, Microsoft is purging outdated drivers from Windows Update. The company claims it is doing this for security and reliability, but the result might be broken hardware for users who rely on legacy devices. If you’re using older peripherals or custom-built PCs, you could Read more about Microsoft Is Deleting Old Drivers From Windows Update – does the manufacturer still exist? If not, your hardware just turned into junk.[…]

Pornhub Back Online in France After Court Ruling About Age Verification

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Many porn sites, including Pornhub, YouPorn, and RedTube, all went dark earlier this month in France to protest a new age verification law that would have required the websites to collect ID from users. But those sites went back online Friday after a new ruling from a French court suspended enforcement of the law until Read more about Pornhub Back Online in France After Court Ruling About Age Verification[…]

Your brain has a hidden beat — and smarter minds sync to it

Posted on by Robin Edgar

When we focus, switch tasks, or face tough mental challenges, the brain starts to sync its internal rhythms, especially in the midfrontal region. A new study has found that smarter individuals show more precise and flexible coordination of slow theta waves during key decision-making moments. Using EEG recordings and cognitive testing, researchers discovered that it Read more about Your brain has a hidden beat — and smarter minds sync to it[…]

Denmark using robotic sailboats for surveillance in Baltic and North Seas

Posted on by Robin Edgar

KOGE MARINA, Denmark (AP) — From a distance they look almost like ordinary sailboats, their sails emblazoned with the red-and-white flag of Denmark. But these 10-meter (30-foot) -long vessels carry no crew and are designed for surveillance. Four uncrewed robotic sailboats, known as “Voyagers,” have been put into service by Denmark’s armed forces for a Read more about Denmark using robotic sailboats for surveillance in Baltic and North Seas[…]

Pregnant mothers exposed to Sandstorm Sandy and extreme heat end up birthing kids with deformed brains

Posted on by Robin Edgar

  Weather-related stressors on healthy brain development has become an important topic in recent years. Notably, prenatal stress exposure to natural disasters may disrupt child neurodevelopment, with recent research exploring its impact on child brain morphology. Prenatal exposure to extreme weather events, such as ambient heat, may also affect child brain morphology. The basal ganglia, Read more about Pregnant mothers exposed to Sandstorm Sandy and extreme heat end up birthing kids with deformed brains[…]

Google just landed a huge blow to custom ROMs

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Earlier this year, Google announced it would develop the Android OS fully in private to simplify its development process. By focusing its efforts on a single internal branch, Google aimed to streamline work that was previously split. The news initially spooked some in the Android development community, but the controversy quickly subsided. The impact was Read more about Google just landed a huge blow to custom ROMs[…]

Net Neutrality: What happened during the July 12 Internet-Wide Day of Action protest, why did the internet go down?

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Updated July 14: The Internet-Wide Day of Action to Save Net Neutrality on July 12 enjoyed a healthy turnout.Thousands of companies and some visible tech celebrities united against the FCC proposal called Restoring Internet Freedom, by which the new FCC chairman Ajit Pai hopes to loosen regulations for the ISPs and telecom companies that provide Read more about Net Neutrality: What happened during the July 12 Internet-Wide Day of Action protest, why did the internet go down?[…]

‘We’re done with Teams’: German state hits uninstall on Microsoft. So do Denmark and NL.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In less than three months’ time, almost no civil servant, police officer or judge in Schleswig-Holstein will be using any of Microsoft’s ubiquitous programs at work. Instead, the northern state will turn to open-source software to “take back control” over data storage and ensure “digital sovereignty”, its digitalisation minister, Dirk Schroedter, told AFP. “We’re done Read more about ‘We’re done with Teams’: German state hits uninstall on Microsoft. So do Denmark and NL.[…]

Tiny human hearts grown in pig embryos for the first time

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Researchers have reported growing hearts containing human cells in pig embryos for the first time. The embryos survived for 21 days, and in that time their tiny hearts started beating. The findings were presented this week at the annual meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research in Hong Kong. […] Pigs are a Read more about Tiny human hearts grown in pig embryos for the first time[…]