The Linkielist

Linking ideas with the world

Scientists rewrite 100 year old textbooks on how cells divide

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Scientists from The University of Manchester have changed our understanding of how cells in living organisms divide, which could revise what students are taught at school. In a Wellcome funded study published today (01/05/25) in Science – one of the world’s leading scientific journals – the researchers challenge conventional wisdom taught in schools for over Read more about Scientists rewrite 100 year old textbooks on how cells divide[…]

Judge: Apple Lied In Fortnite Case, chose to not comply with court order, must immediately allow external payments without a cut

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Epic Games v. Apple judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has ruled that, effective immediately, Apple can no longer take a cut from purchases made outside apps and has blocked the tech giant from restricting how developers can point people to third-party payment options. The judge was also not happy that Apple has seemingly not complied with Read more about Judge: Apple Lied In Fortnite Case, chose to not comply with court order, must immediately allow external payments without a cut[…]

Huge molecular cloud 10x the size of moon detected right next to earth

Posted on by Robin Edgar

 A longstanding prediction in interstellar theory posits that significant quantities of molecular gas, crucial for star formation, may be undetected due to being ’dark’ in commonly used molecular gas tracers, such as carbon monoxide. We report the discovery of Eos, a dark molecular cloud located just 94 pc from the Sun.This cloud is identified using H2 Read more about Huge molecular cloud 10x the size of moon detected right next to earth[…]

Messaging App Used by Mike Waltz, Trump Deportation Airline GlobalX Both Hacked in Separate Breaches

Posted on by Robin Edgar

TeleMessage, a communications app used by former Trump national security adviser Mike Waltz, has suspended services after a reported hack exposed some user messages. The breach follows controversy over Waltz’s use of the app to coordinate military updates, including accidentally adding a journalist to a sensitive Signal group chat. From the report: In an email, Read more about Messaging App Used by Mike Waltz, Trump Deportation Airline GlobalX Both Hacked in Separate Breaches[…]

Dating app Raw exposed users’ location data and personal information

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A security lapse at dating app Raw publicly exposed the personal data and private location data of its users, TechCrunch has found. The exposed data included users’ display names, dates of birth, dating and sexual preferences associated with the Raw app, as well as users’ locations. Some of the location data included coordinates that were Read more about Dating app Raw exposed users’ location data and personal information[…]

The UN Ditches Google for Form Submissions, Opts for Open Source ‘CryptPad’ Instead

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Did you know there’s an initiative to drive Open Source adoption both within the United Nations — and globally? Launched in March, it’s the work of the Digital Technology Network (under the UN’s chief executive board) which “works to advance open source technologies throughout UN agencies,” promoting “collaboration and scalable solutions to support the UN’s Read more about The UN Ditches Google for Form Submissions, Opts for Open Source ‘CryptPad’ Instead[…]

Army Will Seek Right to Repair Clauses in All Its Contracts

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A new memo from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is calling on defense contractors to grant the Army the right-to-repair. The Wednesday memo is a document about “Army Transformation and Acquisition Reform” that is largely vague but highlights the very real problems with IP constraints that have made it harder for the military to repair Read more about Army Will Seek Right to Repair Clauses in All Its Contracts[…]

The Not-Pebble Core Devices Watch is something different in that area

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…]The regular slate of smartwatches from the likes of Google, Samsung, and Apple hasn’t left us truly excited. Samsung and Apple are in a race to add as many health sensors to the back of their devices, and still the most we can hope for on the impending Apple Watch Series 11 is a slimmer Read more about The Not-Pebble Core Devices Watch is something different in that area[…]

Iconic Gun-Makers Gave Sensitive Customer Information to Political Operatives in secret for decades

Posted on by Robin Edgar

For years, America’s most iconic gun-makers turned over sensitive personal information on hundreds of thousands of customers to political operatives. Those operatives, in turn, secretly employed the details to rally firearm owners to elect pro-gun politicians running for Congress and the White House, a ProPublica investigation has found. The clandestine sharing of gun buyers’ identities Read more about Iconic Gun-Makers Gave Sensitive Customer Information to Political Operatives in secret for decades[…]

Brain implant does thought to speech

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Marking a breakthrough in the field of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), a team of researchers from UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco has unlocked a way to restore naturalistic speech for people with severe paralysis. This work solves the long-standing challenge of latency in speech neuroprostheses, the time lag between when a subject attempts to speak Read more about Brain implant does thought to speech[…]

Neurotech companies are selling your brain data, senators warn

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Three Democratic senators are sounding the alarm over brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies’ ability to collect — and potentially sell — our neural data. In a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Maria Cantwell (D-IN), and Ed Markey (D-MA) called for an investigation into neurotechnology companies’ handling of user data, and Read more about Neurotech companies are selling your brain data, senators warn[…]

AI Helps Unravel a Cause of Alzheimer’s Disease and Identify a Therapeutic Candidate

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A new study found that a gene recently recognized as a biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease is actually a cause of it, due to its previously unknown secondary function. Researchers at the University of California San Diego used artificial intelligence to help both unravel this mystery of Alzheimer’s disease and discover a potential treatment that obstructs Read more about AI Helps Unravel a Cause of Alzheimer’s Disease and Identify a Therapeutic Candidate[…]

Can the EU’s Dual Strategy of Regulation and Investment Redefine AI Leadership?

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Beyond sharing a pair of vowels, AI and the EU both present significant challenges when it comes to setting the right course. This article makes the case that reducing regulation for large general-purpose AI providers under the EU’s competitiveness agenda is not a silver bullet for catching Europe up to the US and China, and Read more about Can the EU’s Dual Strategy of Regulation and Investment Redefine AI Leadership?[…]

Europe’s Tech Sovereignty Demands More Than Competitiveness

Posted on by Robin Edgar

BRUSSELS – As part of his confrontational stance toward Europe, US President Donald Trump could end up weaponizing critical technologies. The European Union must appreciate the true nature of this threat instead of focusing on competing with the US as an economic ally. To achieve true tech sovereignty, the EU should transcend its narrow focus Read more about Europe’s Tech Sovereignty Demands More Than Competitiveness[…]

Content Moderation or Security Theater? How Social Media Platforms Really Enforce Community Guidelines

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] To better understand how major platforms moderate content, we studied and compared the community guidelines of Meta, TikTok, YouTube, and X. We must note that platforms’ guidelines often evolve, so the information used in this study is based only on the latest available data at the time of publication. Moreover, the strictness and regularity Read more about Content Moderation or Security Theater? How Social Media Platforms Really Enforce Community Guidelines[…]

1 Million customers from French Boulanger’s Customers Exposed Online for free

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In a recent discovery, SafetyDetectives’ Cybersecurity Team stumbled upon a clear web forum post where a threat actor publicized a database allegedly belonging to Boulanger Electroménager & Multimédia purportedly exposing 5 Million of their customers. What is Boulanger Electroménager & Multimédia? Boulanger Electroménager & Multimédia is a French company that specializes in the sale of Read more about 1 Million customers from French Boulanger’s Customers Exposed Online for free[…]

Google turns early Nest Thermostats into dumb thermostats

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Google has just announced that it’s ending software updates for the first-generation Nest Learning Thermostat, released in 2011, and the second-gen model that came a year later. This decision also affects the European Nest Learning Thermostat from 2014. “You will no longer be able to control them remotely from your phone or with Google Assistant, Read more about Google turns early Nest Thermostats into dumb thermostats[…]

Microsoft mystery folder fix needs a fix of its own with simple POC

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Turns out Microsoft’s latest patch job might need a patch of its own, again. This time, the culprit is a mysterious inetpub folder quietly deployed by Redmond, now hijacked by a security researcher to break Windows updates. The folder, typically c:\inetpub, reappeared on Windows systems in April as part of Microsoft’s mitigation for CVE-2025-21204, an Read more about Microsoft mystery folder fix needs a fix of its own with simple POC[…]

Employee monitoring app exposes 21M work screens​ to internet

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A surveillance tool meant to keep tabs on employees is leaking millions of real-time screenshots onto the open web. Your boss watching your screen isn’t the end of the story. Everyone else might be watching, too. Researchers at Cybernews have uncovered a major privacy breach involving WorkComposer, a workplace surveillance app used by over 200,000 Read more about Employee monitoring app exposes 21M work screens​ to internet[…]

Internet Archive Sued for $700m by Record Labels about digitising songs pre 1960. Petition to rescue the Internet Archive

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A dramatic appeal hopes to ensure the survival of the nonprofit Internet Archive. The signatories of a petition, which is now open for further signatures, are demanding that the US recording industry association RIAA and participating labels such as as Universal Music Group (UMG), Capitol Records, Sony Music, and Arista drop their lawsuit against the Read more about Internet Archive Sued for $700m by Record Labels about digitising songs pre 1960. Petition to rescue the Internet Archive[…]

Australian Radio station uses AI host for 6 months before anyone notices

Posted on by Robin Edgar

I got an interesting tipoff the other day that Sydney radio station CADA is using an AI avatar instead of an actual radio host. The story goes that their workdays presenter – a woman called Thy – actually doesn’t exist. She’s a character made using AI, and rolled out onto CADA’s website. […] What is Read more about Australian Radio station uses AI host for 6 months before anyone notices[…]

A Data Breach at Yale New Haven Health Compromised 5.5 Million Patients’ Information

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…]Yale New Haven Health (YNHHS), a massive nonprofit healthcare network in Connecticut. Hackers stole the data of more than 5.5 million individuals during an attack in March 2025. […] According to a public notice on the YNHHS website, the organization discovered “unusual activity” on its system on March 8, 2025, which was later identified as Read more about A Data Breach at Yale New Haven Health Compromised 5.5 Million Patients’ Information[…]

Perplexity CEO says its browser will track everything users do online to sell ‘hyper personalized’ ads

Posted on by Robin Edgar

CEO Aravind Srinivas said this week on the TBPN podcast that one reason Perplexity is building its own browser is to collect data on everything users do outside of its own app. This so it can sell premium ads. “That’s kind of one of the other reasons we wanted to build a browser, is we Read more about Perplexity CEO says its browser will track everything users do online to sell ‘hyper personalized’ ads[…]

Study finding persistent chemical in European wines raises doubts and concerns

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A report by the Pesticides Action Network (PAN Europe) and other NGOs that uncovered high concentrations of a forever chemical in wines from across the EU – including organic – is sparking debate about the causes of contamination and restrictions on the substance.  The report found some wines had trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) levels 100 times Read more about Study finding persistent chemical in European wines raises doubts and concerns[…]

Spacetop AR is now an expensive Windows app instead of a useless screenless laptop

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The Spacetop AR laptop made a splash when it debuted a few years ago with an intriguing pitch: What if you could have a notebook that works entirely through augmented reality glasses, without a built-in screen of its own? Unfortunately, we found the Spacetop experience to be underwhelming, and the hardware seemed like a tough Read more about Spacetop AR is now an expensive Windows app instead of a useless screenless laptop[…]