- Data on more than 40,000 Department of Homeland Security employees was published online on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, through Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDoSecrets) in a searchable database called Icepick. ✓6
- A hacktivist group calling itself the Department of Peace claimed responsibility and provided the data to DDoSecrets and to journalist/hacker maia arson crimew. ✓6
-
1.
Hackers Leak Data on 40,000+ DHS Employees, Including ICE and CBP Agents
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2.
FCC Votes to Bar Chinese Labs From Testing Electronics for US Market
- The US Federal Communications Commission voted on Thursday to bar testing laboratories and certification bodies in China, and in other economies lacking a mutual recognition or reciprocal trade agreement with the US, from testing electronic devices bound for the US market.
- US laboratories have until December 2028 to expand capacity under the measure, according to SCMP.
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3.
SpaceX Reportedly Seeks Access to 80,000 US Cell Sites to Build Starlink Mobile Network
- SpaceX is reportedly negotiating with cellular infrastructure companies for access to at least 80,000 cell sites in the US; SpaceX has not publicly confirmed agreements covering those sites and the talks are described as preliminary.
- On an Oct. 21 earnings call, Crown Castle CEO Chris Hillabrant, asked about leasing talks with SpaceX and other satellite providers, said 'You can assume that we're talking to all parties' and declined to discuss specific customers.
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4.
Hackers Copy Records of Millions of California Students via ETS File Transfer Site
- An attacker used a compromised login credential to access an Educational Testing Service (ETS)-operated secure file transfer site and copied files containing student information at various times between May 22 and Sept. 18, 2026.
- ETS discovered the suspicious activity on Sept. 25, disabled the affected account, took the file transfer site offline, and hired outside cybersecurity specialists.
-
5.
Apple Acknowledges Inner-Screen Cracks on 'Small Number' of New iPhone Duo Foldables
- Apple's first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo, went on sale Oct. 23. ✓2
- Owners have reported cracks in the inner display along the fold/hinge area, with photos and videos posted online. ✓2
-
6.
Jury Selection Begins in LA Trial Against Meta, Snap Over Social Media Addiction
- Jury selection began in Los Angeles in a trial against Meta and Snap brought by two plaintiffs who allege the companies' platforms were designed to be addictive and harmed their mental health.
- The plaintiffs sued in 2023. They are S.J., a 16-year-old from Illinois, and K.D.B., an 18-year-old from Mississippi.
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7.
Ofcom Recommends Four Age-Check Methods for UK Under-16 Social Media Ban
- Ofcom has published recommendations on how social media platforms can verify that UK users are over 16, under a social media ban due to take effect in March next year.
- The ban would block under-16s from ten of the biggest platforms, including Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.
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8.
Orange France Mobile Outage Lasts Up to 9 Hours, Putting Nokia Gear Under Scrutiny
- A mobile network outage hit Orange, France's biggest telecoms provider, starting at 11:37am on Monday and lasting until 8:30pm.
- Some customers experienced outages of up to nine hours, according to Orange France CEO Jerome Henique.
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9.
ISRO to Launch NVS-03 NavIC Satellite on GSLV-F18 as Six Feared Dead in Uttarakhand Crash
- ISRO is set to launch the NVS-03 navigation satellite on a GSLV-F18 rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, at 11:51 p.m. India time (1821 GMT) on Friday, October 30.
- NVS-03 is the third satellite in ISRO's next-generation navigation series, intended to augment the NavIC constellation. It carries an indigenous atomic clock alongside imported clocks, adds an L1 signal to the existing L5 and S-band signals, and is designed to cover India and up to 1,500 km beyond its borders.
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10.
Huawei Opens Defense in US Criminal Trial on 14 Counts in Brooklyn Federal Court
- Huawei Technologies began presenting its defense case on Wednesday in its US criminal trial.
- Huawei has pleaded not guilty to 14 criminal counts in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York, including racketeering conspiracy, bank fraud, wire fraud and trade secret theft spanning more than two decades.
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11.
Activision to Remove Itaewon Crush Footage From Call of Duty: MW4 in Nov. 12 Update
- Activision said the real footage of the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush will be completely removed from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 through a game update scheduled for Nov. 12. ✓2
- Activision apologized and offered condolences to bereaved families and victims, per BBC; the 10.29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Association welcomed the decision but told the BBC it had not received a direct apology.
-
12.
US, Russia and China Plan Lunar Nuclear Reactors by 2030 and 2036, Respectively
- NASA announced in January plans to develop a nuclear reactor on the moon by the end of 2030.
- Russia, working with China, aims to put a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2036; the Russian reactor, called Selena, is expected to produce 10 kilowatts and run for a decade without maintenance.
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13.
Russian Satellite Cosmos-2612 Approaches Within 1 km of Ukraine-Serving Iceye-X36
- Russian military satellite Cosmos-2612 maneuvered close to the Iceye-X36 satellite between October 15 and 18, 2026.
- The US State Department called the maneuver 'threatening' and said it was consistent with 'in-orbit military operations'.
-
14.
TikTok Adds 'Must Eat' Restaurant Guide Built on 40 Million Posts and Comments
- TikTok announced an in-app restaurant guide called 'Must Eat' that compiles recommendations from more than 40 million posts and comments.
- Users can browse 'Must Eat' restaurants by city and filter by cuisine, price, rating and location.
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15.
Data of About 16,900 Mainland-Based Students Leaked in Hong Kong Exams Authority Breach
- The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) said its information system was compromised, leaking personal data of about 16,900 mainland China-based students.
- The affected students had applied to take two international exams through the HKEAA.
-
16.
NASA Issues RFI for Commercial Hubble Reboost, Servicing or Controlled Reentry
- NASA released a Request for Information on Thursday asking commercial companies for ideas to reboost, service, or conduct a controlled disposal of the Hubble Space Telescope.
- Responses to the RFI are due November 30.
-
17.
Applebee's Fixes Flaw That Exposed Customer Data via Password Hardcoded in Android App
- Applebee's fixed a security flaw that let anyone access personal information of registered customers; the flaw was a database credential hardcoded in the Applebee's Android app.
- UK-based researcher Robert Wiggins of What Security found the credential earlier this month, using AI to search the app's source code; the app has more than 1 million Google Play downloads.
-
18.
Rivian Has Spent Over $5M on 3D Printers; Ford Plans 3D Labs at 23+ Plants by Year-End
- Rivian said it has spent more than $5 million on 3D-printing machines, with annual materials costs growing to about $1.7 million.
- Jared Beck, head of Rivian's additive manufacturing, said the machines typically pay for themselves within a year and cut part production times from weeks to days or hours.
-
19.
Kim Jong-un Attends Drone Exhibition, Calls for Rapid Expansion of North Korea's Drone Tech
- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended an exhibition devoted to drones and called for rapidly expanding the country's drone technology, according to state media reports on Friday.
- The state media report came as North Korea's military escalates threats against South Korea and the United States.
-
20.
China Trial Uses Focused Ultrasound; Coma Patient Regains Speech, Eating, Assisted Walking
- A patient in China who spent three months in a coma after a brain haemorrhage regained the ability to speak, eat and walk with support after treatment in an early clinical trial, according to state media.
- The trial used focused ultrasound waves to stimulate regions deep within the brain without invasive surgery or implanted electrodes.
-
21.
China Opposes FCC Decision to Bar Device Testing in China by 2028
- The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decided to bar device testing in China by 2028.
- China's Ministry of Commerce stated firm opposition to the FCC decision in a statement issued Friday night.
-
22.
Waymo and Toyota Partner on 2027 bZ4X Robotaxis, Testing in Japan Next Year
- Waymo and Toyota announced a partnership on Friday under which Toyota will supply electric vehicles for Waymo robotaxi operations in international markets, including the U.K.
- Toyota will manufacture 2027 bZ4X vehicles and integrate Waymo's self-driving system at its Takaoka factory in Japan.
-
23.
EU Plans First Direct Undersea Internet Cable Linking Europe to Greenland
- The European Union plans to build the first subsea Internet cable directly connecting Europe to Greenland, called the Pan-Arctic Cable project.
- The Pan-Arctic Cable is described as an EU flagship project in a European Commission joint communication published on October 20, 2026.
-
24.
Cathay Pacific Says 53,000 Bookings Exposed in Amadeus Cyberattack
- Cathay Pacific Airways said personal data and flight details from 53,000 bookings were compromised after hackers breached the system of its technology service provider, Amadeus IT Group.
- Cathay said most cases involved passenger names and flight details being exposed, and that there is no evidence financial information was breached.
-
25.
Sahara Meteorite Teghaza 001 Identified as 4.1-Billion-Year-Old Piece of Mars
- A meteorite named Teghaza 001, found in the Sahara Desert in Mali in 2022, has been identified as Martian and about 4.1 billion years old. ✓2
- The research team was led by Yang Liu of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. ✓2
-
26.
ULA Sets Nov. 13 Vulcan Return to Flight With 40 Amazon Leo Satellites
- United Launch Alliance announced it plans to return its Vulcan rocket to service on November 13, nine months after a February solid rocket booster anomaly, pending range approval.
- The return-to-flight mission will launch 40 Amazon Leo broadband satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida; it is the first of 38 Vulcan flights Amazon has booked.
-
27.
Quilty Space Projects ~150-Launch Shortfall Outside China Through 2030
- Quilty Space report estimates a shortfall of about 150 launches outside China between now and 2030 versus demand from satellite operators and civil space agencies.
- If US military demand is added and SpaceX does not extend Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy to meet national security needs, the shortage could roughly double, per the report.
-
28.
NUS Researchers Unveil Washable Touchscreen Woven Into Sleeve, Published in Nature
- Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS), led by Assistant Professor Tural Khudiyev of the College of Design and Engineering, developed a touchscreen woven into a garment; the work was published in the journal Nature.
- The prototype sleeve uses 54 electronic fibers, each with 96 LEDs, forming a 96-by-54-pixel display of about 6.6 by 4.1 inches.
-
29.
Archive of Our Own Offline After Maintenance; Restoration Could Take Up to 4 Weeks
- Archive of Our Own (AO3) went offline during what was planned as routine overnight maintenance.
- AO3's status page estimates service restoration will take around 2 weeks but could take up to 4 weeks.
-
30.
China's 15th Five-Year Archaeology Plan Targets AI Restoration, Underwater Robots
- China's 15th five-year work plan for archaeology calls for scientists to develop remote sensing, ancient DNA analysis, underwater archaeology robots and AI models for virtual restoration of excavated artefacts.
- The plan includes expanding international partnerships for fieldwork across Asia.
-
31.
Virgin Galactic Moves First Delta Ship Apeiron to New Mexico; Commercial Flights Eyed for 2027
- Virgin Galactic named its first Delta-class spaceship 'Apeiron', chosen through a public vote, on Wednesday.
- Apeiron was to be moved on Wednesday from Virgin Galactic's Spaceship Factory in Mesa, Arizona, to Spaceport America in New Mexico, carried by the VMS Eve aircraft.
-
32.
Apple Launches First Touchscreen MacBook Pro With OLED Display, From $2,899
- Apple announced its first touchscreen laptop on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at an event in Los Angeles. It is called MacBook Pro with ProLED (PROLED) XDR Display and runs macOS. ✓3
- The 14-inch model starts at $2,899 and the 16-inch starts at $3,399. ✓3
-
33.
IEEE Retracts 1,417 Conference Papers in Largest Single Bulk Retraction on Record
- IEEE announced on 28 October that it retracted 1,417 conference papers in one batch; Nature verified the retractions were dated 23 October.
- Research-integrity specialists told Nature it is the largest single bulk retraction by any scholarly publisher.
-
34.
Maryland Researchers Build Sonar Robots and AI to Map Chesapeake Bay Oyster Beds
- University of Maryland mechanical engineer Miao Yu's team built Oysterbot, a raft-like robot with pontoons and a mounted sonar, to scan the seabed for oysters.
- The team also uses an off-the-shelf BlueROV to examine areas up close via live video, and uses AI to stitch the images together and determine whether oysters are present, how many are alive or dead, and their size.
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35.
Microsoft Rolls Out Windows 11 Preview KB5127936 With Customizable Right-Click Menu
- Microsoft is beginning a gradual rollout of Windows 11 preview update KB5127936, cumulative for versions 26H2 and 25H2, before wider rollout at general availability.
- The update adds a 'customize menu' button that lets users toggle built-in right-click commands such as Send To or Create Shortcut, rearrange items on the main menu, and control which third-party extensions appear in the main menu or submenus.
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36.
Small Irish Study of 62 Adults Links Coffee to Gut Microbe, Mood and Cognition Changes
- A University College Cork study found caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee were each linked to changes in gut microbes and some measures of mood, and appeared to have different effects on cognition.
- The study included 62 healthy adults: 31 regular coffee drinkers (typically three to five cups a day) and 31 non-coffee drinkers.
-
37.
Study: Manx Shearwaters' Sun Compass Skews Up to 15 Degrees From Bird Jet Lag
- A study published in Science found that Manx shearwaters experience jet lag-like clock mismatch during long east-west flights, which skews their Sun-compass navigation.
- The dataset comprised 3,688 foraging trips by 1,045 birds from colonies on the UK's western coasts, tracked with GPS tags since 2004.
-
38.
Putin Says He Is in 'Close Contact' With Musk on Russian Starlink Rival Rassvet
- Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow on Wednesday that he is in 'close contact' with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk regarding Rassvet, Russia's satellite internet project. ✓2
- Putin called Musk 'a genius, truly a genius' and said Musk already has more than 5,000 such satellites in orbit, while Russia is 'only taking the first steps'. ✓2
-
39.
Berlin Team Reports Method to Depolymerize Silicones Back to Dichlorosilane Monomer
- Researchers report in Nature a silylium-ion-initiated depolymerization of (poly)siloxanes that regenerates the industrially relevant dichlorosilane monomer.
- The process uses phosgene substitutes, and eventually phosgene itself, as deoxygenative chlorinating reagents under mild conditions to directly cleave Si–O–Si linkages.
-
40.
Nature Study: Over 25% of Fetal Neurons Have Chromosome Changes vs 6% After Birth
- A Nature study published 28 October analysed more than 2,300 individual neurons and found that over one-quarter of sampled neurons from human fetal brains had gained or lost chromosome segments (copy number variation).
- Only about 6% of neurons from the brains of babies after birth showed such abnormalities, a drop of more than fourfold.
-
41.
Xreal launches Aura Android XR smart glasses from $1,099, shipping mid-November
- Xreal launched the Xreal Aura wired smart glasses at the Android Developer Summit on Wednesday, powered by Android XR and Qualcomm's Snapdragon Reality Elite platform.
- The 12GB + 256GB version costs $1,279, with a limited launch price of $1,099 through December; the 16GB + 512GB version costs $1,499, with a launch price of $1,299 through December.
-
42.
Seoul Court Rejects Refund Suit by 88 Tesla Owners Over Full Self-Driving Software
- The Seoul Central District Court on Thursday rejected a lawsuit by 88 Tesla owners seeking full refunds for money paid for Full Self-Driving (FSD) driver-assistance software.
- The court ruled that Tesla had not breached its contractual obligations.
-
43.
Pentagon Inspector General Declines Senators' Request to Probe Starlink Limits in Ukraine
- The Pentagon inspector general's office declined a request from US senators to investigate restrictions recently imposed on the Ukraine military's use of SpaceX's satellite network.
- Ukraine said earlier this month that military drones lost satellite connectivity when traveling above 161 km/h (100 mph) while using Starlink and the military version, Starshield.
-
44.
Cell Press Probe Finds No Evidence for Bribery Claims Against Cancer Cell Editor
- Cell Press, owned by Elsevier, said in a statement published Thursday evening that its investigation had "largely concluded" and "found no evidence to support the aforementioned allegations" against the editor-in-chief of the journal Cancer Cell.
- The allegations against the Cancer Cell editor-in-chief include bribery claims, made by Rao.
-
45.
HuidaGene DMD Gene-Editing Trial Results Published: 1 of 4 Boys Died, Limited Efficacy
- Results of the first human trial of HuidaGene's experimental gene-editing therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) have been published; one of four child participants died after a severe immune reaction. ✓2
- The therapy used an adeno-associated virus (AAV) to deliver a CRISPR-based base editor to muscles to correct the DMD mutation.
-
46.
Kim Jong Un Visits Drone Exhibition, Calls for 'Absolute Superiority' in Drone Capabilities
- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited a drone exhibition showcasing the country's latest military technology.
- Kim called for 'absolute superiority' in North Korea's drone capabilities.
-
47.
Nature Paper: Eukaryotes' Closest Relatives Are Internally Simple Syntrophic Archaea
- Nature published a 2026 paper by Imachi et al. titled 'Eukaryotes' closest relatives are internally simple syntrophic peptidotrophic archaea'.
- The paper's title states that the closest known archaeal relatives of eukaryotes are internally simple, syntrophic (dependent on partner microbes) and peptidotrophic (feeding on peptides).
-
48.
Russian Drone Kills 5 in Kharkiv Park Days After SpaceX Throttled Ukraine's Starlink
- A Russian drone struck a park in Ukraine's Kharkiv region on Oct. 19, killing five people, including 34-year-old makeup artist Yulia Spichak and a 1-year-old girl.
- The strike came six days after SpaceX throttled Ukraine's Starlink access, according to CBS News.
-
49.
Critical 9.5-Severity Flaw CVE-2026-97631 Found in TianoCore EDK II UEFI Firmware
- CVE-2026-97631 is a memory-corruption (buffer overflow) flaw in the TianoCore EDK II open source codebase used to build UEFI firmware, rated 9.5 out of 10 in severity.
- The flaw is in the PXE Base Code driver (NetworkPkg/UefiPxeBcDxe), in the ICMP error handlers for IPv4 and IPv6 (PxeBcIcmpErrorDpcHandle and PxeBcIcmp6ErrorDpcHandle), and is 16 years old.
-
50.
CISA Confirms Active Exploitation of Critical PHP2Shell Bugs, Gives Agencies 3 Days to Patch
- CISA confirmed that hackers are actively exploiting two critical vulnerabilities in PHP, known as PHP2Shell.
- CISA ordered civilian federal agencies to fix their systems within three days.
-
51.
NYT: US Intelligence Says Chinese Asset Alice Huang Targeted Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang
- The New York Times reported, citing unnamed sources, that US intelligence agencies believe Alice Huang (Huang Le), an executive at Singapore-based datacenter firm Megaspeed, was a Chinese intelligence asset who cultivated a close relationship with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. ✓5
- Alice Huang is not related to Jensen Huang.
-
52.
Researchers Explore Near-Infrared Light as Possible Treatment for Football-Linked CTE
- Researchers are exploring new ways to treat and even prevent chronic traumatic encephalopathy (C.T.E.), a brain disease associated with football.
- One of the approaches under study is the use of near-infrared light, which the NY Times describes as among the most surprising.
-
53.
Nature Paper: Dual-Copper Catalysis Activates Unactivated Alkyl Chlorides, Modifies PVC
- A paper titled 'Switchable Chlorine Atom Transfer Radical Reactions' was published in Nature in 2026 (DOI 10.1038/s41586-026-11348-z) by Jun Huang, Yu Liu, Wencheng Yan, Guichao Dong, Hongliang Chen, Shiyi Zhao, Chengjian Zhu, Jie Han and Jin Xie.
- The authors describe a dual-copper relay catalytic strategy: a dinuclear copper complex selectively activates the strong C–Cl bond of unactivated alkyl chlorides, while a mononuclear copper catalyst mediates controllable C–Cl bond reconstruction.
-
54.
Nature Study: Lactate Enters Heart Mitochondria Directly via MCT1 Transporter
- A study by Cluntun et al. in Nature (2026) reports that in the heart, lactate can enter mitochondria directly through a specific transporter protein.
- The paper, titled 'MCT1-dependent mitochondrial lactate import sustains cardiac metabolism', identifies the transporter as MCT1.
-
55.
Pompeii Archaeologists Find Sealed Closet With Necklace, 38 Bronze Coins in Roman Home
- Archaeologists found a sealed closet in a home in central Pompeii, the Pompeii Archaeological Park said in a news release.
- The house was previously excavated in 1912; an investigation of the surrounding areas is now underway.
-
56.
Avian Cholera, Not Bird Flu, Killed 537+ Adélie Penguins in Antarctica's Danger Islands
- A research team led by wildlife veterinarian Ralph Vanstreels (UC Davis, based in Argentina) visited the Danger Islands off the Antarctic Peninsula in March 2024 and found more than 537 penguin carcasses on a single landing ramp.
- Researchers estimate thousands of dead Adélie penguins and other birds across the Danger Islands, but could not complete a count because of limited time on site.
-
57.
Preprint flags 3,753 journals meeting at least one suspicious-publishing criterion
- A Zenodo preprint (not peer reviewed) proposed three red flags for suspicious journals in a single year: publication output doubling, over 70% of articles from a single country, and at least 15% of articles flagged by the Problematic Paper Screener.
- Using OpenAlex titles, the team identified 3,753 journals that met at least one of the criteria; the authors say this does not prove the journals are problematic.
-
58.
Study in Physical Review Letters Rules Out Ultra-Massive Black Holes as Dark Matter
- A study by Gerlach, Gouttenoire, Iovino and Leister, published in Physical Review Letters vol. 137, article 181401 (2026), rules out 'stupendously' large black holes as a source of dark matter.
-
59.
Nature Survey: Only 51% of Chinese Scientists Satisfied With Jobs, Down 24% Since 2018
- A survey published this month in the journal Nature found Chinese scientists are less satisfied with their jobs than researchers in any other major country.
- Only 51 per cent of the 157 respondents from China said they were satisfied with their jobs, down 24 per cent from 2018.
-
60.
Preprint: Dinosaur and Mammal-Line Fossils Over-Represented in Science and Nature
- Bryan Gee of the Burke Museum in Seattle posted a bioRxiv preprint analysing more than 4,200 papers published since 2000 that described 8,331 new extinct species.
- The papers appeared in 13 journals, from Science and Nature to specialist journals such as the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology and the Journal of Paleontology.
-
61.
US DIA Report Includes First Full Image of China's Spaceplane, Warns of Space-Based Energy Weapons
- A US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) unclassified assessment of space threats includes a satellite image of China's secretive reusable spaceplane, taken in 2024 by a Maxar (now Vantor) commercial satellite. ✓2
- The DIA report warns China is expanding its ability to track American forces and could deploy space-based directed-energy weapons by the late 2020s.
-
62.
Science Study: Manx Shearwaters Show Jet Lag-Like Navigation Errors on Atlantic Flights
- A study published in the journal Science found that Manx shearwaters appear to become slightly disoriented on long flights across the Atlantic, with the authors attributing this to the birds' internal clock falling out of sync with the sun's position.
- Lead researcher Patrick Lewin, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Oxford, used GPS tracking data collected by colleagues over 20 years on shearwater flights out to the Atlantic and back.
-
63.
Google Opens Android Registered App Stores Applications; Program Launches Dec. 1, $10,000 Annual Fee
- Google has opened applications for its Registered App Stores program, which goes live on December 1.
- Eligible app stores outside the US can apply; Google plans support in dozens of nations, including most of the world outside the US and Europe.
-
64.
Rub' al Khali Expedition Finds No Human Traces; Study Links Settlement to Stone and Water
- The Rub' al Khali (Empty Quarter) is the world's largest sand sea, covering almost a third of the Arabian Peninsula.
- The desert was periodically part of a lush savannah known as 'Green Arabia' when ice age climatic shifts brought more rainfall.
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65.
Discord to Make Public Server Messages Searchable on the Web Starting Nov. 16
- Discord announced on Tuesday that it will make some conversations in public "Discoverable Servers" searchable and easier to find on the internet.
- Discoverable Servers are public servers whose administrators have made them eligible to appear in Discord's Server Discovery feature; Discord says there are more than 63,000 of them.
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66.
GMO Internet Says Hackers Posted Data After Onamae Breach; 8 Billion Yen Ransom Demanded
- GMO Internet is investigating a data leak after suspected unauthorized access to its Onamae Desktop Cloud service, which provides virtualized desktops to financial traders.
- On Oct 27, GMO said a suspected attacker had published information that appeared linked to the company and its customers; the company is still verifying whether it is genuine.
-
67.
MPs Warn Security Minister UK Landline Switch-Off Could Cut Off Remote Areas in Emergencies
- UK landline operators aim to complete the switch from copper-wire to internet-based phone networks by the end of January next year.
- MPs representing remote areas urged security minister Dan Jarvis to ensure the switch does not make communities more vulnerable in storms or other emergencies.
-
68.
Ford Unveils Two Home Chargers Letting $28,350 Fathom Truck Power Houses
- Ford announced two new bidirectional EV chargers for its forthcoming Fathom electric pickup, allowing the truck to supply power to a home or the grid. ✓2
- Ford said the Fathom will start at $28,350 and is due next year. ✓2
-
69.
Apple Says Small Number of iPhone Duo Screens Failing; Offers Warranty Replacement
- Apple's first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, went on sale in stores on Friday, starting at $1,999. ✓3
- Early buyers report the inner OLED screen failing, with bright lines emanating from the hinge area; some report a crunching sound or resistance when closing the phone. ✓3
-
70.
GM Plans Eyes-Off Driving Debut in Cadillac Escalade IQ by 2028
- General Motors plans to introduce eyes-off driving technology, as early as 2028, that would let drivers take their eyes off the road under approved conditions.
- The technology is expected to debut in the Cadillac Escalade IQ electric SUV.
-
71.
Evernote Top Tier Rises to $250/Year as Owner Bending Spoons Cites Pricing Tests
- Evernote changed its subscription tiers earlier in 2026, moving some users from $130 per year to $250 per year.
- Bending Spoons bought Evernote in 2023; a June SEC filing said it was attracted to Evernote's 200 million accounts and high engagement, with average customer tenure of 7.2 years at acquisition.
-
72.
Helion, Commonwealth Fusion Get $260M From Commerce Dept. in Exchange for Non-Voting Shares
- The Department of Commerce awarded Helion and Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) a combined $260 million under the CHIPS and Science Act, to develop advanced semiconductors used to power and control their reactors.
- Helion received $175 million and CFS received $85 million.
-
73.
China Phase 1 Trial: Gum Stem Cell Therapy Improves Type 1 Diabetes in Over Half of Patients
- A randomised phase 1 clinical trial by scientists and doctors from Shanghai and Guangzhou tested a gingival mesenchymal stem cell-based therapy for Type 1 diabetes.
- More than half of recipients (headline cites 55%) showed varying degrees of improvement, according to the researchers.
-
74.
PHP2Shell Flaws Patched: Two Critical Bugs Threaten Up to 70% of Web-Facing Internet
- Two critical PHP vulnerabilities, dubbed PHP2Shell and designated CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619, allow unauthenticated remote code execution on systems running PHP.
- The PHP Foundation publicly released patches for the bugs on Wednesday, after giving some large internet companies and web hosts an early head start under embargo.
-
75.
Anduril, Qualcomm Unveil BlueChip Rugged Laptop, ~90% US/Allied Parts, Preorders 2027
- Anduril and Qualcomm announced BlueChip, a hardened laptop, on Tuesday (Oct. 27, 2026).
- BlueChip will be available for preorder in 2027; pricing has not been announced.
-
76.
HK Privacy Watchdog Probes Data Leaks as ~2,000 Customers Get Scam Calls
- Almost 2,000 customers of Hong Kong Airlines and two electronic appliance retailers, Yoho and Broadway, received fraudulent calls after their personal information was leaked, according to Hong Kong's privacy watchdog.
- The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) said on Monday it had received more than 40 inquiries and complaints linked to the suspected data leaks.
-
77.
Thieves Steal Over $100M in Data Center Freight Since June, NBC News Reports
- Since June, thieves have made away with more than $100 million in data center freight, according to NBC News interviews with industry leaders, consultants and investigators advising law enforcement.
- Thieves hack freight brokers' accounts on shipment-listing sites, post fake shipments to attract bids, and send malicious links to responding trucking companies to take over their accounts and bid on real shipments.
-
78.
China Grants Autonomous Driving Permits to Xpeng and a Volkswagen Joint Venture
- China has granted new autonomous-driving permission to EV maker Xpeng and a mainland joint venture of Volkswagen.
- Xpeng is now allowed to conduct 'demonstration operations' of its Yoyo driverless taxis in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, under a licence officially granted recently.
-
79.
Sheffield Scientists Recreate Lycurgus Cup's Green-to-Red Glass; Sculpture to Debut
- University of Sheffield scientists Lisa Hollands and Caroline Jackson developed a replicable recipe for glass that appears green in reflected light and red when backlit, matching the optical effect of the Lycurgus Cup.
- The Lycurgus Cup dates to around 400 CE and is made of dichroic glass; its color effect was attributed in 2007 to gold and silver nanoparticles in the glass.
-
80.
Berkeley Preprint: Macaque Brain Activity Flickers Between Conscious and Unconscious Patterns 15 Times a Second
- Neuroscientist Doris Tsao of the University of California, Berkeley, and colleagues posted a preprint on bioRxiv describing a visual-perception experiment in macaques (Macaca mulatta); it has not yet been peer reviewed.
- Using only the monkeys' neural activity, the team reconstructed with high fidelity both images the animals were consciously seeing and images present before their eyes that escaped their awareness.
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81.
300+ Boston Dynamics Staff Petition Against $1.3M ICE Robot Dog Contract
- More than 300 Boston Dynamics employees, about half of them anonymous, signed a petition urging executives to halt the sale of the company's Spot robot dogs to ICE.
- The petition was sent to executives in early September and shared with The Boston Globe and WBUR.
-
82.
Instagram Tests "Features" Videos Up to 90 Minutes Long in Brazil and U.S.
- Instagram announced it is testing a new video upload type called "Features," allowing videos up to 90 minutes long.
- Instagram is testing "Features" and "Clips as Reels" in Brazil and is expanding to a small test in the U.S.
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83.
Roman Fort Found Near Frenni Fawr in Wales; Archaeologist Says It May Have Held 1,000 Troops
- An ancient Roman fort was identified near Frenni Fawr in Pembrokeshire, Wales; Wolfson College, Oxford announced the discovery in October following excavations.
- Archaeologist Mark Merrony, a fellow at Wolfson College, Oxford and editor-in-chief of Antiqvvs magazine, first identified the fort using satellite imagery in 2024.
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84.
Bedrock Robotics Raises $600M Series C at $4.1B Valuation for Autonomous Excavators
- Bedrock Robotics raised $600 million in a Series C round that values the company at $4.1 billion.
- The round was co-led by CapitalG and Emergence Capital.
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85.
Taiwan Team Simulates Two 20-Drone Fleets Flying at Once; First US V-BAT Delivered
- Taiwan's National Cheng Kung University research team completed simultaneous flight simulations involving two fleets totaling 20 drones, the council said on Monday.
- The simulations mark a shift from controlling individual aircraft to coordinating multiple groups of drones.
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86.
Chinese Lab Develops Catalyst Converting Mars-Atmosphere CO2 Into Methanol Fuel
- A team at the state-funded Deep Space Exploration Laboratory in Hefei, China, has developed a catalyst that converts carbon dioxide into methanol, a liquid fuel.
- Carbon dioxide makes up more than 95 per cent of the Martian atmosphere.
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87.
Satellite Imagery Suggests China May Have Begun Limited KJ-3000 Radar Plane Production
- China may have begun limited production of its next-generation KJ-3000 airborne early warning aircraft, according to an imagery analyst cited by SCMP.
- Satellite imagery suggests three possible production examples of the KJ-3000 were parked at a factory as early as April, according to the analyst.
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88.
Chinese Study Puts Greenland Ice Loss at 120 Gt a Year, 55% Below NASA Estimate
- Chinese researchers developed a new model that converts satellite surface elevation data for the Greenland Ice Sheet into estimates of ice mass loss.
- Using satellite altimetry data covering 2002 to 2023, the researchers found the ice sheet lost an average of about 120 gigatonnes of mass per year.
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89.
Photos Show China's H-6K Bomber Carrying Two Apparent Electronic Warfare Pods
- Images circulating on social media show a PLA H-6K strategic bomber in flight with two new electronic warfare pods mounted on two of its six pylons.
- The photos emerged on Saturday and have not been independently verified.
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90.
Fossils in China suggest 237-million-year-old armoured amphibian lived in the sea
- Research published in Nature Ecology & Evolution reports that amphibians lived in the sea 237 million years ago.
- Two fossils of a temnospondyl, a group of primitive amphibians, were found in what is now Guizhou province, China, which was a salty sea during the Late Triassic.
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91.
Samil PwC Report Warns Korean Chipmakers as China's CXMT, YMTC Gain Share
- Samil PwC, the South Korean member firm of the global consultancy, made public a report on Monday on competition from China's expanding semiconductor industry.
- The report said Chinese competition would likely intensify first in conventional memory, mature-node manufacturing, and packaging and testing.
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92.
Turo to Flag Tesla Cars With FSD (Supervised), Offer Hosts Free One-Month Trial
- Turo will advertise which Teslas on its marketplace are equipped with Tesla's Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system.
- Eligible Turo hosts will receive a free one-month trial of FSD.
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93.
Study: Yarlung Tsangpo, Site of World's Biggest Dam, Faces Rising Run-off and Flood Risk
- Chinese researchers found the Yarlung Tsangpo River may face increased run-off and flood risks over this century.
- The team used tree-ring width chronologies from the southeastern Tibetan Plateau to reconstruct the river's run-off history from 1325 to 2020.
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94.
NHTSA Proposes Optional Cyan Lights to Mark Autonomous Vehicles Operating Without Occupant
- NHTSA has proposed new lighting requirements for autonomous vehicles that include an option to use cyan (blue-green) lights to signal when a vehicle is operating autonomously without a human occupant monitoring the road.
- The proposal is not a mandate for blue-green lights. It would set equipment specifications covering where lights are mounted, their color and how they are activated, and would remove requirements for manually operated controls for turn signals, high beams and hazard lights.
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95.
New 'Lumina' Simulation Models First Billion-Plus Years After the Big Bang
- A new simulation models the first couple of billion years following the Big Bang, the period known as the cosmic dawn.
- The NY Times describes the simulation as offering a highly immersive, detailed look at that early period; its URL identifies the project as 'Lumina'.
-
96.
Nature Survey of 3,882 Scientists: Under Half Got a Pay Rise in Past Year
- Nature's 2026 science-job satisfaction survey, run with Thinks Insight & Strategy, had 3,882 self-selecting respondents across 133 countries; it launched in May.
- Fewer than half of respondents said they received a pay rise in the past 12 months; about one-third said their salary covers only basic expenses and one in ten said it does not cover even that.
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97.
Inaugural Animal Longevity Summit in Toronto Highlights Growing Pet Lifespan Research
- The inaugural Animal Longevity Summit was held in Toronto, Canada, bringing together academic and industry scientists, some accompanied by their dogs.
- Presentations covered ageing in animal species, cancer in dogs, regeneration in axolotls, genetics of mammals in extreme environments, and company work on dog gene therapies, probiotic cat kibble and pet cryopreservation.
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98.
Nature Study in Mice Links Nerve Activity to Onset of Autoimmune Hair Loss
- Cui et al. published a study in Nature (volume 658, pages 1310–1318, 2026) examining autoimmune hair loss in mice.
- A Nature News & Views commentary, titled 'Nerve activity initiates autoimmune hair loss', says the study provides insights into autoimmune hair loss.
-
99.
Meta Settlement Bans 'Cosmetic Procedure Filters' for Teen Users
- A recent Meta settlement includes a clause banning 'cosmetic procedure filters' for teenage users.
- Defining what constitutes an extreme cosmetic makeover filter is difficult, according to NPR's reporting.
-
100.
Trump Says Starshield 'Back' in Ukraine; Kyiv Says Speed Limits Remain
- President Trump said on Thursday that Starshield, the military-grade version of SpaceX's Starlink, was 'back' in Ukraine, saying 'I guess the bottom line, he put it back' about Elon Musk. ✓3
- Ukrainian officials and a senior European official said restrictions were still in place after Trump's statement; Ukraine's Defence Ministry source said signal loss was still being observed. ✓3
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101.
Matiks Raises $10M Pre-Series A Led by General Catalyst, Totaling $13.5M Raised
- India-based gaming startup Matiks raised $10 million in pre-Series A funding, announced Monday.
- General Catalyst led the round, with participation from Ronnie Screwvala and existing investors Info Edge Ventures, Tanglin Venture Partners, and Untitled Ventures.
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102.
Quest Diagnostics Confirms Cyberattack on Quanum Lab Platform; Patient Records Accessed
- Quest Diagnostics confirmed a cyberattack and data breach affecting patient information, in an 8-K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
- Quest said it learned of the cyberattack on Wednesday; it targeted Quanum, a system that lets doctors' offices, hospitals and practices order lab tests for patients and handle billing.
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103.
Time Team Excavation Uncovers New Structures at Medieval Leprosy Hospital in Lincoln
- Archaeologists from the TV program 'Time Team' uncovered traces of medieval walls and possible living quarters during a three-day excavation at South Common, Lincoln, England.
- The site was home to the Hospital of the Holy Innocents, founded between the late 11th and early 12th centuries, which operated for nearly 500 years and housed up to 20 leprosy patients at a time.
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104.
M-Vave Opens FM-1 Synth to Custom Firmware, Releasing SDK and GPLv3 App Source
- On October 17, M-Vave announced FM 1 Open, a software package for developing custom firmware for the FM-1 synthesizer.
- FM 1 Open includes an SDK, a browser-based workbench (FM1 Workbench), an in-browser emulator, and version 15 of the stock firmware.
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105.
UK Space Agency Awards ClearSpace UK ~$81M Contract for Dead-Satellite Removal Craft
- The UK Space Agency selected ClearSpace UK to develop a spacecraft to remove dead satellites from orbit, under a contract valued at approximately $81 million.
- The project is part of Britain's Active Debris Removal (UK ADR) mission.
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106.
Hong Kong Researchers Test PCR System Giving Cancer Blood Test Results in 3-4 Hours
- Hong Kong researchers are testing a next-generation PCR system that analyses blood samples and can deliver cancer test results within three to four hours.
- Audrey Kwan, a Hongkonger diagnosed with stage two lymphoma six years ago at age 20, needed blood tests, a biopsy and CAT scans before diagnosis.
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107.
Greek Parliament Passes Social Media Ban for Under-15s, Effective January 1, 2027
- The Greek parliament passed a law banning the use of social media by minors under age 15. ✓2
- The law takes effect on January 1, 2027. ✓2
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108.
Australia Became First Country to Require Social Media Firms to Block Child Accounts
- Australia became the first country in the world to force many social media companies to prevent children from having accounts, according to CBS News.
- The ban was introduced last year, according to CBS News' synopsis.
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109.
Bitdefender: 'Midnight Mimosa' Malware Preinstalled on Low-Cost Android Phones in 150+ Countries
- Bitdefender researchers uncovered a malware campaign called Midnight Mimosa that infects certain low-cost Android devices via firmware before owners first turn them on.
- Bitdefender says it observed Midnight Mimosa on thousands of unique devices across more than 150 countries over about two years.
-
110.
Phase 2 Trial: 25 of 36 Adverse-Risk AML Patients Respond to Two-Drug Regimen
- Trial data published in Haematologica in September show 25 of 36 patients saw their cancer shrink or disappear during a 28-day course of treatment, and 19 of them entered complete remission.
- The trial tested whether two medications typically given to older AML patients would be effective for younger patients with adverse-risk disease; it was overseen by Dr. Justin Watts of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in Miami.
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111.
Study of 632 US Adults Finds Disgust-Politics Link Depends on Disgust Type, Bodily Awareness
- A review of 24 studies found that people who reported being more easily disgusted tended to hold more socially conservative views.
- Researchers Manos Tsakiris and Mariana von Mohr surveyed 632 US adults on how much they noticed and trusted bodily signals (interoceptive sensibility).
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112.
PHP Flaws: Nine Security Firms Report No Successful Attacks a Day After Patches
- PHP maintainers released patches on Wednesday for two critical vulnerabilities, CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619. ✓4
- As of Thursday evening, researchers and spokespeople from nine security firms (CrowdStrike, ESET, Google Threat Intelligence Group, Huntress, Palo Alto Networks, Recorded Future, SecureWorks, Sophos, Trail of Bits) told NBC News they had not seen any successful attacks.
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113.
NASA Details 2028 Artemis Landing Plan; Safety Panel Cites ~22 Starship Refueling Flights
- NASA held a news conference on Friday detailing its plan to return astronauts to the lunar surface as soon as 2028 under Artemis, with either a SpaceX Starship or Blue Origin Blue Moon lander. ✓2
- NASA still targets Artemis III, a docking demonstration with both Blue Moon and Starship in Earth orbit, for 2027 (Ars: 'summer' 2027; CBS: next year), and Artemis IV, the landing, for 2028. ✓2
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114.
EA Closes BioWare After 30+ Years, Ends Mass Effect Development; 400 EA Job Cuts Reported
- BioWare announced on social media on a Wednesday that it is closing and that early development on the next Mass Effect project is ending.
- Bloomberg reported, citing a person familiar with the plans, 400 job cuts across Electronic Arts, including 50 at BioWare. The BioWare announcement followed minutes after the report.
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115.
Malaysia Bars Civil Servants From Using Waze for Official Duties, Weighs Full Ban
- Malaysia has barred civil servants from using the navigation app Waze for official duties.
- The restriction is attributed to Waze's links to Israel and national security concerns.
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116.
Spotify Requires Family, Duo Members to Scan QR Code in Person Within 7 Days
- Spotify is requiring Family and Duo plan members to scan an address-verification QR code in person on the plan manager's device to keep access.
- Members who do not scan the QR code within seven days are demoted to the free tier and barred from joining any Duo or Family plan for 12 months.
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117.
Google Updates Privacy Policy, Loosening Limit on Gmail, Photos Data in Ad Personalization
- On October 16, Google updated its privacy policy; the change was spotted by Android Authority.
- The ad personalization section previously said: "We don't show you personalized ads based on your content from Drive, Gmail, or Photos." The language was revised to add qualifying wording.
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118.
Commerce Dept Awards Commonwealth Fusion Systems $85M CHIPS Act Grant, Takes Stake
- Commonwealth Fusion Systems announced it will receive $85 million from the U.S. government to develop advanced chips for the fusion power industry.
- The award comes from the Department of Commerce under the CHIPS Act and also gives the government a stake in CFS, per TechCrunch's report.
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119.
WSJ: Musk Ordered Slowdown of Starshield Service Ukraine's Military Relies On
- The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing US officials and people familiar with the matter, that Elon Musk last week ordered a slowdown of a military-grade version of SpaceX's Starlink that Ukraine relies on. ✓4
- CBS News, citing people familiar with the matter, separately reported that a decision by Musk led to the restrictions.
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120.
SpaceX Declines Three Space Force Launch Contracts; No Other Provider Bid, Politico Reports
- SpaceX declined to offer its services for three future Space Force satellite missions listed under the National Security Space Launch initiative, according to Politico as cited by Ars Technica.
- No other rocket companies offered to take the three missions, per Politico as cited by Ars Technica.
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121.
Apple iPhone Duo Launches Globally; Scalpers Offer $448 Premiums Outside Beijing Store
- Apple's first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo, arrived in stores on Friday in its global launch. ✓3
- Outside Apple's Sanlitun flagship store in Beijing, scalpers offered customers an extra 3,000 yuan ($448) to sell their newly purchased Duo on the spot.
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122.
Japan University Defence Funding Bids Hit Record 291, More Than Double Last Year's 123
- Japanese universities and other educational institutions submitted a record 291 applications for defence ministry research funding this year, up from 123 last year.
- The defence ministry received a record 560 applications in total this year, up from 340 last year; the education-sector bids made up more than half, and the rest came from public research institutes and companies.
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123.
Japan Drafts Social Media Election Rules: Monetisation Screening, AI Content Labels
- Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has drafted guidelines for social media platforms ahead of local elections.
- The draft guidelines require platform operators to set eligibility requirements and strict screening procedures for users of monetisation features.
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124.
Philadelphia Police Arrest 78-Year-Old Who Blocked Uber Eats Delivery Robot
- On Oct. 14, Carolyn Marvin, a 78-year-old retired University of Pennsylvania professor, stood in front of an Uber Eats delivery robot on Filbert Street near Reading Terminal Market in Center City Philadelphia.
- Police responded after witnesses reported a disturbance; officers said Marvin repeatedly refused instructions to move out of the robot's path.
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125.
Science Study: Laurentide Ice Sheet Remnant Began Regrowing 2,000 Years Ago, Reversed Near 1960
- A Science study led by Nicolás Young of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory reports the Laurentide Ice Sheet reached its smallest size about 3,600 years ago and began re-expanding roughly 2,000 years ago.
- The study was conducted at Barnes Ice Cap on Baffin Island, the last remnant of the Laurentide Ice Sheet; Barnes is cold-based, frozen to bedrock, which preserves plants beneath it.
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126.
Study of 194 Knee Arthritis Patients: 80% Report Pain Relief for 12 Months After GAE
- A clinical study of 194 patients with knee osteoarthritis found 80% reported significant pain reductions lasting at least one year after genicular artery embolization (GAE).
- GAE temporarily blocks excess blood vessels around the knee using dissolvable gelatin-based microspheres, guided by real-time X-ray.
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127.
Space Force Seeks Third Heavy-Lift Spaceport by 2030, But Has No Site or Plan
- Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, head of Space Systems Command, described 2030 as an 'aspirational' timeline for a new Space Force spaceport, saying 'We need this capability by 2030, but I'm also a pragmatist.'
- Pentagon officials have not determined where the new spaceport would go or how to acquire the land; Garrant said there are no decision timelines yet.
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128.
FCC Grants Intel One-Year Waiver to Keep Using Foreign-Made Robots in US Fabs
- On October 22, the FCC published an order granting Intel a one-year waiver to continue using foreign-made robots in its US semiconductor manufacturing facilities.
- Intel filed its waiver request on October 16; the FCC approved it within a week.
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129.
Theranos Film Revives Scrutiny as Blood-Testing Start-Ups Multiply a Decade After Collapse
- The film 'You Can See Everything' chronicles Elizabeth Holmes's final weeks before she went to prison in 2023 and was released in the US last week.
- US federal juries ruled that Theranos misled investors about its device's capabilities; two executives, including Holmes, were sentenced to more than a decade in prison.
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130.
Oura Sues Ultrahuman Over Ring Pro Patents, Seeks U.S. Sales Ban
- Oura filed a patent infringement complaint on Thursday in a federal court in Texas against Ultrahuman, alleging its Ring Pro infringes two Oura patents (D804,471 and 12,769,363) covering design and internal components including battery and sensors.
- Oura seeks monetary damages and a permanent injunction to stop Ultrahuman from selling the Ring Pro.
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131.
Researcher Achieves Software-Only Partial Jailbreak of Nintendo Switch 2 via SmileBasic 4
- Security researcher Sammy Hajhamid (online as Pepsipu) demonstrated a software-only partial jailbreak of the Switch 2 giving 'userland' access, which he says allows running homebrew, reverse engineering and modding games, backing up save files, and accessing most peripherals via MMIO.
- The exploit uses the original Switch version of SmileBasic 4 and is 'tethered': it requires a macOS or Linux PC on the same network running a node.js package.
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132.
Surgeon Ren Xiaoping Says Chinese-Russian Team Performed Spinal Cord Transplant in Moscow
- Surgeon Ren Xiaoping says a joint team performed a spinal cord transplant on a paralysed patient at the Sklifosovsky Research Institute for Emergency Medicine in Moscow.
- Ren says the surgery took place on October 14-15 and lasted 12 hours.
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133.
Timekeepers Vote to End Leap Seconds; Moon to Get Its Own Clock
- A group of international timekeepers has voted to stop adding extra seconds (leap seconds) to the world's clocks, a practice that has been used for more than 50 years.
- The moon is to get its own clock (lunar timekeeping standard), according to Al Jazeera's report.
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134.
Chinese J-20 Designers Propose Wing-Mounted Early-Warning Radar in New Study
- Designers of China's J-20 stealth jet propose placing a powerful early-warning radar inside an aircraft wing to expand coverage during air combat.
- The design was outlined in a peer-reviewed study published online on October 10 in the Chinese journal Measurement & Control Technology.
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135.
Chinese Study of Turkey's Kizilcaoren Rare Earth Deposit Finds Small-Scale Mineralisation
- Chinese researchers carried out an in-depth study of the Kizilcaoren deposit, described as Turkey's largest rare earth deposit, examining how rare earth elements accumulated in carbonatite-related formations.
- Lead scientist Professor Yang Xiaoyong said the deposit's mineralisation was 'small in scale' and 'still far from reaching the large scale of rare earth deposits'.
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136.
Study Models Mars' 1,000-Mile Arsia Mons Cloud, Pointing to Unobserved Nucleation Process
- A thin cloud near the volcano Arsia Mons on Mars forms each morning in Martian spring and summer, elongates to over 1,000 miles, then dissipates; the cycle repeats for several months.
- The Arsia Mons Elongated Cloud (AMEC) was first recorded by a probe in 2018, and scientists had been unable to find a plausible explanation for it.
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137.
Study in Journal of Archaeological Science Suggests Sanxingdui People Practised Animal Sacrifice
- A research paper published in the Journal of Archaeological Science in late August suggests the Sanxingdui people likely practised animal sacrifice.
- Researchers identified what appeared to be a sacrificial pit based on the spatial arrangement of valuable artefacts.
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138.
Prime Medicine Treats First Patient With In-Body Prime Editing in Wilson Disease Trial
- Prime Medicine, a biotechnology company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, announced it treated the first person in its clinical trial of prime editing for Wilson disease earlier this month.
- Nature describes it as the first known instance of prime editing used to edit DNA directly inside a person's body (in vivo).
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139.
Scorched 3.35-Metre Metal Object Found in Minnesota Cornfield, Linked to Chinese Rocket
- A farmer found a bowl-shaped, scorched metal object about 3.35 metres (11 feet) across while harvesting corn in west-central Minnesota on October 14.
- A British astronomer who has tracked rocket launches for more than 30 years told SCMP the debris could be an awkward moment for China and technically an 'international incident'.
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140.
BMW Launches 2027 X5 With Gas, Plug-In Hybrid and Electric iX5 Variants
- BMW is offering the 2027 X5 line with mild hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric iX5 versions, with a hydrogen-powered option planned later.
- The X5 40 xDrive uses a 3.0 L turbocharged inline-six producing 394 hp (294 kW) and 428 lb-ft (580 Nm).
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141.
Chinese Scientists Identify Xujiayao Fossils as Denisovan, Describe Species' Facial Features
- Researchers report that a collection of 20 fossils from Xujiayao in northern China, previously classified as Homo juluensis, are Denisovan, based on ancient protein analysis.
- The Xujiayao fossils were excavated between 1976 and 1979 at the site in northern China's Nihewan Basin.
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142.
eMudhra Exits Global TLS Business After Issuing Eight Certificates With 3-8 Bit Keys
- India-based certificate authority eMudhra Limited announced it is withdrawing from the global SSL/TLS certificate business, in a Thursday post; chairman V. Srinivasan cited compliance costs and complexity, and said TLS generates about 1 percent of company revenue.
- The company's board said the scrutiny from social media amplification of the incident was out of proportion to TLS's place in its business, and concluded that withdrawing was the right decision for eMudhra and its shareholders.
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143.
Crows Decide Random-Dot Motion Task in 235 ms, Roughly Twice as Fast as Monkeys
- University of Tübingen neurobiologist Andreas Nieder and colleague Philipp Schmidbauer tested two hand-raised carrion crows on the random-dot-motion task long used with monkeys.
- Crows averaged 235 milliseconds from dot onset to the start of the head turn to peck; monkeys in three closely matched studies took roughly 410, 490 and 600 ms.
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144.
German Game Developer Manuel Otto, Creator of Stick Run, Dies at 30 After Twitch Livestream
- Manuel Otto, a German video game designer and influencer, apparently took his own life during a Twitch livestream; he was 30.
- Twitch said it moved quickly to remove the channel and the video on demand (VOD) to prevent others from viewing it.
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145.
The Browser Company to Shut Down Arc Browser on December 22, Moves Users to Dia
- The Browser Company will shut down its Arc browser on December 22, 2026, and is directing users to Dia, its AI-first browser.
- The company announced the decision on Thursday, citing the rising cost of keeping a browser secure in the age of AI.
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146.
Warhound Exits Stealth With $200M at $1.2B Valuation to Engineer Military Dogs
- Warhound, a startup founded by Colossal Biosciences' Ben Lamm with Anduril's Palmer Luckey as partner, emerged from stealth on Thursday with $200 million in funding.
- Investors include In-Q-Tel, Sequoia, and 8VC; the round values the company at $1.2 billion.
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147.
Valve Audio Designer Says 'HLX' Codename in Public GameSoundCon Panel
- Valve composer and audio artist Mike Morasky said "HLX has its own version" of an HDR audio system during a GameSoundCon panel on Valve's use of open audio engines.
- "HLX" has been widely reported as the internal code name for Valve's next Half-Life project; it has appeared in Valve engine code since at least 2024.
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148.
Automattic Begins Layoffs Across Comms, Social, WordPress.com and VIP After Board Turnover
- Automattic, parent company of WordPress.com, WooCommerce and Tumblr, has begun layoffs, and insiders told TechCrunch they expect more cuts.
- Over at least the past week, cuts have affected the communications team, social team, WordPress.com and the VIP enterprise business; TechCrunch also heard of marketing and product staff at WordPress.com being let go this month.
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149.
Argentine Rural Communities Slept 35 Minutes Less Nightly After Gaining Electricity
- A 12-year study of rural communities in Argentina found residents slept an average of 35 minutes less per night after gaining access to electricity.
- Electricity gave residents access to the Internet and smartphones, according to the report.
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150.
Samsung: Europe Galaxy Z Fold 8 Sales Up 45% Over Fold 7, Search Interest Spikes
- Samsung UK said in a blog post that combined European sales of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra are up 45 percent compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 7.
- Samsung said search volume for the Z8 series across Europe rose 460 percent during the week of September 6 to 12.
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151.
Russian Satellite Cosmos-2612 Approaches ICEYE-X36 Spacecraft Supporting Ukraine; US Cites Weapons Behavior
- Russia's military satellite Cosmos-2612 (also spelled Kosmos 2612), launched into low Earth orbit in April, maneuvered close to ICEYE-X36, a radar imaging satellite operated by Finland's ICEYE, in October. ✓2
- ICEYE-X36 is operated under contract with the United States (SCMP) / owned by the US subsidiary of ICEYE (Ars Technica), and supports Ukraine's military. ✓2
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152.
Study: Chimpanzees Steal Less Often From Friends, Even When Offered Pineapple
- A scientific finding reported by the NY Times indicates chimpanzees steal less often from their friends, even when pineapple is offered as a reward.
- The NY Times reports the finding may hint at the roots of human norms around fairness and friendship.
-
153.
Northeastern Study: Samsung, Vizio, Roku TVs Keep Sending ACR-Like Traffic After Opt-Out
- Northeastern University researchers published a paper, 'Watching the Watchers: Privacy Analysis of US Smart TV Automatic Content Recognition,' on Monday.
- The study examined eight smart TV operating systems across 12 TVs from 10 manufacturers (Amazon, Hisense, LG, Roku, Samsung, Sony, Supersonic, TCL, Vizio, Westinghouse) and ran 5,943 controlled experiments.
-
154.
Chinese Astronomers Using FAST Telescope Find Stable Three-Star System 7,000 Light Years Away
- Chinese astronomers used FAST, the world's largest single-dish radio telescope in southwestern China, to identify a real three-star system.
- The system consists of two dead stars and one 'living' star in a stable orbital arrangement.
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155.
SpaceX Plans Tower Catch of Both Starship Stages on Flight 15, Targeted for November
- SpaceX plans to attempt catching both the Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage at Starbase, Texas, on the next (15th) Starship test flight, per Elon Musk on a Tuesday earnings call.
- SpaceX is targeting November for Flight 15; Flight 14 occurred a little over three weeks before the call and largely went well despite some Raptor engine issues.
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156.
Microsoft Tests Pay-Per-Hour Xbox Cloud Playtime Packs, 24 to 40 Cents Per Hour
- Microsoft rolled out a la carte Cloud Playtime purchases to Xbox Insiders, with 'introductory launch pricing' equating to roughly 24 to 40 cents per hour of streaming, per Ars Technica's headline.
- Purchased Cloud Playtime 'remains available until it's used' and does not expire.
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157.
Intel Installs First Major Truss at Ohio Fab; Completion Now Targeted for 2030
- Intel announced on Wednesday that crews have installed the first major structural truss at its chip fabrication plant in New Albany, Ohio, beginning the next phase of construction.
- Intel first announced the Ohio fab in 2022, when it was expected to start delivering chips in 2025; Intel now aims to finish construction in 2030.
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158.
Court Records Show TikTok Staff Raised Child Safety Warnings That Executives Did Not Act On
- NPR reports that previously unreported court records show TikTok employees raised internal alarms about child safety.
- According to NPR, the records indicate TikTok executives failed to act on those warnings.
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159.
ICO Reprimands Ogi Networks, Data Cymru After 'Password1' Account Exposes 3,300 People's Data
- The UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) reprimanded Ogi Networks Limited (ONL) and Data Cymru over a cyber-attack on 1 November 2024.
- The attack exposed personal information of 3,300 people, mostly children, linked to two projects supporting children and families.
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160.
Waymo Begins Robotaxi Rides at Las Vegas Airport, Its Sixth Major Airport
- Waymo began offering rides to and from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, announced Wednesday.
- Pickups and dropoffs occur at dedicated autonomous vehicle zones at Terminal 1 and Terminal 3.
-
161.
Survey: Large Firms Spend 28% of Software Budgets on Unwanted Vendor-Driven Changes
- A survey of 2,018 CIOs and senior IT decision-makers at companies with at least 10,000 employees found enterprises spend on average 28% of software budgets on unwanted upgrades, migrations and licensing changes.
- The survey was commissioned by Origina for its report 'The Software Tax' and conducted by research consultancy Censuswide; 1,011 respondents were in the US and the rest in the UK, all at companies with at least $1 billion in annual revenue.
-
162.
Beta Technologies Gets FAA Authorization to Fly Prospective Customers in Electric Aircraft
- A new FAA authorization allows prospective customers to fly in Beta Technologies' electric aircraft, according to CEO Kyle Clark.
- The approval is described as another step toward certification of the aircraft.
-
163.
Ole Bielfeldt, 25, Wins 2026 Nikon Small World Contest Among 1,802 Entries
- Ole Bielfeldt, a 25-year-old German experimental photographer, won the 2026 Nikon Small World photomicrography competition.
- His winning image shows droplets of ink being deposited on paper by an inkjet printer.
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164.
Blacksmith Raises $66M Series C Led by Sequoia at $1B Valuation
- Blacksmith announced a $66 million Series C funding round led by Sequoia, valuing the company at $1 billion.
- Blacksmith's annual recurring revenue has grown 17x, and it has run over 90 million CI jobs, according to the company.
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165.
Nature Study: De Novo Designed Proteins Yield Enantioselective Metalloenzyme Photocatalysts
- A study published in Nature (2026) by Mishra, Payal, Evans and colleagues reports de novo design of enantioselective artificial metalloenzyme (ArM) photocatalysts.
- Researchers used generative protein design to create de novo scaffolds that selectively bind metal polypyridine photocatalysts, then used directed evolution to convert the resulting ArMs into efficient, highly enantioselective photocatalysts.
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166.
Nature Study: Enzyme-Embedded Polyesters Biodegrade Faster in Deep Sea
- A paper by Huang, Q. et al., titled 'Enzyme-embedded polyesters for accelerated biodegradation in the deep sea', was published in Nature in 2026 (DOI 10.1038/s41586-026-11192-1).
- Nature's summary headline states that plastics embedded with enzymes degrade readily in the sea.
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167.
Malaysia Bars Civil Servants From Using Waze, Citing Israeli Control of the App
- Malaysia's government has barred civil servants from using the Waze navigation app, citing Israel's control of the app.
- The decision was announced after a National Cyber Security Committee (NCSC) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday, according to an official circular.
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168.
Quantinuum Says Helios Logical Qubits Improve Over 10x Per Step in Code Distance
- Quantinuum announced on Monday that its current-generation hardware can scale well beyond the error-correction breakeven point.
- Each step up in logical qubit size improved some measures of performance by a factor of over 10, according to Quantinuum's results as reported by Ars Technica.
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169.
Taiwanese Maker Flight-Tests Shahed-Style Attack Drone It Says Can Reach Mainland China
- A Taiwanese-made attack drone similar to Iran's Shahed model has been flight-tested.
- The drone's Taiwanese maker says it could reach military targets in mainland China.
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170.
China Selects 44 Young Researchers for First 15-Year National Science Grants
- China's National Natural Science Foundation (NSFC) has selected its first group of 44 researchers under age 35 (women under 38) for 15-year funding under the National Distinguished Young Scientists Fund.
- Nine of the 44 selected researchers are from outside China; their names and projects have not been released.
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171.
Preprint of ~12,000 US Youths: Cortical Thinning Pace Predicts Mental-Health Symptoms Years Ahead
- A preprint posted on bioRxiv on 11 October, ahead of peer review, reports that the pace of brain maturation in early adolescence can forecast mental-health conditions up to four years before symptoms emerge.
- The study drew on nearly 30,000 brain scans from nearly 12,000 US children tracked over six years, starting around age nine.
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172.
Chinese Team Unveils 1-Gram Wireless 'Airscope' Brain Monitor Tracking Thousands of Neurons
- Scientists from Tsinghua University and the Chinese PLA Medical School developed a wearable wireless brain monitor called the Airscope.
- The Airscope weighs one gram (0.35 oz); the developers describe it as the world's smallest and lightest device of its kind.
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173.
Four US Medium-Lift Rockets Race to Debut as SpaceX Plans to Pull Falcon 9 by 2028
- Ars Technica reports it has been 13 years since a new US medium-lift rocket debuted, the Orbital Sciences Antares.
- Ars Technica reports SpaceX plans to pull the Falcon 9 from the commercial market as soon as 2028, leaving satellite operators uncertain about launch options for 2027-2030.
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174.
Analysis finds white dwarf stars in range of colours, including first green star
- Nature reports that an analysis shows some white dwarf stars appear in a range of colours rather than white.
- Nature reports that the colours include green, which it says has never before been spotted in a star.
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175.
First Human Data Suggests Psychedelics May Reduce Inflammation in Neurodegenerative Disease
- Researchers are publishing some of the first human data indicating psychedelics may have anti-inflammatory potential in patients with neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease.
- Prior laboratory studies have shown that psychedelics such as psilocybin can lower inflammation and may be protective against a range of illnesses.
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176.
Stanford-led study maps insula in 87 patients, showing regions for pain, organ sensation
- A study published in Nature mapped the human insular cortex (insula) in detail, showing how it is organised to process bodily sensations such as pain.
- Researchers studied 87 people who already had electrodes implanted in their brains for medical reasons, sending electrical currents into various sites of the insula in experiments spanning more than a decade.
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177.
Fortune: Microsoft's 2028 Project Helix Console Projected at $1,200-$1,800
- Fortune reports Microsoft internally projected a price of $1,200 to $1,800 for a Project Helix console planned for the 2028 holiday season.
- Fortune reports a next-generation Helix handheld device is planned by the end of next year.
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178.
TP-Link Plans US Router Assembly in Mississippi as Early as 2027, Seeks FCC Exemption
- TP-Link announced plans to assemble Wi-Fi routers in the US, pending US regulatory approval, and said it expects assembly of its Wi-Fi 8 product line to begin as early as next year.
- TP-Link signed a Letter of Intent with US company Keytronic, which agreed to become a primary domestic manufacturing partner, with assembly in Corinth, Mississippi.
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179.
Ukraine Evacuates Wounded Soldier by Heavy Hexacopter Drone in 62 km, 74-Minute Flight
- Ukraine's Army shared a video on October 19 showing a wounded soldier evacuated from the frontline by a heavy hexacopter drone; he secured himself in a harness suspended beneath it.
- The drone was a Heavy Shot AYUDAG 6 hexacopter, provided free by Ukrainian manufacturer Gurzuf Defence to the 92nd separate assault brigade, and was equipped with a winch.
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180.
Pascal Raises $8.5M for Gas-Compression Solid-State Cooling It Says Is 20% More Efficient
- Startup Pascal raised $8.5 million in a follow-on to its seed round, co-led by Sazze Partners and LB Investment, with participation from KDB Silicon Valley.
- Pascal CEO and co-founder Adam Slavney says refrigerators or heat pumps using its material would be about 20% more efficient than existing models (company claim, not independently verified).
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181.
Nature Study Tests Limits of Salt-Marsh Plants' Wave Protection in Extreme Storms
- Nature published a paper by Willemsen et al. (2026) titled 'The contribution of salt marshes to wave attenuation during extreme storms', which determines the limits of coastal protection salt-marsh plants can provide.
- Sand-dune and wetland plants, seagrasses, oysters and macroalgae can slow water and wind flow, capture sediment and modify soil, reducing coastal erosion.
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182.
Nature Study: Cold Activates BH2 Metabolic Network That Extends Worm Lifespan
- A paper by Lee et al. in Nature (2026) reports a metabolic switch that activates a longevity program in response to moderately low temperature.
- The paper is titled 'Cold activates a BH2 metabolic network promoting longevity and proteostasis'.
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183.
OpenBSD 8.0 Released With Intel Arc Support; Loongson Port Retired
- OpenBSD 8.0 has been released, the project's 61st release, continuing semiannual releases dating back to 1996.
- Founder Theo de Raadt said in a post to the project's announcements mailing list that OpenBSD has a record of more than thirty years with only two remote holes in the default install.
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184.
Nature Survey: Scientists in US, Germany, UK Less Optimistic; India 70%, China 55% Optimistic
- Nature published results on 13 October of its latest researcher career survey, covering nearly 4,000 scientists worldwide; the survey ran in May and June 2026.
- 70% of respondents in India feel optimistic about their career prospects, versus 55% in China, 38% in Germany, 34% in the US, 33% in the UK, and a 52% global average.
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185.
11 Celtic Coins From 1st Century B.C. Found at Future Fire Station Site in Thuringia
- Archaeologists found 11 Celtic coins dating to the first century B.C. at Singer Berg in Thuringia, central Germany, during investigation of a former sports field ahead of construction of a new fire station.
- The Thuringian State Office for Monument Preservation and Archaeology (TLDA) announced the find; excavation director Ronny Krause discovered the coins.