Software & Apps
June research roundup: 6 cool science stories we almost missed
Also, the science of poop's distinctive shape, boron buckyballs, and the secret to a soccer feint.
Reddit will require you to log in to use old.reddit.com
Logged-out Old Reddit access is “significant source of abusive scraping."
Amazon blames piracy apps with malware for killing new Fire Stick sideloading
New Fire Stick OS helps Amazon block third-party homepage launchers, ad blockers.
NASA may send a backup, nuclear-powered Mars rover to the Moon
"That would be an awesome capability."
Google kills Tenor GIF API, forcing changes at X, Discord, and more
Tenor still connects to Google apps, but other platforms must look elsewhere for GIFs.
Apple takes Epic fight over app store fees to the Supreme Court
Supreme Court will weigh if Apple contempt finding in Epic case is “erroneous.”
New attack provides one more reason why AI browsers are a bad idea
Telling an LLM that 2 + 2 = 5 is enough to make it follow forbidden instructions.
Tech Life
We hear concerns that shadow banning is limiting access to health advice for women.
Google's new Nano Banana 2 Lite image model is its fastest and cheapest yet
They may not look as good, but Nano Banana 2 Lite images only take a few seconds to create.
RFK Jr. stacks FDA panel with peptide peddlers as FDA scientists oppose access
Peptide drugs are popular, but FDA scientists warn they're untested, may be harmful.
Trump's plan to redesign every .gov website leads to AI-designed horrors
A year in, National Design Studio delays plan to update government web standards.
The US going 100% EV by 2040 would save more than 100k lives, study says
Much of it comes from heavy-duty trucks and buses that burn diesel.
Trump asked Musk for SpaceX stock to seed US kids’ savings accounts, report says
Sources suggest Musk may be mulling big donation to Trump Accounts.
Florida bans local governments from pursuing net-zero emissions goals
Gov. Ron DeSantis calls it a crackdown on "radical climate policies."
US offers $10 million for info on group behind Signal and WhatsApp hacking spree
Operation by two Russia-state groups has been ongoing since at least March.
South Korea to spend $1T on more memory chip production and humanoid robots
South Korea targets physical AI lead and commercial humanoid robots by 2028.
US renewable boom passes key milestone in April
Small-scale solar helped renewables nearly triple coal generation on the US grid.
Supreme Court ruling guts government’s use of geofence warrants
SCOTUS falls short of deeming geofence warrants unconstitutional, though.
Sony erases digital content from libraries; we're reminded we don’t own what we buy
Sony has been scaling down its digitial store for a few years.
Ozone loss was a thing even before CFCs were widely used
With today’s scientific tools, the problem could have been spotted in the 1950s.
Google warns EU's plans to weaken its monopoly could expose user data
The EU wants Google to share search data with competitors and open up AI on Android, but Google alleges major privacy risks.
Quantum computing startup says it will leapfrog everybody
But the system would require a massive leap from any of its existing hardware.
Kalshi sues Illinois over new tax on prediction market sports bets
Illinois now a key battleground in fight over prediction market sports bets.
F1 in Austria: Starts off exciting, then goes the opposite way
A heatwave, engine upgrades, plus power levels for the next two seasons.