The Tokyo Olympics could be a Covid-19 “super evolutionary event”

Enlarge / Flag bearers Yui Susaki and Rui Hachimura of Team Japan lead their team out during the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on July 23, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (credit: Matthias Hangst | Getty Images) Ten days before the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics, Kara Lawson, the coach of the United States women’s...

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An explosive spyware report shows limits of iOS, Android security

Enlarge / A report this week indicates that the problem of high-caliber spyware is far more widespread than previously feared. (credit: Pau Barrena | Getty Images) The shadowy world of private spyware has long caused alarm in cybersecurity circles, as authoritarian governments have repeatedly been caught targeting the smartphones of activists, journalists,...

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Star Trek: Lower Decks S2 trailer promises more scrappy underdog adventures

Our favorite ensigns are back with more wacky hijinks in the second season of Star Trek: Lower Decks. The animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks was one of our favorite TV shows of 2020, so we've been looking forward to its second season. We won't have long to wait. S2 drops next month on Paramount+, and the studio debuted its first trailer during...

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SpaceX to launch the Europa Clipper mission for a bargain price

NASA has selected SpaceX's Falcon Heavy to launch the Europa Clipper, the first mission to conduct detailed reconnaissance of the Jovian moon. [credit: Trevor Mahlmann ] After years of speculation, NASA officially announced Friday that SpaceX's...

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Researchers demonstrate that malware can be hidden inside AI models

Enlarge / This photo has a job application for Boston University hidden within it. The technique introduced by Wang, Liu, and Cui could hide data inside an image classifier rather than just an image. (credit: Keith McDuffy CC-BY 2.0) Researchers Zhi Wang, Chaoge Liu, and Xiang Cui published a paper last Monday demonstrating a new technique for slipping...

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Maker of dubious $56K Alzheimer’s drug offers cognitive test no one can pass

Enlarge / The exterior of the headquarters of biotechnology company Biogen in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (credit: Getty | Boston Globe) Do you ever forget things, like a doctor's appointment or a lunch date? Do you sometimes struggle to think of the right word for something common? Do you ever feel more anxious or irritable than you typically do?...

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Teardown reveals how much capacity Apple’s $99 MagSafe Battery Pack has

The inside of the MagSafe Battery Pack. This week, Apple launched the MagSafe Battery Pack for the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max. But until the product found its way into peoples' hands, there were some unknowns. Some of those questions have now been answered in a new teardown...

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Google is finally doing something about Google Drive spam

Enlarge / Blocking individual users in Google Drive! Finally! (credit: Google) A notification pops up on your phone: "Click here for hot XXX action!" It's Google Drive again. Someone shared a document containing that title, and now your phone is begging you to look at it. Even if you ban Google Drive from generating phone notifications, you'll still...

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Archaeologists find ancient Egyptian warship sunk near Alexandria

Enlarge (credit: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities) Twenty-four hundred years ago, Heraklion was ancient Egypt’s largest port on the Mediterranean Sea. Today, the ancient city lies submerged beneath Abu Qir Bay, a few kilometers off the coast of Alexandria. Archaeologists recently discovered the wreck of a warship from the city’s final years buried...

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New bill strips Facebook, Twitter of Section 230 immunity for spreading vaccine falsehoods

Enlarge (credit: CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP) A new bill introduced Thursday would hold Facebook, Twitter, and other social media companies responsible for amplifying conspiracies and falsehoods about vaccines, COVID cures, and other health misinformation. “For far too long, online platforms have not done enough to protect the health of Americans,” said...

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