A successful Paramount-WBD merger would be the largest streaming merger ever and would lead to further consolidation in the industry. “What started as a fragmented but flexible streaming ecosystem is...
Photons that aren’t actually there influence superconductivity
Despite the headline, this isn’t really a story about superconductivity—at least not the superconductivity that people care about, the stuff that doesn’t require exotic refrigeration to work. Instead, it’s a...
Whoops: US military laser strike takes down CBP drone near Mexican border
The US military mistakenly shot down a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) drone near the Mexican border in a strike that reportedly used a laser-based anti-drone system. The CBP uses...
The AI apocalypse is nigh in Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die
Director Gore Verbinksi and screenwriter Matthew Robinson on the making of this darkly satirical sci-fi film. Credit: Briarcliff Entertainment We haven’t had a new film from Gore Verbinski for nine...
Hyperion author Dan Simmons dies from stroke at 77
Dan Simmons, the author of more than three dozen books, including the famed Hyperion Cantos, has died from a stroke. He was 77. Simmons, who worked in elementary education before...
How strong is New York’s “illegal gambling” case against Valve’s loot boxes?
“Calling it gambling because a user could, through several indirect steps, convert an item into cash risks stretching gambling law beyond its traditional limits,” Loiterman said. “If New York’s theory...
And the award for the most improved EV goes to… the 2026 Toyota bZ
The world’s largest automaker has had a somewhat difficult relationship with battery-electric vehicles. Toyota was an early pioneer of hybrid powertrains, and it remains a fan today, often saying that given...
Netflix cedes Warner Bros. Discovery to Paramount: “No longer financially attractive”
On Thursday, WBD’s board deemed Paramount’s revamped offer “superior,” giving Netflix four business days to match it. But that same day, Netflix, which had recently emphasized its willingness to walk...
NASA shakes up its Artemis program to speed up lunar return
“Launching SLS every three and a half years or so is not a recipe for success.” Artist’s illustration of the Boeing-developed Exploration Upper Stage, with four hydrogen-fueled RL10 engines. Credit:...
How to downgrade from macOS 26 Tahoe on a new Mac
Most new Macs can still be downgraded with few downsides. Here’s what to know. An Ars Technica colleague recently bought a new M4 MacBook Air. I have essentially nothing bad...
Anthropic and the DoW: Anthropic Responds
The Department of War gave Anthropic until 5: 01pm on Friday the 27th to either give the Pentagon ‘unfettered access’ to Claude for ‘all lawful uses,’ or else. With the...
Neanderthals seemed to have a thing for modern human women
By now, it’s firmly established that modern humans and their Neanderthal relatives met and mated as our ancestors expanded out of Africa, resulting in a substantial amount of Neanderthal DNA...
Perplexity announces “Computer,” an AI agent that assigns work to other AI agents
Given the right permissions and with the proper plugins, it could create, modify, or delete the user’s files and otherwise change things far beyond what most users could achieve with...
xAI spent $7M building wall that barely muffles annoying power plant noise
“Temu sound wall” not enough to quell fury over xAI’s power plant. For miles around xAI’s makeshift power plant in Southaven, Mississippi, neighbors have endured months of constant roaring, erupting...
The physics of squeaking sneakers
We’re all familiar with the high-pitched squeak of basketball shoes on the court during games, or tires squealing on pavement. Scientists conducted several experiments and discovered that the geometry of...
Google reveals Nano Banana 2 AI image model, coming to Gemini today
With Nano Banana 2, Google promises consistency for up to five characters at a time, along with accurate rendering of as many as 14 different objects per workflow. This, along...
Ford is recalling 4.3 million trucks and SUVs to fix a towing software bug
Last year, Ford set a new industry record: It issued 152 safety recalls, almost twice the previous high set by General Motors back in 2014. More than 24 million vehicles...
New AirSnitch attack breaks Wi-Fi encryption in homes, offices, and enterprises
CLOWNS TO THE LEFT, JOKERS TO THE RIGHT That guest network you set up for your neighbors may not be as secure as you think. Credit: Getty Image | BlackJack3D...
New York sues Valve for enabling “illegal gambling” with loot boxes
Opening a valuable skin like this in a loot box is akin to winning a lottery, New York alleges in a new lawsuit. Opening a valuable skin like this in...
A non-public document reveals that science may not be prioritized on next Mars mission
The way this document is written suggests that when NASA scores bidders for the Mars Telecommunications Network, the addition of a camera or other scientific payloads won’t be a net...
