Anthropic Said to Be in Talks to Raise Funding at a $350 Billion Valuation
The artificial intelligence start-up, which competes with OpenAI, is aiming to raise around $10 billion amid talk of a potential initial public offering.
Science/Tech
California Tech Executives Plot Against Rep. Ro Khanna Over Support of Wealth Tax
It’s hard right now to be a progressive Democrat in the heart of America’s tech industry.
‘We were sitting with our calculator saying “we can afford that!”’ Joy for families as cystic fibrosis drug prices fall within reach
The cost of medication was too high for thousands of CF sufferers around the world. Now a Bangladeshi company is making a generic version that will change lives
Seven-year-old Grant Leitch had an important question for his mother. He asked if his little brother, Brett, who has cystic fibrosis (CF), was going to die.
The South African family, like tens of thousands around the world, have been...
‘Extraordinary’ iron age war trumpet find in Britain may have Boudicca links
Bronze instrument or carnyx dug up in Norfolk in area inhabited by Celtic tribe led by warrior who fought Romans
An “extraordinary” iron age war trumpet that may have links to the Celtic tribe led by Boudicca in the period they were battling the invading Roman army has been discovered by archaeologists in Norfolk.
The bronze trumpet or carnyx is only the third ever found in Britain, and the...
Elon Musk’s xAI Raises $20 Billion
The funding is part of an A.I. frenzy, as investors aggressively plow enormous sums into fast-growing start-ups at sky-high valuations.
Government demands Musk’s X deals with ‘appalling’ Grok AI deepfakes
Grok is being used to digitally remove women’s clothing – something victims describe as “dehumanising”.
Lego unveils tech-filled ‘Smart Bricks’ – to play experts’ dismay
Lego says its new tech-enabled products are its “most revolutionary innovation” since it launched its mini-figurines in 1978.
We can safely experiment on reflecting sunlight away from Earth. Here’s how | Dakota Gruener and Daniele Visioni
Reflecting a small fraction of incoming sunlight to reduce global heating is not a new idea. It is time to safely experiment
The world is warming fast – and our options to avoid catastrophic harm are narrowing. 2024 was the first full year more than 1.5C hotter than the 19th-century average. Emissions are still rising, with fossil fuel use expected to hit a new high in 2025. Permanent carbon...
Optimism About Nuclear Energy Is Rising Again. Will It Last?
Companies like Kairos Energy are building new types of reactors with the encouragement of the Trump administration, but their success is far from assured.
Porton Down shake-up harming critical national security science, whistleblower warns
Senior insider says ‘limbo’ at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory has hit morale and disrupted vital research
A shake-up of the government’s defence science powerhouse at Porton Down has severely damaged morale and harmed work on critical science that supports national security, a senior whistleblower has told the Guardian.
The whistleblower said they were raising concerns in the...
A.I. Images of Maduro Spread Rapidly, Despite Safeguards
Deepfakes of Venezuela’s ousted president, Nicolás Maduro, flooded the internet after his capture, in a new collision of breaking news and artificial intelligence.
Nvidia Details New A.I. Chips and Autonomous Car Project With Mercedes
At the CES conference, Jensen Huang, the company’s chief executive, said the more efficient and powerful chip would begin shipping later this year.
Crude appeal: why Trump wants Venezuela’s oil – podcast
The US capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on Saturday left many people wondering why? Donald Trump hinted at an answer when he claimed the Venezuelan regime had stolen US oil rights and that American oil companies would help to run Venezuela going forward.
Jillian Ambrose, the Guardian energy correspondent, explains to Ian Sample the appeal of Venezuelan oil to the US, how...
Did you solve it? Are you as smart as Spock?
The solution to today’s puzzle
Earlier today I set the following puzzle, a pre-commemoration of World Logic Day on January 14. Here it is again with the solution.
Middle management
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New Car Sales Are Rising Thanks to Purchases by the Well-Off
A larger proportion of new cars are being bought by affluent Americans as prices and interest rates for auto loans climb, analysts said.
Nine scientific breakthroughs I’d like to see in 2026 – from earworms to procrastination | Emma Beddington
There’s nothing more uplifting than hearing about a world-shaking, life-enhancing new development. But science shouldn’t overlook the small stuff, or stop looking for new species of cute, fluffy mammals …
People who greet the new year with hope, ambitious plans and optimised gut microbiomes might be obnoxiously apparent at the moment, but we all know they’re a minority. Most of us lurched...
Can you solve it? Are you as smart as Spock?
Raise an eyebrow for World Logic Day
All days of the year host an annual celebration.
January 14 is a day of the year.
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Starwatch: Here comes giant Jupiter, impossible to miss
Solar system’s biggest planet will be close enough to reveal its largest moons through a pair of modest binoculars
The giant planet Jupiter reaches its closest approach to the Earth in 2026 this week. It is extremely well placed for observation and so bright that it is impossible to miss.
Jupiter – the largest planet in the solar system – will be unmistakable in Gemini, the twins, forming a...
Watch: BBC reporter tests AI anti-shoplifting tech
Some major retailers and independent stores have introduced AI body scans, CCTV or facial recognition equipment to identify crimes like shoplifting.
Wolf supermoon across the world – in pictures
According to Nasa, a supermoon occurs when the moon, due to its proximity to Earth, appears up to 15% larger and 30% brighter than a regular full moon
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AI teachers and cybernetics – what could the world look like in 2050?
We asked several experts to predict the technology we’ll be using by 2050