Roblox blocks children from chatting to adult strangers
One of the world’s most popular gaming platforms has faced criticism for its child safety record.
Science/Tech
Technology Is Fast and the Courts Are Slow
Silicon Valley has increasingly pointed at rapid digital changes to blunt government efforts to rein in its power.
Neanderthals and early humans ‘likely to have kissed’, say scientists
Study from University of Oxford looks into evolutionary origins of kissing and its role in relations between species
From Galápagos albatrosses to polar bears, chimpanzees to orangutans, certain species appear to kiss. Now researchers suggest Neanderthals did it too – and might even have locked lips with modern humans.
It is not the first time scientists have suggested Neanderthals and early...
Ultra-processed food linked to harm in every major human organ, study finds
World’s largest scientific review warns consumption of UPFs poses seismic threat to global health and wellbeing
Ultra-processed food (UPF) is linked to harm in every major organ system of the human body and poses a seismic threat to global health, according to the world’s largest review.
UPF is also rapidly displacing fresh food in the diets of children and adults on every continent, and is...
Meta’s Victory Opens the Way for Silicon Valley to Go Deal Shopping
To avoid regulatory scrutiny, big tech companies had steered clear of buying start-ups outright. Meta’s antitrust win may change that thinking.
Meta Did Not Violate Antitrust Law, Judge Rules
Meta’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp did not illegally stifle competition in social networking, a judge found, a major win for the tech giant.
Don’t blindly trust what AI tells you, says Google’s Sundar Pichai
Sundar Pichai candidly acknowledged concerns about inaccurate answers generated by Google’s models.
Google Unveils Gemini 3, With Improved Coding and Search Abilities
The new artificial intelligence model is the second the company has released this year. OpenAI and Anthropic made similar updates a few months ago.
Google’s Gemini 3 Is Here: A Special Early Look
Maybe more than other model releases, this one seems to have the attention of Google’s competitors. Will it put the company at the top of the A.I. leaderboard?
Man who cryogenically froze ex-wife sparks debate for dating new partner
Gui Junmin froze his former spouse as a sign of his devotion – but it’s now emerged he is dating again.
Self-Driving Taxis Are Catching On. Are You Ready?
With the arrival of Amazon’s Zoox robot taxi in San Francisco to compete with Waymo, autonomous services are gaining momentum. But there are pros and cons.
Doing your own research isn’t a bad thing, I tell my patients. But just how will they spot the fraudulent papers? | Ranjana Srivastava
While every self-aware doctor knows no one is an expert on everything, the average person turning to the internet cannot distinguish evidence from gloss
One of my children is irate at my deletion of an important school email. I claim that so many useless emails rain into my inbox that some useful ones will surely be missed. This excuse attracts zero sympathy but prompts me to comb through the...
Internet infrastructure firm Cloudflare hit by outage
The company says it is working to working to understand the full impact of a problem which “impacts multiple customers.”
A.I. Video Is Threatening Our Ability to Trust Documentaries
A combination of technological developments and market forces is undermining the trust between viewer and filmmaker. What’s at stake is history itself.
Should the UK brace for a brutal flu season? – podcast
This year’s flu season has begun more than a month earlier than usual, with a mutated strain spreading widely among younger people and expected to drive a wave of hospital admissions as it reaches the elderly. Science editor Ian Sample speaks to Madeleine Finlay about what we know so far and Prof Ed Hutchinson of the University of Glasgow explains how people can best protect themselves and...
Root canal treatment could significantly lower blood sugar levels, study suggests
Dentists also saw improvements in patients’ cholesterol and fatty acid levels, both associated with heart health
If a looming root canal treatment is putting a dampener on the week, take heart: having the procedure can drive health benefits that are felt throughout the body, according to research.
Patients who were successfully treated for root canal infections saw their blood sugar levels fall...
‘Better and cheaper’: the case for prostate cancer screening among black men
Decision over routine PSA testing is due at end of this month, though some feel the supporting data is unclear
Junior Hemans was having a routine health check in 2014 when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, at the age of 51. He knew there was an increased risk of the disease in black men so asked to have a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test, which was not initially included.
“And when I...
Europe Begins Rethinking Its Crackdown on Big Tech
European policymakers are crafting changes to scale back and simplify landmark rules for A.I. and data privacy, in a shift from an aggressive regulatory period.
We Can Now Track Individual Monarch Butterflies. It’s a Revelation.
Scientists used tiny new sensors to follow the insects on journeys that take thousands of miles to their winter colonies in Mexico.
British hacker must repay £4m after hijacking celebrity Twitter accounts
Joseph O’Connor, from Liverpool, hacked more than 130 accounts in July 2020 to promote a Bitcoin scam.
How to Not Get Kidnapped for Your Bitcoin
Escaping zipties, hiring bodyguards and other practical lessons in self-defense for crypto traders, after a series of gruesome crimes spooked the community.