Can A.I. Generate New Ideas?
Systems like OpenAI’s GPT-5 are accelerating research in math, biology and chemistry. But there is a debate over whether it can do that work on its own.
Science/Tech
2026 May Be the Year of the Mega I.P.O.
If SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic go public, they will unleash gushers of cash for Silicon Valley and Wall Street.
McKinsey Asks Graduates To Use AI Chatbot in Recruitment Process
McKinsey is asking graduate applicants to “collaborate” with an AI tool as part of its recruitment process, as competence with the technology becomes a requirement in competing for top-level jobs. From a report: The blue-chip consultancy is incorporating an “AI interview” into some final-round interviews, according to CaseBasix, a US company that helps candidates apply for posts at leading...
Wolf’s dinner preserved in Siberia for 14,400 years sheds light on woolly rhino
Decoded genome of meat in pup’s stomach helps scientists build picture of what caused extinction of species
Researchers have shed light on the final centuries of the woolly rhinoceros after studying a hairy lump of meat from the stomach of an ancient wolf cub that became mummified in the Siberian permafrost.
The beautifully preserved remains of a two-month-old female wolf cub were discovered in...
Bezos’s Vision of Rented Cloud PCs Looks Less Far-Fetched
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos once told an audience that he views local PC hardware the same way he views a 100-year-old electric generator he saw in a brewery museum — as a relic of a pre-grid era, destined to be replaced by centralized utilities that users simply rent rather than own. The anecdote, shared at a talk a few years ago, positioned Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure as the...
Qryptonic Unveils Q-Scout 26 as Enterprises Confront Unquantified Quantum Cryptographic Risk
As post-quantum transition expectations accelerate, many enterprises still lack a clear answer to a critical question: which systems create the greatest long-term exposure when today’s encryption approaches reach the end of their usable life. Qryptonic LLC today announced the launch of Q-Scout 26, an enterprise assessment platform designed to autonomously inventory cryptographic usage and...
Matthew McConaughey Trademarks Himself To Fight AI Misuse
Matthew McConaughey is taking a novel legal approach to combat unauthorized AI fakes: trademarking himself. From a report: Over the past several months, the “Interstellar” and “Magic Mike” star has had eight trademark applications approved by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office featuring him staring, smiling and talking. His attorneys said the trademarks are meant to stop AI apps or users from...
Trump Doesn’t Need the Proud Boys Anymore
In a world where ICE agents are shooting US citizens on the street, the need for militias and extremist groups like the Proud Boys to support far-right interests has evaporated.
Trump Warned of a Tren de Aragua ‘Invasion.’ US Intel Told a Different Story
Hundreds of records obtained by WIRED show thin intelligence on the Venezuelan gang in the United States, describing fragmented, low-level crime rather than a coordinated terrorist threat.
UK Police Blame Microsoft Copilot for Intelligence Mistake
The chief constable of one of Britain’s largest police forces has admitted that Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant made a mistake in a football (soccer) intelligence report. From a report: The report, which led to Israeli football fans being banned from a match last year, included a nonexistent match between West Ham and Maccabi Tel Aviv. Copilot hallucinated the game and West Midlands Police...
In Photos: One Week Since the Shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis
Protests across Minnesota—and around the country—are ongoing, as residents demonstrate against their federal government.
Eskom shoots the lights out
Eskom’s power system is more stable and predictable than it has been for the past half-decade.
No 10 welcomes reports X is addressing Grok deepfakes
The use of the AI tool to digitally undress women has sparked a backlash as well as intervention from the government and regulator.
Europe is Rediscovering the Virtues of Cash
After spending years pushing digital payments to combat tax evasion and money laundering, European Union ministers decided in December to ban businesses from refusing cash. The reversal comes as 12% of European businesses flatly refused cash in 2024, up from 4% three years earlier. Over one in three cinemas in the Netherlands no longer accept notes and coins. Cash usage across the euro area...
South Africa’s maths pipeline is collapsing – and the economy will pay
Fewer learners studying mathematics at school level threatens South Africa’s economic competitiveness.
Nuclear Weapons Are Now ESG Compliant
The European Union published guidance on December 30 that reclassified nuclear weapons as acceptable investments under its sustainable finance framework, completing a policy change approved in November that narrowed the definition of banned armaments from “controversial” to “prohibited.” The shift addresses earlier vagueness that the Commission said hindered efforts to raise $932 billion in...
The company slashing petrol bills in South Africa
South Africa’s oldest and largest electric vehicle (EV) leasing and management fleet operator Everlectric is seeing increased demand for its offering and plans to radically expanding its model line-up in 2026.
Rubicon Carbon to Supply Microsoft with Two Million Tonnes of Carbon Removal Credits from Kijani Forestry Project
Rubicon Carbon, a vertically integrated carbon credit investment and management firm, signed an agreement to deliver two million high-quality Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation (ARR) credits to Microsoft over nine years.
Social media time does not increase teenagers’ mental health problems – study
Research finds no evidence heavier social media use or more gaming increases symptoms of anxiety or depression
Screen time spent gaming or on social media does not cause mental health problems in teenagers, according to a large-scale study.
With ministers in the UK considering whether to follow Australia’s example by banning social media use for under-16s, the findings challenge concerns that...
BNPL market hots up as Shoprite enters space
Buy now, pay later gives customers flexibility, but light regulatory oversight may ensure safe, responsible financial access.
Senior government member denies lying about Starlink in South Africa
A senior member of Parliament responsible for the subcommittee on communications has explained why she believes Starlink should not be permitted to provide free Internet connectivity to rural schools.