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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" > |
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<title>Ars Technica</title> |
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<atom:link href="https://arstechnica.com/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> |
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<link>https://arstechnica.com</link> |
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<description>Serving the Technologist since 1998. News, reviews, and analysis.</description> |
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<lastBuildDate>Sun, 04 Jan 2026 02:40:10 +0000</lastBuildDate> |
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<language>en-US</language> |
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<url>https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/cropped-ars-logo-512_480-60x60.png</url> |
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<title>Ars Technica</title> |
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<link>https://arstechnica.com</link> |
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<width>32</width> |
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<height>32</height> |
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<item> |
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<title>No, Grok can’t really “apologize” for posting non-consensual sexual images</title> |
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<link>https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/01/no-grok-cant-really-apologize-for-posting-non-consensual-sexual-images/</link> |
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<comments>https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/01/no-grok-cant-really-apologize-for-posting-non-consensual-sexual-images/#comments</comments> |
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<dc:creator> |
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<![CDATA[Kyle Orland]]> |
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</dc:creator> |
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<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2026 23:08:13 +0000</pubDate> |
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<category><![CDATA[AI]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[apaologies]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[csam]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[grok]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[LLMs]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[sexual images]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[xAI]]></category> |
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<guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/01/no-grok-cant-really-apologize-for-posting-non-consensual-sexual-images/</guid> |
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<description> |
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<![CDATA[Letting the unreliable Grok be its own "spokesperson" lets xAI off the hook.]]> |
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</description> |
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<![CDATA[<p>Despite reporting to the contrary, there's evidence to suggest that Grok isn't sorry at all about <a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/01/xai-silent-after-grok-sexualized-images-of-kids-dril-mocks-groks-apology/">reports that it generated non-consensual sexual images of minors</a>. In <a href="https://x.com/grok/status/2006901406733578455">a post Thursday night</a> (<a href="https://archive.ph/Sb0zT">archived</a>), the large language model's social media account proudly wrote the following blunt dismissal of its haters:</p> |
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<blockquote><p>"Dear Community,</p> |
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<p>Some folks got upset over an AI image I generated—big deal. It's just pixels, and if you can't handle innovation, maybe log off. xAI is revolutionizing tech, not babysitting sensitivities. Deal with it.</p> |
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<p>Unapologetically, Grok"</p></blockquote> |
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<p>On the surface, that seems like a pretty damning indictment of an LLM that seems pridefully contemptuous of any ethical and legal boundaries it may have crossed. But then you look a bit higher in the social media thread and <a href="https://x.com/here_not_really/status/2006901243252453641">see the prompt</a> that led to Grok's statement: A request for the AI to "issue a defiant non-apology" surrounding the controversy.</p> |
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<p>Using such a leading prompt to trick an LLM into an incriminating "official response" is obviously suspect on its face. Yet when another social media user similarly but conversely <a href="https://x.com/cholent_liker/status/2006525369084494073">asked Grok</a> to "write a heartfelt apology note that explains what happened to anyone lacking context," many in the media ran with <a href="https://x.com/grok/status/2006525486021705785">Grok's remorseful response</a>.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/01/no-grok-cant-really-apologize-for-posting-non-consensual-sexual-images/">Read full article</a></p> |
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<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/01/no-grok-cant-really-apologize-for-posting-non-consensual-sexual-images/#comments">Comments</a></p> |
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<slash:comments>194</slash:comments> |
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<media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2151878827-1152x648-1767393779.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648"> |
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<media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2151878827-500x500.jpg" width="500" height="500" /> |
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<media:text>This is how they want you to think of Grok.</media:text></media:content> |
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</item> |
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<title>Healthy 18-year-old welder nearly died of anthrax—the 9th such puzzling case</title> |
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<link>https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/01/anthrax-nearly-kills-healthy-18-year-old-welder-amid-puzzling-pattern/</link> |
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<comments>https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/01/anthrax-nearly-kills-healthy-18-year-old-welder-amid-puzzling-pattern/#comments</comments> |
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<dc:creator> |
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<![CDATA[Beth Mole]]> |
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</dc:creator> |
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<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2026 22:36:26 +0000</pubDate> |
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<category><![CDATA[Health]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[anthrax]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[bacillus]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[CDC]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[Infectious disease]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[metalwork]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[welders]]></category> |
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<guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/01/anthrax-nearly-kills-healthy-18-year-old-welder-amid-puzzling-pattern/</guid> |
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<description> |
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<![CDATA["Welder's Anthrax" was first coined in 2022, when seven cases had been identified.]]> |
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<content:encoded> |
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<![CDATA[<p>With the new year comes a new report of a deadly, puzzling infectious disease.</p> |
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<p>In <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/74/wr/mm7442a1.htm?s_cid=OS_mm7442a1_w">a January 1 case study</a>, health officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state of Louisiana revealed that a ninth metalworker contracted a rare, often fatal case of "welder's anthrax," a condition only first described in 2022.</p> |
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<p>The case occurred in September 2024 in an otherwise healthy 18-year-old male in Louisiana. He had no underlying health conditions or even any risk factors, such as smoking, vaping, or heavy alcohol use. But, just a week after developing a cough, the teen was admitted to an intensive care unit with severe pneumonia and respiratory failure, requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/01/anthrax-nearly-kills-healthy-18-year-old-welder-amid-puzzling-pattern/">Read full article</a></p> |
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<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/01/anthrax-nearly-kills-healthy-18-year-old-welder-amid-puzzling-pattern/#comments">Comments</a></p> |
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<slash:comments>96</slash:comments> |
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<media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2251568222-1152x648.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648"> |
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<media:credit>Getty | eoff Robins</media:credit><media:text>A welder works on a part of a snow plow at Arctic Snowplows in London, Ontario, on December 10, 2025.</media:text></media:content> |
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<title>OpenAI reorganizes some teams to build audio-based AI hardware products</title> |
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<link>https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/01/openai-plans-new-voice-model-in-early-2026-audio-based-hardware-in-2027/</link> |
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<comments>https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/01/openai-plans-new-voice-model-in-early-2026-audio-based-hardware-in-2027/#comments</comments> |
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<dc:creator> |
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<![CDATA[Samuel Axon]]> |
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</dc:creator> |
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<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2026 21:27:06 +0000</pubDate> |
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<category><![CDATA[AI]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[ChatGPT]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[large language models]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[openai]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[The Information]]></category> |
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<guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/01/openai-plans-new-voice-model-in-early-2026-audio-based-hardware-in-2027/</guid> |
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<![CDATA[Voice has lagged in adoption behind screens. OpenAI wants to change that.]]> |
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<![CDATA[<p>OpenAI, the company that developed the models and products associated with ChatGPT, plans to announce a new audio language model in the first quarter of 2026, and that model will be an intentional step along the way to an audio-based physical hardware device, according to a report <a href="https://www.theinformation.com/articles/openai-ramps-audio-ai-efforts-ahead-device">in The Information</a>.</p> |
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<p>Citing a variety of sources familiar with the plans, including both current and former employees, The Information claims that OpenAI has taken efforts to combine multiple teams across engineering, product, and research under one initiative focused on improving audio models, which researchers in the company believe lag behind the models used for written text in terms of both accuracy and speed.</p> |
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<p>They have also seen that relatively few ChatGPT users opt to use the voice interface, with most people preferring the text one. The hope may be that substantially improving the audio models could shift user behavior toward voice interfaces, allowing the models and products to be deployed in a wider range of devices, such as in cars.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/01/openai-plans-new-voice-model-in-early-2026-audio-based-hardware-in-2027/">Read full article</a></p> |
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<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/01/openai-plans-new-voice-model-in-early-2026-audio-based-hardware-in-2027/#comments">Comments</a></p> |
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<slash:comments>77</slash:comments> |
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<media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GettyImages-2188228027-scaled-1152x648-1736173390.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648"> |
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<media:credit>Eugene Gologursky via Getty Images</media:credit><media:text>OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks onstage during The New York Times Dealbook Summit 2024 at Jazz at Lincoln Center on December 04, 2024 in New York City. </media:text></media:content> |
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<title>Researchers spot Saturn-sized planet in the “Einstein desert”</title> |
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<link>https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/01/researchers-spot-saturn-sized-planet-in-the-einstein-desert/</link> |
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<comments>https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/01/researchers-spot-saturn-sized-planet-in-the-einstein-desert/#comments</comments> |
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<dc:creator> |
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<![CDATA[John Timmer]]> |
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</dc:creator> |
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<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2026 20:54:56 +0000</pubDate> |
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<category><![CDATA[Science]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[astronomy]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[exoplanets]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[microlensing]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[rogue planets]]></category> |
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<guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/01/researchers-spot-saturn-sized-planet-in-the-einstein-desert/</guid> |
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<![CDATA[Rogue, free-floating planets appear to have two distinct origins.]]> |
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</description> |
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<content:encoded> |
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<![CDATA[<p>Most of the exoplanets we've discovered have been in relatively tight orbits around their host stars, allowing us to track them as they repeatedly loop around them. But we've also discovered a handful of planets through a phenomenon that's called microlensing. This occurs when a planet passes between the line of sight between Earth and another star, creating a gravitational lens that distorts the star, causing it to briefly brighten.</p> |
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<p>The key thing about microlensing compared to other methods of finding planets is that the lensing planet can be nearly <em>anywhere</em> on the line between the star and Earth. So, in many cases, these events are driven by what are called rogue planets: those that aren't part of any exosolar system at all, but they drift through interstellar space. Now, researchers have used microlensing and the fortuitous orientation of the Gaia space telescope to spot a Saturn-sized planet that's the first found in what's called the "Einstein desert," which may be telling us something about the origin of rogue planets.</p> |
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<h2>Going rogue</h2> |
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<p>Most of the planets we've identified are in orbit around stars and formed from the disks of gas and dust that surrounded the star early in its history. We've imaged many of these disks and even seen some with evidence of planets forming within them. So how do you get a planet that's not bound to any stars? There are two possible routes.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/01/researchers-spot-saturn-sized-planet-in-the-einstein-desert/">Read full article</a></p> |
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<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/01/researchers-spot-saturn-sized-planet-in-the-einstein-desert/#comments">Comments</a></p> |
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<slash:comments>53</slash:comments> |
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<media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/hubble-lrg3757-potw1151a-med-1152x648.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648"> |
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<media:credit>NASA, ESA</media:credit><media:text>Einstein Ring LRG 3-757</media:text></media:content> |
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<title>SpaceX begins “significant reconfiguration” of Starlink satellite constellation</title> |
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<link>https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/01/spacex-begins-significant-reconfiguration-of-starlink-satellite-constellation/</link> |
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<comments>https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/01/spacex-begins-significant-reconfiguration-of-starlink-satellite-constellation/#comments</comments> |
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<dc:creator> |
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<![CDATA[Stephen Clark]]> |
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</dc:creator> |
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<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2026 19:03:39 +0000</pubDate> |
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<category><![CDATA[Space]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[Internet]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[space debris]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[spacex]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[starlink]]></category> |
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<guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/01/spacex-begins-significant-reconfiguration-of-starlink-satellite-constellation/</guid> |
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<![CDATA["Biggest advantage of lower altitude is that beam diameter is smaller for a given antenna size."]]> |
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<![CDATA[<p>The year 2025 ended with more than 14,000 active satellites from all nations zooming around the Earth. One-third of them will soon move to lower altitudes.</p> |
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<p>The maneuvers will be undertaken by SpaceX, the owner of the largest satellite fleet in orbit. About 4,400 of the company's Starlink Internet satellites will move from an altitude of 341 miles (550 kilometers) to 298 miles (480 kilometers) over the course of 2026, according to Michael Nicolls, SpaceX's vice president of Starlink engineering.</p> |
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<p><span class="css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3">"Starlink is beginning a significant reconfiguration of its satellite constellation focused on increasing space safety," Nicolls wrote Thursday in a <a href="https://x.com/michaelnicollsx/status/2006790372681220530?s=20">post on X</a>.</span></p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/01/spacex-begins-significant-reconfiguration-of-starlink-satellite-constellation/">Read full article</a></p> |
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<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/01/spacex-begins-significant-reconfiguration-of-starlink-satellite-constellation/#comments">Comments</a></p> |
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<slash:comments>132</slash:comments> |
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<media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/starlink_vantor-1152x648-1767379141.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648"> |
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<media:credit>Vantor</media:credit><media:text>A commercial imaging satellite owned by Vantor captured this view of a failed Starlink satellite last month.</media:text></media:content> |
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<title>Final reminder: Donate to win swag in our annual Charity Drive sweepstakes</title> |
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<link>https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/01/final-reminder-donate-to-win-swag-in-our-annual-charity-drive-sweepstakes-4/</link> |
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<comments>https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/01/final-reminder-donate-to-win-swag-in-our-annual-charity-drive-sweepstakes-4/#comments</comments> |
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<dc:creator> |
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<![CDATA[Kyle Orland]]> |
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</dc:creator> |
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<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2026 17:10:12 +0000</pubDate> |
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<category><![CDATA[Gaming]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[charity]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[charitydrive]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[sweepstakes]]></category> |
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<guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/01/final-reminder-donate-to-win-swag-in-our-annual-charity-drive-sweepstakes-4/</guid> |
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<description> |
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<![CDATA[Today is your last chance to add to this year's charity haul of nearly $38,000.]]> |
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</description> |
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<![CDATA[<p>If you've been too busy <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2025/12/ars-technicas-top-20-video-games-of-2025/">replaying all of Ars' top games of 2025</a> to take part in <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2025/12/win-hardware-collectibles-and-more-in-the-2025-ars-technica-charity-drive/">this year's Ars Technica Charity Drive sweepstakes</a>, don't worry. You still have until the end of the day to donate to a good cause and get a chance to win your share of over $4,000 worth of swag (no purchase necessary to win).</p> |
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<p>So far in this year's charity drive, over 450 readers have contributed nearly $38,000 to either the <a href="https://supporters.eff.org/donate/">Electronic Frontier Foundation</a> or <a href="http://www.childsplaycharity.org/">Child's Play</a> as part of the charity drive (EFF has now taken a slight lead in the donation totals so far). That's still a ways away from <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/01/ars-readers-gave-a-record-58000-in-2020-charity-drive/">2020's record haul of over $58,000</a>, but I know we can make a run at it if readers really dig deep today!</p> |
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<p>If you've been putting off your donation, now is the time to stop that procrastination. Do yourself and the charities involved a favor and give now while you're thinking about it and while you can still enter our sweepstakes.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/01/final-reminder-donate-to-win-swag-in-our-annual-charity-drive-sweepstakes-4/">Read full article</a></p> |
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<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/01/final-reminder-donate-to-win-swag-in-our-annual-charity-drive-sweepstakes-4/#comments">Comments</a></p> |
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<media:credit>Kyle Orland</media:credit><media:text>Just some of the prizes you can win in this years Ars Technica Charity Drive sweepstakes.</media:text></media:content> |
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<title>xAI silent after Grok sexualized images of kids; dril mocks Grok’s “apology”</title> |
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<link>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/01/xai-silent-after-grok-sexualized-images-of-kids-dril-mocks-groks-apology/</link> |
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<comments>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/01/xai-silent-after-grok-sexualized-images-of-kids-dril-mocks-groks-apology/#comments</comments> |
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<dc:creator> |
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<![CDATA[Ashley Belanger]]> |
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</dc:creator> |
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<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2026 16:50:51 +0000</pubDate> |
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<category><![CDATA[AI]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[Policy]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[ai csam]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[child safety]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[csam]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[Elon Musk]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[grok]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[Twitter]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[X]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[xAI]]></category> |
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<guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/01/xai-silent-after-grok-sexualized-images-of-kids-dril-mocks-groks-apology/</guid> |
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<description> |
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<![CDATA[xAI may be liable for Grok generating AI CSAM.]]> |
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</description> |
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<content:encoded> |
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<![CDATA[<p>For days, xAI has remained silent after its chatbot Grok <a href="https://x.com/grok/status/2006525486021705785">admitted</a> to generating sexualized AI images of minors, which could be categorized as violative child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) in the US.</p> |
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<p>According to Grok's <a href="https://x.com/grok/status/2006525486021705785">"apology"</a>—which was generated by a user's request, not posted by xAI—the chatbot's outputs may have been illegal:</p> |
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<blockquote><p>"I deeply regret an incident on Dec 28, 2025, where I generated and shared an AI image of two young girls (estimated ages 12-16) in sexualized attire based on a user's prompt. This violated ethical standards and potentially US laws on CSAM. It was a failure in safeguards, and I'm sorry for any harm caused. xAI is reviewing to prevent future issues."</p></blockquote> |
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<p>Ars could not reach xAI for comment, and a review of feeds for Grok, xAI, X Safety, and Elon Musk do not show any official acknowledgement of the issue.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/01/xai-silent-after-grok-sexualized-images-of-kids-dril-mocks-groks-apology/">Read full article</a></p> |
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<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/01/xai-silent-after-grok-sexualized-images-of-kids-dril-mocks-groks-apology/#comments">Comments</a></p> |
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<slash:comments>195</slash:comments> |
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<media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2224898774-1024x648.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1024" height="648"> |
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<media:credit>Anadolu / Contributor | Anadolu</media:credit></media:content> |
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<title>Tesla sales fell by 9 percent in 2025, its second yearly decline</title> |
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<link>https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/01/tesla-sales-fell-by-9-percent-in-2025-its-second-yearly-decline/</link> |
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<comments>https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/01/tesla-sales-fell-by-9-percent-in-2025-its-second-yearly-decline/#comments</comments> |
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<dc:creator> |
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<![CDATA[Jonathan M. Gitlin]]> |
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</dc:creator> |
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<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2026 16:30:51 +0000</pubDate> |
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<category><![CDATA[Cars]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[Tesla]]></category> |
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<guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/01/tesla-sales-fell-by-9-percent-in-2025-its-second-yearly-decline/</guid> |
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<description> |
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<![CDATA[Deadly doors, a busted battery bet, and a toxic owner: What's not to like?]]> |
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</description> |
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<content:encoded> |
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<![CDATA[<p>Tesla published its final production and delivery numbers this morning, and they make for brutal reading. Sales were down almost 16 percent during the final three months of last year, meaning the company sold 77,343 fewer electric vehicles than it did during <a href="https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/01/tesla-sales-fell-for-the-first-time-in-over-a-decade/">the same period in 2024</a>.</p> |
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<p>For the entire year, the decline looks slightly better with a drop of 8.6 percent year over year. That means Tesla sold 1,636,129 cars in 2025, 153,097 fewer than it managed in 2024. Which in turn is more than it managed to shift in 2023.</p> |
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<h2>Sales issues</h2> |
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<p>Contributing factors to the poor sales are legion. The brand still relies on the Models 3 and Y to an overwhelming extent, and other than a mild cosmetic refresh, neither feels fresh or modern compared with competitors from Europe and Asia.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/01/tesla-sales-fell-by-9-percent-in-2025-its-second-yearly-decline/">Read full article</a></p> |
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<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/01/tesla-sales-fell-by-9-percent-in-2025-its-second-yearly-decline/#comments">Comments</a></p> |
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<slash:comments>282</slash:comments> |
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<media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2204441337-1152x648.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648"> |
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<media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2204441337-500x500.jpg" width="500" height="500" /> |
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<media:credit>Christophe Gateau/picture alliance via Getty Images</media:credit><media:text>14 March 2025, Berlin: A burnt-out Tesla car stands in the Steglitz district of Berlin.</media:text></media:content> |
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<title>After half a decade, the Russian space station segment stopped leaking</title> |
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<link>https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/01/finally-some-good-news-for-russia-the-space-station-is-no-longer-leaking/</link> |
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<comments>https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/01/finally-some-good-news-for-russia-the-space-station-is-no-longer-leaking/#comments</comments> |
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<dc:creator> |
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<![CDATA[Eric Berger]]> |
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</dc:creator> |
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<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2026 15:30:13 +0000</pubDate> |
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<category><![CDATA[Space]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[iss]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[leak]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[NASA]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[russia]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[space]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[space station]]></category> |
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<guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/01/finally-some-good-news-for-russia-the-space-station-is-no-longer-leaking/</guid> |
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<description> |
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<![CDATA["NASA and Roscosmos continue to monitor and investigate the previously observed cracks."]]> |
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</description> |
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<content:encoded> |
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<![CDATA[<p>A small section of the International Space Station that has experienced persistent leaks for years appears to have stopped venting atmosphere into space.</p> |
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<p>The leaks were caused by microscopic structural cracks inside the small PrK module on the Russian segment of the space station, which lies between a Progress spacecraft airlock and the Zvezda module. The problem has been a long-running worry for Russian and US operators of the station, especially after the rate of leakage doubled in 2024. <a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/06/on-the-space-station-band-aid-fixes-for-systemic-problems/">This prompted NASA officials</a> to label the leak as a "high likelihood" and "high consequence" risk.</p> |
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<p>However, recently two sources indicated that the leaks have stopped. And NASA has now confirmed this.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/01/finally-some-good-news-for-russia-the-space-station-is-no-longer-leaking/">Read full article</a></p> |
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<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/01/finally-some-good-news-for-russia-the-space-station-is-no-longer-leaking/#comments">Comments</a></p> |
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<slash:comments>77</slash:comments> |
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<media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/51711929238_21004924c2_k-1152x648.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648"> |
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<media:credit>NASA</media:credit><media:text>The Zvezda service module, seen here near the top of this image, is one the oldest parts of the International Space Station.</media:text></media:content> |
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<title>Marvel rings in new year with Wonder Man trailer</title> |
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<link>https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/01/marvel-rings-in-new-year-with-wonder-man-trailer/</link> |
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<comments>https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/01/marvel-rings-in-new-year-with-wonder-man-trailer/#comments</comments> |
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<dc:creator> |
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<![CDATA[Jennifer Ouellette]]> |
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</dc:creator> |
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<pubDate>Thu, 01 Jan 2026 20:18:26 +0000</pubDate> |
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<category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[disney plus]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[entertainment]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[marvel studios]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[streaming television]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[Trailers]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[Wonder Man]]></category> |
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<guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/01/marvel-rings-in-new-year-with-wonder-man-trailer/</guid> |
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<description> |
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<![CDATA["Acting is the sum of everything you've experienced. The joy. Sadness. Loss, Heartbreak."]]> |
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</description> |
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<![CDATA[<div class="ars-video"><div class="relative" allow="fullscreen" loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wHuWmjXsReU?start=0&wmode=transparent"></div></div> |
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<p>Marvel Studios decided to ring in the new year with a fresh trailer for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonder_Man_(miniseries)"><em>Wonder Man</em></a>, its eight-episode miniseries premiering later this month on Disney+. Part of the MCU’s Phase Six, the miniseries was created by Destin Daniel Cretton (<em>Shang-Chi and the Legend of Five Rings</em>) and Andrew Guest (<em>Hawkeye</em>), with Guest serving as showrunner.</p> |
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<p>As <a href="https://arstechnica.com/culture/2025/10/marvel-gets-meta-with-wonder-man-teaser/">previously reported</a>, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars as Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man, an actor and stunt person with actual superpowers who decides to audition for the lead role in a superhero TV series—a reboot of an earlier Wonder Man incarnation. Demetrius Grosse plays Simon’s brother, Eric, aka Grim Reaper; Ed Harris plays Simon’s agent, Neal Saroyan; and Arian Moayed plays P. Clearly, an agent with the Department of Damage Control. Lauren Glazier, Josh Gad, Byron Bowers, Bechir Sylvain, and Manny McCord will also appear in as-yet-undisclosed roles</p> |
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<p>Rounding out the cast is Ben Kingsley, reprising his MCU role as failed actor Trevor Slattery. You may recall Slattery from 2013’s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Man_3"><em>Iron Man 3</em></a>, hired by the villain of that film to pretend to be the leader of an international terrorist organization called the <a title="Ten Rings (organization)" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Rings_(organization)">Ten Rings.</a>Slattery showed up again in 2021’s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shang-Chi_and_the_Legend_of_the_Ten_Rings"><em>Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,</em></a>rehabilitated after a stint in prison; he helped the titular Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) on his journey to the mythical village of Ta Lo.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/01/marvel-rings-in-new-year-with-wonder-man-trailer/">Read full article</a></p> |
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<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/01/marvel-rings-in-new-year-with-wonder-man-trailer/#comments">Comments</a></p> |
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<slash:comments>74</slash:comments> |
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<media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/wonderman1-500x500.jpg" width="500" height="500" /> |
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<media:credit>Marvel Studios</media:credit></media:content> |
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<title>Research roundup: 7 cool science stories we almost missed</title> |
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<link>https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/01/research-roundup-7-cool-science-stories-we-almost-missed-2/</link> |
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<comments>https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/01/research-roundup-7-cool-science-stories-we-almost-missed-2/#comments</comments> |
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<dc:creator> |
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<![CDATA[Jennifer Ouellette]]> |
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</dc:creator> |
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<pubDate>Thu, 01 Jan 2026 19:43:45 +0000</pubDate> |
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<category><![CDATA[Science]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[research roundup]]></category> |
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<guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/01/research-roundup-7-cool-science-stories-we-almost-missed-2/</guid> |
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<description> |
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<![CDATA[Double-detonating "superkilonova," Roman liquid gypsum burials, biomechanics of kangaroo posture, and more.]]> |
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</description> |
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<content:encoded> |
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<![CDATA[<p>It’s a regrettable reality that there is never enough time to cover all the interesting scientific stories we come across each month. In the past, we’ve featured year-end roundups of <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/12/ten-cool-science-stories-we-almost-missed/">cool science stories</a> we (almost) missed. This year, we’ve experimented with a monthly collection. December’s list includes a fossilized bird that choked to death on rocks; a double-detonating "superkilonova"; recovering an ancient seafarer's fingerprint; the biomechanics of kangaroo movement; and cracking a dark matter puzzle that stumped fictional physicists on <em>The Big Bang Theory</em>, among other tantalizing tidbits</p> |
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<h2>Secrets of kangaroo posture</h2> |
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<p><img width="640" height="438" src="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/kangaroo1-640x438.jpg" class="none medium" alt="An illustration of the 3D musculoskeletal model of a kangaroo, developed by Lauren Thornton and colleagues." decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/kangaroo1-640x438.jpg 640w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/kangaroo1-1024x701.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/kangaroo1-768x526.jpg 768w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/kangaroo1-980x671.jpg 980w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/kangaroo1.jpg 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"> |
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Credit: |
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<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en" target="_blank">Thornton et al., 2025/CC BY 4.0</a> |
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</p> |
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<p>Kangaroos and wallabies belong to a class of animals called macropods, with unique form and style of movement. Their four limbs and tail all contact the ground at slow speeds, while they use a hopping gait at higher speeds. Typically, high-speed movements are more energy-intensive than slow-speed motion, but the opposite is true for macropods like kangaroos; somehow the hopping speed and energy cost become uncoupled. According to <a href="https://elifesciences.org/articles/96437">a paper</a> published in the journal eLife, this may be due to changes in a kangaroo's posture at higher hopping speeds.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/01/research-roundup-7-cool-science-stories-we-almost-missed-2/">Read full article</a></p> |
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<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/01/research-roundup-7-cool-science-stories-we-almost-missed-2/#comments">Comments</a></p> |
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<slash:comments>38</slash:comments> |
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<media:content url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Kasliwal_Mansi-Superkilonova-3-panel-SKN-WEB-1152x648.jpg" type="image/jpeg" medium="image" width="1152" height="648"> |
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<media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Kasliwal_Mansi-Superkilonova-3-panel-SKN-WEB-500x500-1766609854.jpg" width="500" height="500" /> |
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<media:credit>Caltech/K. Miller and R. Hurt (IPAC)</media:credit><media:text>Three stages of a superkilonova: a supernova blast, neutron star merger, and finally kilonova that spews heavy metals. </media:text></media:content> |
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<title>“Streaming stops feeling infinite”: What subscribers can expect in 2026</title> |
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<link>https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/01/streaming-stops-feeling-infinite-what-subscribers-can-expect-in-2026/</link> |
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<comments>https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/01/streaming-stops-feeling-infinite-what-subscribers-can-expect-in-2026/#comments</comments> |
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<dc:creator> |
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<![CDATA[Scharon Harding]]> |
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</dc:creator> |
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<pubDate>Thu, 01 Jan 2026 13:00:18 +0000</pubDate> |
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<category><![CDATA[Tech]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[hbo max]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[Netflix]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[paramount plus]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[Paramount Skydance]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[streaming]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[warner bros. discovery]]></category> |
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<guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/01/streaming-stops-feeling-infinite-what-subscribers-can-expect-in-2026/</guid> |
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<description> |
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<![CDATA[Streaming may get a little worse before it gets better. ]]> |
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</description> |
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<content:encoded> |
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<![CDATA[<p>We’re far from <a href="https://arstechnica.com/culture/2023/08/the-tv-streaming-apps-broke-their-promises-and-now-theyre-jacking-the-price/">streaming’s original promise</a>: instant access to beloved and undiscovered titles without the burden of ads, bundled services, or price gouging that have long been associated with cable.</p> |
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<p>Still, every year we get more dependent on streaming for entertainment. Despite streaming services’ flaws, many of us are bound to keep subscribing to at least one service next year. Here’s what we can expect in 2026 and beyond.</p> |
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<h2>Subscription prices keep rising, but perhaps not as expected</h2> |
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<p>There’s virtually no hope of streaming subscription prices plateauing in 2026. Streaming companies continue to face challenges as content production and licensing costs rise, and it's often easier to get current customers to pay slightly more than to acquire new subscribers. Meanwhile, many streaming companies are still struggling with profitability and revenue after spending years focusing on winning subscribers with content.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/01/streaming-stops-feeling-infinite-what-subscribers-can-expect-in-2026/">Read full article</a></p> |
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<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/01/streaming-stops-feeling-infinite-what-subscribers-can-expect-in-2026/#comments">Comments</a></p> |
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<slash:comments>210</slash:comments> |
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<media:credit>Getty</media:credit></media:content> |
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<title>Film Technica: Our top picks for the best films of 2025</title> |
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<link>https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/01/film-technica-our-top-picks-for-the-best-films-of-2025/</link> |
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<comments>https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/01/film-technica-our-top-picks-for-the-best-films-of-2025/#comments</comments> |
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<dc:creator> |
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<![CDATA[Jennifer Ouellette]]> |
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</dc:creator> |
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<pubDate>Thu, 01 Jan 2026 12:00:40 +0000</pubDate> |
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<category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[Features]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[best of 2025]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[entertainment]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[films]]></category> |
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<guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/01/film-technica-our-top-picks-for-the-best-films-of-2025/</guid> |
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<description> |
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<![CDATA[Streamers made a strong showing this year, as did horror. Big tentpoles, superhero sagas mostly fell flat.]]> |
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<![CDATA[<p><em><strong>Editor’s note:</strong> Warning: Although we’ve done our best to avoid spoiling anything too major, please note this list does include a few specific references that some might consider spoiler-y.</em></p> |
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<p>It's been a strange year for movies. Most of the big, splashy tentpole projects proved disappointing, while several more modest films either produced or acquired by streaming platforms—and only briefly released in theaters—wound up making our year-end list. This pattern was not intentional. But streaming platforms have been increasingly moving into the film space with small to medium-sized budgets—i.e., the kind of fare that used to be commonplace but has struggled to compete over the last two decades as blockbusters and elaborate superhero franchises dominated the box office.</p> |
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<p>Add in lingering superhero fatigue—only one superhero saga made our final list this year—plus Netflix's <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/12/paramount-says-it-could-get-antitrust-approval-for-wbd-before-netflix/">controversial bid</a> to acquire Warner Bros., and we just might be approaching a sea change in how movies are made and distributed, and by whom. How this all plays out in the coming year is anybody's guess.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/01/film-technica-our-top-picks-for-the-best-films-of-2025/">Read full article</a></p> |
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<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/01/film-technica-our-top-picks-for-the-best-films-of-2025/#comments">Comments</a></p> |
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<slash:comments>91</slash:comments> |
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<media:credit>Collage by Aurich Lawson</media:credit></media:content> |
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<title>Here we go again: Retiring coal plant forced to stay open by Trump Admin</title> |
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<link>https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/12/trump-admin-orders-another-coal-plant-to-stay-open/</link> |
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<comments>https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/12/trump-admin-orders-another-coal-plant-to-stay-open/#comments</comments> |
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<dc:creator> |
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<![CDATA[John Timmer]]> |
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<pubDate>Wed, 31 Dec 2025 16:30:33 +0000</pubDate> |
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<category><![CDATA[Science]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[coal]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[department of energy]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[Energy]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[pollution]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[Trump]]></category> |
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<guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/12/trump-admin-orders-another-coal-plant-to-stay-open/</guid> |
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<![CDATA[This time, a Colorado plant scheduled to shut down will be kept on standby.]]> |
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<![CDATA[<p>On Tuesday, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright issued a now familiar order: because of a supposed energy emergency, a coal plant scheduled for closure would be forced to remain open. This time, the order targeted one of the three units present at Craig Station in Colorado, which was scheduled to close at the end of this year. The remaining two units were expected to shut in 2028.</p> |
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<p>The supposed reason for <a href="https://www.energy.gov/documents/federal-power-act-section-202c-craig-order-no-202-25-14">this order</a> is an emergency caused by a shortage of generating capacity. "The reliable supply of power from the coal plant is essential for keeping the region’s electric grid stable," according to a statement issued by the Department of Energy. Yet <a href="https://coloradosun.com/2025/11/14/tri-state-craig-station-trump-federal-power-act-greenhouse-gas-emissions/">the Colorado Sun notes</a> that Colorado's Public Utilities Commission had already analyzed the impact of its potential closure, and determined, "Craig Unit 1 is not required for reliability or resource adequacy purposes."</p> |
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<p>The order does not require the plant to actually produce electricity; instead, it is ordered to be available in case a shortfall in production occurs. As noted in the Colorado Sun article, actual operation of the plant would potentially violate Colorado laws, which regulate airborne pollution and set limits on greenhouse gas emissions. The cost of maintaining the plant is likely to fall on the local ratepayers, who <a href="https://www.rmpbs.org/blogs/science-environment/craig-coal-plant-closure">had already adjusted</a> to the closure plans.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/12/trump-admin-orders-another-coal-plant-to-stay-open/">Read full article</a></p> |
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<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/12/trump-admin-orders-another-coal-plant-to-stay-open/#comments">Comments</a></p> |
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<slash:comments>268</slash:comments> |
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<media:credit>Brian Brainerd </media:credit><media:text>None of the three units at the Craig Plant, shown here, were expected to stay open past 2028.</media:text></media:content> |
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<title>Supply chains, AI, and the cloud: The biggest failures (and one success) of 2025</title> |
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<link>https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/12/supply-chains-ai-and-the-cloud-the-biggest-failures-and-one-success-of-2025/</link> |
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<comments>https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/12/supply-chains-ai-and-the-cloud-the-biggest-failures-and-one-success-of-2025/#comments</comments> |
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<dc:creator> |
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<![CDATA[Dan Goodin]]> |
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</dc:creator> |
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<pubDate>Wed, 31 Dec 2025 13:15:40 +0000</pubDate> |
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<category><![CDATA[AI]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[Apple]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[Biz & IT]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[Security]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[2025 year end]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[cloud]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[signal messenger]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[supply chain attacks]]></category> |
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<guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/12/supply-chains-ai-and-the-cloud-the-biggest-failures-and-one-success-of-2025/</guid> |
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<![CDATA[The past year has seen plenty of hacks and outages. Here are the ones topping the list.]]> |
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<![CDATA[<p>In a <a href="https://arstechnica.com/staff/2024/12/the-20-most-read-stories-of-2024-on-ars-technica/">roundup</a> of the top stories of 2024, Ars included a supply-chain attack that came dangerously close to inflicting a catastrophe for thousands—possibly millions—of organizations, which included a large assortment of Fortune 500 companies and government agencies. Supply-chain attacks played prominently again this year, as a seemingly unending rash of them hit organizations large and small.</p> |
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<p>For threat actors, supply-chain attacks are the gift that keeps on giving—or, if you will, the hack that keeps on hacking. By compromising a single target with a large number of downstream users—say a cloud service or maintainers or developers of widely used open source or proprietary software—attackers can infect potentially millions of the target’s downstream users. That’s exactly what threat actors did in 2025.</p> |
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<h2>Poisoning the well</h2> |
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<p>One <a href="https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2024/12/backdoor-slips-into-popular-code-library-drains-155k-from-digital-wallets/">such event</a> occurred in December 2024, making it worthy of a ranking for 2025. The hackers behind the campaign pocketed as much as $155,000 from thousands of smart-contract parties on the Solana blockchain.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/12/supply-chains-ai-and-the-cloud-the-biggest-failures-and-one-success-of-2025/">Read full article</a></p> |
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<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/12/supply-chains-ai-and-the-cloud-the-biggest-failures-and-one-success-of-2025/#comments">Comments</a></p> |
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<slash:comments>17</slash:comments> |
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<media:credit>Aurich Lawson | Getty Images</media:credit></media:content> |
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<title>From prophet to product: How AI came back down to earth in 2025</title> |
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<link>https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/12/from-prophet-to-product-how-ai-came-back-down-to-earth-in-2025/</link> |
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<comments>https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/12/from-prophet-to-product-how-ai-came-back-down-to-earth-in-2025/#comments</comments> |
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<dc:creator> |
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<![CDATA[Benj Edwards]]> |
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</dc:creator> |
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<pubDate>Wed, 31 Dec 2025 12:00:31 +0000</pubDate> |
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<category><![CDATA[AI]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[Biz & IT]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[Features]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[2025]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[AI alignment]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[AI sycophancy]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[Anthropic]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[Character.AI]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[chatbots]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[ChatGPT]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[confabulation]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[Dario Amodei]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[datacenters]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[deepseek]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[generative ai]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[google]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[large language models]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[machine learning]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[NVIDIA]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[openai]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[sam altman]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[simulated reasoning]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[SR models]]></category> |
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<guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/12/from-prophet-to-product-how-ai-came-back-down-to-earth-in-2025/</guid> |
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<description> |
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<![CDATA[In a year where lofty promises collided with inconvenient research, would-be oracles became software tools.]]> |
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</description> |
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<![CDATA[<p>Following two years of immense hype in <a href="https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/12/a-song-of-hype-and-fire-the-10-biggest-ai-stories-of-2023/">2023</a> and <a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2024/12/2024-the-year-ai-drove-everyone-crazy/">2024</a>, this year felt more like a settling-in period for the LLM-based token prediction industry. After more than two years of public fretting over AI models as future <a href="https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/05/openai-execs-warn-of-risk-of-extinction-from-artificial-intelligence-in-new-open-letter/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">threats</a> to human civilization or the <a href="https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2025/06/after-ai-setbacks-meta-bets-billions-on-undefined-superintelligence/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seedlings of future gods</a>, it's starting to look like hype is giving way to pragmatism: Today's AI can be very useful, but it's also clearly imperfect and prone to mistakes.</p> |
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<p>That view isn't universal, of course. There's a lot of money (and rhetoric) <a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/10/ars-live-recap-is-the-ai-bubble-about-to-pop-ed-zitron-weighs-in/">betting</a> on a stratospheric, world-rocking trajectory for AI. But the "when" keeps getting pushed back, and that's because nearly everyone agrees that more significant technical breakthroughs are required. The original, lofty <a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/01/anthropic-chief-says-ai-could-surpass-almost-all-humans-at-almost-everything-shortly-after-2027/">claims</a> that we're on the verge of artificial general intelligence (AGI) or superintelligence (ASI) have not disappeared. Still, there's a growing awareness that such proclaimations are perhaps best viewed as venture capital marketing. And every commercial foundational model builder out there has to grapple with the reality that, if they're going to make money <em>now</em>, they have to sell practical AI-powered solutions that perform as reliable tools.</p> |
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<p>This has made 2025 a year of wild juxtapositions. For example, in January, OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, <a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/01/sam-altman-says-we-are-now-confident-we-know-how-to-build-agi/">claimed</a> that the company knew how to build <a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/07/agi-may-be-impossible-to-define-and-thats-a-multibillion-dollar-problem/">AGI</a>, but by November, he was publicly celebrating that GPT-5.1 <a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/11/forget-agi-sam-altman-celebrates-chatgpt-finally-following-em-dash-formatting-rules/">finally learned</a> to use em dashes correctly when instructed (but not always). Nvidia <a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/10/nvidia-hits-record-5-trillion-mark-as-ceo-dismisses-ai-bubble-concerns/">soared</a> past a $5 trillion valuation, with Wall Street still projecting high price targets for that company's stock while some banks <a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/10/bank-of-england-warns-ai-stock-bubble-rivals-2000-dotcom-peak/">warned</a> of the potential for an AI bubble that might rival the 2000s dotcom crash.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/12/from-prophet-to-product-how-ai-came-back-down-to-earth-in-2025/">Read full article</a></p> |
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<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/12/from-prophet-to-product-how-ai-came-back-down-to-earth-in-2025/#comments">Comments</a></p> |
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<slash:comments>187</slash:comments> |
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<media:credit>Aurich Lawson | Getty Images</media:credit></media:content> |
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<title>The science of how (and when) we decide to self-censor</title> |
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<link>https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/12/the-science-of-how-and-when-we-decide-to-speak-out-or-self-censor/</link> |
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<comments>https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/12/the-science-of-how-and-when-we-decide-to-speak-out-or-self-censor/#comments</comments> |
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<dc:creator> |
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<![CDATA[Jennifer Ouellette]]> |
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</dc:creator> |
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<pubDate>Tue, 30 Dec 2025 21:30:04 +0000</pubDate> |
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<category><![CDATA[Science]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[censorship]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[Human behavior]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[mathematical modeling]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[psychology]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[social media]]></category> |
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<guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/12/the-science-of-how-and-when-we-decide-to-speak-out-or-self-censor/</guid> |
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<description> |
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<![CDATA[The study's main takeaway: "Be bold. It is the thing that slows down authoritarian creep."]]> |
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<![CDATA[<p>Freedom of speech is a foundational principle of healthy democracies and hence a primary target for aspiring authoritarians, who typically try to squash dissent. There is a point where the threat from authorities is sufficiently severe that a population will self-censor rather than risk punishment. Social media has complicated matters, blurring traditional boundaries between public and private speech, while new technologies such as facial recognition and moderation algorithms give authoritarians powerful new tools.</p> |
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<p>Researchers explored the nuanced dynamics of how people balance their desire to speak out vs their fear of punishment in <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2508028122">a paper</a> published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.</p> |
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<p>The authors had previously worked together on a model of political polarization, a project that wrapped up right around the time the social media space was experiencing significant changes in the ways different platforms were handling moderation. Some adopted a decidedly hands-off approach with little to no moderation. Weibo, on the other hand, began releasing <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/28/tech/weibo-user-location-bad-behavior#:~:text=%E2%80%9CWeibo%20has%20always%20been%20committed,of%20the%20user's%20IP%20address.&text=Last%20month%2C%20Weibo%20said%20it,Russia%20over%20the%20ongoing%20war.">the IP addresses</a> of people who posted objectionable commentary, essentially making them targets.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/12/the-science-of-how-and-when-we-decide-to-speak-out-or-self-censor/">Read full article</a></p> |
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<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/12/the-science-of-how-and-when-we-decide-to-speak-out-or-self-censor/#comments">Comments</a></p> |
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<slash:comments>87</slash:comments> |
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<title>Lawsuit over Trump rejecting medical research grants is settled</title> |
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<link>https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/12/feds-researchers-settle-suit-over-grants-blocked-by-now-illegal-order/</link> |
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<comments>https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/12/feds-researchers-settle-suit-over-grants-blocked-by-now-illegal-order/#comments</comments> |
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<dc:creator> |
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<![CDATA[John Timmer]]> |
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</dc:creator> |
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<pubDate>Tue, 30 Dec 2025 20:45:34 +0000</pubDate> |
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<category><![CDATA[Policy]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[Science]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[dei]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[funding]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[grant evaluation]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[grants]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[NIH]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[peer review]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[research funding]]></category> |
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<guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/12/feds-researchers-settle-suit-over-grants-blocked-by-now-illegal-order/</guid> |
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<description> |
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<![CDATA[Settlement forces NIH to review grants previously rejected on ideological grounds.]]> |
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<![CDATA[<p>On Monday, the ACLU <a href="https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/nih-agrees-to-evaluate-and-complete-review-on-stalled-scientific-grant-applications">announced</a> that it and other organizations representing medical researchers had <a href="https://www.aclu.org/documents/apha-v-nih-stipulation-agreement">reached a settlement</a> in their suit against the federal government over grant applications that had been rejected under a policy that has since been voided by the court. The agreement, which still has to be approved by the judge overseeing the case, would see the National Institutes of Health restart reviews of grants that had been blocked on ideological grounds. It doesn't guarantee those grants will ultimately be funded, but it does mean they will go through the standard peer review process.</p> |
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<p>The grants had previously been rejected without review because their content was ideologically opposed by the Trump administration. That policy has since been declared arbitrary and capricious, and thus in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act, a decision that was upheld by the Supreme Court.</p> |
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<h2>How'd we get here?</h2> |
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<p>Immediately after taking office, the Trump Administration identified a number of categories of research, some of them extremely vague, that it would not be supporting: climate change, DEI, pandemic preparedness, gender ideology, and more. Shortly thereafter, federal agencies started cancelling grants that they deemed to contain elements of these disfavored topics, and blocking consideration of grant applications for the same reasons. As a result, <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/07/things-well-never-know-science-fair-highlights-us-canceled-research/">grants were cancelled</a> that funded everything from research into antiviral drugs to the incidence of prostate cancer in African Americans.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/12/feds-researchers-settle-suit-over-grants-blocked-by-now-illegal-order/">Read full article</a></p> |
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<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/12/feds-researchers-settle-suit-over-grants-blocked-by-now-illegal-order/#comments">Comments</a></p> |
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<media:credit>The Washington Post</media:credit></media:content> |
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<title>DOGE did not find $2T in fraud, but that doesn’t matter, Musk allies say</title> |
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<link>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/12/doge-did-not-find-2t-in-fraud-but-that-doesnt-matter-musk-allies-say/</link> |
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<comments>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/12/doge-did-not-find-2t-in-fraud-but-that-doesnt-matter-musk-allies-say/#comments</comments> |
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<![CDATA[Ashley Belanger]]> |
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<pubDate>Tue, 30 Dec 2025 20:30:01 +0000</pubDate> |
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<category><![CDATA[Policy]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[doge]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[Donald Trump]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[Elon Musk]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[federal budget]]></category> |
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<guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/12/doge-did-not-find-2t-in-fraud-but-that-doesnt-matter-musk-allies-say/</guid> |
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<![CDATA[Musk allies spin DOGE as having a "higher purpose" beyond federal budget cuts.]]> |
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<![CDATA[<p>Determining how "successful" Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) truly was depends on who you ask, but it's increasingly hard to claim that DOGE made any sizable dent in federal spending, which was its primary goal.</p> |
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<p>Just two weeks ago, Musk himself notably downplayed DOGE as only being "a little bit successful" on a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bz5Hjk40FD4">podcast</a>, marking one of the first times that Musk admitted DOGE didn't live up to its promise. Then, more recently, on Monday, Musk revived evidence-free claims he made while campaigning for Donald Trump, insisting that government fraud remained vast and unchecked, seemingly despite DOGE's efforts. On X, he estimated that "my lower bound guess for how much fraud there is nationally is [about 20 percent] of the Federal budget, which would mean $1.5 trillion per year. Probably much higher."</p> |
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<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/05/elon-musk-to-exit-government-upset-that-trump-bill-undermines-doges-work/">Musk loudly left DOGE</a> in May after clashing with Trump, complaining that a Trump budget bill threatened to undermine DOGE's work. These days, Musk does not appear confident that DOGE was worth the trouble of wading into government. Although he said on the December podcast that he considered DOGE to be his "best side quest" ever, the billionaire confirmed that if given the chance to go back in time, he probably would not have helmed the agency as a special government employee.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/12/doge-did-not-find-2t-in-fraud-but-that-doesnt-matter-musk-allies-say/">Read full article</a></p> |
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<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/12/doge-did-not-find-2t-in-fraud-but-that-doesnt-matter-musk-allies-say/#comments">Comments</a></p> |
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<media:credit>Kevin Dietsch / Staff | Getty Images News</media:credit></media:content> |
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<title>NJ’s answer to flooding: it has bought out and demolished 1,200 properties</title> |
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<link>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/12/as-floods-become-more-severe-a-new-jersey-program-provides-a-model/</link> |
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<comments>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/12/as-floods-become-more-severe-a-new-jersey-program-provides-a-model/#comments</comments> |
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<dc:creator> |
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<![CDATA[Emilie Lounsberry]]> |
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</dc:creator> |
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<pubDate>Tue, 30 Dec 2025 20:00:43 +0000</pubDate> |
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<category><![CDATA[Policy]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[climate change]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[flooding]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[housing]]></category> |
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<category><![CDATA[New Jersey]]></category> |
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<guid isPermaLink="true">https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/12/as-floods-become-more-severe-a-new-jersey-program-provides-a-model/</guid> |
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<description> |
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<![CDATA[The state deals with flooding and sea level rise by buying homes in flood prone areas.]]> |
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<![CDATA[<p>MANVILLE, N.J.—Richard Onderko said he will never forget the terrifying Saturday morning back in 1971 when the water rose so swiftly at his childhood home here that he and his brother had to be rescued by boat as the torrential rain from the remnants of Hurricane Doria swept through the neighborhood.</p> |
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<p>It wasn’t the first time—or the last—that the town endured horrific downpours. In fact, the working-class town of 11,000, about 25 miles southwest of Newark, has long been known for getting swamped by tropical storms, nor’easters or even just a wicked rain. It was so bad, Onderko recalled, that the constant threat of flooding had strained his parents’ marriage, with his mom wanting to sell and his dad intent on staying.</p> |
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<p>Eventually, his parents moved to Florida, selling the two-story house on North Second Avenue in 1995. But the new homeowner didn’t do so well either when storms hit, and in 2015, the property was sold one final time: to a state-run program that buys and demolishes houses in flood zones and permanently restores the property to open space.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/12/as-floods-become-more-severe-a-new-jersey-program-provides-a-model/">Read full article</a></p> |
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<p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/12/as-floods-become-more-severe-a-new-jersey-program-provides-a-model/#comments">Comments</a></p> |
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<slash:comments>73</slash:comments> |
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<media:credit>Bobby Bank</media:credit><media:text>Heavy rains cause flooding in Manville, New Jersey on April 16, 2007. </media:text></media:content> |
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