Sci-Tech news

• BepiColombo probe turns to the dark side … of Mercury

  21-06-2023 08:31 via go.theregister.com
  
  Sends home snaps on third fly-by of six as it heads for orbit in 2025 The BepiColombo probe has completed its third fly-by of Mercury and sent home some striking snaps of the tiny world’s dark side.…
  
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• Story of human evolution rewritten as new evidence points to a far more complex origin

  07-07-2026 18:40 via dailymail.com
  
  A new landmark study has uncovered evidence that challenges the long-held beliefs about human evolution.
  
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• Hidden inscription from after Christ's crucifixion reveals new details of the Roman Empire

  07-07-2026 18:02 via dailymail.com
  
  Ancient inscriptions written the language Jesus spoke have revealed a lost 1,700-year-old chapter in early Christian history.
  
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• Put all your data and AI to work and get it out of silos and lakehouses

  07-07-2026 17:00 via theregister.com
  
  Imagine your refrigerator sits in another building, 100 metres from your kitchen. Every time you cook, you walk over for each ingredient, then walk back to check that you closed the fridge door. That could be another long walk back if you forgot the milk for your morning coffee. Until the agentic era, this was the norm. Data could live in that fridge and get pulled when needed. Applications and humans didn't need millisecond or even live data to make important decisions; humans can work on copie
  
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• Ancient inscriptions written in Jesus' language reveal forgotten chapter of early Christianity

  07-07-2026 16:40 via dailymail.com
  
  Ancient inscriptions written the language Jesus spoke have revealed a lost 1,700-year-old chapter in early Christian history.
  
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• Have the long-lost remains of King Alfred the Great finally been found? Investigator claims bones buried under a Hampshire car park may belong to the Anglo-Saxon ruler

  07-07-2026 16:37 via dailymail.com
  
  The long-lost remains of King Alfred the Great have been found buried under a car park, an investigator claims.
  
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• Microsoft flips Windows Backup to on by default unless you're in the EU

  07-07-2026 15:30 via theregister.com
  
  Microsoft is enabling Windows Backup for Organizations by default in Windows 11 26H2 everywhere except the EU, meaning businesses elsewhere with sovereignty and privacy concerns will be forced opt out instead. Now dubbed "Windows settings backup and restore," the service backs up a device's settings and a list of installed Microsoft Store apps, which can then be restored to a new device. Microsoft gave a use case for the technology: "Imagine a lost laptop, a hardware refresh, or an unexpected re
  
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• Enterprise AI still smarting from leaping before looking

  07-07-2026 15:00 via theregister.com
  
  The majority of companies that deploy AI systems end up shooting themselves in the foot with security, according to DigiCert. Seventy-eight percent of enterprises report "experiencing AI-related security incidents or identifying AI-related vulnerabilities," the digital identity biz said in a commissioned survey. Among respondents, 27.7 percent experienced one incident, 21.9 percent experienced multiple incidents, and 28.4 percent had no incidents but identified vulnerabilities, a company spokesp
  
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• DRAM prices are killing the cheap smartphone

  07-07-2026 14:42 via theregister.com
  
  Rising memory prices are making budget smartphones commercially unviable to produce, forcing users to delay upgrades, pay more for higher-tier devices, or turn to the second-hand market instead. This is according to analyst Omdia, which estimates memory costs accounted for almost 60 percent of the total bill of materials in sub-$400 smartphones during calendar Q1 of 2026 – and things haven't improved since then. In fact, market watcher TrendForce predicted last month that the tech industry
  
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• Could you outrun a spider? Scientists rank the sprinting speeds of 258 eight-legged species - and the fastest could easily catch you

  07-07-2026 14:10 via dailymail.com
  
  If you thought you could outrun a spider, think again. Scientists have identified the fastest spider ever recorded, and the quickest could easily catch you.
  
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• Fake IT bods on Microsoft Teams coax workers into installing malware

  07-07-2026 13:21 via theregister.com
  
  Cybercriminals are using fake IT support calls on Microsoft Teams to persuade employees to surrender control of their PCs before installing the EtherRAT remote access trojan, according to researchers at Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42. Victims receive a phishing email disguised as an employee survey before a follow-up Microsoft Teams call from someone claiming to be IT support. During the call, the attacker persuades the target to hand over remote control and install legitimate remote administration
  
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• Spain collars alleged pro-Russia hacktivist after FBI tip-off

  07-07-2026 12:30 via theregister.com
  
  Spanish police have arrested a man they believe is affiliated with at least two pro-Russia hacktivist groups linked to attacks on critical national infrastructure (CNI). Arrested in March at his home in Palencia, central Spain, the man is suspected of having close ties to CyberArmy of Russia Reborn (CARR) and Z-Pentest, and may have carried out attacks on behalf of NoName057(16). All three hacktivist groups were named by the UK's NCSC earlier this year as part of an advisory warning about the da
  
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• Mysterious interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS could be three times OLDER than Earth, study reveals

  07-07-2026 12:16 via dailymail.com
  
  While 3I/ATLAS is definitely a comet, its composition and age have remained unclear. Now, astronomers have solved these mysteries.
  
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• Government's cyber pledge lands 60 signatories, including M&S and, somehow, Capita

  07-07-2026 12:07 via theregister.com
  
  After serving as last year’s poster child for retail cyber misery, Marks & Spencer has become one of the first companies to sign up to the UK government's new Cyber Resilience Pledge. The retailer is among 60 organizations that have signed up to the voluntary scheme, launched by technology secretary Liz Kendall on Tuesday. Signatories commit to treating cybersecurity as a board-level responsibility, signing up to the National Cyber Security Centre's Early Warning service, and encouragi
  
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• MPs tell Brit government: Sort out your tech sovereignty or get left out in the cold

  07-07-2026 11:43 via theregister.com
  
  MPs are warning the UK has no "coherent strategy" for creating sovereign capabilities across a range of technologies, including AI, space, and quantum computing. A report published Tuesday by the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee says the UK is in a global race for sovereign tech capabilities, with AI emerging as a "central arena" for competition and collaboration. A recent move by the US government to restrict some of Anthropic's AI models "should be a powerful reminder that the UK m
  
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• Earth's second MOON is revealed for the first time: Chinese satellite beams back incredible image of rare 'micromoon'

  07-07-2026 11:28 via dailymail.com
  
  This is the first image of a rare 'minimoon' that loops around the Earth like a dance partner.
  
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• Northern Ireland tries (again) to expel Capita from schools IT contract

  07-07-2026 11:15 via theregister.com
  
  Four years after its first attempt, Northern Ireland's Education Authority (EANI) is trying once again to replace Capita, with a procurement for an IT services deal worth up to £851 million. An earlier effort to replace the UK tech services company foundered when EANI ended its £485 million contract with Fujitsu by "mutual agreement" after "extensive negotiations" in November 2024. The deal's collapse led to an extension of the authority's contract with Capita, which bagged an additi
  
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• One and done! NASA Artemis II astronaut Jeremy Hansen dramatically RETIRES after a single mission around the moon - as one fan asks 'what do you guys see up there that you don't want to go back?'

  07-07-2026 11:01 via dailymail.com
  
  The Canadian astronaut was one of four members of the Artemis II team, who made history earlier this year by flying around the moon.
  
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• UK guts planning red tape so datacenters can bypass the neighbors faster

  07-07-2026 10:30 via theregister.com
  
  Reform of the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 aims to cut a year off the approval process for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) in England and Wales – a category that now includes datacenters. The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) confirmed that changes under the Act, taking effect later this month, will scrap the statutory requirement for pre-application consultation on NSIPs. These are major developments – power stations, rail
  
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• Brussels shows how to remove friction from collaboration

  07-07-2026 10:00 via theregister.com
  
  When the Flemish Government set out to renovate its Brussels headquarters, it had two strategic aims. The first was to create a workplace that encouraged hybrid workers to come to the office more regularly, by fashioning a space that fostered connection, teamwork, collaboration, and a deeper sense of wellbeing and belonging. The second goal was sustainability. Another objective was that the government's head office building played a large part in its 2050 climate goals. Yannic Laleeuwe is market
  
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• Broadcom and Apple extend custom silicon pact to 2031

  07-07-2026 09:19 via theregister.com
  
  Broadcom has signed a deal to provide Apple with custom chips until 2031. The chips and code shop has supplied Apple with silicon since the late 2000s when its wireless products found a home in early iPhone models. Broadcom’s silicon has found its way into iThings ever since. Broadcom’s announcement of its extended relationship with Cupertino is brief, stating only that the two companies “have agreed to expand their long-standing technology collaboration through 2031 by enterin
  
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• Cities around the world built in incredible locations - from a Japanese village inside a volcano to a settlement 5,000 metres above sea level

  07-07-2026 09:14 via dailymail.com
  
  From Japan to Peru, there are amazing cities, towns and villages around the world in extraordinary locations and extreme conditions.
  
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• Samsung’s profits jump 19x in a year and you don’t need AI to figure out why

  07-07-2026 07:39 via theregister.com
  
  Samsung has delivered guidance for its second quarter results and forecast profits 19 times higher than it managed in the same period of 2025. In Q2 last year, the Korean giant’s sales totalled ₩75.7 trillion ($49.7 billion) and operating profit landed at ₩4.68 trillion ($3.1 billion). Fast forward a year, and Samsung told investors that once its accountants finish their work, they’ll report sales of ₩170 trillion to ₩172 trillion ($111.9 billion) and operatin
  
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• Slug sleuths on the trail of gorging gastropods

  07-07-2026 07:12 via bbc.co.uk
  
  How predicting slugs' behaviour is helping farmers and their crops.
  
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• Nature campaigners take on football club

  07-07-2026 07:11 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Kidderminster Harriers want to build several football pitches on nearby green belt land.
  
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• Study Finds: Scientists Built Cancer Kill Switch That Turns On With Flash Of Light

  07-07-2026 05:18 via technocracy.news
  
  Photonics influences cell behavior by using light. Technocrats have discovered that many cells, or genetically modified cells, express light-sensitive proteins (opsins, rhodopsins) that open or close ion channels when illuminated, changing membrane potential and firing patterns. In neurons, this directly controls excitability, synaptic transmission, and network dynamics on millisecond timescales. ⁃ Patrick Wood, Editor.Cancer has a dirty trick: it can put itself to sleep. When tumor c
  
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• IBM teases new rackable mainframes that ‘complete’ the z17 family

  07-07-2026 04:20 via theregister.com
  
  IBM has posted an announcement that teases the introduction of rack-mounted and single-frame versions of its z17 mainframes. Big Blue’s documentation for the z17 mentions only a model called the ME1 that scales from single-rack to four-rack systems. The Tuesday announcement mentions bundles called the z17 ME2 and IBM z17 MER, respectively a single-frame and rack-mounted affair. The announcement doesn’t offer any specs but says they “complete the IBM z17 product family.” I
  
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• AI startup that’s never turned a profit say's it'll totally be around in 2047 to close its $19B lease

  07-07-2026 01:37 via theregister.com
  
  In its short life, Anthropic has captured hearts, minds, and wallets – and spooked the US government – but it hasn’t actually turned a profit. That’s not stopping CEO Dario Amodei from signing a two-decade lease with crypto-mining outfit turned AI datacenter operator TeraWulf. Anthropic believes it’s not only going to survive any AI bubble burst but keep operating until 2047, or at least that’s what it (probably) wants prospective investors in its upcoming ini
  
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• Boffins bet on quantum computers, AI supers to solve fusion fuel dilemma

  06-07-2026 22:20 via theregister.com
  
  Fusion energy has presented a tantalizing alternative to fossil fuels for the better part of a century, but creating the equivalent of a human-made sun is easier said than done. However, new research from the boffins at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the Cleveland Clinic, and IBM in support of the Department of Energy’s (DoE) Genesis Mission suggests quantum computers and perhaps a sprinkle of AI could be what the world needs to get fusion power running at scale. Specifically, resea
  
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• Software engineers can still rake in big bucks by working for fast-growing companies

  06-07-2026 21:57 via theregister.com
  
  If you listen to the AI industry, coders' days are numbered. Despite these concerns, software developers, at least those with experience, appear to be doing just fine at growing companies. Hiring biz Levels.fyi recently looked at how US compensation for software engineers (SWEs) is related to changes in headcount and found that salary level tends to be correlated with growth. "Generally, the companies paying the most are also the ones still hiring the most," observed Hakeem Shibly, content marke
  
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