Sci-Tech news

• These tiny newly-discovered frogs are some of the smallest in the world

  24-02-2017 14:00
  
  By: Alexandra Simon-LewisContinue reading...
  
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• YouTuber built 30-frame-per-second grayscale Game Boy, then open sourced it for all e-paper displays

  15-10-2026 19:15 via theregister.com
  
  Sure, running emulated Game Boy games at 30 fps with four shades of gray on an E Ink screen is cool, but you know what's cooler? A custom open source E Ink driver that could theoretically let any display do the same thing. YouTuber Bo Made It published a video last week demonstrating what he calls the InkBoy on a tiny ESP32-S3-powered e-paper board. It looks just about as good as the old-fashioned olive-green screen on the original Game Boy, which isn’t saying much, but it’s an impre
  
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• Smartphone shipments plummet as memory crisis pumps up prices

  15-10-2026 18:45 via theregister.com
  
  Smartphone shipments fell by at least a fifth in the third calendar quarter as the AI-driven memory crunch battered another consumer hardware market. Preliminary estimates from IDC and Omdia put the year-on-year decline at 22 percent and 20 percent respectively. Memory costs have surged by approximately 350 percent since last year, according to IDC, and are still rising. This continues to place substantial pressure on vendor margins, prompting them to hike price tags and scale back on devices at
  
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• Workday wants a slice of customers' labour budget that its AI agents could replace

  15-10-2026 18:15 via theregister.com
  
  Workday wants customers to fund its AI agents from staffing and outsourcing budgets, not just IT spending, as it opens more HR and finance functions to automation. Speaking to investors at its annual conference in Las Vegas, the SaaS slinger said AI productivity gains could allow it to grow with fewer new hires. Customers could face a different cost calculation, however. Workday expects agent charges to grow with usage rather than simply the number of employees licensed to use its software. Chie
  
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• TinyLittleOffice, where the link is the document

  15-10-2026 17:45 via theregister.com
  
  Don't need a full-fat productivity suite and worried about where your documents are being stored? Welcome to TinyLittleOffice, a set of applications where the document is the link itself. Using a URL to stash information isn't new. Look at many URLs, and you'll see a lengthy sequence of seemingly random characters at the end. Using that space to stash data isn't novel, but using it for documents is an interesting approach. TinyLittleOffice comprises a selection of tools, including a basic word p
  
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• KDE hits 30, decides it's time to move out of the X11 era

  15-10-2026 17:13 via theregister.com
  
  KDE is marking its 30th birthday by showing X11 sessions the door. The newly released KDE Plasma 6.8 is Wayland-only, though X11 applications can still run through XWayland. The change arrives right on schedule after last month's beta. KWin handles both window management and display-server duties. That means X11-based screen-recording tools, for example, won't work any more. You can't "shade" windows – roll them up into the title bar and back – and that's not planned to come back. Re
  
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• When faster supercomputers aren’t enough

  15-10-2026 17:00 via theregister.com
  
  When a million veterans shared their genetic data by enrolling in the Department of Veterans Affairs' “Million Veteran Program,” they expected nothing back. This did not surprise Ravi Madduri, a senior scientist with the Data Science and Learning Division at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory. He is abundantly clear about the terms under which these veterans donated their data: “Even after giving everything to the country, they found it in t
  
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• Spyware vendors found a way to make targeted ads even worse

  15-10-2026 16:31 via theregister.com
  
  The online advertising industry has found a new way to make itself even more unpopular, with one adtech outfit accused of helping spyware vendors infect people's phones without them even clicking an ad. Researchers at Citizen Lab say they've uncovered the first publicly confirmed case of a zero-click mercenary spyware attack being delivered through targeted online ads, with devices at Al Jazeera among those infected. The technique, dubbed "AdFection," turns advertising networks into a spyware de
  
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• Bank of America had to bring in 1,000 contractors to patch all the bugs Mythos identified

  15-10-2026 15:45 via theregister.com
  
  Bank of America recruited an additional 1,000 contractors to help patch all the vulnerabilities discovered by Anthropic’s Mythos model, the CEO said on Wednesday. Brian Moynihan, chairman and CEO at BoA, said during the company’s Q3 earnings call that it spent “a couple of hundred million plus” in remediation costs related to Mythos, and the anti-money laundering (AML) orders issued this week. These costs are expected to decline over time, though, with the contractors in
  
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• TSMC sends scouts to check whether America's datacenters can deliver

  15-10-2026 15:15 via theregister.com
  
  TSMC is dispatching personnel to check out US datacenter construction and power availability as it plans billions of dollars in additional chipmaking capacity. The Taiwanese chipmaking giant warned of pressure on consumer markets during its third-quarter earnings call, while maintaining that AI demand - at least for now - continues to outstrip supply. "Looking ahead, we continue to observe consumer and price-sensitive end market segments are being challenged due to the impact of rising component
  
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• X purges 13,000 accounts linked to suspected meddling ahead of US midterms

  15-10-2026 14:45 via theregister.com
  
  X says it has nuked more than 13,000 accounts involved in three suspected foreign influence operations targeting US political debate. In a post on Wednesday evening, the platform linked the operations to Iran, Russia, and China. It said the networks used inauthentic accounts to post and amplify political content targeting candidates and public figures across the political spectrum. The announcement comes ahead of the US midterm elections on November 3. "People come to X to talk about what's happ
  
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• Rocket Lab pushes back first Neutron launch to 2027

  15-10-2026 14:15 via theregister.com
  
  Rocket Lab has delayed the maiden launch of its Neutron rocket again, due to carbon composite manufacturing issues. It is more than five years since Rocket Lab said it was developing the launcher, a step up from its workhorse Electron, and capable of sending up to 13,000 kg to Low Earth Orbit. At the time, 2024 was mooted as the first launch date. Then perhaps 2025. Then 2026. And now it is "expected to occur in 2027." It won't be early in 2027 either. During a briefing, boss Peter Beck said he
  
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• OpenAI claims 100-plus secret files followed ex-employee back to Apple

  15-10-2026 13:46 via theregister.com
  
  Apple's trade secrets spat with OpenAI has taken a new turn, with the ChatGPT maker accusing a former employee of taking more than 100 confidential files about its unreleased hardware back to Cupertino. In a court filing submitted Wednesday, OpenAI claims the unnamed employee, who joined from Apple before returning to the iPhone maker just six months later, transferred sensitive documents to his personal accounts before leaving. The filing alleges the files included detailed images of at least o
  
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• Legal Aid Agency hackers made off with records dating back to 1978

  15-10-2026 13:23 via theregister.com
  
  Hackers who broke into the UK's Legal Aid Agency last year stole records dating back nearly five decades, the government has admitted, revealing the breach was far more extensive than previously thought. The Legal Aid Agency said on Wednesday that around 250,000 records stolen in the April 2025 attack date from before 2007, including one going back to 1978. That's much further back than the agency previously estimated ­­– it initially said the stolen data covered legal aid applicat
  
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• US Air Force pilots used malware-laden USB drives to plan Afghanistan missions

  15-10-2026 12:30 via theregister.com
  
  Welcome, once again, to PWNED, the weekly column where we gawk at organizations that have made serious security mistakes. Normally, we’re talking about businesses or maybe the odd school that messes up, but today we’re writing about a serious IT screwup in the world’s most powerful military. Have a story about someone leaving a gaping hole in their network? Share it with us at [email protected]. Anonymity is available upon request. Today’s tale comes from Justin Henkel, th
  
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• Japanese consortium bets on building bobbing bit barns

  15-10-2026 12:00 via theregister.com
  
  A Japanese consortium wants to ease the datacenter space crunch by putting servers afloat – but keeping them moored safely alongside port quays. The group comprises shipping and logistics corporation NYK Line, engineering biz NTT Facilities, renewable energy developer Eurus Energy, and MUFG Bank. The quartet has also considered facilities farther out at sea, where they could draw on renewable energy sources such as offshore wind. Others are exploring wave power, including Oregon-based Pant
  
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• UK keeps AI safeguards in the maybe pile for Cyber Security BIll

  15-10-2026 11:15 via theregister.com
  
  UK officials have stopped short of committing to AI-specific measures in the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill despite ministers promising to legislate wherever necessary. The uncertainty comes amid warnings about autonomous AI threats, including Anthropic's forecast that small models could be months away from operating as self-replicating worms on vulnerable smart devices. Senior civil servants told MPs this week that the government was still considering amendments to the bill to address AI ri
  
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• Scientists discover weakest points in Earth's invisible shield: Space 'tsunamis' reveal where dangerous solar storms can break through

  15-10-2026 11:12 via dailymail.com
  
  Space tsunamis have revealed the weak spots in Earth's invisible magnetic shield, highlighting the regions where dangerous solar storms can 'find a way through'.
  
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• Royal Navy goes fishing for suppliers to build its Type 93 robot submarine

  15-10-2026 10:30 via theregister.com
  
  Britain's Royal Navy is sounding out the defense industry ahead of kicking off a procurement process for the Type 93, a large uncrewed submarine that will form part of the force’s Hybrid Navy vision. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) issued a preliminary market engagement notice inviting organizations to register their interest in the Type 93 and the AUKUS Signature Payload Program, which aims to develop weapons and other systems for the UK’s uncrewed submarine and those of partner natio
  
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• Metropolitan Police's unchecked use of shoplifting platform lands force in trouble with data watchdog

  15-10-2026 09:30 via theregister.com
  
  The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has reprimanded London's Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and issued an enforcement notice after officers used a retail crime platform without the force's approval or required data protection checks. Between March 2023 and September 2024, MPS officers registered around 500 free accounts on Auror, a platform retailers use to record crimes such as shoplifting. The force had not formally procured the service or completed the required data protection chec
  
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• Jev and other decision models can still be tricked with prompt injection

  15-10-2026 08:28 via theregister.com
  
  Some of the excitement about decision models follows from TypeSafe AI's claim that its Jev decision model cannot hallucinate and that "the model never makes type errors." Yet decision models, which answer questions with a set of probabilities and a confidence score rather than freeform text, can still get things wrong and can still be exploited through indirect prompt injection. These vulnerabilities don't erase the potential cost and performance advantages of a model that returns decision proba
  
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• Lost message about the path to salvation may lie in a 1,500-year-old Christian church

  15-10-2026 03:20 via dailymail.com
  
  A message hidden within a 1,500-year-old Christian church could carry a profound spiritual meaning, offering what experts believe is a guide to salvation for humanity.
  
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• Out-of-this-world photos capture incredible 'space jellyfish'... can you guess what it really is?

  15-10-2026 03:14 via dailymail.com
  
  The images were taken on Tuesday morning - with the glowing cloud witnessed by masses of sky watchers across multiple states in North America.
  
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• Meet Britain's 'Space Binman'! Giant robotic claw will hunt down defunct spacecraft and drag them to a fiery death in Earth's atmosphere

  15-10-2026 01:01 via dailymail.com
  
  There could soon be a new 'Space Binman' cleaning up the sky, as Britain prepares to launch a revolutionary satellite with a giant claw.
  
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• Cisco make-me-root email bug exploited as a 0-day by unknown crims

  14-10-2026 23:40 via theregister.com
  
  Cisco “strongly” implored customers to patch yet another critical, make-me-root vulnerability in its Secure Email Gateway (SEG), one that has already been exploited in zero-day attacks. A Cisco spokesperson told The Register that the critical vuln, which received a 9.8 out of 10 CVSS rating, affects “a limited number of customers.” The bug, now tracked as CVE‑2026‑76519, allows remote, unauthenticated attackers to write files and execute commands with root pri
  
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• De-extinction of the dodo takes a MAJOR step forwards: AI identifies thousands of genetic switches linked to the bird's distinctive appearance

  14-10-2026 23:00 via dailymail.com
  
  The quest to bring the dodo back from extinction has taken a major step forward.
  
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• Chaos ensues when AI interviewer meets AI interviewee

  14-10-2026 22:53 via theregister.com
  
  A YouTuber who’s gained a following for trolling AI interview bots brought his own computing companion to an interview with him. As chaos ensued, viewers learned that having an AI as your interview agent isn't a good idea. Graham Dot Zip is a comedian whose YouTube channel has blown up recently thanks to videos of him demonstrating the absurdity of AI bots used to conduct early-stage interviews with job candidates. AI interviewers have become quite the phenomenon in recent months, and not
  
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• Linux kernel devs drop obligatory confession of AI tool usage

  14-10-2026 22:16 via theregister.com
  
  Despite previous controversies, it seems like the lords of Linux are warming to AI-assisted coding. The penguin's kernel community has agreed to stop asking coders to disclose whether they used bots to help with their contributions. And Linux kernel supremo Linus Torvalds has made clear that he opposes "stupid" AI disclosure rules as long as people understand the code they're submitting. "The Maintainers Summit reached consensus to deprecate the Assisted-by Tag," said Sasha Levin, a Linux kernel
  
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• Giant 'UFO mothership' spotted shooting across Earth's sun at 'near light speed', claims UFOlogist

  14-10-2026 22:03 via dailymail.com
  
  NASA's probe captured a mysterious object soaring near the sun. It has sparked claims of a 'UFO mothership' traveling through space, carrying 'tens of thousands of passengers.'
  
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• Real-life Batpod! Incredible robot bicycle performs wheelies, jumps and front flips like a Hollywood stunt bike

  14-10-2026 21:42 via dailymail.com
  
  Researchers have created an AI-powered robot bicycle that can pull wheelies, leap over obstacles and even perform front flips.
  
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