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AI hallucinations are causing headaches in Louisiana courtrooms. 'It shocked me.'
More than a dozen attorneys have been fined or sanctioned in Louisiana for using fabricated quotes or cites in their pleadings -- called hallucinations -- generated by AI tools. It's a growing problem.
Chris Parnell reflects on being fired twice from “Saturday Night Live”: ‘It was a big shock’
The comedian was brought back in 2002, just months after Lorne Michaels dismissed Parnell due to budget cuts.
Venezuelan aftershocks: How the quakes made political change more urgent
Venezuela’s earthquakes have created a new test for its political opposition and movement leader María Corina Machado.
IMF exepcts world economy to grow a sluggish 3% this year
The group cited the energy shock caused by the Iran war
‘Shell-shocked’ Chicago scientists raise alarm about federal overhaul of research grant funding
Researchers here and across the country say a proposed rule could undermine a system that has helped fueled scientific innovation for generations. A public comment period ends July 13.
‘Shell-shocked’ Chicago scientists raise alarm about federal overhaul of research grant funding
Researchers here and across the country say a proposed rule could undermine a system that has helped fueled scientific innovation for generations. A public comment period ends July 13.
Changing tides: How gravity warps our oceans - Futura-Sciences
Why gravity makes water uneven Water at any point in the ocean is pulled straight down, perpendicular to what physicists call an equipotential surface. Along this surface, the pull of gravity is identical everywhere. The specific equipotential surface that aligns with global sea level is known as the geoid. On...
The wildest World Cup game so far, plus more on Balogun’s return
The Pulse Newsletter 📣 | This is The Athletic’s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox. Good morning! Park the bus today. Inside: 🏴 England’s unthinkable win Balogun returns 🎾 Osaka shocker Any weekend with World Cup knockout games ensures a compelling experience. But even outside of those — which were scintillating, to be clear — yesterday was a banner day for winners across the sports spectrum. Let’s simply rank them: 1. England, sheesh This was slotted at No. 2 until the match unfolded.
World Cup: Erling Haaland, Norway shock Brazil to make history
Erling Haaland scored twice as Norway stunned Brazil, 2-1, to reach their first-ever World Cup quarterfinal.
Celtics could flip Paul George to add $112 million wing in another blockbuster
The Boston Celtics shocked the NBA world with their recent Jaylen Brown trade, but it's possible the team isn't done making moves.
World Cup 2026: Erling Haaland scores twice and Norway shocks Brazil 2-1 to advance to quarterfinals
Erling Haaland added two more goals for Norway en route to a 2-1 win.
Defending champion Swiatek & Rybakina out in Wimbledon shocks
Elena Rybakina becomes the highest seed to fall at Wimbledon so far in a straight-set third-round defeat by Elise Mertens.
Klopp confirms Germany coach talks after Nagelsmann exit
Following Germany's shock World Cup exit on Monday, the German Football Association (DFB) confirmed on Friday that Julian Nagelsmann had stepped down as head coach, while also revealing talks with Jü...
Bronny James predicted to retire after unexpected LeBron James Lakers decision
The Los Angeles Lakers' 21-year-old guard received a shocking suggestion on Wednesday.
Elden Ring's New DLC Comes With Friendly Price Tag
Bandai Namco details the upcoming Tarnished Pack DLC for Elden Ring.
Mitch McConnell’s Aides Make Bombshell Health Admission
A spokesperson for the senator made a shocking admission in a statement to the Daily Beast.
Steelers given shockingly bad grade after big offseason
This ESPN analyst is not a fan of what the Steelers did this offseason.
Comic-Con Shocker: Entertainment Weekly Scraps Annual Party
Entertainment Weekly’s annual Saturday night comic-con party is skipping Comic-Con this year, TheWrap has exclusively learned.
Comic-Con Shocker: Entertainment Weekly Scraps Annual Party
Entertainment Weekly’s annual Saturday night comic-con party is skipping Comic-Con this year, TheWrap has exclusively learned.
A new attack uses a BioShock-style puzzle to convince AI browsers they're not in the real world
Researchers from LayerX recently unveiled BioShocking, a new type of vulnerability designed to target AI-powered browsers capable of executing autonomous tasks on the open web. The security...
Following attack, LG Health\'s nurse scientist\'s violence prevention efforts to be recognized nationally
As the punches rained down on his face, Christian Burchill was paralyzed by shock.
Reports: Jaylen Brown didn’t want out from Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics dealt star Jaylen Brown in a shocking trade on Wednesday, but he apparently never asked for a change of scenery.
Matt Miller's serious car accident has sparked scrutiny over his business dealings
Last week's shocking news that ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller was involved in a serious car accident that resulted in the amputation of his left arm, along with other significant injuries, prompted an outpouring of support for him — both with words and, after his family created a GoFundMe effort, money.
'NCIS' shocker as Michael Weatherly returns as beloved Tony DiNozzo
What a week for "NCIS" universe. First, fans of the CBS mega-franchise were hit with the big news that Mark Harmon is bringing his iconic Gibbs character to every "NCIS:
Melat Kiros is the first political star truly formed by the 2020s
What’s behind her shocking victory against a 30-year incumbent in Colorado — according to the candidate herself.
Sony will cease production of discs for new PlayStation games in 2028
New games sold for PlayStation consoles will only be available digitally and won’t be sold on discs effective January 2028, Sony has announced. The move applies to all PlayStation games released from that point on, including those made by Sony and those released by third parties. The PlayStation group calls the change “a natural direction for Sony Interactive Entertainment to adapt to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs,” according to a PlayStation blog post reviewed by Game File in advance of its publication. As movies, TV and music have shifted from physical media to an age of downloads and streaming, Sony’s move could speed the demise of physical media in a gaming. The industry has offered consumers games via cartridges, cassettes, floppy discs, CDs, DVDs and Blu-Rays across a 50-year stretch. Sony has been reporting to investors in recent years that PlayStation games have been increasingly purchased as downloads, not as discs. The most recent figures show nearly four in five purchases of full games for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 were purchased digitally in the past year. Stats like that may cause today’s news to carry an air of the inevitable. But Sony’s declaration for 2028 is still likely to produce a shock, as the biggest gaming platform on the planet that uses game discs leaves them behind. Discs going away, but the fate of game boxes is unknown Sony is committing to still selling games in physical retailers even after they drop discs in 2028. Just how those games will be sold—in boxes with codes inside, as cards marked with digital redemption codes—is unclear. Digital games will also continue to be sold in the online PlayStation Store. New games released for PlayStation consoles prior to January 2028 will be unaffected by the policy change, Sony says. That means the PS5 games of 2027, be they a new Madden, a new God of War, a new Call of Duty, a new Sly Cooper (one can dream?), would still potentially be offered on disc. PlayStation 6 implications Sony’s timeline for a transition to a no-disc era will also spin up more speculation about the timing and configuration of Sony’s next-generation console, the probable PlayStation 6. “This pretty much guarantees that PS6 won’t arrive until 2028 at the earliest,” Piers Harding-Rolls, senior games research analyst at Ampere Analysis tells Game File. Harding-Rolls also concludes from today’s news that “the base version of a PS6 will not include a physical media drive,” as Sony looks to keep costs down on the device. Sony itself is saying nothing about the PS6 today: not its timing, nor how it might or might not support internal or external disc drives in order to run disc-based PS4 and PS5 games, should the console be backwards compatible. The many signs this was coming Industry support for games being released on physical media has been waning. As has consumer interest in them. PC games effectively went all-digital years ago, thanks to the popularity of playing games through Steam and other digital storefronts. The Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdowns that kept much of the global population home helped shift shopping patterns toward downloads. Sony’s own data shows PlayStation game downloads being an uncommon consumer choice a decade ago and now becoming the norm. On consoles, physical media has been in such decline that Sony and Microsoft both launched their current gen Xbox Series and PS5 consoles in 2020 with cheaper versions that lacked disc drives. In early 2024, Phil Spencer, then head of Xbox, told me that ““[w]e ship games physically and digitally, and we’re really just following what the customers are doing.” He added that the game industry had become an outlier in still supporting disc-based entertainment, even as movies and TV have bailed on discs in favor of downloads and steaming: “Gaming consoles themselves have kind of become the last consumer electronic device that has a drive. And this is a real issue, just in terms of the number of manufacturers that are actually building drives and the cost associated with those. And when you think about cogs that we’re going to go put in a console—and as you have fewer suppliers and fewer buyers—the cost of the drive does have an impact.” Last year, the Nintendo’s Switch 2, which uses cartridges rather than discs, introduced the concept of game-key cards, which are physical media that contain no game, just a prompt for a download. Even disc-based games aren’t what they once were, now frequently containing just stubs of games rather than the whole thing. The website Does It Play has tested over 3000 games and found that, for example, that the disc version of this year’s hit 007: First Light, only contained the game’s first mission, with the rest needing to be downloaded. Beyond all that, last week brought the news that Grand Theft Auto VI, likely the biggest game launch this decade, will debut for PS5 and Xbox Series without a disc-based version. Today’s big news comes to you for free. Game File is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and ensure more of my work is possible, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe Discs helped define PlayStation However the trends in entertainment may be going, it is still remarkable to see PlayStation ditch discs given their importance in PlayStation history: In the late 1990s, the first PlayStation’s support for games on relatively cheap CD-ROMs instead of traditional game cartridges allowed the upstart console to outmaneuver cartridge-based systems from Nintendo and Sega, as it drove down game prices down in the process. (The cheaper disc format even prompted Final Fantasy VII maker Square to taunt Nintendo in a magazine ad, saying that if the game was “available on cartridge, it’d retail for around $1200.”) PlayStation devices often doubled as machines for watching movies and TV on the latest disc-based formats. In the late 2000s, for example, Sony’s pricy PS3 gained traction as a go-to device for playing then-novel Blu-Ray discs. In 2013, Sony effectively roasted the digital game-sharing restrictions proposed by rival Microsoft for its upcoming Xbox One console by showing how games could be shared for the then-upcoming PS4. In a 21-second clip that has over 20 million views on YouTube, one PlayStation executive simply handed a game box—presumably with disc inside—to another, who said “thanks.” Sony’s possible motivations The PlayStation announcement today cites “consumer preferences” and a shift away from discs among “the broader entertainment industry,” but does not delve into the decision-making process that brought Sony to this point. Sony is not discussing the economics of this move (I asked!), but there are a number of potential factors: Abandoning discs will spare Sony the cost of manufacturing and shipping them, which analysts and industry veterans I spoke to said could account for $1 or so of a game’s retail price. For first-party games, that’s direct savings for Sony, though the amount is limited by the winnowing percentage of people who were even buying the disc-based versions. For third-party games, Sony could pass the savings on to partners or just retain the better profit margin for themselves. As the 2024 comments from Phil Spencer alluded to, leaving discs behind could mean leaving disc-drives behind, allowing Sony to produce consoles more cheaply. Switching to digital-only for games could diminish the risks of copies of new games leaking. It would also seemingly make second-hand sales of used games impossible, pushing more people to buy their own copies of games. These economic benefits for Sony could be boons for the games industry overall, Ampere analyst Piers Harding-Rolls tells Game File. Among other things, it could free publishers and retailers from having to worry about securing an inventory of game discs when trying to sell games, he noted. “If there is a way to streamline the business of games retail, I generally think it’s a good thing for the industry as it removes unnecessary costs,” Harding-Rolls said. “This will help offset pressure on margins from other directions – development and staffing costs for example.” Should the industry shift from game boxes that contain discs to smaller, cheaper game cards, Harding-Rolls said, that reduces pressure on publishers and retailers. “The advantage of everything going digital for the industry is that sales can be tracked much more easily and there is less commercial risk for publishers wanting to continue selling via retail,” he said. The shift to no discs will also likely impact game development timelines, as developers will no longer face the same urgency to have a build ready to submit to PlayStation for the production of a disc, as industry experts noted around GTA VI’s no-disc news last week. Instead, projects may gain weeks of development time, in the event delivery deadlines for platform approval move closer to release date. Preservationists’ likely worries While millions of gamers have shifted to digital, there are still people who associate game discs—and only game discs—with actual ownership of PlayStation games. That portion of the gaming community spoke up last week about wanting to buy a version of GTA VI that they could hold in their hands, could lend to a friend and could potentially pop into a well-preserved PS5 console three decades from now and still see it run. Such gamers didn’t want to worry that they’d merely purchased a digital copy that could lose access to the game if, say, the company behind the game someday turns of the servers that transmit downloadable copies. Digital copies of games are inherently less long-lasting, because consumers aren’t actually buying a game (on a disc), just buying access to the game. The fine print in online gaming shops notes this, as does a recent law that went on the books in California in 2025. That lasw requires game publishers doing business in the state to refrain from words like “sell” when offering digital copies of games, unless they explicitly tell consumers that what’s being sold isn’t the game itself but a potentially revocable license to access it. A Sony spokesperson noted to Game File that “[w]ith all digital content, including games, movies, and music, players are purchasing a personal license for non-commercial use.” Regarding the fears of PlayStation games being lost to time in an all-digital era, the rep also noted that Sony remains “committed to delivering experiences from past generations to the new platforms our players are using.” They noted that PlayStation has used emulation and remasters to keep offering its classic games to modern gamers. It’s true that many consumers have become accustomed to not having physical copies of new music albums or movies, but the relative precariousness of digital copies of games is in fact being highlighted today by…. Sony’s other big announcement: the upcoming closure of the PS3 and PS Vita online stores Sony said today that it will be closing the online marketplaces for its PlayStation 3 console and PS Vita handheld in most countries in July 2027 (sooner elsewhere: August 2026 for the PS3 store Mexico, Honduras and Nicaragua; late 2026 for PS3 in other Latin American countries and the Middle East). “We know this news may be disappointing to PS3 and PS Vita players who hold a special place in their hearts for this generation of gaming,” Sony said in its announcement, saying the move “was not an easy decision for us to make.” Sony said that PS3 and Vita marketplaces “are no longer able” to support modern commerce systems, prompting a “need” to close the shops and focus on more modern PlayStation platform stores. The news may spark some deja vu. Sony announced back in March 2021 that it planned to take the PS3, Vita and PlayStation Portable marketplaces offline that summer. The move would have caused some 2,000 digital-only games to become unavailable for new purchasers, according to a VGC analysis at the time. Fans complained loudly. By April 2021, Sony walked back the PS3 and Vita shop closures, with then PlayStation boss Jim Ryan saying “it’s clear that we made the wrong decision here.” This time around, Sony is giving a longer notice period in most regions. The closure of those stores is still likely to cut off access to new purchases of digital-only PS3 and Vita games. The current PlayStation 5 marketplace sells PS5 and PS4 games, as well as a selection of PS1 and PS2 games. It does not sell PS3 games, because games for that platform can’t run on the system (some are offered via a PlayStation Plus streaming option). Vita games also aren’t sold via PS5. Sony says digitally purchased PS3 and Vita games will be downloadable after the stores’ shutdowns “for the foreseeable future.” Sony’s move contrasts with Microsoft’s Xbox platform, which continues to sell and support games from all four Xbox console generations. But it puts it in line with Nintendo, which disabled purchases in the marketplace for its Wii console (a contemporary of the PS3) in 2019. Nintendo discontinued purchases in the online shop for its 3DS portable (a contemporary of the Vita) in 2023. The big questions about Sony’s 2028 post-disc era Will Microsoft follow suit, ending support for new disc-based games on Xbox platforms and therefore all game consoles, too? Whether Microsoft does or not, will third-parties that can no longer release games on discs for PlayStation, simply ditch the disc options across the board? Given the GTA VI no-disc experiment launching this November, will more game publishers decide to forgo disc-based offerings even in 2027? How will no-disc PS5/6 games be packaged and sold in brick-and-mortar retail stores? What becomes of game sharing in an all-digital era? Will Sony modify its current set-up, which currently allows some sharing of digital games across a pair of consoles, to allow more casual lending? (See for example, Nintendo’s year-old system of letting players lend a digital game to another player in a “family group” for up to 14 days.) Will there be a version of a PS6 with a disc drive? Or will a drive be offered as an add-on? And how will gamers who want to retain access to PS4/PS5 disc-based games react to whichever configurations Sony chooses to offer? What will the final disc-based PlayStation game be?
Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Remake Pre-Order Price Appears Online
Zelda Ocarina of Time Remake Price: Fans Shocked
5 takeaways from Colorado’s shocker of a 2026 primary election
Voters in Colorado’s Democratic primary on Tuesday night mostly let their elected officials know that they’re fed up with the party’s Washington politicians and ready to back the most aggressive fighters they can find. At the same time, the voters who cast ballots in the Republican primary mostly embraced the GOP’s establishment, throwing the beleaguered […]
Melat Kiros shocks 15-term incumbent Diana DeGette, winning Colorado’s 1st CD Democratic primary
In the equivalent of a political earthquake, 29-year-old Democratic socialist Melat Kiros defeated 15-term U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado’s Denver-based 1st Congressional District primary, according to unofficial election results Tuesday night. The Associated Press called the race at 10:03 p.m., with Kiros leading DeGette by just under 6 points with 78% of the vote […]
New BioShocking attack manipulates AI browser into data theft
A new prompt injection attack dubbed "BioShocking" could trick AI-powered browsers into treating real-world risky actions as part of a fictional scenario, causing them to ignore any safety guardrails.
Lakers post farewell message to LeBron James after shocking decision
The Los Angeles Lakers are no longer suitors to retain LeBron James after he informed the team he would not return next year.
Weird Dresses
Schiaparelli deigns shows strong business potential with celebrity-driven virality, replaces ad spend, while surrealist shock value.
New BioShocking Attack Tricks AI Browsers Into Leaking User Credentials
LayerX says BioShocking used indirect prompt injection to trick six AI browsers into copying credentials from signed-in accounts.
England to get powerful maternity commissioner after ‘shocking’ failings
Health secretary announces move after Amos review finds childbirth and neonatal care in need of ‘urgent reform’
Conservatives revolt after Trump-appointed Barrett joins liberals in ‘shockingly wrong’ mail ballot ruling
Amy Coney Barrett faces conservative backlash after authoring the 5-4 Supreme Court ruling allowing mail-in ballots received after Election Day.
England will miss Stokes' winning persona
Former England captain Michael Vaughan reflects on Ben Stokes' shock retirement and how the team can move on from one of their "greatest" players.
You’ve never seen this before: the shocking moment the sound barrier breaks - Futura-Sciences
The XB-1 is a critical stepping stone toward commercial supersonic travel, representing the first civil designed aircraft to break the sound barrier since the Concorde retired. To verify the aircraft’s aerodynamic performance during its supersonic transition, NASA deployed an advanced optical technology called schlieren imaging to make the invisible forces...
Scientists finally reveal the shocking truth behind England’s dolphin deaths - Futura-Sciences
A Drastic Decline Along English Shores The dolphin populations along the English coastline have been disappearing at an alarming rate for several decades. Contrary to what many might hope, these aren’t dolphins simply seeking warmer waters elsewhere. The brutal reality is that this is not migration—it’s mass mortality. English researchers...
Are ghosts real? What top scientists secretly found will shock you - Futura-Sciences
The Enigma of Cryptozoology Cryptozoology is the study of animals whose existence hasn’t been scientifically proven. Think about it: creatures like the Yeti, the Loch Ness Monster, or the giant squid. Sometimes these beings seem straight out of outlandish legends—a touch of myth, a dash of curiosity, and a sprinkle...
What New York’s primary upheaval means for Democrats: Join Friday’s Whole Hog
Democrats are still feeling the political aftershocks of New York’s primaries on Tuesday night, including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani-backed victories. What could it signal for the party? Pl…
What we learned as Bryce Harper caps Phillies' shocking comeback trilogy
The Phillies erased another five-run deficit, rallied late again and reached the season’s halfway point with another reminder of how much has changed.
Shockwave Medical announces new studies evaluating carotid IVL platform
Carotid artery disease causes up to 30% of all strokes, but severely calcified lesions can make treatment quite complex. The hope is that IVL can be as successful in this area as it has been in the treatment of coronary and peripheral artery disease.
South Dakota mayoral candidates separated by just two votes in shockingly close race, recount expected
The Sioux Falls mayoral runoff contest shockingly resulted in just a two-vote margin separating the candidates out of more than 36,000 ballots cast.
Fed's favored inflation gauge accelerated in May amid energy price shock
The Commerce Department PCE inflation report for May showed the Federal Reserve's favored inflation gauge rose higher amid the energy price shock caused by the Iran war.
How should European scientists respond to the US AI kill switch?
Earlier in June, Europe’s worst fears of technological dependence were confirmed when the White House ordered the AI firm Anthropic to stop non-US citizens using its leading models. This kill-switch moment crystalised anxieties in Brussels that the continent, lagging the US on the creation of leading-edge AI models, is now a technological of vassal of Washington. The shock has specific implications for European scientists and universities. Some governments are now worried that with AI being integrated into labs, Donald Trump now has his finger hovering over an off switch for European science. “Having restrictions on this tool, it can have an impact on our own research,” said France’s research minister, Philippe Baptiste, at the VivaTech conference in Paris on June 18.Baptiste, himself a former academic, said that colleagues in mathematics had recently warned him they were now cut off from leading-edge US models, risking their work. “This model is not available anymore now because of the US restriction, and for the first time this had an impact on mathematics,” a field where large language models (LLMs) are making a significant contribution, said Baptiste. So, should European scientists avoid relying on US models in the future? Or would this be a self-harming overreaction? And how is AI being used in science, anyway? What happened?On June 12, it emerged that Washington, citing cybersecurity concerns, had ordered Anthropic to stop non-US citizens using two models: Claude Mythos 5, and Claude Fable 5, a version of Mythos but with guardrails to prevent abuse. Anthropic said Washington’s concerns were overblown. But forced to follow the order, yet with no way to check who was using the models, the company suddenly shut down access for everyone, US citizens included. There’s still no agreement on how to restore broad access. But last week, Bloomberg reported that select US companies, and the US government, still had access to Mythos despite the ban, but the EU’s cybersecurity agency Enisa had been shut out. Class division of researchersIn the longer term, access outside the US should be restored, said Marcel Salathé, co-director of the AI centre at the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne (EPFL), because a permanent restriction would be financially ruinous to US AI firms. “Even Trump will eventually budge to economic pressure,” he said.However, US AI firms might end up operating rather like banks, doing due diligence on users of their leading-edge AI models, he went on.European scientists are unlikely to fall foul of such checks, he said. But having a Chinese postgraduate in their lab, or doing a type of research the US disapproved of, could potentially result in access being denied. “It will create a sort of class division of researchers,” he said. More than frontier modelsHowever, successfully deploying AI in science is about far more than just having access to leading LLMs such as Mythos.Instead, many science-specific tools, most famously Alphafold, which predicts protein folding structures, require “far less” computing power to train than frontier models, well within the capabilities of European supercomputers, according to a recent analysis by the Arq Foundation, a Brussel-based AI think tank. Instead, tools such as Alphafold are possible because certain fields, like protein folding, weather prediction or astronomy, have large, clean, standardised datasets that can be used to train predictive models. Rather than compute, “data is the central constraint for AI for science,” the report says. For example, a less powerful physics model trained on CERN’s data “will be more valuable than the best model without certain data,” said Bengüsu Özcan, author of the report. European advantage?Europe could therefore steal a march by using its scientific data and infrastructure to create models US digital giants cannot. “They might actually match or go even beyond what these big [US] companies are doing,” said Özcan.Indeed, some European start-ups hope to create automated testing labs to create the kind of standardised data that could speed up the discovery of new materials. Materials scientists say there’s currently too little data to train models. AI scientistsHowever, even if the bottleneck for AI in science is often data, rather than compute, being at the mercy of the US for LLM access could still become a problem for European scientists. A new class of “AI scientists” based on leading LLMs is also emerging, Özcan’s report says.Unlike domain-specific tools like Alphafold, these try to automate day-to-day scientific work, by providing an overarching tool that coordinates specific models to synthesise existing literature, generate hypotheses or run analysis of data. The problem for Europe, however, is that these tools are sometimes based on US leading models. Google Deepmind’s AI Co-Scientist, for example, is built on Google’s Gemini LLM. Systematic failureThese scientific automation tools are still in their early stages, and still exhibit “systematic failures on scientific tasks,” Özcan’s report says. One of the problems is that the messy, day-to-day process of scientific discovery is largely not documented, meaning LLMs don’t have a good source of data to learn how scientists actually work. Meanwhile, some tasks, such as literature synthesis, don’t typically require access to leading edge models.However, the performance of AI scientific assistants could improve as companies such as Google pour resources into developing them. Rely on US“Unfortunately, for scientific assistants, there is not much we can do right now except rely on US frontier AI,” said Antoine Bosselut, a natural language processing expert based at EPFL. Chinese-built open models, which can run on local computers, lessening the risk of a shutdown, are touted as one alternative to US dependence. There’s also Mistral, once seen as Europe’s main AI hope, but the Paris-based company has seen its recent models fall behind in performance. But the Chinese alternatives are generally not as capable as US frontier AI models, said Bosselut, unless paired with fiddly, custom tools that allows them to act as independent agents. “Most scientists do not have the time,” he said. Don’t jump ship yetAlthough the kill switch moment is seen a warning shot for European scientists, it doesn’t mean labs should abandon US AI tools immediately. “I do not think the right response is simply to abandon US-based models and systems under the banner of sovereignty or independence,” said Mattias Björnmalm, secretary general of the Cesaer university association. “That would be an overreaction.”Related articlesEuropean sovereignty in AI requires ‘ugly trade-offs,’ say experts Robotic lab start-up makes case for €500M EU-funded materials testing facilityAI in science: is it useful? Instead, European researchers need to ask themselves whether they’re becoming dependent on technology that could be turned off in Washington, said Özcan. “They might not see this today, but they should really start asking this question,” she said. European researchers need a plan B, said Salathé. “I would recommend to every researcher, very proactively explore alternatives.”Own toolsIn addition, Björnmalm and others want European research institutions to develop their own scientific AI tools.Instead of signing AI deals with US digital giants, European universities should be using this money to create their own models, which may end up being superior for research, said Sabine Leonelli, an expert on the use of AI in science at the Technical University of Munich. “Universities in Europe seem to be happy to sign commercial contracts with US companies on the assumption [their AI tools] are better,” she said. But US frontier LLMs are typically opaque, and have been developed without independent scientific input, she said. “This is not good enough for science.”Last year, Swiss researchers released Apertus, an LLM designed to be completely transparent, from its development methods to its training data. The idea is that this makes scientific tools built on top of the model far more reproducible than with closed, commercial alternatives.“Europe needs more of this: serious capacity-building that gives researchers, universities and companies credible options,” said Björnmalm.
Giant viruses discovered on Greenland ice sheet may slow glacial melting - Futura-Sciences
Giant viruses defy microbiological norms Lead author Laura Perini and her team at the Department of Environmental Science at Aarhus University identified the microorganisms during a field survey of Arctic ice. Measuring up to 2.5 micrometers in length, these viral specimens are roughly 125 times larger than conventional viral strains....
Tongue Cancer Survivor Reunites with ICU Doctor Who Helped Save Her Life
After a life-threatening complication from tongue cancer surgery led to septic shock and organ failure, high school teacher Jennifer Quick spent nearly a month in the ICU at Atrium Health.
Taylor Swift shocks crowd with surprise 'Love Story' performance, flashes ring at fiancé Travis Kelce's event
Swift joined country superstar Lainey Wilson on stage at Kelce's Tight Ends & Friends charity concert in Tennessee.
Exclusive: Downed US pilot reported seeing Iranian drones swarm in ‘jellyfish’ formation
A US fighter jet pilot rescued by special forces after being shot down over Iran in April described a shocking sight before ejecting from his aircraft: multiple Iranian drones hovering in the air, moving as one, in a formation that resembled a jellyfish, according to four sources familiar with the matter.
Are The Minnesota Timberwolves Trading For Ja Morant?
NBA fans are convinced we're going to see a backcourt of Anthony Edwards and Ja Morant next season? The Minnesota Timberwolves shocked the NBA community on Monday night by trading All-Star forward Julius Randle and the 28th pick in this year's draft to the Brooklyn Nets in a three-team deal that ...
Scientists stumped by bird that “shouldn’t exist”—rare discovery shocks experts - Futura-Sciences
A Bird That Defies the Rulebook In a typically peaceful backyard in Texas, birdwatchers were caught off guard when an unfamiliar bird swooped onto the scene. It baffled observers: clearly neither a typical blue jay nor a full-fledged green jay. What was it? The answer would turn out to be...
Go the route of Coach K or Brad Stevens? Dusty May's NBA jump shouldn't shock anyone — and neither should any success he has there
📸 Hossam Abdelmaguid suffers a nasty knock against New Zealand
Hossam Abdelmaguid suffered a shocking blow in the final minutes of Egypt vs. New Zealand, on the second matchday of the World Cup group stage. It happened during an aerial challenge for the ball, w...
Ewan Mitchell explains 'House of the Dragon' season 3's shocking Aemond-Alicent moment
Ewan Mitchell explains 'House of the Dragon' season 3's shocking Aemond-Alicent moment from the premiere.
Ewan Mitchell explains that shocking Aemond-Alicent moment on “House of the Dragon” season 3's premiere
"He's assuming control of the family," Mitchell says.
Solar storms don't shock people directly — they induce electric currents in long metal, meaning power lines, pipelines and undersea internet cables become the very antennas that channel the damage into modern life
Solar storms do not electrocute people. They induce slow electric currents in long conductors — power lines, pipelines and undersea internet cables — which then channel the damage into substations and shore stations. The 1989 Quebec blackout took down a continent's grid in 90 seconds without a single direct strike from the Sun.
NASCAR using its imagination with street races
Due to the success of Chicago and now the Naval Base Coronado street races, NASCAR is on a mission to find more locations that could shock the world.
Small Business Tech News: Verizon CEO Sends Shocking Message To Employees
AI is reshaping business: Verizon says automation cut 13,000 jobs, while SMBs use AI to boost productivity. Retail, startups, and AI providers are rapidly expanding capabilities and lowering costs.
‘A child goes to bed and doesn’t wake up’: the families left in shock after the sudden death of their healthy children
Sudden cardiac arrest is statistically rare but among the leading causes of death for children and young people. And families often have no idea of the risk until it’s too late
A single cobalt shock could trigger global EV battery supply chaos
The global cobalt supply chain is more interconnected—and more vulnerable—than previously thought, with disruptions capable of triggering far-reaching cascades across multiple countries and industries. Researchers warn that protecting battery supply chains will require system-wide coordination because critical bottlenecks can turn local shocks into global problems.
Bentley gives Mat Armstrong a shock with its verdict when he takes his rebuilt Continental GT in for a 'proper' service
Mat Armstrong took his rebuilt Continental GT to Bentley for a proper look over, and the verdict was so shocking, he couldn't believe it
Italy’s prime minister says Trump made up a story about her supposedly begging him for something. She wouldn’t be the first
After an Italian media outlet reported that President Donald Trump said Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had “begged” him for a photo at the G7 summit this week, Meloni quickly posted a response on social media. Trump, she said, had “completely fabricated” the story, and she was “shocked.”
Roundup: Oil shock / AI receptionists / Warsh’s style
‘Baked-in’ damage: Even though the Strait of Hormuz has reopened in principle, analysts say the economic damage from the earlier disruption is already largely “baked in,” since supply chains, inventories and energy markets have already adjusted to shortages and higher costs. Oil prices have eased from their peak, but inflation pressures are expected to persist […]
MSI Claw Shocks With $1,800 Price And It Could Go Even Higher
That's not what you want t hear from a gaming exec
“Shocking and surreal”: What scientists witnessed in the Arctic defies belief - Futura-Sciences
Frontline of Global Warming: The Arctic’s Alarming Transformation The Arctic sits front and center in the battle against climate change—and Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago at the heart of the region, is feeling its effects more drastically than anywhere else on Earth. In fact, this polar territory is warming six to...
Grand Theft Auto VI Pre-Order Date And Cover Art Revealed
You may be shocked to learn that the box art looks exactly what you would expect from a GTA game.
Congo’s Shock Tie With Portugal Won A Polymarket Bettor $1 Million
The Democratic Republic of the Congo managed a 1-1 draw against No. 5-ranked Portugal in the World Cup.
NBA offseason bold predictions: Stars on the move, LeBron James leaves Lakers, Draft shocker and more
The NBA offseason has arrived, and plenty of big moves will be made over the coming weeks... so let's get bold
NZ on the brink after shock defeat by Sri Lanka
Defending champions New Zealand suffer back-to-back defeats at the Women's T20 World Cup after another woeful performance in the field.
Putting Cape Verde’s Historic Draw Against Spain In Historical Context
Cape Verde pulled off a stunning upset to shut out heavily favored Spain in a 0-0 draw. How shocking was the upset? Here are the numbers.
Cape Verde's Shocking Tie With Spain Cost Polymarket Bettor $1 Million
The small nation of Cape Verde managed a draw against Spain, a World Cup favorite.
Rumour: Journalist Suggests Two Xbox Studios Are 'At Risk Of Being Closed' In 2026
One said to be a complete shock
Jewish business owners reveal Cornell student's antisemitic job interview rejection
Gabe and Aiden Einhorn, co-founders of VryfID, discuss a Cornell student's antisemitic rejection of an internship. The brothers share their shock and motivation to expose rising antisemitism.
Following Gears of War: E-Day's declaration of Xbox exclusivity, Halo: Campaign Evolved is already climbing PlayStation pre-order charts
Halo: Campaign Evolved's shocking commitment to a multiplatform strategy could pay off big time, as PS5 pre-orders are ramping up.
'Risk of electrical shock' prompts recall of imaging systems
A handful of fluoroscopy units manufactured by GE HealthCare are the subject of a new recall by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
'The hype is over': Fighters react to Justin Gaethje's shocking UFC Freedom 250 upset of Ilia Topuria on the White House lawn
Energy shocks push Italian businesses to decarbonise
Companies are pressing ahead with emissions cuts to boost efficiency and competitiveness
Curacao can shock Germany on World Cup debut, says Advocaat
Curacao coach Dick Advocaat believes the tiny Caribbean island can "steal some points" from four-time winners Germany on their tournament debut on Sunday."I think we will have to steal some points, but in a legitimate way.
Gemini's Daily Brief replaced my morning routine, and I'm shocked how well it works
Gemini's Daily Brief provides helpful nudges and reminders, making mornings easier
It's always possible! Curaçao believe they can shock Germany
Dick Advocaat has probably seen it all in professional football by now at the age of 78. Perhaps that is exactly why he firmly believes that anything is possible for his team tomorrow evening against ...
Why is Tupac headlining an upcoming video game?
Gamers and influencers watching Summer Game Fest mostly expressed shock and confusion at the inclusion of the influential American rapper and political activist who died in 1996.
Tech world reacts to Trump controls on Anthropic's Fable and Mythos
One CEO said the move by the Trump administration and the response by Anthropic would 'send shockwaves' across AI labs.
Red Sox disaster of a season, White Sox shockingly in first place, Tarik Skubal set for return & College World Series preview
Stranger Than Heaven Devs Shockingly Honest About Tupac
The developers say Tupac's character will be who the man might be 30 years after his death
Amy Adams and “Cape Fear” showrunner break down that shocking connection to the Martin Scorsese film
Adams says that the surprising new addition to the cast was "lovely and committed and fun."
Whoopi Goldberg collapses live on “The View ”in shock over Knicks game
The EGOT-winning actress displayed her latest feat of feigned unconsciousness at the Hot Topics table.
To fight child hunger, coordinate food, health and climate policy
A new Cornell-led report shows protecting nutrition now depends on integrating food and health systems as climate shocks strain both at once.
US wholesale inflation rose sharply last month as Iran oil shock continues to drive up business costs
US businesses’ input costs are rising rapidly as the Iran war’s oil shock continues to ripple through the economy.
South African business confidence edges up in May after April slump
South African business confidence edged up in May after a sharp fall in April, as companies adjusted to the oil price shock triggered by the Iran war and vehicle sales remained buoyant, data showed on Thursday.
'Jeopardy' champ reveals what 'frustrated' her about close game that led to shocking win
A tough 'Jeopardy' episode culminated in a shocking win, secured after a risky gamble and following a game the new reigning champ referred to as 'frustrating' online.
WHO urges targeted action to strengthen emergency workforce capacities for shared health risks across the Asia-Pacific region
At a time when the world is more interconnected than ever, the World Health Organization (WHO) is disseminating a comprehensive regional analysis of shared health risks across Asia and the Pacific, urging Member States to invest in enhancing workforce capacities regionwide to mitigate these risks and ensure health systems are better prepared to anticipate, tackle and withstand a range of crises and shocks. Over 100 delegates from 49 countries and areas in the Asia-Pacific region reviewed results from the regional risk analysis during the WHO-led Asia Pacific Health Security Action Framework (APHSAF) Stakeholders Meeting in Malaysia. Synthesizing insights from 21 strategic risk assessments and more than 800 multisectoral experts, the regional analysis highlighted an urgent imperative: countries must proactively invest in emergency workforce preparedness to navigate a landscape where climate hazards, disease outbreaks and geophysical events increasingly overlap. These complex converging crises create devastating, compounding impacts on health systems and communities – reiterating the need for investing in a fit-for-purpose regional health workforce and multisectoral action.Key findings: an evolving risk landscape More than half of the participating countries ranked flooding, cyclones, dengue and pandemic-potential respiratory pathogens as being of high or very high risk, while antimicrobial resistance, landslides and gastroenteritis remain widespread concerns as well. “Given that 51% – over half – of these assessed hazards are deeply interconnected, isolated health interventions are no longer sufficient,” said Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific. “Extreme weather events like cyclones and floods directly trigger subsequent disease outbreaks, while environmental degradation – driven by sea-level rise, coastal erosion and saltwater intrusion – fuels health risks across the Pacific. Mitigating these cascading risks requires unified, cross-sectoral action linking environmental, agricultural and public health policies to build true regional resilience.” Priority recommendations for action To address critical vulnerabilities, WHO calls on Member States in the Asia-Pacific region to urgently prioritize the following strategic actions: Bridge workforce capacity gaps. Embed and standardize emergency preparedness within academia to promote regional workforce interoperability. Foster multisectoral coordination. Address ad-hoc taskforce responses and fragmented surge support through formalized contingency plans and standard operating procedures that are frequently updated and tested. Secure sustainable financing for emergencies. Overcome systemic barriers to access dedicated funding for both immediate anticipatory actions and long-term emergency preparedness initiatives. Enable emergency-ready primary health care. Embed emergency management into public health workforce readiness planning. Ensure that emergency planning is inclusive. Establish clear pathways for inclusive emergency planning that actively involves communities most at risk and other vulnerable groups. Optimize communication. Update risk communication and community engagement strategies, aligning them with seasonal risk calendars. Elevating workforce readiness to meet regional health risks While the gaps identified are significant, the Asia-Pacific region possesses solid foundational pillars, including dedicated clinicians, laboratory staff, rapid response teams, emergency medical teams and extensive community networks. However, to adequately address the compounding nature of modern crises, the various components of the emergency workforce must collaborate cohesively. True resilience depends entirely on transforming this currently fragmented workforce into a highly trained, interconnected and rapidly deployable asset. To achieve this, WHO is actively advancing regional workforce capacities through the Global Health Emergency Corps initiative. This initiative – supported by the Gates Foundation and the Institute of Philanthropy – seeks to build a seamless network of emergency workforce across borders and sectors, ensuring that when a crisis strikes, a standardized, well-coordinated and trained workforce is immediately ready to respond. “Scaling up emergency workforce readiness is no longer optional,” said Dr Gina Samaan, Regional Emergency Director for WHO in the Western Pacific. “It is the definitive factor that will determine how effectively the Asia-Pacific region safeguards health and protects lives in an increasingly unpredictable future.” ____________________For more information, or to arrange media interviews, contact: Ara Johannes, WHO Western Pacific Health Emergencies Division: johannesa@who.int WHO Western Pacific Communications: wprocom@who.int
Scientists Found That Bacteria Can Remember Stress Even Though They Have No Brains
Single cells used past nutrient shocks to change how they grew.
First Ride: The 2027 Scott Spark RC Keeps the Shock Hidden and Gets Even Lighter
The new Spark includes a list of features and design decisions not often seen on uncompromising race bikes.
Fuel price shock to widen product gap between US airlines
The fuel shock hitting U.S. airlines is doing more than squeezing margins — it is widening a product gap that may take years to close, as stronger carriers keep investing in lounges, premium seating, technology and international networks that weaker rivals may struggle to match.
Despite gambling ban, judge says Texas Tech QB can play
A Texas judge granted Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby a temporary injunction that clears the way for him to play this fall despite being declared ineligible by the NCAA for wagering on college sports, including bets made on his own team while he was at Indiana. The decision sent shock waves across college sports since […]
Samsung and Google are winning the wearable update war by doing nothing
Shocking watch OS 27 compatibility cuts give Samsung and Google a massive victory over Apple in wearable software longevity.
Google AI Plus Gets Shocking Price Drop, Huge Storage Upgrade
Google pulled a bit of a shock move this morning with a change to its Google AI Plus plan. Not only are we getting a price decrease to the Google One plan, there's a significant feature upgrade as...