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Kakao Entertainment Announces Genre-Spanning Lineup
Kakao Entertainment enjoyed a highly successful first half of the year, with its Netflix series “The WONDERfools” and “Boyfriend on Demand” hitting global home runs with their distinctive narratives. Also building on the recently released suspense drama “Notes from the Last Row,” Kakao Entertainment’s genre-spanning 2026 slate features the upcoming action-comedy “A Bona Fide Killer” and the thriller “Mousetrap,” cementing - Read our full Pop Culture on The Outerhaven .
Scientists uncover a hidden power in our bodies that could fight depression - Futura-Sciences
When Muscles Talk to the Brain: The Role of Apelin During exercise, muscles secrete a protein capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier and influencing neural activity. This molecule, called apelin, has been identified in mouse studies as a missing link in the connection between physical activity and mood. The findings...
New Alzheimer's drug repairs DNA damage and reduces brain inflammation
A drug originally developed for spinal cord injury may offer a fresh approach to treating Alzheimer’s disease. In mouse studies, KCL-286 repaired dangerous DNA damage, reduced inflammation, and targeted multiple disease-related pathways instead of focusing on just amyloid or tau. Since it has already cleared an initial human safety trial, researchers believe it could move more quickly into Alzheimer’s clinical testing.
Logitech Mobi Fold review: The ultra-compact travel mouse
The Mobi Fold is an excellent travel accessory for anyone who wants something that’s better than the built-in touchpad on their laptop.
Pikachu in space! New ESA-Pokemon partnership sends the electric mouse to the ISS
The coming family-friendly exhibitions across Europe will unite science and imaginative visual storytelling.
These mice have human (nerve cells) on the brain
Scientists have grown human brain tissue to fill most of a mouse’s cortex, creating a new model for studying brain disease and neural circuits.
Take a look at Microsoft’s new 25th anniversary Halo accessories
A mouse, keyboard, earbuds, and controllers in “OG Green.”
Questions about hantavirus? We’ve got answers. - Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department
Last revised May 21, 2026
Part-human part-mouse brain developed in science breakthrough
Researchers at Stanford University genetically altered mice to be able to receive and function with human brain cells.
Scientists Grew Human Brain Tissue Inside Mice. Here's What Happened.
A neuroscience breakthrough.
Scientists Grew a Brain Cortex in a Lab for the First Time Ever
This new organoid will provide valuable insight into how the brain—both mouse and human—develop in the body.
We remember little to nothing of early childhood — and a recent mouse study may help explain why
Early in life, neural networks in the brain's memory center are highly connected, and they are only later refined into precise systems, a mouse study finds.
Disney's Oswald the Lucky Rabbit is getting his own TV miniseries
Oswald is older than Mickey Mouse.
Kingdom Hearts' first-ever anime TV series coming to Disney+
The popular Square Enix video game starring Mickey Mouse and friends is getting a TV show.
Bob on Business: Notaries and funerals? It’s the Fort Worth Business Plan Competition
Also, Pilates, manufacturing, real estate, maroon Mouser and more Pilates!
Donald Warren "Don" Iwerks
Donald Warren “Don” Iwerks, the Oscar ®winning film pioneer, Disney Legend, and son of Mickey Mouse co-creator Ub Iwerks, whose
White House Blasts Smithsonian History Exhibits For 'Radical' Activism
A new Trump administration report singles out references to 'Hamilton,' drag queens and Mickey Mouse.
Scientists discover new 'immune hubs' in skull bone marrow
In mouse skull marrow, 'immune hubs' that actively defend the brain have been discovered. Similar cells exist in human skulls, but their role remains unclear.
Trenton Health Department facility has rodent infestation, emails show
Emails associated with the alleged infestation obtained by The Trentonian show an exasperation by employees who in early May found mice poop on their desks, atop papers, and left in other work areas.
Is Mina the Hollower too hard? The debate is on, as players discuss the challenge of Yacht Club's smash hit
The action adventure has proven mighty popular, though some have questioned the challenge of this retro-inspired hit.
Scientists found a cannabis compound that relieves pain without the high
Compounds responsible for the aroma of cannabis and many other plants may offer a surprising new way to relieve chronic pain. Researchers found that several cannabis-derived terpenes significantly reduced pain in mouse models of fibromyalgia and post-surgical pain, with one terpene, geraniol, showing especially strong effects. Unlike THC, these compounds are not associated with psychoactive effects, making them a potentially attractive alternative for pain treatment.
Stray Nintendo Switch 2 launch trailer - adventure game appears with upgraded with visuals, frame rate, 4K, and mouse controls
Stray has now made its way to Nintendo Switch 2, and along with that, we have a new launch trailer. This edition includes upgraded visuals, 4K, and improved frame rate, alongside mouse control. More information about the title itself can be found in the following overview: Lost, alone and separated from family, a stray cat must untangle an ancient mystery...
You can watch beloved Disney titles on Netflix starting this month
In a pretty major collab, the Mouse is joining forces with Netflix to deliver some of its popular TV shows and movies. According to Variety, Disney is licensing some of its titles to the streamer to d...
Cannabis Linked to Lower Weight And Reduced Diabetes Risk in Mouse Study
But not THC on its own.
The reason the Mac mini is cheaper than a MacBook
Is it better to buy a Mac mini or a MacBook? If you already have a display, mouse and keyboard, the mini makes sense. If you don't, a MacBook might be smarter.
Victory Brewing Company's Philadelphia taproom fails health inspection, temporary closes
Mice, roaches and mouse droppings were seen in prep, bar and storage areas at Victory Brewing Company's Philadelphia taproom.
Scientists unveil the most detailed and precise map of the mouse motor cortex to date
The brain's motor cortex plans, controls and executes voluntary muscle movements. Whether you're playing catch, writing your name or chewing food, it all points back to this region and its connections ...
Settle In and Get Comfortable with the Designed for XBOX Cozy Collection
Made for side quests, little adventures, and everything in between, the Designed for XBOX Cozy Collection is available now, bringing warmth and whimsy to every journey. Step into a tiny, pixelated woodland where every click, key stroke, and button tap feels like discovering a new cozy corner. The 8BitDo keyboard, mouse, and controller bring a […]
Switch 2 Mouse Controls Get Weird in 'Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave'
'Fortune’s Weave' is a massive game that pushes the Switch 2 hard, just not in its controls.
Razer Unveils the Naga V3 Pro MMO Gaming Mouse
Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today announced the Razer Naga V3 Pro, the latest evolution of its iconic MMO gaming mouse. Built to adapt across game genres and playstyles, it features three swappable magnetic side plates, more ways to customize controls, upgraded...
The Witcher 3 Remastered details Nintendo Switch 2 frame rate and resolution, physical release teased, mouse controls supported, mods confirmed
During a live stream event today, CD Projekt Red detailed the frame rate and resolution for The Witcher 3 Remastered on Nintendo Switch 2 and commented on other aspects like a physical release teased, mouse controls, and mods. The game is said to run at 720p in handheld mode while 1080p is the target when docked. For frame rate, it’s...
Logitech Just Unveiled Several New Gaming Accessories In Its Pro Line
For $60 it had better be a pretty incredible mouse pad.
7 Best Tech Gadgets of August 2026
August arrives with a lineup that feels genuinely considered. Not every gadget this month is chasing a headline spec or fighting for shelf space. Some of the most interesting things landing right now are smaller, quieter, and more honest about what they actually do — a folding mouse that disappears into a shirt pocket, a
Scientists are cracking the code of interspecies communication. Is that a good thing?
Bioacousticians are finding animal communication patterns once thought unique to humans — discoveries that challenge ideas about what makes human language special.
Your Android phone might soon double as a wireless mouse for Googlebook
As we count down the days until Google's September 15 media showcase in New York City, the continued addition of cross-device continuity features being prepped behind the scenes is making me more...
Making Our Own Luck
We are cross-posting a piece that former NIH official Kris Willis wrote for Macroscience. Kris is now the President and Founder of the Woodley Park Institute, for which I’m a board member. Picking winners or hedging bets? Federal science agencies have long wrestled with the question of how to ensure their billions of dollars of grants and contracts result in maximum benefits for Americans. On the surface, it might seem that a goal-oriented, interventionist style of management would be the best policy: prioritize our most pressing problems and distribute funding accordingly.This top-down strategy creates a unique hazard, though: bad choices can send resources in the wrong direction, resulting in slow progress that impedes the delivery of tangible benefits to citizens. Moreover, if decision makers pursue an applied advance when the underlying scientific principles remain poorly understood, they risk costly failures and a loss of support for the research enterprise at large. Examples include Nixon’s 1971 War on Cancer, undertaken on the premise that a cure could be achieved in less than a decade, the drive to build an operational commercial fusion plant by the mid-1990s, and the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease, which failed to produce the effective treatments and prevention strategies promised by 2025. The contrasting laissez-faire approach is to hedge your bets. If the path to an advance is impossible to predict, then the wisest choice might be to distribute funding to as widely as possible. The main risk of this strategy is that spreading funding thinly may limit the resources available to the most promising research, resulting in the same negative outcomes as the interventionist approach: limited support for the most promising topics, slow progress, and delayed returns. In reality, at science agencies like the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health, program managers navigate between these two extremes, setting some funds aside to target high-priority areas and using the rest to cover the widest possible range of meritorious proposals. This middle path seems like the most rational way to proceed, but it still requires making choices. How much should be set aside for high priority topics? What should those topics be? How should we define merit? Expert opinion can provide a helpful guide, but leading experts can have remarkably different opinions about what matters and what should be prioritized. Moreover, experts and administrators alike can be risk averse, giving an edge to high-profile, well-established concepts. What’s really needed is a data-driven framework to help guide decision-making, one that doesn’t simply repackage prestige or incumbency. Recognizing breakthroughs years in advance Many breakthroughs fail to attract funding or recognition at the earliest stages of development. Katalin Karikó, for example, spent years struggling to win grants for work on mRNA that would eventually win her and Drew Weissman a Nobel Prize. Similar stories can be told about Jim Allison’s groundbreaking studies leading to the development of cancer immunotherapy, Stan Pruisner’s demonstration that prions can self-replicate without DNA, or Robin Warren and Barry Marshall’s proof that Helicobacter pylori, not stress, causes ulcers. Yet at some point, the scientific community recognizes and responds to transformative breakthroughs like these. How does that change happen? And what if science funders could identify the areas that are on the cusp of a breakthrough? Those questions led my collaborators and me to study how scientists responded to past breakthroughs. Based on patterns in that data, we developed a means of predicting future breakthroughs, using biomedicine as a proof of concept. It’s worth taking a moment to describe how our approach works. Briefly, our prediction process begins by grouping the 18 million or so peer-reviewed papers in PubMed, the authoritative database of biomedical research, into roughly 50,000 unique topics. A small subset of these topics are so widely acclaimed as breakthroughs that they have been recognized with a major prize like a Nobel or a Lasker Award. We theorized that studying the development of these outliers over time, especially before they gained acclaim, was the key to identifying future instances of them. After defining topics, we chose 21 representative breakthroughs and asked what they looked like before they won prestigious prizes. To answer that question, we re-ran our topic-mapping algorithm repeatedly, winding back the clock one year each time, stringing together the years to follow the progress of each field as it grew and advanced. We found that in each case, the years leading up to a discovery followed a pattern: a burst of papers on a new, rapidly evolving topic, many of which quickly became influential. These characteristics—the percent of papers that are new, the percentage of papers that are brought in from other topics, and the influence of each individual paper—can all be measured separately for any given topic. Together, they act as a predictive signal that is detectable an average of five years before a transformative discovery is made, and up to thirty years before the discovery receives a major prize. Scanning the current research landscape for topics that display this signal allows us to predict what work will likely produce a future breakthrough. Each year we analyzed includes four or five signals, a number that appears to have remained constant across a twenty year time frame. In their classic work on the sociology of science, Bruno Latour and Steve Woolgar established that the desire to participate in a major discovery is an important motivator for scientists as they consider whether they should take up (or abandon) a research problem. Although further work is needed, the simplest explanation for our results is that this behavior is widespread enough to detect at scale. A foundational advance, or something like it, draws the attention of scientists and causes them to change the direction of their research. They vote with their feet, staking their own reputation and careers by publishing on and citing the new idea. That upswell of interest is the foundation of our breakthrough signal. What kind of research does our model identify as a breakthrough? After building a model based on the patterns in our 21 preselected breakthroughs, we tested it by identifying all early signals of discovery from 1994 through 1997. Of the 18 signals we found in that time period, 17 can be traced forward in time to a breakthrough. Examples include super-resolution fluorescence microscopy (see the image above), the directed evolution of proteins and enzymes (Chemistry Nobel, 2018), and sequencing the human genome (National Medal of Science, 2008). The discovery of the role of leptin signaling in obesity is a particularly interesting case study. Around 1950, scientists noticed the existence of a type of lab mouse that suffered from a unique inherited form of obesity. When given the freedom to choose their own diet, these mice ate more than normal and preferred food that was high in fat. Researchers had few clues as to why the animals overate; early experiments pointed to the existence of a soluble ob factor found circulating in the bloodstream that regulated appetite, but its identity was unknown. In 1994, Jeffrey Friedman and colleagues identified and sequenced the ob gene, noting that the protein it encoded appeared to fit the profile of a circulating factor. A year later, a trio of high-profile publications demonstrated that ob was a hormone that regulated body weight and fat deposition by regulating appetite. One of these was co-authored by Friedman, who christened it leptin from the ancient Greek word for thin. Using our model, the data from 1996 make it clear this advance would become a breakthrough. Scientists had flocked to study the biology of the new hormone, generating the flurry of new papers and citations required to produce a signal. One of these demonstrated that serum leptin concentrations reflected the amount of adipose tissue in the human body, providing clinical validation of the earlier mouse studies. Before the identification of leptin, scientists were unable to point to a specific molecule that controlled appetite and adiposity, so that it was impossible to rule out non-physiological causes of obesity; its characterization fundamentally changed our concept of weight gain. In 2010, Friedman and fellow pioneer Douglas Coleman were awarded a Lasker for the discovery. Our work also identifies breakthroughs in clinical practice and behavioral and social sciences, even though these areas are less likely to draw the attention of major prize committees. One example that falls into this category is the introduction of endovascular aneurysm repair, a minimally invasive surgical procedure for the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm, a leading cause of death among Americans over the age of 65. Relative to the previous standard of care, it reduces in-hospital mortality by almost four-fold. In 2017, Timothy Chuter received the American College of Surgeons’ prestigious Jacobsen Innovation award for his multiple refinements to the technique. Another under-recognized breakthrough identified by our model is the development of standardized survey instruments to assess the quality of life for HIV+ patients. The antiretroviral cocktails introduced in the mid-1990s reduced AIDS mortality, but treatment came with serious side effects. The new evaluations showed that patients whose disease progressed had worse physical functioning than Americans with other chronic diseases, while those who were asymptomatic maintained a health-related quality of life on par with the overall US population. This evidence made it possible for patients and activists to argue that even in the absence of a total cure, and in spite of the side effects, alleviation of symptoms was a worthwhile priority for clinicians. My colleagues and I have failed to identify any significant recognition for the physicians and health policy experts who pioneered this advance, although in 2016, researchers called for the World Health Organization to set targets for good health-related quality of life as part of its framework to end the AIDS pandemic. From forecasting to funding How should science funders use our predictions? Any serious discussion of what we should do with this new capability needs to begin with an understanding of its limitations. We can’t (and shouldn’t) invest all of our resources in the small number of topics predicted to produce breakthroughs. Innovative new fields are born from existing ones; they rarely arise de novo. If funders don’t maintain a diverse portfolio, the breakthroughs of tomorrow will have no antecedents. Think of this as eating the seed corn, or killing the goose that lays the golden egg. There are also multiple goals of funding beyond basic scientific discovery, including translating discoveries into clinical practice, developing new technologies, supporting economic development, and training new scientists. The investments needed to accomplish these goals are likely different from those required to support emerging breakthroughs. Finally, we must be aware that we may not capture every instance of a breakthrough. The concept is fuzzy, and not every significant discovery is recognized with a major award. Further, breakthroughs are rare, meaning that our dataset is, by necessity, small. This makes formal estimates of accuracy challenging. Although our overall success rate appears to be high, any one signal may turn out to be a false positive. We found one apparent example: the development of the third generation COX-2 inhibitors, Vioxx and Celebrex, which were much celebrated in the early 2000s as effective but non-addictive pain relievers, meets all the algorithmic criteria of a breakthrough. Five years after it received FDA approval, researchers demonstrated that Vioxx was associated with serious cardiovascular complications, and the manufacturer voluntarily pulled the drug from the market. Celebrex remains available, although like other NSAIDs, it carries an FDA warning for increased cardiovascular risk. Decision makers who were overly focused on the breakthrough potential of this research might have wasted substantial resources nurturing an area that ultimately proved to be a failure—but so would those who relied on expert opinion at the time. That said, the potential benefits of funding the next mRNA vaccine or cancer immunotherapy years earlier than we might have are large. When we can’t assume the outcome of an action, it’s worth conducting an experiment. Can targeted support for areas that are poised to produce a breakthrough increase the return on scientific investment without cannibalizing future advances? With the necessary administrative infrastructure in place, conducting this experiment would be straightforward. First, identify all the breakthrough signals between 2018 and 2023, select half at random, and commit to a decade of investment. For biomedicine, a six year window should yield about 30 topics with the potential to produce a breakthrough. Providing strong support to half of these might be accomplished for $300 million a year. That’s roughly half of the recent annual budget of the NIH Common Fund or around 20% of the fiscal year 2025 budget for ARPA-H. After five years, then again at ten, compare to see which group — the one that was actively managed, or the control — produced more breakthroughs, and on what timescale. Although we used biomedicine as an example, the same experiment could just as well be run for physics, materials science, or any other discipline. Any attempt to undertake such an experiment should keep three points top of mind. First, we can predict the topic of future breakthroughs, but the people and vision for how to move the work forward are still important. In practice, this means success requires active program managers with the expertise to develop the science and the authority to do so, including by recruiting investigators. Second, we would be wise to learn from the failures of past attempts to fund transformative research. High among these are funding modestly repackaged work, confusing the genuinely novel with the merely unfamiliar, and relying too much on incumbent investigators. All of these risks can be mitigated by thoroughly and intelligently integrating high quality data into portfolio management. Finally, we need to have patience. Even with strong funding support, producing a breakthrough takes time. If supporting breakthroughs is the best way to nurture the birth of new fields, we also need to accurately describe and properly manage the other two stages, so that we invest wisely throughout the productive lifetime of ideas and divest once they reach the point of diminishing returns. We would benefit from more study of all of these phases, especially the transition from one to another. More research could answer questions like: When does a breakthrough become an established field? How do the availability of funding, the size and characteristics of the available workforce, and the accumulation of evidence that disagrees with prevailing models affect a field’s decline? Exactly how do old ideas give birth to new ones, and can we speed up the process? The more we understand about the dynamics of scientific progress, the better we can maximize the odds that our curiosity leads to results. I’d call that finding a way to make our own luck.
The world's highest-dwelling mammal is smaller than your hand
At the top of a 6,739-metre Andean volcano, where the air is thin, temperatures are almost always below freezing and humans struggle to survive, a tiny leaf-eared mouse has made itself at home — dining on toxic plants.
Physicians Committee Applauds New Guidance on Animal Use From the National Cancer Institute
In August, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) published new guidance on grant applications for studies involving animal experiments. This guidance requires researchers to justify their use of animals in the publicly available abstract section of applications and encourages them to use human-based methods.
Truck chaos, climbing with dual-mouse controls and other new indie games worth checking out
Here's our roundup of new indie games you can try now, as well as ones to look forward to in the weeks to come.
Scientists Watched a Deadly Cancer Physically Reshape The Brain as It Grew
"A major step forward in studying neuro-oncological processes."
Stanford scientists transplanted human brain tissue into mice missing most of their cortex; within months, it grew to occupy more than 90% of the space
Stanford scientists have created a new model for studying human brain development by transplanting lab-grown human brain tissue into mice that were engineered to lack most of their cerebral cortex. Within months, the human tissue not only survived but expanded to occupy more than 90 percent of the cortical space, forming working connections with the mouse brain and spinal cord.
Scientists Finally Learned How a Tiny Mouse Survives Near the Andes Death Zone at 7,000 Meters
World's highest-living mouse survives in thin air by solving a problem that no other mammal can—not even you, human
Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave Will Allow You To Strategise With Mouse Controls
"Intuitively move units across the battlefield"
Scientists are growing human brain tissue in living mice—could this make their welfare harder to assess?
What happens when scientists start changing the brain—the very system through which an animal's mental states are expressed in behavior?
Stanford Scientists Identify Enzyme That May Promote Cartilage Regeneration in Arthritis
Stanford researchers identified an enzyme that may restore cartilage repair signals in arthritic joints, offering a potential drug target backed by mouse and human tissue results.
Ubisoft plans cuts at German studios, adding to wave of workforce reductions
Ubisoft is planning to reduce its workforce in Germany, where it operates a trio of studios, by about 100 workers, Game File has learned. The company wants to offer employees buyouts to, should enough people accept, avoid having to lay anyone off. “In Germany, we initiated discussions with the Works Council last week regarding a proposed voluntary departure plan across Ubisoft Dusseldorf, Ubisoft Berlin & Ubisoft Mainz,” a company rep told Game File. A “works council” is a union-like group representing employees. “The voluntary plan is the primary measure being proposed to support the intended organizational changes,” the Ubisoft rep added. The company declined to confirm the scale of the potential headcount cut. Of the impacted studios, Mainz might be the best known to the public. It leads development of the Anno series and shipped the well-reviewed strategy game Anno 117: Pax Romana in November 2025. Berlin and Dusseldorf operate as support studios within Ubisoft’s creative network. Berlin recently supported the development of Rainbow Six Siege and the Rayman Legends Retold remake. Dusseldorf also contributed to those projects, as well as The Settlers and Ubisoft-branded escape rooms. Dusseldorf is the biggest of the three studios, with some 400+ workers, compared to just over 100 at the other two, a source familiar with the reductions and the teams told Game File. More than half of these new reductions of about 100 people are expected to happen at Dusseldorf. The planned cuts were announced at a town hall for the German studios on Tuesday of last week. In an email follow-up, the studio group’s managing director, Benedikt Grindel, said the cuts were intended to “best position our German studios for the future... with a clearer focus on their role, capabilities and organizational setup needed for the work ahead.” The email was an echo of the past. In January 2025, Grindel had emailed the Ubisoft developers in his region (or studio “zone”) to explain that a round of 185 cuts at the time, including about 65 at Dusseldorf, were “essential to improve our operational efficiency and ensure the long-term sustainability of our studios, the zone and the company.” A half-decade of continued job cuts Ubisoft has been aggressively cutting its headcount for years. At the end of September 2022, it had 20,729 workers. By the end of March 2026, that total was down to 16,590. Studio management is trying to trim costs as it grapples with a changing industry and a drought of releases, let alone hits. The company announced earlier this year that it had reduced its costs since 2022 by “nearly €325 million” ($362m) and planned to lower them through 2028 by another €180 million ($200m). In June the company said it was closing down its Winnipeg and Belgrade studios and cutting roles in its Barcelona team. Even commercial and creative success hasn’t spared studios from this ongoing company-wide contraction. As Game File was nailing down details around the proposed cuts in Germany, Ubisoft management was informing workers of cuts in its Singapore studio, which shipped a hit remake of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag this past July. Some 70 positions in Singapore are being eliminated “to align the studio with upcoming production needs,” per a company rep’s statement to Game File. In early 2024, a large team in the Singapore studio launched the multiplayer pirate game Skull & Bones. It performed poorly but has been supported with regular content updates since. Many of Ubisoft’s studios around the world are heavily subsidized via regional grants and tax breaks. Singapore had been among them for years, but received no such local assistance in the 12 months ending this past March. News of the Singapore cuts broke today alongside word that Ubisoft is also proposing the closure of RedLynx, pending negotiations with officials. The Finnish studio behind the motorbike series Trials was founded in 2000 and sold to Ubisoft in 2011. As reported by VGC (and corroborated by Game File), Ubisoft management told employees it could not come up with a new, sustainable assignment for RedLynx. The 2025 workforce at Ubisoft Dusseldorf were straight-up cuts. This time, Ubisoft is hoping the reductions at its trio of German studios will largely come from workers taking a payout to leave. The company offered such voluntary dismissals at its Massive Entertainment studio (The Division) a year ago. For the German studios’ buyouts this time around, Ubisoft and the Works Council had discussed a formula that’d pay a worker’s monthly salary multiplied by 1.5 and by the number of years they’ve worked at the company, according to Game File sources. The formula is still subject to negotiations with the Works Council and has not yet been part of an official offer to workers. It could be adjusted up or down, and it could be supplemented with additional bonuses. Asked about the floated payout formula, a Ubisoft rep told Game File, “The terms of a potential voluntary departure program remain subject to negotiation with employee representatives. No final agreement has been reached, and we won’t comment on specific proposals while discussions are ongoing.” Game File is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe Item 2: Epic’s AI adventures Epic Games (Fortnite, the Unreal engine) is all-in on using AI to try to transform the way it makes video games and game-making tools. It’s leaders appear to be undeterred by any resistance among gamers and some game developers around generative AI—and instead emboldened by advances, particularly in AI-assisted programming. A recap of the last three days: On Monday, Bloomberg reported that Epic management told workers last week that development of an upcoming game combining Star Wars and Marvel characters would be “AI first.” Employees would be expected to use AI models such as Claude to code the game. A manager told Epic’s developers there would be “[n]o more hand-written code” and that art for the game would be “generated with full AI workflows,” per the outlet. Just ahead of that story running, Epic founder Tim Sweeney tweeted: “We have a huge pivot underway here at Epic, moving developers around to retool for maximum AI acceleration. The aim isn’t to do the same stuff with fewer people, but to enable everyone here to build MORE and BETTER stuff, and to bring the benefits to all teams using Unreal.” In a follow-up, Sweeney predicted that most game development processes would be at least three times faster a year from now than they were in January 2026, thanks to AI. To a person on X who told him he was failing to read the room, Sweeney said: “Much of the room wants it to be 2016 again, but it’s not. Our job, as the provider of tools and technology to much of the industry, is to design for the present that is and the future that will soon be.” On Wednesday, Epic announced it was releasing a faster launcher for its Epic Games Store marketplace. It did so by stating in a blog post as clear as could be that the launcher is an AI-enabled, vibe-coded project: Programming is hard. So, instead of doing that, we vibe coded a new Epic Games Launcher that’s way faster and more responsive than the current one, and has a new look. Programming is hard? That was unexpected phrasing from a company founded by a legendarily great programmer. Back in 2011, Sweeney told me that he’d picked up programming quickly as a kid and rejoiced at the power it gave him. “I could look at any program that anybody else had written and, with enough effort, build something cooler.” Item 3: The Xbox Labs experiment (and one of the people behind it) Microsoft’s Xbox division, which is flooding the zone with announcements lately, yesterday revealed a new internal tech-tinkering team called Xbox Labs. In the words of Xbox boss Asha Sharma Labs is “a small group of game makers, engineers and scientists whose job is to turn emerging ideas into things our players and developers can experience.” Conventional wisdom coming out of the announcement is that Labs is a team that’ll focus on ideas driven by generative AI. In her announcement, Sharma cited some of the dizzying achievements in tech and gaming over the past month as AI agents and other AI tools have been deployed to swiftly figure out how popular games work, then rebuild them and mix them up. She mentioned seeing ”games rapidly decompiled and rebuilt to run on hardware they were never originally designed to support” and said “[p]erhaps more surprisingly, we’ve seen many of the biggest games in the world have been remixed into the source code of another.” (Minecraft plus Elden Ring, for example, or Fortnite + Super Monkey Ball + Overwatch + Diablo + others.) Sharma also cited the work of Windows PC games being ported to run in browsers, a seeming reference to a recent AI-assisted fan port of Halo. Or perhaps Call of Duty or GTA. Sharma didn’t use the specific term “AI” in her memo, but she came close, citing AI “agents” and their potential for game-making tools that Labs could help craft: I think XBOX has an important role to play here. Coding became the first major workload for agents because they can write, run, and test software. Games share many of those same properties, and people spend more than 72 billion hours a year playing XBOX games, roughly five times the estimated time spent writing code worldwide. We’ve spent 25 years learning how to make great games, and I want our game makers to help shape what these new technologies make possible. As we learn, we’ll share the tools we build with developers across the industry, just as we always have. When I asked an Xbox rep if Labs was an AI-centric team, they said genAI was not the focus, describing it as having a broader mandate for using new tech in new ways in gaming. As an example, they pointed to Xbox’s recently launched disc-to-digital gaming usage rights program. Microsoft didn’t specifically name anyone involved full-time in Xbox Labs yesterday, but on social media and LinkedIn, I spotted Adrian Mato IDing himself as leading the creatio of tools at Labs and talking up the launch. Mato first caught my attention in late September, when he said on X that he was “starting to build a new team at Xbox focused on products and tools for how games get built and distributed as agentic tools become more capable.” At the time, he framed AI-based tools as a supplement to traditional game dev tools. “I don’t think we need to replace them,” he said. Since then, he’s publicly shown interest in AI and in games. He’s recently spent some of his X feed marveling at the power of AI agents and praising the lighting in the latest Gears of War. Following the Labs announcement yesterday, he enthused about the Xbox Labs’ stylish landing page. He wrote: “We built some fun tools to art-direct shaders in real time, experimented with interactive ASCII art, and sprinkled in lots of tiny details. “Move your mouse to leave a colorful trail that reveals the original footage, or interact with the video to trigger bursts of particles. “A lot of love went into making it all feel just right. “More to come”
‘The New Simpsons Movie’ gets a sketchy 1st look from Disney
The Mouse House showed a rough sequence from the upcoming film during the studio's D23 showcase. Watch it now.
Logitech unveils a cushioned mouse for all-day use
Ideal for aching palms – though only if you're right-handed
The Witcher 3 Remastered Resolution And Frame Rate For Switch 2 Revealed
Mouse & gyro controls also confirmed
How burnt coconut helped discover new to science endemic species in Sri Lanka
COLOMBO — As dusk settled over the paddy fields at Puwakpitiya, a village on the northern edge of Knuckles Mountain Range locally known as Dumbara mountains in Central Sri Lanka, researchers began laying traps along the uneasy boundary between farmland and forest. They were targeting small terrestrial mammals moving through the landscape. On the ground, […]
Scientists reversed memory loss by recharging the brain’s tiny engines
Researchers have shown for the first time that malfunctioning mitochondria — the cell’s energy generators — may directly cause cognitive decline in neurodegenerative diseases. By creating a new tool that temporarily boosts mitochondrial activity in the brain, scientists restored memory performance in mouse models of dementia. The discovery hints that energy failure inside neurons could happen before brain cells die, potentially offering a new target for future Alzheimer’s treatments.
Scientists Grew Human Brain Tissue Inside Mice and It Actually Worked
The transplanted cells formed circuits, reached the spinal cord and responded to injury.
Health inspectors find fruit flies, roaches, trapped mouse in Dearborn
Wayne County health inspectors found pests and temperature violations at several Dearborn restaurants recently.
Opening Day to Banana Ball: The Evolution of ESPN Wide World of Sports
Since its opening in March of 1997, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort has hit the ground running, growing into one of the most dynamic sports destinations in the country. Beginning as an ambitious Disney World expansion in the late 1990s, this 260+ acre multi-sports wonderland offers amateur, collegiate, and
Review: Razer Naga V3 Pro: the best MMO mouse I've ever used, and ideal for macro fiends too
23 programmable buttons, infinite scroll and high-end internals.
Dinosaurs became giants — so why did they never become tiny?
Dinosaurs conquered the land at enormous sizes, but strangely, they almost never evolved into truly tiny animals. New research suggests that physiology alone can’t explain this missing miniature end of the dinosaur spectrum—and that early mammals may have been partly responsible. While dinosaurs kept mammals from becoming large, small mammals may have returned the favor by occupying ecological niches that could otherwise have supported mouse-sized dinosaurs.
Scientists create human-mouse hybrid
Animals will be used to study causes of neurodevelopmental disorders such as dementia, profound autism and cerebral palsy
Scientists Watched a Deadly Cancer Physically Reshape The Brain as It Grew
"A major step forward in studying neuro-oncological processes."
Meet The Ploopy Bean – A Mouse That Works Like A Lenovo ThinkPad Keyboard
If you're unsatisfied with a basic mouse, then Ploopy has you covered. The Ploopy Bean is a unique, open-source option for users who want a customizable mouse.
Part-human part-mouse brain developed in science breakthrough
Researchers at Stanford University genetically altered mice to be able to receive and function with human brain cells.
ASUS Republic of Gamers Announces ROG Flux Charger Dock
ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced the ROG Flux Charger Dock, a premium all-in-one charging and connectivity hub for gamers and creators. With 260 watts of total power output, it easily turns a laptop into a full gaming setup with an external monitor, mouse, and keyboard. A built-in...
Logitech's Mobi Fold folds for travel, but I prefer a different portable mouse
The Mobi Fold is an $80 Bluetooth mouse with a silicone-wrapped hinge.
How Mickey Mouse reshaped American entertainment
Mickey Mouse helped transform animation, launch the Disney empire and become one of the most recognizable icons in American entertainment.
ESPN, Disney Jr. partner with Chicago Park District, ABC7 for free 'Let Kids Play!' sports clinic
A burst of music, cheering kids and an appearance by Mickey Mouse set the tone for a day of play as families gathered for "Let's Play Sports!," a free Chicago community event aimed at introducing young children to a variety of athletic activities.
A single dose reversed autism-like symptoms in adult mice within hours
Even mild inflammation during pregnancy led mouse offspring to develop persistent brain overactivity, sensory sensitivity, repetitive behaviors, and increased seizure risk. Remarkably, one dose of rapamycin improved nearly all of these problems within about two hours. The benefits were temporary, but they suggest that adult brain circuits may remain far more adaptable than previously believed.
Pulsar Crams A Noctua Fan In Its Feinmann FO1 Gaming Mouse While Retaining Its Lightweight Design; Release Date Revealed
Pulsar's Feinmann F01 Noctua Edition launches on July 21, 2026, featuring a 5V PWM fan, 42,000 DPI, and weighing 73 grams for sweat-free gaming.
"We're aware," Microsoft on Windows 11 KB5120998 breaking the mouse cursor
Windows 11's biggest update KB 5120998 is breaking mouse cursors, Microsoft admits the issue, and confirms it's investigating.
Help, An Immortal Snail Is Chasing My Mouse Cursor While I Work
I will not let it catch me—oh god wait no there it is
Nvidia launches ‘superchip’ putting AI power into laptops and PCs
Firm says its RTX Spark PC chip for Microsoft Windows will let AI agents replace the mouse and keyboard
Scientists Bred “Super-Athlete” Mice for 30 Years
A study involving 100 pairs of mice produced unexpected results that surprised researchers. Mice bred to be unusually athletic might be expected to pay a biological price, perhaps by living shorter lives or producing fewer offspring. But after more than three decades of research, UC Riverside scientists found no such penalty in mice selected for
A dead mouse and live roaches: Latest Kansas City-area restaurant inspections
Restaurants and grocery stores around Kansas City had some of the most health code violations in the metro recently.
Scientists uncover a hidden map of the brain with 539 distinct regions
Scientists have uncovered a hidden layer of organization in the brain by creating the first detailed 3D map of its lipids, the fatty molecules essential for brain structure and communication. By analyzing millions of measurements from mouse brains, researchers identified 539 distinct chemical zones, revealing patterns and boundaries that traditional brain maps have missed. Surprisingly, even white matter, once thought to be relatively uniform, contains a complex patchwork of chemically distinct regions.
How Badly Does Smoking Wreck Your Reproductive Organs? Here’s What the Science Says.
In a 12-week mouse study, cigarette smoke extract altered ovarian gene activity and changed testicular tissue at higher doses.
Scientists got mouse eyes to perform photosynthesis — and no, they didn't turn green
Special eye drops containing photosynthetic machinery from spinach leaves have helped combat dry eye, a new mouse experiment reveals.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword gets first Nintendo Switch 2 gameplay
First gameplay has emerged for the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Onimusha: Way of the Sword, which is launching very soon. Footage is available for both docked play and handheld mode. You can even get a quick look at the optional mouse controls Capcom is including. Onimusha: Way of the Sword will look to hit 30 frames per second on...
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered details frame rate and resolution for Nintendo Switch 2, DLSS support, mouse controls, more
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered gets frame rate, resolution, DLSS, mouse controls, and more details for Nintendo Switch 2.
Spaceflight may harm the reproductive system of astronauts' kids and grandkids, early mouse study suggests
The offspring of mice that spend time on the International Space Station are more vulnerable to external stressors, a new study finds. More work is needed to understand potential health impacts on human astronauts' families.
Coming to XBOX Game Pass: Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, Vapor World: Over the Mind, Blood Dungeon, and More
We have more games coming your way on day one (including one you may have seen in our XBOX Games Showcase this summer)! Go grab your controller or mouse and let’s get to the games.
Mouse: P.I. for Hire 1.2.0 update out now, patch notes - uncapped VRR, 40 FPS mode, Level Revisit, more
Major version 1.2.0 update comes to Mouse: P.I. for Hire with uncapped VRR, 40 FPS mode, Level Revisit, and more - read the patch notes here.
Study Identifies Potential Therapeutic Target Protein that Drives Metabolic Liver Disease Independent of Diet
The protein appears to cause liver damage by triggering an out-of-place antiviral immune response. Blocking this pathway can protect against liver injury in human cells and mouse models, even on a high-fat diet—paving the way for therapies to prevent liver damage.
Logitech’s new haptics-based gaming mouse is a little better and $20 more
The X2 will still be available for $179.99.
I tried Microsoft’s new haptic Surface Mouse — standard mice now feel completely broken to me
This is a game-changer
Disney Villains Boo Buckets, VisionQuest, and Banana Ball Returns: This Week at TMSM
McDonald’s confirms Disney Villains Boo Buckets, VisionQuest premieres, Six Ravens opens at Disney Springs, and Banana Ball heads back to Disney World. Here’s everything you missed.
Alzheimer's tau protein has a surprising secret role in memory
Researchers found that tau is essential for turning new experiences into lasting memories by helping organize the brain's memory-storing cells. The mouse study also revealed how abnormal tau may contribute to Alzheimer's by disrupting both the formation of new memories and the recall of existing ones.
Scientists Discover New Compound That Burns Fat Without Killing Your Appetite
Unlike GLP-1 drugs, which suppress appetite and reduce energy intake, a newly identified molecular compound helps cells burn more energy without changing food intake or exercise and has shown promise in mouse models. The most successful new obesity drugs largely work by helping people eat less. Researchers at UC Berkeley are exploring a different strategy:
GTA 6 Won't Spoof Disney World, And That's Too Bad
Rockstar is avoiding the House of Mouse.
Need a new Netflix mystery? Korean thriller 'Mousetrap' will ensnare you.
'Mousetrap' will ensnare you.
‘A mouse can’t tell us what works’: UK scientists to grow miniature human organs for drug testing
Organoids and tissues grown from human cells promise more accurate results, with £20m Cambridge project to create standardised models
Microsoft says Windows 11 KB5120998 update resets mouse settings
Microsoft has confirmed that mouse settings are being reverted on Windows 11 systems after installing the KB5120998 August 2026 non-security preview update.
Colorado movie theater reopens after health inspectors find dead mice, droppings
5 Useful iPad Accessories Cheaper Than Apple Brand Products
You can use the RAPIQUE Bluetooth Wireless Mouse, IFEART USB-C Cable, MoKo iPad Case, Logitech Combo Touch, and Metapen Pencil A8 with your iPad.
Microsoft Admits Windows 11 KB5120998 Update Breaks Mouse Cursors, With Wallpapers Turning Black Until You Uninstall It
Microsoft is investigating issues with Windows 11 KB5120998 update causing mouse cursor and wallpaper bugs, prompting users to uninstall the update.
Scientists Fuse Human Neurons Into the Brains of Mice
The studies may help reveal the causes of brain disease in people and point the way to treatments. But researchers already are calling for new ethical guidelines.
Logitech’s new Mobi Fold squeezes a lot of functionality into a tiny folding mouse
Logitech’s new travel mouse borrows a fun trick from your first cellphone.
Scientists discover inherited traits that break Mendel’s Laws of genetics
A major mouse study found that some inherited traits are passed down through epigenetic changes that break the classic rules of genetics. Researchers discovered hundreds of cases where these chemical DNA marks behaved unexpectedly, including some that seemed to emerge out of nowhere. They also identified the first known naturally occurring paramutation in a mammal, hinting that environmental influences may play a larger role in inheritance than scientists realized.
The highest-grossing entertainment franchise in the world isn't Star Wars, Marvel or Mickey Mouse — it's Pokémon, which began as a Japanese video game about collecting creatures and has since rung up north of a hundred billion dollars in retail sales
A $16 million trading card is just the beginning of how Pokémon became the most profitable entertainment empire ever built.
Famitsu review scores - June 28, 2026 - Star Fox for Nintendo Switch 2 and more
The latest Famitsu review scores for the week of June 28, 2026 are as follows: Star Fox – 8/9/9/8 The Last Salvage Squad – 8/7/8/7 Mousebusters – 7/8/8/6 Note that for each review, four editors gave out scores. The final total in the Famitsu review is there for out of a total of 40 points. For previous Famitsu scores, check...
Summit living isn’t a problem for this tiny mouse
A boost to heat production and drawing in more oxygen may help Andean leaf-eared mice thrive at altitude.
ASUS Intros ROG Gladius IV Ace Wireless Gaming Mouse at Gamescom 2026
ASUS held an extensive press event today at Gamescom, where, among many new products, the fourth generation of the ROG Gladius gaming mouse was introduced, following the ROG Gladius III that was launched in 2021. The ROG Gladius IV Ace uses an ergonomic design and weighs just 56 g. The weight...
New AI body map reveals obesity’s hidden attack on facial nerves
Scientists have created an AI-powered system that can scan and map an entire mouse body in extraordinary detail — and it just uncovered a surprising new effect of obesity. Beyond disrupting metabolism, obesity appears to damage facial sensory nerves linked to touch and sensation, while also triggering widespread inflammation across the body.