Pipes Feed Preview: Science – Ars Technica & Tech

To regenerate a head, you first have to know where your tail is

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 18:40:04 -0000

Planaria can't replace a missing head until after the tail develops sufficiently.

For those of us whose memory of high school biology hasn't faded entirely, planarians will probably sound very familiar. They're generally used as an example of one of the extreme ends of regenerative capacity. While some animals like mammals have a limited ability to regenerate lost tissues, planarians can be cut roughly in half and regenerate either an entire head or entire tail, depending on which part of the body you choose to keep track of. In doing so, they have to re-establish something that is typically only needed early in an animal's development: a signaling system that helps tell cells where the animal's head and tail are. Now, a US-based team asked a question that I'd never have thought of: What happens if you cut the animal in half early in development, while the developmental head-to-tail signaling system is still active? The answer turned out to be surprisingly complex. <h2>Heads or tails?</h2> Planarians are small flatworms that would probably be living quiet lives somewhere if biologists hadn't discovered their ability to regenerate lots of adult tissues when damaged. The process has been well-studied by this point and involves the formation of a cluster of stem cells, called a blastema, at the site of damage. From there, many of the signals that control the formation of specialized tissues in the embryo get re-activated, directing the stem cells down the developmental pathways needed to reproduce any lost organs.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/to-regenerate-a-head-you-first-have-to-know-where-your-tail-is/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/to-regenerate-a-head-you-first-have-to-know-where-your-tail-is/#comments">Comments</a>

Rover finds hints of an ancient Martian carbon cycle

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 17:22:46 -0000

Rather than cycling, some of Mars' carbon took a one-way trip into rocks.

Mars has not always been a seemingly lifeless red desert. We have evidence that <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/01/tracing-the-flow-of-mars-last-waters/">billions of years ago</a> it had a warm, habitable climate with liquid water in <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/08/mars-rover-finds-signs-of-seasonal-floods/">lakes and flowing rivers</a>, which is somewhat confusing, given that Mars is much farther from the Sun than the Earth and that the Sun was much less bright back then. “In order for Mars to be warm enough to host liquid water, there must have been a lot of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,” says Benjamin Tutolo, a researcher at the University of Calgary. “The question we’ve been asking for at least 30 years was where the record of all this carbon is.” Tutolo led a new study of rock samples collected by the Curiosity rover that might have answered this question. <h2>The tallest sediment stack</h2> The mystery of Mars’ missing carbon stems from two seemingly conflicting results. On the one hand, we have already found dried riverbeds and lakes on the surface of Mars, so we know there must have been liquid water on its surface at some point. To account for the presence of this water, every Martian climate model we have run indicates that huge amounts of atmospheric carbon were needed to provide a sufficient greenhouse effect to keep the surface temperature above freezing. But the data we were getting from satellite observations of Mars found much less carbon in the Martian soil than those climate models would suggest. “So, either the models were incorrect—and there’s no good reason to believe that—or there really was lots of carbon in the Martian atmosphere,” Tutolo says.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/rover-finds-hints-of-an-ancient-martian-carbon-cycle/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/rover-finds-hints-of-an-ancient-martian-carbon-cycle/#comments">Comments</a>

Women rely partly on smell when choosing friends

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 17:16:47 -0000

College women smelled each other's T-shirts in new study to evaluate "friendship potential."

There are so many factors that can influence how we perceive others, which in turn can determine the people we choose as platonic friends or romantic mates. We certainly make snap judgments based on physical appearance, but scent can have a powerful influence, too. According to a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-94350-1">new paper</a> published in the journal Scientific Reports, two heterosexual women meeting for the first time rely partly on scent to judge whether they want to be friends with each other, deciding within minutes—practically at first whiff—whether there is friendship potential. Social olfactory research largely stems from evolutionary psychology, specifically the work of Swiss biologist <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claus_Wedekind">Claus Wedekind</a> in 1995. Subtle chemical signals from pheromones are known to play a role in attraction in many species. Scientists had already found evidence in fish and mice that the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_histocompatibility_complex">major histocompatibility complex</a> (MHC) genes, which are critical for immune system function (and useful in determining tissue compatibility for transplants, for instance)—showed a marked preference for sexual partners with different MHC genes, perhaps as a way of keeping the gene pool well-mixed and protecting against inbreeding. Wedekind introduced the so-called "sweaty T-shirt" method to study the possible role of MHC in mate preferences in humans. Male participants wore the same T-shirt for two days, which were then placed in identical boxes. Women participants then smelled each shirt and indicated which ones they found most sexually attractive. Wedekind <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.1995.0087">found that</a> the women overwhelmingly preferred the T-shirt smells of men who had the most dissimilar MHCs to their own. The only caveat: The preference <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0018506X04002491?via%3Dihub">was reversed</a> in women who were taking oral birth control.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/smells-like-teen-friendship-how-scent-influences-social-choices/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/smells-like-teen-friendship-how-scent-influences-social-choices/#comments">Comments</a>

US Interior secretary orders offshore wind project shut down

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 20:25:27 -0000

Stoppage comes the same week a government report finds few problems with permitting.

On Thursday, Norwegian company Equinor announced that it was <a href="https://www.empirewind.com/2025/04/17/equinor-suspends-offshore-construction-activities-for-the-empire-wind-project/">suspending the construction</a> of a planned 800 MW-capacity offshore wind farm currently being built in the waters off New York. The reason? An order from US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, who alleged that <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-orders-halt-construction-new-york-offshore-wind-project-2025-04-16/">the project was rushed through review</a>. The move comes as the US's nascent offshore wind industry is facing uncertainty, with all future leases <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/temporary-withdrawal-of-all-areas-on-the-outer-continental-shelf-from-offshore-wind-leasing-and-review-of-the-federal-governments-leasing-and-permitting-practices-for-wind-projects/">placed on hold</a> by an executive order issued on the day of Trump's inauguration. The hold was ostensibly put in place to allow time to review the permitting process. But Burgum's move comes the same week a report from the Government Accountability Office, done in response to the executive order, found only minor issues with the existing permitting process. <h2>On hold</h2> The Equnior project, termed <a href="https://www.empirewind.com/ew-1/">Empire Wind</a>, is a key part of New York's plans to meet its climate goals. Combined with a second phase that's currently in planning, Empire Wind would have a rated capacity of two gigawatts, or over 20 percent of the state's planned offshore wind capacity. The initial construction, combined with the development of shore facilities, already has an estimated value of $2.5 billion, Equinor estimates, and is currently employing roughly 1,500 people. Construction was expected to be complete in 2027, although energy production from a subset of the 54 planned 15 MW turbines could have begun before then.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/us-interior-secretary-orders-offshore-wind-project-shut-down/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/us-interior-secretary-orders-offshore-wind-project-shut-down/#comments">Comments</a>

Skepticism greets claims of a possible biosignature on a distant world

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 18:02:54 -0000

It's really difficult to get a clear sign of life on an exoplanet.

On Wednesday, news broke that researchers had found the most compelling evidence yet of a "biosignature"—a chemical present at levels that are only consistent with life—on a distant exoplanet. It didn't take much time for some less-than-reliable news sources to go from there to <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14618367/evidence-ALIENS-Breakthrough-exoplanet-ocean-life.html">talk of a planet</a> that "could be 'teeming with life'" and the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14621133/Scientists-reveal-aliens-exoplanet-K218b.html">obvious follow-up</a>, "Scientists reveal what aliens could REALLY look like on exoplanet K2-18b." Even in the best of circumstances, however, talk of a biosignature is an invitation to scientists to think of alternative chemistries that could explain the results without needing biological activity. And these are not the best of circumstances, as astronomers are pointing to earlier papers that give a range of reasons to be skeptical of the new results; in fact, an astronomer named <a href="https://www.christopherglein.com">Chris Glein</a> emailed me to alert me of potential issues the day before the news broke. To help you understand the controversy, we're going to look at the data that is being presented as evidence of a biosignature and then go through all the reasons that confirming a biosignature is so difficult.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/skepticism-greets-claims-of-a-possible-biosignature-on-a-distant-world/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/skepticism-greets-claims-of-a-possible-biosignature-on-a-distant-world/#comments">Comments</a>

Climate change will make rice toxic, say researchers

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 13:46:14 -0000

Warmer temperatures and increased carbon dioxide will boost arsenic levels in rice.

Rice, the world’s most consumed grain, will become increasingly toxic as the atmosphere heats and as carbon dioxide emissions rise, potentially putting billions of people at risk of cancers and other diseases, according to <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(25)00055-5/fulltext">new research</a> published Wednesday in The Lancet. Eaten every day by billions of people and grown across the globe, rice is arguably the planet’s most important staple crop, with half the <a href="https://www.fao.org/4/y4347e/y4347e01.htm#:~:text=Over%2050%20percent%20of%20the,and%20consumed%20in%20developing%20countries.">world’s population</a> relying on it for the majority of its food needs, especially in developing countries. But the way rice is grown—mostly submerged in paddies—and its highly porous texture mean it can absorb unusually high levels of arsenic, a potent carcinogenic toxin that is especially dangerous for babies.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/climate-change-will-make-rice-toxic-say-researchers/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/climate-change-will-make-rice-toxic-say-researchers/#comments">Comments</a>

RoboBee sticks the landing

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 18:00:38 -0000

New robotic landing gear draws on the crane fly's unique appendages for landing on uneven surfaces.

<figure class="video ars-wp-video"> <div class="wrapper ars-wp-video-wrapper relative" style="aspect-ratio: 1.6;"> <video class="wp-video-shortcode absolute w-full h-full object-cover left-0 top-0" id="video-2089134-1" width="1280" height="800" preload="metadata" controls="controls"><source type="video/mp4" src="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/RoboBee-Leaf_Landing.mp4?_=1"></source>The RoboBee lands on a leaf. Credit: Harvard Microrobotics Laboratory</video> </div> <figcaption> <div class="caption font-impact dusk:text-gray-300 mb-4 mt-2 inline-flex flex-row items-stretch gap-1 text-base leading-tight text-gray-400 dark:text-gray-300"> <div class="caption-icon bg-[left_top_5px] w-[10px] shrink-0"></div> <div class="caption-content"> The RoboBee lands on a leaf. Credit: Harvard Microrobotics Laboratory </div> </div> </figcaption> </figure> Several years ago, Harvard University roboticist Robert Wood made headlines when his lab constructed <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RoboBee">RoboBee</a>, a tiny robot capable of partially untethered flight. Over the years, RoboBee has learned to fly, dive, and hover. The latest improvement: RoboBee has learned how to stick the landing, thanks to biomechanical improvements to its landing gear modeled on the crane fly, which has a similar wingspan and body size to the RoboBee platform. The details of this achievement appear in a <a href="http://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scirobotics.adq3059">new paper</a> published in the journal Science Robotics. As <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/08/geometry-could-hold-the-secret-to-rapid-acceleration-of-a-mantis-shrimp-strike/">previously reported</a>, the ultimate goal of the RoboBee initiative is to build a swarm of tiny interconnected robots capable of sustained, untethered flight—a significant technological challenge, given the insect-sized scale, which changes the various forces at play. In 2019, Wood's group <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1322-0" rel="nofollow" data-ml-dynamic="true" data-ml-dynamic-type="sl" data-orig-url="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1322-0" data-ml-id="1" data-ml="true" data-xid="fr1744806802138ffi" data-skimlinks-tracking="xid:fr1744806802138ffi">announced its achievement</a> of the lightest insect-scale robot so far to have achieved sustained, untethered flight—an improved version called the RoboBee X-Wing. In 2021, Wood's group turned its attention to the biomechanics of the mantis shrimp's knock-out punch <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2026833118">and built</a> a tiny robot to mimic that movement. But RoboBee was not forgotten, with the team focusing this time around on achieving more robust landings. “Previously, if we were to go in for a landing, we’d turn off the vehicle a little bit above the ground and just drop it, and pray that it will land upright and safely,” <a href="https://seas.harvard.edu/news/2025/04/robobee-comes-landing">said co-author Christian Chan</a>, one of Wood's graduate students. The trick is to minimize velocity when approaching a surface and then quickly dissipating impact energy. Even something as small and light as RoboBee can generate significant impact energy. The crane fly has long, jointed appendages that enable them to dampen their landings, so the insect served as a useful model for RoboBee's new landing gear.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/robobee-sticks-the-landing/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/robobee-sticks-the-landing/#comments">Comments</a>

Looking at the Universe’s dark ages from the far side of the Moon

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 11:00:31 -0000

Building an observatory on the Moon would be a huge challenge—but it would be worth it.

There is a signal, born in the earliest days of the cosmos. It’s weak. It’s faint. It can barely register on even the most sensitive of instruments. But it contains a wealth of information about the formation of the first stars, the first galaxies, and the mysteries of the origins of the largest structures in the Universe. Despite decades of searching for this signal, astronomers have yet to find it. The problem is that our Earth is too noisy, making it nearly impossible to capture this whisper. The solution is to go to the far side of the Moon, using its bulk to shield our sensitive instruments from the cacophony of our planet. Building telescopes on the far side of the Moon would be the greatest astronomical challenge ever considered by humanity. And it would be worth it.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/looking-at-the-universes-dark-ages-from-the-far-side-of-the-moon/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/looking-at-the-universes-dark-ages-from-the-far-side-of-the-moon/#comments">Comments</a>

The physics of bowling strike after strike

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 19:00:56 -0000

New model uses 6 differential equations relating to a rotating rigid body for best strike conditions.

More than 45 million people in the US are fans of bowling, with national competitions awarding millions of dollars. Bowlers usually rely on instinct and experience, earned through lots and lots of practice, to boost their strike percentage. A team of physicists has come up with a mathematical model to better predict ball trajectories, outlined in a <a href="https://pubs.aip.org/aip/adv/article/15/4/045222/3344017/Using-physics-simulations-to-find-targeting">new paper</a> published in the journal AIP Advances. The resulting equations take into account such factors as the composition and resulting pattern of the oil used on bowling lanes, as well as the inevitable asymmetries of bowling balls and player variability. The authors already had a strong interest in bowling. Three are regular bowlers and quite skilled at the sport; a fourth, Curtis Hooper of Longborough University in the UK, is a coach for Team England at the European Youth Championships. Hooper has been studying the physics of bowling for several years, including <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/17479541241306543?icid=int.sj-abstract.citing-articles.1#:~:text=It%20may%20well%20be%20that,deck%20closer%20to%20the%20gutter.">an analysis</a> of the 2017 Weber Cup, as well as papers devising mathematical models for the <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/17543371231217021?icid=int.sj-abstract.citing-articles.2">application of lane conditioners</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=seGc0KYAAAAJ&citation_for_view=seGc0KYAAAAJ:IjCSPb-OGe4C">oil patterns</a> in bowling. The calculations involved in such research are very complicated because there are so many variables that can affect a ball's trajectory after being thrown. Case in point: the thin layer of oil that is applied to bowling lanes, which Hooper found can vary widely in volume and shape among different venues, plus the lack of uniformity in applying the layer, which creates an uneven friction surface.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/the-physics-of-bowling-strike-after-strike/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/the-physics-of-bowling-strike-after-strike/#comments">Comments</a>

Here’s how a satellite ended up as a ghostly apparition on Google Earth

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 17:24:40 -0000

Zoom in over rural North Texas for a spacey surprise.

Dig deep on Google Earth and you'll inevitably find a surprise or two. Maybe you're looking at far-flung islands in the middle of an ocean or checking in on something closer to home. A few years ago, online sleuths found an <a href="https://petapixel.com/2021/12/28/stealth-bomber-caught-mid-flight-in-a-google-maps-photo/">image of a B-2 stealth bomber</a> in flight over Missouri. The aircraft is smeared in the image because it was in motion, while the farm fields below appear as crisp as any other view on Google Earth. There's something else that now appears on Google Earth. Zoom in over rural North Texas, and you'll find a satellite. It appears five times in different colors, each projected over wooded bottomlands in a remote wildlife refuge about 60 miles (100 kilometers) north of Dallas.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/heres-how-a-satellite-ended-up-as-a-ghostly-apparition-on-google-earth/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/heres-how-a-satellite-ended-up-as-a-ghostly-apparition-on-google-earth/#comments">Comments</a>

Trump Administration puts $2.2 billion of Harvard’s research money on hold

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 16:20:51 -0000

Harvard won't give government a say in faculty hiring; Trump threatens its tax status.

The Trump administration has been <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/trump-administrations-attack-on-university-research-accelerates/">using federal research funding as a cudgel</a>. The government has blocked billions of dollars in research funds and threatened to put a hold on even more in order to compel universities to adopt what it presents as essential reforms. In the case of Columbia University, that includes changes in the leadership of individual academic departments. On Friday, the government sent a list of demands that it presented as necessary to "maintain Harvard’s financial relationship with the federal government." On Monday, Harvard responded that accepting these demands would "allow itself to be taken over by the federal government." The university also changed its home page into an extensive tribute to the research that would be eliminated if the funds were withheld. The reprisals against Harvard began almost immediately. By the end of Monday, the Trump administration <a href="https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/joint-task-force-combat-anti-semitism-statement-regarding-harvard-university">put $2.2 billion of Harvard's research funding on hold</a>. And on Tuesday, Trump himself <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/04/15/us/trump-news#trump-harvard-tax-status">made threats</a> against the university's tax exempt status.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/harvard-says-feds-research-funding-demands-amount-to-a-takeover/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/harvard-says-feds-research-funding-demands-amount-to-a-takeover/#comments">Comments</a>

Lunar Gateway’s skeleton is complete—its next stop may be Trump’s chopping block

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 20:29:25 -0000

The NASA official in charge of Gateway briefed Ars on the program's challenges and achievements.

In one way or another, the Lunar Gateway has lingered around the periphery of NASA's human exploration program since the Obama administration. Back then, the elements that eventually coalesced into the Gateway were geared toward a nebulous initiative to capture a small asteroid and reposition it closer to Earth. Under direction from the first Trump administration, NASA ditched the asteroid idea and repackaged the concept to become a mini-space station in orbit around the Moon. NASA officials justified the Lunar Gateway program by highlighting its utility as a staging point or safe haven for astronauts traveling to and from the surface of the Moon. Crews could launch from Earth and travel to the Moon's vicinity inside NASA's Orion spacecraft, connect with the Gateway, and then float into their lunar lander already docked with the outpost.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/04/heres-the-latest-on-nasas-lunar-gateway-a-program-many-people-want-to-cancel/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/04/heres-the-latest-on-nasas-lunar-gateway-a-program-many-people-want-to-cancel/#comments">Comments</a>

Scientists made a stretchable lithium battery you can bend, cut, or stab

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 19:30:33 -0000

Its performance isn't great, but its endurance is similar to standard lithium-ion.

The Li-ion batteries that power everything from smartphones to electric cars are usually packed in rigid, sealed enclosures that prevent stresses from damaging their components and keep air from coming into contact with their flammable and toxic electrolytes. It’s hard to use batteries like this in soft robots or wearables, so a team of scientists at the University California, Berkeley built a flexible, non-toxic, jelly-like battery that could survive bending, twisting, and even cutting with a razor. While flexible batteries using hydrogel electrolytes have been achieved before, they came with significant drawbacks. “All such batteries could [only] operate [for] a short time, sometimes a few hours, sometimes a few days,” says Liwei Lin, a mechanical engineering professor at UC Berkeley and senior author of the study. The battery built by his team endured 500 complete charge cycles—about as many as the batteries in most smartphones are designed for. <h2>Power in water</h2> “Current-day batteries require a rigid package because the electrolyte they use is explosive, and one of the things we wanted to make was a battery that would be safe to operate without this rigid package,” Lin told Ars. Unfortunately, flexible packaging made of polymers or other stretchable materials can be easily penetrated by air or water, which will react with standard electrolytes, generating lots of heat, potentially resulting in fires and explosions. This is why, in 2017, scientists started to experiment with quasi-solid-state hydrogel electrolytes.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/scientists-made-a-stretchable-lithium-battery-you-can-bend-cut-or-stab/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/scientists-made-a-stretchable-lithium-battery-you-can-bend-cut-or-stab/#comments">Comments</a>

Live demos test effectiveness of Revolutionary War weapons

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 14:30:36 -0000

Pitting the Brown Bess against the long rifle, testing the first military submarine, and more.

The colonial victory against the British in the American Revolutionary War was far from a predetermined outcome. In addition to good strategy and the timely appearance of key allies like the French, Continental soldiers relied on several key technological innovations in weaponry. But just how accurate is an 18th-century musket when it comes to hitting a target? Did the rifle really determine the outcome of the war? And just how much damage did cannon inflict? A team of military weapons experts and re-enactors set about testing some of those questions in a new NOVA documentary, <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/">Revolutionary War Weapons</a>. The documentary examines the firing range and accuracy of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Bess">Brown Bess muskets</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_rifle">long rifles</a> used by both the British and the Continental Army during the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battles_of_Lexington_and_Concord">Battles of Lexington and Concord</a>; the effectiveness of Native American <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomahawk">tomahawks</a> for close combat (no, they were usually not thrown as depicted in so many popular films, but there are modern throwing competitions today); and the effectiveness of cannons against the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabion#:~:text=A%20gabion%20(from%20Italian%20gabbione,building%2C%20military%20applications%20and%20landscaping.">gabions</a> and other defenses employed to protect the British fortress during the pivotal <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Yorktown">Siege of Yorktown</a>. There is even a fascinating segment on the first military submarine, dubbed "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtle_(submersible)">the Turtle</a>," created by American inventor David Bushnell. To capture all the high-speed ballistics action, director Stuart Powell relied upon a range of high-speed cameras called the Phantom Range. "It is like a supercomputer," Powell told Ars. "It is a camera, but it doesn't feel like a camera. You need to be really well-coordinated on the day when you're using it because it bursts for, like, 10 seconds. It doesn't record constantly because it's taking so much data. Depending on what the frame rate is, you only get a certain amount of time. So you're trying to coordinate that with someone trying to fire a 250-year-old piece of technology. If the gun doesn't go off, if something goes wrong on set, you'll miss it. Then it takes five minutes to reboot and get ready for the new shot. So a lot of the shoot revolves around the camera; that's not normally the case."<a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/new-nova-doc-puts-revolutionary-war-weapons-to-the-test/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/new-nova-doc-puts-revolutionary-war-weapons-to-the-test/#comments">Comments</a>

NOAA scientists scrub toilets, rethink experiments after service contracts end

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 13:31:05 -0000

One federal lab has lost janitorial services, hazardous waste support, IT, and building maintenance.

Federal scientists responsible for monitoring the health of West Coast fisheries are cleaning office bathrooms and reconsidering critical experiments after the Department of Commerce failed to renew their lab’s contracts for hazardous waste disposal, janitorial services, IT, and building maintenance. Trash is piling up at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, staffers told ProPublica. Ecologists, chemists, and biologists at Montlake Laboratory, the center’s headquarters in Seattle, are taking turns hauling garbage to the dumpster and discussing whether they should create a sign-up sheet to scrub toilets. The scientists—who conduct genetic sampling of endangered salmon to check the species’ stock status and survival—routinely work with chemicals that can burn skin, erupt into flames, and cause cancer. At least one said they’d have to delay mission-critical research if hazardous waste removal isn’t restored.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/noaa-scientists-scrub-toilets-rethink-experiments-after-service-contracts-end/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/noaa-scientists-scrub-toilets-rethink-experiments-after-service-contracts-end/#comments">Comments</a>

Google created a new AI model for talking to dolphins

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 13:00:55 -0000

DolphinGemma will get its first test run this summer.

Dolphins are generally regarded as <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/10/whale-and-dolphin-brains-are-bigger-if-their-species-is-more-social/">some of the smartest</a> creatures on the planet. Research has shown they can cooperate, teach each other new skills, and even recognize themselves in a mirror. For decades, scientists have attempted to make sense of the complex collection of whistles and clicks dolphins use to communicate. Researchers might make a little headway on that front soon with the help of Google's open AI model and some Pixel phones. Google has been finding ways to work generative AI into everything else it does, so why not its collaboration with the Wild Dolphin Project (WDP)? This group has been studying dolphins since 1985 using a non-invasive approach to track a specific community of Atlantic spotted dolphins. The WDP creates video and audio recordings of dolphins, along with correlating notes on their behaviors. One of the WDP's main goals is to analyze the way dolphins vocalize and how that can affect their social interactions. With decades of underwater recordings, researchers have managed to connect some basic activities to specific sounds. For example, Atlantic spotted dolphins have signature whistles that appear to be used like names, allowing two specific individuals to find each other. They also consistently produce "squawk" sound patterns during fights.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/google-created-a-new-ai-model-for-talking-to-dolphins/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/google-created-a-new-ai-model-for-talking-to-dolphins/#comments">Comments</a>

A guide to the “platonic ideal” of a Negroni and other handy tips

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 16:53:16 -0000

Perfumer by day, mixologist by night, Kevin Peterson specializes in crafting scent-paired cocktails.

Kevin Peterson is a "nose" for his own perfume company, <a href="https://sfumatofragrances.com">Sfumato Fragrances</a>, by day. By night, Sfumato's retail store in Detroit transforms into Peterson's craft cocktail bar, <a href="https://www.castaliacocktails.com">Castalia</a>, where he is chief mixologist and designs drinks that pair with carefully selected aromas. He's also the author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cocktail-Theory-Sensory-Approach-Transcendent/dp/B0DC68F89Z/">Cocktail Theory: A Sensory Approach to Transcendent Drinks</a>, which <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/drkevinpeterson/book-cocktail-theory">grew out of</a> his many (many!) mixology experiments and popular YouTube series, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@objectiveproof-thescienceo95">Objective Proof: The Science of Cocktails</a>. It's fair to say that Peterson has had an unusual career trajectory. He worked as a line cook and an auto mechanic, and he worked on the production line of a butter factory, among other gigs, before attending culinary school in hopes of becoming a chef. However, he soon realized it wasn't really what he wanted out of life and went to college, earning an undergraduate degree in physics from Carleton College and a PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan. After 10 years as an engineer, he switched focus again and became more serious about his side hobby, perfumery. "Not being in kitchens anymore, I thought—this is a way to keep that little flavor part of my brain engaged," Peterson told Ars. "I was doing problem sets all day. It was my escape to the sensory realm. 'OK, my brain is melting—I need a completely different thing to do. Let me go smell smells, escape to my little scent desk.'" He and his wife, Jane Larson, founded Sfumato, which led to opening Castalia, and Peterson finally found his true calling.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/is-there-a-grand-unified-theory-of-cocktails-maybe/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/is-there-a-grand-unified-theory-of-cocktails-maybe/#comments">Comments</a>

Quantum hardware may be a good match for AI

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 14:46:31 -0000

New manuscript describes analyzing image data in a quantum processor.

Concerns about AI's energy use have a lot of people looking into ways to <a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/03/can-we-make-ai-less-power-hungry-these-researchers-are-working-on-it/">cut down on its power requirements</a>. Many of these focus on hardware and software approaches that are pretty straightforward extensions of existing technologies. But a few technologies are much farther out there. One that's definitely in the latter category? Quantum computing. In some ways, quantum hardware is a better match for some of the math that underlies AI than more traditional hardware. While the current quantum hardware is a bit too error-prone for the more elaborate AI models currently in use, researchers are starting to put the pieces in place to run AI models when the hardware is ready. This week, a couple of commercial interests are releasing a draft of a paper describing how to get classical image data into a quantum processor (actually, two different processors) and perform a basic AI image classification. All of which gives us a great opportunity to discuss why quantum AI may be more than just hype.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/companies-take-a-step-toward-running-ai-on-quantum-hardware/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/companies-take-a-step-toward-running-ai-on-quantum-hardware/#comments">Comments</a>

Rocket Report: “No man’s land” in rocket wars; Isaacman lukewarm on SLS

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 11:00:29 -0000

China's approach to space junk is worrisome as it begins launching its own megaconstellations.

Welcome to Edition 7.39 of the Rocket Report! Not getting your launch fix? Buckle up. We're on the cusp of a boom in rocket launches as three new megaconstellations have either just begun or will soon begin deploying thousands of satellites to enable broadband connectivity from space. If the megaconstellations come to fruition, this will require more than a thousand launches in the next few years, on top of SpaceX's blistering Starlink launch cadence. We discuss the topic of megaconstellations in this week's Rocket Report. As always, we <a href="https://arstechnica.wufoo.com/forms/launch-stories/">welcome reader submissions</a>. If you don't want to miss an issue, please subscribe using the box below (the form will not appear on AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report will include information on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets as well as a quick look ahead at the next three launches on the calendar. <figure class="ars-img-shortcode id-1314289 align-center"> <div> <img decoding="async" width="560" height="81" src="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/smalll.png" class="center full" alt="" srcset="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/smalll.png 560w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/smalll-300x43.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px"> </div> </figure> So, what is SpinLaunch doing now? Ars Technica has mentioned SpinLaunch, the company that literally wants to yeet satellites into space, in previous Rocket Report newsletters. This company enjoyed some success in raising money for its so-crazy-it-just-might-work idea of catapulting rockets and satellites into the sky, a concept SpinLaunch calls "kinetic launch." But SpinLaunch is now making a hard pivot to small satellites, a move that, on its face, seems puzzling after going all-in on kinetic launch and even performing <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEVD9k2GLXk">several impressive hardware tests</a>, throwing a projectile to altitudes of up to 30,000 feet. <a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/04/spinlaunch-yes-the-centrifuge-rocket-company-is-making-a-hard-pivot-to-satellites/">Ars got the scoop</a>, with the company's CEO detailing why and how it plans to build a low-Earth orbit telecommunications constellation with 280 satellites.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/04/rocket-report-no-mans-land-in-rocket-wars-isaacman-lukewarm-on-sls/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/04/rocket-report-no-mans-land-in-rocket-wars-isaacman-lukewarm-on-sls/#comments">Comments</a>

New simulation of Titanic’s sinking confirms historical testimony

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 19:10:20 -0000

NatGeo documentary follows a cutting-edge undersea scanning project to make a high-resolution 3D digital twin of the ship.

In 2023, <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/05/take-an-eye-popping-3d-tour-of-the-titanics-digital-twin/">we reported</a> on the unveiling of the first full-size 3D digital scan of the remains of the RMS Titanic—a "digital twin" that captured the wreckage in unprecedented detail. Magellan Ltd, a <a href="https://www.magellan.gg/titanic-in-3d/">deep-sea mapping company</a>, and Atlantic Productions conducted the scans over a six-week expedition. That project is the subject of the new National Geographic documentary <a href="https://www.natgeotv.com/za/programs/natgeo/titanic-the-digital-resurrection">Titanic: The Digital Resurrection</a>, detailing several fascinating initial findings from experts' ongoing analysis of that full-size scan. Titanic met its doom just four days into the Atlantic crossing, roughly 375 miles (600 kilometers) south of Newfoundland. At 11:40 pm ship's time on April 14, 1912, Titanic hit that infamous iceberg and began taking on water, flooding five of its 16 watertight compartments, thereby sealing its fate. More than 1,500 passengers and crew perished; only around 710 of those on board survived. Titanic remained undiscovered at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean until an expedition led by Jean-Louis Michel and Robert Ballard reached the wreck on September 1, 1985. The ship split apart as it sank, with the bow and stern sections lying roughly one-third of a mile apart. The bow proved to be surprisingly intact, while the stern showed severe structural damage, likely flattened from the impact as it hit the ocean floor. There is a debris field spanning a 5×3-mile area, filled with furniture fragments, dinnerware, shoes and boots, and other personal items.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/3d-digital-twin-of-titanic-wreck-yields-fresh-insights/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/04/3d-digital-twin-of-titanic-wreck-yields-fresh-insights/#comments">Comments</a>

Google adds YouTube Music feature to end annoying volume shifts

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 20:52:07 -0000

Automatic audio leveling is coming to YouTube Music.

Google's history with music services is almost as convoluted and frustrating as its history with messaging. However, things have gotten calmer (<a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/10/youtube-music-continues-glacial-development-pace-adds-background-playback/">and slower</a>) ever since Google <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/05/youtube-music-will-replace-google-play-music-but-wont-kill-user-uploads/">ceded music to the YouTube division</a>. The YouTube Music app has its share of annoyances, to be sure, but it's getting a long-overdue feature that users have been requesting for ages: consistent volume. Listening to a single album from beginning to end is increasingly unusual in this age of unlimited access to music. As your playlist wheels from one genre or era to the next, the inevitable vibe shifts can be grating. Different tracks can have wildly different volumes, which can be shocking and potentially damaging to your ears if you've got your volume up for a ballad only to be hit with a heavy guitar riff after the break. The gist of consistent volume simple—it normalizes volume across tracks, making the volume roughly the same. Consistent volume builds on a feature from the YouTube app called "stable volume." When Google released stable volume for YouTube, it noted that the feature would <a href="https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/14106294?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid">continuously adjust volume</a> throughout the video. Because of that, it was disabled for music content on the platform.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/youtube-music-gets-consistent-volume-option-to-save-your-ears/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/youtube-music-gets-consistent-volume-option-to-save-your-ears/#comments">Comments</a>

Synology confirms that higher-end NAS products will require its branded drives

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 18:50:26 -0000

Firm will later add "curated drive compatibility" lists after testing.

Popular NAS-maker Synology has confirmed and slightly clarified <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/synology-could-bring-certified-drive-requirements-to-more-nas-devices/">a policy that appeared on its German website</a> earlier this week: Its <a href="https://www.synology.com/en-us/products?product_line=ds_plus">"Plus" tier of devices</a>, starting with the 2025 series, will require Synology-branded hard drives for full compatibility, at least at first. "Synology-branded drives will be needed for use in the newly announced Plus series, with plans to update the Product Compatibility List as additional drives can be thoroughly vetted in Synology systems," a Synology representative told Ars by email. "Extensive internal testing has shown that drives that follow a rigorous validation process when paired with Synology systems are at less risk of drive failure and ongoing compatibility issues." Without a Synology-branded or approved drive in a device that requires it, NAS devices could fail to create storage pools and lose volume-wide deduplication and lifespan analysis, <a href="https://www.synology.com/en-eu/company/news/article/DACH_VL_plus/Synology%20is%20increasingly%20relying%20on%20its%20own%20ecosystem%20for%20upcoming%20Plus%20models">Synology's German press release stated</a>. Similar drive restrictions are already in place for XS Plus and rack-mounted Synology models, though work-arounds exist.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/synology-confirms-need-for-synology-branded-drives-in-newer-plus-series-nas/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/synology-confirms-need-for-synology-branded-drives-in-newer-plus-series-nas/#comments">Comments</a>

HP agrees to $4M settlement over claims of “falsely advertising” PCs, keyboards

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 21:20:31 -0000

HP.com customers from June 2021 to October 2024 are eligible for compensation.

HP Inc. has agreed to pay a $4 million settlement to customers after being accused of “false advertising” of computers and peripherals on its website. Earlier this month, Judge P. Casey Pitts for the US District Court of the San Jose Division of the Northern District of California granted preliminary approval [<a href="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/show_temp.pdf">PDF</a>] of a settlement agreement regarding a class-action complaint first filed against HP on October 13, 2021. The complaint accused HP's website of showing "misleading" original pricing for various computers, mice, and keyboards that was higher than how the products were recently and typically priced. Per the settlement agreement [<a href="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/settlement-agreement.pdf">PDF</a>], HP will contribute $4 million to a "non-reversionary common fund, which shall be used to pay the (i) Settlement Class members’ claims; (ii) court-approved Notice and Settlement Administration Costs; (iii) court-approved Settlement Class Representatives’ Service Award; and (iv) court-approved Settlement Class Counsel Attorneys’ Fees and Costs Award. All residual funds will be distributed pro rata to Settlement Class members who submitted valid claims and cashed checks.”<a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/hp-agrees-to-4m-settlement-over-claims-of-falsely-advertising-pcs-keyboards/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/hp-agrees-to-4m-settlement-over-claims-of-falsely-advertising-pcs-keyboards/#comments">Comments</a>

Gemini 2.5 Flash comes to the Gemini app as Google seeks to improve “dynamic thinking”

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 19:06:17 -0000

Gemini 2.5 Flash is ready for you to try in the Gemini app, but it's starting as a preview.

Google's Gemini AI may have had a slow start, but it has been anything but in 2025. Barely a week goes by that another model doesn't arrive in the Gemini app or developer tools like AI Studio, and there's a major release coming to the app today. Google has announced that its faster, more efficient Gemini 2.5 Flash model is rolling out widely in preview. At the same time, developers can begin building with 2.5 Flash using the company's newly announced API pricing, which Google says is much lower than competing products. <h2>A gaggle of Gemini</h2> The model dropdown in the Gemini app is a bit convoluted, particularly as we see products like <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/googles-veo-2-generative-video-creator-is-coming-to-gemini/">Veo 2</a> and <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/03/googles-gemini-ai-can-now-see-your-search-history/">Personalization</a> popping up there. Google has been releasing so many preview models and new ways of using Gemini that it can be hard to know which option to choose for a given task. In fairness, Google is far from the only major AI player with this problem. Tulsee Doshi is Google's director of product management for Gemini, which means she leads the team building these models. We asked Doshi what version of Gemini she finds herself using, and unsurprisingly, she likes the more powerful option. "Typically right now, I have been using 2.5 Pro," says Doshi. "I use Gemini throughout the day for my work in a few key areas, like creating documents or slides. That's either for internal consumption or actually sharing externally, and I've found 2.5 Pro to be really helpful for the creative writing element."<a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/04/gemini-2-5-flash-comes-to-the-gemini-app-gives-developers-control-over-thinking/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/04/gemini-2-5-flash-comes-to-the-gemini-app-gives-developers-control-over-thinking/#comments">Comments</a>

Synology could bring “certified drive” requirements to more NAS devices

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 18:19:01 -0000

German press release suggests expansion of the company's "integrated ecosystem."

Synology, maker of network-attached storage (NAS) devices, will seemingly remove advanced features from its Plus devices that are not using hard drives provided by, or certified by, Synology itself, starting with its 2025 lineup. A <a href="https://www.hardwareluxx.de/index.php/news/hardware/festplatten/65949-synology-weitet-den-zwang-zur-eignen-oder-zertifizierten-festplatte-auf-die-plus-modelle-aus.html">report on the German site HardwareLuxx</a> (translated by Google) and <a href="https://www.synology.com/de-de/company/news/article/DACH_VL_plus/Synology%20setzt%20f%C3%BCr%20kommende%20Plus-Modelle%20verst%C3%A4rkt%20auf%20das%20eigene%20%C3%96kosystem">a press release</a> on Synology's German-language website appear to confirm Synology's strategy. The company, which sees "significant benefits" to its "proprietary hard drive solution" (also per Google's translation), will be "expanding [its] integrated ecosystem to the Plus series." For those <a href="https://www.synology.com/en-us/products?product_line=ds_plus">Plus series models</a> released in 2025, only Synology's own hard drives, and third-party drives certified by Synology, will offer "the full range of functions and support." Synology's release states that it can provide the "highest levels of security and performance, while also offering significantly more efficient support." Ars has contacted Synology's US offices for comment and will update this post with any response.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/synology-could-bring-certified-drive-requirements-to-more-nas-devices/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/synology-could-bring-certified-drive-requirements-to-more-nas-devices/#comments">Comments</a>

Google is gifting a year of Gemini Advanced to every college student in the US

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 16:51:26 -0000

Got a .edu email? You can sign up for a free year of Google One AI Premium.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai has reportedly set a goal for the company to reach 500 million Gemini users before the end of 2025. Rolling out new models may help the company get there, but you know what else helps? <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/03/googles-new-experimental-gemini-2-5-model-rolls-out-to-free-users/">Giving away</a> premium features for free. Google has announced today that it's giving all US college students free access to Gemini Advanced, and not just for a month or two—the offer is good for a full year of service. With Gemini Advanced, you get access to the <a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/03/google-says-the-new-gemini-2-5-pro-model-is-its-smartest-ai-yet/">more capable Pro models</a>, as well as unlimited use of the Deep Research tool based on it. Subscribers also get a smattering of other AI tools, like the Veo 2 video generator, NotebookLM, and Gemini Live. The offer is for the Google One AI Premium plan, so it includes more than premium AI models, like Gemini features in Google Drive and 2TB of Drive storage. Google has a <a href="http://gemini.google/students">new landing page</a> for the deal, allowing eligible students to sign up for their free Google One AI Premium plan. The offer is valid from now until June 30. Anyone who takes Google up on it will enjoy the free plan through spring 2026. The company hasn't specified an end date, but we would wager it will be June of next year. Google's intention is to give students an entire school year of Gemini Advanced from now through finals next year. At the end of the term, you can bet Google will try to convert students to paying subscribers.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/04/google-is-gifting-a-year-of-gemini-advanced-to-every-college-student-in-the-us/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/04/google-is-gifting-a-year-of-gemini-advanced-to-every-college-student-in-the-us/#comments">Comments</a>

LG TVs’ integrated ads get more personal with tech that analyzes viewer emotions

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 20:14:48 -0000

LG licenses tech for interpreting TV users' feelings and convictions.

LG TVs will soon leverage an AI model built for showing advertisements that more closely align with viewers' personal beliefs and emotions. The company plans to incorporate a partner company’s AI tech into its TV software in order to interpret psychological factors impacting a viewer, such as personal interests, personality traits, and lifestyle choices. The aim is to show LG webOS users ads that will emotionally impact them. The upcoming advertising approach comes via a multi-year licensing deal with Zenapse, a company <a href="https://www.zenapse.com/">describing itself</a> as a software-as-a-service marketing platform that can drive advertiser sales “with AI-powered emotional intelligence.” LG will use Zenapse’s technology to divide webOS users into hyper-specific market segments that are supposed to be more informative to advertisers. LG Ad Solutions, LG’s advertising business, announced the partnership on Tuesday. The technology will be used to inform ads shown on LG smart TVs’ homescreens, free ad-supported TV (FAST) channels, and elsewhere throughout webOS, per <a href="https://www.streamtvinsider.com/advertising/lg-brings-emotionally-aware-targeted-advertising-ctv-zenapse">StreamTV Insider</a>. LG will also use Zenapse's tech to “expand new software development and go-to-market products," it said. LG didn’t specify the duration of its licensing deal with Zenapse.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/lg-tvs-integrated-ads-get-more-personal-with-tech-that-analyzes-viewer-emotions/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/lg-tvs-integrated-ads-get-more-personal-with-tech-that-analyzes-viewer-emotions/#comments">Comments</a>

Google suspended 39.2 million malicious advertisers in 2024 thanks to AI

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 16:58:58 -0000

Google is adding LLMs to everything, including ad policy enforcement.

Google may have finally found an application of large language models (LLMs) that even AI skeptics can get behind. The company just released its 2024 Ads Safety report, confirming that it used a collection of newly upgraded AI models to scan for bad ads. The result is a huge increase in suspended spammer and scammer accounts, with fewer <a href="https://arstechnica.com/security/2023/10/google-hosted-malvertising-leads-to-fake-keepass-site-that-looks-genuine/">malicious ads</a> in front of your eyeballs. While stressing that it was not asleep at the switch in past years, Google reports that it deployed more than 50 enhanced LLMs to help enforce its ad policy in 2024. Some 97 percent of Google's advertising enforcement involved these AI models, which reportedly require even less data to make a determination. Therefore, it's feasible to tackle rapidly evolving scam tactics. <a href="https://blog.google/products/ads-commerce/google-ads-safety-report-2024/">Google says</a> that its efforts in 2024 resulted in 39.2 million US ad accounts being suspended for fraudulent activities. That's over three times more than the number of suspended accounts in 2023 (12.7 million). The factors that trigger a suspension usually include ad network abuse, improper use of personalization data, false medical claims, trademark infringement, or a mix of violations.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/google-used-ai-to-block-three-times-more-fraudulent-advertisers-in-2024/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/google-used-ai-to-block-three-times-more-fraudulent-advertisers-in-2024/#comments">Comments</a>

Google adds Veo 2 video generation to Gemini app

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 19:43:28 -0000

Video generation starts rolling out today for Gemini Advanced subscribers.

Google has announced that yet another AI model is coming to Gemini, but this time, it's more than a chatbot. The company's Veo 2 video generator is rolling out to the Gemini app and website, giving paying customers a chance to create short video clips with Google's allegedly state-of-the-art video model. Veo 2 works like other video generators, including <a href="https://arstechnica.com/ai/2024/12/ten-months-after-first-tease-openai-launches-sora-video-generation-publicly/">OpenAI's Sora</a>—you input text describing the video you want, and a Google data center churns through tokens until it has an animation. <a href="https://blog.google/products/gemini/video-generation/">Google claims</a> that Veo 2 was designed to have a solid grasp of real-world physics, particularly the way humans move. Google's examples do look good, but presumably that's why they were chosen. <figure class="video ars-wp-video"> <div class="wrapper ars-wp-video-wrapper relative" style="aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777778;"> <video class="wp-video-shortcode absolute w-full h-full object-cover left-0 top-0" id="video-2089275-1" width="1280" height="720" preload="metadata" controls="controls"><source type="video/mp4" src="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pacific-view.mp4?_=1"></source></video> </div> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> Prompt: Aerial shot of a grassy cliff onto a sandy beach where waves crash against the shore, a prominent sea stack rises from the ocean near the beach, bathed in the warm, golden light of either sunrise or sunset, capturing the serene beauty of the Pacific coastline.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/googles-veo-2-generative-video-creator-is-coming-to-gemini/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/googles-veo-2-generative-video-creator-is-coming-to-gemini/#comments">Comments</a>

4chan has been down since Monday night after “pretty comprehensive own”

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 18:43:29 -0000

Early info is unreliable, but the site has been mostly unavailable for hours.

Infamous Internet imageboard and wretched hive of scum and villainy 4chan was apparently hacked at some point Monday evening and remains mostly unreachable as of this writing. DownDetector <a href="https://downdetector.com/status/4chan/">showed reports of outages</a> spiking at about 10:07 pm Eastern time on Monday, and they've remained elevated since. <a href="https://www.soyjak.st/news/thread/4104.html">Posters at Soyjack Party</a>, a rival imageboard that began as a 4chan offshoot, claimed responsibility for the hack. But as with all posts on these intensely insular boards, it's difficult to separate fact from fiction. The thread shows screenshots of what appear to be 4chan's PHP admin interface, among other screenshots, that suggest extensive access to 4chan's databases of posts and users. Security researcher Kevin Beaumont <a href="https://infosec.exchange/@GossiTheDog@cyberplace.social/114341256751447885">described the hack</a> as "a pretty comprehensive own" that included "SQL databases, source, and shell access." 404Media <a href="https://www.404media.co/4chan-is-down-following-what-looks-to-be-a-major-hack-spurred-by-meme-war/">reports</a> that the site used an outdated version of PHP that could have been used to gain access, including the phpMyAdmin tool, a common attack vector that is <a href="https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvekey.cgi?keyword=phpmyadmin">frequently patched for security vulnerabilities</a>. Ars staffers pointed to the presence of long-deprecated and removed functions like <a href="https://www.php.net/manual/en/function.mysql-real-escape-string.php">mysql_real_escape_string</a> in the screenshots as possible signs of an old, unpatched PHP version.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2025/04/internet-cesspit-4chan-apparently-hacked-mostly-unreachable-since-monday-night/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2025/04/internet-cesspit-4chan-apparently-hacked-mostly-unreachable-since-monday-night/#comments">Comments</a>

Netflix plans to bring streaming into the $1 trillion club by 2030

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 18:32:31 -0000

Netflix aims to double its revenue over the next five years, WSJ reports.

Netflix plans to reach a market capitalization of $1 trillion by 2030<a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/media/netflix-aims-to-join-the-1-trillion-club-fdacb250?mod=media_news_article_pos4">,</a> <a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/media/netflix-aims-to-join-the-1-trillion-club-fdacb250?mod=media_news_article_pos4">The Wall Street Journal</a> (WSJ) reported this week, citing anonymous people who attended an “annual business review meeting” that Netflix held in March. Netflix's current market capitalization is nearly $400 billion. Netflix is reportedly partnering its market cap goals with plans to double revenue within the same time frame. For 2024, Netflix reported $39 billion in revenue, meaning the company aims to raise its annual revenue to $78 billion in five years. Compared to the prior five years, Netflix’s revenue grew 93.5 percent from 2019 ($20.16 billion) to 2024. However, that time period represented a different market, one where streaming subscriber counts were rising rapidly, and Netflix faced less competition than it does today. However, Netflix's 2030 revenue goals are also dependent on its advertising business, something Netflix lacked in 2019.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/netflix-plans-to-bring-streaming-into-the-1-trillion-club-by-2030/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/netflix-plans-to-bring-streaming-into-the-1-trillion-club-by-2030/#comments">Comments</a>

Nvidia nudges mainstream gaming PCs forward with RTX 5060 series, starting at $299

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 16:36:13 -0000

RTX 5060 includes 8GB for $299; RTX 5060 Ti has 8GB or 16GB for $379 and $429.

Nvidia is rounding out its GeForce RTX 50-series graphics cards today with the official announcement of the mainstream RTX 5060 series. The company is announcing three new GPUs today: The 5060 Ti will launch on April 16 in both 8GB and 16GB variations, for $379 and $429, respectively. The regular RTX 5060 will follow at some point in May for the same $299 MSRP as the last-generation RTX 4060. It is also sticking with 8GB of RAM. Obviously, it remains to be seen whether the company and its partners can actually stock these cards at these prices. GPUs from the top-tier <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/01/review-nvidias-geforce-rtx-5090-is-the-first-gpu-that-can-beat-the-rtx-4090/">RTX 5090</a> to the mainstream <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/03/nvidia-geforce-rtx-5070-review-no-its-not-4090-performance-at-549/">RTX 5070</a> have been difficult to impossible to buy at their announced MSRPs. And it's not just Nvidia's problem or a high-end problem—<a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/03/amd-radeon-rx-9070-and-9070-xt-review-rdna-4-fixes-a-lot-of-amds-problems/">AMD's Radeon RX 9070 series GPUs</a> have also been hard to buy, as have <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/12/review-intel-arc-b580-is-a-compelling-if-incredibly-tardy-250-midrange-gpu/">Intel's Arc B580</a> and <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/01/intel-arc-b570-review-at-219-the-cheapest-good-graphics-card/">B570</a> cards. The new graphics cards' specs essentially match numbers that have been floating around for a couple of months now. Both models include modest increases in the number of CUDA cores compared to the last-generation 4060 and 4060 Ti models, with the same amount of RAM and the same 128-bit memory interface. But an upgrade to GDDR7 instead of GDDR6 provides a healthy bump to memory bandwidth and is probably also partially responsible for an increase in peak power consumption. The 4060 Ti in particular was memory bandwidth-constrained at higher resolutions, so hopefully some extra bandwidth will make it a better choice for a decent 1440p gaming PC.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/nvidia-nudges-mainstream-gaming-pcs-forward-with-rtx-5060-series-starting-at-299/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/nvidia-nudges-mainstream-gaming-pcs-forward-with-rtx-5060-series-starting-at-299/#comments">Comments</a>

Android phones will soon reboot themselves after sitting unused for 3 days

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 16:00:00 -0000

The latest Google update will make your phone more secure if you don't touch it

A silent update rolling out to virtually all Android devices will make your phone more secure, and all you have to do is not touch it for a few days. The new feature implements auto-restart of a locked device, which will make your personal data harder to extract. It's coming as part of a Google Play Services update, though, so there's nothing you can do to speed along the process. Google is preparing to release a <a href="https://support.google.com/product-documentation/answer/14343500">new update to Play Services</a> (v25.14), which brings a raft of tweaks and improvements. First <a href="https://9to5google.com/2025/04/14/android-auto-restart-security/">spotted</a> by 9to5Google, the update was officially released on April 14, but as with all Play Services updates, it could take a week or more to reach all devices. When 25.14 arrives, Android devices will see a few minor improvements, including prettier settings screens, improved connection with cars and watches, and content previews when using Quick Share. Most importantly, Play Services 25.14 adds a feature that Google describes thusly: "With this feature, your device automatically restarts if locked for 3 consecutive days."<a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/android-phones-will-soon-reboot-themselves-after-sitting-unused-for-3-days/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/android-phones-will-soon-reboot-themselves-after-sitting-unused-for-3-days/#comments">Comments</a>

Samsung’s Android 15 update has been halted

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 16:50:57 -0000

Samsung has stopped the One UI 7 update due to unforeseen bugs.

Samsung began the process of updating millions of smartphones around the world to its latest One UI 7 (<a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/10/android-15s-security-and-privacy-features-are-the-updates-highlight/">Android 15</a>) software last week, but that process has now been halted. Over the weekend, Samsung purged the One UI 7 update from its servers, which indicates that a serious problem has occurred. The company isn't offering any explanation for the pause yet, but reports around the Internet suggest there are some bugs problematic enough that it required Samsung to slam on the brakes. This update was destined for the Galaxy S24, Z Fold 6, and Z Flip 6, all of which launched with One UI 6 (Android 14). Samsung promises seven years of update support like Google, but it takes longer for it to release new operating system versions. Not only does Samsung modify the way Android looks, but it also integrates a raft of Galaxy AI features with Android. It takes time to do that—seven months and counting since Android 15's release—but it seems Samsung should have spent a little more time testing all those changes. As soon as Samsung began the rollout on April 7, Galaxy S24 users in Korea noticed their phones would intermittently refuse to unlock, as <a href="https://x.com/UniverseIce/status/1911616077756580142">reported</a> by frequent Samsung leaker IceUniverse. There are also reports that Samsung's supposedly private Secure Folder has a bug in One UI 7 that can see photos from the gallery appear in auto-generated Stories. These Stories are accessible from outside the Secure Folder, which rather defeats the purpose of having private photos.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/samsungs-android-15-update-has-been-halted/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/samsungs-android-15-update-has-been-halted/#comments">Comments</a>

Report: Apple will take another crack at iPad multitasking in iPadOS 19

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 16:40:02 -0000

It would be Apple's first overhaul of iPad multitasking since 2022's iPadOS 16.

Apple is taking another crack at iPad multitasking, according to a <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-04-13/apple-vision-pro-2-details-low-latency-headset-ar-glasses-ipados-19-details-m9flf1fd">report</a> from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. This year's iPadOS 19 release, due to be unveiled at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/03/apples-worldwide-developers-conference-returns-the-week-of-june-9/">on June 9</a>, will apparently include an "overhaul that will make the tablet's software more like macOS." The report is light on details about what's actually changing, aside from a broad "focus on productivity, multitasking, and app window management." But Apple will apparently continue to stop short of allowing users of newer iPads to run macOS on their tablets, despite the fact that modern iPad Airs and Pros use the same processors as Macs. If this is giving you déjà vu, you're probably thinking about <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/06/ipados-16-has-lots-of-updates-but-new-multitasking-features-require-an-m1-chip/">iPadOS 16</a>, the last time Apple tried making significant upgrades to the iPad's multitasking model. Gurman's reporting at the time even used similar language, saying that iPads running the new software would work "<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-02/apple-to-upgrade-its-ipad-software-in-bid-to-satisfy-pro-users">more like a laptop and less like a phone</a>."<a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/report-apple-will-take-another-crack-at-ipad-multitasking-in-ipados-19/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/report-apple-will-take-another-crack-at-ipad-multitasking-in-ipados-19/#comments">Comments</a>

An Ars Technica history of the Internet, part 1

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 11:00:17 -0000

In our new 3-part series, we remember the people and ideas that made the Internet.

In a very real sense, the Internet, this marvelous worldwide digital communications network that you’re using right now, was created because one man was annoyed at having too many computer terminals in his office. The year was 1966. Robert Taylor was the director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Information Processing Techniques Office. The agency was created in 1958 by President Eisenhower in response to the launch of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sputnik_1">Sputnik</a>. So Taylor was in the Pentagon, a great place for acronyms like ARPA and IPTO. He had three massive terminals crammed into a room next to his office. Each one was connected to a different mainframe computer. They all worked slightly differently, and it was frustrating to remember multiple procedures to log in and retrieve information. <img width="1024" height="638" src="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/historyofinternetp1-11-1024x638.jpeg" class="center large" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/historyofinternetp1-11-1024x638.jpeg 1024w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/historyofinternetp1-11-640x399.jpeg 640w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/historyofinternetp1-11-768x479.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/historyofinternetp1-11-1536x957.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/historyofinternetp1-11-2048x1276.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/historyofinternetp1-11-980x611.jpeg 980w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/historyofinternetp1-11-1440x897.jpeg 1440w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px"> Author’s re-creation of Bob Taylor’s office with three teletypes. Credit: Rama & Musée Bolo (Wikipedia/Creative Commons), steve lodefink (Wikipedia/Creative Commons), The Computer Museum @ System Source In those days, computers took up entire rooms, and users accessed them through teletype terminals—electric typewriters hooked up to either a serial cable or a modem and a phone line. ARPA was funding multiple research projects across the United States, but users of these different systems had no way to share their resources with each other. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a network that connected all these computers?<a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/a-history-of-the-internet-part-1-an-arpa-dream-takes-form/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/a-history-of-the-internet-part-1-an-arpa-dream-takes-form/#comments">Comments</a>

Turbulent global economy could drive up prices for Netflix and rivals

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 21:23:26 -0000

"... our members are going to be punished."

Debate around how much taxes US-based streaming services should pay internationally, among other factors, could result in people paying more for subscriptions to services like Netflix and Disney+. On April 10, the United Kingdom's Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Committee reignited calls for a streaming tax on subscription revenue acquired through UK residents. The recommendation came alongside the committee's 120-page report [<a href="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/British-film-and-high-end-television.pdf">PDF</a>] that makes numerous recommendations for how to support and grow Britain’s film and high-end television (HETV) industry. For the US, the recommendation garnering the most attention is one calling for a 5 percent levy on UK subscriber revenue from streaming-video-on-demand services, such as Netflix. That’s because if streaming services face higher taxes in the UK, costs could be passed on to consumers, resulting in more <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/01/streaming-prices-climb-in-2025-after-already-surpassing-inflation-rates/">streaming price hikes</a>. The CMS committee wants money from the levy to support HETV production in the UK and wrote in its report:<a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/streaming-price-hikes-more-likely-amid-uncertainty-around-global-taxes-economy/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/streaming-price-hikes-more-likely-amid-uncertainty-around-global-taxes-economy/#comments">Comments</a>

Chrome’s new dynamic bottom bar gives websites a little more room to breathe

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 18:26:14 -0000

Chrome for Android is getting a neat visual upgrade.

The Internet might look a bit different on Android soon. Last month, Google announced its intent to make Chrome for Android a more immersive experience by hiding the navigation bar background. The promised edge-to-edge update is now rolling out to devices on Chrome version 135, giving you a touch more screen real estate. However, some websites may also be a bit harder to use. Moving from button to gesture navigation reduced the amount of screen real estate devoted to the system UI, which leaves more room for apps. Google's move to a "dynamic bottom bar" in Chrome creates even more space for web content. When this feature shows up, the pages you visit will be able to draw all the way to the bottom of the screen instead of stopping at the navigation area, which Google calls the "chin." <a href="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Chrome-edge-to-edge-3-copy.jpg"><img width="4000" height="2250" src="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Chrome-edge-to-edge-3-copy.jpg" class="fullwidth full" alt="Chrome edge-to-edge" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Chrome-edge-to-edge-3-copy.jpg 4000w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Chrome-edge-to-edge-3-copy-640x360.jpg 640w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Chrome-edge-to-edge-3-copy-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Chrome-edge-to-edge-3-copy-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Chrome-edge-to-edge-3-copy-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Chrome-edge-to-edge-3-copy-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Chrome-edge-to-edge-3-copy-384x216.jpg 384w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Chrome-edge-to-edge-3-copy-1152x648.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Chrome-edge-to-edge-3-copy-980x551.jpg 980w, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Chrome-edge-to-edge-3-copy-1440x810.jpg 1440w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 4000px) 100vw, 4000px"> Credit: Google </a><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/chrome-for-android-gets-edge-to-edge-ui-update/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/chrome-for-android-gets-edge-to-edge-ui-update/#comments">Comments</a>

Powerful programming: BBC-controlled electric meters are coming to an end

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 17:43:27 -0000

Customers are being pushed to smart meters that have their own signal problems.

Radio signal broadcasts have their usefulness, but they eventually end (except, perhaps, for <a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2023/05/were-essentially-alone-in-the-universe-and-thats-ok/">SETI</a>). Every so often, we mark the public end of a once-essential wavelength, such as <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/plan-ahead-phase-out-3g-cellular-networks-and-service">3G cellular</a>, <a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2010/06/a-year-of-digital-tv-who-won-the-transition/">analog television</a>, or the <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/10/canadas-84-year-radio-time-check-has-stopped-because-of-accuracy-concerns/">Canadian time check</a>. One of the most weirdly useful signals will soon end in the United Kingdom, with notable consequences if its transition is not properly handled. Beginning in the early 1980s, UK homes could have electrical meters installed with a radio teleswitch attached. These switches listened for a 198 kHz signal from the BBC's Radio 4 Long Wave service, primarily broadcast from the powerful Droitwich Transmitting Station. These switches listened to 30 messages per minute, waiting for a certain 50-bit data packet to arrive that signaled that electricity was now at cheaper, off-peak rates ("tariffs" in the UK). With this over-the-air notice, homes that bought into Economy 7 or Economy 10 (7 or 10 hours of reduced-price power) could make use of ceramic-stuffed <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storage_heater">storage heaters</a> that stayed warm into the day, prepare hot water heaters, and otherwise make use of off-peak power. How the electrical companies, BBC, and meters worked together is fascinating in its own right and documented in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEjDdtCRNlQ">a recent video by Ringway Manchester</a> (which we <a href="https://hackaday.com/2025/04/10/farewell-economy-7-a-casualty-of-the-long-wave-switch-off/">first saw at Hackaday</a>).<a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/powerful-programming-bbc-controlled-electric-meters-are-coming-to-an-end/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/powerful-programming-bbc-controlled-electric-meters-are-coming-to-an-end/#comments">Comments</a>

OnePlus releases Watch 3 with inflated $500 price tag, won’t say why

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 20:08:49 -0000

The new OnePlus smartwatch has debuted at $500 instead of the promised $330.

After modest success with its first two smartwatches, OnePlus was poised to release a third-generation smartwatch early this year. Unfortunately, the company had to delay the Watch 3 from February to April, and now the previously announced $330 price tag is nowhere to be seen. Instead, the OnePlus Watch 3 has launched at an eye-watering $500 in the US, and you can probably guess why. The OnePlus Watch 3 was all set for release a few months ago, but early reviewers spotted an embarrassing typo on the device. Like most smartwatches, OnePlus printed the watch's key specs on the bottom of the housing. Part of that text was supposed to read "Made in China," but instead, it said "Meda in China." Oops. OnePlus delayed the launch so it could correct the mistake on retail units. However, the US-China trade relationship has deteriorated dramatically in the intervening weeks. Since the watch is <del>meda</del> made in China, it is subject to tariffs—the amount of Trump's China tariffs is changing on an almost daily basis, but it's <a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/04/amazons-chinese-sellers-to-raise-prices-or-quit-us-market-as-tariffs-hit-145/">currently 145 percent</a>.<a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/after-typo-fixing-delay-oneplus-watch-3-launches-with-50-higher-price/">Read full article</a> <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/after-typo-fixing-delay-oneplus-watch-3-launches-with-50-higher-price/#comments">Comments</a>

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