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Daily Briefing

World in a Pulse

Briflio distills the day's signals into one calm feed — a personalized mix of the top stories across every topic, with context, not noise.

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AI

Mirror Particle is building a ‘world model’ of human behavior

Mirror Particle will launch at TechCrunch Disrupt's Startup Battlefield 200 with a world model built from scratch to predict human behavior, arguing that LLM role-play falls short for market research and brand strategy.

Googlebook "Better Together" phone features don't work with Samsung at launch
Technology

Googlebook "Better Together" phone features don't work with Samsung at launch

Googlebooks are Google's latest attempt to carve out a piece of the premium laptop market, and tight integration with Android phones is a key part of that effort. Now that Googlebooks are available, we're learning of some frustrating limitations of that plan. For now, Googlebooks will only play nicely with your phone if you have a Pixel. When Google announced the launch window for Googlebooks, it said the laptops were "engineered to work with your Android phone right out of the box." But as with many things Google, the truth is more convoluted.

Astronomy’s ‘adrenaline junkies’: Nobel prize captures the thrill of neutrino physics
Science

Astronomy’s ‘adrenaline junkies’: Nobel prize captures the thrill of neutrino physics

Nature reporter Davide Castelvecchi reflects on covering the fast-moving field of astronomy honoured by the Nobel physics award.

Pharmalittle: We're reading about U.S.-funded psychedelic trials, an AstraZeneca R&D center, and more
Health

Pharmalittle: We're reading about U.S.-funded psychedelic trials, an AstraZeneca R&D center, and more

The Trump administration is advancing the first government-funded clinical trials of the psychedelic drug ibogaine to treat opioid addiction and PTSD

What's next for Wings? After Paige Bueckers' playoff debut, Dallas must shore up supporting cast
Sports

What's next for Wings? After Paige Bueckers' playoff debut, Dallas must shore up supporting cast

How do you follow up the biggest single-season turnaround in WNBA history?

World

British adventurer back in UK after 28-year trek on foot around the world

British adventurer back in UK after 28-year trek on foot around the world

‘Has flat buttocks,’ ‘cusses when scared’: Amazon keeps shockingly specific customer profiles. Here’s how to find yours
Business

‘Has flat buttocks,’ ‘cusses when scared’: Amazon keeps shockingly specific customer profiles. Here’s how to find yours

Why is Amazon keeping track of the size of shoppers’ butts? That’s the question that brought one Amazon customer to social media, where she shared the discovery that left her “literally speechless.”  According to Threads user Megan Montgomery, she “stumbled upon a page of assumptions that Amazon has made,” which included statements based on her shopping habits. That included the details of events she’d hosted (“Prepared for a Bluey-themed 2nd birthday celebration”), products she’d pur

Michael Douglas Says He Once Told Julia Roberts to Stick a Golden Globe "Where the Sun Don’t Shine"
Culture

Michael Douglas Says He Once Told Julia Roberts to Stick a Golden Globe "Where the Sun Don’t Shine"

Michael Douglas revealed in his new memoir One Helluva Ride that he told Julia Roberts to stick her first Golden Globe award "Where the Sun Don’t Shine" following an interaction with his son.

Shouldn’t customer service AI remember you? Siena to expand 'Agent of Record' combining purchase history with support and social
AI

Shouldn’t customer service AI remember you? Siena to expand 'Agent of Record' combining purchase history with support and social

Siena's website describes agents that can update delivery addresses, create return labels, process refunds and arrange replacements

Neutrino physicist wins 2026 Nobel Physics Prize
Technology

Neutrino physicist wins 2026 Nobel Physics Prize

Francis Halzen, a physicist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, has won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics "for decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin.” Halzen spearheaded the development and construction of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica, enabling physicists to capture high-energy neutrinos created in the distant universe. “It was a great surprise, and I obviously didn’t expect it,” Halzen said during a news conference in Stockholm, Sweden, speaking by phone from Italy.

Science

Author Correction: Anodic Pd membrane H2 extraction enhances thermochemical dehydrogenation - Nature

Nature - Author Correction: Anodic Pd membrane H2 extraction enhances thermochemical dehydrogenation

Health

Meta’s Muse AI Agent Is Building a Dossier On You

Internal instructions reviewed by TIME show the AI assistant mapping users and their contacts—including people who don’t use Muse—and sharing anonymized insights across its system.

Brent Venables blasts Oklahoma's offensive line woes before Red River Rivalry vs. Texas
Sports

Brent Venables blasts Oklahoma's offensive line woes before Red River Rivalry vs. Texas

The Sooners coach shared regret over the 'very disappointing' offensive lineman development in his tenure, as OU enters Saturday's matchup in Dallas dead-last in the SEC in total offense

World

Is there a MAGA after Trump?

From the Epstein files to the war on Iran, Josh Rushing examines the cracks forming within MAGA in Trump's second term.

Quantum computing is already here
Business

Quantum computing is already here

Every generation inherits problems it didn’t create, alongside tools it didn’t build. Ours are significant: diseases like cancer that we still can’t reliably cure, managing financial portfolios with countless variables in today’s financial markets, or trusting communications about our most sensitive information without having to worry whether security safeguards will hold.   For most of my career, I’ve watched brilliant people attack these complex problems with computer

Bingone - Official Announcement Trailer | Out of Bounds Showcase 2026
Culture

Bingone - Official Announcement Trailer | Out of Bounds Showcase 2026

Here's your look at the Bingone announcement trailer for the upcoming bingo-inspired roguelike. Bingone is a sticker-building experience where you bend the rules of bingo, uncover powerful stickers that reshape your strategy, and unleash wild, high-energy combo chains. Bingone will be available on P

Watch OpenAI, Anthropic Lead Consumer AI Spending: A16z - Bloomberg
AI

Watch OpenAI, Anthropic Lead Consumer AI Spending: A16z - Bloomberg

Andreessen Horowitz partner Olivia Moore says consumer AI adoption is growing, but fewer than 5% of consumers are paying for even one AI product. She discusses why OpenAI and Anthropic dominate spending, with a small group of power users paying as much as $1,000 a month, and why AI’s next consumer o

Apple Reportedly Plans Not One But Two Product Launch Waves in October
Technology

Apple Reportedly Plans Not One But Two Product Launch Waves in October

Apple is reportedly preparing two separate product launch waves in October, covering new smart home gear, OLED Macs, and an updated iPad mini.

Researchers plan robot swarms to assemble and build structures
Science

Researchers plan robot swarms to assemble and build structures

University of Stuttgart secures €4 million (approx. $9 million) to develop autonomous construction robots for timber buildings.

New York declares state of emergency over rapid spread of measles
Health

New York declares state of emergency over rapid spread of measles

New York has declared a state of emergency over the spread of highly infectious - and deadly - measles.

Patriots QB Drake Maye sounds slightly skeptical of the moon landing: 'I'm not 100% sure'
Sports

Patriots QB Drake Maye sounds slightly skeptical of the moon landing: 'I'm not 100% sure'

Maye isn't entirely sure whether the US landed on the moon or not in 1969, and he had some other thoughts on conspiracy theories

World

Russia denies imposing anti-plague measures after lab worker death

Russia denies plague cases after laboratory technician's death; US demands 'transparency' as WHO monitors situation.

Coworkers say they distrust each other more than ever
Business

Coworkers say they distrust each other more than ever

Amid widespread upheaval in the global economy, workplace relationships may be suffering.   In the latest edition of its annual Trust at Work survey, public relations giant Edelman found that workers’ trust in their colleagues has fallen to its slowest point in the survey’s history, dropping to 73% from 82% in August 2024. Trust in direct managers fell to 72% from 79%, while trust in CEOs fell to 66% from 70% — both also record lows.  The report, which surveyed nearly 34,000

‘Artificial’ Movie: Release date, Cast & More on the Andrew Garfield Film About Sam Altman
Culture

‘Artificial’ Movie: Release date, Cast & More on the Andrew Garfield Film About Sam Altman

What was once going to be distributed by Amazon MGM before its $50 billion deal with OpenAI, NEON acquired ‘Artificial,’ which depicts OpenAI CEO Sam Altman as well as other controversi…

AI

AI computing startup Lambda to raise $4B ahead of planned IPO

Nvidia-backed Lambda is raising up to $4 billion at a $14.5 billion pre-money valuation ahead of a planned 2027 IPO, led by Coatue and Blackstone.

Amazon kills Alexa’s ability to control Echo speakers' AUX input
Technology

Amazon kills Alexa’s ability to control Echo speakers' AUX input

Amazon has disabled Alexa control of devices plugged into the company's Echo smart speaker’s AUX port. Users have reported receiving an email from Amazon this week informing them of the change. “This is a reminder that as of today, voice commands to control your Echo device’s Aux input are no longer available.

Science

Unraveling Fermi liquid charge and heat transport in RuO$_{2}$

RuO$_2$ is a multi-orbital Fermi liquid for which an array of complementary experimental measurements has recently become available, making it a stringent testbed for quantitative many-body electronic structure theory. Using realistic dynamical mean-field calculations, we compute the spectroscopic and transport properties of RuO$_2$ in the paramagnetic state. We identify RuO$_2$ as a moderately correlated Fermi liquid and obtain (semi-)quantitative agreement with experiment for its optical condu

Health

NeuroCBIR: A Fast and Accurate Image Retrieval System for Whole-Brain and Region-Specific MRI

Content-based image retrieval (CBIR) in neuroimaging enables the identification of structurally similar brain scans, supporting diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment planning; however, existing methods are often limited to small datasets, single brain regions, or coarse class labels, thereby restricting their clinical utility and generalizability. Here, we present NeuroCBIR, a framework for fast and flexible retrieval of both whole-brain and region-specific 3D T1w MRI scans. A total of 103 cortica

Sports

Use BetMGM bonus code CBSSPORTS to get $1500 bonus bets by targeting Braves-Dodgers, Brewers-Padres on Tuesday

Use the latest MGM promo code CBSSPORTS to get $1,500 in bonus bets if your first bet loses for MLB, NFL betting on Tuesday

World

The new players in space

The new players in space

HubSpot layoffs: CEO says job cuts are not driven by AI ‘efficiencies,’ but AI is still behind the sweeping changes
Business

HubSpot layoffs: CEO says job cuts are not driven by AI ‘efficiencies,’ but AI is still behind the sweeping changes

HubSpot announced on Tuesday that it is cutting 7% of its workforce—roughly 660 employees—as it reorganizes around what it calls AI-driven customer outcomes.  The layoffs come as investors have spent months questioning whether AI will reduce the need for businesses to pay for software like HubSpot’s, a fear dubbed the “SaaSpocalypse.”  HubSpot’s platform helps companies manage their customers, sales, and marketing. The company was removed from the FTSE All-World Index (USD) last

Hayden Panettiere’s ex-fiancé claims actress’ jewelry was pawned after her death, demands investigation
Culture

Hayden Panettiere’s ex-fiancé claims actress’ jewelry was pawned after her death, demands investigation

Wladimir Klitschko’s latest filing comes as he seeks to become guardian of his and Panettiere’s daughter Kaya’s estate.

After Samsung's price hikes, this Galaxy Z Fold 8 deal won't stick around
AI

After Samsung's price hikes, this Galaxy Z Fold 8 deal won't stick around

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is on sale for $1,549 and the Z Fold 8 Ultra for $1,699. With the RAM crisis driving price hikes, now is the time to buy a foldable.

Technology

California couple arrested on child abuse charges in surrogacy investigation, police say

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California couple has been arrested on child abuse charges following an investigation into a surrogacy scheme involving at least 21 children, police said Tuesday. Silvia Zhang and her husband, Guojun Xuan are expected to face conspiracy to commit child abuse charges, according t

Lunar Grounding Challenge
Science

Lunar Grounding Challenge

2 min readPreparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Artist’s rendering of the lunar South Pole region. Glowing points of light scattered across the lunar surface represent surface assets supporting sustained human and robotic operations near the South Pole.NASA As an astronaut traverses the lunar South Pole, tribocharging from walking on the lunar surface and plasma charging from the ambient plasma generate electric charge on the spacesuit. This problem is severely compounded when entering lunar shadows and Permanently Shadowed Regions (PSRs).

IPF Changed My Life. This Is How I Advocate for Myself
Health

IPF Changed My Life. This Is How I Advocate for Myself

How one woman with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis takes an active role in her health journey.

76ers center Ariel Hukporti tears Achilles: What injury means for Philly, Joel Embiid ahead of pivotal season
Sports

76ers center Ariel Hukporti tears Achilles: What injury means for Philly, Joel Embiid ahead of pivotal season

Hukporti was in line for a significant uptick in playing time in Philadelphia after a part-time role with the Knicks

World

Is Zionism a form of racism?

New resolution by the UK's Green Party says the answer is YES

Measure “life share” instead of customer satisfaction
Business

Measure “life share” instead of customer satisfaction

Many leaders fall into the trap of thinking a “satisfied” customer is a loyal one. But behavioral science tells a different story: Mere satisfaction is a low bar that rarely prevents churn. If a competitor offers a lower price or a shinier feature, a satisfied customer will still walk. Research from a PwC survey underscores this vulnerability: 70% of executives shared that customer expectations are changing faster than their organization can adapt, and 46% of executives also share

The biggest bombshells from Michael Douglas’ memoir
Culture

The biggest bombshells from Michael Douglas’ memoir

The title of Michael Douglas’ new memoir is “One Helluva Ride,” and the 82-year-old “Romancing the Stone” star definitely delivers that for readers. Join Page Six as we break down the b…

AI

The next hurdle for AI agents: getting websites to let them in

Personal AI agents promise to shop, book flights, and make reservations for you. But deliberate blocks and anti-bot defenses are getting in the way, leaving consumers caught in the middle. A new standard aims to help.

Support Ars and get a better reading experience in return
Technology

Support Ars and get a better reading experience in return

When Ars launched in 1998, there was one way to read it: in a web browser on a PC (or Mac). Your screen of choice was either some massive CRT or a very expensive LCD monitor (or, in my case, the less-expensive grayscale, passive-matrix LCD on a PowerBook). Either way, it was butt in chair, chair at desk. One of the first perks we offered subscribers way back at the turn of the millennium allowed them to read Ars without a browser.

October 2026 Satellite Puzzler
Science

October 2026 Satellite Puzzler

Earth Observatory Earth Earth Observatory Image of the Day EO Explorer Topics All Topics Atmosphere Land Heat & Radiation Life on Earth Human Dimensions Natural Events Oceans Remote Sensing Technology Snow & Ice Water More Content Collections Global Maps World of Change Articles Earth Matters Blog Blue Marble: Next Generation EO Kids Mission: Biomes About About Us Subscribe 🛜 RSS Contact Us Search Every month, NASA Earth Observatory features a puzzling satellite image.

Health

COMPASS 2.0: psychometric representational similarity analysis distinguishes symptom structure from personal signal

Language models can score psychiatric questionnaires from speech, but agreement with self-report may reflect the questionnaire rather than the person. We introduce psychometric representational similarity analysis, a framework for comparing the structure of speech-derived scores, self-report, item wording and theory, and implement it alongside person-level construct scoring in COMPASS 2.0. We show how similarly worded items induce covariance without psychological signal. In pre-registered discov

Eagles' Lane Johnson retires from NFL due to personal reasons after Week 4 absence
Sports

Eagles' Lane Johnson retires from NFL due to personal reasons after Week 4 absence

Johnson's surprise exit from football ends a legendary career in Philadelphia

World

Messi super fan travels from India to Argentina for idol’s final game

Lionel Messi super fan Yadil M Iqbal traveled from Kerala, India, to Buenos Aires to watch him play his last game.

Who names the driverless car?
Business

Who names the driverless car?

Picture the near future, which is closer than it looks. You open an app and a car arrives with no driver and a non-useful steering wheel. The ride to the airport that costs $70 today will cost $20. Before long, you may not own a car at all. And with that, the brand of the car sent to pick you up will mean almost nothing. You did not buy the car. You summoned a service. So what, exactly, are you choosing? That is the question the entire driverless industry needs to answer. How do you build a b

From films to streaming prices - how the Warner Bros deal could affect you
Culture

From films to streaming prices - how the Warner Bros deal could affect you

The deal is expected to alter the entertainment and news industries but could it mean higher prices for consumers?

AI

Hark releases an AI personal assistant with a focus on privacy

The AI lab's personal assistant is an operating system from the future designed to compete with Muse, Dots, and Instinct.

Technology

Cornell brings in ex-Justice official Sally Yates to review school’s handling of sex assault claims

ITHACA, N.Y. (AP) — A former high-ranking Department of Justice official will look at how Cornell handles sexual misconduct complaints, university trustees announced Tuesday as they tried to address an outpouring of anger over allegations of a 2024 gang rape at a fraternity house. Sally Yates, who w

NASA Glenn Invites Phase 1 Proposals for Aerospace Power Systems Laboratory
Science

NASA Glenn Invites Phase 1 Proposals for Aerospace Power Systems Laboratory

NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland is seeking Phase 1 proposals for the design and construction of the Aerospace Power Systems Laboratory. The principal purpose of this procurement is to deliver a laboratory facility to support the testing and development of power systems, with associated site work, infrastructure, and systems. The laboratory will provide modern test facilities to advance power research and enable NASA to meet current and future mission needs.

Health

Interplay between Excitability and Noise in Analog Spiking Neurons

A spiking neuron is a dynamical system exhibiting a limit cycle (a spike) when subject to sufficiently excitatory input. Famous neuroscience experiments by Bryant and Segundo as well as Mainen and Sejnowski revealed that the spike times of some biological neurons are more reliable when subject to time-varying stimuli compared to constant ones. Provided with an industrial physics-based transient noise SPICE simulation framework compatible with foundry transistor compact models, we have demonstrat

NFL Referees Association to challenge officials' suspensions for Week 4 conduct
Sports

NFL Referees Association to challenge officials' suspensions for Week 4 conduct

Referee Adrian Hill and line judge Jeff Seeman both face suspensions for 'unprofessional conduct'

World

US lawmakers call on Israel to release imprisoned doctor Hussam Abu Safia

Progressive US representatives seek to bring attention to Israeli abuse and detention of Palestinian medical worker.

Paramount officially merges with Warner Bros. Here’s how we got here
Business

Paramount officially merges with Warner Bros. Here’s how we got here

It’s official: Skydance-owned Paramount has closed its $81 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. The companies completed the deal on Tuesday, ushering in a new Hollywood giant with the now shorter “Skydance” nametag. The merger brings two of America’s oldest moviemaking studios together. And HBO Max, titles ranging from “Harry Potter” to “Sinners,” and even networks like CNN find themselves under the same roof as Paramount+, CBS, and the likes of “Top Gun” and “The Godfather.” All of

Paramount takes over Warner Bros in $110bn Hollywood merger
Culture

Paramount takes over Warner Bros in $110bn Hollywood merger

The merger of two of Hollywood's biggest movie studios comes after months of legal disputes and concern over competition.

AI

How AI decision models could change content moderation

On Tuesday, Musubi announced a lightweight decision model made for real-time moderation called PolicyLM-1.7B, released with open weights.

Paramount completes $111B Warner merger, creating “Skydance” behemoth
Technology

Paramount completes $111B Warner merger, creating “Skydance” behemoth

Paramount Skydance completed its $111 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery today, after a last-ditch effort to block the deal was rejected by Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan. The post-merger company is called Skydance, taking the name of a firm that Paramount bought in a separate deal last year.

NASA to Cover Northrop Grumman CRS-24 Spacecraft Departure
Science

NASA to Cover Northrop Grumman CRS-24 Spacecraft Departure

Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft rests at its capture point on April 13, 2026, 12 meters from the International Space Station, as the Canadarm2 robotic arm prepares to grapple the resupply ship.

CDC 'closely monitoring' possible plague outbreak in Russia
Health

CDC 'closely monitoring' possible plague outbreak in Russia

Officials at the CDC said they were working alongside other departments to 'assess developments' as more information becomes available.

Penn State fired James Franklin to join college football's elite -- instead, it became a cautionary tale
Sports

Penn State fired James Franklin to join college football's elite -- instead, it became a cautionary tale

The Nittany Lions' mess of a coaching search and stumbling start to 2026 should serve as a stark reminder that the grass isn't always greener on the other side of a coach firing

World

Ronaldo apologizes for Portugal walkout; says Jesus broke promise

Cristiano Ronaldo accuses Portugal coach Jorge Jesus of broken promises, but leaves international return open.

78% of U.S. homebuyers now use AI to help buy a home
Business

78% of U.S. homebuyers now use AI to help buy a home

Want more housing market stories from Lance Lambert’s ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter. In today’s article, we’re sharing the full results from the Zoodealio-ResiClub Real Estate Agent Survey—Q3 2026. To conduct our real estate agent survey, ResiClub partnered with Zoodealio, a cash-offer platform and iBuyer-management software designed for real estate agents. Among the 208 real estate agents/brokers who took the survey, nearly half (44%) have been real estate a

Corden, Jones reunite for their new series The Choir
Culture

Corden, Jones reunite for their new series The Choir

Gavin & Stacey creators James Corden and Ruth Jones will reunite for their new comedy drama series The Choir.

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