The Clarivate Citation Laureates list names five scientists among the leading potential candidates for the Nobel Prize in Physics ahead of its announcement on 6 October, based on research into OLED displays, multiferroic materials and the quantum anomalous Hall effect. The list is not an official nomination and does not guarantee that they will win.
German company Gicon has announced the completion of a wind turbine with a total height of 365 metres in Schipkau, eastern Germany. It is due to begin generating electricity in November, with the company saying its height enables it to produce more than twice the power of conventional turbines and harness stronger, more consistent winds.
Technology companies are moving smart assistants from phone screens to glasses, earbuds and extended-reality devices, using cameras and microphones to understand users’ surroundings and carry out tasks by voice. Shipments of these devices are growing, alongside rising concerns about privacy, continuous recording and data collection.
The US Department of Defence disclosed unauthorised access to unencrypted personal files in a system operated by the Defence Manpower Data Centre. The access lasted about nine months, from October 2025 to July 2026, and affected 2.76 million living people and about 294,000 deceased people, while the identity of the responsible party remained unknown.
Mojang is preparing to add The Sift to the Java and Bedrock editions of Minecraft during 2027, making it the game’s first new dimension in more than 14 years. The fourth world will feature new areas, creatures, hazards and gameplay rules, after appearing early in Minecraft Dungeons 2.
The repairability of smartphones is increasingly linked to how the battery and screen are secured and components are integrated inside the device, as well as to the software tools required after some parts are replaced. At the same time, modular designs and new European rules are driving the availability of spare parts and repair information and extending devices’ operational lifespans.
China’s ambassador to the United States, Xie Feng, called on Beijing and Washington to expand cooperation to ensure that artificial intelligence remains under human control, revealing plans for bilateral dialogue and an incident-response channel, while US President Donald Trump rejected imposing further restrictions on technology development.
The government platform America.gov provided answers contradicting President Donald Trump's statements on the 2020 election, the economy, oil and the presidential salary, before media outlets detected changes to some responses or their concealment. Experts attributed the discrepancies to model instructions, the way questions were processed and cached results.
US President Donald Trump’s administration has launched an AI-powered portal to make federal services more accessible, alongside a voluntary safety agreement with more than 10 technology leaders. The plan faces warnings over information accuracy, user data protection and companies’ ability to monitor their own systems.
US President Donald Trump and senior executives at artificial intelligence companies signed a voluntary agreement providing for internal and external reviews and corporate controls for AI systems, amid growing pressure to address the technology’s risks. The agreement coincided with the launch of a government chatbot for services, and a pledge not to hinder the sector’s growth or lose the race with China.
Meta is expanding its Instagram programme for schools and working to create a unified hub for school accounts, while making new features available to verified students. The move comes amid growing scrutiny of the impact of its platforms on young people, and after the company agreed to settle lawsuits for up to 18 billion dollars.
The United States and China have agreed to establish the first bilateral channel to monitor artificial intelligence incidents and continue dialogue on the technology’s risks and benefits and preventing its misuse. Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping plan to hold a second summit in November, amid international disagreements over regulation of the sector and continuing US restrictions on Chinese companies.
An unauthorised intrusion into a system belonging to the Pentagon’s Manpower Data Centre exposed information on 2.76 million living people and 294,000 deceased people. The data included Social Security numbers and employment records, while defence officials said they had so far found no evidence that it had been misused.
Pope Leo XIV rejected claims that concerns about artificial intelligence reaching a stage that threatens humanity are “fake news”, calling for continued dialogue, study and investigation, as well as safeguards to prevent this, while criticising calls to keep the technology free of restrictions or government regulation.
The ground-station network for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has successfully received operational and preliminary scientific data from space during tests involving Japan, New Mexico and Australia. The observatory is continuing its journey towards the second Lagrange point, ahead of beginning its scientific mission and sending its first images in early 2027.
Multiple studies show that artificial intelligence models may provide different answers to the same question when its language changes, due to variations in training data, how words are tokenised and cultural contexts. Differences appear more clearly in Arabic, dialects and low-resource languages, although not every variation is direct evidence of deliberate bias.
An analysis of more than 185 rock targets examined by the Perseverance rover in Jezero Crater has revealed three distinct stages of rock–water interaction, involving carbon dioxide-rich groundwater, effects linked to an ancient lake, and later hot hydrothermal fluids circulating beneath the Martian surface.
The US Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a flaw that appeared after a cockpit software update for Boeing 737 Max aircraft and could disable an autopilot navigation feature during a specific landing scenario. Boeing is working on a permanent fix, while Southwest and United have asked to receive new aircraft with an earlier version of the software.
The Oman Astronomical Society’s observatory on Jabal Shams has entered a new phase after being developed into the society’s first fully robotic observatory, equipped with optical and solar telescopes and automated weather-monitoring and protection systems. The project aims to support research, education and astronomical tourism, alongside the launch of a national initiative to protect Oman’s night skies.
The White House announced that the United States and China had agreed to establish a bilateral channel to address artificial intelligence incidents, alongside dialogue to exchange views on the technology’s risks and benefits. The agreement came during talks between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in Washington, amid differences over the level of oversight and regulation.
Saving a laptop after water or coffee has been spilt on it starts by disconnecting the power and switching it off immediately, not by trying to test it or placing it in rice. The risk of damage varies according to the type and quantity of liquid, while corrosion may continue inside the components and faults may appear later, making professional cleaning necessary in some cases.
A group of Western leaders is seeking to build an international framework for overseeing artificial intelligence, but a dispute between the United States and China and a split among major technology companies are obstructing consensus. Proposals include keeping the technology under human control, banning its use in developing biological weapons and establishing a global standards body.
Google cybersecurity researchers discovered experimental malware that uses the Gemini model to rewrite its code periodically and evade detection. The researchers identified 70 variants in less than four hours, while technical reports say modern security tools can still track its behaviour and digital fingerprint.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has launched an investigation into a possible breach of its recruitment portal after the ShinyHunters group claimed to have seized between 2 and 3 terabytes of data. A sample given to media outlets contained identifying information on about 5,000 employees, raising concerns that it could be used to target agents and their families.
China’s ambassador to the United States, Xie Feng, called on Beijing and Washington to expand cooperation to ensure that artificial intelligence remains under human control, revealing plans for bilateral dialogue and an incident-response channel, while US President Donald Trump rejected imposing further restrictions on technology development.