Scientists discover that giant octopuses were top predators of ancient oceans
Ancient octopus relatives were gigantic predators during the late Cretaceous period, unlike modern finned octopuses which are small deep-sea creatures. Researchers in Japan made this discovery in April 2026 by studying fossil evidence of these extinct marine animals.
Deel acquires deepfake-detection startup Clarity as fake hire problem grows
Deel acquired Israeli deepfake-detection startup Clarity for between 45 million and 50 million dollars in cash and shares. The acquisition represents Deel's 15th deal overall and its first in Israel, marking the company's entry into real-time identity verification technology.
Amsterdam startup Ore Energy raises $43 million to build iron-air batteries that store power for days
Ore Energy raised $43 million in Series A funding to scale iron-air batteries capable of storing renewable electricity for up to 100 hours. The round was led by Plural and HV, bringing the Amsterdam startup's total funding to $61 million.
NASA’s PUNCH Sharpens Solar Storm Forecasting in First Test
NASA's PUNCH mission used continuous imagery to predict a solar eruption's arrival within 30 minutes in an initial test. The capability could improve forecasting accuracy for near-Earth solar storms through real-time continuous observation data.
Western Union and Rain Launch Stablecoin Card in 37 Markets
Western Union and Rain launched a stablecoin card accepting USDPT, an Anchorage-issued Solana token, across 37 markets. The card holds remittances in USDPT and enables spending at Visa merchants, with the stablecoin currently having $7.4 million in circulation.
AI coding agents are blowing through budgets — Replit, Kilo Code, and Symbotic explain how they're managing it
At Kilo Code, AI agents now handle approximately 99% of code reading and writing tasks, while engineers focus on other responsibilities. Engineers are addressing challenges including determining which systems are safe for AI agents, managing cleanup after model errors, and controlling escalating token costs.
Chugai Deploys Phylo’s Biomni Lab AI Agents Across Drug Discovery
Chugai Pharmaceutical deployed Biomni Lab, an agentic AI platform for biomedical research, across four drug discovery areas: single-cell analysis, human genetics, disease biology, and target evaluation. The Tokyo-based company joins Phylo's founding customer group for the platform announced August 4, 2026.
NSF Puts $100 Million Into Regional AI Infrastructure Hubs
The National Science Foundation allocated $100 million to establish up to 10 regional AI infrastructure hubs across the country. NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, and Dell Technologies are among the private-sector partners supporting the initiative announced August 4, 2026.
USMNT to face Mexico and Canada in friendlies to kick off 2030 World Cup cycle
The US men's national team will play four friendlies between September 26 and October 6 against Peru, Chile, Mexico, and Canada to begin the 2030 World Cup cycle. These matches will be held in US cities that did not host games during the 2026 World Cup.
NVIDIA Joins NSF State and Regional AI Hubs Program to Expand AI Research and Education Across the US
NVIDIA is participating in the NSF State and Regional AI Hubs program, which provides advanced computing resources, data, software and expertise to expand AI research and education across the United States. The program supports state and multistate groups in accessing infrastructure needed for AI-enabled research initiatives.
Spotify expands AI remix and covers project with Merlin partnership
Spotify's AI remix and covers tool gained support from Merlin, representing over 30,000 independent labels and distributors, alongside Universal Music Group. The paid product will allow fans to generate AI covers and remixes of participating artists' music while providing artist credit and compensation to opted-in creators.
Texas halts new data centers as governor calls for audits
Texas halted new data center permits to assess power grid impacts and environmental concerns. Governor Greg Abbott ordered audits of existing facilities and their effects on electricity demand and water resources.
NVIDIA Alpamayo 2 Super, the Frontier Open Model for Robotaxis and Autonomous Vehicles, Now Available for Commercial Use
NVIDIA released Alpamayo 2 Super, an open model designed for autonomous vehicles and robotaxis that handles complex, rare driving scenarios beyond standard object detection. The model addresses long-tail events requiring situation understanding and cause-and-effect reasoning for autonomous decision-making.
As AI Increases Demands on Memory, Storage Steps Up
AI workloads are requiring larger datasets and longer context windows that exceed traditional system memory limits. Storage infrastructure must evolve beyond simple capacity increases to provide efficient, secure architectures that deliver actionable insights from AI operations.
Commerce AI has a measurement problem no one is talking about
Digital commerce starting on brand websites dropped from 82% in 2014 to 38% in 2024, with consumers now increasingly relying on AI platforms to decide what to buy. Four in five consumers use zero-click AI results at least 40% of the time, meaning AI-generated shortlists often become the only product options consumers consider.
Cancer-fighting chewing gum cuts HPV levels by up to 93%
A specially engineered chewing gum reduced HPV levels by up to 93% percent and nearly eliminated two bacteria linked to head and neck cancer. The treatment preserved beneficial mouth bacteria while targeting harmful pathogens.
Global hunger levels fall but Africa still lags behind, UN report finds
Global hunger declined for the third consecutive year according to a UN Food and Agriculture Organization report. Africa still has the highest hunger rate at 20% of its population facing insufficient food.
518-million-year-old creature reveals the origins of spider fangs
A 518-million-year-old sea creature fossil contains pincerlike limbs and preserved soft tissues that represent the earliest known evidence of structures that became spider fangs. The discovery explains how spider and scorpion ancestors evolved into effective hunters with these specialized appendages.
This hydrogen turbine turns controlled explosions into electricity
A hydrogen turbine generates electricity using detonation waves to create pressure instead of requiring a mechanical compressor. The system produces its own pressure through controlled explosions within the turbine combustion chamber.
AI Leaders Propose SAFE Guidelines for Cybersecurity Transparency
The Open Secure AI Alliance, comprising over 120 organizations, is developing SAFE guidelines to improve cybersecurity transparency for agentic AI systems. The Linux Foundation released a Request for Comments on these Shared AI Findings Exchange guidelines at the Black Hat conference.
Strange quantum experiment shows “negative time” is more than an illusion
Photons passing through a cloud of atoms emerged early enough to suggest negative dwell time inside the cloud. Researchers confirmed this counterintuitive result using weak measurements of the atoms themselves, demonstrating the effect is physically real rather than an artifact of measurement technique.
A shy bird found only in Nepal is waiting for the world to notice
A medium-sized bird with brownish upperparts and black feather streaks called the spiny babbler was recorded in Nepal for the first time in June after previous disappearance. The species, found only in Nepal's shrubby hillsides, sometimes displays a chalky white facial patch.
CLARITY Act Senate Vote Locked In, But 60-Vote Hurdle Looms Large
A Senate floor vote on the CLARITY Act is scheduled before August recess, though three unresolved disputes threaten the 60-vote majority needed for passage. The crypto reform bill faces a significant procedural hurdle requiring supermajority support to advance.
DNA on the Shroud of Turin reveals centuries of hidden history
DNA analysis of the Shroud of Turin found traces of human lineages, microbes, plants, animals, and coral accumulated through centuries of handling and travel. The findings document biological material preserved in the cloth but do not prove its age or authenticity.
Pan-African payments fintech Moment raises $22 million
Moment completed a $22 million Series A funding round led by AlphaCode Venture Partners. General Catalyst and MultiChoice continued their investment while Canal+ participated as a new investor.
‘They’re not alone’: Chris Hoy on his ambition to stop men dying of prostate cancer
Chris Hoy, diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer nearly three years ago, is campaigning to raise awareness that prostate cancer affects more men in Britain than any other cancer type. He fundraises and works to provide hope to men and families facing terminal diagnoses.
Y Combinator Open-Sources QM: An MIT-Licensed Multiplayer Agent Harness That Runs In Slack And The Web
Y Combinator open-sourced QM, a multiplayer agent harness released July 31, 2026 under MIT license that operates in Slack and the web with isolated workspaces and scoped memory per room. The system supports multiple AI models including Pi, OpenCode, Codex, and Claude Code running on the same headless core to prevent vendor lock-in.
Bitmine stakes $278M in Ethereum, pushing total past 5 million staked ETH
Bitmine staked $278 million in Ethereum, bringing the company's total staked ETH past 5 million. This large concentration of staking power in a single entity raises concerns about Ethereum network centralization.
Genspark Open Sources GenOffice: A Free, Ad-Free AI Office Suite for macOS and Windows with Docs, Sheets, Slides, PDF
An AI office suite called GenOffice was open sourced under Apache License 2.0 with five Electron apps covering Docs, Sheets, Slides, and PDF. The system preserves original file bytes during editing by regenerating only edited paragraphs as OOXML and splicing them back, keeping untouched blocks in their original form to maintain layout compatibility with Word.
Your brain may be wired to regain lost weight
The human brain treats a previously higher weight as normal and triggers stronger hunger and lower energy use after weight loss occurs. Medications like Wegovy and Mounjaro reduce appetite signals to counteract this biological response, though their effects may diminish when treatment stops.