University of York says a school smartphone ban improved sleep and mood
The findings came from a 21-day experiment at a UK school and pointed to better rest more than better cognition.
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OpenAI whistleblower found dead in San Francisco apartment as lawsuit stakes sharpen
San Francisco police and the medical examiner said former OpenAI researcher Suchir Balaji, 26, was found dead in his Lower Haight apartment and that the death was ruled a suicide.
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Edith Heard receives France’s CNRS Gold Medal for epigenetics work
On 2024-12-12, biologist Edith Heard was due to receive the CNRS Gold Medal in Paris, recognizing her work on epigenetics and X-chromosome inactivation.
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Google launches Gemini 2.0 with new agentic features and broader developer access
The company says the model adds native tool use, multimodal output, and early support for new AI agents.
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itch.io says Funko takedown report knocked its domain offline
The indie game marketplace said its domain was disabled after a Brand Shield phishing report reached its registrar, even after it responded to the complaint.
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Iran says Simorgh rocket carried its heaviest payload into orbit
State media reported that a 300-kilogram telecommunications satellite and space tug reached an elliptical orbit, without immediate independent confirmation.
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Diátaxis wins attention as a framework for structuring technical documentation
The Diátaxis site lays out a system for organizing technical documentation by user need and task type.
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Proba-3 satellites launch to create artificial solar eclipses
The European Space Agency mission will fly two spacecraft in precise formation, allowing scientists to observe the Sun's faint corona for hours at a time.
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Vega-C returns to flight with Sentinel-1C launch
Europe’s light-lift rocket placed a new radar-imaging satellite into orbit on its first mission since a 2022 failure grounded the vehicle.
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Intel names interim co-CEOs after Pat Gelsinger retires
Intel said Pat Gelsinger retired and the company named David Zinsner and Michelle Johnston Holthaus interim co-CEOs.
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Advent of Code 2024 opens with familiar mix of puzzles, pace and restraint
Eric Wastl’s Advent of Code returned as a December puzzle calendar built for people with modest hardware and programming skills.
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Secluso pitches open-source, end-to-end encrypted home security for Raspberry Pi
Secluso’s GitHub project presents a privacy-preserving Raspberry Pi camera system with encrypted remote access.
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ThinkPad X230 demo shows how webcam LEDs can be defeated at the firmware level
A public proof-of-concept on the ThinkPad X230 shows how webcam firmware can be altered to control the indicator light, making it possible to record video without the LED showing activity.
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JAXA Aborts Epsilon S Engine Test Following Fire at Tanegashima
Japan's space agency has suspended testing of the Epsilon S rocket after a combustion fire and explosion occurred at the Tanegashima Space Center.
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Microsoft Resolves Widespread Outlook and Teams Service Disruptions
A technical outage impacting Microsoft 365 services, specifically Outlook and Teams, persisted for approximately 36 hours before full restoration.
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Threads to test AI summaries for trending topics
On the date 2024-11-22, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri said Meta’s Threads will experiment with AI-powered summaries and broader search tools.
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Netlify’s 3D celebration turns a milestone into a playable product demo
Netlify marked 5 million developers with a browser game that doubles as a showcase for the company’s web platform and its performance ambitions.
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Lukashenka Threatens Belarus Internet Shutdown Over Election Protests
The country’s ruler defended restrictions imposed during the disputed 2020 vote and warned that renewed demonstrations could bring a complete cutoff.
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Pakistan blocks Bluesky as VPN rules tighten
On the date 2024-11-21, internet watchdogs reported that the app had been restricted in Pakistan amid a broader crackdown on VPN access.
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Why the best math thinking may be the kind everyone already does
A Quanta interview with mathematician David Bessis argues that intuition, not innate genius, is the engine of mathematical thought.
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Bluesky post says cargo ship crossed both Baltic cable break points
A maritime analyst on Bluesky said the Chinese-flagged Yi Peng 3 crossed the routes of both damaged cables at times that matched the breaks, while warning that AIS data has caveats.
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Graduate researcher identifies unusually young transiting exoplanet
TIDYE-1b, estimated at just three million years old, offers astronomers a rare view of a planetary system near the start of its development.
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CSS’s new logo turns a community vote into a fresh identity
A community decision in the CSS-Next repository has produced an official logo for CSS, and the design leans into the color rebeccapurple.
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A simple e-ink display became a durable aid for a parent with amnesia
A two-year experiment with a Boox e-reader shows how a small web app and an always-on screen can reduce anxiety for a person living alone with stable amnesia.
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