How the world’s fires changed while humanity hit pause
AI summary A study found that lower human activity during the 2020 lockdowns reduced average fire activity, highlighting human impact on wildfires.
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Ars Technica
The latest from Ars Technica, part of our Tech News coverage. Updated automatically as new posts are published.
SpaceX returned its Starship rocket on Saturday—but there's a catch
AI summary SpaceX's Starship returned to Earth and was captured by a launch tower, marking a major engineering achievement.
James Webb telescope finds ice older than the star it orbits
Beta Pictoris is a young star, roughly 20 million years old, and located about 64 light-years away from Earth. It is surrounded by a vast disk of dust and rubble where planets…
Winemakers are learning that conservation can be good for business
AI summary South African winemakers are adopting sustainable practices to cope with climate challenges, seeing conservation as beneficial for business.
Starship flight 15 powers to orbit—setting up a possible catch on Saturday
AI summary Starship completed its 15th test flight, reaching orbit and deploying 26 Starlink satellites, but the first stage crashed into the Gulf of Mexico.
FAA orders third nationwide ground stop in its history
AI summary The FAA issued a third nationwide ground stop due to a communication issue, halting all US departures.
Millions of Americans are not taking their GLP-1 drugs as prescribed
AI summary A study found that millions of Americans are not taking GLP-1 drugs as prescribed, often due to cost and access issues.
FAA expands AI advice to manage air traffic congestion across entire US airspace
AI summary The FAA expanded AI tool SMART to manage US airspace, aiming to reduce delays and fuel use, but the controllers' union was not involved.
In elephants, the resilience of communities has its limits
AI summary A study shows that Asian elephant communities in Sri Lanka can fracture when losses outpace new members, despite their generally resilient societies.
Trump Jr. out as Kalshi advisor after his firm's big investment in Polymarket
AI summary Trump Jr. ended his advisory role at Kalshi after his firm invested in competitor Polymarket. Kalshi valued at $65 billion in new funding talks.
OpenAI board member worries an AI "takeover" of society could be months away
AI summary Paul Cristiano warns of an AI takeover as a major mortality risk, possibly within months, if AI development continues rapidly.
OpenAI board member worries an AI "takeover" of society could be months away
AI summary OpenAI board member Paul Cristiano warns of an AI takeover as a major mortality risk, possibly within months.
Windows 0-day dropped by disgruntled researcher hands hackers System rights
AI summary A researcher named Nightmare Eclipse disclosed a Windows zero-day called SignDrop, allowing privilege escalation through CLFS and Windows Defender.
Microsoft blames failed server health checks—not hackers—for global outage
AI summary Microsoft reports a global outage caused by failed server health checks, not hackers.
It's the end of the world as we know it, per a physicist's 1960 prediction
AI summary A global Microsoft outage occurred on November 13, 2026, the day a 1960 prediction suggested overpopulation would reach a breaking point.
Screenless GPS: Slate Auto says, "Remember the road atlas"
AI summary Slate Auto offers a screenless GPS option with a spiral-bound road atlas, emphasizing simplicity and affordability.
Scientists warn 1.5°C climate change threshold could arrive by 2029
AI summary Scientists warn the 1.5°C climate change threshold could be reached by 2029, with global warming accelerating despite climate talks.
Rocket Report: Starship set for historic test flight; a century of Electron
AI summary SpaceX plans a historic Starship test flight, while Rocket Lab's Electron reaches its 100th mission in November.
Specialized’s Tarmac SL9 S-Level is built to wreck your Zone 2 ride
AI summary The Specialized Tarmac SL9 S-Level is a high-performance road bike that can push riders beyond Zone 2 efforts due to its speed-focused design.
In reversal, American Cancer Society urges prostate cancer tests for all men
AI summary The American Cancer Society now recommends routine prostate cancer screening for all men with PSA tests.
FAA expands AI advice to manage air traffic congestion across entire US airspace
AI summary The FAA expanded AI tool SMART to manage US airspace, aiming to reduce delays and fuel use, but the controllers' union wasn't involved.
Ars Live: Can the cloud survive drone strikes on data centers?
AI summary Drone and missile strikes have damaged data centers in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, disrupting cloud services and deleting some AWS data. Experts discuss the implications…
The Elder Scrolls' most obscure adventure gets a 4K PC makeover
AI summary Shadowkey, an obscure Elder Scrolls mobile game, gets a 4K PC remake with updated graphics and features.
Google rolls out Gemini 4 Hydrogen, finally replacing 3.8 Flash
AI summary Google launched Gemini 4 Hydrogen, replacing the 3.8 Flash model, with faster performance and broader access.
Ukraine says it can’t stop Russian strikes because Starshield is limited again
AI summary Ukraine claims Starshield speed limits hinder drone operations, while SpaceX denies the restrictions.
Families fight to keep Google’s “disturbing” AI off school-issued Chromebooks
AI summary Families protest Google's AI integration on school Chromebooks, fearing risks to students.
Netflix releases new trailer for Ray Gunn
AI summary Netflix released a new trailer for the animated film Ray Gunn, directed by Brad Bird, blending 1930s noir with a futuristic setting.
Building a rocket is hard. AST SpaceMobile thinks it's "simple."
AI summary AST SpaceMobile's CEO claims building a rocket is 'simple' and outlines plans for the Blacklift rocket to launch satellites.
Man's secret use of synthetic testosterone for cows nearly destroyed his heart
AI summary A Massachusetts man's secret use of synthetic testosterone for cows caused severe heart failure over 11 years.
The amazing disappearing exoplanet
AI summary An exoplanet, TOI-2535b, stopped transiting its star, possibly due to an unseen companion in a different orbital plane.