-
Meet the winner of Nikon’s Small World in Motion video contest
Ning Xu, an optical engineer from Tsinghua University in Beijing, has won Nikon’s Small World in Motion competition with a super-resolution video of abnormal cilia movement in a child with primary ciliary dyskinesia, a rare genetic respiratory disorder. His entry triumphed over 346 submissions from 40 countries, showcasing how advanced microscopy and videography can reveal…
-
Top universities should be able to charge students more, says head of Russell Group
Libby Hackett, chief executive of the Russell Group representing 24 leading UK universities including Oxford and Cambridge, has called for the ability to charge variable tuition fees rather than the current fixed rate. She argues the current system is “not fit for purpose” because universities lose money on many courses—Russell Group institutions subsidise degrees by…
-
Researchers used Claude to hack OpenAI
Researchers from Hacktron AI used Anthropic’s Claude AI tool to exploit a vulnerability in OpenAI’s community forum and gain access to an employee’s ChatGPT account, which contained sensitive GitHub information. The breach occurred as part of an authorised bug bounty programme and highlights mounting security concerns at one of the world’s two leading AI laboratories,…
-
Airports chaos caused by ‘software glitch’ officials find – as Government orders further probe but dodges sacking under-fire NATS boss
A preliminary investigation found that a software glitch in NATS’s air traffic control system caused widespread disruption on 8 September, grounding more than 2,000 flights and affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers. The malfunction occurred when an aircraft identification-code request was interrupted by a higher-priority task and failed to restart correctly, triggering restrictions on UK…
-
Samsung Galaxy S26 FE review: An incremental price hike for incremental updates
Samsung’s Galaxy S26 FE is a midrange phone positioned between the flagship Galaxy S series and cheaper A-series models. It offers a large display, flagship-like design and a lower price than the base Galaxy S26, but its $700 price is $50 higher than last year’s model despite only modest improvements, raising questions about its value…
-
Retail sales bounce back in Great Britain amid brighter signs for economy
Retail sales in Great Britain rose unexpectedly by 0.5% in August, reversing July’s 0.5% fall and exceeding forecasts of a 0.2% decline. The increase provides a more positive signal about consumer spending and the wider economy ahead of the government’s budget, following a surprise rise in GDP in July. Hot weather boosted demand for fans,…
-
Founder of troubled cybersecurity firm locked out and sacked before being accused of racking up personal expenses on company card
Craig McDonald, founder and former chief executive of cybersecurity firm MailGuard, was locked out of its systems before being dismissed amid untested allegations of misconduct, including excessive personal spending on a company card. His unfair-dismissal application was rejected by Australia’s Fair Work Commission because it was filed 18 days late, leaving the substance of his…
-
The ideal database for AI agents doesn’t exist yet, says Percona CEO
Percona CEO Peter Farkas says the database industry was caught unprepared by AI’s iterative workloads, in which agents may generate and assess around 150 attempts before selecting a result. Existing databases can support these applications, but he believes none is currently an ideal fit and that a purpose-built system may eventually be needed. Farkas argues…
-
Anthropic has set up a bio research lab for physical experiments
Anthropic has established a biology research laboratory in the San Francisco Bay Area for physical experiments, confirming that its life-sciences work extends beyond computer-based research. The company has not disclosed the lab’s precise projects, but says AI could accelerate the development of treatments for difficult-to-treat conditions and complex targeted therapies. The lab may include efforts…
-
NASA’s moon orbiter has spotted an impact crater that only happens once a century
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has identified the largest impact crater formed in modern times across the entire solar system. A comet or asteroid, estimated to be three to six storeys tall, struck the lunar surface between April and May 2024, creating the crater that was later named McGetchin after scientist Tom McGetchin. The discovery is…