News from Ars Technica

Web portal leaves kids' chats with AI toy open to anyone with Gmail account

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Andy Greenberg, wired.com @ Ars Technica · 01/30/2026 12:49 EDT

Just about anyone with a Gmail account could access Bondu chat transcripts. Read more ›

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How far does $5,000 go when you want an electric car?

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Jonathan M. Gitlin @ Ars Technica · 01/30/2026 10:55 EDT

You won't be going on road trips, but a very cheap electric runabout is possible. Read more ›

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NASA faces a crucial choice on a Mars spacecraft—and it must decide soon

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Eric Berger @ Ars Technica · 01/30/2026 10:31 EDT

"We think that’s a really important mission, and something that we can do." Read more ›

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Inside Nvidia's 10-year effort to make the Shield TV the most updated Android device ever

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Ryan Whitwam @ Ars Technica 1 place · 01/30/2026 07:00 EDT

"Selfishly a little bit, we built Shield for ourselves." Read more ›

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Rocket Report: How a 5-ton satellite fell off a booster; will SpaceX and xAI merge?

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Eric Berger @ Ars Technica · 01/30/2026 07:00 EDT

"We’re seeing remarkable growth year after year." Read more ›

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Having that high-deductible health plan might kill you, literally

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Beth Mole @ Ars Technica 3 place · 01/29/2026 18:22 EDT

With ACA tax credits gone, more people are turning to high-deductible plans. Read more ›

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US spy satellite agency declassifies high-flying Cold War listening post

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Stephen Clark @ Ars Technica · 01/29/2026 18:07 EDT

The JUMPSEAT satellites loitered over the North Pole to spy on the Soviet Union. Read more ›

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People complaining about Windows 11 hasn't stopped it from hitting 1 billion users

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Andrew Cunningham @ Ars Technica · 01/29/2026 17:46 EDT

Windows 11 clears a milestone as Windows 10 continues its slow fade. Read more ›

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How often do AI chatbots lead users down a harmful path?

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Kyle Orland @ Ars Technica · 01/29/2026 17:05 EDT

Anthropic's latest paper on "user disempowerment" has some troubling findings. Read more ›

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Google Project Genie lets you create interactive worlds from a photo or prompt

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Ryan Whitwam @ Ars Technica · 01/29/2026 15:26 EDT

Project Genie lets you generate new worlds 60 seconds at a time, but only if you pay for AI Ultra. Read more ›

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Comcast keeps losing customers despite price guarantee and unlimited data

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Jon Brodkin @ Ars Technica · 01/29/2026 14:51 EDT

Comcast overhauled Internet plans to stop customer losses. It isn't working yet. Read more ›

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She'll mess with Texas: Nurse keeps mailing abortion pills, despite Paxton lawsuit

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Ashley Belanger @ Ars Technica 3 place · 01/29/2026 14:19 EDT

Texas sues Delaware nurse practitioner shipping out hundreds of abortion pills each month. Read more ›

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What ice fishing can teach us about making foraging decisions

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Jennifer Ouellette @ Ars Technica · 01/29/2026 14:00 EDT

Social density increases likelihood of sticking with a location. Environmental factors had little influence. Read more ›

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County pays $600,000 to pentesters it arrested for assessing courthouse security

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Dan Goodin @ Ars Technica 2 place · 01/29/2026 13:30 EDT

Settlement comes more than 6 years after Gary DeMercurio and Justin Wynn's ordeal began. Read more ›

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New OpenAI tool renews fears that “AI slop” will overwhelm scientific research

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Benj Edwards @ Ars Technica · 01/29/2026 12:51 EDT

New "Prism" workspace launches just as studies show AI-assisted papers are flooding journals with diminished quality. Read more ›

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Custom machine kept man alive without lungs for 48 hours

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Jacek Krywko @ Ars Technica · 01/29/2026 12:26 EDT

Infections had turned his lungs to soup and had to be cleared before transplant. Read more ›

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Does Anthropic believe its AI is conscious, or is that just what it wants Claude to think?

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Benj Edwards @ Ars Technica · 01/29/2026 10:19 EDT

We have no proof that AI models suffer, but Anthropic acts like they might for training purposes. Read more ›

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Do you have ideas about how to improve America's space program?

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Eric Berger @ Ars Technica · 01/29/2026 10:18 EDT

"Any time there’s dynamic change, there’s the opportunity for new ideas." Read more ›

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Tesla kills Models S and X to build humanoid robots instead

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Jonathan M. Gitlin @ Ars Technica 2 place · 01/29/2026 09:39 EDT

EVs that were once industry-leading have long since been left behind. Read more ›

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States want to tax fossil fuel companies to create climate change superfunds

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Keerti Gopal, Inside Climate News @ Ars Technica · 01/29/2026 09:14 EDT

As climate costs rise, states are passing legislation so fossil fuel can pay their share. Read more ›

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