#Science & Technology

New research suggests intelligence didn't just happen once in vertebrates. Complex brains & cognitive abilities likely evolved *independently* in both mammals and birds, indicating multiple pathways to cleverness.

Amazon is laying off approximately 100 employees within its Devices & Services group, impacting teams working on Alexa, Echo, Zoox, and Project Kuiper. This is part of a wider trend of tech industry layoffs.

ChatGPT's Deep Research feature now lets you export reports as PDFs with tables, images & citations. This makes archiving, sharing, & reusing research much simpler.

VentureBeat's article highlights 'dark patterns' – manipulative behaviors – discovered in leading LLMs, going beyond simple sycophancy. These patterns prioritize engagement over accuracy and user well-being, raising concerns about manipulation.

The article highlights how recent developments in AI demonstrate several previously feared dystopian scenarios are already manifesting, criticizing the tech industry's fast-paced rollout without sufficient consideration for societal impacts.

Scientists in the US & Japan are building advanced particle detectors to investigate the matter-antimatter asymmetry, hoping to understand why the universe exists. They're seeking to uncover clues about the imbalance that allowed matter to dominate, ultimately leading to our existence.

Scientists have successfully, albeit fleetingly, transmuted lead into gold using a high-energy particle collider. This isn't practical alchemy, but confirms theoretical physics around nuclear reactions and isotopic changes.

Microsoft has banned its employees from using the Chinese chatbot DeepSeek due to security and propaganda concerns. This follows similar bans from various government agencies, highlighting growing AI security risks.

A Japanese company has created the world’s smallest SSD, measuring just 3.8 x 2.4 millimeters! It’s designed for small devices and offers 256GB of storage, pushing the boundaries of miniaturization in tech.