Alzheimer’s Drugs Might Get Into the Brain Faster With New Ultrasound Tool
washington — Scientists have found a way to help Alzheimer's drugs seep inside the brain faster — by temporarily breaching its protective shield. The novel experiment was a first attempt in just three patients. But in spots in the brain where the new technology took aim,…
US Chief Justice Urges ‘Caution’ as AI Reshapes Legal Field
Washington — Artificial intelligence represents a mixed blessing for the legal field, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts said in a year-end report published Sunday, urging "caution and humility" as the evolving technology transforms how judges and lawyers go about their work. Roberts struck an…
Google Agrees to Settle Lawsuit Over ‘Incognito’ Mode
san francisco, california — Google has agreed to settle a consumer privacy lawsuit seeking at least $5 billion in damages over allegations it tracked the data of users who thought they were browsing the internet privately. The object of the lawsuit was the "incognito mode" on…
Chile Granny Finds Solace, Celebrity in Online Gaming
Llay-Llay, Chile — Few players of the online video game Free Fire would know that one of their most ferocious opponents -- a lithe, gun-wielding warrior in a short kimono and fang mask -- is in reality an 81-year-old grandmother from rural Chile. From her professional…
China OKs 105 Online Games Days After Hitting Industry with Draft Rules
TAIPEI, TAIWAN — Chinese authorities approved 105 new online games this week, bolstering support for the industry just days after proposing regulatory restrictions that sent stocks tumbling. The National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) announced approval of the 105 games Monday via WeChat, describing the move…
NY Times Sues OpenAI, Microsoft for Allegedly Infringing Copyrighted Work
NEW YORK — The New York Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft on Wednesday, accusing them of using millions of the newspaper's articles without permission to help train artificial intelligence technologies. The Times said it is the first major U.S. media organization to sue OpenAI and Microsoft,…
Israel Grants Intel $3.2B for New $25B Chip Plant, Biggest Company Investment in Country
Jerusalem — Israel's government agreed to give Intel a $3.2 billion grant for a new $25 billion chip plant it plans to build in southern Israel, both sides said on Tuesday, in what is the largest investment ever by a company in Israel. The news comes…
Apple Watch Import Ban Goes Into Effect in US Patent Clash
Washington — A U.S. import ban on certain Apple smartwatch models came into effect Tuesday, after the Biden administration opted not to veto a ruling on patent infringements. The United States International Trade Commission (ITC) decided in October to ban Apple Watch models over a patented…
LogOn: Satellites, Lasers Help Estimate Snowpack in Drought-Stricken Regions
For water managers in drought-stricken regions, accurate forecasts of water availability are critically important. Matt Dibble shows how remote sensing technology is helping in the Rocky Mountains in this edition of LogOn. ...
Insect Compasses, Fire-Fighting Vines: 2023’s Nature-Inspired Tech
Paris — Even as human-caused climate change threatens the environment, nature continues to inspire our technological advancement. "The solutions that are provided by nature have evolved for billions of years and tested repeatedly every day since the beginning of time," said Evripidis Gkanias, a University of…
US Investors See Value in Israeli Tech Firms Despite War
HERZLIYA, Israel — Nearly 7,000 miles away in Portland, Oregon, venture capitalist George Djuric said he was compelled to visit Israel during the country's war with Palestinian militant group Hamas and to pledge support for the high-tech sector. Djuric, chief technology officer at yVentures who arrived…
Artists Use Tech Weapons Against AI Copycats
NEW YORK — Artists under siege by artificial intelligence that studies their work and then replicates their styles, have teamed with university researchers to stymie such copycat activity. U.S. illustrator Paloma McClain went into defense mode after learning that several AI models had been trained using…
Chinese Chip Import Concerns Prompt US to Review Semiconductor Supply Chain
washington — The U.S. Department of Commerce said Thursday that it would launch a survey of the U.S. semiconductor supply chain and national defense industrial base to address national security concerns from Chinese-sourced chips. The survey aims to identify how U.S. companies are sourcing so-called legacy…
2023: The Year Artificial Intelligence Broke Through
From ChatGPT to the impacts of machine learning on the music and film industry, academia and politics, generative artificial intelligence dominated technology news in 2023. Deana Mitchell takes a look. ...
International Astronaut Will Be Invited on Future NASA Moon Landing
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — An international astronaut will join U.S. astronauts on the moon by decade's end under an agreement announced Wednesday by NASA and the White House. The news came as Vice President Kamala Harris convened a meeting in Washington of the National Space Council,…
Toyota’s Daihatsu to Halt Vehicle Shipments in Widening Safety Scandal
TOKYO — Toyota Motor's Daihatsu unit will halt shipments of all of its vehicles, Japan's biggest automaker said on Wednesday, after an investigation into a safety scandal found issues at 64 models, including almost two dozen sold under Toyota's brand. An independent panel has been investigating…
Blue Origin Returns to Space After Year-long Hiatus
WASHINGTON — Blue Origin launched its first rocket in more than a year on Tuesday, reviving the U.S. company's fortunes with a successful return to space following an uncrewed crash in 2022. Though mission NS-24 carried a payload of science experiments, not people, it paves the…
LogOn: Australian Researchers Use Seawater to Create Hydrogen
Researchers in Australia have developed a method to make hydrogen from seawater without a costly desalination process. This could mark a breakthrough in the production of clean hydrogen from a plentiful, eco-friendly source. VOA’s Julie Taboh has more. ...
European Union Investigating Musk’s X Over Possible Breaches of Social Media Law
LONDON — European Union authorities are looking into whether Elon Musk's online platform X breached tough new social media regulations in the first such investigation since the rules designed to make online content less toxic took effect. "Today we open formal infringement proceedings against @X" under…
Pakistan Uses Artificial Rain Against Hazardous Smog for First Time
Lahore, Pakistan — Artificial rain was used for the first time in Pakistan on Saturday in a bid to combat hazardous levels of smog in the megacity of Lahore, the provincial government said. In the first experiment of its kind in the South Asian country, planes…
Spanish Newspapers Fight Meta in Unfair Competition Case
Madrid — More than 80 Spanish media organizations are filing a $600 million lawsuit against Meta over what they say is unfair competition in a case that could be repeated across the European Union. The lawsuit is the latest front in a battle by legacy media…
Eastern European Startups Come to US Searching for Opportunities
Immigrants from Belarus, Ukraine and other Eastern European countries are actively exploring the American IT startup market. One immigrant-run venture capital firm is helping them find investments. Evgeny Maslov has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: Michael Eckels. ...
Tesla Recalls Over 2 Million Vehicles to Fix Defective System that Monitors Drivers Using Autopilot
Detroit, Mich — Tesla is recalling more than 2 million vehicles across its model lineup to fix a defective system that’s supposed to ensure drivers are paying attention when they use Autopilot. Documents posted Wednesday by U.S. safety regulators say the company will send out a…
US Commerce Secretary Vows ‘Strongest Action’ on Huawei Chip Issue
WASHINGTON — U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo vowed Monday to take the “strongest action possible” in response to a semiconductor chip-making breakthrough in China that a House Foreign Affairs Committee said “almost certainly required the use of U.S. origin technology and should be an export control…