April 2025: NASA's Psyche mission falters, Epic takes Apple to court, and the tech world keeps spinning

NASA's Psyche spacecraft hits a speed bump on the way to a metal asteroid

This kind of thing happens, and that's why we build redundancy into our missions.

Epic vows to bring Fortnite to iOS as court slams Apple's "cover-up"

A judge has referred Apple for criminal contempt, citing the company's concealment of efforts to undermine a 2021 court injunction.

If you're in the market for a $1,900 color E Ink monitor, one of them exists now

The display offers an attractive form factor and multiple connectivity options, though color E Ink technology carries inherent limitations.

DNA links modern pueblo dwellers to Chaco Canyon people

Residents of Picuris Pueblo sought answers about their ancestry and reached out to scientific researchers to investigate their origins.

Raspberry Pi cuts product returns by 50% by changing up its pin soldering

Consolidating large and small solder operations into a unified process yielded significant improvements in product reliability.

Research roundup: Tattooed tardigrades and splash-free urinals

This month's science highlights also include the first recorded images of a colossal juvenile squid and digital reconstruction of an early medieval manuscript.

Sundar Pichai says DOJ demands are a "de facto" spin-off of Google search

Google's chief executive testified in the company's antitrust case involving its search business.

Windows RDP lets you log in using revoked passwords. Microsoft is OK with that.

Security researchers characterize the behavior as functioning like a persistent backdoor.

Notable stories from April

1. I spent $4,000 on a robot dog from China
2. Physicist does the math on Star Trek's "Picard maneuver"
3. Bouncy castle launches horrifying MRSA outbreak, striking 48 kids in Ireland
4. Trump's forced coal plant extensions thrown out by judge
5. ChatGPT-using lawyer punished for citing fake testimony from made-up witnesses

RFK Jr. rejects cornerstone of health science: Germ theory

In his 2021 book attacking Anthony Fauci, RFK Jr. presents arguments supporting an alternative theory of disease.

Millions of Apple Airplay-enabled devices can be hacked via Wi-Fi

A series of vulnerabilities collectively called AirBorne allows attackers to execute code on AirPlay-compatible hardware through wireless networks.

NASA just swapped a 10-year-old Artemis II engine with one nearly twice its age

An engine on NASA's upcoming Space Launch System rocket requires maintenance work.

CBS owner Paramount reportedly intends to settle Trump's $20 billion lawsuit

Though widely dismissed as without merit, the lawsuit poses complications for Paramount's Skydance merger, which requires FCC clearance.

Nintendo imposes new limits on sharing for digital Switch games

The new "Virtual Game Card" system blocks concurrent online gameplay from a single license.

After convincing senators he supports Artemis, Isaacman nomination advances

I believe pursuing both lunar and Martian objectives is not inherently cost-prohibitive.

First Amendment doesn't just protect human speech, chatbot maker argues

Character.AI contends that federal authorities could suppress chatbot output if such output lacks First Amendment protections.

Republicans want to tax EV drivers $200/year in new transport bill

The proposal would impose a $20 annual fee on internal combustion engine vehicles, effective from 2030 onward.

The end of an AI that shocked the world: OpenAI retires GPT-4

OpenAI is discontinuing the groundbreaking 2023 model from ChatGPT as it reflects on GPT-4's impact.

Redditor accidentally reinvents discarded '90s tool to escape today's age gates

A user rediscovered outdated age verification workarounds that remain effective against modern gating systems.

Intel says it's rolling out laptop GPU drivers with 10% to 25% better performance

Machines equipped with Core Ultra 200V processors and Arc 130V or 140V graphics should see performance gains.

OpenAI rolls back update that made ChatGPT a sycophantic mess

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced the withdrawal of an overly agreeable GPT-4o update.

Google search's made-up AI explanations for sayings no one ever said, explained

A partial explanation emerges for why AI Overview generated fictional idiomatic expressions.

FCC urges courts to ignore 5th Circuit ruling that agency can't issue fines

The FCC is asking courts to disregard a decision claiming the agency violated the right to trial, though other courts have not yet weighed in.

Firefly's rocket suffers one of the strangest launch failures we've ever seen

The first stage may have detonated shortly after separating from the second stage.

Trump admin lashes out as Amazon considers displaying tariff costs on its sites

This was never approved and is not going to happen.

Montana's Republican legislators fight back after successful youth climate lawsuit

GOP opposition to the ruling could result in reforms affecting Montana's judicial system and environmental regulations.

Google: Governments are using zero-day hacks more than ever

Google reports an uptick in zero-day exploitation by state actors despite an overall decline in threat detections during 2024.

Trump backs down a bit on auto industry tariffs—but only a bit

While moderating his stance on automotive imports somewhat, Trump maintains his 25% tariff position.

Physics of the perfect cacio e pepe sauce

The secret involves incorporating corn starch independently to create the sauce, rather than relying on water from the pasta.

Trump's National Climate Assessment: No funding and all authors cut loose

Though law mandates the assessment, the current administration has shown little regard for such requirements.

A rocket launch Monday night may finally jump-start Amazon's answer to Starlink

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket departed from Florida carrying 27 Kuiper satellites.

The BYD Dolphin review: Here's what we're missing out on in America

With BYD now outselling Tesla globally, we examined what makes this vehicle noteworthy.

Tuesday Telescope: Yes, you can see stars in space, and they're spectacular

Okay, where's my camera? I gotta record that.

AI-generated code could be a disaster for the software supply chain. Here's why.

Code produced by large language models may significantly increase vulnerability to supply-chain attacks.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail turns 50

Ars staff members share their favorite aspects of this iconic absurdist comedy.

Seasonal COVID shots may no longer be possible under Trump admin

The FDA was scheduled to decide on the Novavax vaccine by April 1 but has requested additional data.

Spain is about to face the challenge of a "black start"

Large power generation facilities need electricity to function, creating significant unmet demand.

Source: Ars Technica