February 2025: SpaceX Starship Launch Cleared, Android Exploit Spreads, and AI Models Draw Mixed Reactions

SpaceX readies a redo of last month's ill-fated Starship test flight

Regulatory approval has been granted by the FAA for SpaceX to conduct its eighth Starship test flight, with launch possible beginning Monday.

Serbian student's Android phone compromised by exploit from Cellebrite

Those running Android devices should prioritize installation of Google's February security patch batch without delay.

Mars' polar ice cap is slowly pushing its north pole inward

Combined with information collected by the InSight lander, researchers now possess fresh insights into the Martian interior structure.

Texas official warns against "measles parties" as outbreak keeps growing

The outbreak has resulted in twenty hospitalizations, with the majority of infected individuals being children.

Commercials are still too loud, say "thousands" of recent FCC complaints

During 2024, the FCC received 1,700 grievances regarding excessively loud television advertisements.

Research roundup: 7 cool science stories from February

Notable discoveries include dancing sea turtles, an Egyptian pharaoh's tomb, and techniques for achieving perfectly boiled eggs, among other findings.

Sergey Brin says AGI is within reach if Googlers work 60-hour weeks

Google has indicated it maintains no current intentions to modify its remote work arrangements.

Firefox deletes promise to never sell personal data, asks users not to panic

Mozilla clarified that the removal occurred because the phrase "sale of data" carries a broad definition.

Notable stories from the month

1. A consumer spent $4,000 on a robot dog imported from China
2. A physicist calculated the mechanics behind Star Trek's "Picard maneuver"
3. A bouncy castle incident triggered an MRSA outbreak affecting 48 children in Ireland
4. A judge invalidated Trump's forced coal plant extensions
5. A lawyer using ChatGPT faced punishment for submitting citations to fabricated testimony from nonexistent witnesses

Salty game dev comments, easier mods are inside Command & Conquer's source code

EA demonstrates capability to effectively maintain and modernize its classic titles when the appropriate team members are involved.

Europol arrests 25 users of online network accused of sharing AI CSAM

Europol's investigation concentrates on individuals engaged in the creation or distribution of artificial intelligence-generated sexual imagery depicting minors.

"It's a lemon"—OpenAI's largest AI model ever arrives to mixed reviews

GPT-4.5 delivers only marginal capability improvements and demonstrates subpar coding performance despite commanding a price tag 30 times higher than its predecessor.

Yes, it turns out you can make a Tesla Cybertruck even uglier

Mansory, the renowned automotive customization firm, has set its sights on the Tesla Cybertruck.

Details on AMD's $549 and $599 Radeon RX 9070 GPUs, which aim at Nvidia and 4K

The new graphics processors arrive March 6, positioned to serve the upper-midrange segment for 1440p and 4K gaming systems.

AMD's FSR 4 upscaling is exclusive to 90-series Radeon GPUs, won't work on other cards

Following Nvidia's approach, AMD is restricting certain upscaling innovations to its most recent GPU generation.

US Antarctic Program disrupted by DOGE-induced chaos

The disruptions carry long-term consequences extending beyond research activities to encompass geopolitical considerations.

On May 5, Microsoft's Skype will shut down for good

Existing Skype users will have the ability to transition to Teams while maintaining their current accounts.

Did the snowball Earth give complex life a boost?

Global glaciation may have enriched ocean waters with mineral nutrients beneficial to the emergence of complex organisms.

Elon Musk fans truly believe he can make Dogecoin the currency of Earth

The Dogecoin Foundation has negotiated agreements designed to bring the widely-recognized memecoin into mainstream adoption.

Rocket Report: Rocket Lab's news blitz; Starship mishap blamed on vibrations

A single Falcon 9 mission successfully deployed an Intuitive Machines lunar lander, an asteroid prospector, and a NASA science probe.

Astroscale aced the world's first rendezvous with a piece of space junk

The achievement establishes groundwork for subsequent operations aimed at connecting with malfunctioning satellites in orbit.

Copilot exposes private GitHub pages, some removed by Microsoft

Repositories that had been switched from public to private status remained accessible through Copilot.

Microsoft brings an official Copilot app to macOS for the first time

The application mirrors the appearance and functionality of comparable offerings from OpenAI and Anthropic.

New AI text diffusion models break speed barriers by pulling words from noise

Emerging diffusion models adopt a technique derived from artificial intelligence image generation, achieving a tenfold acceleration in processing speed.

Google will finally fix awesome (but broken) song detection feature for Pixels

The functionality was disabled last year, and extensive user feedback over several months has prompted Google to address the issue.

The PlayStation VR2 will get a drastic price cut, but that might not be enough

The reduction could either revitalize the platform or signal underlying difficulties with the device's market performance.

Now the overclock-curious can buy a delidded AMD 9800X3D, with a warranty

Processors prepared for pushing beyond standard operating limits are now obtainable with warranty coverage, though at a premium price.

Doctors report upticks in severe brain dysfunction among kids with flu

Though CDC information remains incomplete, preliminary data suggests this could represent one of the more serious influenza seasons on record.

Portal Randomized feels like playing Portal again for the first time

Minor adjustments to gameplay mechanics deliver a wholly original experience when approaching familiar puzzles.

Trump should block Biden's AI "gift" to China, Microsoft argues

Microsoft contends that restricting AI chip access to allied nations would ultimately benefit China in the artificial intelligence competition.

Max is pulling CNN and sports from some US subscribers on March 30

Subscribers maintaining ad-free Max memberships will retain access to CNN Max and B/R Sports.

What we know about Waymo's 2025 expansion plans

Public confidence in autonomous vehicle technology remains substantially underdeveloped relative to widespread adoption.

Study: Hot Vesuvian ash cloud really did turn a brain to glass

Contemporary examination utilizing calorimetry, X-ray analysis, and electron microscopy provides reinforcement for the previously contested hypothesis.

There's a battery bigger than in most BEVs inside the Ramcharger hybrid

Of the Ramcharger's total 92 kWh battery capacity, 22 kWh remains unavailable for utilization.

The surveillance tech waiting for workers as they return to the office

Employee-monitoring systems modeled after warehouse operations are expanding into traditional office environments.

The Moon's next robotic visitor is lining up for landing this weekend

Firefly Aerospace's inaugural lunar lander is approaching its destination and has captured images documenting its journey.

Kia's EV strategy: Smaller, cheaper cars like the EV3 hatch and EV4 sedan

Compact electric vehicles will incorporate 400 V electrical systems to reduce manufacturing expenses.

Source: Ars Technica