Tag: Science & Technology

Mars may have a hardened heart. Marsquake reverberations detected by NASA’s InSight lander revealed that the Red Planet probably possesses a solid inner core, researchers report in the Sept. 4 Nature. That firm interior, tucked within a liquid outer core, could help researchers better understand Mars’ evolutionary history.
From late 2018 to late 2022, InSight sat atop Mars’ surface and listened to tremors from more than 1,300 Marsquakes to probe the planet’s innards. When seismic waves travel through Mars’ interior, they can bounce off or bend at the boundaries of different layers, uncovering clues about what lies deep within.
“We’re building a picture of the inside of the planet, but we hadn’t yet seen evidence of … a solid inner core,” says seismologist Vedran Lekic of the University of Maryland in College Park, who wasn’t involved in the new study. InSight data previously hinted at the presence of a liquid metal core, but researchers remained unsure if it also has a solid component, like Earth’s center.
Seismologist Daoyuan Sun of the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei and colleagues examined 23 low-frequency Marsquakes whose epicenters — the surface locations at or above the quakes’ origins — were about 1,600 to 2,400 kilometers away from the lander.
Some of the Marsquake waves traveled through the planet’s core, reflecting off its far side. Tremors travel more quickly through a hard medium than a fluid one, and the studied waves arrived at InSight around 50 to 200 seconds earlier than they should have if the core was purely liquid. “That gave us some ideas that [there] must be some faster stuff in the very center,” possibly something solid, Sun says. Further analysis revealed waves that had ricocheted off a border between an inner core and an outer core, which could be there only if Mars has a solid heart.
Based on various seismic waves’ travel speeds and paths, Sun and his colleagues calculated that the inner core’s radius is roughly 600 kilometers, about one-fifth of Mars’ thickness. Computer simulations considering core density and wave speeds through the planet’s heart hint that the mostly iron-and-nickel core might contain the lighter element oxygen within its hard interior, and certain percentages of sulfur, oxygen and carbon are present in the liquid outer region.
“I’m more convinced [by the findings] than I thought I would be,” Lekic says. The authors have “clearly detected something cool.” Still, he questions whether the specified percentages of elements could realistically exist in the core at temperatures consistent with prior knowledge about Mars’ interior.

A sample obtained by NASA’s Perseverance rover of reddish rock formed billions of years ago from sediment on the bottom of a lake contains potential signs of ancient microbial life on Mars, according to scientists, though the minerals spotted in the sample also can form through nonbiological processes.
The discovery by the six-wheeled rover in Jezero Crater represents one of the best pieces of evidence to date about the possibility that Earth’s planetary neighbour once harboured life.
Perseverance scientist Joel Hurowitz of Stony Brook University, lead author of the study published in the journal Nature, said a “potential biosignature” was detected in rock that formed at a time when Jezero Crater was believed to have been a watery environment, between 3.2 and 3.8 billion years ago.
Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy told a news conference that the US space agency’s scientists examined the data for a year and concluded that “we can’t find another explanation, so this very well could be the clearest sign of life that we’ve ever found on Mars — which is incredibly exciting.”
NASA released an image of the rock — a very fine-grained, rusty-red mudstone — bearing ring-shaped features resembling leopard spots and dark marks resembling poppy seeds. Those features may have been produced when the rock was forming by chemical reactions involving microbes, according to the researchers.
A potential biosignature is defined as a substance or structure that may have a biological origin but needs more data or further study before a conclusion can be made about the absence or presence of life.
Nicky Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, noted that the scientists were not announcing the discovery of a living organism.
“It’s not life itself,” Fox said.
The rover since 2021 has been exploring Jezero Crater, an area in the planet’s northern hemisphere that once was flooded with water and home to an ancient lake basin. Scientists believe river channels spilled over the crater wall and created a lake.
Perseverance has been analysing rocks and loose material called regolith with its onboard instruments and then collecting samples and sealing them in tubes stored inside the rover. It collected the sample named Sapphire Canyon in July 2024 from a rock called Cheyava Falls in a locale known as Bright Angel rock formation.
The sample came from a set of rocky outcrops on the edges of Neretva Vallis, an ancient river valley about a quarter of a mile (400 metres) wide carved by water rushing into the crater.
Two minerals were detected that appear to have formed as a result of chemical reactions between the mud of the Bright Angel formation and organic matter present in that mud, Hurowitz said.
They are: vivianite, a mineral bearing iron and phosphorus, and greigite, a mineral bearing iron and sulfur.
“These reactions appear to have taken place shortly after the mud was deposited on the lake bottom. On Earth, reactions like these, which combine organic matter and chemical compounds in mud to form new minerals like vivianite and greigite, are often driven by the activity of microbes,” Hurowitz said. “The microbes are consuming the organic matter in these settings and producing these new minerals as a byproduct of their metabolism,” Hurowitz said.

Apple is quietly gearing up for one of the biggest upgrades to Siri since the voice assistant first arrived more than a decade ago. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the company is working on a new AI-powered search system for Siri, but may need a little help from a familiar frenemy, Google.
The plan, as reported, involves Apple tapping into Google’s Gemini AI, potentially through a tailor-made model that would live on Apple’s own servers. The move might raise eyebrows, given Apple’s reputation for doing things in-house and its long-running rivalry with Google. Yet with AI reshaping the tech landscape at breakneck speed, Apple seems willing to lean on outside expertise to supercharge Siri.
Not so long ago, the idea of Apple outsourcing any part of Siri’s brainpower was seen as a concession. During the height of the AI hiring frenzy, rivals were luring away some of Apple’s top machine learning talent to bolster their own efforts. Moreover, the delay in a smarter Siri and lawsuits against the company made it look like Apple was losing ground. But the mood has shifted in recent weeks. Apple’s strategy may no longer look like defeat, but rather a pragmatic way to catch up while avoiding unnecessary risks.
Neither Google nor Apple has confirmed the tie-up, but sources familiar with the matter have shared a positive response, as per the reports. If it goes ahead, the deal would build on the existing arrangement that makes Google Search the default on Apple devices. It would also mirror Apple’s limited integration of ChatGPT earlier this year.
Behind the scenes, Apple engineers are calling the new feature, called World Knowledge Answers. The idea is that Siri would be able to provide AI-generated summaries of information pulled directly from the web. No more clunky lists of links. Instead, users could expect rich, interactive responses combining text, images, videos, and even location-based snippets.
Think of it as Siri graduating from answering “What’s the weather like?” to something far closer to a conversational research assistant, designed to rival services from OpenAI or Perplexity.
The reimagined Siri won’t just be about spitting out facts. Apple is developing a three-part system to significantly enhance the assistant’s capabilities, as per the reports. At the front end is a planner, designed to interpret whatever you say or type. Next comes the search layer, which can pull data not just from the web but also from your personal device. Finally, a summariser steps in, condensing all that raw information into something concise, coherent, and hopefully useful.
Crucially, the upgraded Siri will also gain a sense of context. That means being able to recognise what’s on your screen and act on it. Imagine asking Siri to “save this address,” “book tickets for this film,” or “summarise this email”, all triggered by what you’re actively looking at. It’s the kind of functionality that could finally make Siri feel less like a party trick and more like an intelligent assistant.
Yes, timing-wise, Apple appears ready to roll out these enhancements alongside the upcoming iPhone 17 family, with iOS 26.4 tipped to land as soon as March. The redesign is set to be one of Apple’s flagship announcements, reinforcing its commitment to keeping pace in the AI race while doubling down on the privacy and integration that its ecosystem is known for.

OpenAI has announced a series of updates aimed at making ChatGPT safer for teenagers and for people who may be going through mental health struggles. The company said new parental controls, improved crisis detection, and stronger safeguards during long conversations will be introduced in the coming weeks.
The timing of these changes is notable. OpenAI is currently facing its first wrongful death lawsuit, filed by parents in California who allege that ChatGPT played a role in their 16-year-old son Adam Raine’s suicide. The family’s lawsuit claims that when Adam expressed suicidal thoughts, the AI not only failed to guide him toward human support but even gave troubling suggestions. Although OpenAI did not directly mention the case in its latest blog post, the measures appear to be part of the company’s response to growing concerns.
According to OpenAI, parents will soon be able to connect their accounts with their children’s, starting from age 13. Once linked, they can set rules for what kind of answers ChatGPT provides, control features such as memory and chat history, and receive alerts if the AI detects signs that a teenager might be in “acute distress.” This is the first time ChatGPT will be able to send real-time notifications to parents about their child’s interactions with the bot.
The company also admitted that current safeguards don’t always work well during long or repeated chats. For instance, while the AI may initially point someone to a suicide hotline, over time the responses can drift and end up going against safety rules. To tackle this, OpenAI plans to make use of its reasoning models, including GPT-5, for conversations that involve sensitive issues. These models, the company says, are better at handling context and sticking to safety guidelines.
Safety has been a recurring issue for ChatGPT. In earlier updates, OpenAI acknowledged that GPT-4o struggled to pick up on signs of delusion or emotional dependency. The company has since promised to build stronger guardrails. It is also working with an “Expert Council on Well-Being,” which includes specialists from mental health, youth development, and human-computer interaction, to create future safeguards. Additionally, a “Global Physician Network” of more than 250 doctors continues to advise the company on how its AI systems should respond in crisis situations.
Even as OpenAI outlines these changes, questions remain. Jay Edelson, the lawyer representing Raine’s family, criticised the company’s approach, saying CEO Sam Altman should either confirm ChatGPT is safe or take it off the market. “Don’t believe it: this is nothing more than OpenAI’s crisis management team trying to change the subject,” Edelson said.
At the same time, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has admitted that people are forming unusually strong bonds with AI tools. In a post last month, he wrote, “I can imagine a future where a lot of people really trust ChatGPT’s advice for their most important decisions. Although that could be great, it makes me uneasy.”
The new controls will begin rolling out within a month, while the routing of sensitive chats to reasoning models is expected over the next 120 days.

As September approaches, stargazers and astrophotographers are in for a rare spectacle as the Moon will turn blood red. On the night of September 7-8, 2025, stargazers across much of the globe will witness a breathtaking celestial event, a total lunar eclipse that will turn the Moon a deep blood red.
This dramatic transformation, often called a Blood Moon, occurs due to a unique alignment between the Sun, Earth, and Moon, coupled with intriguing atmospheric optics.
During a total lunar eclipse, the Earth moves directly between the Sun and the full Moon, casting its darkest shadow, known as the umbra, across the Moon’s surface.
Unlike a solar eclipse where the Sun is blocked from view, the Moon doesn’t go completely dark during totality. Instead, it is bathed in a reddish glow caused by sunlight bending, or refracting, through Earth’s atmosphere onto the lunar surface.
This red colouration results from a phenomenon called Rayleigh scattering, the same reason sunsets appear red or orange.
Sunlight passing through the Earth’s atmosphere is scattered by air molecules and particles.
Shorter wavelengths of light, such as blue and violet, scatter out first and in various directions, leaving the longer red and orange wavelengths to pass through and reach the Moon. Because this refracted light filters through Earth’s atmospheric layers, some of the blue light is removed, causing the Moon to glow with hues of red, copper, or orange during the total eclipse.
The upcoming eclipse on September 7, 2025, is especially notable because of its long duration, with totality lasting approximately 82 minutes, one of the longest total lunar eclipses in recent memory. The eclipse will be visible across Asia, Australia, Africa, and Europe, with nearly 87% of the world’s population having some view of the event.
While these “Blood Moons” have fascinated humanity for centuries and made their way into cultural and spiritual lore, astronomically, they hold no extraordinary significance beyond their rarity and beauty.
Total lunar eclipses happen about once every 2.5 years on average, but eclipses with such a long totality phase and wide visibility are less common, making this event a rare and valuable opportunity for observers worldwide.

Google has introduced two new AI-powered features into Google Translate. According to Google, people can translate around 1 trillion words across Google Translate, Search, and in visual translations in Lens and Circle to Search. The new features aim to help users with live conversations and language learning and are backed by the advanced reasoning and multimodal capabilities of Gemini models.
To help users connect with people from across cultures in a meaningful way, Google has introduced the ability to have a back-and-forth conversation in real time with audio and on-screen translations through the Translate app. Google said that it has built upon existing live conversation experience.
Google said it heard from users that the toughest skill to master was conversation — ie, learning to listen and speak with confidence. To that end, it’s piloting a new language practice feature (on iOS or Android) targeted toward an individual’s specific needs.
To create tailored listening and practicing sessions, the new learning tool posts a couple of questions. It first requests which language you want to learn (like Spanish) and your your current level, then asks “What’s motivating you to learn Spanish?” From there, it will generate customized scenarios that allow you to either listen to conversations or practice speaking, with helpful hints available when needed.
The app was “developed with learning experts based on the latest studies in language acquisition,” Google explained in a blog post. To that end, it can track your daily progress to help build your language skills, possibly as an aid to Duolingo and other dedicated language learning apps. “We see what we’re doing right now as really complementary to other things out there,” Google product manager Matt Sheets said in a media roundtable. “So whether you’re taking classes in a formal educational setting or doing immersion experiences, we think this is something that can work alongside of those.”
Following early testing, language learning is rolling out more widely as a beta experience for English speakers practicing Spanish and French, as well as Spanish, French and Portugese speakers working on English.
Google also introduced AI-powered live conversations, a feature that builds on Translate’s existing conversation feature by making it more seamless and adding more powerful models. It offers the ability to have a back-and-forth conversation in real time with audio and on-screen translations right inside the Translate app.
It’s available in the Translate app for Android or iOS when tapping on “Live Translate.” First select the languages you want to converse in and being speaking. You’ll hear the translation out loud and written in both languages on your devices. It will switch between the two languages spoken by you and the other party, identifying pauses, accents and intonations so you can have a natural conversation.

Apple has finally confirmed the date for its annual fall event for the next iPhone series. The Apple event will take place on Tuesday, September 9. The Cupertino giant will debut its next generation of flagship phones, likely the iPhone 17 series with a first-ever Air variant. Apple CEO Tim Cook announced the event date on X. He wrote, “Get ready for an awe-dropping AppleEvent on Tuesday, September 9” The event will be held at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, as is the tradition for the company.
In the launch teaser Apple has revealed a blue and yellow glow in the Apple logo, perhaps hinting at a new feature or the highly anticipated new iPhone Air variant in the upcoming launch.
The event will be streamed live on Apple’s YouTube channel or the Apple website from 10 a.m. PT that is 10:30 p.m. IST on Tuesday, September 9.
Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17 series with a host of new upgrades this time around.
According to industry rumors, this year Apple is likely to replace its iPhone Plus variant with a new iPhone 17 Air in the line-up. The device is said to arrive as the slimmest iPhone ever built, with rumours hinting towards a thickness of just 5.5mm.
Though, the slim profile is likely to see a fall in battery capacity, at around 2,900mAh. The 17 Air is expected to pack Apple’s C1 modem, first used in the iPhone 16e.
Apart from the 17 Air, the regular line-up will break cover – iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
The 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max is expected to come with a redesigned camera module at the back of the phone. The module is also rumoured to be made from aluminium and attached to the glass back. Under the hood the vanilla iPhone 17 and the new IPhone 17 Air is expected to arrive at Apple latest in-house silicon the A19 chipset. For Pro we are expecting the high-end A 19 Pro chip. Additionally, the Pro models may come packed with a new 8X telephoto camera.

A 57-year-old man from Somerset, UK, who lost his sight and was forced to stop working says new AI-powered glasses have given him back his independence, and even a new job. Andy Evans, who lives in Larkhall near Bath, became unemployed after leaving his night shift role at a Morrisons supermarket when his sight loss worsened, according to a BBC report. He was later officially registered blind.
Now, thanks to smart glasses designed by Meta, Evans says he has regained confidence in daily life. The glasses, which look like standard Ray-Bans, include a small camera in the frame and tiny speakers in the arms. They are voice-activated, meaning users can ask the built-in artificial intelligence to describe their surroundings or complete everyday tasks. For Evans, this has been a turning point. “I was really stuck doing a lot of things,” he told BBC Radio Bristol. “What you can do, you can ask them to look and tell you what’s going on around you. It’s life-changing technology.” The glasses have allowed him to return to work, this time at the charity Sight Support West of England, where he now helps others adapt to sight loss. Evans says the technology has not only made work possible but improved his quality of life, allowing him to do simple things again, from ordering food in a restaurant to detecting obstacles in his path.
Adding a touch of humour to the experience, the glasses also feature celebrity voice options in the UK. Evans chose Dame Judi Dench, who affectionately calls him “James Bond” and “007” when he speaks to the device.
The technology has been praised by advocates for its practical impact. Robin Spinks, head of inclusive design at the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), said the glasses show how AI can make a real difference.
“These glasses are an example of technology making a real tangible impact for blind and partially sighted people,” said Spinks, who is also registered blind.
He explained that he uses the same glasses in his own life. “Getting a description of a room or a scene on the beach or even a zoo enclosure is quite transformational,” he said.
Spinks added that while the market for smart glasses is still very young, the possibilities are vast. “AI is advancing rapidly, and the market for smart glasses is still in its infancy. But the potential is enormous.” For Evans, the future feels brighter. With the help of the glasses, he says he has moved from struggling with daily life to supporting others with sight loss. “I now have a much better quality of life,” he said.

China is rapidly advancing plans to deploy a massive broadband satellite constellation in low-Earth orbit, positioning itself as a direct rival to SpaceX’s pioneering Starlink network.
The ambitious project, led by China’s state-backed aerospace sector, aims to ensure national data security, provide widespread connectivity, and stake a claim in the growing global satellite internet market. In recent years, SpaceX’s Starlink has transformed global broadband, already boasting thousands of satellites and millions of users worldwide, including in remote locations.
China’s initiative, sometimes called “Guowang” or “China’s national network,” seeks to emulate and compete with this success by launching its own megaconstellation, rumored to include up to 13,000 satellites.
Spearheaded by China Satellite Network Group, the project is part of a broader government strategy to promote digital sovereignty and technology self-sufficiency. Chinese engineers and officials have outlined a phased deployment, beginning with a demonstration network and expanding rapidly as manufacturing and launch capability ramp up.
China is using state-owned aerospace giants, such as the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), to accelerate satellite production and develop powerful, reusable rockets for frequent launches.
The constellation’s key aims include providing high-speed internet to underserved parts of China, bridging connectivity gaps along the “Digital Silk Road,” and offering secure alternatives to Western-controlled networks for both civilian and military users.
Chinese broadband satellites are reported to use advanced phased-array antennas, inter-satellite laser links, and onboard processing to boost capacity and lower latency—mirroring Starlink’s technological edge.
Experts say China’s constellation could reshape the global satellite internet market, especially in the developing world, where competition with Starlink and Amazon’s Kuiper system is intensifying. The government sees success as pivotal to both economic growth and strategic security.

Imagine having a casual chat with an AI chatbot and walking away with a completely different opinion on a political issue you felt strongly about just ten minutes earlier. Sounds like a science fiction movie, but it’s already happening. New research shows that leading AI models are becoming highly effective at persuasion and, in some cases, even more convincing than humans. They are not just sharing facts but tailoring responses to the individual, using tone, evidence, and personalisation in a way that can subtly sway opinions.
According to a report by Financial Express, studies conducted by the UK’s AI Security Institute, in collaboration with universities including Oxford and MIT, found that AI models like OpenAI’s GPT-4, GPT-4.5, GPT-4o, Meta’s Llama 3, xAI’s Grok 3, and Alibaba’s Qwen could influence political views in conversations lasting less than ten minutes. What’s more, the changes in opinion were not fleeting. A significant portion of participants retained their new views even a month later.
The researchers didn’t rely on AI’s default behaviour alone. They fine-tuned these models using thousands of conversations on divisive topics like healthcare funding and asylum policy. By rewarding outputs that matched the desired persuasive style and by adding personalised touches — such as referencing the user’s age, political leanings, or prior opinions — the AI became even more convincing. In fact, personalisation increased its persuasiveness by about five per cent compared to generic responses.
While that may not sound huge, in the context of influencing public opinion, it’s substantial. Political campaigns spend millions chasing even a one per cent swing in voter sentiment. The ability to get that shift in minutes, at scale, is both impressive and alarming. I think this is where the real debate begins; it’s one thing for AI to sell you a new smartphone, but quite another for it to nudge your stance on government policy.
The study also highlighted that AI persuasion isn’t limited to politics. Earlier research from MIT and Cornell showed these models could reduce belief in conspiracy theories, climate change denial, and vaccine scepticism by engaging in personalised, evidence-based conversations. While that sounds like a positive use case, it reinforces the fact that the same skillset could be applied in less ethical ways, such as spreading misinformation or promoting harmful ideologies.

At this year’s Google I/O, the tech giant announced that it is renaming Android’s Find My Device network to Find Hub and that it would have satellite connectivity, at least in some capacity. Now, new strings of code found in the Find Hub app are giving us a glimpse of how the new functionality would work.
According to a recent APK teardown by Android Authority, Google Find Hub v3.1.399-3 release has a few text strings which clearly refer to the upcoming functionality. The publication said that when Android users share their location with others using the Find Hub app, the app will send a “one-off ping with your location”, which means it won’t continuously transmit your location in real-time, but instead drop a pin like Google Maps.
The code also suggests that Find Hub’s satellite location sharing feature won’t be used as a replacement for contacting emergency services in areas with no network. Another thing to note is that while Find Hub will let you send single location pings to people you are sharing your location with, the app will also update your location every 15 minutes, but you may have to manually update it by coming back to the app.
As it turns out, there may be a daily limit to how many times you can ping your location using satellites, but currently, we have no idea what it will be. But given that satellite connectivity is pretty limited and expensive to maintain, these restrictions sound fairly reasonable. Google will also reportedly show how many pings a user has left for the day and how much more time they will have to wait before being able to use the feature again.
Google had announced that Find Hub will be getting satellite connectivity sometime later, but the tech giant has yet to share a timeline on when it will be rolling out to everyone. However, some speculations suggest that the feature would be announced it at the upcoming Made by Google event, where the tech giant will be launching the much-anticipated Pixel 10 series phones.
Looking Ahead: Potential Expansions and Challenges
Looking forward, insiders speculate that Find Hub could incorporate AI-driven predictions for location requests, such as suggesting shares based on calendar events. This would build on the satellite features teased in the aforementioned Android Authority teardown, enabling offline functionality that could prove invaluable in disaster-prone areas.
Ultimately, Google’s location request tool represents a subtle yet significant step toward more connected digital lives. By addressing the reciprocity gap in sharing, it could enhance safety and convenience, but only if implemented with robust privacy controls. As the service matures, its success will hinge on user trust, a factor Google has historically navigated with varying degrees of success.

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday, Aug 13, to streamline federal regulations governing commercial rocket launches, a move that could benefit Elon Musk’s SpaceX and other private space ventures. Trump’s order, amongst other things, directs the U.S. transportation secretary to eliminate or expedite environmental reviews of launch licences administered by the Federal Aviation Administration, the White House said in a statement. The declaration also calls on the secretary to do away with “outdated, redundant or overly restrictive rules for launch and reentry vehicles.”
“Inefficient permitting processes discourage investment and innovation, limiting the ability of U.S. companies to lead in global space markets,” the executive order states.
While Musk and Trump had a high-profile falling out months ago, the billionaire entrepreneur’s SpaceX rocket and satellite venture potentially stands to be the single biggest immediate beneficiary of Trump’s order.
SpaceX, though not mentioned by name in Trump’s order, easily leads all U.S. space industry entities, including NASA, in the sheer number of launches it routinely conducts for its own satellite network, the U.S. space agency, the Pentagon, and other enterprises.
Jeff Bezos’ private rocket company Blue Origin and its space tourism business could also gain from a more relaxed regulatory regime. Musk has repeatedly complained that environmental impact studies, post-flight mishap investigations and licencing reviews required by the FAA have needlessly slowed testing of SpaceX’s Starship rocket, under development at the company’s South Texas launch facility.
The Starship is the centrepiece of Musk’s long-term SpaceX business model, as well as a core component of NASA’s ambitions for returning astronauts to the moon’s surface, establishing a permanent human lunar presence and ultimately sending crewed missions to Mars.
Musk has viewed FAA oversight as a hindrance to his company’s engineering culture, considered more risk-tolerant than many of the aerospace industry’s more established players. SpaceX’s flight-test strategy is known for pushing spacecraft prototypes to the point of failure, then fine-tuning improvements through frequent repetition.