This Monkey Selfie Will Protect You From AI Slop
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to the Copyright Office’s refusal to register works created solely by artificial intelligence, cementing the view that such output has no copyright protection. The ruling echoes a decade‑old dispute over a 2011 monkey selfie, which established that non‑human creators cannot own copyright. While the United Kingdom still allows a human “arranger” to claim rights to AI‑generated content, the U.S. stance creates a stark regulatory divide. The decisions undermine the business case for fully AI‑produced media and keep major studios wary of large‑scale AI partnerships.
How Project Maven Put A.I. Into the Kill Chain
Project Maven, Palantir’s AI‑powered intelligence platform, has become the Pentagon’s central kill‑chain tool, now backed by a $1.3 billion contract and integrated large‑language models like Anthropic’s Claude. The system can process up to 5,000 targets per hour, enabling rapid strike decisions...
New Material Joins Moiré Family
Researchers at the University of Paris‑Saclay have integrated four layers of lead iodide into a graphene/hexagonal‑boron‑nitride moiré stack, creating a novel quantum material. When cooled to ultralow temperatures and subjected to a strong magnetic field, the device exhibited a conductance...
Their Secret Shows Jam Streets. One Caused a Riot. Dead City Punx Are the Last Dangerous Band in L.A.
Los Angeles’ most controversial punk outfit, Dead City Punx, has become a flashpoint for urban unrest, with their shows often ending in riots, police projectiles and even Metro train vandalism. A new documentary co‑produced by Zack de la Rocha debuted...
A Gas that Causes Climate Change Is Bubbling Out of Reservoirs
Environmental groups, including Friends of the River and Patagonia, have petitioned the California Air Resources Board to require dams and reservoirs to report methane emissions, a greenhouse gas the state currently does not track. EPA data shows flooded lands emitted...
7 Inspiring Books that Motivate You to Take Action Today
The article curates seven bestselling titles that help readers move from ideas to action, ranging from James Clear’s *Atomic Habits* to Eckhart Tolle’s *The Power of Now*. Each book is presented with a brief rationale—small habits, early‑morning discipline, self‑confidence, singular...
Galaxy Survey Completes Its Map of the Cosmos
The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) completed its five‑year galaxy survey in April 2026, a year ahead of schedule, delivering spectra for 47 million galaxies and quasars—13 million more than planned. By capturing redshifts for 5,000 targets every 20 minutes, DESI produced a...
Spotify Launches the Ability to Purchase Physical Books in the US and UK
Spotify has rolled out a new feature that lets users buy physical books through its app in the United States and United Kingdom. The service, powered by a partnership with Bookshop.org, is live on Android now, with iOS support slated...
Monovolume Di Lusso - Mercedes-Benz VLE: 5 Metri E 30 Di Opulenza Elettrica Su Quattro Ruote (Sterzanti) - VIDEO
Mercedes-Benz unveiled the VLE, a fully electric luxury van aimed at chauffeur‑driven services. It measures 5.31 m long, carries up to eight passengers, and offers two powertrains: a 200 kW front‑wheel‑drive VLE 300 and a 305 kW all‑wheel‑drive VLE 400. The 115 kWh battery promises up...
My Mother Told Me Monsters Do Not Exist
The Granta essay "My Mother Told Me Monsters Do Not Exist" blends a night‑time horror vignette with the author’s struggle to finish a massive manuscript. A grotesque, ambiguous creature appears in the writer’s apartment, prompting a visceral mix of fear,...
What Went Down at the Guess Coachella Afters
Guess partnered with Coachella to host a series of high‑energy after‑parties in 2026, featuring a live set by rising star Pink Pantheress. The brand transformed the desert venue with immersive fashion installations that debuted its new summer collection. Over 125,000...
Neha Dhupia Goes Deglam for Her International Debut 52 Blue, First Look and Trailer Unveiled
Neha Dhupia makes her international debut in the drama 52 Blue, appearing in a raw, deglamorous role as a mother. The film, directed by Egyptian filmmaker Ali El Arabi, follows a young Indian football fan who migrates to Qatar for the 2022 World...
How Can We Be More Resilient? Humans Are Really Bad at Realising that We Can Bounce Back and Learn From...
Grace Lordan, LSE associate professor and author of *Think Big*, explains that resilience is a learnable, replenishable skill that helps individuals cope with adversity, from minor slights to major setbacks. She stresses the importance of recognizing and processing emotions before reframing...
Live From WWG26: Highlights of New Releases From Laurent Ferrier
Laurent Ferrier unveiled its new Sport Traveller at WWG26, featuring a 42 mm titanium case with an integrated bracelet and a slate‑grey dial. The watch houses the freshly developed L275.01 movement, which swaps the brand’s natural escapement for a conventional Swiss...
There’s a Specific Kind of Person Who Can Give the Most Precise, Compassionate Advice to Everyone Around Them and Then...
Psychologist Emily Pronin’s bias‑blind‑spot research shows people readily identify others’ cognitive biases but struggle to see the same flaws in themselves. A subset of highly empathetic individuals—often consultants, mentors, or therapists—excel at diagnosing others’ patterns yet repeatedly repeat the very...
An Emerald Eye
Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) lit the eastern dawn sky on April 9, 2026, displaying a vivid emerald‑green coma and a blue ion tail extending over 10 degrees. Arizona amateur astronomer Chris Schur captured the event with a 135 mm f/2 lens on a...
Why Americans Are Suddenly Going Out to Eat Again
Tax refunds this season, averaging $3,462, sparked a sharp rebound in dining‑out spending. Chime data shows overall consumer outlays rose 85% in the two weeks after refunds, with restaurant spending up 53% and full‑service chains such as Chili’s, Texas Roadhouse...
Improved Surface Chemistry Lifts HgTe Nanocrystal Photodiode Voltage
Researchers have demonstrated that an ultrathin CdS shell combined with revised Cd‑based interface chemistry pushes HgTe nanocrystal photodiodes past a long‑standing voltage ceiling. The optimized devices achieve a 420 mV open‑circuit voltage—exceeding half the material bandgap—and reduce dark current to ~10⁻⁷ A cm⁻²....
WATCH: Oli Sykes Track Vocals For Bring Me The Horizon’s ‘Count Your Blessings | Repented’
British metalcore band Bring Me The Horizon is re‑recording their 2006 debut album for its 20th anniversary, issuing the revamped version titled “Count Your Blessings: Repented” on July 10. Vocalist Oli Sykes posted a video of himself tracking the new...
The Game of Thrones Movie Is Officially Happening, and It Will Tell the Story of One of the Most Important...
Warner Bros. confirmed a new Game of Thrones feature film, working titled Game of Thrones: Aegon’s Conquest, slated for the 2027‑and‑beyond slate. The movie will dramatize Aegon I’s historic unification of Westeros, a pivotal event in George R.R. Martin’s lore....
3H Labs Research: Steamed Ginger Extract Supports Weight Loss
A randomized, double‑blind, placebo‑controlled trial of 80 overweight adults found that daily 480 mg of 3H Labs' steamed ginger extract, Zinoact, significantly reduced body weight, body‑fat percentage, and waist circumference over 12 weeks. The extract, standardized to high levels of 1‑dehydro‑6‑gingerdione, also...
Vietnam to Debut at 2026 Venice Biennale
Vietnam will make its debut at the 61st Venice Biennale with a dedicated national pavilion titled “Viet Nam: Art in the Global Flow.” Curated by Đỗ Tường Linh, the pavilion showcases ten contemporary Vietnamese artists, including Lê Hữu Hiếu, whose...
Japan's Alpine Route Opens, Showcasing Snow Walls
Japan's Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route officially opened on April 15, 2026, marking the start of the season for the iconic mountain corridor in Toyama and Nagano prefectures. The route, which combines buses, ropeways, and cable cars, features towering snow walls...
The Critics Who Panned Justin Bieber’s Coachella Set Missed the Point
At Coachella, Justin Bieber opened a laptop and streamed his own YouTube videos, turning the performance into a live feed of his catalog rather than a conventional concert. The set reflects a broader shift toward platform‑first content, where creators prioritize...
Phytochemical Blend Holds Promise for Exercise Recovery: Study
A randomized, double‑blind trial funded by VDF FutureCeuticals tested a 300 mg phytochemical blend—calcium fructoborate, turmeric (≥95% curcuminoids) and pomegranate (≥40% punicalagins)—against placebo in 24 active adults. Participants performed 150 drop jumps to induce muscle damage and were monitored for up...
BTS Makes Billboard History: ARIRANG Is Now the Longest-Running No. 1 Group Album in over a Decade
BTS’s fifth studio album ARIRANG debuted with 641,000 US album‑equivalent units and held the Billboard 200 No. 1 spot for three straight weeks, the longest run for any group since 2013. The lead single “Swim” also entered the Hot 100 at No. 1, making...
No Buffet, No Karaoke: Filipino Food Gets Elevated at Bananas
John Zinampan opened Bananas, a 46‑seat Filipino bistro in Shinjuku, Tokyo, to give the cuisine a polished, sit‑down experience. The menu features classic dishes like adobo, lumpia, sisig and kare‑kare, priced between ¥1,250 ($8) and ¥4,200 ($28). Ingredients are sourced...
Luxury Brands Book Sales Drop as Middle East War Takes Toll on Airport Shopping
Luxury‑brand sales at airports fell sharply as the Israel‑Hamas conflict curbed travel in the Middle East, hurting revenue for flagship stores. Kering announced a restructuring under CEO Luca de Meo aimed at doubling profitability and reviving Gucci, while Hermès warned of...
Why UHNW Donors Are Turning to Unrestricted Trust
Ultra‑high‑net‑worth individuals and family offices are increasingly favoring unrestricted philanthropy over tightly measured, project‑specific grants. The shift is exemplified by MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving model and the cash‑transfer approach of GiveDirectly, both of which prioritize flexible capital and minimal oversight. Advocates...
Anna McLuckie – The Little Winters
Anna McLuckie’s new album *The Little Winters* reimagines the ancient Scottish clàrsach by blending Celtic harp traditions with pop‑folk songwriting and experimental textures. The record delves into Gaelic nostalgia, featuring songs that reference concepts like cianalas and incorporate field recordings, cello,...
After Two Hikes, Mercedes May Review Prices Again in June
Mercedes‑Benz India has raised its prices twice this year and is weighing a third increase in June, despite a weaker rupee and limited fallout from the West Asia conflict. CEO Santosh Iyer said luxury car sales will likely see only...
A Charity Raffle’s €100 Pablo Picasso Painting, and Other News.
A Paris charity is raffling Pablo Picasso’s 1941 work *Tête de femme* for €100 (about $109) per ticket, potentially raising €12 million ($13 million) for Alzheimer’s research. Meanwhile, the inaugural Medina Triennial will debut in New York with 39 artists exploring ecology and...
A Design Editor Applies Color and Restraint in His Madrid Apartment
Enric Pastor, co‑founder and editor of the Spanish design quarterly *Manera*, showcases his 900‑square‑foot Madrid apartment as a study in disciplined eclecticism. The two‑bedroom home blends austere pale walls with bursts of primary color and curated objects such as Murano...
Review: ‘Margo’s Got Money Troubles’ Will Make an OnlyFan of You
Apple TV+ debut ‘Margo’s Got Money Troubles’ stars Elle Fanning as a pregnant college student forced into online adult modeling to make ends meet. The dramedy treats the OnlyFans‑style gig with empathy and humor, portraying it as a creative outlet...
Spice Up Your Cooking Skills With Help From Your Phone
The New York Times piece shows how iPhone users can digitize and organize recipes using built‑in tools like Notes and Preview, turning scanned pages into PDFs, editable text, and shopping checklists. It contrasts these free options with AI‑driven recipe apps...
Book Review: ‘Muskism,’ by Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff
The New York Times review of “Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed” argues that Elon Musk’s enterprises constitute a new economic system akin to Fordism, pairing mass production with a consumer‑dependency loop. The authors, historian Quinn Slobodian and writer Ben Tarnoff, describe how...
Book Review: ‘Rasputin’ by Antony Beevor
Antony Beevor’s new biography, Rasputin: The Downfall of the Romanovs, reexamines the mystic adviser’s role in the collapse of Russia’s last imperial family. Beevor argues that Rasputin’s influence was a catalyst, but situates it within a cascade of systemic failures, from...
Book Review: ‘Into the Wood Chipper,’ by Nicholas Enrich
Nicholas Enrich’s new book, *Into the Wood Chipper*, offers a first‑hand whistleblower account of how the Trump administration systematically dismantled the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Drawing on internal memos and congressional testimony, Enrich chronicles the agency’s decline...
Leo Tolstoy Calls Shakespeare an ‘Insignificant, Inartistic Writer.’ Then George Orwell Fires Back
In 1906 Leo Tolstoy published an essay denouncing Shakespeare as an “insignificant, inartistic” writer, arguing that the Bard’s universal acclaim was a cultural inoculation imposed by German academia. Forty‑one years later George Orwell responded in his 1947 piece “Lear, Tolstoy...
Blood Test Predicts Kidney Failure Risk to Black Americans Years Before Onset
University of Pennsylvania researchers have unveiled a blood‑based test that predicts kidney‑failure risk in individuals of African ancestry carrying high‑risk APOL1 gene variants. The assay measures a small panel of circulating proteins to generate a ten‑year risk score, distinguishing patients...
Loneliness Linked to Increased Risk of Degenerative Heart Valve Disease
A new cohort study of 463,000 UK Biobank participants found that adults who reported high levels of loneliness faced a 19% greater risk of developing degenerative heart valve disease, with even higher risks for aortic stenosis (21%) and mitral regurgitation...
A Molecular Movie Captures Cancer's Great Escape From Targeted Therapy
Researchers at the Institute for Systems Biology captured a "molecular movie" showing that melanoma cells enter a reversible, drug‑tolerant state within hours of BRAF‑targeted therapy. The study, published in Nature Communications, reveals an ordered two‑wave transcriptional program driven by NF‑κB‑mediated...
Printed Neurons Communicate with Living Brain Cells
Northwestern engineers have printed artificial neurons on flexible polymer using aerosol‑jet‑deposited MoS₂ and graphene inks. The devices generate complex, neuron‑like electrical spikes that successfully activate living mouse brain cells in tissue‑slice experiments. This low‑cost, biocompatible approach opens a path toward...
Scientists Turn AI-Generated Proteins Into Smart Molecular Sensors
An international team led by Queensland University of Technology used artificial intelligence to engineer tiny "smart" proteins that activate only when they bind a chosen molecule. Published in Nature Biotechnology, the AI‑designed switches produce color, light or electrical outputs, and...
No One’s Sure if Synthetic Mirror Life Will Kill Us All
In 2019 a group of synthetic biologists and ethicists convened to explore funding for “mirror” bacteria—microbes built from opposite‑handed proteins, sugars and lipids. By 2024, many participants warned that such organisms could evade natural predators and immune systems, potentially causing...
Why Apple Pie Tastes So Much Better From A Bakery
Apple pie is a staple American dessert, but bakery versions often outshine homemade ones. Expert baker Alex George explains that many online recipes under‑salt the crust, leading to flatter flavor. Adding a pinch of salt—or using salted butter and flaky...
Everyone's Invited | How One Business Made Their Office Design so Alluring No-One Wants to WFH
Commercial, a business‑transformation partner, unveiled a new office built around inclusivity, featuring low‑stimulation work zones, pet‑ and child‑friendly spaces, abundant plants, and natural light. Managing Director Simone Hindmarch says the design removes barriers for neurodiverse and varied working styles, fostering...
Persistent, Multidrug-Resistant Salmonella Strain Is Growing Cause of Poultry Contamination, Human Infections
A multidrug‑resistant Salmonella Infantis strain, REPJFX01, has surged in U.S. chicken and human cases since 2016, reaching 97% of poultry isolates in 2023. The strain carries a pESI‑like plasmid that confers resistance to key antibiotics and enhances environmental persistence. Hospitalization...
Accelerator Report: Excellent Performance at the LHC
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) reached its nominal Run 3 intensity of 1.8 × 10¹¹ protons per bunch, completing the ramp‑up phase in March. After a week of record‑high luminosity, the machine entered a three‑week low‑μ run aimed at reducing pile‑up for high‑precision...
Dam Useless: Barriers Prevent a Migratory Fish From Reproducing
The Bronx River’s historic spawning route for alewife and blueback herring is now fragmented by three obsolete dams and a low‑lying weir. A state grant enables the NYC Parks Department to design removal of the Starlight Park weir, while the Army...