Daniel Kim — Technology Editor 
NASA engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory have successfully extended Voyager 2’s operational lifespan by at least a year using a power-saving maneuver nicknamed the “Big Bang.” The August 2026 adjustment swaps active heating devices for lower-power alternatives, preserving dwindling plutonium power supplies as both probes approach a half-century in deep space. The “Big Bang” … Read more
MachineGames and id Software surprised QuakeCon 2026 attendees by releasing Quake: Dawn of the Machine, a free 19-map single-player expansion for the original Quake, arriving right as the legendary shooter celebrates its 30th anniversary. The 30th-anniversary milestone arrived with an unexpected centerpiece for fans of id Software’s classic shooter. During the opening ceremony of QuakeCon … Read more
On August 7, 2026, researchers reported that the brain actively protects fertility from heat damage by sending molecular signals from neurons to reproductive cells. The discovery reveals an unexpected communication channel between the nervous system and the germline, challenging the long-held belief that reproductive cells respond to stress entirely on their own. Scientists studying the … Read more
Researchers at MIT and collaborating institutions have developed a technique to grow wafer-scale, air-stable monolayer superconductors by sandwiching them beneath graphene. Quantum computing and communication devices require materials that conduct electricity without resistance, but the physical constraints of manufacturing them have long held back their potential. Two-dimensional superconducting materials are only a few atoms thick, … Read more
Google is rolling out a massive set of improvements to its Gemini-powered Ask Maps feature in Gsmarena, introducing agentic capabilities that allow the AI assistant to handle complex, multi-step tasks such as direct food ordering, hotel booking, and local event discovery. Google Maps Expands Ask Maps with Food Ordering and Agentic Features Originally introduced in … Read more
Wales faces a centuries-long ecological recovery after unprecedented summer wildfires incinerated peat-rich upland soil, destroyed rare habitats, and forced evacuations. The extent of this year’s devastation is still coming to light, but environmental authorities have already labeled 2026 the most destructive wildfire season in the nation’s recorded history. Across high-altitude terrain, blazes that burned with … Read more
Google is rolling out version 1.36 of the Gemini app for Wear OS, bringing a redesigned overlay interface to Pixel Watch and other compatible smartwatches. The update replaces the full-screen view with a streamlined overlay on the active watch face, aligning the wearable experience closely with Android phones. Gemini Version 1.36 Brings a New Look … Read more
Researchers have solved a century-old agricultural puzzle by identifying the specific genetic mechanism that controls how avocado trees alternate between male and female phases. All avocado trees are hermaphrodites, but their flowers function either as male by releasing pollen or as female by receiving pollen at different times. Botanist A.B. Stout first documented this daily … Read more
Astronomers using the NSF Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawaii have captured the highest-resolution images ever taken of the Sun’s surface, revealing elusive Kelvin-Helmholtz instability swirls in the photosphere that could drive solar flares and coronal mass ejections. Unprecedented Views of the Sun’s Photosphere Reveal Whirlpool Patterns Scientists have captured the highest-resolution observations of the sun … Read more
Global payments giant Visa has cut about 1,400 jobs at its Bengaluru technology centre, representing nearly 40 percent of its Indian workforce, as part of a sweeping global efficiency drive. The cuts, which began arriving via email at 4 a.m., form part of a broader 2,600-person reduction driven by a shift toward agentic artificial intelligence. … Read more