‘Tipping point in history’: Gene therapy improves hearing in 90% of patients with congenital hearing loss in largest trial of its kind
In the largest and longest trial of its kind, 90% of people who received an experimental gene therapy for congenital hearing loss showed significant improvement in their hearing over the next few years. The trial involved 42 participants and was conducted at eight centers in China, primarily children, but also three adults, two of whom […]
Cosmetics giant Rituals confirms data breach of customer membership records
Netherlands-based cosmetics giant Rituals has confirmed a data breach affecting customers’ personal information after hackers stole large amounts of data from the company’s member database. The company disclosed the breach on Wednesday, according to an email sent to customers seen and verified by TechCrunch. Rituals announced in April that it had identified an “unauthorized download” […]
Harvester uses Microsoft Graph API to bring Linux GoGra backdoor to South Asia
Ravi LakshmananApril 22, 2026Cyber espionage/malware The attacker, known as Harvester, is believed to have originated from a new Linux version of the GoGra backdoor, possibly introduced as part of an attack targeting organizations in South Asia. “This malware uses the legitimate Microsoft Graph API and Outlook mailboxes as covert command-and-control (C2) channels, allowing it to […]
NASA’s Curiosity spacecraft discovers a surprising number of giant ‘dragon scales’ scattered on Mars
New photos show that parts of Mars are covered in a surprising number of features that look like chunks of fossilized giant reptile scales. But don’t worry. This strange structure was not created by giant aliens. Rather, it may have something to do with ancient water. NASA’s Curiosity spacecraft snapped a photo of a strange […]
Cathie Wood’s ARK makes first lead investment in startup Lucra – It’s not AI
ARK Invest Venture Fund has made its first-ever lead investment in an early-stage startup called Lucra, company founder Cathie Wood told TechCrunch. “We’re pretty excited about it,” Wood (pictured above) said in a recent interview about investing in the startup. Lucra has developed a software platform that reimagines corporate loyalty programs into interactive esports-like events, […]
Powered by advanced AI, our table tennis robot rivals the pros – see it in action
— Netbounce The world of table tennis could change dramatically after Sony’s AI division unveiled Ace, an autonomous robot that can compete with professional table tennis players. Using a combination of high-speed cameras and unique state-of-the-art hardware, Ace earned a solid 16 points, or “Ace,” after serving multiple elite players. Sony AI officials said in […]
OpenAI partners with Infosys to bring AI tools to more businesses
OpenAI has partnered with Infosys to integrate its artificial intelligence tools, including coding assistant Codex, into the Indian IT giant’s Topaz AI platform. Infosys said the integration will be used to help clients modernize software development, automate workflows, and deploy AI systems at scale, with an initial focus on software engineering, legacy modernization, and DevOps. […]
UK government says spyware that can hack people’s phones exists in 100 countries
According to British intelligence, more than half of the world’s governments have access to commercial spyware that can penetrate computers and mobile phones and steal sensitive information. The UK’s National Cyber Security Center is expected to publish its findings on Wednesday, according to Politico. The report suggests that barriers to accessing this type of surveillance […]
AI is spitting out more potential drugs than ever before. The startup wants to figure out which ones are important.
The biggest impact of AI in science was when Google DeepMind used deep learning models to predict the complex structures of proteins, the molecules that drive nearly every process in living cells. But as AI models continue to spit out more potential treatment candidates, new bottlenecks are emerging. It’s really about characterizing all of those […]
Lotus Wiper Malware Destroys Venezuelan Energy Systems
Ravi LakshmananApril 22, 2026Malware/Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity researchers have discovered a previously undocumented data wiper used in attacks targeting Venezuela between late last year and early 2026. According to Kaspersky Lab’s findings, this novel file wiper, called Lotus Wiper, was used in a destructive campaign targeting Venezuela’s energy and utilities sector. “The two batch scripts are […]
