Capital One bought Brex at a steep discount from its highest valuation, but early believers are still laughing all the way to the bank
In Silicon Valley, when a unicorn stumbles, there’s a sense of schadenfreude. So when the Journal broke the news Thursday afternoon that Capital One would acquire Brex for $5.15 billion in cash and stock (Capital One issued an official release confirming the details a half-hour later), you could almost hear the collective laughter from Sand […]
Are AI agents ready for the workplace? New benchmarks raise questions.
It’s been nearly two years since Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella predicted that knowledge work (the white-collar jobs held by lawyers, investment bankers, librarians, accountants, IT, etc.) would be replaced by AI. However, despite the great advances made with basic models, changes in knowledge work have been slow to emerge. Models have mastered thorough research and […]
Stem cell-derived ‘pain sponges’ could absorb pain signals before they reach the brain
The experimental treatment uses specialized neurons derived from stem cells to “absorb” triggers of pain and inflammation in arthritic knees of mice. The experiments in laboratory mice suggest that this treatment could help people with chronic pain caused by diseases such as osteoarthritis, for example. Researchers say a “pain sponge” could help patients stop relying […]
Arctic blasts probably won’t cause trees to explode in the cold. But if the trees grow too fast, here’s what happens.
The extreme cold from the incoming winter blast could cause some trees to “explode,” a viral social media post claims, but don’t expect them to start blowing away like cars in an action movie. “Trees are likely to explode across the Midwest and northern Plains on Friday and Saturday as temperatures are expected to drop […]
Google DeepMind CEO is ‘surprised’ as OpenAI rushes to advertise on ChatGPT
Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis said he was “surprised” that OpenAI was already moving to introduce advertising within its AI chatbots. In an interview with Axios at Davos, the AI leader answered a question about using advertising to monetize AI services, saying the idea is something Google’s team is considering “very carefully.” Hassabis also said […]
Humans& believes coordination is the next frontier in AI, and we’re building models to prove it
Although AI chatbots are getting better at answering questions, summarizing documents, and solving mathematical equations, they still act like helpful assistants for one user at a time. They aren’t designed to manage the heavy lifting of real collaboration, like coordinating people with competing priorities, tracking decisions over time, and keeping teams aligned over time. Humans&, […]
5,500-year-old human bones discovered in Colombia hold the earliest evidence that syphilis came from the Americas
The world’s oldest evidence of Treponema pallidum, the bacterium that causes syphilis and several chronic skin infections, has been discovered in 5,500-year-old human bones buried in a rock shelter in Colombia. However, genetic evidence suggests that the person was infected with a previously unknown strain of syphilis, further complicating the already complex picture of syphilis […]
Tesla begins offering robotaxi rides in Austin without a human safety driver
Tesla is offering passengers robotaxi rides in Austin without a human safety driver in the front seat. CEO Elon Musk posted on his social media platform X on Thursday: “Just started driving a Tesla robotaxi in Austin without safety monitors in the car. Congratulations to the Tesla AI team!” He then called for engineers interested […]
Wegovy now comes in pill form — here’s what you need to know
A pill version of the popular weight management drug Wegovy has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is now available through various pharmacies and telemedicine services in the United States. The drug has been available by prescription as a once-weekly injection in the U.S. since 2021. Like the injection, Wegoby’s new […]
New Osiris ransomware emerges as a new variant that uses POORTRY drivers in BYOVD attacks
Cybersecurity researchers have revealed details of a new ransomware family called Osiris that targeted major food service franchise operators in Southeast Asia in November 2025. According to Symantec and the Carbon Black Threat Hunter Team, the attack used a malicious driver called POORTRY as part of a known technique known as BYOVD (Bring Your Own […]