Technology News for Thursday 6th February 2025

1. Owner of spyware used in alleged WhatsApp breach ends contract with Italy

The Guardian has contacted an Italian government spokesperson for comment. Meloni is expected to face more questions about the alleged breaches in parliament. The Italian government also revealed on Wednesday that it had been told by WhatsApp ...

2. The role of Super Bowl commercials in shaping consumer culture

Super Bowl commercials have long been a cultural phenomenon, sparking conversations, laughter and even debate on social media in real time. But as technology and consumer habits evolve, so too do advertisers' strategies.

3. Discovery of drug targets for heart failure with preserved and reduced ejection fraction

To identify proteins with causal roles in HFpEF or HFrEF, Rasooly et al. utilized Mendelian randomization — a statistical technique that assesses the evidence for cause and effect based on genetic signals using the randomization of alleles at conception to ...

4. Don't compete with or emulate SpaceX, investors urge

SpaceX's dominance in the launch market means there's little room for new entrants, particularly given the track record other startups have had in the sector, said investors and startup executives during a panel at the Smallsat Symposium here Feb. 5.

5. Transfusion of blood and blood products for the management of postpartum haemorrhage

Evidence Production & Methods Directorate, Cochrane Central Executive Team, London, UK. 8 Obstetrics/Gynaecology, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

6. Medieval Mayhem Arrives With 'Kingdom Come: Deliverance II' on GeForce NOW

The month kicks off with Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Prepare for a journey back in time — Warhorse Studios' newest medieval role-playing game (RPG) comes to GeForce NOW on its launch day, bringing 15th-century Bohemia to devices everywhere.

7. Google reedits Super Bowl ad after AI cheese gaffe

Google has reedited an advert for its leading artificial intelligence (AI) tool, Gemini, after it overestimated the global appetite for Gouda. The commercial - which was supposed to showcase Gemini's abilities - was created to be broadcast during the ...

8. I've Coached Hundreds of Leaders. The Same Dangerous Mindset Keeps Them Failing

So many of us in leadership roles subscribe to an worldview that tells us what we need to do to ultimately succeed. We try and try again, but nothing works the way we planned. So we feel powerless and begin to think we're not talented enough, smart enough, ...

9. What Lurks in This Flower's Bizarrely Large Y Chromosome?

But some plants have taken a different approach. They have evolved sex chromosomes, the bits of DNA that make individual plants either male or female. In that club are organisms like the ginkgo, whose females produce stinky fruits, while males are stink- ...

10. POLL: What's your favorite part of the Super Bowl?

Kyle Peppers,. Sunday is football's biggest day, and millions are expected to tune in to see the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX. But is the ...

11. Blackmagic Design Releases Base Model Ursa Cine 12K LF, Blackmagic Camera for Android 2.0

The camera itself is a fully featured model, but accessories such as shoulder mounts, handles, some lens mounts, battery plates, power supply, lenses and the 8TB media module are not included and can be purchased separately. The Body features a new ...

12. The Sims turns 25 this year. What's the key to its success?

This story was produced by our colleagues at the BBC. This February marks the 25th anniversary of The Sims, the life simulation game where players design their own characters, give them personalities and keep them happy. Or — well — try to, at least.

13. U of T alum's start-up Neuropeutics gets boost from UK-based charity

Neuropeutics Inc, a start-up company launched by University of Toronto researchers to tackle neurodegenerative diseases, has partnered with medical research charity LifeArc to develop a new drug for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other ...

14. Los Alamos Lab-Led Project Eyes New Chip Fabrication Methods

To address the chips' electrons dependency, the NSOC project will focus on ways to deploy quantum dots and other nanoscale semiconductors in devices using photons along with electrons in transmitting information. The project's activities centered on ...

15. From routine to novel: Applications at the intersection of space and AI

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Space startups are continuing to explore applications for artificial intelligence, from large language models to neural networks. A ChatGPT bot, for example, reads Orbital Sidekick's Slack channel because “one of the hardest ...