• Senate passes minibus bill funding NASA, rejecting Trump’s proposed cuts

    January 16, 2026

    After a tumultuous 2025 that saw it lose around 4,000 employees, NASA finally has an operating budget for 2026, and one that largely preserves its scientific capabilities. On Thursday, the Senate passed an appropriations bill funding NASA, alongside the National Science Foundation and a handful of other federal agencies. Going into the appropriations process, the president called for a 24 percent year over year reduction to NASA’s total operating budget. As part of that plan, the White House wanted to reduce the Science Mission Directorate’s funding by nearly half, a move that would have forced NASA to cancel 55 ongoing…

  • How one startup is using prebiotics to try and ease the copper shortage

    January 16, 2026

    Five years from now, the world might start running short on copper, the critical mineral used in everything from data centers to electric vehicles. Absent any changes, the world could face a severe shortfall as early as 2040, with demand exceeding supply by as much as 25%.  If copper seems expensive today, just wait a few years. Companies and investors have been pouring money into the sector as demand ramps up. AI minerals startup KoBold, for example, raised $537 million last year to exploit a copper deposit it found in Zambia. But with a little help from some microbes, today’s…

  • Honda Jazz gets an offbeat facelift, but it's not coming to Australia

    January 16, 2026

    Images of a facelifted version of the Honda Jazz have been published online, ahead of the model’s launch in China. Badged as the Fit there, the Honda hatchback is said to be limited to just 3000 vehicles, with small petrol-powered cars being a relatively unpopular segment among Chinese new-vehicle buyers. As reported by Japanese website Creative Trend, leaked images of the model – produced by a joint venture between Honda and GAC – were originally posted on the website Autohome. Visual changes include (increasingly common) split-level lighting, replacing the large headlight clusters of the outgoing model. The grille remains slim,…

  • Kathleen Kennedy steps down as Lucasfilm president, marking a new era for the Star Wars franchise

    January 16, 2026

    Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down as president of Lucasfilm. Although she will continue as a producer for several Star Wars projects, including upcoming movie The Mandalorian and Grogu, the company will now be helmed by a duo in Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan. It’s a big changing of the guard for Star Wars fans, and marks the start of a fresh chapter for the sci-fi universe. Before taking over at Lucasfilm, Kennedy had seen great success as a producer with a couple little films you may have heard of: E.T. and Jurassic Park. She became Lucasfilm’s president in 2012 when…

  • AI journalism startup Symbolic.ai signs deal with Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp

    January 16, 2026

    Newsrooms have been experimenting with AI for several years now but, for the most part, those efforts have been just that: experiments. A relatively unknown startup, Symbolic.ai, wants to change that, and it just signed a major deal with News Corp, the media conglomerate owned by Rupert Murdoch. News Corp, the major assets of which include MarketWatch, the New York Post, and the WSJ, is set to begin using Symbolic’s AI platform with its financial news hub Dow Jones Newswires. Symbolic.ai, which was founded by former eBay CEO Devin Wenig and Ars Technica co-founder Jon Stokes, says its AI platform…

  • V8-powered Jensen Interceptor could be making a comeback, again

    January 16, 2026

    The Jensen Interceptor could be making a comeback after UK-based Jensen International Automotive (JIA) issued a teaser image announcing plans to build a V8-powered GT car in “ultra limited numbers”. There’s no word yet on when production will begin, nor on pricing or export plans to markets including Australia. Jensen is best known for the Interceptor, an Italian-designed, British-built grand tourer produced between 1966 and 1976. It was offered with US-sourced Chrysler 6.3-litre and 7.2-litre V8 engines. Around 7000 Interceptors were produced globally, most fitted with automatic transmissions. According to the Jensen Car Club of Australia, Australia was the largest…

  • ASUS has stopped producing the NVIDIA RTX 5070 Ti and 5060 Ti 16GB, saying they’ve reached ‘end of life’

    January 16, 2026

    YouTube channel Hardware Unboxed is reporting that ASUS has stopped producing the RTX 5070 Ti and 5060 Ti 16GB due to the ongoing memory crunch. In its most recent video, the channel states ASUS “explicitly” told it the RTX 5070 Ti is “currently facing a supply shortage.” As a result, the company has “placed the model into end of life status,” and no longer plans to produce it. Hardware Unboxed also spoke to retailers in Australia, who told the channel the 5070 Ti is “no longer available to purchase from partners and distributors,” adding they expect that to be the…

  • OpenAI invests in Sam Altman’s brain computer interface startup Merge Labs

    January 16, 2026

    Just when you thought the circular deals couldn’t get any more circular, OpenAI has invested in CEO Sam Altman’s brain computer interface (BCI) startup Merge Labs.  Merge Labs, which defines itself as a “research lab” dedicated to “bridging biological and artificial intelligence to maximize human ability,” came out of stealth on Thursday with an undisclosed seed round. A source familiar with the matter confirmed previous reports that OpenAI wrote the largest single check in Merge Labs’ $250 million seed round at an $850 million valuation. “Our individual experience of the world arises from billions of active neurons,” reads a statement…

  • A $250 billion trade deal will see Taiwan bring more semiconductor production to the US

    January 15, 2026

    The US and Taiwan have signed an agreement that will see a multi-billion dollar investment into domestic development of semiconductors and related infrastructure. The US Department of Commerce announced that Taiwanese businesses will make an upfront investment of at least $250 billion into their US production capacity, while Taiwan’s government will provide credit guarantees of at least another $250 billion in support of the semiconductor industry and supply chain in the US. In exchange, Taiwan will receive a better deal on tariffs. Reciprocal tariffs will be limited to 15 percent, compared with the previous 20 percent rate. Generic pharmaceuticals and…