Research roundup: 6 cool science stories we almost missed

Also: Cyborg diving suits for cockroaches, why sleepy sperm whales blow bubbles, Betelgeuse's companion star.

Lego deploys Hubble Space Telescope as detailed desktop model

The orbiting observatory in minifigure scale.

An AI-supervised remote exam went so badly that 58,000 students must retake it

Top scores increased by 5x.

2026 Volkswagen Jetta Sport: The cheap car isn't completely extinct yet

At $25,305, you won't find many new cars for less. But you get what you pay for.

SpaceX is set to acquire 130,000 acres of marshland in southern Louisiana

A Louisiana launch site would offer several significant advantages.

Trump wants the power to stop the public from suing polluters

Trump's DOJ says citizens should no longer be able to enforce environmental laws.

How headlights got brighter, whiter, and more blinding after dark

Automotive lights are better than they've ever been, but there's a trade-off.

Here's how engineers plan to save the satellite sent to save NASA's Swift mission

"We believe that a capture of Swift, an attempted capture of Swift, is very much in the cards."

Review: Yes, we're still arguing about Nolan's The Odyssey

Christopher Nolan's impressionistic remix of Homer's epic poem finds the man behind the myth.

As Reddit stock falls, CEO questions value of Google's AI Overviews

Reddit may still be considering ending its licensing deal with Google.

After noise complaints, judge orders Waymo to stop overnight charging in Santa Monica

Autonomous vehicle giant disturbs residents' sleep.

Defcon's new badge is a security key you can see inside

A removable chip lets hackers inspect their badge—and keep using it after Defcon.

How fruit flies chase invisible ribbons of smell to get to their source

Tracking smells in turbulent air takes a keen sense of direction and sharp memory.

Not just Neanderthals: Ghost lineage in Africa left its mark on our DNA

Some group with no modern descendants contributed a lot to our genomes.

Doctors took a look at man's painful shoulder—they found the joint was missing

The term "Milwaukee Should Syndrome" was coined in 1981, based on cases in four women.

Google plans to exempt sanctioned nations from Android developer verification

Someone in Cuba or Iran can keep installing APKs with no new restrictions, but devs will suffer.

Reddit keeps its strange DMCA fight over Google search results alive

Reddit advances lawsuit accusing Perplexity AI of conspiring with web scraper.

Likely illegally, Claude gained access to 3 networks. Will Anthropic be held to account?

Had the hacks used conventional methods, someone would likely go to prison.

Google Earth risked ruin with retracted AI tool for making fake satellite pics

“What on earth is Google doing?” Misinformation fears spur walk-back of AI tool.

Would you get tattooed just to interview at a 7-days-a-week AI startup?

LemonLime’s CEO got “carried away” with tattoo gimmick.

High school defends staying silent while boys made AI nudes of 59 classmates

Gaps in laws may help Pennsylvania high school escape AI nudes scandal.

Researchers devise a full-color night vision goggle

Wavelength and intensity in the infrared are translated into colors in the visible.

China could supply EV manufacturing boom with recycled EVs

Look at chemistry of batteries and motors shows big opportunity for recycling.

Sony acknowledges backlash, “cautiously” moves ahead with end of PlayStation discs

Sony doesn't think the move will hurt it financially.

Man invested $45M in a Nicolas Cage movie. It got stolen off Netflix’s desk.

Filmmaker sues Netflix over stolen screener of unreleased Nicolas Cage movie.

AI scammers outperform humans when it comes to building trust

The AI chatbot was more effective at creating “exploitable trust” than the humans.

Pathogenic review: Damn, it feels good to be a virus

The hot new roguelite twin-stick shooter lives up to the hype.

How a Yale AI-cheating dispute became a 13-count federal lawsuit

A disputed exam, an unreliable detector, and one very late Apple Pages file.

Rocket Report: New launch rule may limit environmental regulations, Falcon 9 to hit Moon

"America won the first Space Race, and we can do it again."

Tim Cook passes the baton in Apple's Q3 2026 earnings call

The iPhone and Mac sold well, but memory costs threaten further price increases.