Alphabet on Wednesday reported its Q3 results, which included news that its year-over-year search query growth rate is the highest it’s been in the last five years. Some of that growth comes from users adopting “AI Mode” — Google’s latest LLM-powered search system. Google’s revenue from search rose 12 percent year-over-year to $63.25 billion, a little lower than the 14.5 percent growth the company reported in last year’s Q3.

During Alphabet’s earnings call, chief business officer Philipp Schindler said the slowdown was caused by “lower monetization we were seeing in AI Mode.” That’s a worry given that Google is spending enormous sums on infrastructure. $51.4 billion went out the door in Q3, around two thirds of it going towards servers and networking equipment. The rest funded datacenter builds. That spending appears to have impacted profitability, as Alphabet reported $26.17 billion net income for the quarter. Last year’s Q3, during which Google revenue was $102.35 billion, produced $35 billion net income.

Schindler argued that AI search will pay off. “On AI Mode, many of these queries are upper funnel queries, allowing us to capture new, high-value commercial intent,” he told investors. “In addition, the majority of AI Mode queries are incremental, creating more monetization opportunities over time.” Google tried to seize one of those opportunities today, by turning on ads alongside AI Mode searches around the world, after first testing them in the US only. But for now, AI Mode searches aren’t as lucrative as Google’s existing search business, which brought in just under half of Alphabet’s $125.8 billion quarterly revenue.

Bielfeldt became interested in photomicrography during the COVID-19 lockdown after discovering an old microscope in his parents’ attic. He figured out how to build an adaptor out of a tube and some wood to connect the microscope to his father’s camera and taught himself the art through trial and error, building custom tools as needed. He documents how he captures transformative images of everyday objects with behind-the-scenes videos posted to macrofying, his photography and videography brand.

It was Bielfeldt’s curiosity about the inner workings of inkjet printers that inspired his winning entry, but capturing the action of ink drops being deposited on paper was a challenge, given that the process happens so quickly. The droplets, for instance, moved faster than the camera’s shutter speed. Bielfeldt’s solution was to deconstruct the printer so that the paper moved under a stationary (rather than moving) printhead, and then take the image in a dark room, using a flash to serve as the shutter, thereby freezing the ink drops mid-air. There was no need for pricey equipment. Bielfeldt does not use AI in his images, preferring to rely on traditional techniques.

In an email blast to customers titled “Protecting your finances in the Al World,” Bank of America urged customers to never share their username and password with another person or an outside service, "including an Al-enabled tool or agent that offers to act on your behalf.” […] A spokesperson for Bank of America confirmed the authenticity of the bank’s email that was posted to social media. But heed the bank’s warning, for if things go wrong, it’s on you. Account agreements at most banks hold customers responsible for anyone they give their log-in to. “If you do share your credentials,” its email reads, “keep in mind that you’re responsible for activity resulting from that access.”

“I don’t think the coding interview is going to come back,” said Rieseberg. “It’s easy to get sentimental given how many copies of ‘Algorithms and Data Structures’ were bought in hopes of unlocking good jobs and a better future — or how the death of the coding interview is another milestone in software engineering reaching a new level of abstraction.”

At the same time, he’s not certain what will replace it. “I’m probably not the only manager trying to figure out how to interview for people who build well with AI,” Rieseberg wrote. “I haven’t quite gotten there yet — but I’m scanning resumes and portfolios for little prototypes that exhibit taste, empathy, and principled thinking. If you have figured out something better, I’d love to hear how.”

In all, the leak provides a map of how DHS is organized and how it operates. The records, which span DHS itself as well as seven component agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement and US Customs and Border Protection, were last updated on August 19, 2026.

The transparency nonprofit Distributed Denial of Secrets and cybersecurity researcher and journalist maia arson crimew previewed the data to WIRED, which they say they obtained from a group calling itself the Department of Peace. DDoSecrets published the archive, which it calls “Icepick,” on Wednesday. In a press release, DDoSecrets says the data is from DHS’s Okta login system. In a note with the files, the hackers wrote, “They have our information, so it’s only fair that we have theirs.” An Okta spokesperson tells WIRED that it is unaware of any breach of its systems. “We are aware of this report. Okta is secure, and we have no evidence our data or systems were compromised,” the spokesperson says.

The camera speaker ships today for $249.99. Hold up a board game box and Alexa can explain the rules, or show it a box of cereal and it can help you reorder it, according to Amazon. Owners can also check in on the room from the Alexa app while they are away. The Echo Studio without a camera stays on sale at $219.99.

A dedicated button turns off the microphones and any camera, and a visual indicator shows when a camera streams images or video to the cloud, Amazon said. Certain features require Alexa+, which is included with a Prime membership.

Former Yahoo CEO and early Google engineer Marissa Mayer is catching a lot of flak for how she uses AI. In an interview about her new app Dazzle, an AI assistant that learns from your camera roll, Mayer poses what she believes is an impressive flex for the product: It helped her come up with three bullet points about her 10-year-old daughter for a birthday presentation at school, describing her as “empathetic, creative, and an animal lover.”

It’s a vague description, like a generic horoscope — it could probably describe a lot of 10-year-olds. Some onlookers, like progressive activist Leah Greenberg, marveled that “the fact that Marissa Mayer would voluntarily disclose this to a reporter is a pretty good demonstration of how deeply the culture of Silicon Valley has diverged from the rest of humanity.” […] After publication, Mayer defended herself in a long X post. She claims she was not relying on Dazzle to explain her child to her, but rather, she was testing what her prototype could do — it resurfaced photos of “forgotten kindergarten projects,” like a “snake devenomer” or “sandcat playground,” illustrating her daughter’s creativity and care for animals.

Fair enough. But Mayer remarks in the same interview that people could also use her AI to outsource the mental load of “figuring out the theme for your child’s birthday party.” She says she’s used her app to plan a playdate for her daughter, book family activities on vacation, and decide what to be for Halloween. She even proposes that her AI assistant could coordinate plans with her husband’s AI assistant. When the reporter asks her if it’s depressing to imagine this “frictionless future planned by AI,” Mayer replies, “I haven’t really thought that through.”

Amazon wants its engineers to quit chasing token counts, warning that heavy AI usage does not automatically mean better work. In updated engineering guidelines published on October 27, the company laid out how developers and managers should gauge AI’s real impact — and the takeaway is blunt: consuming more tokens is not the same as delivering more value. […]

According to the memo, metrics such as AI adoption rates, token consumption, code changes, and code reviews become “deeply flawed” when they are disconnected from actual results. Turning them into targets, Amazon says, encourages wasteful behavior that clashes with its emphasis on “frugality and simplicity” and can raise both compute bills and software complexity.

The company’s preferred yardstick is long-term results. “We believe that it is best to measure, and be measured by, long-term outcomes,” Amazon wrote. That does not mean managers should ignore usage data altogether, as input metrics remain useful when examined “with care and judgment” alongside other indicators. Amazon suggests looking at both the teams using AI the least and those using it the most to determine whether adoption is translating into better delivery.

[…] The memo also pushes back on the idea that every task needs an AI tool. If current tooling does not benefit someone’s work, Amazon says, that is “a finding, not a failing.” Engineers who can explain where today’s tools fall short are demonstrating judgment rather than reluctance to adopt AI.

The new machine features a light-up Apple logo, tandem OLED, and touch input on the display. It runs on the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, like the existing MacBook Pro models without OLED touch displays. John Ternus, who is rocking a new profile picture with the new Mac, shared the first look at the new machine on X. Pricing for the new laptop starts at $2899 for the 14-inch model. The 16-inch version starts at $3399.

Programming used to be a very different experience from the one we know today. In fact, the first programmers didn’t write code at all; the six women who worked on the ENIAC, one of the world’s first computers, at the University of Pennsylvania in 1946 did it by physically configuring switches, cables, and plugboards.

A few years later, MIT engineers programmed the Whirlwind by punching code onto paper tape that was then loaded into the computer’s memory — making it among the first “stored-program” machines. Later, they and others moved on to punch cards, one for each line of code.

By the early 1960s, programmers with interactive computers could use a “line editor” to type their code on teletypes — large, noisy keyboard-and-printer machines. They’d type one line of code at a time, and their work would be saved on a spinning hard disk the size of a modern washing machine. But there was still no such thing as the now-familiar full-screen text editors that allow programmers to see and modify many lines at a time on a display.

One of the first such tools, EMACS, turns 50 this year, and it is still widely used. EMACS first ran on the early video terminals at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in 1976, but its core concepts were so powerful that it was rewritten for many operating systems in the decades that followed. Apple even distributed it with Mac OS X. Beyond that, the software-sharing community that started around EMACS helped give rise to the modern-day free software movement and the GNU/Linux operating system.

You may not know Globalstar but have possibly used its services, as the company provides Apple’s emergency satellite connectivity for compatible iPhones and Watches. Interestingly, Apple also held a 20 percent stake in Globalstar prior to its takeover. As part of the deal, Leo will power satellite services for supported iPhone and Apple Watch models.

Leo, a rival to SpaceX’s Starlink, has been active of late. The company recently announced that it has 400 satellites in orbit and revealed last month that it had launched high-quality satellite internet service in Uzbekistan. It’s teaming up with Delta to eventually bring satellite internet to flights, as well. Amazon recently added six new Arianespace launches and aims to have more than 3,000 low-earth orbit satellites up in the near future, still well short of SpaceX’s 11,000 satellites.

Running an app ecosystem has gotten a lot more complex for Google after its loss in the Epic Games antitrust case. While U.S. users can access app stores in Google Play by court order, international users will use Google’s voluntary Registered App Stores program. Google has announced that stores wishing to be part of that program are now free to apply, and support will roll out to some Android devices later this year. App stores accepted into the program will enjoy preferential treatment on the Android platform. Users of approved stores will be able to install apps with a single click, similar to the experience in the Play Store. These stores will also be allowed to update apps silently in the background like Google’s store does.

[…] Registered App Stores are still happening on Android, but they won’t be supported in the U.S. — you can go to Google Play for alternative stores stateside, but so far, Aptoide remains the only one listed. Those operating Android app storefronts who want to be included in the international program can now review the program and begin the enrollment process. Any store hoping to get approval will have to adhere to a number of requirements, including protecting intellectual property, removing illegal content, and publishing a privacy policy for both users and developers. Google also requires several ongoing security measures to ensure the stores do not give malware easier access to Android devices. As part of the application process, store operators must provide documentation for all these points (in English) and upload copies of all their apps.

It costs $10,000 per year to participate in the Android Registered App Stores program, and that fee must be paid before Google will review the application. Google says this fee covers the additional support necessary to run the program. There may also be additional review fees if Google detects a store has a problem with malware. Google plans to roll out support in dozens of nations, which includes most of the world outside of the U.S. and Europe. The program goes live on December 1, but it will only work on Android devices running the latest builds of Android 17. Google says support will start with Android 17 QPR2, which is expected to arrive on Pixel phones in the coming weeks.

The discovery was made by running billions of pieces of data collected by the Rubin Observatory through a search code developed by Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian astronomers Matthew Holman and Kevin Napier. “My first reaction was one of excited disbelief,” Holman said in a statement. “Objects like this are very rare, so I immediately started checking whether I or the code had done something wrong.”

When Holman and his colleague Mario Juric of the University of Washington went to double-check, they found 30 more observations of the object by Rubin that dated to between March and July 2026. Looking at other observation tools, the pair found even more sightings going back to 2016. Together, these data allowed the astronomers to begin mapping out 2026 ED138’s orbit. The suspected dwarf planet is about 46 times as far from the sun as Earth, making it even more remote than Pluto, which is just 40 times as far. The object is also tilted off the solar system’s plane by around 25 degrees, an arrangement that could be linked to disruptions caused by Neptune’s gravitational pull.

Initial measurements indicate that 2026 ED138 has a diameter between 600 and 1,500 kilometers (373 and 932 miles), which makes it one of the largest dwarf planet candidates yet detected. But size isn’t all that matters: further observations are required to determine if the object has enough mass to be pulled into a round shape, which is a key requirement for a dwarf planet. Despite its size, 2026 ED138 was able to avoid detection for all these years because it’s located in a part of the night sky that’s crowded with stars whose light drowned it out.

The report is the CDC’s first comprehensive assessment of these drug-resistant pathogens in seven years. […] The new report offers a detailed picture of these threats in the U.S., including a ranking of which are the most urgent concerns, based on the number and severity of infections they cause and how easily preventable or transmissible they are. The ranking also factors in how many treatment options exist and their costs. […] The report estimates that 19 drug-resistant germs cause 9.7 million infections annually in the U.S. Of these, four pathogens are ranked as most worrisome, including the fungus Candida auris and the bacteria that causes gonorrhea, which has become resistant to all but one class of antibiotics used to treat it.

The other two urgent threats, according to the CDC, are the bacteria Acinetobacter and Enterobacterales, both of which are resistant to a class of antibiotics widely considered a “last resort” for patients. In addition, the report adds a new bacteria to the list of “concerning” threats, which are considered less worrisome but still warrant monitoring: neisseria meningitidis, which causes meningococcal disease. The rare but life-threatening illness can be prevented through childhood vaccinations, but the bacteria that causes it is slowly developing a resistance to penicillin and another antibiotic called ciprofloxacin.

The report also offers some good news: The CDC determined that the bacteria Clostridioides difficile, or “C. diff,” which causes diarrhea and inflammation of the colon and can be deadly, is causing fewer cases year over year. The agency downgraded it to a serious threat, whereas it was categorized as urgent in the prior version of the report, which came out in 2019.

Greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere rose to record highs in 2025, locking in climate impacts that will persist for centuries, the United Nations said on Tuesday. Levels of the three main greenhouse gases — the climate-warming carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide — all rose to unprecedented figures in 2025, the U.N.‘s weather and climate agency said. The World Meteorological Organization said the rise would lead to more long-term temperature increases for the planet.

The bulletin looks at greenhouse gas concentrations — the amount of those gases in the atmosphere — rather than new annual emissions amounts as the world burns more coal, oil and gas. In 2025, carbon dioxide concentrations were at 426.8 parts per million (ppm); methane at 1,948 parts per billion, and nitrous oxide at 339.1 parts per billion. That takes them, respectively, to 153%, 267% and 126% of the pre-industrial levels witnessed before 1750. Of the three major greenhouse gases, CO2 accounts for about 66% of the warming effect on the climate.

Around half of the total CO2 emitted each year remains in the atmosphere; the rest is absorbed by the land and oceans. From 2024 to 2025, the global average concentration of CO2 rose by 2.8 ppm — smaller than the record surge from 2023 to 2024 of 3.6 ppm. WMO senior scientific officer Oksana Tarasova said this reflected the “recovery of the land carbon sinks and reduced fire carbon emissions in 2025 after the strong 2023/2024 El Nino,” the naturally occurring, climate-warming weather phenomenon. “However, a 2.8 ppm annual increase is still a substantial addition of carbon to the atmosphere from fossil fuel burning.” It is also above the average growth rate for the past decade of 2.6 ppm — a figure that stood at 0.8 ppm in the 1960s.