Author: Andrew Rogers

Google DeepMind launched AlphaGenome, an AI tool that predicts how genetic mutations drive disease.The system analyses up to one million DNA letters at once.AlphaGenome shows how mutations alter gene regulation across different tissues.Many inherited diseases and cancers stem from regulatory genetic changes.Researchers trained the model on large human and mouse genetics databases.Scientists say the tool could speed cancer research and enable new gene therapies.

Amazon revealed a new round of global job cuts through an internal email sent in error.Workers at Amazon Web Services received a cancelled meeting invite containing a draft message about layoffs.The email wrongly claimed affected staff in the US, Canada, and Costa Rica had already been informed.Colleen Aubrey signed the message, which referred to the layoffs as “Project Dawn”.Amazon cut 14,000 corporate roles in October and continues efforts to reduce pandemic-era hiring.Chief executive Andy Jassy has warned that AI may replace some white-collar roles.

Scientists launched DinoTracker, an AI app that identifies dinosaurs by analysing fossil footprints.Researchers from University of Edinburgh and Helmholtz-Zentrum trained the system using 2,000 unlabelled footprint silhouettes.The AI compares shapes using eight features, including toe spread and heel position.It matches human expert classifications about 90% of the time.The app lets users upload footprints and explore similar examples interactively.The findings, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, support earlier theories about birdlike dinosaur tracks.However, researchers caution the prints likely came from birdlike meat-eating dinosaurs, not early birds.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission dismissed its lawsuit against the Winklevoss twins’ crypto exchange after investors recovered all assets. Regulators cited full repayments to Gemini Earn users through the Genesis bankruptcy process in mid-2024. The decision reflects a friendlier crypto stance under Donald Trump, who pledged broader digital currency adoption. The exchange, now called Gemini Space Station, previously faced charges over an unregistered lending program. New York regulators later secured a settlement and banned Gemini’s lending operations in the state. The SEC stressed the dismissal does not affect other cases. Gemini later listed on Nasdaq and is valued at…

Coca-Cola has launched legal proceedings against Vue after the cinema chain ended a 25-year drinks supply partnership. Vue, which operates more than 90 cinemas in the UK and Ireland, switched to PepsiCo last year following a tender process. Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Great Britain filed the claim to recover alleged unpaid debts from the contract’s termination. Vue said the disputed sum was under £100,000 and confirmed the winding-up petition has been withdrawn. The cinema chain added that all outstanding issues between both parties have now been resolved.

Google’s AI Overviews, seen by about 2 billion users each month, cite YouTube more often than any medical website when answering health-related search queries, according to a new German study. Researchers analysed more than 50,000 health searches conducted in Germany and found that YouTube accounted for 4.43% of all citations used in AI-generated summaries—more than hospitals, government health portals or medical associations. The study, by SEO firm SE Ranking, raises concerns because YouTube is not a medical publisher and hosts content from both qualified professionals and untrained influencers. While Google says its system prioritises high-quality and reputable sources and notes…

Japan is developing the L0 Series, a magnetic-levitation (maglev) train that could become the fastest in the world, reaching speeds of up to 603.5 km/h. The project is led by Central Japan Railway Company as part of the new Chūō Shinkansen line. If fully operational, the L0 Series would cut travel time between Tokyo and Nagoya to about 40 minutes, and eventually link Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka into a single high-speed corridor. By comparison, Europe’s fastest conventional trains — such as France’s TGV and Italy’s Italo — operate at around 300–350 km/h. The train’s speed comes from maglev technology, which…

Influencers linked to the online “manosphere” are persuading healthy young men that normal changes in energy, mood or libido signal low testosterone, according to a study in Social Science and Medicine. Researchers analysed popular posts on TikTok and Instagram and found testosterone testing was marketed as essential to masculinity, despite routine screening being medically unnecessary for most young men. The study’s lead author from the University of Copenhagen said influencers often pathologised ordinary experiences to sell tests, supplements or treatments, contributing to a “medicalisation of masculinity”. Medical experts warned that unwarranted testing and treatment can carry risks, and that testosterone…

Plants growing close together can warn one another about environmental stress, helping neighbouring plants survive damaging conditions. In experiments with thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana), scientists grew plants either alone or tightly packed so their leaves touched. When exposed to intense light, isolated plants suffered severe damage, while crowded plants coped much better. Within one hour, closely grown plants activated more than 2,000 genes linked to stress protection, whereas isolated plants showed little defensive response. The findings suggest that plants transmit warning signals to nearby neighbours. Researchers identified hydrogen peroxide as the key messenger, released by stressed plants and received by…

Netflix has revised its $82.7bn offer for Warner Bros Discovery by switching to an all-cash deal, aiming to speed approval and fend off a rival bid from Paramount Skydance. The revised proposal keeps the valuation at $27.75 per share but removes shares from the structure, which Netflix says gives investors greater certainty and allows a shareholder vote as early as April. The WBD board continues to unanimously back Netflix’s offer. Under the deal, Netflix would acquire Warner Bros studios and HBO, while WBD shareholders would also receive stakes in a spun-off global networks business including CNN and Discovery Channel. Paramount…