Science & Tech
Research, public health, and emerging technology — science, health, and tech in one feed.
Echo Protocol halts eBTC cross‑chain transfers after unauthorized mint of 1,000 tokens
Echo Protocol suspended cross‑chain eBTC transfers after an unauthorized mint created 1,000 eBTC (~$76M nominal); on‑chain tracing shows only ~ $870k converted.
Blackstone and Google form U.S. joint venture to sell Google TPUs as cloud service with $5 billion backing
Blackstone and Google will create a U.S. JV with an initial $5B equity commitment to offer Google’s TPU AI chips as cloud compute starting in 2027.
Preprint: JWST spectra of K2-18b still consistent with Hycean ocean‑world models
A May 18 arXiv preprint finds JWST transmission spectra of K2-18b can be reproduced by self-consistent Hycean (H2‑rich ocean) atmosphere models without invoking DMS.
WHO declares Ebola outbreak in eastern DR Congo and Uganda a global public health emergency
WHO on May 17 declared the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in Ituri Province, DR Congo, with confirmed cases in Uganda, a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
Best Buy Affiliate Emails Suggest GTA VI Physical Pre‑Orders May Start May 18 — Unconfirmed
Best Buy affiliate emails suggest physical pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto VI could open May 18–21, but Rockstar and Best Buy haven’t confirmed.
THORChain Confirms Exploit, Opens Claims Portal; Announces ~$10M Treasury Refund
THORChain confirmed a cross-chain exploit affecting 12,847 wallets, opened a claims portal and announced a roughly $10M treasury-backed refund as probes continue.
Texas Children’s Hospital to Stop Puberty Blockers for Minors, Agrees to $10M Settlement With DOJ
DOJ says Texas Children’s will stop puberty blockers and hormones for minors, pay $10M over billing claims and fund a detransition clinic in the first settlement of its probe.
California Panel Advances Bill Requiring Refunds or Offline Versions After Paid Game Server Shutdowns
AB 1921 would require publishers to give 60 days' notice and offer playable offline versions or full refunds for paid games sold in California after server shutdowns.
Eugene Braunwald, Pioneering Cardiologist, Dies at 96
Eugene Braunwald, a trailblazer in cardiology whose research and textbooks reshaped heart care, died April 22 at 96 in Massachusetts.
NSF Announces X-Labs, Pledges Up to $1.5 Billion Over a Decade to Translate Research into Technology
NSF unveiled X-Labs, a TIP-led program to fund milestone-driven teams with up to $1.5B over 10 years to build sensing and quantum platforms.
Forza Horizon 6: Early Access Begins May 15, Full Release May 19 (West Coast unlocks 9:01 p.m. PDT)
Playground Games confirms Forza Horizon 6 early access on May 15 and full launch on May 19 — West Coast players unlock at 9:01 p.m. PDT; preload is live.
Preprint Says AI Model SU-01 Reached ‘Gold-Medal-Level’ on Olympiad Problems — Results Not Independently Certified
An arXiv preprint says model SU-01 attains gold-medal-level on IMO/USAMO/IPhO problems, but reported scores lack independent certification.
May 11: Posts From Keith Gill’s Verified X Account Briefly Pumped New Solana Meme Coin RKC, Then It Collapsed
On May 11, posts from Keith Gill’s verified X account sent a new Solana meme coin, RKC, up to $11M–$12M before it collapsed and roughly $2.86M was extracted.