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Warning! Don’t open these WhatsApp images, else you’ll get hacked

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2965623/warning-dont-open-these-whatsapp-images-else-youll-get-hacked.html

A scam is currently circulating on WhatsApp that could be very dangerous for you. Users are receiving seemingly harmless messages—usually from unknown numbers without unique names—and those messages contain nothing more than a photo along with a question along the lines of “Is that you?” or “Do you know this person?”

It’s a clear attempt to get you to download and open the attached image. With WhatsApp, you first have to authorize the download of images, and that’s exactly what the scammers are after.

In fact, the file isn’t a picture of you or someone you know, but rather it’s been manipulated to deliver malware and open up ways for your smartphone, tablet, or PC to be hacked. Afterwards, the scammers can gain access to your private data and even use it to blackmail you.

How the image download scam works

The scammers are exploiting a vulnerability in WhatsApp that makes it possible to inject manipulated images or videos without being recognized as such by the app. They can gain access to the parsing process via the file preview that’s generated when an image is downloaded, and this process breaks files down into smaller packages that are needed for the processing of messages.

If code snippets containing malware are injected during this process, scammers can use that malware to gain access to target devices. You don’t see any of this happening because these processes run in the background while you’re opening the image.

What does this mean for you? Not only can your WhatsApp account be stolen, but your data on the device can also be intercepted and taken. You have to be careful of who you trust on WhatsApp.

How to not be a victim to this scam

Whenever you get unsolicited messages, always pay special attention to who’s sending the message and why. Unknown numbers often conceal scammers who message people at random and hope that someone will be careless enough to fall for their tricks. It’s best to block them.

Also, never open images or other files if you aren’t 100% sure of what they contain, if you don’t 100% trust the one sending them to you, and if it seems like they really want you to open them for some reason.

To play it extra safe, you should disable the automatic downloading of media, which you can do by navigating to Settings > Storage and data. Under Auto-download media, deselect all file types by unchecking the boxes (even if your Wi-Fi connection is active).

Last but not least, make sure you always install the latest WhatsApp updates. This fixes known security vulnerabilities, reducing the chance that a scammer can exploit flaws to trick you. It’s currently not know when WhatsApp will update to fix this particular vulnerability.

Further reading: WhatsApp is banning AI chatbots like ChatGPT soon

via PCWorld https://www.pcworld.com

November 7, 2025 at 09:30AM

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Toyota Says Its Next EV Batteries Will Last 40 Years — And They’re Almost Ready

https://www.autoblog.com/news/toyota-says-its-next-ev-batteries-will-last-40-years-and-theyre-almost-ready

Toyota Still Believes in EVs

Toyota, as an automotive company, has been the biggest EV pragmatist. Its outspoken and revered leader, Akio Toyoda, has been vocal about his considerations and has raised doubts about the EV push of the industry his company dominates.

While their approach to EVs has been conservative, Toyota appears to have been quietly working behind the scenes to perfect its own EV technology. 


Solid-State Batteries are the Future

According to recent developments, Toyota is developing a Solid State Battery (SSB) that can last up to 40 years, which is four times the current lifespan of EV batteries. What is even more impressive is the claim that they are targeting production applications of their Solid State Batteries by 2027 or 2028.

The technology behind Solid State Batteries sounds good on paper; it promises a range of at least 1,000 Kilometers, and is supposed to be smaller, lighter, and cheaper than the current crop we have today.

Toyota

The Value for Money Option

Keiji Kaita provided insight on its upcoming SSB during the recently concluded Japan Mobility Show (JMS), Car Expertreports. 

Kaita is the president of Toyota’s Carbon Neutral Advanced Engineering Development Center. He was quoted as saying from the get-go, SSBs might cost more to produce in the current technological climate, but they are, of course, working with their supplier to properly integrate the technology into a more affordable package in the long term. 

Furthermore, Kaita also claims that the SSBs will most likely outlast the rest of the car itself, allowing for the opportunity to swap out batteries, which will, of course, offer greater value for money to each owner. 

Staggeringly, Kaita went on to say that the target is to ensure 90% battery capacity and condition by year 40 of the lifespan. Last October, Toyota decided to collaborate with Sumitomo Metal Mining, which will help in the production of cathode materials for the SSBs. 

Toyota’s realistic approach to EVs has enabled it to properly divert resources to something that could potentially give it an edge in the near and far future.

Toyota

via Autoblog https://ift.tt/pno79Dh

November 7, 2025 at 08:36AM

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Mark Zuckerberg Opened an Illegal School at His Palo Alto Compound. His Neighbors Revolted

https://www.wired.com/story/mark-zuckerberg-school-palo-alto-shut-down/

The Crescent Park neighborhood of Palo Alto, California, has some of the best real estate in the country, with a charming hodgepodge of homes ranging in style from Tudor revival to modern farmhouse and contemporary Mediterranean. It also has a gigantic compound that is home to Mark Zuckerberg, his wife Priscilla Chan, and their daughters Maxima, August, and Aurelia. Their land has expanded to include 11 previously separate properties, five of which are connected by at least one property line.

via Wired Top Stories https://www.wired.com

November 6, 2025 at 04:39AM

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Brain Microchip Smaller Than a Grain of Salt Sends Data Using Lasers and Satellite Technology

https://www.discovermagazine.com/brain-microchip-smaller-than-a-grain-of-salt-sends-data-using-lasers-and-satellites-48223

Ever-evolving research is steadily turning science fiction into science fact. Neural implants —tiny devices that read or stimulate brain activity —have already entered human trials, showing what’s possible when technology and neuroscience intersect. While early results prove the concept works, the race is now on to make these systems smaller, safer, and more reliable.

Developers and philanthropists alike have ambitious goals: from controlling computers and prosthetics with nothing but thought to restoring movement after paralysis and monitoring neurological disorders in real time.

Now, researchers from Cornell University have taken a major step forward. They’ve created a neural implant smaller than a grain of salt that can wirelessly transmit signals from inside the brain. Their results, published in Nature Electronics, show that this tiny implant emitted clean, uninterrupted data in healthy mice for more than a year.

It’s the smallest functioning neural implant ever designed, proving that advanced technology can be miniaturized to a level once thought impossible. Measuring brain activity on a cellular scale with minimal intrusion could open entirely new windows into how organisms grow, adapt, and decline over time.

Read More: Brain Cells on a Computer Chip Offer Advanced Medical Treatments and Use Less Energy

Implants Powered by Infrared Laser Beams

tiny brain chip on grain of salt

A wireless neural implant, microscale optoelectronic tetherless electrode (MOTE), resting on a grain of salt.

(Image Courtesy of Yumin Zheng and Sunwoo Lee)

Turning the dream of real-time brain monitoring into reality has always faced the challenge of scale. Even the thinnest-wired implants can irritate the surrounding tissue as the brain subtly shifts with each breath or heartbeat. That friction and tugging can trigger inflammation and scarring, limiting how long such devices remain usable.

To avoid that, scientists have been exploring tetherless, or wireless, systems. Power and data can be transferred through radio waves, ultrasound, or light. Each approach comes with its own trade-offs in safety, precision, and energy efficiency.

After weighing the options, the Cornell team designed a microscale optoelectronic tetherless electrode (MOTE) that runs entirely on light. Red and infrared laser beams can safely pass through the skull and brain tissue to deliver power. In return, the device uses infrared light to send recorded brain activity back out.

Mice Unbothered By Tiny Implant for Over a Year

The system relies on light both for energy and communication. As explained in a press release, a semiconductor diode made of aluminum gallium arsenide captures incoming light to power the circuit and then emits infrared light to send out data. A low-noise amplifier and optical encoder, identical to semiconductor technology found in everyday microchips, handle the signal processing.

The result is a fully functional implant just 300 microns long and 70 microns wide, a thousandth of an inch.

The team first tested the implant in cell cultures, then implanted it into the barrel cortex of mice —the region of rodents’ brains that processes sensory input from whiskers. For an entire year, the tiny implant tracked everything from individual nerve cell firings to broader waves of brain activity, while the mice stayed healthy and behaved normally.

The Smallest Neural Implant to Measure Neural Activity

“As far as we know, this is the smallest neural implant that will measure electrical activity in the brain and then report it out wirelessly,” said study co-author Alyosha Molnar, professor at Cornell University, in the press statement. “By using pulse position modulation for the code — the same code used in optical communications for satellites, for example — we can use very, very little power to communicate and still successfully get the data back out optically.”

Molnar and his team believe the MOTE’s material composition could one day allow it to collect brain data even during MRI scans, something that’s currently not possible with most implants.

Beyond neuroscience, similar designs could be used to study other tissues, such as the spinal cord, or even be embedded into artificial skull plates to create long-term, fully integrated neural interfaces.

Read More: How Scientists Are Building a Better Brain-on-a-Chip

Article Sources

Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:

via Discover Main Feed https://ift.tt/ORZF8Jq

November 5, 2025 at 11:47AM

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Scientists Uncover Yet Another Reason to Sleep in Total Darkness

https://gizmodo.com/scientists-uncover-yet-another-reason-to-sleep-in-total-darkness-2000681512

It turns out that your annoying friend who insists on closing all of the window blinds and covering all of the glowing electronics in a bedroom in order to sleep in total darkness is onto something. New research bolsters the well-established theory linking nighttime light to adverse health impacts.

A preliminary analysis set to be presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2025, starting Friday, suggests that the state of darkness while we sleep plays a crucial role in our overall health. The results link more artificial light at night, also known as artificial nighttime light pollution, with higher brain stress signals, inflamed blood vessels, and greater risk of heart disease—a broad term for different heart problems.

“We know that environmental factors, such as air and noise pollution, can lead to heart disease by affecting our nerves and blood vessels through stress. Light pollution is very common; however, we don’t know much about how it affects the heart,” Shady Abohashem, head of cardiac PET/CT imaging trials at Massachusetts General Hospital and senior author of the yet-unpublished study, said in a statement by the American Heart Association.

Artificial nighttime brightness at home

In the observational study, Abohashem and his colleagues reviewed the health data of 466 adults who had undergone the same combined Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) scan at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston between 2005 and 2008 to identify stress signals in the brain and evidence of artery inflammation. They also investigated the adults’ exposure to artificial nighttime brightness at their homes via the 2016 New World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness.

The researchers found that people who experienced greater amounts of nighttime artificial light had higher brain stress activity, blood vessel inflammation, and a greater chance of developing heart disease. Unsurprisingly, the risk of heart issues was increased among participants who lived in areas with additional stress factors like significant traffic noise or lower neighborhood income. By the end of 2018, 17% of the adults had experienced significant heart problems.

“We found a nearly linear relationship between nighttime light and heart disease: the more night-light exposure, the higher the risk. Even modest increases in night-time light were linked with higher brain and artery stress,” Abohashem explained. The correlation remained even after researchers adjusted for known heart risk factors and other socio-environmental stresses.

“When the brain perceives stress, it activates signals that can trigger an immune response and inflame the blood vessels,” he added. “Over time, this process can contribute to hardening of the arteries and increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.”

Put the phone down

So what can we do about it? Cities could diminish unnecessary external lighting, and individuals could lessen indoor nighttime light before going to bed, according to Abohashem. That includes screens, which means no more scrolling on TikTok before snoozing.

“We know too much exposure to artificial light at night can harm your health, particularly increasing the risk of heart disease. However, we did not know how this harm happened,” said Julio Fernandez-Mendoza, who is director of behavioral sleep medicine at Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine and was not involved in the study. “This study has investigated one of several possible causes, which is how our brains respond to stress. This response seems to play a big role in linking artificial light at night to heart disease.”

However, the study has some limitations, according to the statement. For example, the participants were drawn from a single hospital system, so the group may lack diversity, and the results might not reflect the broader population. Furthermore, because of the nature of an observational study, it can’t prove that the associations are causal.

“We want to expand this work in larger, more diverse populations, test interventions that reduce nighttime light, and explore how reducing light exposure might improve heart health,” Abohashem concluded.

via Gizmodo https://gizmodo.com/

November 4, 2025 at 08:35PM

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Google contemplates putting giant AI installations in low-earth orbit

https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-contemplates-putting-giant-ai-installations-in-low-earth-orbit-123025256.html?src=rss

Putting AI in space may sound like a sci-fi nightmare, but Google is thinking about the idea with a research endeavor called Project Suncatcher. The idea is to put power-hungry data centers into orbit on solar-powered satellites, so they can be powered by unlimited, clean energy available 24 hours a day. That would mitigate the nastiest aspects of AI cloud computing, like the use of power plants that spew huge amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere. 

Project Suncatcher is a literal moonshot of the type that Google used to do more often. The search giant wants to put its AI chips, called Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), into orbit aboard solar panel-equipped satellites. “In the future, space may be the best place to scale AI compute,” wrote Google senior director Travis Beals. "In the right orbit, a solar panel can be up to 8 times more productive than on Earth, and produce power nearly continuously, reducing the need for batteries."

Suffice to say, the idea poses numerous challenges. That proximity to the sun would expose the TPUs to high levels of radiation that can rapidly degrade electronic components. However, Google has tested its current chips for radiation tolerance and said they’d be able to survive a five year mission without suffering permanent failures.  

Google Tensor Processing Unit
Google’s Tensor Processing Unit
Google

Another challenge is the high-speed data links of "tens of terabits per second" and low latency required between satellites. Those speeds would be hard to achieve in space, as transmitting data at long distances requires exponentially more power than on Earth. To achieve that, Google said it may need to maneuver TPU-equipped satellites into tight formations, possibly within "kilometers or less" of each other. That would have the added benefit of reducing "station keeping" thrust maneuvers needed to keep the satellites in the right position. 

The determining factor, though, is money. Launching TPUs into space may not seem cost-efficient, but Google’s analysis shows that doing so could be "roughly comparable" to data centers on Earth (in terms of power efficiency) by around the mid-2030s. 

While it’s currently only a preliminary research paper, Google is planning to put Project Suncatcher through some initial trials. It has teamed with a company called Planet on a "learning mission" to launch a pair of prototype satellites into orbit by 2027. "This experiment will test how our models and TPU hardware operate in space and validate the use of optical inter-satellite links for distributed ML [machine learning] tasks," Google wrote. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/Yz9wDGC

via Engadget http://www.engadget.com

November 5, 2025 at 06:39AM