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An amateur astronomer with no professional credentials may have discovered a new exoplanet, and the tool that made it possible was a large language model. By leveraging what researchers are calling a superhuman ability to sift through vast quantities of astronomical data, the hobbyist identified a candidate planet that MIT is now preparing to point a satellite toward for further confirmation.
Shifting to a story about hardware and mixed signals, Microsoft's Xbox division is reportedly emailing users who haven't played their consoles recently, encouraging them to trade in their devices at Best Buy. It's a striking move from a company still selling the same hardware, and it raises real questions about where Xbox sees its future — likely streaming and subscription, less so the physical box under your television.
And in a story that blurs the line between science and federal policy, NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya and ARPA-H Director Alicia Jackson appeared on CBS to discuss a new executive order creating a dedicated women's health division within the National Institutes of Health. The initiative signals a structural shift in how federally funded health research could be organized and prioritized going forward.
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