Month: April 2025

With the rise of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., brain worms have gotten a bad rap.

A year ago, the long-time anti-vaccine advocate and current US health secretary famously told The New York Times that a parasitic worm "got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died." The startling revelation is now frequently referenced whenever Kennedy says something outlandish, false, or offensive—which is often. For those who have followed his anti-vaccine advocacy, it's frightfully clear that, worm-infested or not, Kennedy's brain is marinated in wild conspiracy theories and dangerous misinformation.

While it's certainly possible that worm remnants could impair brain function, it remains unknown if the worm is to blame for Kennedy's cognitive oddities. For one thing, he was also diagnosed with mercury poisoning, which can cause brain damage, too. As prominent infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said last June in a conversation with political analyst David Axelrod: "I don't know what's going on in [Kennedy's] head, but it's not good."

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With the rise of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., brain worms have gotten a bad rap.

A year ago, the long-time anti-vaccine advocate and current US health secretary famously told The New York Times that a parasitic worm "got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died." The startling revelation is now frequently referenced whenever Kennedy says something outlandish, false, or offensive—which is often. For those who have followed his anti-vaccine advocacy, it's frightfully clear that, worm-infested or not, Kennedy's brain is marinated in wild conspiracy theories and dangerous misinformation.

While it's certainly possible that worm remnants could impair brain function, it remains unknown if the worm is to blame for Kennedy's cognitive oddities. For one thing, he was also diagnosed with mercury poisoning, which can cause brain damage, too. As prominent infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said last June in a conversation with political analyst David Axelrod: "I don't know what's going on in [Kennedy's] head, but it's not good."

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Autohersteller von Autos mit Fahrassistenz müssen in den USA künftig weniger Level-2-Unfälle melden. Tesla wird von der neuen Regelung profitieren. (Tesla, Elektroauto)

Apple’s AirPlay feature enables iPhones and MacBooks to seamlessly play music or show photos and videos on other Apple devices or third-party speakers and TVs that integrate the protocol. Now newly uncovered security flaws in AirPlay mean that those same wireless connections could allow hackers to move within a network just as easily, spreading malicious code from one infected device to another. Apple products are known for regularly receiving fixes, but given how rarely some smart-home devices are patched, it’s likely that these wirelessly enabled footholds for malware, across many of the hundreds of models of AirPlay-enabled devices, will persist for years to come.

On Tuesday, researchers from the cybersecurity firm Oligo revealed what they’re calling AirBorne, a collection of vulnerabilities affecting AirPlay, Apple’s proprietary radio-based protocol for local wireless communication. Bugs in Apple’s AirPlay software development kit (SDK) for third-party devices would allow hackers to hijack gadgets like speakers, receivers, set-top boxes, or smart TVs if they’re on the same Wi-Fi network as the hacker’s machine. Another set of AirBorne vulnerabilities would have allowed hackers to exploit AirPlay-enabled Apple devices too, Apple told Oligo, though these bugs have been patched in updates over the last several months, and Apple tells WIRED that those bugs could have only been exploited when users changed default AirPlay settings.

Those Apple devices aside, Oligo’s chief technology officer and cofounder, Gal Elbaz, estimates that potentially vulnerable third-party AirPlay-enabled devices number in the tens of millions. “Because AirPlay is supported in such a wide variety of devices, there are a lot that will take years to patch—or they will never be patched,” Elbaz says. “And it's all because of vulnerabilities in one piece of software that affects everything.”

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Apple’s AirPlay feature enables iPhones and MacBooks to seamlessly play music or show photos and videos on other Apple devices or third-party speakers and TVs that integrate the protocol. Now newly uncovered security flaws in AirPlay mean that those same wireless connections could allow hackers to move within a network just as easily, spreading malicious code from one infected device to another. Apple products are known for regularly receiving fixes, but given how rarely some smart-home devices are patched, it’s likely that these wirelessly enabled footholds for malware, across many of the hundreds of models of AirPlay-enabled devices, will persist for years to come.

On Tuesday, researchers from the cybersecurity firm Oligo revealed what they’re calling AirBorne, a collection of vulnerabilities affecting AirPlay, Apple’s proprietary radio-based protocol for local wireless communication. Bugs in Apple’s AirPlay software development kit (SDK) for third-party devices would allow hackers to hijack gadgets like speakers, receivers, set-top boxes, or smart TVs if they’re on the same Wi-Fi network as the hacker’s machine. Another set of AirBorne vulnerabilities would have allowed hackers to exploit AirPlay-enabled Apple devices too, Apple told Oligo, though these bugs have been patched in updates over the last several months, and Apple tells WIRED that those bugs could have only been exploited when users changed default AirPlay settings.

Those Apple devices aside, Oligo’s chief technology officer and cofounder, Gal Elbaz, estimates that potentially vulnerable third-party AirPlay-enabled devices number in the tens of millions. “Because AirPlay is supported in such a wide variety of devices, there are a lot that will take years to patch—or they will never be patched,” Elbaz says. “And it's all because of vulnerabilities in one piece of software that affects everything.”

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A couple of weeks ago, ground teams at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida removed one of the four main engines from the Space Launch System rocket slated to send four astronauts on a voyage around the Moon next year.

NASA officials ordered the removal of one of the massive rocket's RS-25 main engines after discovering a hydraulic leak on the engine's main oxidizer valve actuator, which controls the flow of super-cold liquid oxygen propellant into the engine's main combustion chamber, an agency spokesperson told Ars.

In its place, technicians installed another RS-25 engine from NASA's inventory to the bottom of the rocket's core stage, which is standing vertical on its mobile launch platform inside the cavernous Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy. Teams began integrating the replacement engine with the rocket last Friday and are in the process of firmly securing it in the Engine 4 position on the core stage, the NASA spokesperson said.

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A couple of weeks ago, ground teams at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida removed one of the four main engines from the Space Launch System rocket slated to send four astronauts on a voyage around the Moon next year.

NASA officials ordered the removal of one of the massive rocket's RS-25 main engines after discovering a hydraulic leak on the engine's main oxidizer valve actuator, which controls the flow of super-cold liquid oxygen propellant into the engine's main combustion chamber, an agency spokesperson told Ars.

In its place, technicians installed another RS-25 engine from NASA's inventory to the bottom of the rocket's core stage, which is standing vertical on its mobile launch platform inside the cavernous Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy. Teams began integrating the replacement engine with the rocket last Friday and are in the process of firmly securing it in the Engine 4 position on the core stage, the NASA spokesperson said.

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Ein zusätzlicher Datenabgleich sollte das massenhafte Hacken der elektronischen Patientenakte erschweren. Doch das Verfahren ließ sich aushebeln. (Elektronische Patientenakte, Datenschutz)

CBS owner Paramount is reportedly nearing a settlement with President Donald Trump over his claim that 60 Minutes "deceptively manipulated" a pre-election interview with Kamala Harris.

Trump's complaint, filed against Paramount and CBS in a federal court in Texas, seeks at least $20 billion in damages. The lawsuit has been widely described as frivolous, but it appears that Paramount is motivated to settle the case while it seeks the Trump administration's approval for a merger with Skydance.

Reports published yesterday by the Los Angeles Times and New York Times say that Paramount is ready to settle. "In an April 18 meeting, the Paramount board outlined acceptable financial terms for a potential settlement with the president, according to three people with knowledge of the internal discussions," the NYT wrote. "The exact dollar amounts remain unclear, but the board's move clears a path for an out-of-court resolution."

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CBS owner Paramount is reportedly nearing a settlement with President Donald Trump over his claim that 60 Minutes "deceptively manipulated" a pre-election interview with Kamala Harris.

Trump's complaint, filed against Paramount and CBS in a federal court in Texas, seeks at least $20 billion in damages. The lawsuit has been widely described as frivolous, but it appears that Paramount is motivated to settle the case while it seeks the Trump administration's approval for a merger with Skydance.

Reports published yesterday by the Los Angeles Times and New York Times say that Paramount is ready to settle. "In an April 18 meeting, the Paramount board outlined acceptable financial terms for a potential settlement with the president, according to three people with knowledge of the internal discussions," the NYT wrote. "The exact dollar amounts remain unclear, but the board's move clears a path for an out-of-court resolution."

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