Merkle Tree Certificate support is already in Chrome. Soon, it will be everywhere. Google on Friday unveiled its plan for its Chrome browser to secure HTTPS certificates against quantum computer attacks without breaking the Internet. The objective is a tall order. The quantum-resistant cryptographic data needed to transparently publish…
Can two declining companies form a profitable one? Netflix has dropped out of the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), making Paramount Skydance the expected owner of WBD. A Paramount-WBD merger remains subject to regulatory approval, but it’s likely that we will see a Paramount-Skydance-Warner-Bros.-Discovery media giant. Such…
Interactions between neighboring materials is mediated by virtual photons. Despite the headline, this isn’t really a story about superconductivity—at least not the superconductivity that people care about, the stuff that doesn’t require exotic refrigeration to work. Instead, it’s a story about how superconductivity can be used as a test…
Lawyers tell Ars the state has a tough road ahead, even as Valve is uniquely vulnerable. For years now, Valve fans have been making jokes about the company’s slow transition from game maker to glorified digital hat and knife paint marketplace. This week, though, a lawsuit brought by the…
Toyota’s small electric SUV is much-revised, much more efficient, and much better. The world’s largest automaker has had a somewhat difficult relationship with battery-electric vehicles. Toyota was an early pioneer of hybrid powertrains, and it remains a fan today, often saying that given limited battery supply, it makes sense to…
Netflix shares jumped following the announcement. Netflix backed out of its deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery’s (WBD’s) streaming and movie studios businesses on Thursday night. After increasing its bid for all of WBD by $1 per share on Tuesday, Paramount Skydance is poised to become the new owner…
Most new Macs can still be downgraded with few downsides. Here’s what to know. An Ars Technica colleague recently bought a new M4 MacBook Air. I have essentially nothing bad to say about this hardware, except to point out that even in our current memory shortage apocalypse, Apple is…
Apple is taking an “ain’t broke/don’t fix” approach to most of its gadgets. Excepting the AirTag 2, so far it’s been a quiet year for Apple hardware. But that’s poised to change next week, as the company is hosting a “special experience” on March 4. The use of the…
“Neanderthal deserts” in our genomes suggest a strong pattern in matings. By now, it’s firmly established that modern humans and their Neanderthal relatives met and mated as our ancestors expanded out of Africa, resulting in a substantial amount of Neanderthal DNA scattered throughout our genome. Less widely recognized is…
Geometry of tread patterns determines frequency, so blocks were designed to play Star Wars music. We’re all familiar with the high-pitched squeak of basketball shoes on the court during games, or tires squealing on pavement. Scientists conducted several experiments and discovered that the geometry of the sneakers’ tread patterns…
