We have an idea of what the solar system’s past was like: It was violent and chaotic. However, we are still studying how violent it was. Current models suggest that at some point after their formation, the giant planets went through a phase of such extreme instability that one or even two bodies the size of Uranus or Neptune were ejected into interstellar space. If that scenario occurred, we may find clues in the most unexpected places in the solar system, such as the moons of Jupiter and, especially, those of Uranus.
A recent article published in Icarus analyzed 122 possible scenarios of such instability to assess how the satellite systems of the “left behind” planets would have reacted. The researchers concluded that it would be extremely difficult to explain the current characteristics of Uranus’ moons without some episode of violent instability. And that type of instability only appears in models where more giant planets existed than we see today.
Most likely, the authors point out, the moons of Uranus were destabilized at least twice in the past: First by the impact that tilted the planet, and then by close encounters between giant planets during the instability. That chaos, fueled by the presence of one or more planets that were later ejected, would have destroyed and rebuilt the system of moons to what we see today.
Miranda, the moon of Uranus considered the most unusual in the solar system.
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The Solar System and Chaos
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune did not always have their current positions in the solar system. According to the planetary-instability model, they were born a little closer to the Sun and closer together. After millions of years, they migrated towards their current orbits.
But there are details of this model that do not fit with the observations. For one thing, the current orbits of Jupiter and Saturn are eccentric, while there are specific structures such as the Kuiper belt that seemingly should have prevented Neptune from moving into its current position. In the simulations, the planets did not reach where they are today.
It is therefore possible that the solar system at one point had more planets, and these were the ones that “pushed the others.” Under this hypothesis, the puzzle of the solar system fits better. The problem is, those bodies, if they existed, are gone—they were ejected and left no physical traces or fragments. This leaves the idea of missing planets in the realm of hypotheses, waiting for sufficient evidence to be accumulated to confirm it.
The Unusual Moon
The new Icarus study tested the missing planets hypothesis using the moons of Uranus as direct evidence. It used a total of 122 solar system evolution simulations. In 85 percent of the scenarios, the Uranus moon system collapsed. Only in a handful of scenarios did its moons survive, and, in all of them, the hypothesis of lost and ejected planets fit very well.
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The report points to Miranda, the smallest moon in Uranus’ major system. Astronomers consider it to be the most unusual in the solar system. It is patchy, as if sewn together from scraps, too icy for its size, and quite small considering the rest of Uranus’ moons. It is also geologically active.
Astronomers think that Miranda is the debris of a larger body. The study reinforces that idea and proposes that it is the clearest example of traces of planetary instability.
Although desalination is very commonly used these days to convert seawater into fresh water, one of the major disadvantages of current approaches is that commercial desalination plants produce a lot of brine, which has to be dumped somewhere ideally without causing major environmental issues. A new solar-thermal method as demonstrated by [Luheng Tang] et al. was published in Light: Science and Applications, with accompanying PR article.
This method is claimed to require no pre-treatment or leave brine, using special panels that wick water across their surface and then use solar radiation to distill this water. This differs from previous similar methods through a special surface treatment that prevents build-up of salts which would require cleaning or replacement.
The salts and other contaminants that would normally end up in the brine slough off these cells and can then be further processed to recover everything from plain table salt to lithium as well as gold, uranium and other substances of interest that are prevalent in seawater.
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So far these self-cleaning cells have been tested with water from a number of oceans with a claimed 74% solar-to-vapor conversion efficiency and nearly 100% salt extraction. As always the challenge will be in scaling this up to industrial levels, but so far it looks promising.
The opening keynote of WWDC has been presented by Tim Cook every year since 2012, but as his time as CEO draws to an end, there is speculation over whether he’ll make one last appearance.
Tim Cook does appear, unsurprisingly, to have already handed over the reins to the incoming CEO John Ternus for Apple’s future planning. But Cook remains CEO until September, so the first time we’ll see Ternus hosting an event will be the iPhone launch later that month.
Speculation by Bloomberg backs up the idea that Cook will have one last hurrah. However, it argues that Cook will quickly hand over to Apple’s Craig Federighi for the majority of the keynote video. This is fairly typical of WWDC, though.
Federighi is always prominent at the annual software developer conference, as he’s Apple’s Senior Vie President of Software Engineering. But he is now also effectively leading the company’s moves in AI, and this year Apple Intelligence is expected to be featured prominently.
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Beyond that, Bloomberg maintains that whether we do or not, we should see Mike Rockwell introducing the new Siri. He was behind the Apple Vision Pro and in April 2025 moved over to managing the AI team.
There will also be multiple people presenting various segments of the keynote video. The report says Jeff Norris should present about visionOS, and David Clark should do the watchOS portion.
Separately, if this video follows the format of previous ones, it will include at least a nod toward Apple’s health features. That means Dr Sumbul Desai is likely to appear too.
Apple doesn’t tend to speak about personnel changes at WWDC, but then it’s been 15 years since there was one as big as a new CEO. It’s conceivable, then, that Tim Cook will open the event and John Ternus will close it.
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But it’s more likely that, at least in terms of presenters, WWDC 2026 will follow its familiar form and be book-ended by Tim Cook.
Dual used High End Vienna 2026 to preview the CS 629Q, a fully automatic direct-drive turntable that looks backward and forward at the same time. That is not always a good thing in hi-fi. Sometimes it means “heritage-inspired” wood trim slapped on something that might be too clever for its own good. In this case, Dual might have come up with something that actually inspires users to actually want to listen more.
The CS 629Q is still a prototype, with global availability expected in mid-2027 and pricing expected around €1,800. That means nobody should treat this as a finished retail product just yet. But the concept is interesting because Dual is returning to one of the things it historically did rather well: automatic turntables that were genuinely useful, not disposable convenience machines.
A Fully Automatic Direct-Drive Turntable
The Dual CS 629Q is a fully automatic turntable built around a newly developed direct-drive motor. According to the manufacturer, the motor has been engineered specifically to work with Dual’s automatic mechanism, with the goal of delivering smooth operation and stable speed control.
The automatic functions include start, stop, repeat, and electronic speed selection for 33, 45, and 75 RPM playback. The new model also adds a pause function, which is not exactly revolutionary in consumer electronics, but in the world of high-end turntables may cause some people to clutch their felt mats in horror.
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That is part of the appeal. The CS 629Q is aimed at listeners who want vinyl playback without pretending that manually cueing a tonearm is some sacred religious ceremony. Ever tried putting on a record after one drink too many? That stylus suddenly looks very expensive, and your hands start negotiating with gravity.
Bluetooth Remote App Control
The CS 629Q also includes Bluetooth connectivity and app control, allowing users to operate the turntable remotely. That follows the direction Dual has already taken with the CS 529, which includes Bluetooth for audio and remote-control functions, but the CS 629Q pushes the idea into a more premium direct-drive platform.
There is always a risk with app-controlled hi-fi products: the app becomes the product’s weakest link. But Dual’s approach makes sense if the core mechanical platform is solid. Automatic operation is not new for the brand. Remote-controlled automatic operation is not completely new either. The CS 629Q appears to bring that history into a more modern control environment.
Dual’s Automatic Turntable Legacy Still Matters
Dual’s first fully automatic direct-drive turntable, the CS 701, arrived in 1973. The CS 650 RC followed in 1979/80 with remote-control functionality. That history gives the CS 629Q more credibility than it would have coming from a brand with no automatic-turntable lineage.
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This is not Dual chasing a gimmick because someone in marketing discovered Bluetooth. The company has a real history with fully automatic and remotely controlled record players. The CS 629Q looks like an attempt to modernize that idea for listeners who want convenience without buying a flimsy plastic deck with a ceramic cartridge and all the dignity of a hotel ice machine.
The Bottom Line
The Dual CS 629Q could become one of the more interesting turntables to watch heading into 2027. It is fully automatic, direct-drive, app-controllable, and expected to land around €1,800. That gives it a very specific lane: high-end vinyl playback for people who still appreciate convenience.
The risk is obvious. If the app experience is clunky, the automatic mechanism is noisy, or the direct-drive platform does not deliver the expected speed stability, the CS 629Q becomes an expensive novelty.
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Because the CS 629Q remains a prototype, Dual has not yet published the deeper specifications, including cartridge, tonearm, platter construction, dimensions, weight, output options, or final pricing. For now, the story is the concept: a fully automatic direct-drive turntable with app-based control, aimed at bringing Dual’s automatic turntable heritage into a more modern platform.
Not every vinyl listener wants to perform a small ceremony every time they play Side B. Some just want the record to spin correctly, the arm to behave itself, and the music to start without drama. Radical stuff, apparently.
Price & Availability
The upcoming Dual CS 629Q will join the existing range of automatic turntables.
American households rely on a wide variety of batteries every day. You may even have a dedicated battery drawer filled with AAs, D-cell batteries, 9-volt and more. When many of these batteries die, we simply throw them in the trash and forget about them. While the EPA recommends that you recycle alkaline and zinc-carbon batteries, they are typically allowed in household trash. Lithium batteries, on the other hand, are governed by a stricter set of rules.
Lithium batteries are very different from alkaline batteries. They are found in most modern electronics like smartphones, fitness trackers, electric toothbrushes, shavers, and much more. They are rechargeable, lightweight, and have a long lifespan, making them a perfect choice for modern electronics. They should also never be thrown away in your household trash.
Lithium batteries are extremely flammable, especially if they overheat or are damaged or punctured. You may not notice a problem at home, but these batteries have caused both garbage truck fires and fires at dumps and recycling facilities. In late May 2026, the cities of Troy, Michigan and Roseville, California reported trash truck fires on the same day.
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While concrete statistics are hard to find, the news is riddled with reports of recent garbage truck fires linked to these types of batteries, including additional incidents in Florida and Texas. These fires are not only dangerous for the drivers of the trucks and the surrounding community, but they also pose a risk to firefighters as well.
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Why fires linked to lithium batteries are so dangerous
J2r/Getty Images
When you toss a lithium battery into the trash, it eventually ends up in a garbage truck, where it may be compressed and exposed to high heat. Once the battery ruptures, a fire can start fast and spread very quickly, either in the truck or at waste management facilities. When a fire erupts in a garbage truck, the driver often has to quickly dump the refuse on the street in order to save the truck.
These fires burn at high temperatures and can be difficult to extinguish. The batteries can also release toxic gases that are dangerous to those in the vicinity, and they can even reignite hours or days later.
To keep sanitation workers, firefighters, and even yourself safe, you should properly dispose of lithium batteries. First, place the battery in a separate plastic bag away from other trash or place tape over the battery terminals. Then, take them to a battery recycling drop-off location. If the battery is damaged, however, do not try to recycle it. Instead, contact the battery or device manufacturer for instructions on what you should do next.
Free drop-off locations are often available at electronics stores like Best Buy, hardware stores, and even some office supply stores. You can also visit Earth911 to find a recycling location for lithium batteries and other hazardous materials near you.
The WWDC swag bag for 2026 has arrived, with attendees getting a bag, a bottle, and a collection of pins, including one of Little Finder Guy.
Each year, visitors to Apple Park taking part in the WWDC festivities can pick up exclusive Apple merchandise from the on-site Apple Store. At the same time, attendees can pick up a swag bag, made specifically for the developer event.
The 2026 swag bag was picked up by Canoopsy, who posted pictures to X on Sunday. The merchandise consists of:
A black tote bag with WWDC branding
WWDC 26 water bottle
A selection of stickers
A selection of pin badges
There are four pins in the photographs, consisting of the Apple skull and crossbones, an Apple 50 pin that’s different from the employee anniversary pin, Clarius the Dogcow, and Little Finder Guy. The latter was an unexpected social media phenomenon, prompting its inclusion in the bag for 2026.
The bag is relatively similar to the 2025 edition, except for some changes in style, and that the stickers replace the lanyard.
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Apple’s swag bag is just one early surprise in its WWDC week of events, which will provide the first access to the company’s fall software updates, including iOS 27 and macOS 27.
AMD, which has already been moving in that direction with its Strix Halo chips, does not appear rattled. If anything, the company’s executives are portraying Nvidia’s arrival as long overdue. Read Entire Article Source link
Xbox opened its 2026 Games Showcase with extended gameplay from Gears of War E-Day, handing the series the lead spot for the first time. What followed was a focused look at the opening days of the Locust War, rebuilt from the ground up and aimed squarely at longtime fans who remember the original tension. Release arrives October 6, 2026, exactly twenty years after the first Gears of War reached players. The game lands on Xbox Series X and Series S, on PC through Steam and the Xbox app, and via cloud streaming. Game Pass Ultimate subscribers gain day-one access. Xbox leadership confirmed during the show that this release stays exclusive to Xbox consoles and PC, with no version planned for PlayStation 5.
Kalona is the game’s whole setting, modeled after real-world coastal and industrial locations such as waterfront refineries, dense residential neighborhoods, a stadium district, and enormous industrial yards. The plot then successfully confines you within the Bravo Squad’s minds for three long, dramatic days while the world around them implodes. You meet Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago, who are still shaken up by Dom’s loss of his older brother Carlos some 6 years ago, despite being younger veterans with a lot to prove. The crew is completed by Mags Carter, a seasoned Gear who used to work in the Imulsion refineries and was seriously harmed by it, Lucas Reyes, a young communications cadet, and Tai Kaliso, who crosses paths with them as the crisis spirals out of control.
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Combat is classic, as one would expect from a Gears game, but there are some unique twists that keep things interesting. You may now jump up and take out a rooftop or elevated position, slip from a full sprint right into cover if your timing is good, climb over obstacles if necessary (and you will), and vault through gaps. The cover components are now available in a range of shapes and sizes, allowing you to select a flanking angle or hold many angles at once. When it comes to destruction, both good and bad, the consequences are serious. A few well-placed rounds from a small-arms rifle can gradually destroy a barrier, as can a larger event such as a sinkhole dragging a car or structure section into the depths. Locusts can appear anywhere on the planet, and a well-placed grenade will essentially imprison them in an e-hole before more emerge.
The weapons have been totally revamped, yet the Gnasher still dominates close-quarters fighting while the Longshot continues to hit its target from afar. The Gut Puncher is a new toy in town that functions as a grenade launcher, firing armour-piercing bullets that may also be manually detonated for maximum damage. There’s also the Incinerator, which essentially melts things with an Imulsion-powered flame. Even the Lancers get a new backstory, as they are depicted as an early prototype chainsaw rig that men put together on the front lines in the early days of the war.
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Consoles support four-player online co-op and two-player split-screen, allowing you and your friends to approach tasks in different ways. One squad can press along a narrow street while the other goes to the balcony to lay up some support fire. That adaptation works equally well in narrow alleys as it does in the larger communities that emerge later in the three-day span. Multiplayer’s role extends beyond the campaign mode. Horde Siege has 12 players divided into three teams, each defending a greater area of Kalona. Players can choose from positions such as Assault, Marksman, Medic, or Breacher and form four-person teams to fulfill common objectives and battle massive global bosses. Versus mode has also been updated, with all-new 4v4 maps set in and around the city. New movement aspects supplement the traditional cover-based gameplay, and playlists are available for both ranked and social play.
An open beta begins on August 6th, albeit much of it is reserved for pre-orders or Game Pass holders at the highest tier. The Coalition’s creators started with a completely blank slate in Unreal Engine 5, with no existing assets to import; every single street, building, weapon, animation, and sound effect was created from the ground up. That implies continual destruction throughout the city, and the new lighting tools make night sequences feel much more frightening, particularly in collapsing interior scenes.
Microsoft has officially kicked off celebrations for Xbox’s 25th anniversary with a nostalgic new limited-edition console that pays tribute to the original Xbox era. Unveiled during the Xbox Games Showcase, the new Xbox Series X25 combines modern hardware with the iconic translucent green aesthetic that defined Microsoft’s first gaming console back in 2001.
The special edition console arrives ahead of Xbox’s official 25th anniversary in November and is clearly designed to appeal to longtime fans who grew up during the original Xbox generation. Officially called the Xbox Series X25, the console features a translucent green shell inspired by the classic debug-style look associated with the first Xbox hardware.
Microsoft has also included several nostalgic touches throughout the design. The Xbox power logo lights up in green, while the front of the console includes a dedicated 25th anniversary emblem. Despite the visual overhaul, the hardware specifications remain identical to the standard Xbox Series X, including the same 1TB storage configuration and overall performance capabilities.
Microsoft is leaning heavily into Xbox nostalgia
The anniversary edition highlights how important nostalgia has become in the gaming industry. Console makers increasingly rely on retro-inspired hardware, limited-edition designs, and legacy branding to reconnect with longtime fans who grew up alongside iconic gaming platforms.
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For Xbox specifically, the translucent green aesthetic carries significant emotional weight. The original Xbox launched in 2001 with a bold industrial design language that helped differentiate Microsoft from Sony and Nintendo at the time. The green color scheme quickly became one of the brand’s defining visual identities.
Series XXbox
The new console also reflects the growing popularity of translucent gaming hardware again. Over the past few years, companies including 8BitDo have successfully revived retro transparent designs through Xbox-themed keyboards, mice, controllers, and accessories inspired by the original console generation.
Alongside the console, Microsoft also announced the Xbox Wireless Controller X25 Special Edition. The controller features the same translucent green shell along with colored ABXY buttons and bumpers inspired by the original “Duke” controller that shipped with the first Xbox.
For longtime Xbox fans, the controller may end up being just as nostalgic as the console itself. The Duke controller remains one of the most recognizable – and famously oversized – controllers in gaming history.
The anniversary launch shows that Xbox still values hardware identity
The limited-edition release arrives during an important period for Xbox. Microsoft has spent the past several years expanding beyond traditional console gaming through Game Pass, cloud streaming, PC integration, and AI-powered gaming initiatives. Some industry observers questioned whether Xbox hardware itself would remain central to Microsoft’s long-term strategy.
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Instead, the anniversary launch reinforces that Microsoft still sees emotional value in dedicated gaming hardware and the Xbox brand identity. Even as the company pushes toward subscription ecosystems and cloud gaming, nostalgic console releases continue to generate excitement among collectors and longtime players.
Series XXbox
Microsoft says the Xbox Series X25 Console and Xbox Wireless Controller X25 Special Edition will launch together in select markets starting in November. The controller will also be sold separately for fans who want the retro design without purchasing a new console.
Pricing and pre-order details have not yet been announced, but given the limited-edition nature of the hardware, demand from collectors is expected to be high once sales begin later this year.
So you happen to have a gramaphone– maybe a big old Victrola/HMV, perhaps a Columbia– regardless of brand, it’s a big, beautiful conversation peice for your living room. It might not be the most practical listening device, since isnomuch as there is a vinyl renessance, it’s restricted to vinyl, not the old shellac 78s the these all-mechanical beasts were born for. [JGJMatt] decided to bring his gramophone into the 21st century, turning it into a bluetooth speaker without altering any of its original internals.
What’s really interesting is that this hack was once a commercial product– sort of. Back in the 1920s when everyone was listening to Jazz, the problem of ‘ what do I do with this massive gramophone cabinet when I’m not cutting a rug?’ was equally valid, and a solution was found: the Dulce-Tone Radio Speaker. A very weak speaker sits under the needle, turning the gramaphone mechanism into an amplifier for the radio. The very same concept, [JGJMatt] would work equally well in the 2020s with a bluetooth signal as in the 1920s with an AM one. There’s no demo video for this project, but you can hear how its 1920s inspiration sounded in the video below.
The driver for this device is made using a neodymium magnet and the voice coil from a 3W speaker. A 3D-printed needle-holder captures the gramophone’s needle– a much thicker and sturdier thing than the tiny diamond-tip you’d find on a modern turntable, we should note– and holds the magnet to it. The voice coil gets driven via a MH-M38 bluetooth module, and everything is held in a nice 3D-printed case along with the battery.
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The hack is, of course, totally reversible: at any moment, you can remove the needle from this device and drop it on a 78 for some Jazz-era fun, or swap back for 21st century brainrot. If you happen to have some of those old shellac records and a modern turntable, note it takes more than the right RPM to get good sound.
T-CREATE EXPERT P35SG enables remote SSD destruction via cellular control
Hardware level wipe prevents recovery even after advanced forensic attempts
Physical button allows instant local activation of secure data wipe
A storage device capable of destroying its own contents remotely has emerged as one of the more unusual technologies unveiled at Computex 2026.
Teamgroup unveiled the T-CREATE EXPERT P35SG, an external SSD that combines portable storage with an integrated cellular communications system.
The device incorporates an independent 4G LTE modem, allowing it to receive commands without depending on a connected computer or host network.
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How the wireless destruction actually works without a host computer
The built-in cellular network bypasses limitations that the host machine might impose on the drive, so a user can trigger confidential data destruction remotely, even when far away from the physical device.
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For on-site use, the SSD also includes a physical button that enables instant one-touch data wiping when needed.
It uses a patented two-stage safety push-button system paired with Teamgroup’s dedicated destruction circuit, both protected by utility patents in multiple regions.
The company has also integrated a proprietary destruction trigger notification system, which sends real-time updates so users can confirm when the wipe process has completed successfully.
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The drive performs its wipe sequence at the hardware level rather than through any operating system, a bare metal execution which makes it resistant to software-based interruption once the process begins.
On-board power reserves ensure the wipe completes even if the device is suddenly disconnected, and a combined high-voltage physical breakdown and logical data wipe further strengthens the destruction process.
The company claims this method meets strict standards designed to prevent forensic recovery.
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A fail-safe locking mechanism helps reduce the risk of accidental activation and unintended data loss.
A business traveller carrying sensitive client information may find value in this level of remote destruction control.
The drive essentially acts as a data “dead man’s switch,” ensuring information cannot be recovered if the device is compromised.
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Previous self-destruct storage technologies and early concepts
Self-destructing storage technology has evolved through several experimental stages over the years, ranging from military-style designs to more practical consumer approaches.
In 2021, Technodynamika, a subsidiary of Rostec, reportedly prototyped a USB drive with a built-in detonator designed to physically destroy NAND chips when triggered.
The mechanism was intended to make recovered data completely unrecoverable once activated.
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More recent consumer-oriented concepts, such as the Ovrdrive USB, took less extreme approaches.
These included heat-based data destruction and secure multi-step unlock processes designed to prevent unauthorized access.
TEAMGROUP has also entered this field with devices like the P250Q Self-Destruct SSD and the P35S SSD, which can permanently erase data with user-initiated commands.
They combine hardware-level data erasure, AES-256 encryption, and power-loss resilience to ensure sensitive information cannot be recovered even after interruption.
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