Author: alex

FDA Approves Human Trials for Gene‑Edited Pig Kidney Transplants In a major step for xenotransplantation, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Investigational New Drug (IND) clearance to eGenesis to begin human clinical trials of gene‑edited pig kidneys. The approval authorizes a phased clinical study to evaluate safety and efficacy in people with end‑stage kidney disease. What happened The FDA cleared eGenesis to start a three‑phase clinical trial of their CRISPR gene‑edited pig kidneys. Early compassionate‑use transplants (including Tim Andrews and Bill Stewart at Massachusetts General Hospital) have left patients dialysis‑free for months. United Therapeutics is pursuing similar trials using their own gene‑edited pigs. Who is eligible The initial eGenesis trial will enroll people who: Have end‑stage kidney disease (ESKD) Are 50 years or older Are dialysis‑dependent and currently…

Apple “Awe Dropping” event — live at 19:00 CEST Apple is holding its traditional September event today, start time 19:00 CEST (German time). You can follow the live stream on Apple's website, the Apple TV app, or on YouTube. Live stream (YouTube): Watch Apple’s live stream Time conversions: 19:00 CEST (Central Europe) 18:00 BST (UK) 13:00 ET (US Eastern) 10:00 PT (US Pacific) What to expect New iPhone 17 lineup (iPhone 17, 17 Pro, possibly iPhone 17 Air) Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 New AirPods Pro (third generation) Potential Apple TV 4K update and other accessories Software announcements and possibly a surprise "one more thing" This event is a mix of marketing and product announcements — ideal to see Apple’s direction for hardware and services for…

Kulturpass likely discontinued — what it means for the 2007 cohort The Kulturpass, introduced in 2023 to subsidize museum, concert and theatre visits for young adults, is likely to be discontinued. Cultural State Minister Wolfram Weimer has indicated continuation is unlikely after a Federal Audit Office assessment that federal financing may be constitutionally problematic. Key points Program launched in 2023 to boost youth cultural participation. About 450,000 active users through 2024; total costs reported above €100 million, including >€30 million technical costs. The Federal Audit Office questioned the federal legal basis for funding, noting culture is largely a state (Länder) responsibility. Minister Weimer says federal continuation is unlikely; alternative youth cultural support measures are being considered. Implications The apparent end of the Kulturpass affects young people eligible in cohorts like…

Lymow One: Tank-ähnlicher Mähroboter für schwere Gelände Auf der Berliner Funkausstellung stellte das chinesische Unternehmen Lymow den Lymow One vor — einen Mähroboter mit Raupenantrieb, der speziell für große Rasenflächen und schwieriges, unebenes Gelände entwickelt wurde. Statt Begrenzungskabel nutzt das Gerät RTK‑VSLAM/Satelliten-Navigation für drahtfreie, präzise Routenplanung. Wichtige Merkmale Raupenantrieb für Arbeiten in Matsch, Wurzeln und unebenem Untergrund RTK‑VSLAM & Satellitennavigation — kein Begrenzungskabel nötig Schneidbreite: ca. 405 mm (16") Schnitthöhe: verstellbar, ca. 30–100 mm Hangfähigkeit: bis zu 45° Steigung Akku: LiFePO4 mit schnellem 10A‑Ladegerät Für Flächen bis zu ca. 7.000 m² (1,73 acres) pro Tag ausgelegt Preis & Verfügbarkeit Auf der Herstellerseite wird der Lymow One mit einem Preis von rund 2.499 USD (Aktion; regulär höher) gelistet. Laut Herstellerseiten sind voraussichtliche Versandtermine je nach Region gestaffelt; aktuell sind Bestellungen direkt…

Plex security breach — change passwords immediately Plex has announced a security incident in which an unauthorized third party accessed a limited subset of user account data. Plex says some customers had their email addresses, usernames and hashed passwords exposed. Credit card data was not stored on Plex servers and was not compromised. What Plex says Official announcement: Plex support announcement Plex confirmed the incident was announced on September 9, 2025. Passwords were hashed (scrambled), reducing the chance they were readable, but Plex advises caution. What you should do now Change your Plex password immediately: Reset password. When resetting, choose the option to sign out connected devices to force reauthentication across sessions. Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) for your account via Plex Security settings. If you use third-party sign-ins (Google, Apple),…

Anker Soundcore Space A40 — Back on Sale for $45 (44% off) The Anker Soundcore Space A40 wireless earbuds are on sale for a record-low price of $45 (about 44% off). These remain one of the best budget wireless earbuds you can buy thanks to active noise cancellation and long battery life. Key features Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) — effective at reducing steady background rumble (e.g., on planes) Sound profile — warm with strong upper-bass; some higher-frequency detail is lost compared with flagship models Battery life — about 10 hours per charge in the earbuds, ~50 extra hours from the charging case Comfort — small, round earpieces designed for long wear App support — Soundcore app includes EQ for tuning the sound Mic & transparency mode — usable but somewhat…

Firefox brings AI page summaries to iOS — shake to summarize Mozilla has rolled out a new page-summarization feature in Firefox for mobile, currently available for English-language iOS users in the United States. The feature generates AI-powered summaries for webpages (roughly up to 5,000 words) and can be invoked in three ways: Shake your iPhone Tap the ⚡️ (thunderbolt) icon at the right of the address bar Open the three-dot menu and select “Summarize page” How the AI works & privacy If you have an iPhone 15 or newer running iOS 26, Firefox will use Apple Intelligence locally to create the summary. For older devices or iOS versions, Firefox will send the page text securely to Mozilla’s cloud-based AI to generate the summary. You can disable page summaries in Firefox…

Paramount+: Annual Plans 50% Off — Limited Time Paramount+ is offering a substantial limited-time discount on annual subscriptions through Sep 18: Essential (ad-supported): $30/year (normally $60) Premium (mostly ad-free): $60/year (normally $120) Key points: Offer requires payment for the full year upfront — month-to-month rates remain unchanged. Deal is available to both new and returning subscribers (pricing applied at signup). After the promotional year ends, subscriptions will renew at the regular price unless canceled before renewal. Why consider it Paramount+ hosts a varied lineup including Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Lower Decks, plus other Star Trek titles, select Showtime shows (available on Premium) like Yellowjackets and Dexter: Resurrection, sports coverage, and RuPaul-related content. For fans of these shows or casual streaming viewers, $30–$60/year is a compelling value. Caveats…

BleeqUp Ranger: Sport Glasses with Action Cam, Headset & Walkie‑Talkie BleeqUp’s Ranger combines an action camera, open‑ear audio and a walkie‑talkie in a lightweight sports eyewear package aimed at cyclists, runners and outdoor athletes. Launched at MWC 2025, the Ranger focuses on hands‑free recording, communication and safety. Key features 1080p action camera with AI-powered automatic highlight detection and one‑tap editing for quick sharing. Open‑ear surround sound speakers for music, calls and walkie‑talkie functionality while maintaining situational awareness. Battery: ~1 hour of continuous recording on the glasses alone; optional helmet-mounted battery pack adds ~4 hours (manufacturer-stated ranges vary). Protection: UV400-rated lenses, anti-fog, IP54 dust/water resistance, and support for prescription inserts. Lightweight frame (~under 50g) made from TR90 material; Zeiss-quality replaceable lenses; adjustable nose pad. AI features: automatic highlights and on-device edits…

Anthropic Claude can now create & edit files (Excel, Docs, PPT, PDFs) Anthropic has started rolling out a feature preview that lets Claude create and edit files — including Excel spreadsheets, documents, PowerPoint slide decks and PDFs — by running code in a private compute environment. This turns Claude from an advisor into an active collaborator that can produce files and analyses for you. Availability Available now in preview to Max, Team and Education subscriptions. Pro subscribers: rollout promised “in the coming weeks.” Free users: no timeline yet. “We’ve given Claude access to a private computer environment where it can write code and run programs to produce the files and analyses you need... making sophisticated multi-step work accessible through conversation.” — Anthropic How to try it Open Claude and go…