Security researchers found that in less than 60 seconds, they could open a hatch on a plane's exterior, plug in a tiny device, and redirect the aircraft's autopilot or sabotage its flight plan. Even as the digital components of so many life-critical systems have proven susceptible to cybersabotage-- cars, medical devices, even water utilities and power grids --the computer systems of airplanes have, thankfully, remained uniquely inaccessible to hackers. But one group of academic researchers has spent years testing a different, devious approach to aviation cybersecurity. Perhaps, they suggest, a plane could be hacked the same way that spies and saboteurs have targeted other high-value, offline computers: by surreptitiously gaining physical access to one and plugging in a device designed to silently run the attackers' malicious code. Tomorrow at the Usenix Cybersecurity Conference, researchers from the University of California at San Diego and Oberlin College will present a hacking technique capable of commandeering the autopilot of a Boeing 737 to redirect its navigation or silently altering key values in the plane's takeoff and fuel calculations while spoofing the results on the pilot's screen--subtle changes the researchers say could potentially cause anything from runway overruns on takeoff to diversions to a different country's airspace to catastrophic crashes.

Mini human brains are being grown in labs all over the world. I'm going to let you in on a secret. Every cell in your body has the potential to get smarter. I don't mean this metaphorically, or in a "body keeps the score" kind of way. I mean that if lab-coated biologists took a sample of your skin and very carefully manipulated the cells inside it, they could actually make a brain. They do it all the time. Not a brain as complex as the one behind your eyes, of course, but a glob of gray matter nonetheless, with a few-million-odd neurons that can send and receive electrical signals. Kept at a womblike 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit for eight months, they'll produce repetitive oscillations-- --nearly indistinguishable from those made by a premature baby. In cell culture labs around the world, human brain organoids live out their short lives as neural guinea pigs, testing the effects of diseases, toxins, and new pharmaceuticals. But they may soon be on to more glamorous pursuits. At the University of San Diego, organoids are guiding spidery robots through mazes and taking hero doses of psychedelics.

Researchers at the University of Leeds and collaborators from the University of California San Diego won the Best Paper Award at RoboSoft, the leading international conference focused on soft robotics research. Soft robotics is gaining attention in medical applications because compliant machines can interact more safely with delicate objects and complex anatomy. The award-winning paper describes a 1.8 mm soft growing robot that can be steered magnetically, sense its own shape in real time, and operate without internal pressure. These advances could help improve patient outcomes following minimally invasive procedures. We spoke with lead author Benjamin Calmé about the team's work.

Humanoid robot surgery reached a new milestone as teleoperated robots completed two laparoscopic gallbladder surgeries on pigs for the first time in a UC San Diego preclinical trial.

Things to Do in L.A. Tap to enable a layout that focuses on the article. Trump administration seeks to limit federal funding that doesn't'advance' presidential policies The White House Office of Management and Budget has proposed sweeping new rules for the way federal grants are awarded and overseen. This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here . See more from the L.A. Times in Google Search.

Phone cluster computing turns old smartphones into low-carbon data center servers. Google says UC San Diego plans to launch a 2,000 Pixel phone data center in Fall 2026.

The Centers for Research in Emerging Infectious Diseases were launched during the Covid-19 pandemic. The group lost its funding under Trump in part due to conspiracy theories. As the world struggles to contain the rapidly growing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ituri province, a vital network of research centers has been unable to help on the ground. The reason: The Trump administration slashed its funding last year, in part due to conspiracy theories about the origins of Covid-19. Established in 2020 by the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Research in Emerging Infectious Diseases (CREID) Network was conducting research into viruses that emerge from wildlife and spill over to people, including the family of viruses that Ebola belongs to.

Trump's stunning Georgia silence gifts America's'most endangered Democrat' Jon Ossoff a vital lifeline Ugly behind-the-scenes reality of Blake Lively's'paradise' compound: Unpaid workers, a $2MILLION debt... and humiliating new question she and Ryan Reynolds must now face Hidden warning signs you are taking the WRONG dose of Ozempic: Doctor sounds alarm over dangerous mistake... and reveals four lifestyle tweaks to avoid horror side effects'Beloved' college basketball player tragically killed in hit-and-run accident Inside Meryl Streep's very secret relationship with Martin Short: Friends finally reveal how pair bonded through trauma... incredible measures they take to hide the truth... and why there is'no doubt they are in love' Trumpworld's new eyebrow-raising addiction that even health boss RFK Jr admits to using daily Young American women in the crosshairs of dark network: They flirt and flatter, watching every move... then they strike The Chicks' Natalie Maines delivers foul-mouthed Trump rant 23 years after famously slamming George W. Bush Fast-food chain struggles under California's soaring minimum wage as frightened staff abandon crime-ridden locations Middle-aged male school board member faces criminal charges after flirting with teenage girl at public meeting: 'God, you're hot' Michelle Obama says same'anger' that led to husband's presidential victory is fueling Trump's MAGA movement: 'Those folks are drowning' Hero Amazon delivery driver jumps to woman's defense and saved her life during horror hammer attack at her home San Diego mosque shooters hated EVERYONE, according to manifesto being combed by FBI after massacre, as killer teen's $1m home is raided by cops Why Taylor Swift has cut out Travis Kelce's father ahead of wedding: He'cannot be trusted', say insiders... as'f***ed up' Blake Lively drama and preposterous demands leak out Spotify's 20th anniversary logo sparks a new'discomorphism' trend - here's how you can give ANY logo the disco ball treatment Spotify's disco ball logo has sparked a new trend online, which users are calling'discomorphism'. The logo was released to celebrate Spotify's 20th anniversary, and features a green, glittering disco ball. The change didn't go down well with many users - including one who called it the'biggest downgrade in history'. However, others were so inspired that they have created a new Discomorphism app . The app, which is the brainchild of Lovable, uses AI to give the disco ball treatment to any logo.

Things to Do in L.A. Tap to enable a layout that focuses on the article. Children and parents at a recent L.A. Unified school board meeting where screen-time limits were discussed. This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here . The L.A. Board of Education got its first look at proposed screen-time limits for students, including a total ban until secnd grade.

Trump's stunning Georgia silence gifts America's'most endangered Democrat' Jon Ossoff a vital lifeline Ugly behind-the-scenes reality of Blake Lively's'paradise' compound: Unpaid workers, a $2MILLION debt... and humiliating new question she and Ryan Reynolds must now face Hidden warning signs you are taking the WRONG dose of Ozempic: Doctor sounds alarm over dangerous mistake... and reveals four lifestyle tweaks to avoid horror side effects'Beloved' college basketball player tragically killed in hit-and-run accident Inside Meryl Streep's very secret relationship with Martin Short: Friends finally reveal how pair bonded through trauma... incredible measures they take to hide the truth... and why there is'no doubt they are in love' Trumpworld's new eyebrow-raising addiction that even health boss RFK Jr admits to using daily Young American women in the crosshairs of dark network: They flirt and flatter, watching every move... then they strike The Chicks' Natalie Maines delivers foul-mouthed Trump rant 23 years after famously slamming George W. Bush Fast-food chain struggles under California's soaring minimum wage as frightened staff abandon crime-ridden locations Middle-aged male school board member faces criminal charges after flirting with teenage girl at public meeting: 'God, you're hot' Michelle Obama says same'anger' that led to husband's presidential victory is fueling Trump's MAGA movement: 'Those folks are drowning' Hero Amazon delivery driver jumps to woman's defense and saved her life during horror hammer attack at her home San Diego mosque shooters hated EVERYONE, according to manifesto being combed by FBI after massacre, as killer teen's $1m home is raided by cops Why Taylor Swift has cut out Travis Kelce's father ahead of wedding: He'cannot be trusted', say insiders... as'f***ed up' Blake Lively drama and preposterous demands leak out An alien invasion might sound like science fiction, but a scientist has now revealed what the terrifying consequences of an encounter might be. Professor Avi Loeb, head of Harvard University's Galileo Project, claims our first encounter with an alien invader won't resemble sci-fi movies like E.T or War of the Worlds. Rather than a biological, flesh and blood alien, Professor Loeb explains that we are more likely to be met by a'technological device guided by AI '. The arrival of such a device would pose a'potential threat to all earthlings', he claims - sparking political, economic, and spiritual chaos around the world. Professor Loeb told the Daily Mail that'the stock market may crash due to the uncertainty about the impact of the encounter on the future of humanity.'