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Indigenous nations in present-day Georgia may have enjoyed cacao
The chocolate ingredient likely made its way from the southwest via extensive ancient trade networks. More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. By signing up, you confirm you are 16+, will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy . Various Indigenous peoples across the southwestern United States as well as Central and South America have harvested cacao plants for millennia.
FBI Disrupts Chinese Proxy Tools Used in Mass Hacking of US Agencies and Infrastructure
China's hacking campaign targeted NASA, the Federal Reserve, the US Senate, the Justice Department, and more, according to the DOJ. For years, China's military and intelligence agencies, which carry out hacking campaigns against targets around the globe, have grown increasingly reliant on a vast web of proxy devices that enable and obfuscate their targeting. Now the FBI has named and disrupted one key network of those proxies--and in doing so, revealed just how extensively the hackers who used it reached into American government institutions and US critical infrastructure. On Wednesday, the Department of Justice announced the takedown of two tools, known as QTRouter and QScan, used by a Chinese state-sponsored hacking group the DOJ identified as QTFY, which is allegedly part of a Chinese government contractor called Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology Company. According to prosecutors and an FBI affidavit used to seize domains that those tools relied on, the company gave its customers access to botnets of hacked internet-of-things (IoT) devices and co-opted commercial proxy services.
Meta reportedly abandoned an AI-focused restructuring plan that would have laid off thousands
Sometimes, AI-driven restructuring goes about as well as an AI-assisted legal brief. Reuters reports that Meta spent much of this year testing a plan in which AI would take over many of the workforce's daily tasks. Dubbed Project OT, the plan appears to connect two stories from earlier this year: Meta's 10 percent workforce reduction and the company's program that tracked employees' mouse movements and keystrokes. Meta executives were reportedly influenced by startups, including some they observed in Asia, that had structured themselves around AI. At an annual leadership retreat in January at Mark Zuckerberg's Hawaii estate, executives laid out an "AI native" vision for the company.
Candidates Are Signing a Pact Promising Action on Data Centers and AI Safety
More than 15 politicians from across the country have signed on to the AI Pact, vowing to regulate data centers and AI. "We've got to get this right," says Senate candidate Dan Osborn of Nebraska. Dan Osborn was finishing up his fourth town hall last Sunday, he says, when a "hardcore MAGA" guy approached him. Osborn, who is running for the US Senate in Nebraska as an independent against Republican incumbent Pete Ricketts, said that he and the man didn't have much common ground--at first. "Then I said, 'Hey, what's your take on AI and data centers?'"
Will plug-in solar plus batteries solve your power problem? I did the math
I wore the world's first HDR10 smart glasses TCL's new E Ink tablet beats the Remarkable and Kindle Anker's new charger is one of the most unique I've ever seen I wore the world's first HDR10 smart glasses TCL's new E Ink tablet beats the Remarkable and Kindle Anker's new charger is one of the most unique I've ever seen Will plug-in solar plus batteries solve your power problem? It can't be just about harvesting solar power - it's also about storage, and time-shifting cheap, off-peak power to times when it's more expensive. Batteries let you store and timeshift power. They can store solar-generated power or cheap, off-peak power. To make this work, you need a TOU tariff with a decent peak/off-peak rate spread.
Over 2,000 animals spotted off the coast of Cape Cod
More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. Researchers spotted a total of 11 whale sharks during an aerial survey over the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument on August 16, 2026. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. By signing up, you confirm you are 16+, will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy . When most people gaze out of an airplane window, they admire the fluffy clouds slowly floating past them.
How Liz Plank created her dream job and keeps it real
Creator Playbook Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Mashable Voices Look Up Trending Now Say More Mashable Selects Safety Net Versus Gift Ideas For Everyone On Your List Switch Off In My Bag All Series If you're trying to be authentic, you're not. Callum turner takes on the'Hot Ones' spicy wings, keeps his cool When it comes to multitasking, Liz Plank ( feministabulous) might just be the poster-child. She is a content creator, journalist ( Vox), author (, podcaster (, amongst too many titles to name. Liz Plank is a true queen of all trades. Recently, Plank met up with Mashable's Executive Producer, Mark Stetson, in New York's Washington Square Park, her favorite place.
Xbox boss 'thinking about affordability' of next-gen console
Xbox chief executive Asha Sharma says the gaming giant needs to be thinking about affordability for its next-generation console, amid a crisis in computing prices. In an interview with the BBC, she said rising hardware costs partly driven by AI spending mean firms need to find ways to make gaming affordable. She also revealed gamers will soon be able to get digital versions of many of the physical games they currently own, potentially meaning their old games can be played on future Xbox consoles without having to put a disc in a drive. I know players love physical media, and I know there's a lot of benefits in digital media, and I want to make sure people have a choice, Sharma said. Currently, digital games can be downloaded online and played across Xbox consoles or PCs.
Cyndi Lauper on Table Manners is an instant classic episode
Creator Playbook Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Mashable Voices Look Up Trending Now Say More Mashable Selects Safety Net Versus Gift Ideas For Everyone On Your List Switch Off In My Bag All Series Cyndi Lauper on'Table Manners' is an instant classic episode Shannon Connellan is Mashable's Senior Editor, General Assignments, based in London. She has been Mashable's UK Editor (and still manages the illustrious UK team) and Australia Editor, but emotionally, she lives searching for . A Tomatometer-approved critic, Shannon writes about entertainment, tech, social good, science, culture, and Australian horror, and loves to nerd out with movie stars, filmmakers, and TV creators . Music icon Cyndi Lauper is this week's guest on and honestly, it's a feast to remember. In the foodie interview podcast released Wednesday, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and forever New Yorker sat down with the Wares for her favourite meal of borscht, with fig and almond tart for dessert.
IKEA and Xbox have collaborated on a gaming furniture collection: Launch date, price, lineup
Creator Playbook Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Mashable Voices Look Up Trending Now Say More Mashable Selects Safety Net Versus Gift Ideas For Everyone On Your List Switch Off In My Bag All Series Finally, a stool that tilts when you do. Soumya is a deals writer who covers consumer tech, shopping deals, and the products people use every day. With experience writing about everything from AI tools and software to smartphones and home gadgets, she enjoys breaking down product research into clear, useful recommendations. When she's not tracking deals, she's usually comparing products, digging through reviews, and figuring out what actually makes a purchase worth it. All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers.