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Tokyo startup envisions a world where nothing stays lost

The Japan Times

Tokyo Metropolitan Police stations receive around 4.4 million lost items annually. With the vision of creating a world where every lost item is found, Find Inc. runs Find (stylized as) a cloud-based lost-and-found service powered by proprietary AI technology. First introduced by Keio Corporation in 2023, the service is now used by 33 companies nationwide. We spoke with Ryu Wada, Director and COO of Find Inc., about how technology is transforming the future of lost items. Find Inc. is a Tokyo-based startup that provides a cloud service dedicated to lost items. The company was founded in December 2021 by Representative Director Akira Takashima and COO Wada.


Waymo runs into safety concerns and competition as it expands in the US

Al Jazeera

The sidewalk outside Majed Zeidan's grocery store in San Francisco's Mission District has stayed filled with flowers, candles, memorials and pictures since his cat was crushed under a Waymo in late October. A month later, a Waymo reportedly crushed a dog. Amid the pictures of the cat, a visitor had placed a poster that said, "save the cat, kill the car". That's when Zeidan knew Kit Kat, his bodega cat, had become the face of the simmering discontent over San Francisco's growing number of self-driving cars. Residents became increasingly comfortable riding one, costumed Halloween parade goers clambered on its rooftops and danced, and pedestrians occasionally banged its bonnet to get it to give way to them.


The Military Almost Got the Right to Repair. Lawmakers Just Took It Away

WIRED

The final language of the annual bill that funds the US military is in. It removes provisions that would have helped ensure service members' ability to fix their own equipment. US lawmakers have removed provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act for 2026 that would have ensured military members' right to repair their own equipment. The final language of the NDAA was shared by the House Armed Services Committee on Sunday, after weeks of delays pushed the annual funding bill to the end of the year. Among a host of other language changes made as part of reconciling different versions of the legislation drafted by the Senate and the House of Representatives, two provisions focused on the right to repair--Section 836 of the Senate bill and Section 863 of the House bill--have both been removed.


Pioneering new treatment reverses incurable blood cancer in some patients

BBC News

A therapy that would once have been considered a feat of science fiction has reversed aggressive and incurable blood cancers in some patients, doctors report. The treatment involves precisely editing the DNA in white blood cells to transform them into a cancer-fighting living drug. The first girl to be treated, whose story we reported in 2022, is still free of the disease and now plans to become a cancer scientist. Now eight more children and two adults with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia have been treated, with almost two thirds (64%) of patients in remission. T-cells are supposed to be the body's guardians - seeking out and destroying threats - but in this form of leukaemia, they grow out of control.


Can adding light sensors to nerve cells switch off pain, epilepsy, and other disorders?

Science

In the past 20 years, mice with glowing cables sprouting from their heads have become a staple of neuroscience. They reflect the rise of optogenetics, in which neurons are engineered to contain light-sensitive proteins called opsins, allowing pulses of light to turn them on or off. The method has powered thousands of basic experiments into the brain circuits that drive behavior and underlie disease. As this research tool matured, hopes arose for using it as a treatment, too. Compared with the electrical or magnetic brain stimulation approaches already in use, optogenetics offers a way to more precisely target and manipulate the exact cell types underlying brain disorders.


Air New Zealand tests a new generation of electric planes

Popular Science

Battery and hydrogen-powered aircraft are cleared for takeoff. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Air New Zealand has cleared its runways to test both all-electric and hydrogen-powered planes . Although in its early stages, the four-month "intensive proving program" may help one day usher in a new era of sustainable flight. Aircraft remain some of the biggest sources of vehicle-based pollution in the world.


OpenAI Should Stop Naming Its Creations After Products That Already Exist

WIRED

From "cameo" to "io," OpenAI keeps trying to call its new and upcoming releases by names that resemble existing trademarks. In September, OpenAI launched a way for users to generate a digital likeness of themselves they could use to create personalized deepfake videos . This is one of the core features in Sora, OpenAI's app for sharing AI videos inside a TikTok-style feed. The self-deepfaking feature was called "cameo," and with that standout feature, Sora quickly rose to the top of Apple's iOS download charts. This feature name led to a trademark lawsuit with Cameo, the app where fans can pay celebrities to record personalized videos.


For the First Time, Mutations in a Single Gene Have Been Linked to Mental Illness

WIRED

Research links variations in the gene GRIN2A to a higher risk of developing schizophrenia and other forms of mental illness. A team of physicians specializing in genetics and neurology discovered that mental illnesses such as schizophrenia are closely linked to mutations in the GRIN2A gene. The scientists mantain that identifying this genetic risk factor opens up the possibility of designing preventive therapies in the future. The GRIN2A gene regulates communication between neurons by producing the GluN2A protein. When functioning optimally, it promotes the transmission of electrical signals between nerve cells and facilitates essential processes such as learning, memory, language, and brain development.


OpenAI turns off ads on ChatGPT as AI falls short

PCWorld

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Expect them to be turned back on eventually, however. OpenAI has turned off ads appearing on ChatGPT while it works out how best to improve the model's precision, its top researchers said. In early December, a user complained about the nonsensical way in which ChatGPT was showing ads for Target below a conversation the user was having about Windows' BitLocker. In repsonse, Mark Chen, the chief research officer at OpenAI, said that the company would look into the situation.


Sweaty Betty in new dispute over ad slogans

BBC News

Activewear brand Sweaty Betty has become involved in a new dispute over advertising slogans, which a period underwear company claims were copied. Kelly Newton said Sweaty Betty's use of two taglines that were very similar to her firm Nixi Body's seemed a little off, and while she could not get them trademarked she felt Sweaty Betty was taking from other female founders. Sweaty Betty said the No ifs. Ms Newton said she was speaking out after seeing personal trainer Georgina Cox reveal Sweaty Betty had offered her a settlement over a disputed slogan . Ms Newton, who co-founded Nixi Body in 2019, said the company has advertised its leak-proof period underwear with the lines Keeping you moving through menstruation, motherhood and menopause and No leaks.