Analyst on China's spent rocket stages: "Things only continue to get worse"

Analyst on China's spent rocket stages: "Things only continue to get worse"

fivenewscrypto    mai 27, 2026   

Up until a decade ago, China had never launched as many as 20 orbital rockets a year. But beginning in 2022, the Asian country launched 64 rockets and last year reached a record total of 93, marking it as the second-most productive space power in the world.

Further growth is anticipated from both the company's state-owned enterprises as well as a rapidly expanding number of private launch companies. There is nothing wrong with this, as China's rapid growth in launch has been mirrored by the United States and, in particular, SpaceX.

However there is an issue with these launches, as China appears to be ignoring long-established norms about disposing of the upper stages of rockets. These are the parts of the vehicle that separate from the first stage of a rocket and push a satellite or spacecraft into orbit.

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Amazing interior, controversial exterior: Ferrari's first electric car

Amazing interior, controversial exterior: Ferrari's first electric car

fivenewscrypto    mai 27, 2026   

Ferrari provided flights from Washington, DC, to Rome and accommodation so Ars could see the Luce. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.

ROME—The arrival of any new Ferrari that isn't a two-seater is usually controversial, but the Luce might be the most divisive yet. It's Ferrari's first four-door sedan and first five-seater, but perhaps most importantly—especially for readers of Ars Technica—it's Ferrari's first battery-electric vehicle.

Each of those individually is probably anathema to some Ferrari fans, never mind all three together. But it's 2026, and the reality is that the manufacturer absolutely needs an emissions-free offering for vitally important markets like China and Silicon Valley. And now, here it is.

Like some legendary Ferraris of the past, the company chose to work with an outside design team for the Luce, in this case LoveFrom, helmed by Jony Ive and Marc Newson. Many will detect some hints of Apple in the car's design; more than one journalist said they could imagine it wearing that computer company's logo rather than the prancing horse shields that dot its exterior. But the almost cab-forward glasshouse perhaps calls to mind the Lotus Etna concept, with some Ferrari F90 (a one-off for the Sultan of Brunei) here and there, too. And the four round tail lights obviously reference '90s designs like the 360 and 550.

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Driving Porsche's most powerful car—and no, it's not a 911

Driving Porsche's most powerful car—and no, it's not a 911

fivenewscrypto    mai 27, 2026   

Porsche provided flights from Albany, New York, to Munich, Germany, and accommodation so Ars could drive the electric Cayenne Coupe. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.

MUNICH, GERMANY—Think about every fast Porsche you've ever seen on the road—the ones with big wings, bold colors, and wide wheels. Now get ready for an uncomfortable fact: None of them had more horsepower than the SUV you see pictured here. This is the new Cayenne Turbo Coupe, a fastback, dual-motor, upgraded version of Porsche's electric SUV.

It makes a whopping 1,139 hp (850 kW) and 1,106 lb-ft of torque (1,500 Nm), enough to drive this 5,637 lb (2,557 kg) machine and its 113-kilowatt-hour battery pack from zero to 60 mph (97 km/h)  in 2.4 seconds. That makes it not only Porsche's most powerful production car ever but also among its quickest, bested only by the Taycan Turbo GT.

But unlike that pared-down, performance-oriented take on Porsche's sultry electric sedan, the Cayenne Coupe is meant to be an everyday hauler for friends, family, and whatever else you can fit underneath its hatch. Does it succeed? That's what I went to Munich to find out.

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Citing Gandalf, Pope Leo says we must "disarm" AI

Citing Gandalf, Pope Leo says we must "disarm" AI

fivenewscrypto    mai 26, 2026   

With the co-founder of Anthropic at his side today in Rome, Pope Leo XIV released a major new encyclical—his first—called Magnifica Humanitas (Magnificent Humanity). It calls for AI to be "disarmed" in service of the common good.

"The word is strong," Leo admits, but he chose the language of "disarmament" deliberately, "because this moment needs words capable of attracting attention, awakening consciences, and indicating paths forward for humanity." AI today must be "freed from logics that turn it into an instrument of domination, exclusion, and death."

The 40,000-word encyclical contains uncompromising critiques of AI-powered autonomous weapons, neo-colonial attitudes toward data collection, and the hoarding of "new forms of property, such as patents, algorithms, digital platforms, technological infrastructure, and data."

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US's big bet on quantum computing may not be entirely legal

US's big bet on quantum computing may not be entirely legal

fivenewscrypto    mai 26, 2026   

Last week, the US government announced $2 billion in investments in quantum computing companies, allocating $100 million each to a range of startups in exchange for equity in the companies. Those could be make-or-break investments for many companies that are likely years away from a product that could see widespread use. But a member of the US Congress is now arguing that those deals are illegal, as Congress did not allocate the money for this purpose—instead, it was meant to support public research in semiconductors.

But the biggest chunk of money would go to a company that likely wouldn't exist if it weren't for the government's backing. Anderon will be set up with a billion dollars each from IBM and the government and will inherit personnel and IP from IBM. It will serve as a foundry for fabricating quantum processing units and will contract its services out to IBM and any other company that wants access to cutting-edge hardware.

Is any of this legal?

Zoe Lofgren (D–Calif.), the ranking member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, made it clear that she is not happy with how the government is using its money to support this technology.

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I spent years forcing myself to finish The Witcher 3—don't repeat my mistake

I spent years forcing myself to finish The Witcher 3—don't repeat my mistake

fivenewscrypto    mai 26, 2026   

I don't like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. I'm sorry to disappoint you. I know it's confusing, and I hope you will still respect me.

I had to say that a lot back in 2015. When the game first came out, the community of critics and enthusiasts I was a part of went bananas for it, much in the same way the current crop of journalists and influencers rallied around Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 in 2025—another game that didn't really work for me, if I'm being honest.

The Witcher 3 was showered in accolades and awards, and it seemed like every Twitter conversation was about it. There were memes all over Reddit about how no other game could live up to it, plus lengthy essays from games journalists about just why it was so incredible. "Game of the Year" awards rained from the proverbial sky.

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Whatever the mirror test tells us, beluga whales pass it

Whatever the mirror test tells us, beluga whales pass it

fivenewscrypto    mai 26, 2026   

In hours of underwater video footage from a New York aquarium, a beluga whale named Natasha stretches her neck, pirouettes, nods, and shakes her head in front of a two-way mirror. Her daughter Maris does much the same. According to a new study published in PLOS One, both animals show the behavioral hallmarks of mirror self-recognition—a cognitive ability long considered a marker of self-awareness, and one that had never before been documented in beluga whales.

If the result holds up, belugas join a remarkably short list. The mirror self-recognition test (MSR) has been passed, with varying degrees of confidence, by humans (starting around age two), a handful of great apes (chimps, bonobos, orangutans, and—somewhat contentiously—gorillas), Asian elephants, bottlenose dolphins, probably magpies, possibly orcas, and, if you can believe it, a cleaner wrasse. That's it. No dogs, no cats, no monkeys. Plenty of species we had assumed were self-aware have been tested and failed.

Looking at the mirror

So what is this test, exactly, and what is it supposed to tell us?

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