Science

If you've been waiting on bated breath for the Directive 8020 release date, you can now breathe easy. Supermassive Games has revealed that the choice-based survival horror game will launch in May, and it'll arrive with a cool new feature called Turning Points.While those Directive 8020 achievements are still hidden away, we do finally have a release date for Supermassive's next Xbox horror game. Directive 8020 launches on Xbox Series X|S on May 12, 2026, taking players to the alien world of Tau Ceti f for a cinematic sci-fi horror adventure.With the Earth slowly dying and humanity on the brink of destruction, it falls to the colony ship Cassiopeia to travel 12 light-years from home to the unexplored planet of Tau Ceti f in search of a saving grace. After the ship crash-lands on the planet,...

Lilit Martirosyan, associate professor of mathematics at UNCW, recently traveled to Washington, D.C. to represent the mathematics community in national research advocacy and leadership efforts. In January, Martirosyan spoke at the Association for Women in Mathematics session on women in mathematical physics. She presented her research on tensor categories, mathematical structures that help explain deep patterns connecting symmetry, geometry and physics. Her talk was supported by an American Mathematical Society grant. As part of Joint Mathematics Meetings Hill Day, Martirosyan was among nearly 290 mathematicians nationwide who received formal advocacy training and then met directly with members of Congress to argue for sustained federal investment in mathematics research and graduate educa...

Mewgenics, the latest release by Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel, launched yesterday. Within six hours the game sold over 150k copies, made back its development costs, and leaped to the top of Steam's Top Sellers list. Speaking to IGN, Glaiel revealed that the game has already a bigger release than any of the expansions for The Binding of Issac, the prior game released by the duo and itself an indie darling. Mcmillen revealed that prior to Mewgenics, The Binding of Issac: Rebirth sold 40k copies on its release date, while Mewgenics sold 152k in its first five hours. He added: "Isn't that kind of insane?" The original Binding of Isaac managed to sell over 700k copies in less than a year after launch, an impressive figure that's on track to be beaten in short order. You can watch Mewgeni...

Political Theory within and without Political Science By Nathan H. Feldman, Columbia University Neoliberalism provides a compelling explanation for how city governments satisfy private capital interests by slashing social welfare spending and criminalizing the racialized poverty it unleashes. However, neoliberalism cannot account for why the politics of law and order also often find support from within overpoliced communities. This article claims that underlying broken windows policing is a neoconservative theory of democracy aimed not so much at directly reducing crime or enforcing disorder but at empowering organic community authorities. Specifically, I show how neoconservatives developed this theory of democracy in response to the urban crisis, which they argued was a crisis of au...

Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models as soon as early March, but if you can, this is one generation you should skip because there's something much better in the works. We're waiting on 14-inch and 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, with few changes other than the processor upgrade. There won't be any tweaks to the design or the display, but later this year, a massive refresh is coming. Rumors suggest that there won't be just one ‌MacBook Pro‌ refresh in 2026, but two. After launching M5 Pro and M5 Max ‌MacBook Pro‌ models in the spring, Apple will do another update in late 2026, introducing the first OLED ‌MacBook Pro‌ models. The OLED ‌MacBook Pro‌ is expected to feature a design refresh, faster M6 chips, all new display technology, and, in a first fo...

The McCourt School of Public Policy’s Tech & Public Policy program Scholar Joya Wheatfall-Melvin (MS-DSPP’26) is using data to advance equity in criminal justice and education. For Joya Wheatfall-Melvin (MS-DSPP’26), the power of data lies in its potential to be a driver of change. Joya Wheatfall-Melvin (MS-DSPP’26) “Data, when handled with care and context, can become a tool for liberation,” she says. This “mantra,” as Wheatfall-Melvin calls it, has guided her work as a data scientist and Tech & Public Policy (TPP) program Scholar. Her journey to McCourt began in a data analysis class at her alma mater, Spelman College. It was one of her professors, passionate about bringing more Black women into coding, who introduced her to the discipline. She then landed a pivota...

Apple was founded on April 1, 1976, which means this year marks the company’s 50th anniversary. In a recent all-hands meeting with employees, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased that Apple is planning a celebration for this historic milestone. Tim Cook has said in multiple interviews that Apple isn’t the type of company that likes to look back and live in the past. This 50th anniversary milestone, however, is a big enough occasion that it’s prompted some reflection. As reported by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, here’s what Cook said about Apple’s upcoming 50th anniversary during the all-hands meeting last week: “I’ve been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment — 50 years. It’s an extraordinary accomplishment. We’ve been going...

Several science and educational institutions in eastern North Carolina have received funding through the North Carolina Science Museums Grant Program, state officials announced Tuesday.The program, administered by the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, awarded a total of $2.4 million to 58 institutions statewide to support science, technology, engineering and mathematics education access. Officials said the grants are intended to expand informal science learning opportunities, particularly in underserved communities.Local recipients include:Time for Science (Pitt County) — $75,000Aurora Fossil Museum (Beaufort County) — $75,000North Carolina Estuarium (Beaufort County) — $75,000Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center (Carteret County) — $47,592.69Cowan Museum of H...

Samsung’s 2025 was filled with new foldables, an ultra-thin new form factor and the launch of Google's XR platform. After making some announcements at CES 2026, the company has just announced its first Galaxy Unpacked of the year will take place on February 25, where it is expected to introduce the Galaxy S26 lineup. Official invites have just been shared, but actual information on what devices are arriving then is still unknown. But as usual, we know a lot about what’s expected at Unpacked.Engadget will be covering Galaxy Unpacked live, and we'll most likely have hands-on coverage of Samsung's new smartphones soon after they're announced. While we wait for the full details, here's everything we expect Samsung will introduce at the first Galaxy Unpacked event of 2026.When is Unpacked 2026 ...

On the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Gabriel Colodro’s reporting shines a light on a stubborn reality inside Israeli academia: women enter scientific fields in strong numbers but steadily fade from senior ranks. At many institutions, women make up about 50% of doctoral students, yet representation at the faculty level can fall to roughly 15%, revealing a gap that widens as careers move forward. At the Weizmann Institute of Science, Prof. Idit Shahar says the pipeline isn’t broken at the beginning. The real challenge emerges later, when academic advancement often demands years abroad as a postdoctoral researcher. “In order to become an academic staff member, you need to go abroad,” she explains, describing a decision that can carry heavier personal costs for women balanci...