Science

Apple, Bose, and Sony are in a running battle for the best noise-canceling earbuds, and the Sony WF-1000XM6 put Sony back in first place — if you can get a good fit with the included foam tips.With each iteration of the XM series, Sony has aimed for — and delivered — incredible noise-canceling performance with a pleasing and balanced sound profile, and features that work equally well with iOS and Android. The XM6 push even further by adding additional noise-canceling mics (for a total of 8), a new chip, newly designed drivers, and a new shape that’s supposed to better fit a wider selection of ears. That’s a lot of promises, and the Sony WF-1000XM6 earbuds fulfill them all — almost.$330The Sony WF-1000XM6 earbuds have top-notch noise-canceling performance with excellent, balanced sound.Read...

The Pacific Science Center plans to sell part of its campus to the Space Needle, creating a partnership for enhanced visitor experiences and funding infrastructure. SEATTLE — The Pacific Science Center is moving forward with plans to sell a portion of its Seattle Center campus to the Space Needle as part of a long-term strategy. The property involved is located on the northeast corner of the campus and includes the Carnevali Pavilion, the Boeing IMAX Theater, and part of the Ackerley Family Exhibit Gallery. The area represents less than one-quarter of PacSci’s total footprint. Officials say the purchase price will be announced once the deal is finalized, which is expected within the coming weeks. ...

Windows to allow only signed apps and drivers to run by default Microsoft just announced a per-app permission system, just like Android, for Windows 11, to make the OS “secure by default”. Soon, Windows is said to allow only properly signed apps and drivers to run. This is still an experiment, and we don’t know when it’ll become the default behaviour, but it’s being considered, and we might see changes soon. Of course, you’ll be able to turn off all new security features. For decades, Windows has walked a difficult line between openness and security. While the platform’s biggest win was always its flexibility, it also made the OS vulnerable to malware. In a new blog published on February 9, 2026, Microsoft admitted that the balance has tipped too far in the wrong direction. Win...

WASHINGTON— President Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency today formally proposed gutting tailpipe pollution standards and rescinding the “endangerment finding” — the landmark scientific finding that planet-heating pollution harms public health and welfare.“The EPA is killing the biggest single step any nation has taken to save oil, save consumers money at the pump, and combat global warming,” said Dan Becker, director of the Center for Biological Diversity’s Safe Climate Transport Campaign. “American families will suffer long-term harms so that giant auto and oil companies can pocket short-term profits. They’re popping champagne corks at the OPEC and GM headquarters but also in Beijing, where China’s EV makers will face no competition from the U.S. to dominate the world’s clean car ma...

The Galaxy S26 leaks just don’t stop, with the latest batch of images giving us our best look at the Galaxy S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra in their core color options. These new official-looking images were published by Evan Blass (@evleaks) by way of his “Leakmail” Substack. The images showcase all three of Samsung’s new smartphones in Black, White, Sky Blue, and Cobalt Violet color variants. Those four colors are expected to be Samsung’s core options, with “Silver Shadow” and “Pink Gold” rumored to be Samsung.com exclusives. On the lower-tier Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26+, these photos show off the slightly updated design that, really, just boils down to a new camera bump. Otherwise, these phones look largely identical to their predecessors. Advertisement - scroll for more c...

Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute Welcomes Three New Academic Institutions: Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee School of Engineering, and Waukesha County Technical College MILWAUKEE, Feb. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute (NMDSI) – a first-of-its-kind partnership between Northwestern Mutual, Marquette University, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) – announced today it is expanding to include three additional Wisconsin-based academic institutions. The institute's newest partners will include the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE), and Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC). ...

Apple has four products showing signs of being discontinued imminently, with supply reportedly drying up at the Apple Store ahead of successors launching soon. iPhone 16e Last February, Apple launched the iPhone 16e as a new budget-friendly model. But all signs point to the iPhone being discontinued shortly as the iPhone 17e nears. Per Mark Gurman in a post on X, Apple retail employees tell him that inventory of the iPhone 16e has “basically dried out.” With the iPhone 17e launch expected in the next couple of weeks, it seems Apple has no plans for the iPhone 16e to stick around at a lower price point. Instead, it will be completely discontinued. M3 iPad Air Apple’s M3 iPad Air launched last March, and rumors increasingly indicate that its successor is almost ...

The thermal infrared capabilities of an imager on NASA’s Terra satellite have been shut off and will no longer collect data, more than 25 years after the instrument captured its first image of Earth from space. This is the latest effort to prioritize power on Terra for its remaining instruments. Terra, which had a design life of six years when launched, has long outperformed its mission life. The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer, or ASTER, is one of five instruments aboard Terra, which launched in December 1999. The ASTER instrument was created as part of a cooperative effort between NASA and Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The ASTER Thermal Infrared (TIR) subsystem was turned off Jan. 16, due to power limitations on the spacecraft. The A...

NASA completed the first flight test of a scale-model wing designed to improve laminar flow, reducing drag and lowering fuel costs for future commercial aircraft.  The flight took place Jan. 29 at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, using one of the agency’s F-15B research jets. The NASA-designed, 40-inch Crossflow Attenuated Natural Laminar Flow (CATNLF) wing model was attached to the aircraft’s underside vertically, like a fin.  The flight lasted about 75 minutes, during which the team ensured the aircraft could maneuver safely in flight with the additional wing model.  “It was incredible to see CATNLF fly after all of the hard work the team has put into preparing,” said Michelle Banchy, research principal investigator for CATNLF. “Finally seeing that F-15 tak...

Welcome to 10 Cool Papers, a new monthly roundup of recent research from across Carnegie Science. Each month, we'll feature a curated selection of recent papers from across Carnegie Science, chosen by our three division directors and the president. From early-career scientists to established investigators and recent alumni, our community is tackling the biggest questions about life, our planet, and our place in the cosmos.This first edition spans coral genomic resilience in a warming ocean, new CRISPR tools for studying symbiosis, hidden hydrothermal systems beneath Oregon’s Three Sisters volcanoes, pristine organic material from asteroid Bennu, and galaxies shining just 400 million years after the Big Bang.Let's dive in! 🦠 Biosphere Sciences & Engineering1. Editing Symbiosis: CRISPR i...