Science & Technology — August 10, 2026

SpaceX rocket crater on moon photographed for first time. South Korea's lunar orbiter captured before-and-after images of the small crater left by an out-of-control SpaceX rocket stage that struck the moon this week.

South Korea's Danuri orbiter, which has been mapping the lunar surface, was able to document the impact site by comparing imagery taken before and after the rocket stage struck. The uncontrolled booster had been on a collision course with the moon after running out of fuel, with no means of correction. The resulting crater provides scientists a rare opportunity to study an accidental human-made lunar impact.

Wired · Read more →

DeepMind's AI model adds a day to hurricane forecasts. DeepMind's open-source WeatherNext model accurately predicts cyclones three days out, effectively giving forecasters one extra day of warning ahead of deadly storms.

Current operational forecasting systems typically provide about two days of reliable cyclone track prediction, according to Ars Technica. The WeatherNext model's ability to extend that window to three days could give emergency managers and coastal populations significantly more time to prepare evacuations and other protective measures. DeepMind released the model as open source, meaning other researchers and meteorological agencies can access and build on it.

Ars Technica · Read more →

Zuckerberg publishes 6,500-word AI manifesto. Mark Zuckerberg argued common AI fears are overblown and named closed-model rivals OpenAI and Anthropic — not open AI — as the real risk of concentrated control.

Zuckerberg's essay amounts to a public defense of Meta's strategy of releasing AI models openly, in contrast to competitors OpenAI and Anthropic, which keep their most capable systems proprietary. According to Axios, he framed closed models — not open ones — as the greater societal risk because they concentrate powerful technology in the hands of a single company. The piece comes as regulatory and public debate over AI safety and access intensifies across the industry.

Axios · Read more →

AI designs a virus that doesn't exist in nature. Researchers used AI to engineer a novel virus, a technique that could help fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria but raises serious concerns about potential misuse.

The technique involves using AI to engineer bacteriophages — viruses that infect bacteria — that do not occur in nature, according to Scientific American. Proponents say the approach could eventually produce targeted treatments against bacteria that have grown resistant to antibiotics, a growing global health threat. However, scientists quoted by the outlet expressed concern that the same methods could be misused to create harmful pathogens, highlighting a dual-use dilemma for the field.

Scientific American · Read more →