Science & Technology — October 28, 2026

Critical firmware bug threatens most servers. A code-execution flaw in widely used EDK2 UEFI firmware lets attackers run code during boot, before operating-system defenses load, putting most of the world’s servers at risk.

According to Ars Technica, the significance of the vulnerability lies in its timing: because the malicious code can execute during the earliest stages of startup, it runs before the protections built into operating systems have a chance to activate. The scope is also unusually broad, since EDK2 is deployed across a vast share of server hardware worldwide, meaning a single flaw touches machines from many vendors.

Ars Technica · Read more ↗

Dueling AI proofs surprise scientists. OpenAI and Anthropic models produced results on major math, physics, and computer-science problems—including an apparent refutation of the 30-year-old Exponential Time Hypothesis—but scientists are still vetting the claims.

Scientific American reports the results remain unverified, and researchers are examining the proofs before accepting them. The stakes are notable because the Exponential Time Hypothesis has stood for three decades as a foundational assumption in computational complexity, so a confirmed refutation would reshape the field. That the competing claims came from rival labs, with each company’s model generating its own results, adds a layer of scrutiny as scientists work through the arguments.

Scientific American · Read more ↗

New Macs get M6 chip. Updated iMac and 14-inch MacBook Pro models add Apple’s new M6 chip, Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth 6—without the price hikes that hit other recent products.

Ars Technica notes the pricing is the distinguishing detail of this refresh: Apple held both machines at their existing price points even as several of its other recent product launches arrived with increases. The update pairs the company’s latest silicon with newer wireless standards on two of its lower-cost computers, the all-in-one desktop and the entry-level 14-inch laptop, rather than reserving those upgrades for higher-end models.

Ars Technica · Read more ↗

NASA’s Swift telescope will burn up. After a failed rescue mission, the two-decade-old observatory that transformed the study of cosmic explosions will fall into Earth’s atmosphere next week.

Nature reports an attempt to save the spacecraft was mounted before its fate was sealed, but the effort did not succeed, leaving atmospheric reentry as the mission’s end. The loss has prompted mourning among astronomers, a reflection of how central the observatory became over roughly 20 years of operations and how thoroughly it reshaped research into the universe’s most violent events. Its destruction is expected within days.

Nature · Read more ↗