The First Tunnel Boring Machine Is Finally Digging Under the Hudson
On October 7, the Hudson Tunnel Project's first tunnel boring machine began mining in New Jersey, the first new rail tunnel under the Hudson River in more than 100 years.
Emu on the Loose in Santa Cruz Gives CHP a First for the Books
A pet emu escaped onto the streets of Santa Cruz, darting into traffic before CHP officers and the owner corralled it — an encounter the agency called a first even for an organization used to handling loose animals.
Rehman Baba Express derailment near Multan kills at least five, injures dozens
Fourteen coaches of the Karachi-to-Peshawar passenger train derailed near Sher Shah Railway Station on October 13, 2026, with conflicting reports on the final death toll.
Negotiations in the Massachusetts legislature could bring strictest AI safety law in the US
A proposed law in the state Senate's economic development package would mandate independent catastrophic risk evaluations for powerful AI models at least three times a year.
WHO Scales Up Ebola Readiness Across 22 Countries After Bundibugyo Case Reaches Kenya
After a laboratory-confirmed Bundibugyo Ebola case reached Kenya from the DRC, the WHO moved to strengthen outbreak preparedness across 22 countries in its Eastern Mediterranean region, as the DRC's own outbreak passed 8,728 cases and a 48.2% case fatality rate.
One-Atom-High Steps Turn Out to Be Rails for Superconducting Vortices
Researchers at Japan's MANA found that atomic-scale surface steps guide superconducting vortices, letting them move over a thousand times more easily in one direction — a result with implications for low-power superconducting devices.
Financial Stability Board Finalizes 12 Sound Practices for AI Adoption by Banks
The Financial Stability Board published its final report on responsible AI adoption, setting out 12 non-binding practices spanning organization-wide governance and AI-lifecycle risk management for financial institutions.
Zurich Prosecutors Charge Journalist Who Exposed Raiffeisen Scandal With Violating Banking Secrecy
Swiss prosecutors charge journalist Lukas Haessig with violating banking secrecy over his 2016 articles exposing the Pierin Vincenz Raiffeisen Bank scandal.
Ivanti Connect Secure Zero-Day CVE-2026-104935 Added to CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog
CISA has mandated rapid patching for Ivanti Connect Secure appliances after threat actors exploited an authentication bypass zero-day to gain root access and steal credentials.
Four actively exploited vulnerabilities land on CISA's patch-now list, with a three-day federal deadline
CISA added flaws in Palo Alto PAN-OS, Cisco Secure Email Gateway, and Ahsay backup software to its KEV catalog on October 14, giving federal agencies until October 17 to patch.
Scientists call for international body to oversee advanced cyber-capable AI systems
Around 400 scientists, including AI pioneers Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio, published an open letter calling for an international body with authority over containment standards and security incident reporting for frontier AI models.
Eight States Sue OpenAI Over Alleged ChatGPT Harms to Children
Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, West Virginia, Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho and Montana have filed separate lawsuits alleging that ChatGPT is unsafe for children and that OpenAI misled parents about its safeguards.
South Sudan faces October deadline as funding collapse threatens over a million with loss of food aid
A catastrophic funding shortfall threatens to cut off food aid to over a million people in South Sudan by October, as a surge in displacement from Sudan overwhelms the country's fragile aid systems.
A human brain gene that never stopped jumping
Cornell researchers found BC200, a human gene with an essential role in neurons that still carries its ancient ability to move through DNA, embedded inside a poxvirus that infected human skin.
Six live WWII grenades surfaced in an Austin estate sale box
An Austin estate sale shopper found six live World War II-era grenades in a purchased box; the bomb squad safely removed them with no charges filed.
The 2026 Global Hunger Index Confirms the Trajectory Has Reversed
The 2026 Global Hunger Index reports a reversal in nearly two decades of progress, with hunger worsening in 32 countries and 645 million people going hungry as conflict, climate shocks, and funding cuts converge.
Pope Leo XIV Diagnosed with Lung Cancer Following Right Lung Surgery
Pope Leo XIV has been diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma following successful surgery at Rome's Gemelli Hospital to remove the lower lobe of his right lung.
First-Principles Method Predicts the Kondo Effect in Real Materials
Researchers at Caltech and Yale have developed a first-principles quantum chemistry approach to calculate the Kondo effect in real metals with unprecedented accuracy.
OpenAI fires three safety researchers who dispute misconduct claims and warn of chilling effect
Three former OpenAI employees say they were terminated for prioritizing safety over corporate interests, while the company maintains they were fired for mishandling sensitive information.
JWST detects changing water clouds on nearby brown dwarf WISE 0855
James Webb Space Telescope observations provide the first direct evidence that water clouds outside our solar system change thickness as a brown dwarf rotates.
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Study Finds Fundamental Physical Constants Constrain Liquid Viscosity Required for Life
Research by physicist Kostya Trachenko indicates that fundamental physical constants must fall within a narrow band for liquids to flow with viscosities suitable for cellular biology.