Forget “eye of newt and toe of frog/wool of bat and tongue of dog.” People in the 16th century were more akin to DIY scientists than Macbeth’s three witches when it came to concocting home remedies for everything from hair loss and toothache, to kidney stones and fungal infections. Medical manuals targeted to the layperson were hugely popular at the time, according to Stefan Hanss, an early modern historian at the University of Manchester in the UK. “Reader-practitioners” would tinker with the various recipes, tweaking them as needed and making personalized notes in the margins. And they left telltale protein traces behind as they did so.

Hanss is part of an interdisciplinary team of archaeologists, chemists, historians, conservators, and materials scientists who have analyzed trace proteins from the fingerprints of Renaissance people rifling through the pages of medical manuals. The team reported their findings in a paper published in The American Historical Review. It’s the first time researchers have used proteomics to analyze Renaissance recipes, enhanced further by in-depth archival research to place the scientific results in the proper historical context.

“We have so many recipes of that time, [including] cosmetic, medical, and culinary recipes, as well as handwritten recipes passed down for generations,” Hanss told Ars. “It’s really a key element of Renaissance culture, and [the manuscripts] are all covered with scribbled marginalia of [past] users. Experimentation was everywhere. It’s not only about book-learned knowledge but hands-on practical knowledge. It’s a key change in the way people constructed knowledge at that time.”

Read full article

Comments

The next time you check your internet speed or whether your favorite site is down, another company may be profiting. On Tuesday, Ziff Davis announced that it sold its Connectivity division, which includes Ookla’s Speedtest and Downdetector, to Accenture. The deal is worth $1.2 billion in cash.

According to Reuters, the deal will allow Ziff Davis to focus on its core brands, including IGN, Mashable and Everyday Health. Brand consolidation appears to be the name of the game, as the company recently laid off some of Eurogamer‘s most experienced editors and its entire video team. That followed a rotation of editorial staff among Ziff Davis’s other gaming publications, which reduced VG247 to a small, two-person gaming guides site.

Ziff Davis bought Ookla for $15 million in 2014. Reuters notes that the division seized on the 5G rollout and a surge in pandemic-driven bandwidth demand to boost its impressive return on the investment. (Connectivity generated a whopping $231 million in 2025.)

Accenture is a global technology consulting company headquartered in Dublin. The company views the acquisition as a key step in building “end-to-end network intelligence services essential for AI-based transformation.” (Can someone who speaks corporate translate, please?) The deal may take a few months to be finalized, and Ziff Davis will continue to operate Speedtest and Downdetector in the meantime.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/downdetector-and-speedtest-have-been-sold-for-over-1-billion-201741894.html?src=rss

Time to dust off your boomboxes and your walkmans: musical coming-of-age game Mixtape is due out this spring. At its reveal, this next title from game developer Beethoven and Dinosaur was targeting a 2025 release, but as happens to the best laid plans, the game’s arrival got pushed back. Today’s trailer announced that the new launch date for the narrative- and music-focused adventure game is May 7, 2026. Despite the new date, Mixtape will still be coming to the usual array of current gaming platforms: Steam and the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and the Nintendo Switch 2. 

Johnny Galvatron, game director for the project, spoke with Engadget recently about the process of conveying that familiar feeling of restless teenage ennui in this medium. “Idleness is hard to explore as a video game, and one of the interesting things about being a teenager is you just hang out a lot, and sometimes it just sucks,” Galvatron said. “So I love that we made a game that shows that idleness.”

As the name suggests, the soundtrack is core to the experience of this game about three friends at the end of high school. Expect to hear tracks by iconic punk and alternative artists such as DEVO, Joy Division, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Smashing Pumpkins and Iggy Pop.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/musical-adventure-game-mixtape-will-be-ready-to-rock-out-on-may-7-200500458.html?src=rss

OpenAI is amending its Pentagon contract after CEO Sam Altman acknowledged it appeared “opportunistic and sloppy.” On Monday night, Altman said the company would explicitly restrict its technology from being used by intelligence agencies and for mass domestic surveillance. The Guardian reports: OpenAI, which has more than 900 million users of ChatGPT, made the deal almost immediately after the Pentagon’s existing AI contractor, Anthropic, was dropped. […] The deal prompted an online backlash against OpenAI, with users of X and Reddit encouraging a “delete ChatGPT” campaign. One post read: “You’re now training a war machine. Let’s see proof of cancellation.”

In a message to employees reposted on X, the OpenAI CEO said the original deal announced on Friday had been struck too quickly after Anthropic was dropped. “We shouldn’t have rushed to get this out on Friday,” Altman wrote. “The issues are super complex, and demand clear communication. We were genuinely trying to de-escalate things and avoid a much worse outcome, but I think it just looked opportunistic and sloppy.” Upon announcing the deal, OpenAI had said the contract had “more guardrails than any previous agreement for classified AI deployments, including Anthropic’s.”

[…] However, observers including OpenAI’s former head of policy research, Miles Brundage, have queried how OpenAI has managed to secure a deal that assuages ethical concerns Anthropic believed were insurmountable. Posting on X, he wrote: “OpenAI employees’ default assumption here should unfortunately be that OpenAI caved + framed it as not caving, and screwed Anthropic while framing it as helping them.” Brundage added: “To be clear, OAI is a complex org, and I think many people involved in this worked hard for what they consider a fair outcome. Some others I do not trust at all, particularly as it relates to dealings with government and politics.”

In his X post, he also wrote that he would “rather go to jail” than follow an unconstitutional order from the government. “We want to work through democratic processes,” Brundage wrote. “It should be the government making the key decisions about society. We want to have a voice, and a seat at the table where we can share our expertise, and to fight for principles of liberty.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Last time we looked at the used electric vehicle market, it was to see what the options are if you’re spending $10,000 or less. Two solid choices emerged quickly: a BMW i3 if you don’t need much range, and a Chevrolet Bolt if you do. Lots of earlier Nissan Leafs made the list, too, but these had limited range and air-cooled batteries to contend with; we also included an assortment of compliance cars and, perhaps for the very brave, a Tesla. But what happens when you grow the budget by 50 percent? What EVs make sense when there’s $15,000 burning a hole in your pocket?

As it turns out, at this price point the planet starts looking a lot more like your own personal bivalve. For starters, the cars that looked good at $10,000 look a lot better in the next bracket up, generally newer model years or with lower mileage than the cheaper alternatives. Which means you can afford the facelifted i3. For model-year 2018 onwards, BMW fitted its electric city car with a larger-capacity battery, which means up to 114 miles (183 km) of range on a full charge, or about 150 miles (241 km) if it’s the one with the two-cylinder range-extender engine. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto might also be built into these i3s, although there are aftermarket solutions now, too.

No aftermarket is required to get CarPlay or Android Auto on any of the Bolts you might buy for under $15,000, which include a mix of pre- and post-facelift (model-year 2022 onwards) cars, although few of the slightly more spacious Bolt EUVs. Like the i3s, expect lower mileage examples, plus all the usual caveats: slow DC charging and seats that can get a bit hard on long drives.

Read full article

Comments

Elgato’s Stream Deck helped popularize using a macro pad among aspiring livestreamers and regular desk jockeys, so it’s only natural for the brand to continue to expand on its lineup. After announcing a suite of new Stream Deck devices last year, Elgato is kicking off 2026 with the Stream Deck + XL, a larger version of the already big Stream Deck XL, and a collection of new audio accessories that should help improve sound mixing in and out of livestreams.

The Stream Deck + XL not only expands on the number of buttons on the regular Stream Deck XL (from 32 customizable buttons to 36 customizable buttons), but also introduces multiple new control options, including a touch strip and six dials. All the controls on the new Stream Deck are customizable, and the presence of the touch strip means you can receive visual feedback about adjustments you’re making while you’re making them. The new macro pad should still work well as a way to quickly end a live stream or queue up a transition, and Elgato says that paired with its new Wave XLR Pro audio interface, the Stream Deck + XL could also become a straightforward tool for sound mixing, too.

Elgato

The Wave XLR Pro “integrates two fully independent XLR inputs with 80 dB of clean gain each,” Elgato says, along with multiple headphone outputs and “a built-in Maximizer effect” that can maintain consistent loudness. When you’re livestreaming, Elgato’s says the Wave XLR Pro’s “per-channel ducking” can also automatically lower other audio sources when you speak. The XLR Pro is one of several Wave audio products Elgato is announcing alongside the Stream Deck + XL, a lineup which also includes a new condenser microphone and a new way to connect XLR microphones to the company’s smaller Stream Deck. The XLR Dock MK. 2, exclusively compatible with the Stream Deck +, lets you connect professional XLR audio devices directly to your Stream Deck. The Dock “adds 80 dB of clean gain, 48V phantom power, onboard DSP effects, and low-latency VST Insert support,” and can be entirely managed through the Stream Deck’s buttons and dials.

Elgato says both the Stream Deck + XL and the XLR Dock MK. 2 are available to pre-order today for $350 and $130, respectively. The Wave XLR Pro will cost $350 when it launches at some point in Q2 2026.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/elgatos-stream-deck–xl-adds-a-touch-strip-and-dials-to-an-already-massive-array-of-buttons-195200129.html?src=rss

Ubisoft is finally releasing The Division Resurgence on March 31 for both iOS and Android. This game was first announced all the way back in 2021 and has suffered from delays in recent years.

This is a free-to-play mobile game set in the universe of The Division, complete with an MMO-style shared open world and both co-op and solo gameplay. It also features an original story that’s set during the early days of the pandemic in NYC, making it a sequel to the first game but a prequel to the second one.

It’s a third-person action RPG with PvP. The loop looks fairly similar to the mainline games. Players should expect plenty of combat and loot to collect, which in turn can be used to upgrade gear.

Pre-registration is already open for the game at the iOS Store and the Google Play Store. Ubisoft has also announced some perks for The Division 2 players. Franchise veterans will receive some loot upon booting up Resurgence, including gear and clothing. Those who dip into The Division 2 after trying the mobile game will get other perks, including Resurgence-themed gear.

Today’s launch date announcement was part of a 10th anniversary showcase for the franchise. Ubisoft also revealed an anniversary-themed season for The Division 2, which includes “global events inspired by the original game” and an in-game hoodie. The company is also making the Warlords of New York expansion free during this period, which has received a new update focused on realistic combat.

The Division 1 and The Division 2 are both on sale right now, with massive discounts up to 90 percent on PC and 85 percent on PlayStation and Xbox. Today’s update, however, didn’t give us any new information regarding the recently-announced Survivors DLC for The Division 2. We don’t know much about this, except that it’s being described as “an updated take on the survival extraction experience.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-long-delayed-the-division-resurgence-hits-ios-and-android-on-march-31-193905948.html?src=rss

I tend to go out of my way to avoid using Meta AI, but today, I gave it a fair shake. That’s because, as reported by Bloomberg, Meta’s AI service is now testing a shopping assistant. The idea is to compete with similar services from AI platforms like ChatGPT or Gemini, where users tap into the power of generative AI to search the web for product recommendations. That’s all fine and well in theory, but in execution, Meta AI’s shopping assistant is a bit of a disaster—even if it is only in testing.

Meta AI’s shopping suggestions are useless

When I tried accessing Meta AI’s web app logged out, I didn’t see the shopping assistant. But once I signed into my Meta Account, a number of additional options appeared—including “Shopping.” When you click the option, a new “Shopping research” option appears in the model selector, alongside “Thinking” and “Fast.” While you can type your own prompt into the search bar, a number of suggestions appear below, too. At this time, I see things like “Help me find a signature scent,” “Show me mid-century modern living room furniture,” or “Find a one-of-a-kind gift for my friend.” Finally, AI is here to help you spend money when you can’t think of anything to buy.

I was pretty intrigued by that last prompt. Meta AI doesn’t know my friend, and yet, it’s going to find me a “one-of-a-kind” gift they’ll love? I had to see what the bot would come up with. After Meta AI thought for a while (11.6 seconds, or so it tells me), the bot indeed confirmed my suspicions, asking for more info about my friend. It needed details like hobbies and interests, budget, and special memories I could incorporate into the gift. You would think that some gift ideas of my own would pop up by just thinking through these questions myself, but I needed the AI’s help, so I offered the following made-up answers to test it out: “Their hobbies and interests are music, biking, and going to the movies. My budget is $100. We went on vacation to Hawaii and we missed our flight home.”

The AI thought for 45.8 seconds, before returning with its “one-of-a-kind” gift ideas. Its favorite was something that combined my “friend’s” interest in music and our fake vacation to Hawaii: a ukulele. One-of-a-kind, indeed. Meta AI reasoned that, “a Ukulele Starter Kit is the perfect way to bring the island vibes home. The Kala Learn to Play Ukulele Concert Starter Kit is right at your budget and comes with everything they’d need to start, including lessons and a tuner. It’s a great hobby for a music lover and a direct connection to Hawaii.” Other unique gifts included three different types of portable speakers. Thanks.

“For the movie buff,” Meta AI suggested a scratch-off poster of 100 movies everyone should see. Or, as a “subtle nod to our trip,” a movie poster of film shot in Hawaii. This, I’ll admit, is a bit more unique, even though I’d never actually buy that. After scrolling past some bike accessories, though, I really hit gold:

“A Custom Hawaiian Shirt would be hilarious,” said the generative AI chatbot.
Credit: Lifehacker

Meta AI isn’t much more helpful if you search for products yourself

After failing to find a perfect gift for my fake friend, I gave a custom prompt a try next: “I need a new couch for my living room.” This was a bit more helpful. The bot returned a list of five different couches, each with a description of the design and brand, in addition to a carousel of 12 couches of varying prices. To narrow it down, the bot asked me some questions about my home and interests, like how big my living room was and what style I was looking for. I sent the bot the following: “My living room is 200 sq. feet. I want a modern leather couch under $2000.” This returned what seemed to be a relevant list of couches, each within budget and style. I also learned about some new brands I didn’t know before the search, like Article and Poly & Bark.

Finally, I asked Meta AI for help finding a new MacBook. I said I needed something fast, but under $1,200. It thought, then brought back three decent options: a 13-inch M4 MacBook Air for $999, a 15-inch M4 Air for $1,199, or an M3 MacBook Air with extra storage for $1,030. There’s nothing wrong with those suggestions, but there were two issues I found with the result. First, the link for that third MacBook Air recommendation didn’t actually go to a listing, but the homepage for Abed Tahan, a store based in Lebanon. A quick search of the site returned results for the M3 MacBook Air in question, but it was more expensive than Meta AI said it was, and the store doesn’t ship to the U.S. Second, I asked Meta AI whether these results were the latest newest models, and it confirmed they were—despite the fact that Apple had announced new M5 MacBooks this morning. If the bot was working on a limited knowledge base, that’d be one thing, but it performs web searches with each query. It should be able to find this information.

While there are some apparent plusses to Meta AI’s shopping assistant, like its ability to find furniture that fits a particular room size and style, I feel pretty confident that I won’t be using it. The fact that some products links don’t actually work, and that it can’t reliably give you the most up-to-date products on the market, defeats the entire purpose of a shopping tool. I’ll be sticking to my usual shopping research: a traditional search engine combined with real user experiences.

Accenture is acquiring Downdetector parent company Ookla from Ziff Davis in a $1.2 billion deal to bolster its network analytics and visibility tools for telecoms, hyperscalers, and enterprises. “The deal, which will transfer all of Ziff Davis’s Connectivity division to Accenture, includes Ookla’s Speedtest, Ekahau, and RootMetrics,” notes The Register reports: “Modern networks have evolved from simple infrastructure into business-critical platforms,” said Accenture CEO Julie Sweet in a canned statement. “Without the ability to measure performance, organizations cannot optimize experience, revenue, or security.” Ookla is meant to let them do just that.

Data captured at the network and device layer are used to enhance fraud prevention in banking, smart homes monitoring, and traffic optimization in retail, Accenture said. Ookla’s platform, which lets user’s test their own connectivity speed, captures more than 1,000 attributes per test, and provides the foundation for those analytics, Accenture said.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Google unveiled its new features coming both to the Pixel line of devices and to the broader Android ecosystem this spring. Two of the more exciting additions for all Android devices are coming through the Find Hub. This can now be used to share real-time locations within Google Messages conversations or to send tracking information to airlines in instances of lost luggage.

With both of those features, users can turn off their sharing any time. Specific to the luggage issue, Google has partnered with 10 airlines to integrate Find Hub locations as part of their baggage recovery process. Using the luggage recovery does require the missing item to have a Find Hub-compatible tag or network accessory.

Another aesthetic update coming to Android is the ability to create a personalized Calling Card. You can choose a photo, font and color for your information that will be displayed to friends within Phone by Google. The short-form video trend is also coming to Google Play. The app storefront will now have a feed of Google Play shorts. It’s being positioned as a discovery tool for seeing different programs in action.

Google (modified)

The March Pixel Drop will bring improvements to the Circle to Search feature on smartphones. Going forward, it should be easier to use Circle to Search either to virtually try items on yourself or to shop for fashion from videos or social media posts. Magic Cue, an AI feature that debuted on the Pixel 10, can now also deliver restaurant recommendations. Pixel smartphones will also get some new personalized looks. Users can create AI-generated custom icons on the home screen with six different styles.

On the smartwatch side, Pixel devices will have new alerts if your phone is lost or left behind, as well as access to Express Pay. Pixel watches will also be getting some new safety alerts for earthquakes, and Satellite SOS is rolling out to more users across Europe, Canada, Hawaii and Alaska.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/google-introduces-find-hub-updates-and-more-ai-tools-in-the-march-pixel-drop-190000773.html?src=rss

Apple unveiled a new MacBook Air today, and apart from the new M5 chip, things don’t look remarkably different. Sure, it’s getting a mild refresh, but maybe not in the way most people would want. Namely, it’s more expensive — a $100 price bump across all models. In exchange, the MacBook Air M5 does get faster performance and double the storage.

If you placed the MacBook Air M4 and the M5 in front of me, I wouldn’t be able to tell which was which. The M5 offers an overall CPU/GPU performance boost, along with some extra storage and double the file transfer speeds. Still, I didn’t expect a radical change, but I wish we got more for that extra $100.

It’s not worth jumping to the MacBook Air M5 if you’ve got the M4 unit already, but if you’re working with an older model, then it may be worth the switch, especially if you’re a professional. Like the rest of Apple’s new suite of products, pre-orders start at 9:15AM ET on March 4. I’d wait until full reviews are published before committing to spending money, though. Still, if all you care about are the specs and what they mean, we’ve got a pretty good idea of all that.

MacBook Air M5 vs. MacBook Air M4: Performance and battery life

Naturally, the biggest difference between the MacBook Air M5 and the MacBook Air M4 is their chipsets. While the price did go up, we also got double the storage in the MacBook Air M5, jumping from 256GB to 512GB at the base configuration for both sizes. Upgraded configurations start at 1TB.

According to Apple, the MacBook Air M5’s unified memory is 28 percent faster than the M4’s, and the AI performance is 4x faster. Casual users likely won’t feel the impact of the overall performance gains. (You could potentially get more use out of it compared with an M4 chip.) But Apple claims that folks who are rendering 3D in Blender will see a 50 percent increase in speed. That’s pretty significant if you’re a professional looking for a relatively affordable premium laptop with some oomph.

The MacBook Air got double the storage, but what you might overlook is that it also got double the speed. In theory, the read and write performance should be much faster. In real-world use, you won’t have to wait as long when you’re copying files, importing photos or videos and doing AI-enabled tasks. It could also potentially decrease boot times, meaning your MacBook might be faster at waking up after shutting down, but if so, the improvement may be negligible.

The MacBook Air M5 is also equipped with Apple’s new N1 chip. This enables the latest standards in connectivity, like Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. Unless you’re a power user, it’s unlikely you’ll be using this chip to its full capacity, which can take up 46 gigabits per second of internet speed. If you’re paying your ISP for those rates, you can probably afford a MacBook Pro, which might better suit your needs (you speed demon).

The battery life of the MacBook Air M5 remains the same as its predecessor. In my experience reviewing laptops, Apple has been killing it with its battery life scores (with the M4 lasting over 18 hours on Engadget’s battery test), so I wouldn’t be too shocked if its claims are accurate. Those are: 18 hours of video streaming and 15 hours of wireless web surfing. I’ve also tested the MacBook Air M4, and that latter time is on point.

MacBook Air M5 vs. MacBook Air M4: Design, display, audio

Similar to the iPad Air M4 announcement this week, the MacBook Air M5’s design, display and audio remain unchanged despite the overall price increase. Apart from being frustrated by the higher cost, I was satisfied that everything that’s here is already pretty solid.

There’s a decent array of colors, with the MacBook Air available in either blue, silver, beige and black. Although, I will always advocate for more, and brighter, colors especially since these hues are so tame.

The MacBook Air M5 continues to live up to its name with a thin and light design. The 13-inch model comes in at 11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches and 2.7 pounds, while the 15-inch stacks up to 13.4 x 9.35 x 0.45 inches and 3.3 pounds. Unfortunately, since there’s no change in design, we’re stuck with only two Thunderbolt 4 ports and a headphone jack.

I’d like to complain that the MacBook Air still doesn’t have an OLED panel, but I can’t, since even the Pro MacBooks still have yet to feature one. (There are laptops, like the ZenBook 14, that cost around the same as the MacBook Air and manage to sport an OLED display, so it’s not unreasonable.) 

Despite that, the MacBook Air’s displays are plenty vibrant. Both models come with a Liquid Retina LED panel at 224 ppi, and emit up to 500 nits of brightness. It makes working outdoors possible, but since it’s a glossy panel, I’d still recommend staying inside (or finding shade). The MacBook Air 13 has a 13.6-inch, 2,560 x 1,664 panel, while the 15 is equipped with a 15.3-inch, 2,880 x 1,864 screen. I’ve seen both the 13-inch and 15-inch versions of the MacBook Air M4 in person and they’re pleasantly bright.

The speakers on both the MacBook Air M4 models produced loud and clear sound, albeit with middling bass. The MacBook Air M5 features the same speaker system, with the 13-inch supporting four speakers and the 15-inch carrying six, so it stands to reason the new laptops will deliver similar experiences on sound.

macOS Tahoe and Apple Intelligence

No changes to macOS Tahoe here. Everything you get with the MacBook Air M4 you’ll get on the M5. That includes the controversial Liquid Glass design and Apple Intelligence features like Live Translation in Messages. Speaking of Apple Intelligence, like I said earlier, you will likely benefit from faster processing thanks to the M5 chip. Apple claims AI tasks will be 4x faster, so even those who casually use AI may notice the difference.

If you’d like to compare for yourself exactly what changes the MacBook Air M5 brings over its predecessor, we’ve compiled this table to make it easier on your eyes.

MacBook Air M5 vs. MacBook Air M4: Specs at a glance

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/macbook-air-m5-vs-macbook-air-m4-whats-changed-beyond-the-apple-silicon-185256565.html?src=rss