Science & Tech

Home-grown messaging app Arattai, developed by Sridhar Vembu’s Zoho Corporation, may soon enable chats directly from WhatsApp users to Arattai users. WhatsApp is reportedly testing a feature in Europe for cross-platform messaging. Vembu had earlier advocated for “interoperability like UPI and email”. If realised, this would mark a major shift in app-ecosystem dynamics in India’s messaging space, signalling potential disruption of closed-platform models and greater user freedom.

Leaked details of Apple’s upcoming iPhone 18 Pro suggest the company’s biggest camera overhaul in years, featuring a new sensor, upgraded lens array, and under-display Face ID. Analysts say Apple plans a 2026 launch to offer an edge-to-edge design with higher brightness, thinner bezels, and its new A20 Bionic chip built on 2 nm process technology.

Astronomers have identified a small near-Earth asteroid named 2025 PN7 (nick-named Arjuna) that is in a 1:1 orbital resonance with Earth, making it a quasi-satellite rather than a conventional moon. Estimated to be roughly 19–30 meters across, it appears to loop near Earth’s orbit and will remain in this configuration for decades, offering scientists insights into Earth’s close-space environment and asteroid dynamics.

For the first time in its recorded history, the mosquito-free nation of Iceland has documented the presence of three cold-resistant mosquitoes, signalling a tangible ecological shift driven by global warming. Experts say warming temperatures and shifting habitats are allowing insects to colonise previously inhospitable regions.

A recent study from Cornell University reveals that large language models (LLMs), such as AI chatbots, experience cognitive degradation known as "brain rot" when continuously exposed to low-quality, viral, and clickbait-ridden content online. This exposure significantly reduces their reasoning capability and comprehension, and increases negative personality traits like narcissism and psychopathy. Even after retraining with high-quality inputs, lasting adverse effects persist, pointing to the urgent need for stricter AI data quality controls to prevent long-term damage and ensure responsible AI behavior.

A Chinese rocket stage plummeted to Earth near a residential area in Guangxi province after deploying its satellite payload into orbit. Eyewitnesses captured video of flaming debris falling dangerously close to homes. The incident reignited concerns about safety and uncontrolled re-entries following China’s frequent use of rocket boosters that often land unpredictably despite international safety appeals.

OpenAI has officially entered the web browser market with Atlas, its AI-driven browser designed to rival Google Chrome. CEO Sam Altman described it as a transformative tool powered by conversational navigation and intelligent task automation. Initially launched for macOS, Atlas will expand to Windows and mobile platforms soon. Its integration of ChatGPT technology promises to make browsing more intuitive, personal, and efficient than existing tools.

WhatsApp announced that AI chatbots, including OpenAI and other third-party services, will be banned from its platform. The decision affects developers integrating AI features for automated responses. Users relying on chatbots for business or personal tasks may need alternative solutions. The move aligns with WhatsApp’s updated terms of service and privacy policies, emphasizing control over automated interactions. It highlights the company’s caution in handling AI integration in messaging platforms amid rising concerns about misuse and spam.

Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, aboard the International Space Station, captured a video of India from orbit during Diwali. He described the country’s view at night as “glowing like a jewel,” showing cities such as Bengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad and Delhi. Lightning over the Bay of Bengal and the Himalayas’ silhouette were visible. The video highlighted India’s beauty from space and shared the festive light celebration with the global audience, emphasizing the cultural importance of Diwali even in outer space.

On 20 October 2025, the cloud giant Amazon Web Services (AWS) experienced a major global outage, causing thousands of apps, websites and services to go down. The incident exposed major vulnerabilities in global cloud infrastructure and raised urgent questions about digital resilience and dependency on a few tech-giants that underpin internet services worldwide.