Technologies

Dazzling Milky Way panorama reveals nearly 1,000 mysterious galactic threads

An astrophysicist behind the beauty compares the image with modern art.

In the early 1980s, scientists imaged the center of our galaxy 25,000 light-years from Earth. To their surprise, they stumbled upon a cluster of «strands» 150 light-years long hanging out in an oddly organized pattern. For years, they scrutinized the stringy forces, trying to understand what they are and why they’re there.

No, these galactic noodles (probably) aren’t the work of aliens. But they later revealed themselves to be some sort of magnetic wiring, catching space-borne cosmic ray electrons and forcing the particles to gyrate around their fields at nearly the speed of light. If anything, the enigma escalated.

Fast-forward to today. The same researcher who led the first imaging endeavor decided to create an updated version. In a paper published online Wednesday and accepted to The Astrophysical Journal Letters, he presents his results: an absolutely spectacular panorama of radio emission data stemming from the Milky Way’s center.

Cosmic phenomena such as star bursts, stellar nurseries and supernova graveyards stained the picture with brilliant streaks, but most strikingly, the image unveiled 10 times more perplexing strands than before. «It’s like modern art,» Farhad Yusef-Zadeh, an astrophysicist at Northwestern University and lead author of the paper, said in a statement. «These images are so beautiful and rich, and the mystery of it all makes it even more interesting.»

He calls the newer picture a «watershed in furthering our understanding of these structures,» because the initial, relatively sparser collection of filaments was too small to draw any real conclusions about their origin and purpose.

Photographing a massive galaxy

It took three years of surveying the sky and 200 hours using the Meerkat telescope at the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory for Yusef-Zadeh’s team to generate precise observations of 20 separate sections.

Then, the researchers pieced the cutouts together and isolated the magnetic filaments by removing the background. That led to the mesmerizing mosaic photograph that resembles a Jackson Pollock.

«I’ve spent a lot of time looking at this image in the process of working on it, and I never get tired of it,» Ian Heywood, an astrophysicist at Oxford University and study co-author, said in a statement. «When I show this image to people who might be new to radio astronomy, or otherwise unfamiliar with it, I always try to emphasize that radio imaging hasn’t always been this way, and what a leap forward Meerkat really is in terms of its capabilities.»

Leads on the filaments

Now blessed with an ocean of inexplicable Milky Way filaments to analyze, Yusef-Zadeh and team are carrying out a sort of population analysis to understand what the cosmic spaghetti strands have in common, and where they differ.

«If you were from another planet, for example, and you encountered one very tall person on Earth, you might assume all people are tall. But if you do statistics across a population of people, you can find the average height,» he said. «That’s exactly what we’re doing. We can find the strength of magnetic fields, their lengths, their orientations and the spectrum of radiation.»

So far, the team concludes the strands’ magnetic fields are amplified as you travel across them and exhibit variation in their radio emissions. Due to the latter, they say the pieces could’ve originated from a black hole that once lurked in the center of our galaxy or a giant radio-emitting bubble, like one discovered in 2019.

Still, huge question marks remain, such as why are these filaments so structured? And why are there so many? Perhaps the biggest confusion lies within the fact that particles on the strands’ field are moving at nearly the speed of light. Any faster, and they’d fit a time-travel requirement.

«How do you accelerate electrons at close to the speed of light?» Yusef-Zadeh wonders. «One idea is there are some sources at the end of these filaments that are accelerating these particles.»

Going forward, the team says they’ll continue searching for answers.

«We’re certainly one step closer to a fuller understanding,» Yusef-Zadeh said. «But science is a series of progress on different levels. We’re hoping to get to the bottom of it, but more observations and theoretical analyses are needed. A full understanding of complex objects takes time.»

Technologies

Apple Reportedly Plans to Send Siri Engineers to AI Coding Bootcamp

The move comes just weeks before the company is expected to unveil a new Siri.

Apple plans to send dozens of Siri engineers to a multiweek AI coding bootcamp, The Information reported Wednesday. The move comes less than two months before the company is widely expected to unveil a new Siri experience as part of a broader AI reboot.

A group of fewer than 200 engineers will be sent to the bootcamp, leaving approximately 60 members of the core Siri development team behind to continue working on Siri, while another 60 will evaluate Siri’s performance, according to The Information. The outlet also reported that AI has grown in popularity in some Apple divisions, prompting some teams within the company to allocate large parts of their budgets to Claude Code.

Apple representatives didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Siri, once a pioneer, has lagged behind its rivals in voice assistants. Apple had planned to roll out a smarter, AI-driven Siri in 2025 as part of its Apple Intelligence initiative, but executives delayed the launch until spring 2026, admitting the early version wasn’t reliable enough to ship.

For Apple, the move would mark another attempt to reset expectations around its AI strategy after repeated delays to its more advanced Siri ambitions. The news also comes as John Giannandrea, Apple’s former AI chief, is reportedly leaving the company this week after stepping down from that role in December.

The new Siri experience is expected to be introduced at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference on June 8 and would arrive as part of iOS 27, iPadOS 27 and MacOS 27 later this year, according to a Bloomberg report in March. The report says Apple is testing out a new Siri that would make the assistant feel more like a standalone AI chatbot — think ChatGPT or Claude — rather than the current built-in tool.

Technologies

Google Will Pay $135M to Android Phone Owners. Learn Who’s Eligible and How to Get Paid

If you used an Android phone with cell service in the last nine years, you could be eligible for compensation.

For years, Google has been accused of harvesting data from Android phones without users’ consent. A California lawsuit was settled for $314 million last year, and another class action lawsuit recently reached a resolution that could mean payouts for another 100 million people.

While not admitting fault, Google reached a preliminary settlement in the class action lawsuit Taylor v. Google LLC in January, agreeing to pay $135 million, and the official settlement website for the lawsuit is now live.

The final approval hearing won’t occur until June 23, when the court will hear objections and consider whether Google’s settlement is fair. After that, the court will decide whether to approve the $135 million settlement.

In the meantime, if you qualify and want to be paid as part of the settlement, you can select your preferred payment method on the official website. There, you can find information on speaking at the June 23 court hearing and on how to exclude yourself or write to the court to object by May 29.

As part of the settlement, Google will update its Google Play terms of service to clarify that certain data transfers do occur passively even when you’re not using your Android device, and that cellular data may be relied upon when not connected to Wi-Fi. This can’t always be disabled, but users will be asked to consent to it when setting up their device.

Google will also fully stop collecting data when its «allow background data usage» option is toggled off.

Who can be part of the Google data settlement?

In order to join the Taylor v. Google LLC settlement, you must meet four qualifications:

Be a living, individual human being in the US.
Have used an Android mobile device with a cellular data plan.
Have used the aforementioned device at any time from Nov. 12, 2017, to the date when the settlement receives final approval.
You’re not a class member in the Csupo v. Google LLC lawsuit, which is similar but specifically for California residents.

The final approval hearing is on June 23, so you can add your payment method until then. The hearing’s date and time may change, and any updates will be posted on the settlement website.

If you choose to do nothing, you will still be issued a settlement payment, but you may not receive it if you don’t select a payment method.

How much could I get paid by Google?

It’s not currently known exactly how much each settlement class member will receive, but the cap is $100. Payments will be distributed after final court approval and after any appeals are resolved.

After all administrative, tax and attorney costs are paid, the settlement administrator will attempt to pay each member an equal amount. If any funds remain after payments are sent, and it’s economically feasible, they will be redistributed to members who were previously and successfully paid. If it’s not economically feasible, the funds will go to an organization approved by the court.

Technologies

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, Squirrel With a Gun and More Are Coming to PlayStation Plus in April

Some other games might be fun, but Squirrel With a Gun has my full attention.

Sometimes when I play a game, I want a deep story that makes me feel connected to the characters. Other times, I want a nonsensical romp that allows me to shut my brain off and laugh for a minute. Squirrel with a Gun seems to be that kind of game. And good news, PlayStation Plus subscribers can play that game and others starting on April 21.

PlayStation Plus is Sony’s version of Xbox Game Pass, offering subscribers a large and constantly expanding library of games. PlayStation Plus has three tiers — Essential ($10 a month), Extra ($15 a month) and Premium ($18 a month) — which each give subscribers access to games. But only Extra and Premium tier subscribers can access the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog, while Essential subscribers can access only the monthly games.

Here are all the games Sony is adding to the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog in April. You can also check out the games all PS Plus subscribers can play until May 4.

Squirrel With a Gun

What more do I need to say about this game? You’re a squirrel, and you have a gun, making you potentially the most American woodland critter behind a bald eagle. After escaping a secret facility, you’re on the hunt for some acorns while you try to evade and defeat the Agents in this sandbox puzzle platformer game. You’ll find out how far our furry friend is willing to go to get their nut — acorns are nuts, get your mind out of the gutter.

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered

Huge robotic dinosaur-looking machines are the dominant force in this award-winning action roleplaying game. You play as Aloy, a huntress who was cast out of the mountain-dwelling Nora tribe. In your search for answers about your past, you’ll encounter machine and human enemies, beautiful landscapes and a plan to reclaim the land once and for all.

Monster Train

Hell has frozen over, the celestial forces of heaven are coming to extinguish the last burning pyre, and it’s up to you to stop them. Monster Train is a unique roguelike deck builder that adds a twist by spreading your playing field out to three vertical areas. With over 250 cards to use and six different monster clans to call on, you’ll have plenty of ways to ward off your enemies and take back your home.