Technology

US border patrol collected DNA from thousands of US citizens for years, data shows

CBP officers took DNA samples from about 2,000 citizens, some as young as 14 and many who never faced criminal charges, new analysis showsIn March 2021, a 25-year-old US citizen was traveling throu...

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Tariffs on talent? Trumps’s visa fees threaten tech’s most prized employees

The president’s deal on visas could upend Silicon Valley, and will a TikTok purchase finally go through?Hello, welcome to TechScape. I’m writing to you from a plane back to a United States in uproa...

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Ignore all the smart home gimmicks. These five devices actually make life easier

Skip the wifi oven and Alexa toothbrush – these time-tested smart devices are must-haves in any homeI have tested hundreds of smart devices over the years, but only a select few have earned a perma...

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Massive Attack remove music from Spotify to protest against CEO Daniel Ek’s investment in AI military

The band cited a ‘moral and ethical burden’ placed on artists by revenue from their work ultimately funding lethal technologiesMassive Attack have become the latest act – and first major-label one ...

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Why do some gamers invert their controls? Scientists now have answers, but they’re not what you think

The phenomenal response to an article we published on this question led to detailed cognitive research – and the findings have implications that go way beyond gamersFive years ago, on the verge of ...

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Will Bartolo and Rae Colquhoun-Fairweather: the 10 funniest things we have ever seen (on the internet)

The clown duo share what makes them laugh, including pop divas, unhinged mobile game ads and Kermit unmaskedGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailWe are Rae and Will AKA raeandwill, a clown du...

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Borderlands 4 review – the chaotic, colourful shooter has finally grown up a little

PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch 2; Gearbox Software/2K GamesFamiliar and predictable, but also well-honed and significantly less juvenile, the fourth Borderlands game is a blastOnce a game...

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Why random lines of video game dialogue get stuck in our heads

From famous Street Fighter lines to quips from 90s classics, these are the quotes we hear again and again – and even incorporate into our own livesSome snippets of video game dialogue, like classic...

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How memes, gaming and internet culture all relate to the Charlie Kirk shooting

Kirk’s rise to fame was largely bolstered by being extremely online – and it seems the suspect has that in commonHello, and welcome to TechScape. Dara Kerr here, filling in for Blake Montgomery, wh...

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AI will make the rich unfathomably richer. Is this really what we want? | Dustin Guastella

The ‘knowledge economy’ promised cultural and social growth. Instead, we got worsening inequality and division. Artificial intelligence will supercharge itRecently, Palantir – a tech corporation th...

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‘I have to do it’: Why one of the world’s most brilliant AI scientists left the US for China

In 2020, after spending half his life in the US, Song-Chun Zhu took a one-way ticket to China. Now he might hold the key to who wins the global AI raceBy the time Song-Chun Zhu was six years old, h...

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To understand how AI will reconfigure humanity, try this German fairytale | Clemens J Setz

Artificial intelligence will replace creativity with something closer to magical wishing. The challenge for future generations will be dealing with the feeling of emptiness that leaves us withIn th...

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Who buys an MP3 player in 2025? Why music streaming doesn’t always cut it

Nostalgic tech; autumn garden hacks; and what to wear when it rains• Don’t get the Filter delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereWhen I was 18, I bought a heavily reduced MiniDisc player. This wasn’t...

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Tinseltown takeover: how Harry Potter fanfic has become Hollywood’s hottest property

What once seemed a pretty fringe subculture of hobbyists riffing on stories that got them privately hot is now bringing mainstream cinema to a rolling boilThere was a time when fan fiction meant fu...

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The best iPhones in 2025: which Apple smartphone is right for you, according to our expert

Looking for a new iPhone, or a good deal on a refurbished handset? Samuel Gibbs has assessed and rated Apple’s smartphonesThe best iPhone may be the one you already own. There is generally no need ...

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Hollow Knight: Silksong has caused bedlam in the gaming world – and the hype is justified

In this week’s newsletter: the long-awaited release from the three-person Team Cherry studio has crashed gaming storefronts and put indie developers back in the spotlightJust one game has been domi...

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Cronos: The New Dawn review – survival horror is dead on arrival

PC, PS5, Xbox, Switch 2; Bloober TeamAn intriguing setup sees an unnamed protagonist time-travel to discover the origins of a devastating outbreak, but a stingy inventory and one-sided battles lead...

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How to Save the Internet by Nick Clegg review – spinning Silicon Valley

Instead of recognising that social media harms mental health and democracy, the former deputy PM and Meta executive repeats company talking pointsNick Clegg chooses difficult jobs. He was the UK’s ...

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How Google dodged a major breakup – and why OpenAI is to thank for it

An antitrust apocalypse has been averted, and it’s all down to its biggest competitor, according to the judge who could’ve forced Google to sell ChromeHello, and welcome to TechScape. I’m your host...

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Meet your descendants – and your future self! A trip to Venice film festival’s extended reality island

A flourishing lineup of immersive storytelling experiments are taking visitors into novels, nightclubs and outer spaceIn the largest cinema at the Venice film festival, guests gather for the premie...

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How TikTok harms boys and girls differently - video

What happens when a teenager signs up to TikTok? Within seconds, studies find, they are shown harmful content about issues from eating disorders to toxic subcultures, which keeps them scrolling and...

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