Scientists know that a dying star will become a giant that swallows all the planets within a certain radius, but they've never seen it happen... before now, that is. Astronomers at Caltech, Harvard, MIT and other schools have detected a star consuming one of its orbiting planets as it turns into a red giant. A star about 12,000 light-years away, close to the Aquila constellation, became 100 times brighter for over 10 days in an outburst that researchers say represented a hot jovian world falling into its host star's atmosphere and, ultimately, its core.

The group first observed the burst in May 2020, but took roughly a year to determine what happened. Thanks to the NEOWISE infrared telescope, the team ruled out merging stars. The energy from the outburst was only a thousandth of what it should have been for a star-on-star collision, and there was a stream of cold dust rather than hot plasma. MIT's Kishalay De, who led the paper, also notes that Jupiter's mass is about a thousandth that of the Sun, providing a handy reference point.

This phenomenon is believed to be common in the universe, and it's believed that the Earth and other inner Solar System planets will face a similar demise when the Sun dies roughly 5 billion years from now. In that regard, the astronomers confirmed their existing models. Past studies caught stars just before and after they swallowed planets, but never in mid-digestion.

There are still unknowns surrounding planet-munching stars. This finding helps complete the picture, though, and De tellsScienceNews that the next wave of infrared-capable observatories will increase the chances of finding similar events. That, in turn, could illustrate how these apocalyptic processes vary across the cosmos.

Amazon is running a Star Wars sale to capitalize on May the 4th, and that includes bargains on themed tech. The retailer is offering a bundle that combines the fifth-generation Echo Dot with a The Mandalorian Grogu stand for $55, or $23 off. This deal applies regardless of color, and you can buy the Echo Dot with clock for $65 with a similar discount. You won't have to pay a significant premium if you want "baby Yoda" in your kid's room or are eager to flaunt your fandom. The sale also includes a section dedicated to Star Wars collectibles, including Lego sets, figurines and books.

The latest-generation Echo Dot remains our favorite budget smart speaker for a good reason: it delivers far more than you'd expect for the price. The sound is surprisingly loud and vivid, and it includes both a 3.5mm output jack and Bluetooth support — you can use it to enhance a beloved stereo system or play any audio from your phone. Add robust support for media services (including Apple Music and Spotify) and it's a reliable choice for a nightstand or the kitchen.

The Echo Dot isn't as compact as Google's Nest Mini, and you'll still get more powerful sound rom the regular Echo, Nest Audio or Apple's HomePod mini. And if you don't like Alexa, you'll want to look elsewhere. Overall, though, this is the best speaker for many people — whether or not you're a Star Wars fan.

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Do you know what the lock icon in your web browser means? If not, you're far from alone. Google now plans to replace the lock next to the address in Chrome with a variant of the "tune" icon you see below. Simply put, most people don't understand it. According to Google's research, only 11 percent of users realize that it refers to HTTPS encryption. Many others think it means the site is trustworthy — a problem when even phishing sites use the technology.

The tune icon doesn't imply trustworthiness, Google says. Instead, it signals that security is the default state. It also invites a click, making it more likely that you'll use site controls. Many people never even realized they could click the lock, according to the company.

Google

Most users will see the replacement icon in Chrome 117 on Android and desktop, which is scheduled to arrive early in September. As you can't tap the icon in Chrome for iOS, Google is pulling the icon entirely on Apple's mobile platforms. If you just can't wait, you can see the icon now in Chrome Canary if you enable the Chrome Refresh 2023 flag.

The change is overdue in some respects. Google defaulted to HTTPS web connections in Chrome 90 two years ago, and that came months after Mozilla made a similar change in Firefox. Over 95 percent of page loads in Chrome for Windows use HTTPS, the company adds. Much like the floppy disk icon sometimes used to represent file saves, the lock is a relic from another era.

Yet more senators are trying to resurrect legislation aimed at protecting kids' online privacy. Senators Bill Cassidy and Ed Markey have reintroduced a "COPPA 2.0" (Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act) bill that would expand and revise the 1998 law to deal with the modern internet, particularly social media.

COPPA 2.0 would bar companies from gathering personal data from teens aged 13 to 16 without their consent. It would ban all targeted advertising to children and teens, and create a "bill of rights" that limits personal info gathering for marketing purposes. The measure would also require a button to let kids and parents delete personal data when it's "technologically feasible."

The sequel potentially makes it easier to take action in the first place. Where COPPA requires direct knowledge that companies are collecting data from kids under 13, 2.0 would cover apps and services that are "reasonably likely" to have children as users. The Federal Trade Commission, meanwhile, would have to establish a division committed to regulating youth marketing and privacy.

Cassidy and Markey portray the bill as necessary to tackle a "mental health crisis" where tech giants allegedly play a role. The politicians argue that social networks amplify teens' negative feelings, pointing to Facebook's own research as evidence.

Social networks have tried to clamp down on misuses of child data. Meta's Facebook and Instagram have limited ad targeting for teens, for instance. However, there have also been concerns that online platforms haven't gone far enough. On top of earlier calls for bans on ad targeting, states like Arkansas and Utah have already passed laws respectively requiring age verification and parental permission for social media. Another Senate bill, the Protecting Kids on Social Media Act, would require parents' approval across the US.

Whether or not COPPA 2.0 makes it to the President's desk for signature isn't clear. The first attempt got stuck in committee ahead of the current Congress session. It also comes right as other senators are making attempts to revive the EARN IT Act (aimed at curbing child sexual abuse material) and the Kids Online Safety Act (meant to fight toxic online content as a whole). All three reintroductions are bipartisan, but they'll need considerably stronger support in the Senate, plus successful equivalents in the House, to become law.

High-quality video won't make or break a livestream, but it certainly helps — and now it's considerably easier to provide. OBS Studio 29.1 is now available with support for AV1 stream encoding when broadcasting to YouTube. While YouTube treats the feature as a beta, it enables higher-quality footage than H.264 at similar bitrates, and higher resolutions if you have the headroom. As creator EposVox demonstrates, you can effectively eliminate visual artifacts with 1080p 60FPS video or jump to 4K at the same frame rate without consuming significantly more bandwidth than a 1080p H.264 feed.

The improvement relies on the new Enhanced RTMP (Real-Time Messaging Protocol) standard, which extends the existing approach to handle newer video formats. The technology also supports HDR, but the OBS team hasn't implemented it so far.

The encoding works with AMD, Intel and NVIDIA GPUs. Tom's Hardwarenotes that YouTube still transcodes the resulting output to its VP9 format, but the image quality loss is said to be slight.

The OBS upgrade won't have the greatest impact when many streamers use Twitch, which doesn't support AV1 and currently limits feeds to 6Mbps. YouTube, meanwhile, hasn't said when its support will be widely available. However, the change hints at a future where creators can stream video that looks about as good to viewers as it does on the host's PC.

Now that AMD has rounded out its high-performance mobile CPUs, it's turning its attention to chips for thin laptops. The company has introduced Ryzen 7040U processors that it claims can outrun the competition, particularly for gamers who may need to be content with integrated graphics. They all tout RDNA 3-based Radeon 700M GPUs that tout the enhancements seen on desktop video cards. A Ryzen 7 with the Radeon 780M runs between 30 percent to 139 percent faster than an equivalent Intel 13th-gen Core i7 P-series chip, AMD claims. That's at 1080p with low graphics settings, but it could make some games playable that weren't an option before.

AMD also believes the Ryzen 7040U line offers better raw computing power than rivals. The Zen 4 architecture is said to deliver between 29 percent to 128 percent better app performance than not just the Core i7, but 5 percent to 75 percent over the M2 found in Apple's 13-inch MacBook Pro. AMD is relying on synthetic benchmarks to make the claim and is testing its highest-end Ryzen 7 part, but that may be worth considering if you plan to edit videos or juggle multiple productivity apps.

The new hardware also brings Ryzen AI acceleration to offload some work from the chip's main compute units. AMD also boasts of improved efficiency to provide the "longest possible time" on battery power, although it doesn't provide estimates. That's likely to vary based on the CPU model and exact laptop.

The initial lineup includes four processors. The Ryzen 3 7440U is aimed at the entry level with four cores, eight processing threads, a base 3GHz clock speed (up to 4.7GHz) and 12MB of cache. At the mid-range, the Ryzen 5 7540U uses six cores, 12 threads, a baseline 3.2GHz speed (up to 4.9GHz) and 22MB of cache. The Ryzen 5 7640U is slightly faster with Ryzen AI support, a 3.5GHz clock (up to 4.9GHz). The top-end Ryzen 7 7840U includes eight cores, 16 threads, Ryzen AI, a 3.3GHz starting clock (up to 5.1GHz) and 24MB of cache. All four models have a thermal design power between 15W and 30W.

We'd expect laptop manufacturers to begin using the Ryzen 7040U relatively quickly. It's too early to say if the advertised performance gains manifest in real life, but AMD is clearly confident it has some major advantages over rivals.

Twitter's decision to shut off its free API caused more than a few problems for public institutions that depend on the functionality, and the company is clearly ready to backtrack. The social network has restored free access to the app programming framework for verified government and publicly-owned services that use the tool for "critical purposes" such as emergency notifications, transportation updates and weather alerts.

The social media giant outlined a three-tier pricing strategy for its API in March. Normally, free access is limited to bots and testers that only need to write posts. It allows just 1,500 tweets per month and one app ID, which can be limiting for creators that need frequent updates. Basic access costs $100 per month with fixed caps on tweets, while businesses have to use multiple enterprise-level tiers to meet their needs. These can cost tens of thousands of dollars per month.

The shutoff broke numerous apps and services that relied on the free API for sharing and content streams, such as Flipboard's reader. It also created issues for developers willing to pay for access, including Echobox. While Twitter had warned that a cutoff was coming at some point, it didn't notify customers of the exact timing and did little to explain the impact.

Government services faced extra pain. New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority said it would stop posting service alerts on Twitter after it faced a $50,000 per month fee for access. Microsoft also pulled Twitter from its social media tool for advertisers, and disabled Twitter screenshot sharing for Windows and Xbox gamers.

Twitter under Elon Musk's leadership has clamped down on previously free functionality in a bid to both control more of the experience and shift more of its revenue to subscriptions. It banned third-party clients, for example, and required a Blue membership for some verified checkmarks. This latest move is an acknowledgment that the strategy creates problems, particularly for governments eager to provide vital information through as many channels as possible.

Amazon's Matter support is reaching some of its older speakers. A new Alexa update turns the second-generation Echo, Echo Dot and Echo Plus into Matter controllers — you don't have to replace the old speaker in the basement just to use newer smart home devices. The fourth-generation Echo, meanwhile, can serve as a Thread border router to help you add Matter-capable Thread devices. You won't have to use Android to set up Matter gear, either, as iOS is now an option.

There's also good news if you've been curious about Eve Systems' devices but didn't want to invest in Apple products to enable HomeKit support. The Matter over Thread update brings Alexa control to a range of Eve hardware. Later in May, you'll also get simplified Alexa setup for Eve Door & Window, Eve Energy and Eve Motion.

Amazon originally said 17 Echo products would support Matter over WiFi by the end of 2022. It promised compatibility with a total of 30 Echo and Eero models by early this year.

The Matter standard arrived last October and theoretically created a common connectivity format for smart home equipment. You no longer need to be as picky about the products you use. However, the real-world rollout has been slow — only some smart speakers, apps and household devices work with Matter as of this writing. Amazon's latest move closes some gaps, but it may take some time before you can simply assume that everything you own will interoperate.

At least one politician wants more transparency in the wake of an AI-generated attack ad. New York Democrat House Representative Yvette Clarke has introduced a bill, the REAL Political Ads Act, that would require political ads to disclose the use of generative AI through conspicuous audio or text. The amendment to the Federal Election Campaign Act would also have the Federal Election Commission (FEC) create regulations to enforce this, although the measure would take effect January 1st, 2024 regardless of whether or not rules are in place.

The proposed law would help fight misinformation. Clarke characterizes this as an urgent matter ahead of the 2024 election — generative AI can "manipulate and deceive people on a large scale," the representative says. She believes unchecked use could have a "devastating" effect on elections and national security, and that laws haven't kept up with the technology.

The bill comes just days after Republicans used AI-generated visuals in a political ad speculating what might happen during a second term for President Biden. The ad does include a faint disclaimer that it's "built entirely with AI imagery," but there's a concern that future advertisers might skip disclaimers entirely or lie about past events.

Politicians already hope to regulate AI. California's Rep. Ted Lieu put forward a measure that would regulate AI use on a broader scale, while the National Telecoms and Information Administration (NTIA) is asking for public input on potential AI accountability rules. Clarke's bill is more targeted and clearly meant to pass quickly.

Whether or not it does isn't certain. The act has to pass a vote in a Republican-led House, and the Senate jsd to develop and pass an equivalent bill before the two bodies of Congress reconcile their work and send a law to the President's desk. Success also won't prevent unofficial attempts to fool voters. Still, this might discourage politicians and action committees from using AI to fool voters.

Ford is restarting sales of the Mustang Mach E for this year, and your patience has paid off if you missed your chance the first time around. The crossover SUV's starting price has dropped $3,000 to $42,995 (before a $3,750 federal tax credit) for an RWD Standard Range trim, with a matching price cut for its $45,995 AWD counterpart. They're also more capable vehicles — all Standard Range variants use lithium iron phosphate batteries that extend their range to 250 miles (RWD) or 226 miles (AWD) while adding 45HP. They now take a more reasonable 33 minutes to charge from 10 percent to 80 percent on a DC fast charger, and they're more likely to reach maximum capacity through AC charging at home.

The hardware for BlueCruise hands-free highway driving is now standard. You'll still have to pay to unlock it, but you now get a 90-day trial that lets you activate if and when you're ready. You can still pay for three years (now $2,100 instead of $1,900) if you're already sold on the concept. BlueCruise 1.2 adds turn signal-activated lane changes and repositioning that keeps you away from semis and other vehicles that might intrude into your lane.

Higher-end models also have their share of price cuts. The Premium Standard Range models are dropping by $4,000 to reach $46,995 for an RWD configuration and $49,995 for AWD. Buy a California Route 1 AWD Extended Range and you'll pay $56,995, or $1,000 less. And if you insist on the most powerful model, the GT is down $4,000 to $59,995.

Crucially, there's a better chance you'll get a vehicle in the first place. Ford is scaling up Mustang Mach-E production for the second half of the year to help meet demand. The automaker doesn't say when you can expect to receive a new order, but you may not have to rush to purchase like you did before.

The price cuts come just months after Ford slashed Mustang Mach-E prices up to $5,900, and reflect "lower costs" on Ford's end. The brand previously said the switch to lithium iron phosphate batteries would help it make 600,000 EVs per year by the end of 2023 by expanding capacity, lowering production costs and reducing the need for shortage-prone resources like nickel.

Ford is also under pressure to drop prices, mind you. Tesla has cut prices multiple times in 2023, and the Model 3 now starts at $40,240. A cheaper, upgraded Mustang Mach-E could keep customers interested, even if it doesn't get the full $7,500 tax credit that applies to Tesla's sedan.