Utah & U.S. Science & Technology News
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Utah lawmakers look to pass new tax on tech companies
Brigham Tomco, Deseret News | Posted Jan. 14 - 2:52 p.m. | Save Story
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox confirmed on Tuesday his interest in levying a tax against social media companies as part of his campaign to take on Big Tech in the name of safeguarding children.
Verizon's network down for tens of thousands of users in US, Downdetector shows
Reuters | Updated Jan. 14 - 2:15 p.m. | Save Story
Telecom operator Verizon Communications' network was down for tens of thousands of users in the U.S. on Wednesday, according to the outage-tracking website Downdetector.com.
Musk says unaware of Grok generating explicit images of minors
Reuters | Posted Jan. 14 - 10:46 a.m. | Save Story
Elon Musk said on Wednesday he was not aware of any "naked underage images" generated by xAI's Grok chatbot, as scrutiny of the AI tool intensifies worldwide.
UK investigates Musk's X over Grok deepfake concerns
Sam Tabahriti and Paul Sandle, Reuters | Posted Jan. 12 - 9:06 a.m. | Save Story
Britain's media regulator launched an investigation into Elon Musk's X on Monday to determine whether sexually intimate deepfakes produced by its Grok AI chatbot violated its duty to protect people in the UK from content that could be illegal.
Google teams up with Walmart and other retailers to enable shopping within Gemini AI chatbot
Anne D'innocenzio, Associated Press | Updated Jan. 11 - 2:00 p.m. | Save Story
Google said Sunday that it is expanding the shopping features in its AI chatbot by teaming up with Walmart, Shopify, Wayfair and other big retailers to turn the Gemini app into a virtual merchant as well as an assistant.
Fears of an AI bubble were nowhere to be found at the world's biggest tech show
Lisa Eadicicco, CNN | Posted Jan. 11 - 8:03 a.m. | Save Story
Robots took over the floor at the biggest technology show of the year, and CNN's Lisa Eadicicco was there for all of it, while also learning why an AI bubble is not happening any time soon.
AI technology set to transform drug prescription renewals in Utah
Art Raymond, Deseret News | Posted Jan. 10 - 10:34 p.m. | Save Story
Utah's Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy just announced its approval of a pilot effort for an AI-driven platform that provides select prescription renewal services, but medical experts are still wary.
FCC approves SpaceX plan to deploy an additional 7,500 Starlink satellites
David Shepardson, Reuters | Updated Jan. 10 - 9:43 p.m. | Save Story
The FCC said on Friday it has approved SpaceX's request to deploy another 7,500 second-generation Starlink satellites as it works to boost internet service worldwide.
Doctors say changes to US vaccine recommendations are confusing parents, could harm kids
Laura Ungar, Associated Press | Updated Jan. 10 - 1:59 p.m. | Save Story
Doctors fear this week's unprecedented changes to federal vaccine recommendations will stoke vaccine hesitancy even more, pose challenges for pediatricians and parents and ultimately lead to more illness and death among children.
Here's what was announced at CES 2026
Emma Neff, Deseret News | Posted Jan. 9 - 10:21 p.m. | Save Story
A robot that does the laundry. A lollipop that plays music as it's eaten. A robotic dog designed to act as a companion for people who can't have a real pet. Here's what else made the stage at this year's CES.
'Worst in Show' CES products include AI refrigerators, AI companions and AI doorbells
Pearl Ashton, KSL | Posted Jan. 9 - 12:52 p.m. | Save Story
The promise of artificial intelligence was front and center at this year's CES gadget show. But spicing up a simple machine like a refrigerator with unnecessary AI was also a surefire way to win the "Worst in Show."
NASA, in a rare move, cuts space station mission short after an astronaut's medical issue
Adithi Ramakrishnan, Associated Press | Posted Jan. 8 - 8:01 p.m. | Save Story
In a rare move, NASA announced on Thursday it was cutting a mission aboard the International Space Station short after an astronaut had a medical issue.
Rare computer relic found at University of Utah confirmed to be major discovery
Shelby Lofton, KSL | Posted Jan. 7 - 6:15 a.m. | Save Story
A University of Utah research team's rare find in a storage closet is being called a huge, historically significant discovery after experts at the Computer History Museum verified its contents.
Search ends for mountain lions after solo hiker fatally attacked on Colorado trail
Matthew Brown, Associated Press | Updated Jan. 5 - 7:38 p.m. | Save Story
The search for mountain lions along a remote trail in Colorado where a solo hiker was fatally attacked ended Monday after authorities killed two of the predators — including one with human DNA on its paws — but could not find a third.
An energized 2025 and what it means for Utah and the West
Amy Joi O'Donoghue, Deseret News | Posted Jan. 5 - 10:03 a.m. | Save Story
Several announcements and plans for new energy initiatives were made in Utah this year. What impact will they have for the future?
What to expect from CES 2026, the annual show of all things tech
Shawn Chen, Associated Press | Posted Jan. 5 - 8:28 a.m. | Save Story
With the start of the New Year squarely behind us, it's once again time for the annual CES trade show to shine a spotlight on the latest tech companies plan on offering in 2026.
Elon Musk's Grok AI floods X with sexualized photos of women and minors
AJ Vicens and Raphael Satter, Reuters | Updated Jan. 4 - 4:00 p.m. | Save Story
A flood of nearly nude images of real people and children created by Elon Musk's Grok AI on X has rung alarm bells internationally.
New year, smarter home: 7 AI-powered Kickstarter projects that actually solve problems
Brooke Nally for KSL | Posted Jan. 3 - 3:37 p.m. | Save Story
The phrase "AI" is everywhere these days, but for most of us in Utah, the real value of tech isn't in a chatbot — it's in tools that help us manage a busy household, stay safe on the trails, or finally organize the garage.
Neuralink plans 'high-volume' brain implant production by 2026, Musk says
Rishabh Jaiswal, Reuters | Posted Jan. 1 - 10:17 p.m. | Save Story
Elon Musk's brain implant company , Neuralink, will begin "high-volume production" of brain-computer interface devices and transition to an entirely automated surgical procedure in 2026, Musk said in a post on X on Wednesday.
7 Alzheimer's disease findings in 2025
Lois M. Collins, Deseret News | Posted Jan. 1 - 7:09 p.m. | Save Story
Researchers are slowly tossing much of what we've been told for many years about Alzheimer's disease out the window — and replacing what has been a very dreary tale with new findings.
Meta buys startup Manus in latest move to advance its artificial intelligence efforts
Associated Press | Posted Dec. 30 - 9:26 p.m. | Save Story
Meta is buying artificial intelligence startup Manus, as the owner of Facebook and Instagram continues an aggressive push to amp up AI offerings across its platforms.
How many times a day do US adults check their phones?
Lois M. Collins, Deseret News | Posted Dec. 28 - 10:30 p.m. | Save Story
Nearly half of Americans say they are "addicted" to their cellphones, checking them an average of 186 times a day, according to a report from Reviews.org.
Idaho legislator proposing bill that creates framework for education about future of AI
Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com | Posted Dec. 28 - 10:07 a.m. | Save Story
Idaho state Sen. Kevin Cook is focused on three areas he believes are the key to Idaho's future: water storage, artificial intelligence development and nuclear projects.
Should you stop saying 'um'? Here's what experts said
Gina Park, CNN | Posted Dec. 26 - 5:48 p.m. | Save Story
As someone who's originally from Southern California and now lives in the South, it's not uncommon for me to get Valley girl comments.
'The best gift ever': Baby is born after the rarest of pregnancies, defying all odds
Laura Ungar, Associated Press | Updated Dec. 24 - 9:40 p.m. | Save Story
Doctors say just one in 30,000 pregnancies occurs in the abdomen instead of the uterus. And Ryu Lopez is among the rare cases. He developed outside his mom's womb, hidden by a basketball-sized ovarian cyst.
Waymo resumes San Francisco service after power outage pause
Harshita Mary Varghese, Reuters | Posted Dec. 22 - 11:23 a.m. | Save Story
Alphabet unit Waymo said on Monday it resumed its ride-hailing service in the San Francisco Bay Area on Sunday, a day after temporarily suspending operations due to a widespread power outage that snarled traffic and gridlocked parts of the city.
Japan prepares to restart world's biggest nuclear plant, 15 years after Fukushima
Kantaro Komiya, Yuka Obayashi and Katya Golubkova, Reuters | Posted Dec. 22 - 8:22 a.m. | Save Story
The Japanese region of Niigata is expected to endorse a decision to restart the world's largest nuclear power plant on Monday, a watershed moment in the country's pivot back to nuclear since the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
Students make history: First aircraft built at Wright Brothers site since 1903
Will Thomas | Posted Dec. 21 - 5:00 p.m. | Save Story
History was made Wednesday, as the First Flight High School's Aviation Program unveiled the aircraft they built over the past two years — becoming the first plane built on the grounds here since the Wright Brothers.
How surveillance technology and the 'Reddit Detective Agency' helped search for a killer
Matt O'brien, Associated Press | Posted Dec. 21 - 9:32 a.m. | Save Story
The suspected gunman of the Brown University shooting evaded detection for days until a local Reddit user "blew this case right open" with an old-fashioned tip.
Claiming independence: Machinist program for Utahns with autism graduates inaugural cohort
Jason Swensen, Deseret News | Posted Dec. 20 - 12:01 p.m. | Save Story
This holiday season is already far more festive for Addie Morley.
Scientists found creatures never seen before by diving into the ocean's 'twilight zone'
Laura Paddison, CNN | Updated Dec. 20 - 11:24 a.m. | Save Story
Only a scattering of light penetrates the deep water, more than 300 feet beneath the ocean surface off the coast of Guam. It's like twilight to the human eye, even in the middle of the day.
How to see the Ursids, the final meteor shower of 2025
Ashley Strickland, CNN | Posted Dec. 20 - 10:57 a.m. | Save Story
The Ursid meteor shower, which marks the final celestial event of the year, will peak between Sunday night and early Monday morning.
Paraplegic engineer becomes the first wheelchair user to blast into space
Marcia Dunn, Associated Press | Posted Dec. 20 - 10:43 a.m. | Save Story
A paraplegic engineer has become the first wheelchair user in space, blasting off with Blue Origin.
Utah trees blooming in December? Why experts aren't worried
Carter Williams, KSL | Posted Dec. 20 - 10:02 a.m. | Save Story
Winter officially begins Sunday, but don't tell that to some of Utah's plants and trees.
Fighter jets to fast sleds: Weber State advanced materials lab could give USA sleds the edge
Deanie Wimmer, KSL | Posted Dec. 20 - 7:07 a.m. | Save Story
Weber State University's MARS lab is working on developing new technology that could allow U.S. skeleton and bobsled athletes to go even faster ahead of the 2034 Winter Olympic Games.
Catch the Ursid meteor shower as it peaks just before Christmas
Adithi Ramakrishnan, Associated Press | Updated Dec. 18 - 9:01 a.m. | Save Story
The last major meteor shower of the year, known as the Ursids, peaks soon, bringing glowing streaks to nighttime and early morning skies. Compared to other meteor showers, it's more subdued.
How strong wind gusts helped Salt Lake City shatter a temperature record
Carter Williams, KSL | Posted Dec. 17 - 4:12 p.m. | Save Story
A meteorological phenomenon is partially behind the newest addition to the Salt Lake City's record book.
Senate confirms private astronaut, Musk ally Jared Isaacman as NASA chief
Reuters | Posted Dec. 17 - 2:59 p.m. | Save Story
The Senate confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman to become President Donald Trump's NASA administrator, making an advocate of Mars missions and a former associate of Elon Musk the space agency's 15th leader.
Saturn's moon Titan may not have a buried ocean as long suspected, new study suggests
Marcia Dunn, Associated Press | Updated Dec. 17 - 10:30 a.m. | Save Story
Saturn's giant moon Titan may not have a vast underground ocean after all.
Eagle Mountain pauses vote to create code allowing future nuclear energy generation
Curtis Booker, KSL | Posted Dec. 16 - 10:36 p.m. | Save Story
Nuclear energy talks halted again in Eagle Mountain.
How AI is helping UDOT catch previously undetected truck tire problems
Carter Williams, KSL | Posted Dec. 16 - 1:43 p.m. | Save Story
Utah transportation officials say a new system that uses artificial intelligence has helped them better identify flat tires in semitrucks and other freight vehicles at ports of entry across the state.
Worried that your personal data has been leaked online? Here's what you should know
Sloan Schrage, KSL | Posted Dec. 15 - 8:01 a.m. | Save Story
If a bad guy gets your name, phone number or other personal data, would you be worried? New research shows must of us aren't concerned about our basic personal info getting leaked. Experts say we should.
Instacart's AI technology is hiking prices as much as 20% for the same item, new study reveals
Jordan Valinsky, CNN | Posted Dec. 14 - 8:23 a.m. | Save Story
Online grocery delivery service Instacart used AI to charge different prices for the same item, up to 20% more for different shoppers, a new report says.
How to protect yourself from the 5 most dangerous words used in email scams
Matt Gephardt and Sloan Schrage, KSL | Posted Dec. 13 - 9:44 p.m. | Save Story
Here are the five most dangerous words cybercriminals use in email scams and how you can protect yourself.
California-based energy company planning underground nuclear reactor in Utah
Logan Stefanich, KSL | Posted Dec. 13 - 9:04 p.m. | Save Story
California-based energy company Deep Fission in September announced Utah, Texas and Kansas as the first three planned sites for testing of its small modular pressurized water reactors.
Great Salt Lake's latest species discovery gets a name fit for the lake's native history
Carter Williams, KSL | Posted Dec. 13 - 7:28 a.m. | Save Story
Utah researchers say that at least one of the tiny roundworm species recently found living in the Great Salt Lake is a previously undiscovered nematode species.
Some Utah Republicans push back on Trump's order on AI regulation
Bridger Beal-Cvetko, KSL | Posted Dec. 12 - 9:05 p.m. | Save Story
Several Utah Republicans have spoken out against an executive order from President Trump that aims to restrict state's abilities to regulate AI.
Creekstone Energy studying nuclear power to support world's largest data center campus in Utah
Logan Stefanich, KSL | Posted Dec. 11 - 8:02 p.m. | Save Story
Creekstone Energy on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding with Utah-based EnergySolutions to evaluate potential nuclear power options to support energy needs at Creekstone's planned data center campus.
Time magazine names 'Architects of AI' as its person of the year for 2025
Associated Press | Updated Dec. 11 - 10:18 a.m. | Save Story
The "Architects of AI" were named Time magazine's person of the year for 2025. The magazine on Thursday cited 2025 as the year when the potential of artificial intelligence "roared into view" with no turning back.
University of Utah engineers build bionic hand with an AI brain
Peter Rosen, KSL | Posted Dec. 10 - 7:15 a.m. | Save Story
University of Utah engineers have given a bionic hand a mind of its own with the assistance of artificial intelligence.
How a rare drug made from scientists' blood saves babies from botulism
Jonel Aleccia, Associated Press | Updated Dec. 10 - 6:53 a.m. | Save Story
When Alessandro Barbera was rushed to a California hospital with infant botulism in October, his father had barely heard of the disease, never mind the rare and costly treatment that likely saved the newborn's life.
How to watch one of the year's best meteor showers, the Geminids
Adithi Ramakrishnan, Associated Press | Updated Dec. 9 - 10:51 a.m. | Save Story
It's time for the Geminid meteor shower, one of the strongest of the year. The Geminids peak this weekend and are visible through mid-December.
Australia social media ban takes effect in world first
Reuters | Updated Dec. 9 - 9:58 a.m. | Save Story
Australia at midnight on Wednesday became the first country in the world to ban social media for children under 16, blocking them from platforms including TikTok, Alphabet's YouTube and Meta's Instagram and Facebook.
New images show interstellar comet that will soon make its closest approach to Earth
Ashley Strickland, CNN | Updated Dec. 8 - 6:29 p.m. | Save Story
The Hubble Space Telescope and the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer have captured fresh images of an interstellar comet as the object nears its closest approach to Earth later this month.
Tired of scam calls? Bill from Utah and Connecticut senators would put new rules on AI robocalls
Eastin Hartzell, Deseret News | Posted Dec. 8 - 6:20 a.m. | Save Story
Sens. John Curtis and Richard Blumenthal introduced a bipartisan bill Thursday to expose AI robocalls and toughen penalties for impersonation scams.
AI-powered police body cameras, once taboo, get tested on Canadian city's 'watch list' of faces
Matt O'brien and Garance Burke, Associated Press | Updated Dec. 7 - 8:30 p.m. | Save Story
Police in Edmonton, Canada, have started a pilot project using AI-equipped body cameras to detect faces on a "high risk" watch list.
Idaho National Laboratory achieves milestone on military reactors
Amy Joi O'Donoghue, Deseret News | Posted Dec. 7 - 8:35 a.m. | Save Story
The recent delivery of advanced nuclear fuel to the Idaho National Laboratory's Transient Reactor Test Facility marks a major milestone for Project Pele, a first-of-its-kind mobile microreactor prototype designed to provide resilient power for military operations.
'Life in color again': Why some young adults are switching their smartphones for flip phones
Eastin Hartzell, Deseret News | Posted Dec. 6 - 9:02 p.m. | Save Story
A growing number of youth and young adults are intentionally swapping smartphones for "dumb phones" — flip phones and minimalist devices that call and text, but don't scroll.
