Science | The Verge

Featuring the latest in daily science news, Verge Science is all you need to keep track of what’s going on in health, the environment, and your whole world. Through our articles, we keep a close eye on the overlap between science and technology news — so you’re more informed.
For some, the answer to a dodgy gray market is to bring the pharmaceutical supply chain back to American soil.
Scientists are getting tired of amateurs parachuting into their fields and making ‘discoveries’ with AI.
The SpaceX-Tesla merger is increasingly sounding more like a when than an if. Bloomberg reports that the estimated $3.5 trillion tie-up could come as soon as December, but could also slip to early 2027:
The companies have also discussed a scenario in which an announcement slips into early 2027, said the people, who asked to not be identified because the discussions are private. Their boards and advisers are hammering out the terms of the tie-up and governance structure of the combined entity, among other matters, the people said.
One of the complicating factors is how to keep separate Tesla’s business in China from SpaceX’s many government and defense contracts. The merger also may be upended by the Democratic Party’s success in the midterms, with many candidates running on the message of reining in Elon Musk’s corporate empire.
Security firm Claroc said it found 35,000 apps made with the vibe-coding agent that could be opened by anyone with the link. Among them were 24 apps built by SpaceXSI staff, including ad proposals and a “confidential onboarding plan.” In a post, Grok said the Ars Technica article was “incorrect,” referring to the “app builder feature on grok.com, not Grok Build.” It added that users review sharing settings and a warning before publishing apps.
Update: Added Grok response.
Scientists who analyzed public data for The New York Times concluded the highly contagious virus is circulating in the US 26 years after being declared eliminated. An international panel will make an official designation on Tuesday, but it apparently won’t change the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s approach.
[The New York Times]
Google researcher Pietro Miotti says 48 AI agents combing NASA Lidar data spotted signs of a previously unrecorded ancient site in Mexico. He’s not an archeologist, and the find still needs fieldwork to verify, but it’s a cool glimpse into why scientists are so excited by these tools. It also highlights why scientists can bristle when outsiders parachute in with AI tools. Archeologist Sarah Parcak said on Bluesky that Tulane’s Francisco Estrada-Belli published the site years ago. (We talked to archeologists and Miotti here.)
Update: This post was updated to include context from Sarah Parcak about the site’s earlier publication. A link to our follow up has also been added.
Trump pushed lawmakers to pass the sweeping bill ahead of a procedural vote in the Senate on Monday that moved the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act (BAAJA) closer to a final vote. Over the weekend, the bill’s authors released an amended version of the bill addressing some of its biggest points of contention.
The ballot measure was supposed to fast-track the buildout of “essential” infrastructure, but some legal experts and environmental groups argued it would have loosened standards for data centers as well.
The European Space Agency’s OPS-SAT PRETTY wasn’t designed to understand and carry out spoken voice commands until Tanagra Space uploaded new software that enabled it to launch the classic shooter after detecting a radio transmission. It isn’t the first satellite to play Doom, but receiving voice commands was the real achievement here anyway.
From now through December 3rd, would-be spacefarers can throw their hat in the ring to join NASA. This is the first time in two years the agency has opened up astronaut applications. Those who are selected are expected to start training sometime in 2028. You can file your own application here.
The Senate will vote to push through a giant — and controversial — permitting reform bill.
Bloomberg has a breakdown of how Starlink Mobile will operate — and what SpaceX still needs to do to get its hybrid 5G network up and running.
From setting stricter rules for data centers to releasing funding for renewable energy projects, Democrats could reinvigorate climate action in the US after winning big in the midterms.
AI data center projects are continuing to pop up across the US, with frequent opposition from locals concerned about their impact. Here are a few recent articles about the projects:
Cold storage rooms at three French Blood Establishment (EFS) sites were impacted on Monday, which massively increased the temperature and defrosting thresholds. The EFS says it wasn’t directly targeted, and the anomalies were detected before any of the stored blood was lost, but the ongoing hacks present a worrying future risk for healthcare facilities.
[French Blood Establishment]
In Florida, more than 20 polling sites are being moved due to intense flooding. Storms in the Southwest have also impacted some polling locations in Colorado, Newsweek reports, while Utah will let some voters impacted by flooding return ballots electronically, and Arizona officials are warning voters to check travel updates.
The push to build the future of AI in America.
AwareCA provides emergency maps and alerts like Watch Duty, but directly from public safety agencies. The LA Times reports the app addresses fire officials’ “uneasiness” with Watch Duty, with Cal Fire’s David Acuña saying, with AwareCA “you’re not relying on, ‘Well, what did I hear on that really static-y radio?’”
As tech billionaires pour record millions into Maine’s high-stakes Senate race, rural voters push back against the resource strain, rising utility costs, and phantom jobs of the AI data center boom.
OpenAI’s latest claimed breakthrough, one of three major results announced Monday, refutes the long-held Exponential T