Here are today’s 9 verified tech & science stories, covering Tech & Apps, Science & Space and Fitness & Health Tech.
Table of Contents
Every item below links to its original source.
The TLDR
- Tech & Apps: FAA’s Nationwide Ground Stop Grounds Flights for Hours
- Science & Space: Scientists Find a Bacteria-Farming “Dragonball” Organelle in a Deep-Sea Mollusc
- Fitness & Health Tech: Garmin Kicks Off Black Friday Deals on Fenix, Edge, and Forerunner
Tech & Apps
FAA’s Nationwide Ground Stop Grounds Flights for Hours
On Friday, November 13, the FAA ordered a nationwide ground stop at 3:44 p.m. ET, citing “extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety,” which paused takeoffs at airports across the US, according to The Verge. The stop was lifted more than four hours later, at 8:15 p.m. ET, and the US transportation secretary attributed the disruption to old, malfunctioning air traffic control equipment, per Engadget.
Apple Ships tvOS 27.2.1 and HomePod 27.2.1
Apple released tvOS 27.2.1 for Apple TV 4K alongside a matching HomePod 27.2.1 update on November 13, according to 9to5Mac. The tvOS update brings Apple’s Siri AI features to older 2nd- and 3rd-generation Apple TV 4K boxes plus general security fixes, while the HomePod release is listed as bug fixes only.
iOS 27.3 Beta Previews Three Everyday Upgrades
Ahead of its expected release next month, the iOS 27.3 beta is already showing off three features testers say they use daily, per 9to5Mac’s hands-on writeup. The beta expands Siri’s app actions across tools like Mail, Maps, Notes, and Photos, redesigns the Health app with a new Insights tab, and adds a “Siri Recap” feature for Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 owners that summarizes conversations and auto-deletes them after seven days.
Workday Outage Locks Employees Out of Pay and Time-Off Tools
A Workday outage on the evening of November 13 kept employees at many of its roughly 11,500 client organizations from clocking in, viewing pay information, or requesting time off, according to Engadget. Workday said it had placed some systems into maintenance mode after a testing issue left data inconsistent, and while reports of the problem had tapered off, the company had not confirmed a full fix as of the report.
Fix for Pixel Cameras Broken by the November Update
Google’s November security update appears to have broken the camera on some Pixel phones, per Lifehacker. If your Pixel’s camera suddenly stopped working this month, check Lifehacker’s guide for a workaround while Google resolves the issue. If you’re troubleshooting other Android annoyances, our guide on fixing Android’s “Storage Space Running Out” alert covers another common one.
Science & Space
Scientists Find a Bacteria-Farming “Dragonball” Organelle in a Deep-Sea Mollusc
Researchers discovered a previously unknown cell structure, nicknamed a “dragonball,” inside a rare deep-sea mollusc found near South China Sea methane seeps, according to ScienceAlert. The organelle is wrapped in more than 20 membrane layers and houses hundreds of symbiotic bacteria that produce energy from sulfur rather than sunlight, which researchers say makes it the first organelle known to be dedicated to farming these bacteria.
98-Million-Year-Old Mantis Fossil Shows Leaf-Shaped Camouflage
A newly described fossil mantis preserved in amber has leaf-like extensions on its abdomen that mimic an extinct clubmoss plant found in the same amber deposits, ScienceAlert reports. Researchers say the 98-million-year-old specimen, found in Myanmar amber, is the earliest known evidence of this particular style of mantis camouflage.
Researchers Identify a “Master Switch” Bacteria Use to Breach the Body’s Defenses
Penn Dental Medicine researchers identified a new way bacteria weaken the body’s protective barriers, by triggering a protein called FOXO1 that relocates the molecular “glue” holding barrier cells together, according to Phys.org. The three-year study, confirmed in lab and animal experiments, points to a mechanism distinct from previously known ways bacteria breach cellular barriers.
Fitness & Health Tech
Garmin Kicks Off Black Friday Deals on Fenix, Edge, and Forerunner
Garmin has begun its Black Friday and holiday sale, with discounts across its Fenix, Edge, and Forerunner watch and bike-computer lines, according to DC Rainmaker. If you’re shopping for new gear, our guide to beginner strength-training apps that need no equipment pairs well with a new fitness watch.
Explore more: fixing Android’s “Storage Space Running Out” alert, using ChatGPT as a bedtime wind-down routine, beginner strength-training apps that need no equipment.
Make Your Digital Life Better
More practical tech how-tos, tool picks, and guides to upgrade your everyday digital life. More on GTWebs.
Want web tips in your inbox? Subscribe to the free newsletter.
Photo: Jenny Hautmann / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.