Tech news today is led by Capcom confirming a data breach tied to more than 11.7 million user accounts, with the company warning that affected users should brace for more phishing emails targeting their Capcom ID.
Table of Contents
This tech news roundup also covers Block’s strikingly human-sounding voice AI model, plus science stories on simulated solar flares, how talking affects your pupils, and the latest This Week in Space podcast.
The TLDR
- Tech & Apps: Capcom Confirms Data Breach Affecting 11.7 Million Accounts
- AI Tools: Block’s New Dessa Voice Model Sounds Startlingly Human
- Science & Space: Lab-Simulated Solar Explosions May Explain a Sun Mystery
Tech & Apps
Capcom Confirms Data Breach Affecting 11.7 Million Accounts
Capcom confirmed that unauthorized access to its systems exposed data tied to more than 11.7 million user accounts, Engadget reports. Email addresses were affected across the bulk of those accounts, while a much smaller set of 43 accounts also had birth dates, gender, country, and nicknames exposed, and roughly 196 accounts saw unauthorized password changes. Capcom says no credit card data was involved, but Capcom ID holders should expect more phishing attempts and consider updating their passwords.
AI Tools
Block’s New Dessa Voice Model Sounds Startlingly Human
Payments company Block unveiled a new voice AI model called Dessa that it says can listen and respond at the same time rather than taking turns, TechCrunch reports. Because Dessa was trained directly on speech instead of text, Block says it reproduces natural qualities like laughter and pauses that text-based voice models tend to miss, and it can run locally on hardware like a MacBook M4 Max. Dessa isn’t public yet — Block is currently inviting safety researchers to test it first. For more on how AI is showing up across everyday devices, see our guide to stopping Android’s AI wallpaper suggestions.
Science & Space
Lab-Simulated Solar Explosions May Explain a Sun Mystery
Researchers simulated solar magnetic reconnection in the lab by firing laser beams at a rippled plastic target, creating plasma conditions similar to those on the Sun, according to a study in Physical Review Letters covered by ScienceAlert. The rippled target produced electron temperatures roughly twice as high as a flat target, reaching the equivalent of about 820,000°C. The team, from the China Institute of Atomic Energy and Beijing Normal University, says the result could help explain how countless small flares keep the Sun’s corona far hotter than its visible surface.
Talking Out Loud vs. Talking in Your Head Affects Your Pupils Differently
A study published in iScience found that speaking aloud and silently talking to yourself affect your pupils in different ways, per ScienceAlert. Researchers from the University of Tsukuba and Ritsumeikan University tracked the pupils of 80 university students during counting exercises and found that speaking aloud consistently caused pupils to dilate, while silent inner speech produced mixed results depending on how hard the task was. The team says actual vocalization appears to matter for how much the brain’s arousal systems engage.
This Week in Space Podcast Talks Careers in the Space Workforce
Episode 233 of the This Week in Space podcast features hosts Tariq Malik and Rick Jenet talking with Dr. Amanda Smith-Hackler of the Universities Space Research Association, according to Space.com. The conversation focuses on what it takes to enter the space workforce today.
Explore more: using ChatGPT to turn leftovers into dinner, stopping Android’s AI wallpaper suggestions.
Tech News FAQs
How many Capcom accounts were affected by the October 2026 data breach?
Capcom says the breach affected more than 11.7 million user accounts, mostly exposing email addresses. A much smaller group of 43 accounts also had birth dates, gender, country, and nicknames exposed, and about 196 accounts had unauthorized password changes.
Can I try Block’s new Dessa voice model yet?
Not yet. Block hasn’t released Dessa to the public and is currently inviting safety researchers to test it first.
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Photo: Tokumeigakarinoaoshima / CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.