Here are today’s 6 verified tech & science stories, covering Tech & Apps, AI Tools and Science & Space.
Table of Contents
Every item below links to its original source.
The TLDR
- Tech & Apps: New Mac Mini Rumored to Launch Before Apple’s September Event
- AI Tools: Instinct’s AI Assistant Is Raising Privacy Red Flags
- Science & Space: NASA-Backed Concept Would Use a Starshade to Directly Image Earth-Like Planets
Tech & Apps
New Mac Mini Rumored to Launch Before Apple’s September Event
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple could release an updated Mac mini within days, ahead of the iPhone event expected next month, per 9to5Mac. It would be the Mac mini’s first update in nearly two years, and Apple has reportedly tested versions with both M5 and M6 chips. Apple hasn’t confirmed anything, so treat the timing as a rumor for now.
Apple’s Second-Gen AirTags Four-Pack Is $20 Off
A four-pack of Apple’s second-generation AirTags has dropped to $79, down from $99, at both Amazon and Target — the lowest price the bundle has hit yet, according to The Verge. That works out to just under $20 per tracker instead of paying $24 for a single AirTag. Each tag runs on a replaceable coin-cell battery, and if you’ve ever wondered why batteries lose charge even sitting unused, it’s worth a read before you stash spares in a drawer.
How to Watch NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Launch
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is set to launch no earlier than 7:26 a.m. ET on August 30, with a backup window the next morning, per Engadget. A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will carry it from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A, with live coverage on NASA’s website and SpaceX’s X account starting at 6:20 a.m. ET.
AI Tools
Instinct’s AI Assistant Is Raising Privacy Red Flags
Instinct, a private-testing AI personal assistant that can book appointments, manage email, and act on a user’s behalf, is drawing privacy and security concerns from early testers, reports TechCrunch. Its terms grant broad rights to use personal data for training, and testers have flagged issues like emails remaining stored after disconnecting an account and difficulty getting records deleted. The tool remains in limited private access.
SEC Probes AI Hedge Fund After Its Near-Collapse
The SEC is investigating Situational Awareness, an AI-focused hedge fund led by former OpenAI researcher Leopold Aschenbrenner, after a late-July downturn in AI stocks wiped out much of its value, according to TechCrunch. Regulators have subpoenaed banks that handled trading and funding for the firm, though no wrongdoing has been alleged.
Science & Space
NASA-Backed Concept Would Use a Starshade to Directly Image Earth-Like Planets
Researchers have proposed pairing an orbital starshade with next-generation ground telescopes to directly image rocky exoplanets within 20 light-years of Earth, according to a 2026 Nature Astronomy paper covered by Phys.org. The design calls for a 50-meter starshade with 48 petals to block a star’s glare, and the team has applied for NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts funding they hope to receive by 2027.
Explore more: why batteries lose charge even sitting unused, T-Mobile Starlink vs. AST SpaceMobile.
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Photo: AirportExpert / CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.