Science
Iris on science · June 19th
storyflo · science
Jun 19, 2026 · 10 min listen
Listen · storyflo · science
Iris on science · June 19th
0:00-10:24
Live · Kokoro-82M
In May, the federal government announced without warning that it would take apart a network of ocean monitoring systems that it had spent over $350 million to build. No reason was given for the decision to shut down the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), but suspicion immediately focused on the network's role in tracking climate change. But the OOI also provides data that's useful for weather forecasting and fisheries management, leading to widespread opposition. Today, it appears that the opposition has won, as the government will announce that it's reversing the decision. The big remaining question is how much damage the OOI took during the intervening month. As of now, there is no formal statement available from the federal government. However, The New York Times reports that the decision will be announced later today, and Ars received a statement from Zoe Lofgren, the ranking Democrat on the House Science Committee, indicating that the decision has been made.
WALLOPS ISLAND, Virginia—Just 10 months ago, NASA asked three companies if they could do something nobody had done before. Could they build and launch a satellite to save a $500 million astronomy mission at risk of crashing back to Earth? What's more, could they do it in less than a year on a tight budget? Katalyst Space Technologies, a startup founded in 2020, presented the most compelling solution. "They came back with a response that was technically and programmatically plausible, and then we were like, 'Yeah, let’s do it,'" said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, director of NASA's astrophysics division. That was in August of last year. In September, NASA awarded Katalyst a $30 million contract to build, test, and launch a small satellite to chase down Swift and latch onto it with three robotic arms. Then, Katalyst's Link servicing spacecraft will boost Swift's orbit back to a safe operating altitude, allowing it to resume scientific observations. Easier said than done.
With the exception of Superman and Batman, no comic book character has had the kind of recurring cinematic success that Spider-Man has. In just 24 years, Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s most famous creation has appeared in eight live-action films (plus MCU guest appearances) and gone through three reboots, not to mention a host of animated projects and TV shows. Part of that success is due to Spider-Man’s longevity on the page, which has given him 65 years of intricate comic book canon to explore on-screen. So far, the MCU has strayed away from direct adaptations of specific storylines (except for loosely introducing the concept of the Spider-Verse), instead preferring to remix them or go with original plotlines featuring classic villains tailored for Marvel’s cinematic universe. The Vulture ended up being an aggrieved blue-collar cleanup worker, Mysterio sold himself to Peter as a reality-hopping hero, and the villains of No Way Home aren’t multiversal vampires but an interdimensional version of the Sinister Six. There’s not one specific text being adapted, but rather a variety of concepts being cut into puzzle pieces that can fit within the larger jigsaw of the MCU. Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the start of Tom Holland’s next trilogy, looks like it’s breaking that trend, though, very obviously taking inspiration from two major 2000s storylines that weren’t exactly acclaimed when they first released. While the biggest point of speculation regarding Brand New Day remains the identity of Sadie Sink’s mysterious antagonist, other mysteries abound, too, and arguably the second most discussed is the nature of the transformation Peter is undergoing. The updated synopsis for the movie hints at a “change in Peter he may not have the power to control,” one spurred on by the stress of being Spider-Man and losing his friends after No Way Home. The most popular assumption is that the movie will see Peter temporarily transform into Man-Spider, a feral, mutated state that sees him grow an additional four arms. But based on what we see in the trailer, it’s more likely that his transformation will pay homage to the 2005-2006 12-issue arc known as “The Other.” A status quo reset for the character, “The Other” throws Peter through a brutal crucible that sees him shot by a robotic villain named Tracer and mortally wounded by the interdimensional vampire Morlun, all the while reeling from a mysterious radiation-based illness that’s slowly destroying him. Ultimately, Peter succumbs to his ailments and dies, only to be resurrected by an ancient spider-deity known as the Great Weaver, who encourages Peter not to neglect his animalistic spider instincts. This revelation prompts a drastic change in Peter, one that sees him cocoon himself on the Brooklyn Bridge and emerge completely rejuvenated with new powers, including retractable stingers, night-vision, and, in an attempt to build synergy with the Raimi films, organic webbing. “The Other” was controversial for a few reasons, notably as part of a concentrated effort by Marvel Comics to retcon Spider-Man’s origin into a cosmically predetermined affair, which many fans believe defeated the point of Peter Parker being randomly given his powers. There are also many readers who simply dislike the convenience of organic webbing, a reliable alternative to the fallible quality of mechanical web-shooters. However, that storyline is a masterpiece compared to the reception of the other arc that the upcoming movie seems to be pulling from: 2007’s widely hated four-part crossover “One More Day.” Technically, “One More Day” was already loosely adapted in Spider-Man: No Way Home — the central thrust involves Peter Parker making a deal with the demon Mephisto, sacrificing his decades-long marriage to Mary-Jane Watson in exchange for saving Aunt May’s life from a fatal gunshot wound. Instead of a demonic pact that literally changes canon history, No Way Home’s climax opts to have Peter and Dr. Strange cast a spell that causes everyone on Earth to forget Peter’s secret identity, including his girlfriend, Michelle, and his best friend, Ned Leeds. Brand New Day will mostly engage with the aftermath of that spell, and the social and emotional toll weighing on a Peter Parker who once again finds himself completely alone. While neither storyline was well-received, the way the MCU is borrowing from both could be a perfect reset for Tom Holland’s version of the character. From the moment he debuted in Spider-Man: Homecoming, a common criticism of his depiction was his overreliance on advanced technology.
The administration is pulling back on its plan to shut down the Ocean Observatories Initiative, a network that cost about $350 million to build and that was slated for dismantling just weeks ago. After a month of pushback from scientists, weather forecasters, and fisheries groups, officials are set to announce the reversal later today.
The original move sparked concern because the OOI gathers long‑term data on ocean temperature, chemistry, and currents—key pieces for climate research, but also for everyday forecasts and managing fish stocks. Critics argued that losing the system would hurt both climate monitoring and more immediate needs like predicting storms.
Lawmakers, led by the ranking Democrat on the House Science Committee, have been vocal, saying the decision lacked justification and that the network’s value extends beyond climate politics. Their pressure appears to have convinced the administration to reconsider.
What’s still unclear is how much of the infrastructure was already taken apart during the brief shutdown window. If components were removed, there may be a short‑term gap while repairs or replacements are arranged, but the core system should stay intact moving forward.
NASA put out a fast‑track request to three firms, looking for a cheap, under‑year solution to keep the Swift observatory from re‑entering Earth’s atmosphere.
Katalyst Space Technologies answered with a design that fit both the technical and schedule constraints, and NASA signed them to a $30 million contract in September.
Their plan is to launch a compact servicing satellite equipped with three robotic arms, fly it up to Swift, latch on, and use its thrusters to lift Swift’s orbit back to a safe altitude.
The schedule is tight—less than twelve months from contract to launch—but if the rendezvous works, Swift could resume its science observations within months.
Bernie Sanders has unveiled an aggressive plan to transfer trillions from leading AI firms to the public, and, to the likely horror of AI firms, it goes even further than expected to give Americans more control over the AI industry. Sanders shared a summary of his legislation with AP News. If passed, the law would create a sovereign wealth fund “financed through a one-time 50 percent tax on the stock of the largest AI companies,” AP News reported. Any AI firm that does $200 million in annual AI sales would be subject to the tax, as would any new firm once it reaches that revenue level. In total, Sanders estimated the fund could be worth $7 trillion, generating “hundreds of billions of dollars annually in direct payments to Americans and programs such as health care, education and housing,” AP News reported. Each American would likely receive more than $1,000 annually in 5 percent annual dividends, Sanders estimated.
A businessman with ties to Chinese military contractors was among the overseas investors who acquired stakes in SpaceX while it was still a private company. An entity linked to the Qatari royal family also took a stake. The new details come from a private investor list obtained by ProPublica that sheds light on a particularly delicate issue for Elon Musk’s rocket company: which people in countries like China bought into the company, and how. SpaceX built its business off sensitive US government work like making spy satellites for the Pentagon. While there is no ban on Chinese investment in US military contractors, such investment is heavily regulated. In a sign of its sensitivity to the concerns, SpaceX barred investors from China and Hong Kong from buying shares in its initial public offering last week due to “regulatory and compliance risks,” Bloomberg reported. The US government alleges that China has a strategy of using investments in sensitive industries for espionage and to get access to cutting-edge technology.
Apple has updated its Beats Studio Buds wireless earbuds to patch a high-severity vulnerability that could be exploited by nearby hackers to eavesdrop on users. The vulnerability, CVE-2025-20701, allowed improper authentication in the firmware running on the Bluetooth-related chips, enabling people within signal range to impersonate devices that had previously been paired with the earbuds. The researchers demonstrated this in a series of end-to-end attacks that allowed them to eavesdrop on conversations or sounds within earshot of the phone microphone. Apple joins the patch party “Impact: An attacker within Bluetooth range may be able to listen through the microphone of a device which is not yet paired and actively seeking pair requests,” Apple said in a Tuesday security advisory. The fix is contained in Beats Firmware Update 1B211, which is delivered automatically while headphones are paired with and within Bluetooth range of a user’s iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Users can check their firmware version by going to Settings on their device, navigating to Bluetooth, and tapping the info button next to the headphones. Read full article
Almost 20 years ago, Google pitched Android as the more open alternative to Apple's walled garden. Last year, Google announced it would begin erecting its own walls through developer verification. The company has issued an update on its plans, affirming that the verification system will begin rolling out in select countries later this year. We're also learning which app stores are participating in verification and the timeline for key features like the recently revealed "advanced flow" for bypassing verification. Google has claimed that developer verification is a necessary change to smartphone software distribution, pointing to the increased prevalence of scams that trick Android users into installing malware apps. Google's solution requires verifying the identities of developers outside the Play Store just like it does for devs publishing on its platform. This has proven to be a contentious change for myriad reasons. In the new blog post, Google's Matthew Forsythe confirms that the developer verification system is slated to come online on September 30 of this year. The initial deployment will be limited to countries with a high level of app scams: Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand.
Three months ago, during a flashy event at its Washington, DC, headquarters, NASA announced that it was shifting the focus of its lunar plans from an orbital space station to a Moon base on the surface. As part of this, officials said work would be paused on the Lunar Gateway planned to orbit the Moon. Of the two elements that were furthest along, NASA also revealed that one of them—the Power and Propulsion Element—would be repurposed to serve as a core module for a nuclear-electric propulsion demonstration in deep space. Less was said about the fate of the other major component, the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO). This is the large pressurized module, 6.1 meters long, in which visiting astronauts would spend the majority of their time when visiting the Lunar Gateway. NASA has awarded contracts worth $1.1 billion to Northrop Grumman to design, build, and integrate the habitation module with the Power and Propulsion Element.
Send this story to anyone — or drop the embed into a blog post, Substack, Notion page. Every play sends rev-share back to storyflo · science.
We’ve simplified responses to 👍 / 👎. Past comments are archived but no longer visible.