Google AI researcher Pietro Miotti let his AI agents loose on some NASA lidar data — where, according to him, they made a staggering discovery: an ancient Maya site lurking deep under the thick canopy of the jungles of Mexico.
“By analyzing NASA lidar data, my AI agents discovered a Maya site in Mexico that, as far as anyone can tell, no one had reported before,” Miotti wrote in a breathless blog post. “It took less than 72 hours to go from a random thought while traveling to an official reply from the Mexican government.”
“This is by far the best time ever to be alive,” the researcher, who admitted that he’s “not an archeologist,” gushed.
“I think we’re on the brink of a revolution across every science, not just coding, physics and math,” he tweeted.
The discovery blew up on social media, with users lauding him for “finding ancient mayan sites from your desk chair” and arguing that the discovery justified AI data centers. (Naturally, they also shared AI slop images of what the site could look like once unearthed.)
The news even caught the attention of media outlets, including The Verge and TechRadar.
But it didn’t take long for the scientific community to call foul.
“This story is going wild on X and elsewhere,” archeologist and award-winning author Sarah Parcak wrote in a post on Bluesky. “The site was already published by Dr. Francisco Estrada-Belli of Tulane University ages ago.”
In a 2025 paper, a team of researchers directed by Estrada-Belli examined lidar data colleceted by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, covering 95,000 square kilometers of central America, finding that the ancient Maya population may have been significantly larger than previously estimated, possibly upwards of 16 million people at its peak.
“This is why we have peer review,” Parcak added. “Mexican gov didn’t have it in their database, but that doesn’t mean it is unknown/unmapped.”
Estrada-Belli shared images of the site with Parcak, adding credence to the revelation.
To his credit, Miotti admitted defeat, conceding in an update that “it turns out the site had already been mapped.”
“The agents missed it while going through the literature, so they rediscovered it rather than discovered it,” Miotti claimed. “Still work to do then!”
Nonetheless, the incident highlights a trend of AI researchers being accused of taking credit for pre-existing scientific research. Perhaps the most notable is OpenAI, which released a flood of “proofs” for well-known, unsolved mathematical problems. But many of these solutions appear to be ripping off the work of mathematicians, who were actively working on the puzzles.
The incident escalated into a crisis earlier this year as mathematicians accused OpenAI of providing unverified proofs and relying on plagiarism. It underscored how the entire AI industry has built its foundations by effectively ripping off rights-protected content on the web and using it to train their models.
While Miotti thankfully admitted that his AI agents had discovered a site that we already knew about for years, that doesn’t mean other researchers will make similar claims that may go by undisputed and taken for granted.
Besides, ironically, machine learning and computer vision have long been a “core part of remote sensing for as long as it’s been around,” geoscience consultant Alex Janevski wrote in a post on Bluesky.
“I hate how this sort of hyperbolic misinformation both takes credit away from the actual experts and distorts how those experts are of course already using advanced digital tools of various kinds and have been for decades,” Roman historian Anise Strong wrote. “Don’t reinvent the wheel, Random Internet Guy!”
More on AI and science:Explosive Document Claims That AI Is Not What We Think
For Twitch streamers, on-platform discoverability has always been a major issue. Twitch has tried to address this, with mixed success. Now, the platform is making its biggest swing yet.
Starting early next year, Twitch will let creators upload short-form videos made outside the platform. Announced during the keynote at TwitchCon 2026 in San Diego, the move is aimed at improving on-platform discovery and creating more ad inventory. Twitch’s goal isn’t to make clips into a TikTok-like destination, execs say, but to help viewers discover creators and tune into their livestreams, where creators make most of their money.
The new uploads build on Twitch’s existing Clips tools, which have let creators and viewers clip livestreams and share them on-platform for more than a decade. But clips made or shared outside the platform are now a central part of creator culture.
“It’s a smart thing for them to do. You want to follow your favorite Twitch creators but you aren’t able to catch them live at that moment, so you’re going to TikTok or you’re watching old uploads on YouTube,” said Eric Bogard, CEO of UnderCurrent Talent.
Cross-platform follower conversion is difficult, especially for streamers. “Every data point will always show you that getting people to click over different platforms doesn’t work really at all,” said Tim McArdle, co-founder and chief content officer at creative studio Wildcatter.
Twitch’s chief product officer Mike Minton said the platform had “missed an opportunity” to make clips happen on Twitch. Historically, Twitch creators’ short-form content goes viral on TikTok, X, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram, racking up millions of views.
McArdle said that, though Twitch is a bit behind the game, these features could fundamentally change the platform. “They needed to do it, and for a company that produces a lot on Twitch, we’re excited about it,” he said.
Twitch streamers Vio and Frogan were less optimistic about the new short-form push. “People don’t go to Twitch to find clips or videos. They go to YouTube or TikTok,” said Vio. “They need to let the Clips thing go. No one is going to watch clips on Twitch natively,” said Frogan. Dan “Onepeg” Marshall, who has over 72,000 followers on the platform, said it’s a good move for the overall ethos of Twitch.
Twitch already has an existing “Clips” tab on both its mobile and desktop versions, but it will also add a new “Category Recap” shelf that will appear on category pages, which will populate with clips and recaps. Marshall found the Category Recaps the most interesting feature announced, noting it could be a positive for creators in specific categories trying to catch eyeballs.
“Of all of the things Twitch has tried to pull in the last several years, this is probably one of the better ideas for discoverability if it does more than just show clips of the largest creators in each category,” he said.
Switching Twitch up
With this investment in short-form content, Twitch feeds will eventually become more personalized for users, whose viewing habits will dictate whether they’re fed more short-form content or more streams, according to Minton.
“We’re not trying to be TwitchTok,” he clarified. Instead, Twitch hopes these new features will help creators get discovered on-platform, which will make it easier to funnel viewers into livestreams, which is where they make their money.
“Will people consume as much of the clips on Twitch as TikTok? Probably not, but that’s OK… the utility of why they’re doing it and how it’s going to be used is different,” said McArdle.
Twitch’s new editing tools will make it easier to find exciting moments and turn them into clips. That could be a boon for smaller creators who don’t have the money to hire an editor or the time to edit content on an external app or program after they’ve been livestreaming for hours. Vio and Marshall wondered whether AI would power these features. Vio said the existing AI tools have been “ass so far.”
Minton told Digiday he’s focused on the “torso and long tail of creators” on Twitch. A more robust creator platform with better discoverability means more creators making money.
Allowing creators to upload externally made clips, rather than just chopped up, unedited versions of their streams, adds even more inventory to the platform. “It sounds like they’re trying to capture more inventory as leverage from an advertising perspective,” said Justin Miclat, chief growth officer at talent and brand management company Click Media.
Minton said increased audiences are what advertisers care about, and that Clips can help activations organized directly between brands and creators.
For creators however, the advertiser opportunity won’t yet translate into direct revenue. Minton confirmed that, though there are ads nestled amongst clips, there’s no direct monetization for short-form on Twitch just yet.
“Twitch is mostly live monetization, so the transition from the short form into live is where you’re going to make your money,” Minton said. “70 percent of it directly from your fans versus ad-supported. I do think over time we will find ways for ads in and around clips that’ll make sense that won’t diminish the user experience but will increase those earning opportunities for creators.”
Ultimately, this short-form push should help content creators on Twitch get more eyes on their livestreams, a notoriously difficult task the platform has been struggling with for years.
“Live content isn’t amazing for discovery… You hop into [a stream], you may not understand what’s going on. It could be a dead moment in a stream, it’s just not great,” Minton said. “Whereas short form is amazing…you get a snapshot of a great moment, and you can decide: ‘Is this something I want to spend more time on?’ Yes, it is. Follow. Boom. Next time you open up the app, that streamer’s in the feed.”
Comic strips and cartoons are often known to freeze their characters in time. The writers want to tell stories about a particular age or moment in a character’s life, and having characters get older can complicate the chemistry of a comic or cartoon. It is an interesting dilemma, as audiences often want to watch their favorite characters mature and get older. However, viewers also notoriously complain if something changes in their favorite media.
There are some comic strips that broke the mold when it comes to this particular trend. A handful actually depicted their characters aging in “real time.” Over the years, the stars of these comic strips would actually get older, changing things for both the characters and the dynamics of the overall comic strip.
Baby Blues Puts a Focus on Childhood Development
Image by GameRant | Source: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Baby Blues is a comic strip that started in 1990, and it is slated to end in March 2027. It was created by Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott. It focuses on the MacPherson family and puts the focus on the children and their development throughout the years. In fact, the comic began with the parents having just had their first child, Zoe.
The children are the main milestones of the time that has passed since the beginning of the comic. Time is supposed to pass at about a 3-1 ratio with the children themselves. However, by the creator’s own admission, time has slowed or almost completely stopped since the birth of Wren, the last child, in 2002.
Luann Follows a High School Student Into Adulthood
Image by GameRant | Source: Andrew McMeels Publishing
This comic strip was created by Greg Evans and started in 1985, focusing on Luann DeGroot, who starts the series in high school. The series dealt with grounded, true-to-life issues such as Luann’s first period, drunk driving, and cancer. It also often dealt with Luann’s self-image issues.
Greg Evans’ daughter, Karen, is co-authoring the comic with Greg as of 2012. The comic has Luann aging at a relatively slow rate, as she is currently attending college to be in early childhood education, and she has been in college since 2014. Readers will likely see her graduate before long, and it will be interesting to see where Luann heads from there.
For Better Or Worse Follows a Family As The Children Grow Into Adults
Image by GameRant | Source: Andrew McMeels Publishing
For Better or Worse is a comic by creator Lynn Johnston that ran from 1979 to 2008. It focused on the Patterson family and showed the parents aging into retirement and the children growing into adulthood and getting married. It is a comic series where the reader gets to watch as a family grows and develops, and the kids reach maturity and see their own lives realized.
One of the most famous things about For Better or Worse is the saga of the Patterson sheepdog, Farley. The beloved dog aged as the rest of the family grew older. Johnston had plans to kill off Farley and even told Charles Schulz of the Peanuts about her plans to do so. Schulz told Johnston that he would have Snoopy hit by a truck if she killed Farley. Ultimately, Farley would die from a heart attack after saving April Patterson from a cold river, and Johnston kept it a secret from Schulz until publication.
9 Chickweed Lane is a Woman-Focused Multi-Generational Comic Strip
Image by United Feature Syndicate
9 Chickweed Lane started in 1993 and is by creator Brooke McEldowney. It focuses on the Burber family, primarily Edda, her mother Juliette, and her grandmother Edna. Juliette was the primary focus at the beginning. The comic is known for focusing on more serious subjects such as school shootings and pregnancy out of wedlock. These serious topics have attracted controversy in the past.
While the characters were not originally meant to age, they have done so at a relatively slow rate. The comic has switched its attention from Juliette to Edda as the latter has aged over the years. She has since grown up and has kids of her own. The humor of this comic mainly comes from awkward social interactions and the slice-of-life narrative that so many newspaper comic strips maintain.
Gasoline Alley is the Longest-Running Strip Still in Publication
Image by GameRant | Source: Tribune Content Agency
Gasoline Alley started in 1918 and is still running to this day. It is the longest-running comic strip still in publication, and the only American comic strip that has run longer is TheKatzenjammer Kids. It was started by Frank King, who depicted his characters aging in real time. Dick Moores, Bill Perry, Bob Zschiesche, and Jim Scancarelli are the creators who have taken over in the time since then, with Jim Scancarelli being the current creator.
The comic focuses on slice-of-life stories, starting with furniture salesman Walt Wallet but continuing with his adopted son “Skeezix,” who would run the Gasoline Alley Garage. It has continued with generations of characters since then, as the progression of generations was baked into the comic from the beginning. The strip is in its fifth generation of characters now, with Walt Wallet still alive and making appearances in the comic.
D*kes To Watch Out For Showed Its Cast Progressing Through the Years
Image by GameRant | Source: Mariner Books
DTWOF was a long-running comic that focused on a group of lesbians living in a mid-sized American city. Created by Alison Bechdel, it ran from 1983 to 2008 and was one of the earliest mass media depictions of lesbians in the United States. It focused on characters such as Mo, Sydney, Ginger, Samia, Clarice, Toni, Lois, and others. It is also, notably, where the Bechdel-Wallace Test, better known as the Bechdel Test, originated. The Bechdel Test measures how much a movie respects its women characters by whether or not two or more women characters are allowed to discuss a topic that is not male-centric over the course of the film.
All the characters seemingly age to some degree in DTWOF. This is particularly shown in the progression of the relationship between Toni and Clarice, who have a child together named Raffi. The pregnancy, birth, and growth through adolescence for Raffi are shown over the course of the comic strip.
Doonesbury Shows a Crew of Students Graduating From College and Living Their Lives
Image by GameRant | Source: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Doonesbury, by Garry Trudeau, is a comic strip that is still running to this day and was initially centered around a group of college students. Its humor tends to lean toward the highbrow and focuses on biting political commentary. In fact, that political edge has gotten Doonesbury in trouble several times over the years, particularly with the late U.S. senator John McCain.
Doonesbury‘s characters did not age for the first few years of the comics’ existence. However, the comic went on hiatus in 1983 during which Trudeau created a musical that depicted the characters graduating from college. When it came back in 1984, the characters started aging as the comic progressed. It has continued commenting on current events to this very day.
The Peanuts Has a Number of Characters Who Age but Not All
Image by GameRant | Source: Peanuts Worldwide LLC
The best comic where characters age is none other than Charles Schulz’s own Peanuts. This has a bit of a caveat, though, as not all characters seemingly age in Peanuts. At the very least, they do not age at the same rate as one another. For those somehow unfamiliar, Peanuts is a comic strip that ran from 1950 to 2000 that centers around Charlie Brown, his dog Snoopy, and their friends and associates. The comic is often a slice-of-life read with grounded themes which range from lighthearted to sincerely morose.
Lucy and Schroeder made their first appearances as toddlers. Linus, Sally, Rerun, and Woodstock all started as babies. Lucy and Schroeder seemingly age similarly to Charlie Brown, while the rest age up but are always treated as younger than Charlie Brown. Woodstock was hatched from a nest upon Snoopy’s stomach and has seemingly grown beyond the age of a baby over the course of the comic.
CHICLAYO, Peru – Pope Leo held the central event of his 12-day South America tour on Friday, an outdoor Mass in northern Peru where he told a vast crowd of people who once knew him as their bishop that he thanked God he was alive to see them.
Dylan Menor’s Christmas wish is good health, not only for himself but also for his loved ones, along with more blessings and opportunities in the years ahead.
Three weeks ago, we put Apple’s new iPhone Duo on our custom foldable phone testing rig, the Fold-a-Phone, to find out how many times it could fold until it broke. It’s not fully broken yet, but the hinge has started to break down.
I initially detected some looseness in the hinge motion yesterday during our afternoon livestream. It became evident that the iPhone Duo was not opening with the same firm sound I was used to hearing. When I left the office last night at 6 p.m., it was still opening completely flat.
Now, however, the screen no longer opens all the way flat. Instead, it unfolds most of the way but leaves a few degrees of angle in the hinge. Check out the video below, and tune in to our YouTube livestream later today to see for yourself.
After examining the sensor data we’ve collected, and the photos and videos we shoot constantly during the testing process, we determined that changes in the opening force and motion began occurring around the 390,000-fold point on Tuesday afternoon and gradually built until last night.
The wire we use to open the phone screen would withdraw before the screen was in the fully open position, but it would then sort of “coast” the rest of the way down. But between 12:30 and 1 a.m. this morning, around 440,300 folds, the screen would no longer have time to open all the way before the Fold-a-Phone caused it to close again.
Another view of the iPhone Duo’s not-quite-flat state in the Fold-a-Phone machine. It can still be folded flat by hand.Matthew Murray/CNET
How serious is this issue? In the grand scheme of things, not very. The phone still operates and maintains other screen positions without issue. There’s no cracking, signs of a more visible crease or other failures.
This issue is not sufficient to meet our established failure conditions in the Duo, which include loss of power, sensors failing to detect the screen where it needs to be within the given timeframe, and screen blackout. The phone is only about 5 to 10 degrees away from the fully open state, and it can still be moved the rest of the way by hand (though without the distinctive snap sound and feel it had earlier).
Join CNET’s iPhone Duo livestream on YouTube weekdays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET, where you can follow along live and watch the Fold-a-Phone do its thing to a Duo.
Chances are, if you had bought the phone and encountered this behavior, you might not even notice it at first. And, remember, by the time this started, we’d subjected the iPhone Duo to the equivalent of nearly 12 and a half years of folding (assuming 100 folds per day) – well beyond the number of folds we’d expect from even an avid user.
Apple has not publicly stated the anticipated number of folds the iPhone Duo would endure, so we’ve been left to speculate. Guesses within CNET have ranged from 500,000 (matching Samsung’s rating for the Galaxy Z Fold 8) to 1.5 million. But even if we don’t yet know for sure how much worse the hinge action will become, and thus what the final number will be, what we’ve seen today represents the first significant step toward failure.
We are going to keep going. And we hope you’ll stick with us, both here and on our daily livestreams, to see what more unfolds.
Matthew Murray
Lab Director
As lab director for the CNET Group, Matthew leads the Labs team, which helps coordinate and conduct product testing for CNET and other Ziff Davis editorial brands including PCMag and ZDNET. He previously spent eight years as head of testing at Future plc, and before that eight years as an analyst and writer at PCMag. His technology writing has also appeared in publications including Computer Shopper, ExtremeTech, Tom’s Guide, Laptop and Backstage.
Berserk is the magnum opus of Kentaro Miura. The author worked on the series tirelessly, which helped him create a genuine masterpiece that inspired generations. Ever since its inception, other up-and-coming manga artists have found Berserk to be their muse. Aside from the stellar story and immersive world, Berserk also has some of the coolest powers within the Seinen category.
Most of the time, these abilities belong to supernatural beings like apostles, the God Hand, and fairies. But in some cases, human beings are also able to gain powers that change their lives forever. Given the fact that readers have seen some fairly impressive human beings in Berserk, it’s always interesting to try and learn who amongst them stands at the top.
Guts Is The Strongest Human In Berserk
Anyone familiar with the world of Berserk would definitely call Guts the strongest human in the series. Initially, there were some doubts around this claim, but the recent developments in the Berserk manga have more or less confirmed that Guts is 100% the strongest human being in Berserk. In the last few chapters, Guts was forced to stay inside a temple. Once he entered, the exit was sealed, and everything inside became pitch black. So Guts had no other option but to lie down in isolation and finally confront the darkness that was deep inside him.
After going through so many tragedies, it is a miracle that Guts was able to maintain his sanity and not go down a twisted dark path. Once he began to reflect, Guts remembered all the deaths, the rage, and the fear that he had both brought and endured, but these weren’t the only emotions that the hero was feeling. No, he also felt sorrow and pain, and he blamed himself for all of it. He thought if he had never met them, perhaps the people who lost their lives would still be alive. As he kept thinking, a luminescent entity confronted him, and it showed him that Guts was born amongst the dead. So he was initially within the astral world, but then his birth made him part of the physical world.
Due to this reason, half of the gods belong to the astral world. Once he realized his true nature, his guts woke up, and he was finally able to see in the pitch-black room. Then he got up and pushed away the rock that was blocking the exit, and he did so with just a single hand. For contrast, it took two huge men to lift the boulders and to block the exit. As soon as he stepped outside, it became clear that he was no longer the same person. Guts appeared a lot bulkier and stronger.
Guts was due a power-up for a long time. Whenever he had to fight powerful apostles, he would put his own body on the line. He would often turn to the power of the Berserker armor, and while it did give him the means to take down enemies, Guts had to pay a steep price for it. Whenever he called upon the Berserker armor, he risked losing his sanity. He knew the beast of darkness was waiting just around the corner to consume his mind and turn him into a dark and empty husk. If Guts had kept on using the Berserker armor, he would have ultimately paid a very steep price. Fortunately, with the new power-up, Guts no longer has to rely on the Berserker armor. Instead, he can simply use his newfound strength to overcome any challenges.
Berserk Is Slowly Heading Towards Its Conclusion
Griffith gives a serious look in daytime
Now that Guts has the strength to deal with the apostles and the God Hand in a much more manageable way, it won’t be long before he starts hunting them again and saves Casca and the rest of the world from the God Hand and the idea of evil. So far, only the Kushans and Guts’ closest friends know about his transformation, but his enemies will learn of it soon enough when they face wrath on the battlefield.
Following the latest developments, it is safe to say that the story of Berserk is rapidly moving towards its conclusion, which is something that nobody expected, especially after the unfortunate passing of Kentaro Miura. Thankfully, Koji Mori and the staff at Studio Gaga joined hands to finish the masterpiece and give Guts’ journey a fitting conclusion. The latest bizarre chapters also gave fans an insight into Griffith’s current situation. In fact, in the most recent chapter, Griffith was ridiculed by the members of the God Hand. They mocked him and his dream of creating a utopia. Before leaving, they told him that Falconia was a cold prison that he had created for himself.
Naturally, Griffith was not pleased with their words, but at the same time he didn’t correct them either, which makes it even more apparent that the ruler of Falconia craves something else. So it is completely possible that Griffith will sideline his project, Falconia, for the time being and focus more on his duties as Femto of the God Hand. Griffith was chosen for a reason, and it wasn’t just the creation of Falconia. The idea of evil wants something far greater from him, and it won’t rest until the results are on point. Another character to keep an eye on is Schierke, who is currently navigating the Astral Plane, trying to find Casca and learn more about the situation at hand. There is no denying that things are getting interesting, and if they keep up. Unfortunately, the manga has been on a break for the last four months, and presently there is no news of a return. However, fans can rest assured, as Koji Mori is working hard to finish the manuscript, and hopefully he and the rest of the team will have some news to share in the coming weeks.
Aside from the manga, fans are also hoping to get some kind of news regarding the anime. The 3D CGI adaptations were downright bad, and they didn’t do Berserk justice. Aside from a fan project, there has been no real news regarding Berserk getting an anime adaptation. Some rumors suggest that MAPPA might be secretly working on an adaptation, but it is merely conjecture at this point. A manga with the quality of Berserk truly deserves a premium-quality adaptation, and hopefully that’s what it will get. For the time being, Berserk fans should remain patient and watch or read other titles that are similar to it.
Berserk Unveils Its Official Strongest Human In New Release
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Ikinuwento ni Aubrey Miles ang isang hindi niya malilimutang karanasan tungkol sa isang personalidad na pilit umanong idinawit ang kaniyang pangalan noong nagsisimula pa lamang ito sa showbiz.
