1+ hour, 16+ min ago (344+ words) A beloved albino alligator named Claude at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco has died at age 30 SAN FRANCISCO -- A rare albino alligator named Claude who was beloved by fans around the world died Tuesday, according to the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. He was 30. The science museum in Golden Gate Park is popular with Bay Area school children and international tourists, and many kids over the years have ended their visits clutching a mini Claude stuffed animal to take home. As an unofficial mascot of the museum and the city, Claude appeared in a children's book and in ads at bus and light-rail stations. The alligator icon had a "quiet charisma" that captivated hearts in his 17 years in San Francisco, the museum said in a statement. It has also said there are fewer than 200 albino…...

5+ hour, 8+ min ago (702+ words) SANTIAGO, Chile -- Chile's Atacama Desert is one of the darkest spots on Earth, a crown jewel for astronomers who flock to study the origins of the universe in this inhospitable desert along the Pacific coast. A rare confluence of factors makes the Atacama an ideal home for some of the world's biggest ground-based astronomical projects " dry climate, high altitude and, crucially, isolation from the light pollution of civilization. "It's a perfect cocktail for astronomy," said Daniela Gonz'lez, executive director of the Skies of Chile Foundation, a nonprofit that defends the quality of the country's night skies. But that may not be the case for much longer, a group of leading scientists warned in an open letter to Chile's government released Tuesday. A private company is pressing ahead with plans to construct a giant renewable energy complex in sight of one…...

7+ hour, 32+ min ago (323+ words) OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has issued a "code red" alert to employees to improve ChatGPT, according to The Wall Street Journal SAN FRANCISCO -- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has set off a "code red" alert to employees to improve its flagship product, ChatGPT, and delay other product developments, according to The Wall Street Journal. The newspaper reported that Altman sent an internal memo to staff Monday saying more work was needed to enhance the artificial intelligence chatbot's speed, reliability and personalization features. This week marks three years since OpenAI first released ChatGPT, sparking global fascination and a commercial boom in generative AI technology and giving the San Francisco-based startup an early lead. But the company faces increased competition with rivals, including Google, which last month unleashed Gemini 3, the latest version of its own AI assistant. OpenAI didn't immediately respond to a…...

11+ hour, 29+ min ago (447+ words) Ros" and Bruno Mars" "APT." NEW YORK -- It arrived in 2024. And it never left. Ros" and Bruno Mars" massively popular, Grammy-nominated "APT." topped Apple Music"s global song chart in 2025 as the giant music streamer released year-end lists Tuesday and provided listeners with data on their own most listened-to tunes. "APT." is both artists' first No. 1 on the year-end global songs chart. They're followed by another dynamic duo, Kendrick Lamar and SZA's "Luther," in second. Mars makes another appearance, in third, for his collaboration with Lady Gaga, "Die With a Smile." Then it's Lamar again in fourth " "Not Like Us" returns to a top spot, after earning the No. 1 position in 2024 " and in fifth, it's Billie Eilish with "Birds of a Feather." The success of Lamar's "GNX" album kept listeners engaged, and five of his songs made the global chart's…...

19+ hour, 52+ min ago (964+ words) Students applying to college know they're not supposed to use AI chatbots to write their essays Students applying to college know they can't " or at least shouldn't " use AI chatbots to write their essays and personal statements. So it might come as a surprise that some schools are now using artificial intelligence to read them. AI tools are now being incorporated into how student applications are screened and analyzed, admissions directors say. It can be a delicate topic, and not all colleges are eager to talk about it, but higher education is among the many industries where artificial intelligence is rapidly taking on tasks once reserved for humans. In some cases, schools are quietly slipping AI into their evaluation process, experts say. Others are touting the technology's potential to speed up their review of applications, cut processing times and even…...

19+ hour, 54+ min ago (413+ words) India's telecoms ministry has ordered smartphone manufacturers to install a government-run cybersecurity app on all new devices NEW DELHI -- India's telecoms ministry has directed smartphone manufacturers to pre-install a government-run cybersecurity app on all new devices, according to a government order, raising concerns of data privacy and user consent in one of the largest handset markets in the world. The Ministry of Communications' order issued Monday asked smartphone makers to pre-install the government's "Sanchar Saathi" app on all new devices within 90 days and to prevent users from deleting it. The order also requires manufacturers to push the app onto older models through a software update, extending the mandate beyond phones available in the market. The ministry said the app, which is available to India's 1.2 billion smartphone users, was essential in "curbing misuse of telecom resources for cyber frauds and ensuring…...

20+ hour, 1+ min ago (1018+ words) Conservationists are hoping to strengthen regulations at a wildlife trade conference on birds, reptiles and other animals that are seeing their numbers decline due to the exotic pet trade A growing exotic pet trade has conservationists calling for stronger regulations to protect the reptiles, birds and other animals in the wild that are increasingly showing up for sale on internet marketplaces and becoming popular on social media. The two-week Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora is scheduled to run through Friday in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Several proposals related to the pet trade will be considered Tuesday. Participants have proposed tighter regulations or complete bans on the trade of several species including iguanas from the Galapagos Islands, more than a dozen species of Latin America tarantulas and an odd-looking turtle from Africa. "What we're seeing is…...

23+ hour, 52+ min ago (593+ words) A new report by the United Nations Development Program is urging governments to focus more on how artificial intelligence technologies might affect people already disadvantaged in a data-driven world BANGKOK -- Behind the hoopla over the promise of artificial intelligence lay difficult realities, including how such technology might affect people already disadvantaged in a data-driven world. A new report by the United Nations Development Program notes most of the gains from AI are likely to be reaped by wealthy nations unless steps are taken to use its power to help close gaps in access to basic needs, as well as such advanced know-how. The report released Tuesday likens the situation to the "Great Divergence" of the industrial revolution, when many Western countries saw rapid modernization while others fell behind. Questions over how companies and other institutions will use AI are a…...

2+ day, 25+ min ago (233+ words) George Clooney playing a dashing movie star with nagging midlife regrets in "Jay Kelly" and Zac Brown Band returning with fresh tunes are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you. " The Christmas movies cometh. One of the first out of the gate this year is "Oh. What. Fun." (Wednesday, Prime Video). Michelle Pfeiffer stars as a matriarch who, after years of handling all the season's festivities for an ungrateful family, goes missing. Michael Showalter directs a cast including Felicity Jones, Chlo" Grace Moretz, Denis Leary and Dominic Sessa. " AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy " "The Abandons," a new American Western series comes to Netflix with women at the center of its story. Taking place in the 1850s, Gillian Anderson and Lena Headey star as two widowed women who are the heads of their household…...

2+ day, 14+ hour ago (1195+ words) NEW YORK -- Major retail chains and tech companies are offering new or updated artificial intelligence tools in time for the holiday shopping season, hoping to give consumers an easier gift-buying experience and themselves an augmented share of online spending. Although AI-powered purchases are in early stages, the shopping assistants and agents rolled out by the likes of Walmart, Amazon and Google can do more than the chatbots of holidays past. The latest versions were designed to provide personalized product recommendations, track prices and to place some orders through unscripted "conversations" with customers. Those features are on top of shopping updates from AI platforms like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google Gemini. In one of the season's most talked-about launches, Google this month introduced an AI agent that can be instructed to call local stores to ask if a desired product is in…...