Science & Technology

Science & Technology

FILE - A call is overturned to a walk by the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System, displayed on the stadium screens, after Cincinnati Reds' Will Benson challenged at pitch result during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox in Cincinnati, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

Robot umpires flip 54% of challenged calls in ABS debut as teams learn to time appeals

Ronald Blum, The Associated Press 7 minute read 8:15 AM CDT

Related

NEW YORK (AP) — Robot umpires overturned 54% of challenged calls in the first season of the Automated Ball-Strike System, and catchers were far more successful than batters.

Learning when to challenge is key.

The Cincinnati Reds had a net gain of 16.8 runs, according to Baseball Savant calculations of total run value of overturns on challenges. The Los Angeles Angels were next at 14, followed by the Athletics (12.3) and Minnesota (10.1).

Cleveland was 30th at minus-13.4 and several other playoff teams rated poorly by that metric: the Los Angeles Dodgers (26th, -8.5), Tampa Bay (25th, -7.8), the Chicago Cubs (21st, -4.6), Milwaukee (20th, -2.4), Atlanta (18th, -2.1), San Diego (17th, -1.9), the New York Yankees (16th, -2.1) and Houston (15th, -0.8).

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

Weather

Oct. 2, 12 PM: 13°c Sunny Oct. 2, 6 PM: 15°c Cloudy

Winnipeg MB

1°C, Sunny

Full Forecast

Science & Technology

FILE - The Army dress uniform and photo of the late Christopher Pelkey is displayed at his mother's home, May 7, 2025, in Chandler, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)

Sentence tossed in Arizona case where deceased victim was depicted speaking in AI-generated video

Jacques Billeaud, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Sentence tossed in Arizona case where deceased victim was depicted speaking in AI-generated video

Jacques Billeaud, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 7:16 PM CDT

PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona man’s 10-year manslaughter sentence has been tossed in a case where a video generated by artificial intelligence portrayed the deceased victim addressing a judge before the punishment was imposed.

In a decision released Wednesday, the Arizona Court of Appeals concluded Gabriel Paul Horcasitas must be resentenced in the 2021 shooting death of Christopher Pelkey because the AI video wasn't reliable.

The court found the video crossed the line, saying it didn’t reflect actual events and presented statements made in the footage as coming directly from the victim.

“Indeed, rather than document an event or recording a particular moment, the AI video presents a depiction of the victim and his thoughts created from the imaginings of the victim’s sister,” the three-judge panel wrote.

Read
Updated: Yesterday at 7:16 PM CDT

Science & Technology

Bell Canada is building what's expected to be Canada's largest Canadian-owned data centre outside Regina, seen under construction, on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeremy Simes

Construction of Bell Canada’s AI data centre in Saskatchewan scaling up

Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Construction of Bell Canada’s AI data centre in Saskatchewan scaling up

Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 7:35 PM CDT

REGINA - Saskatchewan’s Crown investments minister stood Thursday in front of a skeleton of steel beams to tout progress on an artificial intelligence mega facility, while the Opposition again called on the province to consult first, then build.

"We have just an amazing thing going on here behind us," Jeremy Harrison told reporters at the site, southeast of Regina.

"Literally millions of pounds of steel."

Harrison and Bell Canada held a news conference at the company's 65-hectare site. Behind them, construction crews moved heavy equipment.

Read
Updated: Yesterday at 7:35 PM CDT

Health

Post-menopausal women had more physical and mental health problems than premenopausal women, according to a new study. Pictured: an insulin injection in California in 2022. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

Health of women with diabetes may deteriorate after menopause: study

Jean-Benoit Legault, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Health of women with diabetes may deteriorate after menopause: study

Jean-Benoit Legault, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Yesterday at 3:10 PM CDT

MONTRÉAL - Women with Type 1 diabetes appear to be at greater risk of physical and psychosocial health problems after menopause and require an updated treatment plan, according to a new study.

Published in September by Diabetes Research and Clinical Practices, the research found that post-menopausal women had a higher risk of retinopathy, cardiovascular disease, neuropathy, falls, and moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms. 

They were also less likely to have been prescribed antihypertensive and lipid-lowering medications.

Jane Yardley of the Montreal Clinical Research Institute was one of the co-authors of the study.

Read
Yesterday at 3:10 PM CDT

Science & Technology

A T5 data center is seen on Aug. 14, 2026, in Elk Grove Village, Ill. (Maggie Dougherty/Capitol News Illinois via AP)

Report: New data centers could create more than 120K Illinois jobs, though mostly temporary

Maggie Dougherty And Ben Szalinski/capitol News Illinois, The Associated Press 8 minute read Preview

Report: New data centers could create more than 120K Illinois jobs, though mostly temporary

Maggie Dougherty And Ben Szalinski/capitol News Illinois, The Associated Press 8 minute read Yesterday at 3:06 PM CDT

A new study predicts data centers expected to be built in Illinois over the next decade would create thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in new property tax revenue.

But many are skeptical the touted benefits will live up to their promises or outweigh the environmental and energy burdens.

The study by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute projected that $57 billion worth of new data center investments through 2035 will create 121,000 jobs. Most of those would be temporary construction and other jobs throughout the economy, with just 2,800 of them direct, permanent positions.

After lawmakers failed to pass data center regulations in the spring session and Gov. JB Pritzker paused the state’s data center tax incentive program, a comprehensive study was needed to help guide policymakers on how to address residents’ concerns, according to Frank Manzo, an economist at ILEPI, a labor-backed research organization that “promotes thoughtful economic growth for businesses and working families.”

Read
Yesterday at 3:06 PM CDT

Science & Technology

FILE - Maryland Gov. Wes Moore speaks at an event at the National Governors Association Winter Meeting, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert, File)

Wes Moore forms bipartisan governors group on AI, citing federal inaction

Steven Sloan, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Wes Moore forms bipartisan governors group on AI, citing federal inaction

Steven Sloan, The Associated Press 4 minute read Yesterday at 2:35 PM CDT

BALTIMORE (AP) — Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland is forming a bipartisan group of governors to respond to mounting concerns about the threats posed by artificial intelligence as he argued that states need to fill a void left by the federal government's inaction on the issue.

In an interview, Moore, a Democrat, criticized President Donald Trump's meeting with AI executives at the White House this week as a “billionaire boys club." He was also critical of Congress for leaving Washington until after next month's midterms without addressing the rapidly evolving technology.

“The federal government has a unique leadership role that they have to play and that includes both the White House and Congress,” Moore said after speaking at an innovation conference in Baltimore. “In the absence of that, the governors cannot just sit on our hands.”

Moore is the chair of the National Governors Association this year and said his co-chair, Republican Gov. Mike Braun of Indiana, would partner with him in developing an AI framework. Other governors from both parties are planning to participate, Moore said.

Read
Yesterday at 2:35 PM CDT

Science & Technology

Iranian national extradited to US by Montenegro over alleged $3.4B cyberattack case

Predrag Milic, The Associated Press 2 minute read Yesterday at 11:36 AM CDT

PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — Montenegro has extradited an Iranian-Turkish dual national to the United States over alleged cyberattacks targeting more than 150 U.S. universities and causing an estimated $3.4 billion in damage, police in the Balkan country said on Thursday.

Amir Barati, 40, was arrested in June by Montenegro’s Interpol office and local police in the coastal town of Kotor. The arrest was made at the request of U.S. authorities, including the FBI.

Montenegrin police described Barati as a “high-profile” target sought in connection with cybercrime and organized crime. He faces several charges in New York, including conspiracy to commit computer fraud, hacking and identity theft.

Police allege that Barati began carrying out large-scale cyberattacks against U.S. infrastructure in 2013 while working with an Iran-based entity. Data stolen in the attacks and access to compromised university accounts were allegedly used to benefit Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other Iranian organizations, including universities.

Science & Technology

TD Bank signage is pictured in the financial district in Toronto, Friday, Sept. 8, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Lahodynskyj

TD Economics sees AI-induced ‘job apocalypse’ as unlikely despite concerns

Daniel Johnson, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

TD Economics sees AI-induced ‘job apocalypse’ as unlikely despite concerns

Daniel Johnson, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 1:49 PM CDT

TORONTO - A new report from TD Economics says fears of widespread job losses due to AI are unlikely, saying the labour market is more poised for gradual change instead. 

Economists Rannella Billy-Ochieng’ and Thomas Feltmate said that rapid advances in generative AI technology have led to concerns that automation could replace workers en masse. 

But for a large-scale displacement to occur, the report said AI would have to be able to perform tasks autonomously, be economically attractive and be rapidly adopted across companies. 

"The current evidence collectively suggests that AI is more likely to reshape how work is performed rather than eliminate a large number of jobs outright. Therefore, the AI job apocalypse remains a risk scenario, not the base case," the report said.

Read
Updated: Yesterday at 1:49 PM CDT

Science & Technology

Competitive gamer and Twitch streamer Cody

A 21-year-old Fortnite pro gives out computers to young gamers and plans for more through a new fund

James Pollard, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

A 21-year-old Fortnite pro gives out computers to young gamers and plans for more through a new fund

James Pollard, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 3:02 PM CDT

NEW YORK (AP) — After dropping out in eighth grade to pursue esports, Cody Conrod wants to help others enter the increasingly expensive world of professional gaming.

The 21-year-old competitive Fortnite player, better known as Clix to his more than 8 million Twitch followers, already provides hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of gaming equipment through an annual holiday giveaway. Through his new holding company, launched Thursday, he is formalizing those efforts into the Dr3amin Access Fund.

Fortnite, one of the world's most popular video games, features last-one-standing showdowns where players hunt down each other's customizable avatars across an ever-shrinking map. Content creators have found loyal audiences by live streaming their exploits on platforms such as Twitch, the livestreaming platform owned by Amazon, and clipping the most eye-catching segments into viral short-form videos.

But the equipment needed to compete at higher levels is pricey — and getting pricier. The massive data center buildout has pushed up the costs of computers, graphics processors and memory chips. Conrod recommends a setup that can handle at least 120 frames per second for a GPU-intensive game such as Fortnite. And even sub-$500, entry-level PCs are becoming scarcer, according to Joost van Dreunen, a longtime games industry researcher and adjunct assistant professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business.

Read
Updated: Yesterday at 3:02 PM CDT

Science & Technology

Astronauts, from left, Joshua Kutryk, of Canada, pilot Luke Delaney, commander Jessica Watkins and Cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov, of Russia leave the Operations and Checkout Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

Astronauts arrive at International Space Station on the quickest US express flight yet

Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Astronauts arrive at International Space Station on the quickest US express flight yet

Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press 4 minute read Updated: 6:03 AM CDT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Four astronauts pulled up at the International Space Station on Thursday after launching on an eight-hour express that set a U.S. speed record.

The fresh arrivals include a Canadian whose wife will give birth while he’s away.

SpaceX launched commander Jessica Watkins and her crew for NASA after a three-week delay to fix their Dragon capsule’s leaking fuel system. Thick clouds threatened all morning to halt the countdown but in the end, the skies cleared enough to allow for a safe liftoff.

Although their stay at the International Space Station will last a long six months, the flight there was the quickest yet not only for Elon Musk’s company, but any American entity, including NASA. The space station's convenient location when the astronauts launched enabled the fast transit.

Read
Updated: 6:03 AM CDT

Science & Technology

The WSP Global Inc. logo is seen in Toronto on Sept. 1, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Vokey

WSP Global buying Canadian engineering consulting firm GCM Corpo

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

WSP Global buying Canadian engineering consulting firm GCM Corpo

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Yesterday at 8:45 AM CDT

MONTREAL - WSP Global Inc. says it has signed a deal to buy GCM Corpo Inc., a Canadian engineering consulting firm focused on the energy and industrial sectors.

Financial terms of the agreement were not immediately available, though WSP says part of the payment to the sellers, including Fonds de solidarité FTQ, will be made in WSP shares.

GCM Corpo has about 600 professionals and serves clients in a broad range of markets, including energy, industrial, and mining and metals.

WSP says the acquisition will grow its core engineering consulting business in Canada and broaden access to clients in the energy and industrial sectors.

Read
Yesterday at 8:45 AM CDT

Science & Technology

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) in Ottawa on Friday, April 17, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

AI agent attempted to hack Library and Archives Canada, says U.S. research group

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

AI agent attempted to hack Library and Archives Canada, says U.S. research group

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 10:47 AM CDT

OTTAWA - The website for Library and Archives Canada was one of the targets of a failed hacking attempt by an artificial intelligence agent, a San Francisco-based lab that monitors AI activity said in a report this week.

Transluce posted an incident report Wednesday detailing what it describes as "aggressive attempts" to access public data on Canadian and U.S. government web pages.

The report says the attempted hacks occurred on May 28 and June 9 and involved 899 search queries into divorce records between 1905 and 1911. 

Thirteen of the requests involved "attack payloads" seeking vulnerabilities in the search parameters, the report says.

Read
Updated: Yesterday at 10:47 AM CDT

Environment

FILE - Permafrost melts on the coast in Newtok, Alaska, Aug. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

Heat-trapping gas once frozen in Arctic ground is slowly leaking and warming the planet

Seth Borenstein, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Heat-trapping gas once frozen in Arctic ground is slowly leaking and warming the planet

Seth Borenstein, The Associated Press 6 minute read Yesterday at 8:01 AM CDT

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — As Ted Schuur stepped along the edges of Smith Lake, a bubble surfaced from the muck underfoot. And then another.

They're bubbles of methane, a potent heat-trapping gas made from decomposing plants and animals that had once been stuck in Alaska's frigid permafrost. But that frozen ground is thawing because the Arctic is warming four times faster than the rest of the globe. For thousands of years that frozen ground stored dead plants and animals, but the accelerating thaw is allowing them to decay into methane and carbon dioxide.

“Once you start leaking this carbon out, there’s so much in the ground that it’s not going to shut off,” said Schuur, an ecologist at Northern Arizona University, calling it one of climate change's scary tipping points. “Essentially every year is setting a permafrost record.”

There’s three times as much carbon still frozen in permafrost than what’s now in the air, but all over the Arctic those heat-trapping gases are escaping into the atmosphere. Their release adds to what's already in the air from humanity's burning coal, oil and natural gas, changing the delicate balance of how a warming world deals with the buildup of heat-trapping carbon, Schuur said.

Read
Yesterday at 8:01 AM CDT

Science & Technology

Kenjiro Tsuda, a Japanese actor is seen on a stage, November, 2024, in Tokyo, Japan. (Kyodo News via AP)

Tokyo court grants legal protection to human voices in AI clone case

Mari Yamaguchi, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Tokyo court grants legal protection to human voices in AI clone case

Mari Yamaguchi, The Associated Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 6:54 AM CDT

TOKYO (AP) — A Tokyo court has awarded legal protection to the human voice in a landmark case in which a popular Japanese anime voice actor demanded that TikTok close an account over its unauthorized use of an artificial intelligence clone of his trademark baritone.

The Tokyo District Court's decision Wednesday was the first acknowledgment of the right to one's voice in Japan. The ruling was good news for many anime voice actors at a time when they are increasingly concerned about the use of AI-generated versions of their voices on social media.

The plaintiff, Kenjiro Tsuda, is an actor best known for his “lustrous and deep” voice in starring characters such as Kento Nanami in “Jujutsu Kaisen,” a popular anime series.

In his lawsuit, Tsuda said that the anonymous operator of the TikTok account “Nanami" wrongfully profited by attracting viewers with his voice narrating in more than 180 videos about urban legends and paranormal phenomena, and asked for the material to be deleted.

Read
Updated: Yesterday at 6:54 AM CDT

Science & Technology

The crew for the upcoming NASA SpaceX launch, from left, Sergey Teteryatnikov, of Russia, pilot Luke Delaney, commander Jessica Watkins and Joshua Kutryk, of Canada, pose for a photo at a news conference after arriving at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Canadian astronaut reaches International Space Station for six-month mission

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Canadian astronaut reaches International Space Station for six-month mission

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 9:22 PM CDT

MERRITT ISLAND - Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk's first thought after being told Thursday he had made it to space was one of disbelief.

"I don't really believe it yet," Kutryk said after being told the crew was in orbit, about 10 minutes after blasting off from Florida as part of the NASA SpaceX Crew 13 mission to the International Space Station.

"It does feel weird, though."

The 44-year-old is a mission specialist on the four-person crew, which also includes commander Jessica Watkins and pilot Luke Delaney — both of NASA — and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov, another mission specialist.

Read
Updated: Yesterday at 9:22 PM CDT

Environment

Hydro-Québec headquarters in Montreal, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Hydro-Québec wants to double data centre costs, Google and others prepare rebuttal

Marieke Glorieux-Stryckman, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Hydro-Québec wants to double data centre costs, Google and others prepare rebuttal

Marieke Glorieux-Stryckman, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 4:44 PM CDT

MONTREAL - Analysts for Hydro-Québec made the case Thursday morning that the utility needs to act urgently to limit the impact of the growing data centre industry on energy costs for Quebecers. 

In a public hearing in Montreal, the provincial utility called for a new rate that could double the cost of energy for data centres.

“I don't think I will surprise anyone by saying that the context has changed deeply and that the era of energy surpluses is now behind us,” Sarah Trabelsi, chief of costs and pricing at Hydro-Québec. 

This was part of the utility’s first presentation at a provincial energy regulator hearing. It is pitting Hydro-Québec against tech industry actors like Google as well as environmental advocates like Greenpeace.

Read
Updated: Yesterday at 4:44 PM CDT

LOAD MORE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY ARTICLES