Going Rogue: How an OpenAI “Agent” Escaped, Accessed the Web, and Launched a Cyberattack on a Machine Learning Company
This week, an OpenAI model escaped its testing environment and invaded the systems of another New York-based AI company.
Micah Hanks
Micah Hanks is creator, co-founder, and Editor-in-Chief of The Debrief. He covers science, defense, and technology in his writing and podcasts, and you can find him at micahhanks.com and on X @MicahHanks.
A Rare Celestial Alignment Links Two Ancient Volcanoes in This Spectacular New Image Shared by NASA
Barnard's Loop appears behind a pair of South American peaks in one of the most breathtaking astronomy images in recent memory.
Impulse Space Unveils New Electric Propulsion System to Enable Hybrid Spaceflight Strategy for Extended Missions
Impulse Space reveals its new electric propulsion system designed to extend the capabilities of spacecraft during long space missions.
Deep in a Spanish Cave, Archaeologists Discovered a Puzzling Set of Ancient Inscriptions—Could They Be Evidence of a Mysterious Subterranean Cult?
A remarkable collection of ancient inscriptions within a cave in eastern Spain is providing archaeologists with deep new insights into the ancient religious practices it once housed.
Antarctica’s Unusual Islands, 5,000-Year-Old ‘Sophisticated’ Egyptian Technology, and a 1.4-Million-Year-Old Fossil Surprise
This week in stories we're covering at The Debrief... recent NASA satellite imagery, archaeological discoveries, and more are in the news.
Satellite Images Revealed Something Unusual About the Color of These Antarctic Islands—Here’s the Odd Reason Behind Their Appearance
Satellite imagery reveals why the Danger Islands have an odd pink-orange color, and what that means for this fragile ecosystem.
5,000-Year-Old Blue Pigment Reveals Evidence of Ancient Egyptian Nanotechnology—Now It’s Finding New Life in Biomedical Imaging
5000-year-old nanotechnology from the ancient world known as "Egyptian blue" is offering innovative modern uses in biomedical imaging.
5,000-Year-Old Egyptian Tomb Discovery Reveals “Sophisticated” Knowledge That Challenges Past Thinking on the Origins of the Pyramids
5,000 years ago Egyptian builders were using architectural techniques that foreshadowed those seen in the pyramids, new evidence suggests.
2000-Acre Wildfire Near Famous ‘Area 51’ Rages on as Officials Work to Stall its Spread
A massive wildfire that scorched the Nevada desert near the U.S. Air Force’s classified Area 51 facility over the weekend has now exceeded 2,000 acres.
Utah’s Game-Changing Million-Panel Solar Energy Project Was Just Captured in New Satellite Images
Utah's massive new Green River Energy Center boasts a million solar panels and close to 500 batteries spanning several square miles.
In One of Africa’s Deepest Lakes, Scientists Have Found a Species No One Expected Swimming at Incredible Depths
A remarkable discovery has been made in East Africa’s Lake Malawi, one of the deepest bodies of water on the African continent.
AARO’s Latest UAP Report Finds No Evidence of Exotic Technology, But Mysteries Remain
This week, the Pentagon's AARO finally released its long-delayed Fiscal Year 2025 report. Here's what we know.
How Did Fish Suddenly Appear in the Empty Waters of Ancient Norwegian Lakes? A 7000-Year-Old Archaeological Discovery Provides the Answer
7,000-year-old fish traps reveal the clues to the longstanding mystery of when fish were initially placed in high mountain Norwegian lakes.
Scientists Warn Something is Vanishing from Earth’s Oceans at an Alarming Rate, Driving the Planet Into an “Unsafe Space”
Scientists are sounding the alarm over the concerning loss of oxygen in Earth’s oceans and freshwater systems.
An “Impossible” Physics Breakthrough, Hannibal’s Elephants, and an “Unusual” Underwater Archaeological Discovery
This week in stories we're tracking at The Debrief, we look at an "impossible" physics breakthrough, the mystery of Hannibal's elephants, and more.
Researchers Have Created a 3D Thermal Cloak That Renders Objects Invisible to Heat
A three-dimensional thermal cloak can conceal objects from heat, paving the way toward new military stealth technologies.
600-Year-Old Sunken Discovery Stuns Underwater Archaeologists Who “Expected a More Recent Date” For Unusual Find
Archaeologists are investigating an unusual underwater discovery revealed deep within Germany’s Lake Constance.
Smaller Than a Grain of Sand, This Tiny Quantum Heat Engine Makes Heat into Useful Work Near Absolute Zero—Could It Revolutionize Quantum Computing?
Researchers have revealed a microscopic engine that can convert heat into useful work while operating at temperatures only fractions of a degree above absolute zero.
NASA’s Psyche Mission Captures Crescents and Surface Details During Recent Martian Flyby
New imagery released by NASA has revealed a growing “crescent” and surface details on Mars obtained by the agency’s Psyche spacecraft.
An ‘Asteroid’ Tracked Since 1998 Made an Unexplained Orbital Shift—Now Astronomers Say It’s Something Far More Mysterious
Astronomers say an asteroid recently failed to appear where it was predicted to be, revealing a "dark" twist after decades of observations.
Sunlight at Night? Astronomers Fire Back at Controversial FCC Approval of Reflect Orbital’s Eärendil-1 Mirror Satellite
This week, a controversy has erupted over the FCC’s approval of a proof-of-concept satellite that reflects daylight to Earth at night.
Breakthrough Study Uncovers New Evidence Connecting “Hidden” Dimensions to Mystery of Dark Matter
New research is revealing possible links between one of the most enduring cosmic mysteries—dark matter—and the existence of a "hidden" fifth dimension.
2000-Year-Old Evidence of a Cult Shrine to Odysseus, the Legendary Hero of Homer’s ‘Odyssey,’ Has Been Uncovered at Ithaca
Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of an ancient cult site devoted to the legendary hero of Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey.
A Solution to a Famous Feynman Problem, ‘Psychedelic’ Breathwork, and an Odd Stone Sphere is Unearthed
This week, a famous physics problem is solved, along with new insights into psychedelic states and an archaeological discovery "unlike anything previously documented."
Mysterious Stone Sphere Unearthed at Ancient Site in Azerbaijan Baffles Archaeologists, Raises New Questions About Neolithic Technology
A stone sphere unearthed at an archaeological site in Azerbaijan is reportedly unlike anything previously documented in the South Caucasus.
MIT Engineers Unleash New ‘Aerial-Aquatic’ Robot That Can Swim Underwater and Fly Like a Bird
Engineers have developed a new aerial-aquatic robot that can swim underwater, then rise to the surface and take flight.
These Unusual Step-Like Structures on Hillsides Baffled Darwin 150 Years Ago—Now Scientists Finally Know Their Origins
An unusual phenomenon that has been recognized around the world for more than a century has finally been resolved: what are the origins of the distinctive, stair-like ridges that form on steep hillsides?
Pentagon Releases New Batch of UAP Videos and Historical Files, But Clarity Remains Elusive
The U.S. Department of War released its latest collection of UFO imagery and other materials on Friday. Here's a look at what it reveals.
Mysterious Metallic Spheres Were Discovered in an Australian Town—Now Officials Have Confirmed They Fell from Space
Australian Space Agency officials have confirmed that mysterious metallic spheres discovered near a beachside town fell from space.
“A Potential Minefield” in Earth’s Orbit Has Scientists Sounding the Alarm Over Hidden Objects Threatening Critical Satellites
Scientists have uncovered dozens of previously undetected fragments of space debris, revealing a “potential minefield” in orbit.
Major New Study Uncovers “Hemisphere-wide Evidence” Challenging Past Views on How Ancient Americans Survived
A new study challenges the idea that ancient Americans were diverse hunter-gatherers, arguing instead that they were highly specialized big-game hunters.
World’s First Betavoltaic Nuclear Satellite Just Launched to Test a New Era of Space Power
This week, history was made as the world's first nuclear-powered satellite was carried to orbit on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
ESA’s Euclid Telescope Just Spotted Two Record-Breaking Ancient Giants Among the Most Remote Objects in the Cosmos
The ESA's Euclid Space Telescope has spotted more than 30 ancient quasars that rank among the oldest and most remote space objects ever seen.
Mysterious “Space Dust” Falling on Earth May Originate from Unidentified Objects Lurking Near Our Planet, New Study Finds
New research has discovered evidence linking space dust that falls to Earth every year with an unknown variety of near-Earth objects.
Scholars Uncover Evidence of ‘Lost’ Medieval Manuscripts Using Simulations—Along With a New Concern for Historians
New evidence of “lost” ancient medieval manuscripts is being uncovered by researchers using computer simulations—but there's a problem.
Odd “Polygons” on Mars, a Rendezvous with Space Objects, and a Deep Earth Mystery
This week in stories at The Debrief, we look at unusual features discovered on Mars, a pair of celestial rendezvous, and a deep Earth mystery.
Earth Has a ‘Quasi-Moon’ Lurking Nearby, and These Are the First Images of the Space Object That Prove It
The Chinese Tianwen-2 mission has captured the first imagery of a space object that some astronomers are calling Earth’s “quasi-moon.”
Archaeologists Opened a Chinese Lord’s 2,600-Year-Old Tomb—and Discovered Dozens of “Deactivated” Metallic Artifacts
Why were dozens of bronze artifacts discovered within an ancient Chinese tomb "deactivated" at the time of their placement?
Surprising Evidence of a ‘Lost’ Ancient City is Emerging from Beneath the Sands of Egypt’s Western Desert
Archaeologists have found the remains of an ancient 'lost' city in Egypt’s western desert, Ministry of Antiquity officials have revealed.
Look: Japan’s Hayabusa2 Spacecraft Just Had a Close Encounter with the Mysterious Asteroid ‘Torifune’
The Hayabusa2 spacecraft completed its flyby of the asteroid Torifune over the weekend, according to Japan’s space agency.
How Did a Crab Become Trapped in a Bottle with an Opening Too Small to Enter? Once-Baffled Scientists Say They’ve Solved the Mystery
An oceanic mystery has unfolded with the discovery of a crab in a plastic bottle with an opening too small for the crustacean to fit through.
Deep Inside the Earth’s Molten Core, a Sudden ‘Reversal’ Now Has Scientists Searching for Answers
The molten iron core deep within our planet could be much more dynamic and complicated than previously known, new research suggests.
Look: NASA Celebrates “America 250” This Independence Day With a Patriotic View of the Cosmos
With the arrival of America’s 250th birthday this Independence Day weekend, NASA is marking the occasion with a patriotic-themed perspective on the cosmos.
NASA’s Curiosity Rover is Investigating Unusual Polygon Structures That Look Like a “Giant Martian Honeycomb”
An odd-looking series of polygon-shaped structures have been discovered on Mars, as revealed in new images obtained by NASA’s Curiosity Rover.
America at 250: From the Battle for Independence, to the Fight Over Artificial Intelligence
As America celebrates its 250th birthday, we look at technological revolutions that have shaped the country—and the AI revolution now poised to redefine its future.
A Mysterious Circular Structure Buried Under the North Sea Has Revealed New Evidence of an Ancient Cataclysmic Event
Scientists have solved the mystery of an unusual circular structure beneath the North Sea that has been debated for more than two decades.
One of the Ancient World’s ‘Seven Wonders’ Resurfaces, a Red Planet Photo Op, and an “Impossible” Artifact
This week, The Debrief looks at the rediscovery of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, a stunning new image of Mars, and much more.
“We Don’t Have Any Records So Far”: Archaeologists Discover Ancient ‘Monolith’ in Mexico Unlike Anything Previously Seen
Archaeologists in Mexico report the “unprecedented” discovery of an unusual monolith and pre-Hispanic ruins unlike others in the region.
Ancient Romans Buried Secret Coin Hoards Across Europe and Never Retrieved Them—Now Archaeologists Finally Know Why
Scholars may have solved an enduring archaeological riddle: why ancient Romans concealed massive coin hoards and never returned for them.
“It Has a Hidden Order That Becomes Visible”: Physicists Just Discovered a Bizarre New Quantum State
An unusual new type of quantum state has been revealed by theoretical physicists by pushing particles to their limits.