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09 Dec 2025 5:01pm GMT

Microsoft's Xbox consoles were conspicuously absent from Black Friday's winners, failing to crack the top three in U.S. sales during one of the retail calendar's most important weeks. According to Circana analyst Mat Piscatella, the PlayStation 5 captured 47% of Black Friday week console sales ending November 29, followed by the Nintendo Switch 2 at 24% and -- somewhat remarkably -- the NEX Playground, a Kinect-like Android device aimed at children, at 14%. Microsoft ran no promotions on its consoles during the period. The Xbox Series X currently retails for $650 following this year's price increase, up from its $500 launch price in 2020. Sony, by contrast, discounted the PS5 by roughly 40% at some retailers. Piscatella noted on Bluesky that products without price promotions typically see no seasonal lift. Costco has removed Xbox consoles from its U.S. and UK websites.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

09 Dec 2025 4:50pm GMT

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09 Dec 2025 4:37pm GMT

In February, a six-month-old baby named KJ Muldoon became the first person ever to receive a CRISPR gene-editing treatment customized specifically for his unique genetic mutation, a milestone that researchers say marks a turning point in how medicine might approach the thousands of rare diseases that collectively affect 30 million Americans. Muldoon was born with a type of urea-cycle disorder that gives patients roughly a 50% chance of surviving infancy and typically requires a liver transplant; he is now a healthy 1-year-old who recently took his first steps. The treatment's significance extends beyond one child. Scientists at UC Berkeley's Innovative Genomics Institute and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia are now planning clinical trials that would use Muldoon's therapy as a template, tweaking the molecular "address" in the CRISPR system to target different mutations in other children with urea-cycle disorders. Last month, FDA officials Marty Makary and Vinay Prasad announced a new drug pathway designed to accelerate approvals for such personalized treatments -- a framework inspired in large part by Muldoon's case. Current gene-editing delivery mechanisms limit treatments to disorders in the blood and liver. Many families will still go without bespoke therapies.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

09 Dec 2025 4:11pm GMT

Backed by powerful corporations, nations are giving public false choices: Environmental protection or economic growth.

09 Dec 2025 4:10pm GMT

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09 Dec 2025 4:06pm GMT

Latest results from a recently discovered ancient Roman construction site confirm earlier findings.

09 Dec 2025 4:00pm GMT

"Everyone is inspired by this because it's becoming real."

09 Dec 2025 4:00pm GMT

A tenured USC professor is arguing that universities need to fundamentally rethink their value proposition as AI rapidly closes the gap on human instruction and a loneliness epidemic grips the generation most likely to be sitting in their lecture halls. Eric Anicich, an associate professor at USC's Marshall School of Business, wrote in the Los Angeles Times that nearly three-quarters of 16- to 24-year-olds now report feeling lonely, young adults spend 70% less time with friends in person compared to two decades ago, and a growing majority of Gen Z college graduates say their degree was a "waste of money." Anicich points to a recent Harvard study finding that students using an AI tutor learned more than twice as much as those in traditional active-learning classes, and did so in less time. The implication is stark: if instruction becomes abundant and cheap, colleges must sell what remains scarce -- genuine human community. He notes that his doctoral training included zero coursework on teaching, a norm he says persists across academia. His proposal: fund student life as seriously as research labs, hire professional "experience designers," and treat rituals and collaborative projects as core curriculum rather than amenities.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

09 Dec 2025 3:21pm GMT

KDE Plasma 6.5.4 is now available, fixes Wayland input issues, KWin rendering problems, and several Flatpak handling bugs.

09 Dec 2025 1:01pm GMT

PeerTube 8.0 decentralized video platform debuts a modern Lucide player, easier imports, and long-awaited team channel management for organizations.

09 Dec 2025 10:36am GMT

Over 3,200 backers secure the future of Jolla's upcoming Linux phone, pushing the project beyond its initial funding milestone.

09 Dec 2025 9:30am GMT