Investors put $200 million behind gene-edited war dogs

Warhound has raised $200 million to genetically modify dogs for military duty. The company was founded by Palmer Luckey and plans to use the funds to develop canines capable of detecting explosives and protecting troops. The investment round included participation from Sequoia. Colossal Biosciences is assisting with the cloning and gene-editing processes for the project.

The startup operates in the biotechnology sector, applying genetic engineering to working animals. This approach differs from traditional training methods by altering the biological traits of the dogs directly. Investors are betting that these genetic upgrades will make the animals more effective in combat zones than standard breeds.

In the health sector, Moderna and Merck released data on their mRNA cancer vaccine. The treatment reduced death rates by 42% among patients with melanoma. It also lowered the risk of the cancer returning. Separately, researchers confirmed that a prime editing tool reached its first human patient. This technique rewrites DNA within liver cells.

Cybersecurity experts assessed recent vulnerabilities in PHP. They stated that the flaws are harder to exploit than initially feared. No successful attacks have been recorded yet. Website operators applied patches after the bugs caused sites to go offline globally. Software developer Ian Landsman praised volunteer Ondřej Surý for his work on the fixes. Landsman wrote on X that Surý is an unsung hero of the internet.

U.S. President Donald Trump stated that Elon Musk restored Ukraine's access to Starlink. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky disputed the full scope of the fix. Zelensky said Starlink speeds in his country remained capped. The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump asked Musk to lift those speed limits.

Google is launching a virtual power plant. The program pays customers to free up electricity for data centers. Participants adjust their own energy use to earn rewards. In a separate report, Google was found to have illegally cut down 250,000 trees in Finland for a data center project.

Dutch intelligence agencies reportedly hacked Jared Kushner's iPhone. The report alleged financial links between Kushner and foreign officials. Meanwhile, MIT Technology Review published a special issue examining six technologies. The publication assessed progress on projects like decoding pet vocalizations and removing forever chemicals.