{
  "slug": "2026-11-11-evening-13",
  "title": "An AI Learns How Each Cell Reads DNA, a Desert Lake Rises 60 Feet, and Europe Takes Aim at Subscription Traps",
  "type": "evening",
  "label": "Evening Edition No. 13",
  "number": 13,
  "date": "2026-11-11T20:00:00-05:00",
  "summary": "Google DeepMind's AlphaGenome 2 predicts how tiny DNA differences change genes inside hundreds of kinds of cells, Britain backs AI chip maker Fractile in a $720 million round, China launches a new test satellite, NASA's Landsat 9 sees a Southwest reservoir rise nearly 60 feet, Sri Lanka flies its first passenger drone with two ministers aboard, the FDA approves a daily pill for a rare joint tumor, AeroVironment wins a $405 million order for drone-stopping lasers, the European Commission proposes its Digital Fairness Act, Deutsche Bank starts holding crypto and stablecoins for big clients, and IBM plans a 1,040-qubit quantum machine for 2027.",
  "url": "https://singularitynightly.com/editions/2026-11-11-evening-13/",
  "markdown_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/editions/2026-11-11-evening-13.md",
  "json_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/api/v1/editions/2026-11-11-evening-13.json",
  "window_start": "2026-11-10T18:00:00-05:00",
  "window_end": "2026-11-11T18:00:00-05:00",
  "editor": "Dennis W. Davis",
  "byline": "Edited by Dennis W. Davis. AI-assisted; see How We Make This.",
  "hero_image": {
    "url": "https://singularitynightly.com/img/editions/nasa-rubins-dna-sequencing-1041.jpg",
    "credit": "NASA",
    "alt": "NASA astronaut Kate Rubins sequences DNA aboard the International Space Station in January 2021"
  },
  "in_60_seconds": [
    "Google DeepMind's AlphaGenome 2 predicts how tiny spelling differences in DNA change genes inside hundreds of kinds of human cells, which could speed up the hunt for the causes of disease.",
    "A NASA satellite photographed Navajo Reservoir in the Southwest after it rose nearly 60 feet in seven weeks, to its highest level since 2019.",
    "The European Commission proposed a law to make subscriptions easy to cancel and let people switch off features like streaks and autoplay.",
    "On Veterans Day, a quieter news day, IBM laid out a plan to join two quantum chips into one 1,040-qubit machine in 2027."
  ],
  "sections": [
    {
      "heading": "In 60 Seconds",
      "id": "in-60-seconds"
    },
    {
      "heading": "Lead Signal",
      "id": "lead-signal"
    },
    {
      "heading": "The Ticker",
      "id": "the-ticker"
    },
    {
      "heading": "The Desks",
      "id": "the-desks"
    },
    {
      "heading": "Watch",
      "id": "watch"
    },
    {
      "heading": "Voices",
      "id": "voices"
    },
    {
      "heading": "By the Numbers",
      "id": "by-the-numbers"
    },
    {
      "heading": "Tomorrow's Watchlist",
      "id": "tomorrows-watchlist"
    }
  ],
  "lead": {
    "title": "Google DeepMind's AlphaGenome 2 predicts how DNA changes play out cell by cell",
    "text": "Google DeepMind on Wednesday released AlphaGenome 2, an AI model that predicts what happens inside a cell when one letter of a person's DNA is different. DNA is the instruction book in every cell, and about 98% of it does not code for proteins; this non-coding DNA works like a set of switches that decide when genes turn on and off. Most of the DNA differences linked to diseases sit in those switches, which makes them hard to understand. AlphaGenome 2 learned from more than 100 million measurements of single cells across 68 kinds of tissue in people and mice, so it can make predictions for hundreds of human cell types one at a time. DeepMind says it finds nearly twice as many gene-changing DNA differences as the previous best model, and in immune cells it picked out the likely cause in 30% of cases, against 16% for the first AlphaGenome. As a test, it rebuilt a recent finding about inflammatory bowel disease, a painful illness of the gut, and pointed to the exact DNA letter behind it. James Lee of the Francis Crick Institute, who led that discovery, told Nature his team needed about a year and a half of experiments, and the model got there in about 30 minutes. It can now also read DNA methylation, small chemical tags that help switch genes off. Researchers can use it free for non-commercial work, and companies can join a private preview. DeepMind says it is for research only and not approved for diagnosing patients. Peter Donnelly, CEO of Genomics PLC, called it \"an impressive advance in the field.\"",
    "why_it_matters": "many diseases run in families because of small DNA differences that nobody can yet explain. A tool that points to the right one in minutes could help scientists find new treatments years sooner. Today it is a research tool; any medicine that comes from it is still years away.",
    "image_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/img/editions/nasa-rubins-dna-sequencing-1041.jpg",
    "image_credit": "NASA"
  },
  "ticker": [
    {
      "beat": "AI",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/ai/",
      "text": "Google DeepMind released AlphaGenome 2, which predicts how DNA differences change genes inside hundreds of kinds of human cells.",
      "why_it_matters": "it could help scientists find the causes of inherited diseases much faster.",
      "source_url": "https://deepmind.google/blog/alphagenome-2-deciphering-how-cells-read-dna-to-better-understand-disease/",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "AI",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/ai/",
      "text": "British AI chip startup Fractile raised $720 million, with money from the UK's Sovereign AI fund and the British Business Bank. Not investment advice.",
      "why_it_matters": "countries want their own makers of the chips that run AI.",
      "source_url": "https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/11/with-720m-round-britains-fractile-gets-a-leg-up-in-the-race-for-ai-chips/",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "WILD",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/wild/",
      "text": "IBM said its Nighthawk r3 quantum chip has 520 qubits you can program, and it plans to link two chips into one 1,040-qubit system in 2027.",
      "why_it_matters": "linking chips is how quantum computers get big enough to be useful.",
      "source_url": "https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ibm-quantum-nighthawk-demonstrates-new-levels-of-speed-and-quality-with-plans-to-scale-beyond-1-000-qubits-in-2027--302935826.html",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "WILD",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/wild/",
      "text": "Torus raised $500 million for shipping container units that pair batteries with AI chips and can be set up in about 4 months, Bloomberg reports. Not investment advice.",
      "why_it_matters": "putting AI computers where spare power already exists could ease the strain on power grids.",
      "source_url": "https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/utah-based-startup-raises-500-120000301.html",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "WILD",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/wild/",
      "text": "Serve Robotics opened its fleet of more than 2,000 sidewalk delivery robots in 20 U.S. cities to outside app makers.",
      "why_it_matters": "anyone with an idea for a robot errand could build it without building robots.",
      "source_url": "https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/11/11/3400656/0/en/serve-robotics-opens-its-robot-delivery-network-for-anyone-to-build-on.html",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "WILD",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/wild/",
      "text": "Tesla will keep making the Cybertruck through summer 2027 to fill its backlog of orders, CBS News reports. Not investment advice.",
      "why_it_matters": "people who ordered one long ago may finally get it.",
      "source_url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tesla-extend-cybertruck-production-backlog/",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "LAUNCH",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/launch/",
      "text": "A Long March 2D rocket launched the CAS Pathfinder-1 satellite from Jiuquan, China, at 6:41 AM ET.",
      "why_it_matters": "it was the only orbital launch in the world in the last 24 hours.",
      "source_url": "https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202611/1374089.shtml",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "LAUNCH",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/launch/",
      "text": "South Korea's Mir rocket, which launches from a platform at sea, slipped again to as early as Friday, Nov. 13.",
      "why_it_matters": "it would be one of the first rockets anywhere to reach orbit from a sea platform.",
      "source_url": "https://spacelaunchnow.app/launch/mir-demo-flight/",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "LAUNCH",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/launch/",
      "text": "A Falcon 9 is set to launch the USSF-627 mission for the Space Force from Vandenberg tonight, in a window that opens at 9:35 PM ET, the base's 75th launch of 2026.",
      "why_it_matters": "California's coast now sees a launch about every five days.",
      "source_url": "https://www.noozhawk.com/vandenbergs-next-mission-spacex-rocket-launch-to-mark-75th-of-year-for-base/",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "ORBIT",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/orbit/",
      "text": "NASA's Landsat 9 showed Navajo Reservoir rising nearly 60 feet between Sept. 20 and Nov. 7 after heavy rain.",
      "why_it_matters": "satellites help water managers track drought and floods across whole regions.",
      "source_url": "https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/water-surges-into-navajo-reservoir/",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "ORBIT",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/orbit/",
      "text": "A fire at a contractor's site delayed Germany's EDEN-LUNA Moon greenhouse test to spring 2027.",
      "why_it_matters": "growing food is a key step before people can live on the Moon.",
      "source_url": "https://europeanspaceflight.com/fire-damage-delays-installation-of-simulated-lunar-greenhouse-in-germany/",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "AIR",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/air/",
      "text": "Sri Lanka flew its first passenger drone, an EHang EH216-S, with two government ministers aboard in Colombo.",
      "why_it_matters": "pilotless air taxis are spreading to new countries.",
      "source_url": "https://aviationvoice.lk/sri-lanka-successfully-conducts-first-passenger-drone-demonstration-with-two-ministers-onboard/",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "AIR",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/air/",
      "text": "Europe's SESAR program published CORUS 5, a plan for how air taxis will share the sky and book landing spots.",
      "why_it_matters": "air taxis need traffic rules before they can fly over cities.",
      "source_url": "https://www.sesarju.eu/node/5548",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "AIR",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/air/",
      "text": "Joby and Archer now both point to 2027 for U.S. passenger flights, Aviation International News reports. Not investment advice.",
      "why_it_matters": "the first paid air taxi rides in America are still about a year away.",
      "source_url": "https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/futureflight/2026-11-10/joby-and-archer-push-evtol-passenger-flights-2027",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "MED",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/med/",
      "text": "The FDA approved Pimjetmi, a daily pill for a rare joint tumor; 56% of patients improved, against 3% on placebo.",
      "why_it_matters": "people for whom surgery is risky get a new option.",
      "source_url": "https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pimjetmi-pimicotinib-developed-by-abbisko-therapeutics-and-licensed-by-merck-kgaa-darmstadt-germany-receive-us-fda-approval-for-tgct-302935851.html",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "MED",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/med/",
      "text": "Beeline's experimental lupus pill beat placebo at every dose over 48 weeks in 248 patients.",
      "why_it_matters": "lupus patients have few treatments that come as a pill.",
      "source_url": "https://endpoints.news/beeline-reveals-phase-2-lupus-data-from-old-bristol-myers-drug/",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "MED",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/med/",
      "text": "A Senate committee set a Nov. 18 vote on Heidi Overton, the nominee to lead the FDA, STAT reports.",
      "why_it_matters": "the FDA chief decides how fast new medicines reach patients.",
      "source_url": "https://www.statnews.com/2026/11/11/fda-commissioner-nominee-heidi-overton-senate-committee-vote/",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "DEF",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/def/",
      "text": "AeroVironment won a $405 million order for LOCUST X3 laser weapons that shoot down drones, for a customer in the Middle East.",
      "why_it_matters": "lasers can stop cheap drones for far less than a missile costs.",
      "source_url": "https://investor.avinc.com/news-releases/news-release-details/av-awarded-landmark-405-million-international-order-locust-x3",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "DEF",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/def/",
      "text": "Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reissued his memo to speed up weapons that stop unauthorized drones, with a corrected legal review step.",
      "why_it_matters": "drones over bases and cities are a growing worry.",
      "source_url": "https://defensescoop.com/2026/11/10/hegseth-issues-corrected-copy-of-recently-unveiled-counter-drone-guidance/",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "DEF",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/def/",
      "text": "Israel's Rafael showed Super Ice, a new cruise missile with a 1,000 pound warhead that steers by matching camera images.",
      "why_it_matters": "more countries now build long-range missiles that do not depend on GPS.",
      "source_url": "https://breakingdefense.com/2026/11/israels-rafael-unveils-new-larger-cruise-missile-dubbed-super-ice/",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "POLICY",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/policy/",
      "text": "The European Commission proposed the Digital Fairness Act, with fines of up to 6% of a company's worldwide sales.",
      "why_it_matters": "apps used around the world may change how they sign people up and keep them scrolling.",
      "source_url": "https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_26_2407",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "POLICY",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/policy/",
      "text": "Three House committee chairs are preparing a subpoena if Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang will not join a closed briefing on Nov. 18, TechCrunch reports.",
      "why_it_matters": "Congress wants a bigger say over who gets America's best AI chips.",
      "source_url": "https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/11/congress-to-call-jensen-huang-in-to-answer-for-alleged-chinese-spy-affair/",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "POLICY",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/policy/",
      "text": "A Chinese university on the U.S. blacklist bought two Nvidia H200 chips for about $123,000 through a reseller, Reuters reports.",
      "why_it_matters": "it shows how hard chip export rules are to enforce.",
      "source_url": "https://www.reuters.com/world/pla-linked-chinese-university-bought-nvidia-h200-chips-despite-us-blacklist-2026-11-11/",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "TOKEN",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/token/",
      "text": "Deutsche Bank began holding bitcoin, ether and stablecoins for big clients in Europe and will explore tokenized money funds. Not investment advice.",
      "why_it_matters": "one of Europe's biggest banks now treats digital assets as part of normal banking.",
      "source_url": "https://www.theblock.co/news/business/2026-11-11-deutsche-bank-goes-live-with-digital-asset-custody-service-signs-asset-management-deal-437851",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "TOKEN",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/token/",
      "text": "Stablecoins shrank by $14.2 billion in 30 days, the biggest drop since 2022, The Block reports. Not investment advice.",
      "why_it_matters": "fewer digital dollars in use often means crypto traders are pulling back.",
      "source_url": "https://www.theblock.co/news/ecosystems/2026-11-11-stablecoin-supply-drops-14-2-billion-largest-contraction-since-2022-bear-market-437907",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "TOKEN",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/token/",
      "text": "OKX said its OKXICE service will start trading tokens of more than 70 U.S. funds and shares on Nov. 23, even as 67 companies, including Apple and Tesla, objected, Bitcoin Magazine reports. Not investment advice.",
      "why_it_matters": "tokens of familiar shares are coming to crypto apps, but many companies do not want theirs included.",
      "source_url": "https://bitcoinmagazine.com/news/ice-okx-nov-23-tokenized-stock-launch",
      "video_id": null
    },
    {
      "beat": "TOKEN",
      "desk_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/desks/token/",
      "text": "Tokenized real-world assets slipped to $39.87 billion, from $40.01 billion on Tuesday, per RWA.xyz. Not investment advice.",
      "why_it_matters": "the total dipped back under $40 billion a day after passing it.",
      "source_url": "https://app.rwa.xyz/",
      "video_id": null
    }
  ],
  "desk_items": [
    {
      "beat": "AI",
      "desk": "AI Models",
      "title": "Britain backs AI chip maker Fractile in a $720 million round",
      "text": "Fractile, a London startup that designs chips for running AI, raised $720 million on Wednesday in a Series C, a company's third big round of outside money. Thrive Capital, Founders Fund, Lightspeed and Redpoint led it, and the UK government's Sovereign AI fund and the British Business Bank, both run by the state, put money in too. The UK government says the round values the company at over £5 billion. Most AI chips today keep their memory, where the model's numbers live, a short distance away, and moving data back and forth slows them down. Fractile stacks DRAM, the fast working memory in computers, right on top of each chip, so answers come back faster when an AI model is running, the step called inference. It plans to ship its first chips and computer systems in 2027. The UK government said the deal gives the country \"a greater stake in the hardware\" behind AI. Not investment advice.",
      "why_it_matters": "almost every AI answer you get today runs on chips from a few American and Asian companies. Faster, cheaper chips for running AI could make AI tools quicker and less costly for everyone. The first Fractile chips are a year away, so for now this is a bet.",
      "source_url": "https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/11/with-720m-round-britains-fractile-gets-a-leg-up-in-the-race-for-ai-chips/",
      "sources": [
        "https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/11/with-720m-round-britains-fractile-gets-a-leg-up-in-the-race-for-ai-chips/",
        "https://www.gov.uk/government/news/sovereign-ai-and-british-business-bank-invest-in-british-firm-developing-the-next-generation-of-ai-hardware"
      ],
      "url": "https://singularitynightly.com/editions/2026-11-11-evening-13/#story-britain-backs-ai-chip-maker-fractile-in-a-720-million-roun",
      "video_id": null,
      "image_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/img/editions/fractile-memory-stack-chip-1376.jpg",
      "image_credit": "Illustration: Singularity Nightly (AI-generated)"
    },
    {
      "beat": "LAUNCH",
      "desk": "Launches",
      "title": "China launches a new test satellite on a Long March 2D",
      "text": "A Long March 2D rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China's Gobi Desert at 7:41 PM Beijing time, 6:41 AM ET, on Wednesday, Global Times reports. It carried a satellite that Launch Library 2, a public database of launches, lists as CAS Pathfinder-1, and it reached orbit. It was the 677th flight of China's Long March rocket family. The Long March 2D is a two-stage rocket that burns liquid fuel and mostly carries small satellites that photograph Earth or test new technology. China did not say what the new satellite will do. It was the only orbital launch anywhere in the world in the last 24 hours, and the 262nd of 2026. A busy Friday is next: ULA's Vulcan returns to flight with 40 Amazon Leo internet satellites, and SpaceX hopes to fly Starship Flight 15 if it gets its FAA license.",
      "why_it_matters": "China now launches almost every few days, and each flight adds to its own fleet of satellites for maps, weather and science. More launches by more countries means more eyes on Earth and more crowded orbits. What this satellite tests has not been shared.",
      "source_url": "https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202611/1374089.shtml",
      "sources": [
        "https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202611/1374089.shtml",
        "https://ll.thespacedevs.com/2.3.0/launches/previous/?net__gte=2026-11-10T23:00:00Z&mode=list"
      ],
      "url": "https://singularitynightly.com/editions/2026-11-11-evening-13/#story-china-launches-a-new-test-satellite-on-a-long-march-2d",
      "video_id": null,
      "image_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/img/editions/long-march-2d-dusk-launch-1376.jpg",
      "image_credit": "Illustration: Singularity Nightly (AI-generated)"
    },
    {
      "beat": "ORBIT",
      "desk": "Satellites and Orbit",
      "title": "A NASA satellite watches a Southwest reservoir rise nearly 60 feet",
      "text": "Navajo Reservoir, a lake behind a dam on the San Juan River on the New Mexico and Colorado border, rose nearly 60 feet between Sept. 20 and Nov. 7, NASA's Earth Observatory reports. Landsat 9, a satellite run by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey that photographs Earth's land, caught the change in a pair of before and after pictures. The lake went from 60% of its usual amount of water for the date to 108%, its highest level since August 2019, using U.S. Army Corps of Engineers data. From early September to early November, the Four Corners region got two to four times its usual rain and snow. Pagosa Springs, Colorado, got 5.05 inches in the first round of storms alone, and the San Juan River came close to its 1911 record on Nov. 1. The U.S. Drought Monitor said on Nov. 3 that short-term drought had ended for the Southwest and Great Basin.",
      "why_it_matters": "the Southwest has been short of water for years, and farms and cities there depend on reservoirs like this one. Satellites let people see a whole region's water change at a glance. One wet autumn helps, but it does not end the long-term drought.",
      "source_url": "https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/water-surges-into-navajo-reservoir/",
      "sources": [
        "https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/water-surges-into-navajo-reservoir/"
      ],
      "url": "https://singularitynightly.com/editions/2026-11-11-evening-13/#story-a-nasa-satellite-watches-a-southwest-reservoir-rise-nearly",
      "video_id": null,
      "image_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/img/editions/landsat-navajo-reservoir-nov7-1264.jpg",
      "image_credit": "NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison, Landsat data from USGS"
    },
    {
      "beat": "AIR",
      "desk": "Air Mobility",
      "title": "Sri Lanka flies its first passenger drone with two ministers aboard",
      "text": "Sri Lanka flew its first passenger drone on Wednesday at Colombo Port City, a new district built on land reclaimed from the sea, Aviation Voice reports. A passenger drone is an electric aircraft with no pilot on board that carries people along set routes. The aircraft was an EHang EH216-S from China, with two seats and 16 propellers, about 25 minutes of flying time and a range of up to about 19 miles. The first riders were Ports and Aviation Minister Anura Karunathilaka and Deputy Minister Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku. The country's Civil Aviation Authority approved the trial, and testing will run about five to six months before any paid service, AFP reports. The goal is a quick link between the airport and the city. Kodithuwakku said \"Sri Lanka is now part of that race as well.\"",
      "why_it_matters": "traffic between airports and city centers can take hours in many countries. A short hop by air could cut that to minutes. This is a test, and riders will wait at least half a year for regular flights.",
      "source_url": "https://aviationvoice.lk/sri-lanka-successfully-conducts-first-passenger-drone-demonstration-with-two-ministers-onboard/",
      "sources": [
        "https://aviationvoice.lk/sri-lanka-successfully-conducts-first-passenger-drone-demonstration-with-two-ministers-onboard/",
        "http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/11/11/2026/sri-lanka-launches-pilot-of-chinese-flying-taxi-service"
      ],
      "url": "https://singularitynightly.com/editions/2026-11-11-evening-13/#story-sri-lanka-flies-its-first-passenger-drone-with-two-ministe",
      "video_id": null,
      "image_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/img/editions/ehang-eh216s-flight-680.jpg",
      "image_credit": "EHang"
    },
    {
      "beat": "MED",
      "desk": "Medicine",
      "title": "The FDA approves a daily pill for a rare tumor in the joints",
      "text": "The FDA approved Pimjetmi, the brand name for pimicotinib, on Tuesday for adults with tenosynovial giant cell tumor whose surgery could make things worse, the companies announced late Tuesday night. This tumor grows in the lining of joints and tendons, often the knee; it is usually not cancer, but it can cause pain, swelling and stiffness, and it often grows back after surgery. Pimjetmi is a CSF-1R inhibitor, a drug that blocks a growth signal the tumor's cells need. In a Phase 3 trial, a large final test, of 94 patients, the tumor shrank in 56% of people taking the pill by week 25, against 3% taking a placebo, a dummy pill. Pain, movement and daily function also got better, and 77% of those who responded still had the benefit a year later. Abbisko Therapeutics of China made the drug and Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, known as EMD Serono in the U.S., will sell it. It is the third drug of this kind for the tumor, and its fourth approval worldwide. Danny Bar-Zohar of Merck KGaA said it can \"bring real hope to patients and their families.\"",
      "why_it_matters": "for people whose joint tumor keeps coming back, more surgery can damage the joint. A daily pill gives them a way to shrink the tumor without another operation. It is approved now, and doctors will decide who should take it.",
      "source_url": "https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pimjetmi-pimicotinib-developed-by-abbisko-therapeutics-and-licensed-by-merck-kgaa-darmstadt-germany-receive-us-fda-approval-for-tgct-302935851.html",
      "sources": [
        "https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pimjetmi-pimicotinib-developed-by-abbisko-therapeutics-and-licensed-by-merck-kgaa-darmstadt-germany-receive-us-fda-approval-for-tgct-302935851.html"
      ],
      "url": "https://singularitynightly.com/editions/2026-11-11-evening-13/#story-the-fda-approves-a-daily-pill-for-a-rare-tumor-in-the-join",
      "video_id": null,
      "image_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/img/editions/pimjetmi-joint-pill-1376.jpg",
      "image_credit": "Illustration: Singularity Nightly (AI-generated)"
    },
    {
      "beat": "DEF",
      "desk": "Defense",
      "title": "AeroVironment wins a $405 million order for lasers that stop drones",
      "text": "AeroVironment, a U.S. company that makes drones and the systems that stop them, won a $405 million order on Wednesday for its LOCUST X3 high-energy laser weapons, which burn through a target with a focused beam of light. The buyer is a country in the Middle East that the company did not name, and the deal is a direct commercial sale, made straight with that government rather than through the Pentagon. LOCUST X3 is built to stop small and mid-size drones, including the Shahed one-way attack drones that have been used in recent wars, and works alongside radar and regular weapons. AeroVironment will also build a depot in the customer's country to maintain the systems. It did not say how many it will deliver. CEO Wahid Nawabi said customers need \"proven defenses they can field rapidly.\"",
      "why_it_matters": "cheap drones have become a major threat to bases, ships and cities. A laser shot costs far less than a missile, so it can keep up with swarms of low-cost drones. This is one of the largest laser weapon orders announced so far.",
      "source_url": "https://investor.avinc.com/news-releases/news-release-details/av-awarded-landmark-405-million-international-order-locust-x3",
      "sources": [
        "https://investor.avinc.com/news-releases/news-release-details/av-awarded-landmark-405-million-international-order-locust-x3"
      ],
      "url": "https://singularitynightly.com/editions/2026-11-11-evening-13/#story-aerovironment-wins-a-405-million-order-for-lasers-that-sto",
      "video_id": null,
      "image_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/img/editions/av-locust-x3-laser-2000.jpg",
      "image_credit": "AeroVironment"
    },
    {
      "beat": "POLICY",
      "desk": "Law and Policy",
      "title": "Europe proposes a law against subscription traps and endless-scroll design",
      "text": "The European Commission, the body that proposes laws for the European Union, presented its Digital Fairness Act on Wednesday. It is a regulation, a law that would apply the same way in all 27 EU countries. Under the proposal, people could switch off features built to keep them hooked, such as streaks and autoplay, and canceling a subscription would have to be easy. A free trial could not turn into a paid plan without the person saying yes. Ads tailored to children and other vulnerable people would be banned. Prices that change with demand stay legal, but sellers would have to say how many items are left at the advertised price. Brands would share responsibility for what paid influencers say. Fines could reach 6% of a company's sales worldwide. The Commission estimates people would avoid about €13.7 billion in losses a year, Euronews reports. Commissioner Michael McGrath said it makes the digital economy work \"for consumers, not against them.\" The European Parliament and EU governments must still agree, which usually takes years.",
      "why_it_matters": "many people pay for subscriptions they could not figure out how to cancel. Big apps often change their design worldwide when Europe makes rules, so Americans may notice too. It is a proposal today and will not take effect for some time.",
      "source_url": "https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_26_2407",
      "sources": [
        "https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_26_2407",
        "https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/0575d59f-554f-4a9e-b54b-e6b717175809_en?filename=Proposal+for+a+Digital+Fairness+Act.pdf",
        "https://ca.news.yahoo.com/eu-targets-subscription-traps-addictive-152249860.html",
        "https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/de/speech_26_2412"
      ],
      "url": "https://singularitynightly.com/editions/2026-11-11-evening-13/#story-europe-proposes-a-law-against-subscription-traps-and-endle",
      "video_id": null,
      "image_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/img/editions/ec-dfa-press-conference-1199.jpg",
      "image_credit": "European Union, 2026"
    },
    {
      "beat": "TOKEN",
      "desk": "Tokenized Assets",
      "title": "Deutsche Bank starts holding crypto and stablecoins for its big clients",
      "text": "Deutsche Bank, Germany's largest bank, has switched on a custody service, which means safekeeping assets for someone else, for digital assets, The Block reports. Companies and investment firms in Europe can now have the bank hold bitcoin, ether and three stablecoins, digital tokens meant to keep a steady value: USDC and EURC, tied to the dollar and the euro, and EURAU, a euro coin from AllUnity. The bank keeps the private keys, the secret codes that control the tokens, in both online and offline storage. It went live less than two months after the bank first announced it in September. The bank also signed an agreement with its own asset manager, which oversees about €1.22 trillion, to explore tokenized money market funds, cash funds whose shares live on a blockchain. Paul Maley of Deutsche Bank said the aim is \"a fully integrated, regulated ecosystem.\" Not investment advice.",
      "why_it_matters": "when a big, regulated bank keeps digital assets safe, more pension funds and companies feel able to hold them. It moves tokens from crypto apps into ordinary banking. The service is for large clients in Europe, not for everyday account holders yet.",
      "source_url": "https://www.theblock.co/news/business/2026-11-11-deutsche-bank-goes-live-with-digital-asset-custody-service-signs-asset-management-deal-437851",
      "sources": [
        "https://www.theblock.co/news/business/2026-11-11-deutsche-bank-goes-live-with-digital-asset-custody-service-signs-asset-management-deal-437851",
        "https://www.db.com/news/detail/20260916-deutsche-bank-to-launch-digital-asset-custody-solution-for-institutional-and-corporate-clients?language_id=1"
      ],
      "url": "https://singularitynightly.com/editions/2026-11-11-evening-13/#story-deutsche-bank-starts-holding-crypto-and-stablecoins-for-it",
      "video_id": null,
      "image_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/img/editions/deutsche-bank-towers-frankfurt-820.jpg",
      "image_credit": "Deutsche Bank"
    },
    {
      "beat": "WILD",
      "desk": "Wildcard",
      "title": "IBM plans to join two quantum chips into one 1,040-qubit machine in 2027",
      "text": "IBM on Wednesday showed Nighthawk r3, its next quantum processor. A quantum computer uses qubits, which can hold a blend of 0 and 1 at once, to tackle some problems normal computers find very hard. The r3 chip has 2,034 qubits in all, and 520 of them can be programmed by users; the rest help catch errors. It is built to run 10,000 steps in a row and has links called l-couplers that pass information to a second chip. In 2027 IBM plans to join two r3 chips into one 1,040-qubit system. In a test, links between chips moved information correctly 99.3% of the time, against a goal of 99.9%, The Quantum Insider reports. IBM says the current Nighthawk r2 has run 34 billion programs for customers, with speedups of up to 19 times on some jobs, such as 15 times faster machine learning for the power company E.ON. Jay Gambetta of IBM Research said results must come with \"accuracy and speed.\" Not investment advice.",
      "why_it_matters": "quantum computers could one day design new medicines, batteries and materials that today's computers cannot. Linking chips, the way normal computers grew by adding more parts, is the path to machines big enough for that. The 1,040-qubit system is a plan for 2027, not a machine you can use today.",
      "source_url": "https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ibm-quantum-nighthawk-demonstrates-new-levels-of-speed-and-quality-with-plans-to-scale-beyond-1-000-qubits-in-2027--302935826.html",
      "sources": [
        "https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ibm-quantum-nighthawk-demonstrates-new-levels-of-speed-and-quality-with-plans-to-scale-beyond-1-000-qubits-in-2027--302935826.html",
        "https://thequantuminsider.com/2026/11/11/ibm-nighthawk-r3-processor-520-programmable-qubits/"
      ],
      "url": "https://singularitynightly.com/editions/2026-11-11-evening-13/#story-ibm-plans-to-join-two-quantum-chips-into-one-1-040-qubit-m",
      "video_id": null,
      "image_url": "https://singularitynightly.com/img/editions/ibm-nighthawk-r3-chips-400.jpg",
      "image_credit": "IBM"
    }
  ],
  "videos": [
    {
      "video_id": "AsLMxRjV9QQ",
      "caption": "AI Revolution (Nov. 10): an explainer on Anthropic's Claude Fable 5.2 and how it ranks against other AI models (opinion).",
      "section": "Watch"
    },
    {
      "video_id": "8h-gfrVYyAU",
      "caption": "All-In (Nov. 10): Axon CEO Rick Smith on police body cameras, drones and license plate readers, and where to draw the line on privacy.",
      "section": "Watch"
    }
  ],
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
  },
  "cite": "Singularity Nightly, \"An AI Learns How Each Cell Reads DNA, a Desert Lake Rises 60 Feet, and Europe Takes Aim at Subscription Traps\", Wednesday, November 11, 2026, https://singularitynightly.com/editions/2026-11-11-evening-13/. CC BY 4.0."
}