These are the articles and more that caught the eye of TechCentral’s editorial team in the past 24 hours.

There is now very little doubt that Covid leaked from a lab: It appears there is now little doubt that Covid-19 leaked from a lab, specifically the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Critics point to the proximity of the outbreak to the lab, risky “gain-of-function” experiments conducted on bat viruses as well as a history of lab accidents. Although the idea was initially dismissed for political reasons, more scientists and experts are now reconsidering it. Read more in Spiked Online. DM
Australia moves to ban young people from social media: Australia is planning to boot kids off social media until they’re 16, aiming to curb the “anxious generation” effect. Parents love it, but tech experts are scrambling to figure out how to verify ages without turning into Big Brother. Meanwhile, teens might have to swap Instagram for… outdoor activities! The horror! Read more on Semafor. DM
Mark Zuckerberg tapes a podcast with 6 000 friends: Mark Zuckerberg’s latest move? Acquiring a podcast start-up. Because, clearly, the man with Meta, VR headsets and Threads wasn’t busy enough already. Now, he’s diving into the audio space, probably hoping we’ll all listen in on his vision for the future (again). Read more in The New York Times (soft paywall). DM
Sony’s PS5 Pro is a pricey test of next-gen consoles: Sony’s PS5 Pro comes with a hefty US$700 price tag, making it the company’s most expensive console to date. This signals a potential shift in console pricing strategies, with fewer subsidies for hardware. Rising component costs and less competition might lead to even higher prices for future consoles. It’s enough to make a grown gamer cry. Read more on The Verge. DM
The market has spoken: Trump lost the debate: Investors were not impressed by Donald Trump’s latest debate performance. Shares of Trump Media, the parent company of Truth Social, took a nosedive after his televised debate with Kamala Harris, signalling investors’ waning confidence. Even gamblers have started abandoning him, proof that not even the most die-hard can gloss over his poor performance. Read more on Gizmodo. DM
An AI bot named James has my old local news job: A local newspaper in Hawaii has turned to AI-generated news anchors to attract new audiences. That’s right, people might just tune into a machine reading the news – because they like its personality. Read more on Wired (soft paywall). NN
The great gene editing debate: can it be safe and ethical?: Genetic engineering is nothing new. Humanity’s understanding of the subject has helped produce hardier crops and bolstered food security worldwide. But advancements in technology now give scientists the power to make targeted, accurate alterations to plant and animal DNA in a lab. What are the ethical implications? Read more on BBC.com. NN