Axios

AI-enabled micro-measurements of animals running, hunting, preening and playing are unlocking troves of new data that scientists now want to use to simulate animals and test theories about behavior and the brain.

Why it matters: A primary function of the brain is to produce behavior and help animals move through the world — but there are questions about how that happens, with ramifications for medicine and efforts to create artificial general intelligence (AGI).

More than 200 organizations are now said to be facing a data breach tied to security flaws discovered roughly six weeks ago in a popular file-transfer program.

Why it matters: So far, more than 17.5 million victims' data could have been affected by the breaches, according to a tally maintained by Emsisoft researcher Brett Callow. And that number continues to grow nearly every day.

Less-sophisticated website takedowns are proving to be hackers' tool of choice this summer — alarming government officials and putting major companies on the defensive.

Driving the news: The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency released an advisory right before the holiday weekend warning about reports of several distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks targeting "multiple organizations in multiple sectors."

The European Commission has opened a full investigation into Amazon's proposed $1.7 billion acquisition of iRobot, the Massachusetts-based maker of Roomba vacuum cleaners.

Why it matters: Amazon is among the world's most acquisitive tech giants, making multibillion-dollar purchases in everything from connected home to grocery to movie studios to health care clinics. This could be the first time it's stopped by antitrust regulators.

For the first time in years, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is riding a wave of good press for going after a competitor.

Why it matters: The perfectly timed launch of Meta's Twitter copycat app, Threads, is being celebrated as a win by many users who have grown tired of the drama surrounding Twitter under its new owner Elon Musk or who dislike changes Musk has made.

The Biden administration is appealing a court ruling that would limit government officials and agencies from communicating with social media companies on content moderation, according to court filings Wednesday.

The latest: Department of Justice attorneys in a court filing Thursday evening called Tuesday's preliminary injunction by a Trump-appointed federal judge "both sweeping in scope and vague in its terms" as it asked for the order to be stayed.