The bird above is not your typical charismatic species. It’s no bald eagle, no peregrine falcon. It’s a groundbird known as the lesser prairie-chicken that lives in the southern Great Plains. It’s not even the greater prairie-chicken, another, related avian species, that’s a bit larger. Today, however, this bird is very much worth paying attention to. In 2023, lesser prairie-chickens — which are actually fascinating birds, not least for their ridiculous mating rituals — were granted protection under the Endangered Species Act, the country’s strongest wildlife law. Scientists say this protection is justified: The population of lesser prairie-chickens has crashed since the last century from hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of birds to roughly 30,000 today. Now the Trump administration is trying to axe those extinction-thwarting protections. In a motion filed earlier this month in a Texas court, the administration argued that federal officials made an error when listing prairie-chickens under the Endangered Species Act. The listing — which makes it illegal to kill or harm the birds, with a number of exceptions — should be tossed out, the administration said. The move isn’t totally unexpected. Prairie-chickens overlap in some areas with oil and gas drilling. And President Donald Trump has signaled that he will prioritize drilling over environmental safeguards. Yet it reveals that his administration will take extreme steps to undo wildlife protections if they stand in the way of his agenda. If his administration is successful in delisting the bird, it will signal that no endangered species is safe — especially those, like these chickens, that happen to live where fossil fuels are buried.Send us a tipDo you have a story idea or a tip to share? Reach Benji Jones at benji.jones@vox.com or at the secure encrypted address benjijones@protonmail.com. You can also find him on Signal at @benji.90.The dance of the prairie-chickenMale lesser prairie-chickens are extremely extra.Each spring, they come together in breeding grounds called leks to dance for females, hoping to attract them as mates. They inflate large sacs on their neck, flare yellow combs above their eyes, and raise wing-like feathers behind their heads. Then they stomp their feet and start booming, producing a noise that sounds like sped-up yodeling. (These are not to be confused with the greater sage-grouse, a bird in the same family that has a similarly spectacular display.)The Great Plains were once filled with these unusual dancing birds, which play important roles in grassland ecosystems: They provide food for raptors, spread seeds, and control insects. But in the last few centuries, prairie-chickens lost most of their habitat — largely to the expansion of oil and gas, commercial farming, housing developments, and, more recently, wind energy. Scientists estimate that the range of lesser prairie-chickens has shrunk by 83 percent to 90 percent since European settlement.“Grasslands are the most threatened ecosystem on the continent and in the world, and nowhere more so than in the southwestern Great Plains,” said Ted Koch, executive director of the North American Grouse Partnership, a bird conservation group. Facing extinction as a result of powerful industries, the prairie-chicken has been caught up in a game of political ping pong. The government first granted them federal protection in 2014. Then, in response to a lawsuit filed by an oil-industry trade group and several counties in New Mexico, the Texas court tossed out the listing in 2015. They were officially delisted in 2016. The suit argued that in granting federal protections the government didn’t adequately consider existing voluntary efforts, such as habitat conservation, to conserve the birds.Shortly after, the Interior Department — the government agency that oversees endangered species listings — reevaluated the bird and once again determined, under the Biden administration, that it is at risk of extinction, even with those voluntary efforts in place. In 2023, Interior added the chickens back on the endangered species list. That brings us to the present day, when these forsaken birds could once again lose protection. Trump moves to strip endangered species protections on a technicalityThe Trump administration is arguing that the Interior Department made a mistake when it recently listed the birds again. It comes down to a somewhat wonky technicality. Briefly, the Endangered Species Act allows the government to grant formal protection to a species or to a population of a species — if those populations are important on their own, and at risk. That’s what the Biden administration did: It determined that there were two distinct populations of lesser-prairie chickens and it granted each of them slightly different protections. One of the populations is in the northern end of the birds’ range, including Oklahoma and Kansas, and the other is in the southern reaches of its range, in Texas and New Mexico. Under the Trump administration, Interior claims that it didn’t provide enough information to show that the two bird populations are distinct. That’s reason enough to delist the birds, the administration argues, while it reviews their status over the next year. If the species is delisted — even temporarily — the government would be able to permit activities, such as energy projects, even if they might harm the bird and the endangered grasslands it’s found in. Male lesser prairie-chickens fight for territory at a lek in Edwards County, Kansas. Michael Pearce/Wichita Eagle/Tribune News Service via Getty ImagesAvian experts, meanwhile, say the reasoning behind the original listing — which was the result of months of work and more than 30,000 public comments — is sound, and these birds are very clearly in trouble. “The North American Grouse Partnership agrees completely that listing of chickens is warranted,” said Koch, a former biologist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the division within Interior that implements the Endangered Species Act.The move to delist prairie-chickens appears to be an effort by the Trump administration to skirt wildlife regulations that some perceive to stand in the way of the oil industry, said Jonathan Hayes, executive director of Audubon Southwest, a regional office of the National Audubon Society, a large environmental nonprofit. “Whether it’s true or not, this chicken symbolizes a challenge, or an impediment, to oil and gas development for industry,” Hayes told Vox. “We would expect this administration to push back on regulations that may or may not impact oil and gas. That’s what it feels like is happening here.” In a statement to Vox, the Interior Department said it has an “unwavering commitment to conserving and managing the nation’s natural and cultural resources…and overseeing public lands and waters for the benefit of all Americans, while prioritizing fiscal responsibility for the American people.”The new administration can quibble with the technical points of the listing, Koch said, but that will do nothing to change the reality: The bird is at risk of extinction and needs to be protected. “Whether somebody wants to engage in debate on technicalities is up to them, but simply and fundamentally lesser prairie-chickens are threatened with extinction,” Koch said. “Delisting lesser prairie chickens on a technicality is going to do nothing to address the underlying threat to these ecosystems.”The future for threatened species in the US There’s no guarantee that prairie-chickens will lose protection. The Trump administration’s motion to delist the birds came in response to a pair of lawsuits filed by both the state of Texas and groups representing the oil and livestock industries. The suits allege that the Interior Department made a mistake in splitting the birds into two distinct populations and failed to follow the best available information. (Interior’s spokesperson told Vox they will not comment on ongoing litigation.)Before Trump took office, the government was planning to defend its decision to protect the birds — and to split them up — in court, in response to those lawsuits. Now it’s reversing course and agreeing with Texas and the oil industry to toss out the listing.It’s possible that the judge overseeing this case could agree to remove protections, said Jason Rylander, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. In that case, groups like his would try to appeal to block the delisting. The court could also tell the government to review the bird’s status while keeping existing protections in place, Rylander says. What’s key here is that the decision to list lesser prairie-chickens involved a formal rulemaking process with public input. It’s not clear that the government can simply reverse its decision and yank federal protections without going through that process again.“The government can’t act in a capricious way,” Hayes of Audubon said. “It can’t just blow with the wind, and that’s exactly what it did here. They just changed their minds when the administration changed. I’m not sure how they will legally defend their complete 180.”But no matter how this plays out, this effort to delist lesser prairie-chickens puts other threatened species in an even more precarious spot, especially those that live in regions with oil and gas.One example is the endangered dunes sagebrush lizard. It’s a small, scaly reptile that lives in the Permian Basin of Texas, the largest oil-producing region in the country, and nowhere else on Earth.The state of Texas similarly sued the government after it listed the dunes sagebrush lizard as endangered last year. The suit — which asks the court to vacate the endangered listing — alleges, among other things, that the government didn’t rely on the best available data to evaluate the lizard’s extinction risk. That case is still pending, though environmental advocates fear that the Trump administration could side with Texas and claim it made a mistake when listing the lizard. Then there’s the beloved monarch butterfly. Following decades of population decline, the government proposed federal protections for the iconic insect late last year. Monarch habitat similarly overlaps with the oil and gas industry, as well as commercial farmland. Fossil-fuel groups have already asked the Trump administration to reconsider the listing. “As the Trump administration is in power, we can expect that endangered species protections are going to be under attack,” Rylander said. “I think there’s a chance we can stop this in court,” he said of efforts to delist the prairie-chicken, “but I think if we don’t, we will see more efforts to remand and vacate listings that they [the Trump administration] don’t want to have in place anymore.” It’s important to remember that wildlife protections benefit people, Koch said. And prairie-chickens are a good example. Most of the remaining birds live on sustainably managed, private ranchlands in the Great Plains, he said. Those lands — those working grassland ecosystems — are under threat from energy development and other industries that are more profitable. Saving prairie chickens means saving those lands. And saving those lands benefits the ranchers that live on them, he said.“The purpose of the Endangered Species Act is to conserve the ecosystems upon which we and all other species depend,” Koch said. “People depend on grassland ecosystems, and so do lesser prairie-chickens. We need to save grasslands for both of us.”See More:

This is today's edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology. The first US hub for experimental medical treatments is coming The news: A bill that allows clinics to sell unproven treatments has been passed in Montana. Under the legislation, doctors can apply for a license to open an experimental treatment clinic and recommend and sell therapies not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to their patients. Why it matters: Once it’s signed by the governor, the law will be the most expansive in the country in allowing access to drugs that have not been fully tested. The bill allows for any drug produced in the state to be sold in it, providing it has been through phase I clinical trials—but these trials do not determine if the drug is effective.The big picture: The bill was drafted and lobbied for by people interested in extending human lifespans. And these longevity enthusiasts are hoping Montana will serve as a test bed for opening up access to experimental drugs. Read the full story. —Jessica Hamzelou Google DeepMind’s new AI agent cracks real-world problems better than humans can Google DeepMind has once again used large language models to discover new solutions to long-standing problems in math and computer science. This time the firm has shown that its approach can not only tackle unsolved theoretical puzzles, but improve a range of important real-world processes as well. The new tool, called AlphaEvolve, uses large language models (LLMs) to produce code for a wide range of different tasks. LLMs are known to be hit and miss at coding. The twist here is that AlphaEvolve scores each of Gemini’s suggestions, throwing out the bad and tweaking the good, in an iterative process, until it has produced the best algorithm it can. In many cases, the results are more efficient or more accurate than the best existing (human-written) solutions.Read the full story. —Will Douglas Heaven Research cuts are threatening crucial climate data —Casey Crownhart Over the last few weeks, there’s been an explosion of news about proposed budget cuts to science in the US. Researchers and civil servants are sounding the alarm that those cuts mean we might lose key data that helps us understand our world and how climate change is affecting it. Long-running US government programs that monitor the snowpack across the West are among those being threatened by cuts across the US federal government, as my colleague James Temple’s new story explores. Also potentially in trouble: carbon dioxide measurements in Hawaii, hurricane forecasting tools, and a database that tracks the economic impact of natural disasters.  It’s all got me thinking: What do we lose when data is in danger? Read the full story. This article is from The Spark, MIT Technology Review’s weekly climate newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Donald Trump doesn’t want Apple building iPhones in India The US President claims Apple will be upping their US production as a result. (Bloomberg $)+ He also said that India was willing to “literally charge us no tariffs.” (WSJ $)2 Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot ranted about white genocide  In response to completely unrelated queries. (FT $)+ It’s not the first time Grok has shared questionable responses. (Bloomberg $)+ Grok told users it was instructed to accept white genocide as real. (The Guardian) 3 RFK Jr doesn’t think we should take his medical advice Which begs the question: why is he US Health and Human Services secretary? (NY Mag $)+ Kennedy said his opinions on vaccines are irrelevant. (NYT $)+ He defended his decision to downsize the health department amid protests. (The Guardian)4 GM’s new EV battery can power a truck for more than 400 miles  Its lithium manganese-rich cells use cheaper minerals than lithium-ion ones. (Fast Company $)+ Tariffs are bad news for batteries. (MIT Technology Review) 5 Anthropic has been accused of using AI-generated evidence in a legal case A lawyer for Universal Music Group claimed an expert cited a source that didn’t exist. (Reuters)+ A judge in another case reportedly caught fake AI citations, too. (Ars Technica)+ AI companies are finally being forced to cough up for training data. (MIT Technology Review)6 AI won’t put human radiologists out of a job any time soonThe technology is helpful, but is unable to do everything trained human experts can. (NYT $) + Why it’s so hard to use AI to diagnose cancer. (MIT Technology Review) 7 The US Defense Department wants faster aircraft and missiles And startups are more than willing to answer the call. (WP $)+ Phase two of military AI has arrived. (MIT Technology Review)8 SpaceX has successfully tested its Starship rocket 🚀Clearing a major hurdle ahead of its planned launch later this month. (Wired $)9 YouTube will start inserting ads into videos’ crucial moments Wow, that doesn’t sound annoying at all. (TechCrunch)10 Apple’s Vision Pro headset is a pain in the neckAnd early adopters are regretting shelling out $3,500 apiece. (WSJ $) + Maybe the ability to scroll using their eyes will change their minds. (Bloomberg $) Quote of the day “To say a professor is ‘some kind of monster’ for using AI to generate slides “is, to me, ridiculous.” —Paul Shovlin, a professor at Ohio University, reacts to student backlash against professors using AI to create teaching materials, the New York Times reports. One more thing Who gets to decide who receives experimental medical treatments?There has been a trend toward lowering the bar for new medicines, and it is becoming easier for people to access treatments that might not help them—and could even harm them. Anecdotes appear to be overpowering evidence in decisions on drug approval. As a result, we’re ending up with some drugs that don’t work. We urgently need to question how these decisions are made. Who should have access to experimental therapies? And who should get to decide? Such questions are especially pressing considering how quickly biotechnology is advancing. We’re not just improving on existing classes of treatments—we’re creating entirely new ones. Read the full story.—Jessica Hamzelou We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet 'em at me.) + Food nostalgia is the best nostalgia, and this Bluesky account of discontinued foods doesn't disappoint.+ Don’t even think of calling your newborn baby King if you live in New Zealand.+ Actor Jeremy Strong just loves a bucket hat.+ Watch out Swiss drivers—a duck has been caught speeding 🦆

John Edwards, Technology Journalist & AuthorMay 15, 20255 Min ReadTuta via Alamy Stock PhotoGetting a new IT project off the ground requires a concept, a goal, meticulous planning, and, perhaps most importantly, a willingness to assume a certain amount of risk. It's this last point that often keeps IT leaders awake at night. Addressing risk prior to launching an IT project is crucial, since it helps to set clear expectations, identify potential obstacles, and create a roadmap for handling unforeseen challenges, says Anbang Xu, founder of JoggAI, an AI-powered video platform, and a former senior product manager at Apple and senior software engineer at Google. "Particularly when it comes to AI-driven projects, understanding the risks -- whether they're related to technology, data security, scalability, or talent -- can make the difference between a smooth launch and a failed initiative," he observes in an email interview. "By addressing these concerns early, you also ensure that resources are allocated effectively, and your team is better equipped to handle surprises." Building a strong mechanism to address risk during project planning is crucial to ensure that all decisions are made with transparency into cost, benefit, and risk, says Ola Chowning, a partner with technology research and advisory firm ISG. "Project decisions that don't estimate risk and its tangible or intangible impacts at the start, or even during a project, likely don't have the data needed to make informed decisions and balance cost, risk, and benefit," she explains in an online interview. "More importantly, failing to address risk can waste time if an event occurs and the team is left scrambling to determine how to respond." Related:There are also secondary risks, including budget, resources, and technology challenges, says Munir Hafez, CTO of Independence Pet Holdings via email (Hafez was senior vice president and CIO at credit reporting firm TransUnion at the time of the interview.) "Each of these risks should be addressed before launching an IT project to ensure that the project is starting off on a solid foundation and will gain alignment with all stakeholders." Accurate Estimations By quantifying risks, project managers can objectively assess their potential likelihood and impact, allowing efficient resource allocation and the development of appropriate mitigation strategies, Hafez says. "This structured approach ensures that no significant risks are overlooked and that the project remains on track." The best way to estimate risk is to divide the project into small components and assess the uncertainty around each unit, Xu says. This process includes examining the project's technical feasibility, the team's ability to handle complexity, and any potential dependencies on third-party tools or services. Xu states he relies on a combination of historical data from similar past projects and predictive models -- particularly when it comes to AI and machine learning applications, where it's often unknown how algorithms will perform at scale. "This allows us to develop a more nuanced risk profile, instead of relying on assumptions," he explains. Related:Many organizations use a risk scoring tool, built on previous project experiences and common risk categories, to guide project teams on risk types for their particular project, Chowning says. "Some [organizations] even have statistics on how often risks have occurred in the past and the average impact on previous projects." Risk Tips If a risk estimate appears overly optimistic, the leader should reassess the situation and adjust the project plan accordingly, Hafez says. "This may involve consulting industry experts or revisiting lessons learned from previous internal projects to accurately reflect the risk." The biggest mistake is underestimating the impact of technical debt and the complexity of scaling solutions, Xu warns. "Leaders often focus too much on the initial development phase and don’t account for the ongoing maintenance and optimization required," he explains. "Risk should be measured not only by the initial launch, but also by the long-term implications of maintaining and improving the post-launch system." Related:Final Thoughts As a project progresses, existing risks can evolve and new risks may emerge, Hafez says. "Regularly reviewing and updating the risk management plan ensures that the project will remain resilient and adaptable to these changes." Fostering a culture of open communication and encouraging team members to report potential risks early can significantly enhance a project's ability to respond effectively, Hafez says. This proactive approach helps avoid the "watermelon effect," where performance metrics appear positive (green) on the surface, but reveal underlying problems (red) when examined more closely. Embrace flexibility, Xu advises. In tech, especially in fields such as AI, things are constantly evolving. "A leader’s ability to adapt and pivot when necessary is as critical as the ability to plan," he notes. That's why it's important to continue refining risk assessments throughout the project's life. It’s important for project team and business decision-makers to understand that risks aren't a bad thing, Chowning says. "The underlying objective of risk management is to understand and mitigate risk, and to be prepared if risk events occur." Making high project risk scores a "bad thing" will simply drive team leaders and members to underestimate, ignore, or even attempt to hide potential risk. About the AuthorJohn EdwardsTechnology Journalist & AuthorJohn Edwards is a veteran business technology journalist. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and numerous business and technology publications, including Computerworld, CFO Magazine, IBM Data Management Magazine, RFID Journal, and Electronic Design. He has also written columns for The Economist's Business Intelligence Unit and PricewaterhouseCoopers' Communications Direct. John has authored several books on business technology topics. His work began appearing online as early as 1983. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, he wrote daily news and feature articles for both the CompuServe and Prodigy online services. His "Behind the Screens" commentaries made him the world's first known professional blogger.See more from John EdwardsWebinarsMore WebinarsReportsMore ReportsNever Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.SIGN-UPYou May Also Like

Part antiques dealer, part architect, this Belgian maverick is an unlikely source of lessons for contemporary material reuse Marcel Raymaekers (1933–) never qualified as an architect. This did not stop him from procuring the materials for, designing and building around 150 villas across Belgium. The exact number is unknown: Belgium’s architectural establishment mostly ignored and rejected Raymaekers just as he ignored and rejected them, and as a result his work has never been collated or taken seriously. Raymaekers himself never kept records of his work; he regarded the drawing board as a ‘torture device’, preferring sketches and improvisation on site, determined by the material batches he had to hand. The extent of Raymaekers’ oeuvre is also hard to fathom because he wanted to keep it under the radar of the tax authorities. They caught up with him eventually; he was bankrupted in 2014. Today, Raymaekers is a 92‑year‑old tenant living inside what was once his personal empire, Queen of the South, in the Limburg countryside in north‑western Belgium. This compound was – and to a limited extent, still is – a vast salvage yard packed with components scavenged from aggressive postwar demolition. This puzzling place, completed in 1972 but constantly expanded, is stuffed with billowing pitched roofs, impossible archways, numerous appendages and antechambers. In its heyday – the 1970s and ’80s – Queen of the South also had a nightclub, a restaurant, a jazz venue, Raymaekers’ own ultra‑luxe apartment, and an estaminet – a plush, wood‑panelled, banquet‑seated, mirror‑pillared café‑bar. Marcel Raymaekers was born in 1933 near Leuven in Belgium. In 1950, he enrolled to study architecture at the Sint-Lukas School in Brussels but left a year later without a degree. Though not officially an architect, Raymaekers proceeded to design around 150 projects, from suburban homes to hotels and music venues – in 1986, he completed the Orlando discotheque, which burned down in 2014 Credit: Roger Dyckmans It was here that Raymaekers would sit – when he was not criss‑crossing Belgium scouting for materials – scoping out clients as they stumbled giddily into his world, overwhelmed by the aspiration and status anxiety that Queen of the South was designed to induce. The project was also a cultural hub attracting misfits and eccentrics, wheelers and dealers, experts and charlatans. The novelist Hugo Claus had his 50th birthday at Queen of the South, honouring Raymaekers in his speech. Raymaekers and his wife Hilde did interviews for newspapers, magazines and TV, often while reclining on their bed. The media was not interested in him as an accomplished architect, but as a purveyor of kitsch, an absurdity.  What Raymaekers had to sell his clients was more than simply antiques or even houses composed of them (buy enough materials and he would design you a house for no charge: that was always the deal). What Raymaekers was really selling were dreams of nobility: the life of a lord and lady of the manor, set apart (and above) from an increasingly modernised, homogenised world. Sensuality and hedonism, expressed through haptic, resplendent materials, was a big part of the allure too – the promise of a new way of life. One of Raymaekers’ bigger projects was a love hotel, Rubensexclusief, near Diest, completed in 1979. Each chamber was bestowed with an excess of padded velvet upholstery, often creeping up the walls and curving onto the ceilings. In the lobby, a salvaged confession booth was intended as a hiding place for guilty parties. Raymaekers brought several clients here to celebrate a successful transaction or to introduce them to his material language before starting design negotiations. His clients were middle‑class professionals – teachers, dentists, entrepreneurs, doctors, engineers, florists, pharmacists. Wealthy, but not extraordinarily rich. Many of his houses allowed them to live and work – interfacing with the public – on the same property. House Kelchtermans from 1970, for example, designed with architect Jos Witters, is composed of three pyramids – a home, a doctor’s office and a garage – structured with reclaimed oak beams. The roof tiles were salvaged by the client himself, Dr Kelchtermans, who received tips on where to find them from his patients, many of whom were farmers whose buildings were undergoing modernisation or demolition. Inside, it is all split‑levels, enormous fireplaces and complex, spiralling spaces. But the house’s biggest flourish is the skylights: 23 cupolas from decommissioned Lockheed T‑33 fighter jet cockpits. Raymaekers had found them languishing in a salvage yard on the other side of Flanders, saw their architectural potential and persuaded the client to buy them. Client participation was everything. The Boncher family’s house, completed in 1984, is a mash‑up of components from a derelict slaughterhouse in the city of Tienen and an army barracks in Verviers. The Bonchers themselves spent weeks carefully dismantling the bricks, Gobertange white stone and fleur‑de‑lis roof tiles from the slaughterhouse. Raymaekers had the grand entrance and guardhouses from the barracks available in his stock at Queen of the South, probably at a time‑sensitive discount. Many of the construction and final design decisions for House Boncher were left to happenstance; as the contractors built the walls up row‑by‑row, whenever a hole was needed for a window, Raymaekers would decide the dimensions only at that moment, based on whatever blue limestone window frame he happened to have in stock. Occasionally, the masons had to deconstruct part of a wall if a larger‑than‑anticipated window became available.  ‘Raymaekers’ houses are intelligent, instinctive assemblages of unpredictable material streams’ The interior, too, required improvisation. A white stone staircase, salvaged from a church pulpit, was meant to spiral up to the main bedroom of House Boncher but turned out to be about 200mm too short. The solution? Raymaekers and the contractors decided to build a hefty bump into the floor, consisting of cobbles and decorative tiling. It gave the staircase the necessary boost to reach up to the bedroom. It was typical of how designing exclusively with old materials required Raymaekers to empower and trust his contractors. Their design contributions, extemporisation and management of materials and how they might fit together were intrinsic to the realisation of every project. Working with large batches helped simplify matters – or allowed further complexity. When the Antwerp townhouse of art nouveau architect Joseph Bascourt was demolished to make way for the extension of a car park, Raymaekers snapped up the facade. Without knowing or caring how the pieces were originally composed, Raymaekers shuffled them into a new configuration for the facade of a flower shop a client had commissioned in the Brussels hinterland, completed in 1987. Raymaekers moved Bascourt’s decorative entablature from the top of the facade down to eye level, the better to be enjoyed; that this meant the windows on the top floor would now poke strangely above the roofline was fine with both Raymaekers and the client. The shreds of Raymaekers’ reputation that survive today, and what can be retrieved and reconstructed of his private and professional habits, are complex at best. His charisma and determination enabled him to convince artisans, contractors, labourers and clients to stretch themselves beyond what they thought possible, adding their own talent to his difficult buildings. But Raymaekers could also be intimidating and domineering. Collaborators often stepped away from his all‑consuming process; clients who considered him too pushy and found themselves running out of money could cease working with him. But this was not the case for his spouses, sons, grandchildren and daughters‑in‑law. They were bound to him by more than his business practice and art, and some of them suffered enduring and even unbearable distress. Their suffering is the shadow behind Raymaekers’ work. When researchers from Belgian design practice Rotor and the University of Ghent – also the authors of this article – started showing up at Queen of the South in 2011, it was not because of Raymaekers’ reputation; it was merely to include Queen of the South on Opalis’s database, a roster of salvage dealers covering much of north‑western Europe. We only realised the extent and importance of his work after several years and at least three visits. Raymaekers had refused all interviews since his bankruptcy, but after some persuasion, a meeting was scheduled in the courtyard on a grey winter day. Triggered by newspaper cuttings, his own limited archive of photographs and strolls through the stock, a picture emerged of the rich reuse ecosystem in which he was active in his glory days. It is this ecosystem, along with the remarkable and necessary fluidity of Raymaekers’ practice with old building materials, that was critical to his success. Belgium was blessed in the postwar period with a remarkably robust network of demolition contractors who were also salvage dealers, antiques dealers who were also designers, industrial scrapyards willing to let architects pick through their mountains of waste. The landscape was ripe for reuse. So was the legislative field. Raymaekers’ oeuvre could be mistaken, at a cursory glance, for just more Ugly Belgian Houses (several of them have indeed appeared on Hannes Coudenys’ infamous blog). His houses appear to be kitsch, chaotic, brazen, overstuffed with mixed metaphors. But they are much more than that. They are intelligent, instinctive assemblages of unpredictable material streams. They are bracing, never boring. And though they are wildly out‑of‑step with today’s tastes, the houses – and moreover, the kind of innovative practice that built them – have a lot to teach spatial practitioners about reusing architectural materials and circularity in the construction industry. And as with any of those so‑called ‘ugly’ Belgian houses, the label is a trivialisation (and an elitist one) of something systemic and generative. What makes possible such expressionistic and characterful suburban houses in Belgium – whatever one thinks of their quality – is government policy since the postwar era. While other European countries went all in on standardised social housing, in Belgium, the 1948 De Taeye Law offered construction grants and a state guarantee on mortgages, triggering families to initiate, help design and sometimes even execute the construction of their own homes, tapping into a rural tradition of self‑reliance. Raymaekers worked at a time when modernisation – and the demolition it demanded – was churning out a constant flow of antique materials. It was also a time when the merger and exchange of roles in the architectural process – from material procurement, to design and collaboration live on site – was still possible. Material reuse today is much harder. It must work precisely against the linear flows of extraction, capital, efficiency and predictability – all supercharged by the digital and its requirement of an almost omniscient predictability, and by increasingly demanding rules around compliance and liability. But to explore the wild potential of material reuse – not just to reduce embodied carbon, but to unleash new design potential and a richer culture around material (heritage) and practice – it must be possible to imagine ways in which material procurement, construction sites and the architects’ role can change fundamentally again.  Illustration: Laslo Antal for The Architectural Review. Read more about the process of making this portrait here 2025-05-15 Justinien Tribillon Share AR May 2025CircularityBuy Now

Metal 3D printer manufacturer Nikon SLM Solutions has formed a strategic partnership with U.S.-based specialty materials producer Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (ATI) and engineering firm Bechtel Plant Machinery, Inc. (BPMI) to drive advancements in hypersonic and naval propulsion technologies. As part of this collaboration, ATI has acquired the NXG 600E metal additive manufacturing system to boost production capacity for critical components supporting U.S. Navy and Department of Defense programs at its manufacturing sites. “The NXG 600E’s expansive build volume and sophisticated support structure capabilities align seamlessly with U.S. Navy propulsion requirements,” expressed Nathan Weiderspahn, BPMI Executive Manager, Industrial Base Management. “Nikon SLM Solutions’ cutting-edge additive manufacturing technology is set to play a pivotal role in advancing the U.S. Navy’s operational readiness, contributing to the maintenance and enhancement of our nation’s fleet.” SLM Solutions’ NXG XII 600E 3D printer. Image via SLM Solutions. Expanding Defense Manufacturing with the NXG 600E As part of this partnership, ATI has purchased the NXG 600E metal additive manufacturing system. The system was selected to address the technical requirements of U.S. Navy propulsion and hypersonic weapon components. With its 1.5-meter Z-axis and high production capacity, the NXG 600E is intended to support ATI’s manufacturing capabilities in defense applications. ATI plans to utilize Inconel 625 with the NXG 600E, a high-performance alloy widely used in hypersonic and naval propulsion systems, as well as various demanding industrial applications. The June delivery of the NXG 600E is expected to enhance ATI’s metal additive manufacturing capabilities, leveraging their proven success with the SLM125 and expertise in Nikon SLM’s open machine architecture and advanced parameter development. SLM 280 3D printer. Photo via Nikon SLM Solutions. “In the dynamic landscape of additive manufacturing, Nikon SLM Solutions is taking a significant leap forward,” said Sam O’Leary, CEO. ” This strategic development underscores our commitment to delivering American-made ingenuity, superior technology, and empowering the defense and aerospace sectors with cutting-edge additive manufacturing capabilities,” said Sam O’Leary, CEO of Nikon SLM Solutions. Industrial Adoption of the NXG XII 600E Launched in 2022, the NXG XII 600E by SLM Solutions is a metal additive manufacturing system with a build volume of 600 × 600 × 1,500 mm enabled by a 1.5-meter Z-axis. Equipped with twelve 1,000-watt lasers, the NXG delivers fast and accurate melting of metal powder, enabling the production of high-quality, uniform parts. The system is designed to handle large, complex components in a single build and supports industrial-scale production with features aimed at improving speed and process control. It includes workflow enhancements intended to maximize machine uptime and reduce production cycle times. Among the recent adopters of the NXG XII 600 technology is German multinational engineering and technology company Bosch launched a new metal additive manufacturing facility at its Nuremberg plant, investing nearly €6 million.  At the heart of the facility is a Nikon SLM Solutions NXG XII 600 metal 3D printer, which the company says will play a key role in producing complex metal parts more efficiently. With this addition, the automotive giant sees itself as the first Tier-1 automotive supplier in Europe to operate a facility in this performance class. Elsewhere, semiconductor manufacturing company Veeco started using Nikon SLM Solutions’ NXG XII 600 metal AM system to advance its production processes. Designed for creating intricate components such as gas delivery systems and heat exchangers, the technology enhances precision and efficiency in semiconductor manufacturing. Having integrated additive manufacturing into its operations, Veeco aims to enhance productivity and accelerate time-to-market. Take the 3DPI Reader Survey — shape the future of AM reporting in under 5 minutes. Who won the 2024 3D Printing Industry Awards? Subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter to keep up with the latest 3D printing news. You can also follow us on LinkedIn, and subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry Youtube channel to access more exclusive content. Featured image shows Nikon 3D Printing. Photo via Nikon. Paloma Duran Paloma Duran holds a BA in International Relations and an MA in Journalism. Specializing in writing, podcasting, and content and event creation, she works across politics, energy, mining, and technology. With a passion for global trends, Paloma is particularly interested in the impact of technology like 3D printing on shaping our future.

Roblox announced on Thursday that creators can now sell physical merchandise directly within their experiences and games on the platform with the launch of new Commerce APIs. The offering provides creators with a new way to generate revenue beyond the purchases of virtual goods or one-time fees to access specific experiences. The company first began testing the ability to buy physical merchandise within a few branded experiences in mid-2024. Last September, Roblox announced that creators would soon be able to sell physical items in experiences thanks to a partnership with Shopify. Now, Roblox is making that integration available to all eligible creators and brands after completing a closed beta test of its Commerce APIs. The ability to purchase physical products will be available in all-ages experiences for U.S. users ages 13 and up. Roblox plans to add more partners and expand the feature to additional markets in the future. For brands, the Commerce APIs offer a new way to reach customers. For example, beauty brand Fenty is going to launch a shoppable experience within Roblox to offer an exclusive Gloss Bomb shade called “Grape Splash.” Image Credits:Roblox Eligible creators and brands can also bundle physical purchases with digital items via the new Commerce APIs. That means that you could purchase a physical hoodie and also receive one for your digital avatar. Techcrunch event Join us at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot for our leading AI industry event with speakers from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Cohere. For a limited time, tickets are just $292 for an entire day of expert talks, workshops, and potent networking. Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot at TC Sessions: AI and show 1,200+ decision-makers what you’ve built — without the big spend. Available through May 9 or while tables last. Berkeley, CA | June 5 REGISTER NOW Roblox’s new Approved Merchandiser Program (AMP) lets creators and brands connect their real-world or online store purchases to avatar items and accessories on Roblox. The AMP program and a badge on physical products will serve as a mark of authenticity to show consumers that the items are official. Products with the badge will include a code for a unique digital item relevant to the IP that they can use on Roblox. “Our vision for the future of shopping is an experience that’s more exciting and social than the traditional online shopping experience,” the company said in a blog post. “On Roblox, you can explore virtual stores, try on clothes, and share the experience with others. This naturally builds interest and purchase intent. Now we’re taking it one step further, bridging the gap between virtual and real-world shopping by enabling Roblox users to purchase physical items.” Roblox notes that creator studio Twin Atlas used Commerce APIs in their games to sell physical products and ended up seeing six-figure commerce revenue during the first few weeks. Around 90% of their total orders are placed via their in-game commerce integration, Roblox says.

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here Death Stranding 2 is one of the most exciting games of 2025, and its release date is set for June 26th. The original experience was a divisive journey as most opinions ranged from the extremes of it being either amazing or a boring walking simulator. Fortunately for both players and Sony, opinions from Death Stranding 2 playtests seem a lot more “positive,” however, Hideo Kojima wishes it was “a bit more controversial”. Hideo Kojima says he wishes Death Stranding 2 was “a bit more controversial” after “positive” playtests Hideo Kojima conducted an interview for the latest issue of EDGE magazine to promote the upcoming release of Death Stranding 2. During the interview, the game director revealed that, “with the playtests for Death Standing 2: On the Beach, everyone seems to be positive”. This a stark contrast to playtests for the original Death Stranding where Kojima found “that four out of ten people would love the game, but six would say it was a terrible game”. Kojima acknowledged that “Sony is pleased” with the positive feedback. However, he added, “but I do wish I was a bit more controversial”. The mastermind director said, “Blockbuster films need an 80 percent approval rating – I don’t want to make games like that. I’m not interested in appealing to the mass market, or selling millions of copies…  That’s not what I’m aiming for”. While confessing he is “not interested in making something that appeals to everyone,” Kojima admitted, “Of course, I can’t afford to make a failure, either. I must take care of my studio, my staff, and our production budget”. Kojima’s aim with Death Stranding 2 and all other projects is to “make something new” rather than “simply recreate something that’s already in the world”. Interview quotes come courtesy of VGC. The release date for Death Stranding 2 is June 26th. The game will have a recap to help newcomers who didn’t play DS1, and, even though the sequel hasn’t come out yet, Kojima has said he has a great idea for Death Stranding 3, but someone else will need to make it. In other PlayStation news, the release date for Ghost of Yotei is confirmed, and Sony are considering even more PS5 price increases in response to US tariffs. Death Stranding 2 On The Beach Platform(s): PlayStation 5 Genre(s): Action, Action Adventure, Adventure Subscribe to our newsletters! By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime. Share

This is today's edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology. The first US hub for experimental medical treatments is coming The news: A bill that allows clinics to sell unproven treatments has been passed in Montana. Under the legislation, doctors can apply for a license to open an experimental treatment clinic and recommend and sell therapies not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to their patients. Why it matters: Once it’s signed by the governor, the law will be the most expansive in the country in allowing access to drugs that have not been fully tested. The bill allows for any drug produced in the state to be sold in it, providing it has been through phase I clinical trials—but these trials do not determine if the drug is effective.The big picture: The bill was drafted and lobbied for by people interested in extending human lifespans. And these longevity enthusiasts are hoping Montana will serve as a test bed for opening up access to experimental drugs. Read the full story. —Jessica Hamzelou Google DeepMind’s new AI agent cracks real-world problems better than humans can Google DeepMind has once again used large language models to discover new solutions to long-standing problems in math and computer science. This time the firm has shown that its approach can not only tackle unsolved theoretical puzzles, but improve a range of important real-world processes as well. The new tool, called AlphaEvolve, uses large language models (LLMs) to produce code for a wide range of different tasks. LLMs are known to be hit and miss at coding. The twist here is that AlphaEvolve scores each of Gemini’s suggestions, throwing out the bad and tweaking the good, in an iterative process, until it has produced the best algorithm it can. In many cases, the results are more efficient or more accurate than the best existing (human-written) solutions.Read the full story. —Will Douglas Heaven Research cuts are threatening crucial climate data —Casey Crownhart Over the last few weeks, there’s been an explosion of news about proposed budget cuts to science in the US. Researchers and civil servants are sounding the alarm that those cuts mean we might lose key data that helps us understand our world and how climate change is affecting it. Long-running US government programs that monitor the snowpack across the West are among those being threatened by cuts across the US federal government, as my colleague James Temple’s new story explores. Also potentially in trouble: carbon dioxide measurements in Hawaii, hurricane forecasting tools, and a database that tracks the economic impact of natural disasters.  It’s all got me thinking: What do we lose when data is in danger? Read the full story. This article is from The Spark, MIT Technology Review’s weekly climate newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Donald Trump doesn’t want Apple building iPhones in India The US President claims Apple will be upping their US production as a result. (Bloomberg $)+ He also said that India was willing to “literally charge us no tariffs.” (WSJ $)2 Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot ranted about white genocide  In response to completely unrelated queries. (FT $)+ It’s not the first time Grok has shared questionable responses. (Bloomberg $)+ Grok told users it was instructed to accept white genocide as real. (The Guardian) 3 RFK Jr doesn’t think we should take his medical advice Which begs the question: why is he US Health and Human Services secretary? (NY Mag $)+ Kennedy said his opinions on vaccines are irrelevant. (NYT $)+ He defended his decision to downsize the health department amid protests. (The Guardian)4 GM’s new EV battery can power a truck for more than 400 miles  Its lithium manganese-rich cells use cheaper minerals than lithium-ion ones. (Fast Company $)+ Tariffs are bad news for batteries. (MIT Technology Review) 5 Anthropic has been accused of using AI-generated evidence in a legal case A lawyer for Universal Music Group claimed an expert cited a source that didn’t exist. (Reuters)+ A judge in another case reportedly caught fake AI citations, too. (Ars Technica)+ AI companies are finally being forced to cough up for training data. (MIT Technology Review)6 AI won’t put human radiologists out of a job any time soonThe technology is helpful, but is unable to do everything trained human experts can. (NYT $) + Why it’s so hard to use AI to diagnose cancer. (MIT Technology Review) 7 The US Defense Department wants faster aircraft and missiles And startups are more than willing to answer the call. (WP $)+ Phase two of military AI has arrived. (MIT Technology Review)8 SpaceX has successfully tested its Starship rocket 🚀Clearing a major hurdle ahead of its planned launch later this month. (Wired $)9 YouTube will start inserting ads into videos’ crucial moments Wow, that doesn’t sound annoying at all. (TechCrunch)10 Apple’s Vision Pro headset is a pain in the neckAnd early adopters are regretting shelling out $3,500 apiece. (WSJ $) + Maybe the ability to scroll using their eyes will change their minds. (Bloomberg $) Quote of the day “To say a professor is ‘some kind of monster’ for using AI to generate slides “is, to me, ridiculous.” —Paul Shovlin, a professor at Ohio University, reacts to student backlash against professors using AI to create teaching materials, the New York Times reports. One more thing Who gets to decide who receives experimental medical treatments?There has been a trend toward lowering the bar for new medicines, and it is becoming easier for people to access treatments that might not help them—and could even harm them. Anecdotes appear to be overpowering evidence in decisions on drug approval. As a result, we’re ending up with some drugs that don’t work. We urgently need to question how these decisions are made. Who should have access to experimental therapies? And who should get to decide? Such questions are especially pressing considering how quickly biotechnology is advancing. We’re not just improving on existing classes of treatments—we’re creating entirely new ones. Read the full story.—Jessica Hamzelou We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet 'em at me.) + Food nostalgia is the best nostalgia, and this Bluesky account of discontinued foods doesn't disappoint.+ Don’t even think of calling your newborn baby King if you live in New Zealand.+ Actor Jeremy Strong just loves a bucket hat.+ Watch out Swiss drivers—a duck has been caught speeding 🦆

John Edwards, Technology Journalist & AuthorMay 15, 20255 Min ReadJorge Pérez via Alamy Stock PhotoGetting a new IT project off the ground requires a concept, a goal, meticulous planning, and, perhaps most importantly, a willingness to assume a certain amount of risk. It's this last point that often keeps IT leaders awake at night. Addressing risk prior to launching an IT project is crucial, since it helps to set clear expectations, identify potential obstacles, and create a roadmap for handling unforeseen challenges, says Anbang Xu, founder of JoggAI, an AI-powered video platform, and a former senior product manager at Apple and senior software engineer at Google. "Particularly when it comes to AI-driven projects, understanding the risks -- whether they're related to technology, data security, scalability, or talent -- can make the difference between a smooth launch and a failed initiative," he observes in an email interview. "By addressing these concerns early, you also ensure that resources are allocated effectively, and your team is better equipped to handle surprises." Building a strong mechanism to address risk during project planning is crucial to ensure that all decisions are made with transparency into cost, benefit, and risk, says Ola Chowning, a partner with technology research and advisory firm ISG. "Project decisions that don't estimate risk and its tangible or intangible impacts at the start, or even during a project, likely don't have the data needed to make informed decisions and balance cost, risk, and benefit," she explains in an online interview. "More importantly, failing to address risk can waste time if an event occurs and the team is left scrambling to determine how to respond." Related:There are also secondary risks, including budget, resources, and technology challenges, says Munir Hafez, CTO of Independence Pet Holdings via email (Hafez was senior vice president and CIO at credit reporting firm TransUnion at the time of the interview.) "Each of these risks should be addressed before launching an IT project to ensure that the project is starting off on a solid foundation and will gain alignment with all stakeholders." Accurate Estimations By quantifying risks, project managers can objectively assess their potential likelihood and impact, allowing efficient resource allocation and the development of appropriate mitigation strategies, Hafez says. "This structured approach ensures that no significant risks are overlooked and that the project remains on track." The best way to estimate risk is to divide the project into small components and assess the uncertainty around each unit, Xu says. This process includes examining the project's technical feasibility, the team's ability to handle complexity, and any potential dependencies on third-party tools or services. Xu states he relies on a combination of historical data from similar past projects and predictive models -- particularly when it comes to AI and machine learning applications, where it's often unknown how algorithms will perform at scale. "This allows us to develop a more nuanced risk profile, instead of relying on assumptions," he explains. Related:Many organizations use a risk scoring tool, built on previous project experiences and common risk categories, to guide project teams on risk types for their particular project, Chowning says. "Some [organizations] even have statistics on how often risks have occurred in the past and the average impact on previous projects." Risk Tips If a risk estimate appears overly optimistic, the leader should reassess the situation and adjust the project plan accordingly, Hafez says. "This may involve consulting industry experts or revisiting lessons learned from previous internal projects to accurately reflect the risk." The biggest mistake is underestimating the impact of technical debt and the complexity of scaling solutions, Xu warns. "Leaders often focus too much on the initial development phase and don’t account for the ongoing maintenance and optimization required," he explains. "Risk should be measured not only by the initial launch, but also by the long-term implications of maintaining and improving the post-launch system." Related:Final Thoughts As a project progresses, existing risks can evolve and new risks may emerge, Hafez says. "Regularly reviewing and updating the risk management plan ensures that the project will remain resilient and adaptable to these changes." Fostering a culture of open communication and encouraging team members to report potential risks early can significantly enhance a project's ability to respond effectively, Hafez says. This proactive approach helps avoid the "watermelon effect," where performance metrics appear positive (green) on the surface, but reveal underlying problems (red) when examined more closely. Embrace flexibility, Xu advises. In tech, especially in fields such as AI, things are constantly evolving. "A leader’s ability to adapt and pivot when necessary is as critical as the ability to plan," he notes. That's why it's important to continue refining risk assessments throughout the project's life. It’s important for project team and business decision-makers to understand that risks aren't a bad thing, Chowning says. "The underlying objective of risk management is to understand and mitigate risk, and to be prepared if risk events occur." Making high project risk scores a "bad thing" will simply drive team leaders and members to underestimate, ignore, or even attempt to hide potential risk. About the AuthorJohn EdwardsTechnology Journalist & AuthorJohn Edwards is a veteran business technology journalist. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and numerous business and technology publications, including Computerworld, CFO Magazine, IBM Data Management Magazine, RFID Journal, and Electronic Design. He has also written columns for The Economist's Business Intelligence Unit and PricewaterhouseCoopers' Communications Direct. John has authored several books on business technology topics. His work began appearing online as early as 1983. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, he wrote daily news and feature articles for both the CompuServe and Prodigy online services. His "Behind the Screens" commentaries made him the world's first known professional blogger.See more from John EdwardsWebinarsMore WebinarsReportsMore ReportsNever Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.SIGN-UPYou May Also Like

May 15, 2025The Hacker NewsCompliance / Penetration Testing Imagine this: Your organization completed its annual penetration test in January, earning high marks for security compliance. In February, your development team deployed a routine software update. By April, attackers had already exploited a vulnerability introduced in that February update, gaining access to customer data weeks before being finally detected. This situation isn't theoretical: it plays out repeatedly as organizations realize that point-in-time compliance testing can't protect against vulnerabilities introduced after the assessment. According to Verizons 2025 Data Breach Investigation Report, the exploitation of vulnerabilities rose 34% year-over-year. While compliance frameworks provide important security guidelines, companies need continuous security validation to identify and remediate new vulnerabilities before attackers can exploit them. Here's what you need to know about pen testing to meet compliance standards — and why you should adopt continuous penetration testing, if your penetration testing goals go beyond minimum standards. The current state of pen testingCompliance-driven pen testing If your organization is like many, you might conduct penetration tests primarily to satisfy regulatory frameworks like PCI DSS, HIPAA, SOC 2, or ISO 27001. But if your pen testing focuses on simply checking off compliance boxes — instead of developing comprehensive security postures — you're creating a dangerous disconnect between security theater and actual threat protection. Limitations Compliance-focused pen testing has several limitations that leave organizations vulnerable. Surface-level security: Compliance-focused penetration testing typically addresses only compliance-relevant vulnerabilities. If your organization focuses its pen testing exclusively on meeting compliance requirements, you're just scratching the surface — and missing the chance to identify vulnerabilities that fall outside the scope of regulatory frameworks. These undetected weaknesses can give attackers an attack vector into your systems, potentially leading to devastating data breaches and operational disruptions. Static nature: Cyber attackers and the digital landscape move fast. Compliance standards? Not so much. During the months (or years) it takes for regulatory frameworks to catch up with new threats – and the gaps between compliance-focused penetration tests – malicious actors are actively developing exploits for emerging vulnerabilities. By the time these weaknesses appear on compliance checklists, attackers may have already compromised countless systems. False sense of security: Organizations often mistake compliance for security, believing a passing audit score means they're sufficiently protected. But the reality is that compliance certifications represent minimum standards that sophisticated attackers can easily bypass. Companies with successful audits may lower their guard when they should be working on strengthening their defenses beyond basic requirements. The importance of continuous pen testing Embracing continuous security testing offers organizations numerous benefits. Beyond compliance: Proactive and continuous penetration testing can reveal vulnerabilities that scheduled compliance checks might miss. Skilled human testers can uncover complex security flaws in business logic, authentication systems, and data flows, while automated scans keep an eye on any changes that might happen over the development cycle. By implementing regular, comprehensive testing, your organization can stay ahead of attackers rather than merely satisfying auditors. You'll be doing much more than passing the next compliance review — you'll be developing a resilient security posture capable of withstanding more sophisticated threats. Continuous improvement: Security threats constantly change, forcing organizations to adopt ongoing testing instead of point-in-time assessments. And regular penetration tests can expose vulnerabilities before attackers can exploit them. For example, Pen Testing as a Service (PTaaS) helps organizations achieve continuous security validation without overwhelming internal teams. With PTaaS, your organization can detect new threats in time and quickly take steps to remediate them. Instead of reacting to breaches after they occur, PTaaS lets you stay a step ahead of attackers by using real-world testing to continuously strengthen your security. Key components of a pen testing strategy with security in mind To implement penetration testing that truly helps safeguard your systems, focus on these key strategic components: Regular or continuous testing To effectively address vulnerabilities in real time, your organization should regularly conduct penetration tests — including after significant system changes and before major deployments. Ultimately, your ideal pen testing frequency and depth will depend on your assets — their complexity, criticality to your business operations and external exposure. For example, if you have an online store that holds critical customer data and payment information — and is regularly updated with changes and plugins — you may want to employ continuous testing. On the other end of the spectrum, your marketing department's fall-campaign microsite may only need quarterly or annual assessments. Integration with other security measures Want to maximize your organization's security effectiveness? Combine penetration testing with External Attack Surface Management (EASM). By identifying your digital footprint and testing critical applications based on the latest threat data, your team can prioritize high-risk vulnerabilities while ensuring no internet-facing assets remain unmonitored, unprotected or untested. Customization and threat-led penetration tests Your organization faces unique security challenges based on your industry, technology stack, and business operations. By tailoring penetration testing, you can focus on your business's specific threat profile — testing the areas where breaches are most likely to occur based on the most active threat actors and those that would cause the most damage — rather than wasting time and resources on cookie-cutter assessments. Overcoming challenges Despite the clear benefits, many organizations struggle with common penetration testing implementation challenges related to resources and culture. Resource allocation Resource issues — including budget constraints and shortage of qualified security personnel — prevent many organizations from implementing adequate penetration testing programs. But PTaaS and combined discovery and testing services like Outpost24s CyberFlex service solve these challenges by providing access to certified testers through a predictable subscription model, eliminating budget spikes and the expense of maintaining specialized in-house expertise. Cultural shift To move beyond compliance-driven security, your organization's leadership must champion a cultural shift prioritizing continuous testing and proactive risk management. When security becomes embedded in your organizational culture, pen testing transforms from a periodic checklist item into an ongoing process of discovering and addressing vulnerabilities before attackers can exploit them. Taking action with integrated solutions For the greatest level of security, your organization must know every application in your environment and test each one thoroughly. And a combined solution like Outpost24's CyberFlex can help. Integrating EASM and PTaaS on a platform level, allows cybersecurity experts to identify all internet-facing applications, use detailed categorizations to prioritize risks, and test business-critical applications with flexible, human-led assessments. By shifting to proactive penetration testing, your organization can prevent attacks before they happen — and satisfy compliance requirements. Ready to go beyond compliance and elevate your application security? Request your CyberFlex live demo today. Found this article interesting? This article is a contributed piece from one of our valued partners. Follow us on Twitter  and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post. SHARE    