Category: Science

Colombia has implemented groundbreaking legislation mandating comprehensive cattle monitoring to ensure deforestation-free beef supply chains, marking the nation as the first tropical forest country to establish such extensive tracking requirements nationwide, according to environmental organizations.

The new legislation mandates that government departments and private sector entities combine livestock monitoring, property ownership records, and forest protection surveillance to identify animals connected to woodland destruction and block their entry into commercial markets.

Advocates believe this legislation could address a primary driver of Amazon deforestation in Colombia, where livestock operations have historically been connected to illegal land seizures and forest clearing for grazing areas.

This legislation emerges as Colombia works to halt years of woodland destruction, largely caused by livestock operations expanding into forested territories. Advocates argue it could eliminate existing gaps that have permitted cattle from illegally cleared property — including within conservation zones and national parks — to access legal markets and ultimately reach retail stores and international buyers.

Susanne Breitkopf, director of forest campaigns at the Environmental Investigation Agency U.S., an environmental watchdog that has investigated deforestation linked to Colombia’s cattle industry, indicated the legislation could serve as a blueprint for other tropical forest countries.

“It is a victory for forests, for the communities that protect them, and for consumers who demand that the beef they purchase does not contribute to deforestation and illicit economies,” Breitkopf said.

The measure also comes as governments and corporations encounter increasing demands from global markets to verify that products like beef are not connected to forest destruction. Environmental advocates state that monitoring systems are becoming essential for accessing certain international markets and could assist officials in better detecting land seizures and illegal forest clearing through cutting or burning woodland.

Colombia has experienced the loss of approximately 3.3 million hectares (8.2 million acres) of forest — an area comparable to Belgium’s size — according to organizations supporting the legislation, with the issue especially severe in the Amazon area.

Brazil’s Amazonian state of Para has implemented monitoring requirements for livestock producers and pledged to track individual animals across the supply network, but environmental organizations say Colombia’s legislation extends further by establishing a comprehensive national legal structure.

A 2025 analysis by the Environmental Investigation Agency found that hundreds of thousands of cattle were transported between 2020 and 2024 from municipalities overlapping national parks.

The legislation resulted from years of advocacy by environmental organizations, researchers and lawmakers who contended that inadequate supervision permitted cattle connected to illegal deforestation to move through Colombia’s fragmented supply network.

Natalia Katixa Escobar, a researcher at Dejusticia, a Colombian legal and policy research center that has studied links between cattle ranching and deforestation, indicated the legislation helps connect environmental and agricultural oversight that were previously separate.

“One of its first achievements is that it creates a bridge between environmental and agricultural policy,” she said. “The control mechanisms associated with cattle ranching and cattle traceability had no environmental perspective.”

Colombia’s environment Minister Irene Vélez Torres told The Associated Press the government hopes the measure will help distinguish producers who operate responsibly from those linked to forest destruction.

“This means it will become increasingly difficult for the destruction of forests or economies associated with illegal activities to hide behind seemingly legitimate supply chains,” Vélez said.

Within six months, the government must establish programs to help suppliers comply with the new requirements, create a certification system for deforestation-free products and provide funding to strengthen monitoring systems in active deforestation hot spots.

Within a year, authorities must regulate procedures governing the country’s cattle identification and traceability systems and establish due diligence requirements for deforestation-free cattle ranching.

By the end of the second year, slaughterhouses, meat processors, cattle auctions, traders and live cattle exporters will be required to implement due diligence policies and best practices aimed at ensuring their supply chains are free from deforestation.

The legislation also requires the gradual integration of government databases, allowing officials to compare information on land tenure, cattle ownership and forest loss for the first time.

Supporters say those measures could significantly improve authorities’ ability to identify cattle raised on recently deforested land and prevent them from entering legal markets.

But the law’s success will depend largely on implementation, including whether the government can adequately fund new systems and enforce the rules in remote regions where illegal deforestation remains widespread.

If fully implemented, supporters say, the law could become a model for other tropical forest nations seeking to protect forests while maintaining access to increasingly demanding international markets.

“The real test will be what happens on the ground,” Escobar said, noting that while the law could improve oversight and information-sharing, reducing deforestation will also depend on governance and enforcement in remote regions of the Amazon.

“Whether it will significantly reduce deforestation in the Amazon remains to be seen,” she said.

The space agency announced Tuesday its selection of four astronauts for the Artemis III mission, marking another milestone in efforts to return humans to the lunar surface.

This crew announcement follows the successful Artemis II mission completed two months ago, which broke distance records previously held by Apollo 13 during its lunar flyby.

The selected team includes three astronauts from the space agency – Randy Bresnik, Frank Rubio, and Andre Douglas – along with the European Space Agency’s Luca Parmitano. Rather than traveling to the moon directly, these astronauts will remain in Earth’s orbit to conduct crucial practice sessions involving their Orion spacecraft and two different lunar landing vehicles.

NASA administrator Jared Isaacman offered his support to the crew, stating: “To the Artemis III crew, we wish you Godspeed on the journey ahead.”

Two major aerospace companies are competing to provide the lunar landing craft – Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. The planned two-week demonstration mission is scheduled for 2027, though Blue Origin recently faced challenges when one of their large rockets exploded during ground testing in Florida. The explosion created a bright orange flash visible across the sky and caused vibrations felt in surrounding neighborhoods.

Despite this setback, NASA’s Jeremy Parsons expressed confidence in the program’s timeline, describing the incident as a valuable learning experience and maintaining that Blue Origin’s vehicle will be prepared on schedule.

The broader Artemis initiative represents the first attempt to place astronauts on the moon since missions ended in the 1970s. Recent program modifications announced by Isaacman are designed to accelerate progress similar to the original Apollo program approach, incorporating this Earth-orbit training phase before attempting an actual lunar landing in 2028.

Mission commander Bresnik expressed his crew’s dedication, saying: “We are certainly humbled as a crew to be able to be your crew that executes this Artemis III mission in space.”

Mission specialist Douglas shared his emotional response: “My brain — it is going a mile a minute right now. But my heart, it is so warm. It is so full.”

Earlier this year in May, the space agency distributed hundreds of millions in funding to four different companies, including Blue Origin, for developing various lunar equipment such as landing craft, exploration vehicles, and aerial drones intended for establishing a permanent moon base. Isaacman explained that this lunar facility would serve as preparation for eventual human missions to Mars.

Artificial intelligence company Anthropic announced Tuesday the public launch of its most advanced AI model yet, but with built-in restrictions preventing users from accessing cybersecurity functions that caused global concern earlier this year.

The new system, called Claude Fable 5, represents the startup’s most capable model available for widespread use, with the company highlighting its strengths in software development and data analysis tasks.

Previously, Anthropic had restricted the technology to approximately 200 organizations, including the U.S. government through its Glasswing program, following April’s announcement that the Mythos AI had identified thousands of software security weaknesses.

The broader release could help the $965 billion valued company maintain its competitive edge against rival OpenAI as both companies prepare for potential public offerings in the rapidly evolving AI sector.

According to the company, extensive testing was conducted to prevent users from circumventing the safety restrictions to perform prohibited activities.

“Let’s say I’m a college student asking the model like help me find cyber vulnerabilities on X package or code. The model would refuse and Fable 5 will fall back to Opus 4.8 for a response,” explained Dianne Penn, Anthropic’s head of product management, research and labs.

While Fable 5 carries a higher price point, Penn noted that early customer reports indicate it uses fewer tokens to complete tasks, ultimately reducing the total cost per assignment.

The company also announced that users who previously had access to the unrestricted preview version of Claude Mythos will have the option to upgrade to the new Claude Mythos 5.

Anthropic indicated plans to gradually broaden access through what it described as a more “systematic trusted-access program.”

Both AI models will be priced at $10 per million input tokens and $50 per million output tokens, the company stated.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Scientists have created a breakthrough solution for robots that have trouble with simple tasks like picking up a coffee mug — an innovative ultrasound wristband that records the motion of muscles, tendons and ligaments under the skin.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology team behind this innovation designed the device to gather information about human hand movements that could one day help robots develop the fine motor skills that have long challenged machines.

“Imagine people doing housework,” said Xuanhe Zhao, an MIT professor of mechanical engineering. “We can use the data obtained by our system to train a robot to do exactly (that) housework with this dexterous hand motion.”

While much of the technology industry remains focused on artificial intelligence programs handling computer tasks, Zhao belongs to a group of researchers working to give AI access to more physical world information through sensory input.

The applications extend beyond household chores to include other activities requiring precise finger and hand coordination, including surgical procedures.

The device employs high-frequency sound waves to penetrate the user’s skin and observe what lies beneath. It transmits pictures of muscle and tendon activity to a computer system that employs AI to allow a robotic hand located nearby to copy the movements.

An artificial intelligence program learns to interpret the pictures produced by the equipment into what scientists refer to as degrees of freedom — the particular ways joints can move or turn. Human hands contain 22 such movement possibilities.

Previous systems faced major difficulties tracking even a small portion of these motions.

During laboratory testing involving eight participants, the research team demonstrated that the wristband could accurately replicate hand movements — including every letter of American Sign Language — in under 120 milliseconds.

The device functions without wires, which means the person controlling it and the robot receiving commands don’t need to be located in the same space.

Looking beyond direct control applications, the research group envisions using the wristband to create extensive collections of human movement information that could someday allow humanoid robots to master complex manual tasks independently.

Hackers with ties to China represent the most significant espionage danger facing technology companies in the past year, according to a cybersecurity firm’s report released Tuesday. CrowdStrike’s findings come as artificial intelligence investments continue to skyrocket.

These cyber attacks correspond with strategic objectives of the Chinese government and reflect ongoing focus on technology advancement, intellectual property theft, and obtaining information with strategic and economic importance, according to the firm.

Technology companies remained the primary target for both foreign governments and criminal hackers, the analysis revealed. The research examined threats against businesses involved in computer hardware research and development, technology distribution, IT consulting services, semiconductor manufacturing, and software creation. CrowdStrike chose not to name which specific companies were targeted.

Chinese embassy officials in Washington rejected the report’s conclusions.

The study covers the period from April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026, during a time of intense investment activity and high valuations for technology companies, particularly those working in artificial intelligence – making them attractive targets, explained Adam Meyers, CrowdStrike’s senior vice president and head of counter adversary operations.

On April 23, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy charged China-based organizations with conducting “deliberate, industrial-scale campaigns” to secretly extract U.S.-developed models for their own use, citing a recent incident.

“There is an AI arms race occurring between the U.S. and China, and China intends to achieve global dominance by 2030,” Meyers said, noting the threat to major frontier labs along with smaller, domain-specific model developers.

A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington said “China opposes hacking activities and fights such activities in accordance with the law,” and that it rejects “vilification and smears under the pretext of cybersecurity.” The spokesperson added that China and the U.S. need to work together on AI development and governance, and that during Trump’s recent visit “the two heads of state had constructive exchanges on AI and agreed to launch government-to-government dialogue on AI.”

Hacking operations from North Korea “posed a major threat,” the analysis found, especially through tactics where North Korean agents assume false identities to obtain remote IT positions at technology companies. These workers send most of their paychecks back to the Pyongyang government, while their inside access creates opportunities for gathering intelligence.

Hacking organizations linked to Russia and Iran also extensively target technology sectors in the U.S. and other countries for intelligence gathering and sometimes launch destructive malware attacks.

The analysis also noted increased hacking activity from profit-driven cybercriminal organizations targeting technology companies during the same timeframe, including a 30% rise in advertisements from hackers offering access to various targets.

Scientists have uncovered fossils of a small dinosaur that terrorized ancient birds around 120 million years ago in what is now northwestern China. The discovery reveals how this feathered predator thrived in a lakeside environment teeming with avian prey.

Researchers found remains of a Cretaceous Period dinosaur roughly the size of a barn owl that shared close family ties with the famous Velociraptor. The newly identified species, called Jian changmaensis, likely sported feathers across its body, moved both on land and through trees, and possibly glided like modern flying squirrels when launching surprise attacks on its victims.

“Jian would look like a small Velociraptor – the real Velociraptor, not the scaly thing in ‘Jurassic Park’ – but with long feathers on both the forelimbs and hindlimbs instead of just the former,” explained paleontologist Matt Lamanna of Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, who co-led the research published in the journal Annals of Carnegie Museum.

“I often describe Jian as a Velociraptor trying to be a flying squirrel – except, of course, that Jian was predatory and flying squirrels aren’t,” Lamanna added.

The dinosaur’s remains were discovered at a fossil site in China’s Gansu Province, an area famous for its exceptionally well-preserved bird fossils. Among these discoveries were fractured bones compressed into pellets similar to those regurgitated by modern owls after consuming prey such as rodents. Scientists believe Jian exhibited comparable behavior following bird meals.

“Jian is of the correct size and suspected ecology to have been the ‘pellet maker,’” Lamanna noted.

The species takes its name from a mythical flying being in Chinese folklore. Scientists identified Jian from five shoulder and arm bones that showed enough variation from Microraptor, a closely related species that inhabited China during approximately the same period, to confirm they represented separate species.

Though the recovered Jian fossils are too fragmentary to reveal its complete body structure, researchers believe it resembled Microraptor, which possessed feather-covered limbs that created the appearance of having four wings.

All carnivorous dinosaurs fall within a classification known as theropods. While some grew to massive proportions like Tyrannosaurus or Spinosaurus, many smaller varieties likely occupied ecological roles similar to modern weasels or wolverines.

Birds descended from small feathered dinosaurs during the Jurassic Period. Archaeopteryx, recognized as the earliest known bird, existed approximately 150 million years ago.

The ancient ecosystem would have provided abundant bird species to sustain Jian’s appetite, including the pigeon-sized semi-aquatic Gansus, which probably had webbed feet and, like Archaeopteryx, featured a mouth filled with teeth. Additional bird species from this environment included Feitianius, Changmaornis, Avimaia, Novavis and Meemannavis.

“Jian was probably an ambush predator, stalking and pouncing on distracted birds that were working on finding their own meals,” said paleontologist Jingmai O’Connor of the Field Museum in Chicago, who also helped lead the study.

“We know Microraptor was an opportunistic predator that fed on birds as well as lizards, mammals and even fish. Jian was likely the same, eating whatever it could catch. Dense bird populations may also have been seasonal, forcing Jian to have a diverse diet,” O’Connor explained.

The actual Velociraptor measured about the size of a large turkey – considerably smaller than its movie depictions in films like “Jurassic Park.” It lived in Asia roughly 45 million years after Jian’s time. Velociraptor, Jian and Microraptor belong to a broader group called dromaeosaurs, commonly known as raptors, featuring bodies designed for swift movement and persistence.

Utahraptor may have been the largest of the raptor family, inhabiting North America about 15 million years before Jian emerged in China, and growing to approximately 23 feet in length. Jian would have measured slightly over 3 feet long, including its tail.

Speaking about the raptor lineage that encompasses Jian and Microraptor, Lamanna observed, “They’re extraordinarily closely related to the earliest birds such as Archaeopteryx – really, just about as close as you can be to being a bird without actually being a bird yourself.”

Apple faces a crucial test Monday as the company launches its annual developer conference, with market watchers eager to see whether artificial intelligence enhancements can breathe new life into Siri and help the tech giant compete in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.

The iPhone manufacturer has been working to narrow the distance between itself and competitors like Microsoft and Alphabet’s Google, companies that have moved more quickly to integrate “agentic” AI software capable of handling sophisticated tasks into standard computing operations.

The central question revolves around Apple’s willingness to embrace change. The corporation has historically maintained strict oversight of its software and customer information, adopting a measured stance toward AI development that includes partnerships with companies like Google, utilizing their Gemini models to enhance new features.

This careful strategy differs from competitors who are wagering on AI agents that might eventually supplant conventional applications and transform device usage patterns. Companies such as Microsoft have hinted at a world where AI “agents” replace traditional operating systems and applications, while Nvidia collaborates with computer manufacturers to create laptops designed to compete directly with Apple’s premium MacBooks.

“Agents are critical, as they can potentially become the primary touch point of how consumers interact with their devices,” said Tarun Pathak, research director at Counterpoint Research. “The era of Agentic AI may pan out very differently from the way we think, but it’s too big a risk to miss out and Apple must follow swiftly.”

Apple’s more deliberate methodology has helped the company sidestep the enormous data center investments made by competitors. However, this may be changing, as financial chief Kevan Parekh announced during Apple’s recent earnings call that the company would abandon its longstanding practice of returning excess cash directly to investors, indicating potential for increased spending.

In pursuing AI development, Apple holds an advantage few competitors possess: sophisticated processors in numerous phones and laptops that can operate AI agents without additional cost since customers already purchased the computing capability with their devices. Apple also maintains an extensive collection of personal information stored on iPhones.

Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, the company’s flagship annual showcase for new software, operating systems and development tools, begins at 1700 GMT in Cupertino, California, on Monday.

Industry experts believe Apple’s Monday challenge involves successfully transforming Siri, which the company is redesigning with assistance from Google’s Gemini AI model, into a more intelligent and practical tool using personal data.

“A more capable, context-aware, and everyday-useful Siri would be a game changer for Apple,” said Dipanjan Chatterjee, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester.

Experts anticipate numerous new developer features, including enhanced tools allowing Siri to communicate with applications and innovative methods to utilize the company’s specialized chips. However, they also expect Apple to avoid focusing extensively on technical terminology like “tokens” – an AI computing measurement frequently referenced by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Instead, Apple will likely demonstrate practical AI benefits for consumers.

“The company’s historical strength has been translating complex technologies into intuitive experiences that customers actually use,” Chatterjee said. Apple will “continue shifting the AI narrative away from technology toward an experience story, where success is measured by usefulness, simplicity and trust rather than technical specifications.”

Ocean cleanup volunteers working in Mediterranean waters between Italy and North Africa have recorded what marine experts believe represents the first underwater video of a fully grown great white shark in the central Mediterranean region.

The remarkable encounter happened while a cleanup crew organized by the Healthy Seas Foundation was pulling discarded fishing nets from a sunken vessel in the Strait of Sicily, an area known for rich marine biodiversity but heavily affected by commercial fishing operations.

The recording, captured last week and made public on Monday, reveals the massive predator swimming alongside approximately twelve striped pilot fish, which commonly follow large ocean hunters hoping to feed on scraps.

Volunteer diver Derk Remmers from Ghost Diving, a partner organization in the cleanup effort, filmed the shark encounter. “An offshore underwater shark encounter in the Mediterranean is insane,” Remmers stated.

Team member Pascal van Erp posted on Facebook that the shark was likely attracted to deceased sea creatures trapped in the discarded fishing equipment, including numerous sea turtles.

Though great white sharks have been spotted occasionally in Mediterranean waters, scientists don’t know how many exist in the region, and previous encounters haven’t been documented on film by underwater divers, according to the foundation.

“Moments like this remind us how much life can still exist in offshore Mediterranean waters and how important it is to protect it from preventable threats like abandoned fishing gear or overfishing,” stated Healthy Seas director Veronika Mikos.

Scientists involved in the mission believe the sighting could enhance knowledge about where these critically endangered sharks live and how they behave, though additional study will be needed before drawing wider conclusions.

The European Union is planning a more concentrated strategy for the upcoming global climate summit this November, following difficulties advancing its environmental priorities during last year’s negotiations, according to an internal strategy document obtained by Reuters.

The strategy paper, developed by Ireland as it prepares to lead the 27-member European Union, outlines the bloc’s approach for the United Nations’ COP31 climate conference scheduled to take place in Turkey.

According to the document, the EU’s negotiating position should be “shorter, sharper and more strategic” compared to previous years.

“We should say fewer things, more clearly – and stand firmly behind them,” the document states.

Last year’s global climate conference, COP30, concluded in Brazil without reaching agreements on key EU objectives, including speeding up reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and decreasing reliance on fossil fuels.

“Europe should continue to stand firmly for ambitious climate action and for the integrity of the multilateral process. But ambition alone is not a strategy,” the strategy paper noted.

During the Brazil discussions, conversations centered on creating a plan to eliminate fossil fuels and proposals to boost climate financing. However, the 15-page EU negotiating framework that member nations had approved before the summit lacked specific positions on these critical topics.

According to some diplomats, the EU’s inability to successfully promote its priorities stemmed partially from insufficient advance preparation.

This year’s climate summit faces additional challenges as nations worldwide grapple with energy supply disruptions caused by the Iran war, leading some countries to expand renewable energy while others increase coal consumption.

Ireland’s strategy also emphasizes early diplomatic outreach by EU member nations to other countries, fostering cooperation with both supporters and critics in the negotiations.

The approach involves distributing negotiating duties among member states’ ministers to ensure they are “deployed strategically both in the lead-up to and during COP31 itself.”

“Political ownership matters. Ministers should not arrive at COP only to react to events as they unfold,” the document emphasized.

When asked about the strategy document, a spokesperson for Ireland’s climate ministry confirmed the country is taking a focused approach to COP preparations, “concentrating our efforts where we can make the greatest contribution and on key priorities.”

“Climate diplomacy is not just about two weeks at a COP; it is a year-round process of engagement, relationship-building and delivery,” the spokesperson explained.

LONDON, June 8 – The United Kingdom announced a major £1.1 billion ($1.47 billion) initiative on Monday aimed at enhancing the nation’s artificial intelligence computing infrastructure, featuring a national supercomputer project and financial support for domestic semiconductor companies.

This comprehensive approach expands upon a £400 million pledge that Prime Minister Keir Starmer revealed during London Tech Week on Monday for acquiring specialized AI processors, which represents part of a broader initiative to enhance the nation’s independent computing capabilities.

The government outlined several key components of Britain’s financial commitment:

• A £750 million national AI supercomputer scheduled for deployment in 2030, utilizing a hybrid processor system that combines established and cutting-edge technology.

• £400 million from the supercomputer allocation will target advanced processors, with £150 million designated for inference processors to be acquired this summer from domestic companies.

• An investment fund managed by U.S. venture capital firm Playground Global and supported by up to £150 million from the British Business Bank will finance UK AI hardware enterprises.

• The BBB’s participation represents the largest individual fund investment the institution has ever undertaken.

• Playground Global will establish its initial office outside the United States in the UK.

• A £120 million AI hardware innovation initiative will provide funding for British companies to create, develop and evaluate innovative processors.

• £45 million in additional skills assistance increases total government AI hardware sector skills investment to £80 million.

An extensive research effort led by Italian scientists has revealed that genes associated with antibiotic resistance have spread throughout ocean waters worldwide, reaching even the most isolated marine environments, according to results announced Monday.

The SeA Care research initiative discovered these resistance genes across various ocean regions including the Mediterranean, Atlantic, Arctic and other waters, with the highest levels found near major shipping lanes and heavily populated coastlines.

According to the research team, these findings indicate that the world’s oceans function as a massive storage and transport system for contamination from terrestrial sources, moving genetic markers of antibiotic use and municipal waste far from where they originated.

The researchers noted that this process could potentially help these resistance genes reach isolated populations around the globe.

The research, unveiled Monday during a conference on marine and human health in Rome organized by Italy’s National Health Institute (ISS), also identified microplastics, PFAS “forever chemicals” and genetic remnants of SARS-CoV-2 in both open ocean areas and distant regions.

“Protecting human health today inevitably means taking care of the seas and oceans,” ISS Director General Andrea Piccioli said, adding that pollutants released into the environment are redistributed globally through water, food and climate systems.

SeA Care represents an Italian-spearheaded program connecting environmental and human wellness concerns. The effort combines resources from organizations including ISS, the Italian Navy and international research facilities to establish a worldwide ocean surveillance network.

The initiative utilizes established naval pathways and scientific partnerships to gather samples during standard operations, cutting expenses and environmental consequences.

During its initial three-year period, researchers collected more than 4,000 ocean water samples from over 140 locations spanning the Mediterranean, Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic and Indian oceans.

Researchers indicate the program shows how ocean systems can function as an advance alert mechanism for worldwide health dangers, informing policies designed to address contamination, climate change and developing risks to public health.

The ride-sharing giant has begun accepting registrations from interested passengers who want to experience London’s inaugural self-driving taxi service, which uses artificial intelligence developed by British startup Wayve. The company anticipates launching the service within months once regulators provide approval.

Self-driving technology represents a key strategic focus for the ride-hailing platform, which has formed partnerships with over 30 companies globally for autonomous freight, delivery and transportation services. The company reports that millions of driverless trips have already been completed through these partnerships.

The London program will collaborate with Wayve to offer services operating under the standard UberX, Uber Electric and Uber Comfort categories, with the key difference being artificial intelligence controlling the vehicle instead of a human driver.

“This is the first time the general public will be able to hail an autonomous vehicle in the UK,” Wayve’s VP of commercial and operations Kaity Fischer said in an interview.

Fischer explained that while a trained operator will remain in the driver’s seat to monitor the system, passengers should expect the journey from pickup to destination to occur without human intervention. The companies indicated that completely driverless operations are planned for the future.

The ride-hailing service announced that passengers can join a waitlist before the official launch.

“Together, with Wayve, we’re bringing a new way to ride in London while helping establish the UK as a global hub for autonomous innovation,” said Annie Duvnjak, Uber’s Global Head of Autonomous Mobility Operations.

Duvnjak noted that customers paired with a Wayve autonomous ride can choose to accept the service or request a traditional vehicle instead, emphasizing that the self-driving option will not carry extra charges.

The Ford Mustang Mach-e cars, displaying Uber x Wayve branding, feature surrounding cameras and radar systems that collect information processed within the vehicle. Fischer mentioned the technology has undergone testing on London streets since 2018.

During a test ride conducted by Reuters, the vehicle successfully navigated challenging London traffic conditions including buses merging in and out of lanes, cyclists weaving between cars, and pedestrians entering crosswalks.

South Korea’s technology leadership announced Monday they will pursue expedited access to Nvidia’s advanced Vera Rubin graphics processing units amid concerns about potential shipping delays.

Science and ICT Minister Bae Kyung-hoon revealed that his government issued an official notice for the country’s graphics processing unit initiative earlier that day. He noted that deliveries of Nvidia’s B300 processors appear to remain on track.

“B300 supply looks like it will come in time, but Vera Rubin looks likely to be slightly delayed, so we will request priority supply for that,” Bae told reporters.

The minister later indicated that South Korea’s goal is to secure these chip supplies within the current year.

A Polish gaming studio specializing in horror titles has revealed plans for two major new releases based on popular entertainment franchises during a weekend gaming event in Los Angeles.

Bloober Team made the announcement at Summer Game Fest on June 8, unveiling details about upcoming games tied to the Saw and Star Trek properties. The developer also shared information about additional content coming to one of its existing titles.

The Saw-themed project, called “Saw: Genesis,” will arrive on PC through early access during the final quarter of 2026. This multiplayer horror experience pits three players against one in a setting that takes place a century before the timeline of the original Saw movies and the Jigsaw storyline. Lions Gate Ancillary owns the Saw property, and the game will be created through a partnership between Anshar Studios, Lions Gate, and Broken Mirror Games, with Bloober Team handling publishing duties.

The Star Trek project, titled “Star Trek: Shadow Frontier,” represents a story-focused action-adventure game played from a third-person perspective within the Star Trek world. Actress Michelle Forbes will return to voice her character Ro Laren, a role she played in both “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Star Trek: Picard” television shows. Bloober Team is developing this title, while Paramount Games will serve as publisher. Players can expect the game on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2 platforms in 2027.

Additionally, the studio announced expansion content for its acclaimed title “Cronos: The New Dawn.” The downloadable content, named “Cronos: Lazarus,” will become available during the fourth quarter of 2026 across PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 platforms.

Apple’s highly anticipated developer conference at its Cupertino, California headquarters on Monday is expected to showcase a major transformation of Siri, the AI voice assistant that the tech company pledged to enhance two years ago but has yet to deliver meaningful improvements.

Since launching in 2011, Siri has been available across Apple’s massive ecosystem of 2.5 billion devices. However, hundreds of millions of users have gravitated toward AI applications from OpenAI and Anthropic instead. Meanwhile, consumers in China and other regions are embracing AI agents – automated programs capable of handling complicated tasks for users – to organize daily activities and manage routine responsibilities.

Industry experts believe Apple possesses an untapped AI treasure trove through the personal information stored on each iPhone – including emails, text messages, calendar entries and other data spread throughout the device’s operating system and applications. This information could enhance Siri’s response quality and improve the assistant’s effectiveness in completing user tasks.

The company’s obstacle lies in the fact that this valuable data remains secured within its operating systems for privacy and security purposes. Third-party applications are intentionally prevented from accessing each other’s data, and Apple itself cannot reach much of this information without explicit user consent.

Apple’s mission involves unleashing this data’s potential for both the company and app developers.

“They have to make Siri not suck, but Apple also has to put the framework together of how their developers can take advantage of AI themselves,” said Patrick Moorhead, founder of tech consulting firm Moor Insights & Strategy. “It sounds kind of boring, but AI is all about data, because data is what creates context and what creates better results.”

Despite this, Wall Street hasn’t penalized Apple for its AI strategy. The company’s stock has climbed approximately 50% in the past year, trailing Google parent Alphabet’s roughly 120% increase driven by its successful Gemini model, but outperforming Microsoft’s 7% drop during the same period. Microsoft has faced criticism for appearing to lag behind competitors like Anthropic, partly due to its strong connections with OpenAI.

Monday’s most prominent announcements will likely include introducing a “chat” feature for Siri and a “personal context” setting allowing users to share their data with the assistant, according to Andrew Cornwall, a senior analyst with tech research firm Forrester.

Cornwall anticipates Apple will allow developers to integrate their applications with Siri through what the company terms “extensions” and enable those developers to select from AI models offered by OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google’s Gemini for their apps. Apple may also unveil a new approach for accessing the AI processing power of its specialized chips, Cornwall noted.

Analysts generally agree that Apple will likely present AI not as mere technology but as practical experiences or capabilities that customers will find valuable. Surveys indicate Americans remain skeptical about AI, and while Apple users in other significant markets like China view AI more favorably, Apple has traditionally avoided adopting technology simply for its own sake.

While Nvidia and Microsoft have recently focused on developing OpenClaw, a technology enabling multiple AI agents on personal computers to access user accounts and perform tasks for business customers, Ben Bajarin, CEO of tech consultancy Creative Strategies, doesn’t expect Apple to pursue this direction immediately.

Bajarin stated he doesn’t anticipate Apple emphasizing emerging technologies like OpenClaw, which continue to present potential security risks.

“It’s way too early for the consumer,” Bajarin said. “Honestly, I’m not even sure businesses are ready for this in an uncontrolled context.”

Technology giant Nvidia announced Monday that South Korean internet company Naver will utilize Nvidia’s systems to construct artificial intelligence manufacturing facilities on a gigawatt scale.

According to Nvidia, the initiative is designed to address increasing worldwide demand for AI services and physical AI applications.

A new research study has uncovered concerning risks tied to the increasing adoption of artificial intelligence technology in athletic recruitment and youth talent evaluation, cautioning that certain AI platforms could perpetuate current disparities and introduce fresh ethical dilemmas, based on findings released in Big Data and Cognitive Computing.

The research analyzed AI technologies utilized for assessing athletic capabilities and spotting talented young players. These platforms are becoming more dependent on extensive data collections, machine learning processes, video evaluation, and additional digital testing approaches to aid in recruitment and talent selection choices throughout the athletic world.

The investigation revealed that computer algorithms developed using past data can duplicate social and financial prejudices that already exist in current data collections. The study indicated that AI platforms might utilize indirect markers, including residential location, educational institution history, and additional socioeconomic elements, as substitutes when assessing players. Consequently, chances for young athletes could be affected by elements unconnected to sporting talent.

The investigation also emphasized worries about what researchers called “early determinism,” where AI-based profiling could categorize young people at an early age and affect their future prospects. The study’s authors cautioned that these platforms could create additional barriers for athletes who develop later in life to receive acknowledgment if initial evaluations become too powerful in talent recognition programs.

Data protection issues represented another area of focus in the research. The study’s authors stated that the expanding utilization of comprehensive data collections, including details that could encompass social media behavior, creates concerns regarding the extended management of private information and the possible application of youth data beyond athletic purposes.

The research additionally observed that AI platforms frequently rely on past data collections that could include current imbalances, possibly magnifying disparities while neglecting to consider emotional, inspirational, and other personal elements that affect athletic growth.

Even with these worries, the study’s authors noted that AI technology could potentially help decrease prejudice under specific circumstances. The research referenced a “blind scouting” method where identifying characteristics are eliminated from game recordings, forcing scouts to assess strategic performance instead of physical traits or demographic information.

The study’s authors determined that the growing application of AI in youth athletics demands continuous human supervision, clear governance of AI technologies, and robust ethical protections to help guarantee fair and responsible decision-making.

TOCANTINIA, Brazil — The sound of flames crackling across the landscape echoed like distant rainfall on a recent morning within the Xerente Indigenous Territory in Brazil’s Tocantins region. Yet local Indigenous residents remained calm, making no attempt to extinguish the blaze.

These flames were deliberately set as part of a coordinated wildfire prevention strategy developed by the Xerente people working alongside environmental authorities ahead of the driest months of August and September.

The Xerente community calls the Cerrado home, a vast savanna spanning central and northern Brazil. Each year, their villages confront the risk of massive forest fires, a threat expected to intensify with El Niño’s arrival, which extends drought conditions and elevates regional temperatures.

Following years of facing discrimination, Indigenous leaders now collaborate with government agencies to implement traditional wisdom in preventing major wildfires.

During recent operations, combined teams from IBAMA, Brazil’s environmental protection agency, and trained Indigenous personnel entered the savanna. Ground crews employed age-old methods of starting fires using drip torches or dried palm leaves. Meanwhile, a smaller unit deployed incendiary spheres from a government helicopter targeting pre-mapped locations.

When any fire showed signs of spreading beyond control, response teams acted immediately. The outcome created a mosaic of burned patches throughout the savanna designed to safeguard the ecosystem in coming months.

“They know the region, the climate, the vegetation, and the best times to set fires. We began seeking traditional knowledge, learning from them and adapting it to our objectives, aligning with their use of fire,” said Marco Borges, an IBAMA agent coordinating fire prevention in Tocantins. “We’ve learned they are actually our best teachers.”

Brazilian authorities previously implemented a “zero-fire” approach, viewing any small burn as a danger requiring immediate suppression and prohibition under all conditions. This strategy eventually lost support as officials adopted new land management methods combining traditional wisdom with scientific research. In 2014, the government initiated partnerships with Indigenous communities for controlled burning operations.

Fire plays a natural role in savanna forest development like the Cerrado, with various species benefiting from regular burns, according to Leandro Maracahipes, a biologist and Yale University researcher.

Historically, fires occurred naturally through lightning strikes at the beginning of rainy seasons between October and April. However, human activities have caused more destructive fires during peak drought periods of August and September, often connected to pasture clearing near Xerente lands, which are encircled by soy and cattle operations.

During early dry periods, when vegetation remains partially moist, small controlled burns help eliminate combustible grass accumulation. These burned zones form protective barriers around settlements, water sources and vulnerable areas, shielding them from wildfires during extreme drought.

“Totally excluding fire leads to a buildup of fuel that feeds high-intensity burns. Such fires can kill even resilient trees and make firefighting nearly impossible as flames spread rapidly across the landscape, including into forests,” Maracahipes said.

When official vehicles reached Xerente territory to commence operations, approximately 30 Indigenous people waited in formation outside a wood-and-thatch structure serving as their association headquarters.

They arranged themselves in two parallel rows, forming a pathway. On one side, a group dressed in official fire brigade gear: bright yellow shirts, green pants and protective boots. On the opposite side stood primarily shirtless men, their bodies decorated with traditional painted designs, some wearing shoes while others had flip-flops. Facing one another, they performed traditional songs while stomping rhythmically.

At the pathway’s end, Chief Lazaro Xerente, 68, the senior leader of his community, waited shirtless with painted torso and wearing a feathered headdress. He expressed gratitude for officials’ presence while also voicing concerns.

“People say, ‘Oh, it’s the Indigenous people who are causing fires,’ when in fact, since I was born, and long before me, my ancestors have always protected the forest,” he said in his native language with translation by Bolivar Rodrigues Xerente of Brazil’s Indigenous affairs agency FUNAI.

Following major fires that generate media attention, misleading images of Indigenous people frequently spread across Brazilian social media, incorrectly attributing blame to them and officials for destruction. In truth, every burn undergoes careful planning by fire departments.

The mission started with teams assembling around an extended wooden table inside a tent to outline daily burning activities, merging satellite information with Indigenous territorial knowledge to pinpoint areas needing management.

Several Xerente received government employment for two-year periods and obtain training plus monthly wages, while others participate as volunteers. The initiatives receive partial funding through a collaboration between Bunge Foundation and IBAMA supporting training and equipment for up to 40 Indigenous brigades across five states in the Cerrado and Amazon.

In areas like the Cerrado and Amazon, El Niño typically produces elevated temperatures and extended drought, establishing conditions where wildfires flourish. During the latest occurrence from 2023 to 2024, Brazil experienced record fires consuming more than 30.8 million hectares (76.1 million acres) in 2024, an expanse exceeding Italy’s size, according to MapBiomas, a nonprofit monitoring deforestation and fire.

The Amazon suffered the greatest impact, representing nearly 60% of burned territory. The Cerrado placed second with almost 10 million hectares (24.7 million acres) affected.

Brazil’s Environment Ministry reported tracking El Niño effects since early this year, positioning more than 4,000 brigade members nationally. Under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the government created a national fire management policy in 2024 to coordinate authorities and civil society, including controlled burning with Indigenous communities.

Humidity reduces wildfire intensity, which typically helps shield the Amazon.

“However, in extreme years like the approaching El Niño, tropical forests become more susceptible to fire,” Maracahipes said, noting that the Amazon should maintain protection through a zero-fire policy.

Yet in the Cerrado, fire serves as an effective land management resource.

“When applied with technical expertise, fire can significantly contribute to environmental conservation,” said André Lima, secretary for deforestation control and land-use planning at the Ministry of the Environment. “In prescribed or controlled burns for agricultural production, for example, it can help prevent major disasters.”

Bolivar Rodrigues Xerente of FUNAI explained that his Indigenous elders taught him that traditional knowledge and modern science resemble a bird’s two wings.

“A bird with two wings can navigate the wind, but with only one wing, it can’t,” he said. “Technology, without traditional knowledge in the Indigenous communities, doesn’t work.”

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. (AP) — During a soggy Saturday morning in recent weeks, the basement of the New Paltz United Methodist Church became home to damaged lamps, dull kitchen knives, broken audio equipment, and stubborn zippers.

Around a dozen volunteers greeted these damaged items and their owners as part of a global initiative promoting fresh connections between individuals and their possessions.

These Repair Cafes — no-cost gatherings where skilled volunteers assist community members in fixing various home goods — represent a fresh form of anti-consumption activism seeking to provide alternatives to mass-manufactured throwaway products that have shaped the worldwide economy over the past fifty years. Rising U.S. consumer costs, which increased significantly last month due to conflict with Iran bringing elevated fuel prices and additional hardship for Americans, are helping drive this shift toward repairing rather than purchasing.

Beginning in the Netherlands with one gathering in 2009, Repair Cafe has expanded into an international nonprofit boasting over 59,000 members, approximately 4,000 locations, and nearly 850,000 restored items annually.

“We need to change our mindset. We need to change the economy,” Repair Cafe founder Martine Postma said. “Even if Repair Cafes can’t solve the problem alone, then still they are a very clear sign that change is needed on a much higher level.”

In New Paltz, a Hudson Valley university community roughly two hours from New York, 50 visitors brought approximately 85 objects to the Repair Cafe: a vintage fan requiring new wiring, clothing items, outerwear, plush toys. Attendees also brought aged family photographs needing restoration and jewelry requiring work such as bead restringing or clasp replacement.

Skilled volunteers positioned themselves at lengthy cafeteria tables to demonstrate options, providing opportunities for people to discover that damaged items aren’t necessarily worthless.

“Maybe their initial reason for coming is monetary or sentimental,” organizer Holly Shader said.

Beyond that, she added, “it gives people a chance to work together and extend the life of something. People form relationships.”

The specialists present restored 71 items, determined four required additional work, and declared 10 irreparable. They explained their volunteer motivation comes from the relaxed satisfaction of restoration work, with community building as an added bonus.

“I get to come and actually do the work and meet the nice people and show them how to put something together,” contractor Patrick L. Murphy said.

The Buy Nothing Project, “right to repair” laws, and an increasing number of tool libraries also focus on fixing, exchanging, and sharing rather than purchasing and selling.

Beginning in Washington state in 2013, the Buy Nothing Project operates an application and social media platform connecting people offering items with nearby individuals seeking them — a global network of gift-based economies, as outlined on its Facebook page.

Founder Liesl Clark said the network has reached at least 12.5 million Facebook users, demonstrating growth capable of affecting corporate and government actions.

“What was a social movement has really become a safety net for millions of people,” she said. “People are seeing that you don’t have to go to the Amazons of the world to get what you might need, there is a robust material culture in your community.

“We want to change the way that the world consumes.”

The initiative “started as a social and economic and environmental experiment,” she noted.

“There’s going to be a conversation that you have, when you and someone else are fixing something together,” she said. “We’re finding that we’re crossing a lot of barriers.”

In contemporary throwaway society, many individuals have lost household repair abilities — skills that were previously almost universal, said Peter Counter, an engineer researching Repair Cafes while pursuing a doctorate at the University for the Creative Arts in Farnham, England.

“The idea that you can fix your own stuff has receded because the skills are not being passed down,” he said. “If you want something fixed, it’s almost certainly cheaper to go buy a new one.”

Community restoration is flourishing, Counter explained, because volunteers donate their time, making it economically feasible even when purchasing replacement parts.

The “right to repair” campaign seeks to enable consumers to fix their own products rather than being required to seek manufacturer tools and guidance. A nationwide effort promoted in 2023 encouraged states to consider legislation mandating manufacturers provide access to tools and instructions for both consumers and repair businesses. Several states have enacted such laws.

Additionally, various jurisdictions nationwide operate tool libraries allowing people to check out costly tools similar to borrowing books.

In New Paltz, Paula Weinstein, 79, brought a 1930s-era Hammond clock and presented it to Bob Morton.

Morton — an 82-year-old retired IBM electrical engineer — explained he enjoys applying his expertise to remain mentally active and assist others.

“I’ve been blessed to still have a brain,” the grandfather of three said. “It’s a chance to do something.”

Weinstein added, “It’s wonderful to see people restoring older things.”

Following hours of careful collaboration, her clock’s hands began moving.

“Yes, it’s working!” she shouted. “Oh, my goodness, thank you!”

“I’m glad I stuck with it,” Morton said.

The artificial intelligence company OpenAI is developing its most significant update to ChatGPT yet, working to transform the platform into a comprehensive “superapp” that includes coding capabilities and AI agents, according to a Financial Times report published Sunday.

The major upgrade is designed to increase revenue as the company prepares for a potential public stock offering, the report stated.

According to the Financial Times, these modifications are occurring alongside a wider company restructuring at OpenAI. The organization is redirecting resources to focus on profitable business customers and strengthen its competitive position against rival company Anthropic, the report indicated, based on information from more than twelve current and former staff members.

Reuters noted it was unable to immediately confirm the details of the report.

Five crew members aboard the International Space Station were temporarily moved to safety Friday while cosmonauts addressed a new leak in the Russian section of the orbiting laboratory, NASA announced.

The astronauts relocated to a docked SpaceX capsule as a precautionary measure while repair work was conducted on the Russian side of the station.

“The decision was made out of an abundance of caution,” NASA spokesperson Bethany Stevens said via X.

After repair efforts were temporarily halted, the crew exited the capsule and resumed normal station activities.

This section of the space station has experienced ongoing issues with cracks and leaks in recent years. Following the discovery of new problems, NASA reported that Roscosmos opted to conduct more comprehensive repairs.

Both space agencies continue working together to identify what’s causing the cracks to develop.

Hidden within Phoenix’s sprawling urban environment of pavement and buildings lies a narrow stretch of the Salt River that showcases lush, moisture-rich wilderness.

Spectacular peony blooms are currently at their most vibrant stage at the University of Michigan’s W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden. NPR’s Eyder Perala recently interviewed two garden specialists about the impressive display – David Michener, who serves as the garden’s curator, and Doug Conley, the facility’s horticulturist.

HONG KONG (AP) — Humanoid robots manufactured in China are capturing attention with their capabilities to perform backflips, manage traffic control, and prepare coffee beverages, as manufacturers seek methods to grow and control the marketplace.

Chinese robot manufacturers report receiving thousands of purchase orders from government agencies and private companies for humanoids capable of tasks like package sorting at mail facilities, as the nation addresses challenges from an aging workforce and increasing labor expenses. Nevertheless, industry analysts suggest that consumer interest in humanoids falls behind manufacturing capabilities.

Both China and the United States lead research in what Morgan Stanley projects as a $5 trillion humanoid robotics industry.

In certain areas, America maintains advantages in creating artificial intelligence systems for advanced computational functions, or the “brains” of these machines. However, as the global manufacturing hub, China excels in large-scale production abilities, hardware component supply, and data collection for robot training purposes.

Matrix Robotics, a Shanghai-based company, produces AI-powered humanoid robots. Their primary model, called the “MATRIX-3,” measures approximately 5.6 feet (1.7 meters) in height and features hands capable of precise movements. Each unit sells for roughly $99,000.

Buyers for the company’s approximately 1,000 orders include coffee shop chains and hospitality businesses, according to founder and CEO Allan Zhang, a former Tesla employee, speaking at a robotics exhibition in Macao.

Matrix has manufactured only several hundred robots thus far, although the company states it can deliver 5,000 units this year based on order volume.

EngineAI, a company located in Shenzhen in southern China, reports its full-size humanoid robots serve as security personnel and museum tour guides. The robots also entertain through dance and boxing demonstrations.

Their basic humanoid model costs 180,000 yuan ($26,600). “The next step will be to move into more real-life scenarios,” said Issac Li, EngineAI’s head of brand and marketing.

Many humanoid robots remain demonstration-focused rather than practical, unable to operate effectively in chaotic, unpredictable settings, according to Samm Sacks, a senior fellow at the New America think tank focused on Chinese technology.

“The use cases of these robots are still so limited,” said Chibo Tang of the venture capital firm Gobi Partners, which invests in technology startups including robotics companies. “Without the demand and without that scale from the market, these companies are not able to really go into mass production.”

China operated more than 140 humanoid robot manufacturers producing over 330 models in 2025, per the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. The Chinese government issued public warnings last year about potential industry speculation given slow commercialization and application progress.

Research institutions and corporate laboratories purchase humanoid robots for study purposes. In China, much of the more than 2 billion yuan ($295 million) in orders during 2025 originated from government-owned companies for deployment in power facilities, data centers, or entertainment venues, Morgan Stanley reported.

“The economics are tough: humanoid robots remain expensive to produce, fragile in operation, and dependent on highly structured environments to function,” Sacks explained. There’s “a long way to go to get to a level of functionality where people will actually feel comfortable having them in their homes providing care for elderly or children,” she said.

Industrial and logistics environments offer more realistic commercial opportunities, Sacks noted. However, numerous factories in China and other countries already utilize non-humanoid robotic arms for repetitive individual tasks and may not require additional humanoid robots.

Humanoid robot companies in Japan and the United States also face difficulties locating industrial and workplace customers.

Despite these challenges, real-world humanoid robot deployment in China has gained momentum over the past year.

Chinese citizens are comparatively “used to this rapid change in terms of technology,” said Ye Tian, an ex-Apple engineer and founder and CEO of the Chinese startup RoboScience, which focuses on developing the systems behind AI-powered robots.

With technological advancement, humanoids may handle heavy lifting and routine tasks in storage facilities, manufacturing plants, and shipping ports, according to Lian Jye Su, with the technology research group Omdia.

Humanoid robots can also address gaps in dangerous or repetitive work environments, Matrix’s Zhang explained. He envisions a “very large household market” for managing domestic tasks in hundreds of millions of Chinese homes.

In Beijing, freelance social media content creator Yang Ning recently tested a cleaning service featuring a helper robot with mechanical arms and hands. The machine handles basic tasks like shoe organization, clothing folding, and trash bag replacement, but works alongside a human cleaner.

Observing the robot arrange shoes at her entrance was “amazing,” she reported. However, she found the helper robot inefficient and “a bit too big and difficult to move around in a small house.”

Chinese humanoid robots represented approximately 85% of global production last year, per a recent Barclays research analysis.

Chinese companies benefit from substantial government backing, consistent with the ruling Communist Party’s 2026-2030 five-year strategy targeting technological frontiers, including humanoid robot development.

Among the more than 13,000 humanoid robots delivered in 2025, AGIBOT and Unitree, two leading Chinese robotics firms, each shipped over 5,000 units, while American competitors like Figure AI and Tesla shipped several hundred or fewer, according to Omdia.

Morgan Stanley anticipates China’s humanoid sales will more than double this year to approximately 28,000 units. Omdia predicts annual advanced robot shipments could exceed 1 million units by the early 2030s.

Several robot manufacturers claim profitability. Unitree reported 1.7 billion yuan (around $250 million) in revenue last year, earning over 278 million yuan ($41 million) in profit.

Manufacturers contend that increased humanoid robot production will reduce costs. Greater use of domestically produced components has made Chinese robots 20% or more less expensive than international alternatives on average, Morgan Stanley noted. The firm estimates average pricing could decrease to approximately $21,000 by 2050, down from $46,000 last year.

Some Chinese humanoid robots carried price tags below $6,000.

A Mercator Institute for China Studies report stated that while Chinese humanoids cost less than foreign-made versions, they remain “far too expensive for widespread deployment.”

Manufacturers face another obstacle in gathering sufficient quality data for robot training.

Wang Xiaogang, co-founder of Chinese AI software company SenseTime and chairman of ACE Robotics, said his organization collects extensive human-centered data from manufacturing, retail, and office environments to guide advanced robots in performing complex tasks.

For humanoid robots to master multiple functions, data from diverse scenarios in public and private locations with appropriate difficulty levels is required, explained Eric Guo, founder and CEO of Shenzhen-based AI² Robotics. However, massive scaling could require years to achieve.

“The mass production capability in (the) robotic area is still at the very early stage,” Guo said.

The United Arab Emirates has unveiled a sweeping national program aimed at transforming how the country handles its enormous textile waste challenge, as officials seek to prove whether a nation synonymous with shopping centers and rapid consumption can build a functioning circular clothing system.

The program, called Naseej or the National Initiative for Textile Circularity, was established following directives from President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The effort comes as the UAE produces an estimated 220,000 metric tons of textile waste annually. Officials hope to establish a comprehensive national framework for gathering, reusing, recycling, and minimizing textile waste by connecting government departments, companies, researchers, recyclers, community groups, and shoppers.

Systems designed for circular textiles work to maintain clothing and materials in active use as long as feasible through reselling, repairing, redistributing, upgrading, recycling, and waste reduction.

While that objective sounds straightforward, implementing it proves far more complex. Throughout the UAE’s sustainable fashion and textile recovery network, business leaders and advocates generally praise Naseej as a significant national initiative. However, they caution that recycling by itself cannot resolve the issue unless the nation establishes convenient collection networks, promotes reselling and repair services, curtails excessive consumption, and develops domestic capabilities to process materials that currently have limited disposal alternatives.

Yet, information made public thus far leaves major uncertainties unresolved: whether Naseej will result in permanent community collection locations, mandatory goals, brand responsibilities, sustained funding, enforcement tools, or industrial-scale recycling plants.

Naseej unites the National Projects Office, the Ministry of Economy and Tourism, Emirates Foundation, Tadweer Group, researchers, companies, and community partners to address collection, recycling, consumer patterns, regulation, and circular business approaches. In concrete terms, the program is anticipated to support national initiatives, enhance collection and recycling infrastructure, advance trial projects, and help establish markets for circular textile solutions.

Development of the program started during COP28 and included agreements with partners throughout the textile industry, including fashion companies, manufacturers, recyclers, research organizations, and community groups. Its initial public event, “The Fabric of Possibility,” is planned for June 5 to 7 at Yas Mall in Abu Dhabi before comparable events spread to other regions of the country.

For Jennifer Sault, founder and managing director of Thrift for Good, the emergency is already apparent in the amount of unwanted clothing flowing through the UAE.

“An estimated 220,000 [metric] tons of clothing is going into landfill currently in the UAE. This is by a recent report that just came out on Naseej, the National Initiative for Textile Circularity,” Sault told The Media Line.

Sault explained that fast fashion has worsened the issue by promoting increased production and making clothing simpler to treat as throwaway. According to the UN Environment Programme, 92 million metric tons of textile waste are generated worldwide annually. The organization has also referenced Ellen MacArthur Foundation research showing that clothing production increased twofold from 2000 to 2015, while garment usage duration decreased by 36%.

“Clothing sustainability has become a growing concern, not just in the UAE, but globally, as producers and consumers shift more to fast fashion,” Sault said.

The environmental issue, she explained, involves not only the amount of thrown-away clothing but also the materials used to make that clothing. Man-made materials like polyester come from fossil fuels, release microplastics, and can remain in the environment for decades or more, depending on circumstances. The European Parliament has referenced estimates that textile manufacturing accounts for roughly 20% of global clean water contamination, primarily from dyeing processes.

“What’s more disturbing is that clothing is being produced much more cheaply, which means that the resources that go into it are not as good for the environment,” Sault said.

She expressed worry about microplastics and chemical exposure.

“Plastics are leaching off into waterways in our systems, into our food chains,” she said. “So it’s not just the environment, but our health as well.”

The difficulty, those active in the industry explained, is that collection and recycling infrastructure have not matched consumption levels. Sault noted that Thrift for Good has developed an approach that maintains nearly all clothing it obtains in circulation through reselling, repairing, redistributing, stain removal, redesigning, upgrading, or recycling. However, the organization’s scope is minimal compared with the nationwide challenge.

“We have figured out how to be 99% circular with our clothing,” she said.

Nevertheless, she noted, the country lacks systems for many materials other than cotton.

“The cottons we can do here in the UAE, Landmark Recycling Center, does a great job and has a fair amount of capacity to take this,” Sault said. “But there’s still no system in the UAE for anything that’s not cotton. So polyester blends, other materials, those that are greatly soiled, shoes, bags, accessories, etc.”

That constraint reflects a broader worldwide challenge. Textile recycling proves technically challenging because many garments consist of mixed fabrics, which must be sorted and separated before their fibers can be reused. A cotton shirt, a polyester dress, and a mixed-fiber garment may each need different sorting, processing, and end markets. Recycling facilities also frequently demand strict fiber quality standards, and collection systems remain fragmented even in nations with sophisticated waste infrastructure.

Sault reported that Thrift for Good handles approximately 12 tons of clothing monthly. About one ton enters recycling, and roughly 400 kilograms will likely end up in landfills.

“We’re quite small in terms of the scale of what’s needed in the UAE,” she said. “We’re just a scratch on the tip of an iceberg.”

Circular fashion systems require investment before they minimize waste. Collection, sorting, transport, storage, repair, quality control, fiber separation, recycling technology, and markets for recovered materials all need funding. If resale profits are narrow and recycling cannot cover its costs, circularity can become reliant on subsidies, charity, or policy action.

Muhammad Virji, director of Universal Clothing and founder of Fashion Rerun and Efaar, praised Naseej as progress toward a more structured circular textile industry.

“It is an important step toward building a stronger circular textile industry and encouraging more sustainable use of clothing and textiles across the country,” Virji told The Media Line.

Virji’s efforts concentrate on the worth that continues in clothing after its initial use. He explained that discarded garments should not be automatically considered waste when they can still be reused, resold, upcycled, recycled, or sorted for different purposes.

“Many clothes and textiles still have value after their first use,” he said.

The practical obstacles, he explained, are awareness, convenience, and collection. Many shoppers may wish to make better decisions but do not know where to bring unwanted clothing or what occurs after they get rid of it.

“Making collection and recycling easier can help increase participation,” he said.

Virji noted that responsibility must be distributed among consumers, retailers, brands, policymakers, recyclers, and reuse companies. Consumers can maintain garments and use resale or recycling alternatives. Retailers and brands can educate customers and support circular programs. Government can connect partners and help establish the systems that allow those efforts to expand.

The UAE already has companies and community groups operating in resale, upcycling, recycling, sorting, and textile recovery, he explained. The following step involves linking them into a larger network.

“The opportunity now is to continue connecting these efforts so more textiles stay in use for longer,” Virji said.

His companies function across different phases of that network. Universal Clothing sorts and grades textiles so they can be directed to suitable uses. Fashion Rerun concentrates on resale. Efaar transforms existing textiles into new products through reworking and upcycling.

Araceli Gallego, founder of GoShopia.com and Fashion Revolution UAE country coordinator, described Naseej as a positive development because it acknowledges textile waste as a national concern. But she noted that circular fashion’s success will depend on whether the program moves beyond recycling and supports the community-level work that modifies behavior.

“The launch of Naseej is a very positive step for the UAE and an important recognition of the need to address textile waste at a national level,” Gallego told The Media Line. “At Fashion Revolution UAE, we believe circularity goes far beyond recycling.”

Gallego explained that Fashion Revolution UAE operates through clothes swaps, repair and mending sessions, styling masterclasses, workshops, and community events. The objective, she noted, is to extend garment lifespan and keep textiles out of landfills while providing consumers practical alternatives to purchasing new items.

“We also work closely with sustainable fashion designers, upcyclers, thrift shops, and stylists to promote more conscious ways of producing and consuming fashion,” she said.

Community programs remain small, but Gallego noted they are helping establish a culture around repair, reuse, and sustainable design. Each April, Fashion Revolution UAE conducts Fashion Revolution Week. In May, the group participated in Rooted at Alserkal Avenue, a community-led cultural program that combined art, creativity, and sustainable fashion through exhibitions, talks, and workshops.

“The UAE has a small but growing ecosystem of people and organizations contributing to textile circularity,” she said.

That challenge becomes more acute due to the UAE’s retail approach. The country’s malls make fast fashion highly visible, convenient, and accessible, while sustainable labels frequently lack comparable reach. High retail costs can favor large brands, keeping smaller sustainable businesses outside prime shopping areas.

“The UAE is home to some of the world’s most impressive malls, making fast fashion incredibly convenient and accessible,” Gallego said. “However, high retail rents often mean that only large brands can secure space, leaving many sustainable labels without a presence in these prime locations.”

Repair, resale, rental, and upcycling are growing, she noted, but they still lack the scale and convenience of purchasing something new.

The fast-fashion issue, the interviewees explained, is not whether people should stop enjoying clothing, but whether the system can make better choices simpler. Price, convenience, variety, climate, children outgrowing clothing, and limited access to affordable, sustainable alternatives all help explain why consumers continue purchasing fast fashion even when they understand the environmental costs.

That market reality is not exclusive to the UAE. Fast fashion remains dominant not simply because consumers ignore sustainability concerns, but because it offers price, access, variety, and convenience. Kristen Classi-Zummo, an apparel industry analyst at Circana, made a similar point in comments to The Washington Post about fast fashion and sustainability. Consumers often care about environmental benefits when other factors are equal, she noted, but a large price gap or lack of convenience can quickly change the decision.

“If they’re then seeing a big price difference or it is not convenient, then they won’t buy,” Classi-Zummo told the newspaper.

Gallego noted that consumers should be encouraged to purchase fewer but higher-quality items, extend garment life, support responsible brands, and make resale and repair part of ordinary shopping behavior.

“The solution is not necessarily to stop people from enjoying fashion, but to encourage more conscious consumption,” she said.

Virji described the same concept as product life extension.

“The focus should be on extending the life of clothing,” he said. “Supporting collection, resale, reuse, upcycling, and recycling helps ensure garments stay in use for longer and reduces unnecessary waste.”

Sault noted that consumers have influence through daily purchasing decisions, but she also emphasized that companies and policymakers must act where market incentives fall short.

“I truly believe that our dollar is our vote for the world we want to live in,” she said. “The companies we support are the legacies that we fuel and build.”

Government has a function, Sault explained, because recycling frequently does not cover its costs and cheaper products can push out more ethical alternatives.

“Companies, of course, should be responsible. They should offer fair, equitable products,” Sault said. “And policymakers, I think, have the responsibility to protect against consumers just going for the cheapest prices, and protect that there has to be a bare minimum of ethics in the products that we have available.”

Sault noted that fabric recycling is technically feasible but requires public support, financing, and systems that make economic sense.

“But recycling, it doesn’t really pay,” she said. “So I think there’s also a lot of space for governments to foster innovation, to fund recycling, to set up systems that make sense, to curb clothing from landfill long-term.”

Naseej appears designed to address some of these gaps by placing policy, research, collection, public outreach, and business innovation within one national framework. The more difficult test will be whether that framework becomes visible in daily life: collection points in neighborhoods, repair and resale options that can compete with malls, sorting facilities that can handle mixed textiles, and recycling capacity that extends beyond cotton.

Collectively, the interviewees noted that progress will depend less on slogans than on infrastructure: neighborhood collection points, sorting facilities, non-cotton recycling capacity, repair and resale options, and markets for recovered materials. Sault pointed to the need for recycling centers for non-cotton fabrics, shoes, and bags. Virji noted that success should be measured by how many textiles remain in circulation. Gallego emphasized that the first goal should be preventing waste before it is created.

Gallego also warned against depending on exports as a convenient outlet for unwanted clothing.

“Shipping waste elsewhere simply shifts the problem rather than addressing it,” Gallego said. “Instead, we should focus on building local capacity to manage, recover, and reduce the waste we generate within the UAE.”

Gallego noted that no single organization can solve a waste problem of this magnitude.

“We need collaboration between government entities, brands, retailers, recyclers, charities, educational institutions, communities, cultural organizations, and consumers,” she said. “In my humble opinion, the most successful solutions will be those that combine infrastructure, education, innovation, and community engagement.”

Virji described the same challenge as a value-chain problem.

“Strong partnerships are essential across the textile value chain,” he said. “Government provides leadership, private companies contribute expertise and infrastructure, community organizations support collection and awareness, and consumers participate.”

The UAE’s textile waste problem reflects a broader global contradiction. Fashion remains a major cultural and economic force, but its current consumption model produces waste that is increasingly difficult to ignore. Naseej gives the UAE a national platform to address that contradiction. The work of local actors such as Thrift for Good, Universal Clothing, Fashion Rerun, Efaar, GoShopia.com, and Fashion Revolution UAE shows that pieces of the circular model already exist.

The question now is whether those pieces can be connected, scaled, and made convenient enough to move circular fashion beyond committed consumers and into the habits of ordinary residents.

The next stage will show whether Naseej can turn awareness into infrastructure. Without that, Naseej risks becoming another sustainability campaign. With it, the country could move closer to a textile system in which clothing is not simply bought, worn, and forgotten, but kept in use long enough to retain its value.

Federal officials announced that a compact nuclear reactor being tested at a national laboratory has accomplished a significant breakthrough that could bring it closer to generating power in the coming years.

The small reactor created by Antares Nuclear Inc. at the Idaho National Lab achieved “criticality” on Thursday, according to Energy Secretary Chris Wright. This important phase happens when a nuclear reactor establishes a self-sustaining chain reaction that can produce consistent energy output.

Antares became the first private enterprise to reach this critical stage with an advanced reactor through a pilot initiative launched last year by the Trump administration designed to accelerate nuclear energy development across the United States. The project was carried out in collaboration with the Energy Department and additional contractors, with backing from the U.S. Army.

“We are very excited by this news today,” Wright said Friday on a call with reporters. “I think June 4th will be a historic day in the American nuclear renaissance.”

Antares and its partners “have shown America can do bold things,” Wright added. “America has great technology, great entrepreneurs that are ready to drive energy innovation to power our future, lower energy costs and make our country more powerful.”

Wright stated that this accomplishment demonstrates how the Trump administration’s efforts to eliminate regulatory obstacles are helping advance innovative nuclear technologies.

President Donald Trump signed executive orders in May 2025 intended to speed up the development of nuclear power, including steps that grant Wright authority to approve some advanced reactor designs and projects. Trump’s orders limit some authority of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the independent safety agency that has regulated the U.S. nuclear industry for five decades.

Skeptics warn that nuclear energy poses risks and say microreactors may not be safe or feasible and have not proved they can meet demand for a reasonable price.

Though the Antares technology remains years from commercial deployment, reaching criticality represents a significant advancement. The California-based company, which initially focuses on military uses, anticipates beginning electricity generation by late 2027 and deploying systems in operational settings by the end of 2028, according to CEO Jordan Bramble on Friday.

“Nuclear in America has been defined for too long by delays, by companies that said they would and then didn’t,” Bramble said in a written statement.

During Friday’s briefing, Bramble explained that reaching criticality “is the first step on a roadmap toward producing electricity ahead of deploying this technology for customer sites.”

“Microreactors are a technology that’s here today,” he added. “2026 is the year where microreactors are becoming real. We’re months to years out from being able to start deploying this technology to military installations.”

The Trump administration has established an objective of reaching the criticality phase in no fewer than three test reactors by July 4 — the nation’s 250th anniversary.

Officials have chosen 11 advanced reactor projects, including Antares, to advance their technologies toward deployment.

In February, the Pentagon and the Energy Department for the first time airlifted a small nuclear reactor from California to Utah, demonstrating what they say is the country’s potential to quickly deploy nuclear power for military and civilian use. The nearly 700-mile flight transported a 5-megawatt microreactor manufactured by Valar Atomics in southern California to Hill Air Force Base in Utah.

The reactor — which did not have nuclear fuel — eventually will be able to generate up to 5 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 5,000 homes, said Isaiah Taylor, CEO of Valar Atomics. The company hopes to start selling power on a test basis next year and become fully commercial in 2028, he said.

Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the transport flight, which attracted significant news coverage, was little more than a publicity stunt.

He offered a similar response to the claims by Antares and Wright.

“This stunt is a rudimentary first step that has absolutely no bearing on whether the Antares reactor will be safe or commercially viable,” Lyman said in an email Friday.

The Energy Department’s statement that the test “confirms that the reactor can operate safely” is false, Lyman said, adding that more testing of the reactor is needed.

Five astronauts working aboard the International Space Station were directed to seek emergency shelter on Friday while Russian crew members addressed an air leak in their section of the orbiting laboratory, according to NASA.

The space agency lifted the emergency directive approximately two hours after it was issued, allowing the astronauts to resume their regular duties on the station. Four crew members from NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission sought refuge in their Dragon capsule, joined by Chris Williams, a NASA astronaut serving with the station’s Expedition 74 team.

The Crew-12 team taking shelter included:

JESSICA MEIR, SPACECRAFT COMMANDER

An American astronaut leading NASA’s Dragon capsule for the SpaceX Crew-12 mission. Originally from Caribou, Maine, Meir joined NASA’s astronaut corps in 2013. She is making her second journey to space.

JACK HATHAWAY, SPACECRAFT PILOT

An American NASA astronaut serving as Dragon’s pilot. The U.S. Navy commander hails from South Windsor, Connecticut, and is experiencing his first space mission.

SOPHIE ADENOT, MISSION SPECIALIST

A French astronaut with the European Space Agency, Adenot joined the astronaut program in 2022. She holds an engineering degree from Toulouse, France, and previously worked as both a helicopter pilot and design engineer.

ANDREY FEDYAEV, MISSION SPECIALIST

A Russian cosmonaut with Roscosmos making his second extended mission. He previously completed 186 days in orbit serving as an Expedition 69 flight engineer in 2023.

The current Expedition 74 crew, which started December 8 and is scheduled to conclude this summer, includes:

CHRIS WILLIAMS, FLIGHT ENGINEER

An American NASA astronaut serving as flight engineer for Expedition 74.

SERGEY KUD-SVERCHKOV, COMMANDER

A Russian Roscosmos cosmonaut leading the Expedition 74 crew.

SERGEI MIKAEV, FLIGHT ENGINEER

A Russian cosmonaut working as flight engineer for Expedition 74.

Five crew members aboard the International Space Station were directed to seek temporary shelter on Friday while repairs were underway to address a new air leak in the orbital facility.

The astronauts relocated to a SpaceX vehicle docked at the station as cosmonauts addressed the leak, which developed in the Russian section of the space laboratory.

“The decision was made out of an abundance of caution,” NASA spokesperson Bethany Stevens said via X.

After repair efforts were temporarily halted, the crew exited the capsule and resumed their normal duties aboard the station.

This section of the orbiting facility has experienced ongoing issues with structural cracks and air leaks in recent years. NASA reported that Roscosmos opted to conduct more comprehensive repairs following the discovery of additional problems.

Both space agencies continue their efforts to identify what’s causing the structural cracks to develop.

The artificial intelligence company that created the Claude chatbot is calling for leading AI developers around the globe to establish a unified approach for temporarily halting progress on sophisticated AI systems. The firm warns that technological advancement is occurring at such a breakneck pace that humanity risks losing oversight of these powerful tools.

In a Thursday blog post, the company behind Claude stated that as state-of-the-art AI becomes increasingly efficient at completing various tasks, “it would be good for the world to have the option to slow or temporarily pause” further development.

The firm announced that its internal research division will investigate this matter alongside other organizations and “take actions” to help establish frameworks for a legitimate slowdown or suspension, though they provided no additional specifics.

According to the company, AI systems are becoming more capable at an accelerating rate, particularly in their ability to independently handle software-related work such as computer programming. Current trajectory analysis suggests that with sufficient computational resources, an AI system might eventually become capable of creating and improving its own replacement through what experts call “recursive self-improvement.”

While such self-developing AI would represent a significant technological breakthrough offering advantages in scientific research, medical care, and other fields, the company noted it “also might increase the risks of humans losing control over AI systems.”

This concern has been voiced by various technology industry leaders for years.

The company’s statement follows a separate alert issued earlier this week by University of Toronto researchers who demonstrated how AI technology could potentially create a novel form of AI “worm” that modifies its cyber attack methods while spreading across devices and commandeering extensive computer networks.

“I think it’s really important that people understand that it’s not just the biggest, most powerful language models that pose the security concerns,” lead researcher Nicolas Papernot said in an interview.

The blog post authors, company co-founder Jack Clark and Marina Favaro, head of the research institute, explained that any pause would allow time for “societal structures and alignment research” to match the pace of AI development. Alignment refers to the industry goal of ensuring technology operates in harmony with human values and objectives.

Their proposed coordination system would enable advanced AI laboratories to confirm that international competitors have genuinely halted or reduced their research efforts, “and that a bad actor could not use the auspices of a coordinated slowdown to jump ahead in secret.”

The company emphasized that a coordinated international framework is essential because without such cooperation, an AI development slowdown might allow the “least cautious” participants to gain ground and intensify pressure on companies and governments facing difficult AI safety decisions.

This announcement comes while the company is competing with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI to launch public stock offerings, with a potential IPO valuation approaching nearly a trillion dollars.

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia — Officials at Slovenia’s capital city zoo are celebrating three new arrivals that could help save one of the world’s most threatened species.

Three Siberian tiger cubs made their debut at the Ljubljana Zoo less than two weeks after their birth on May 27. The newborns represent a significant conservation victory for a species with only approximately 500 individuals surviving in their natural habitat.

These magnificent big cats face extinction primarily due to disappearing habitat and illegal hunting activities that continue to reduce their numbers.

The cubs’ parents, Arisa and Ussuri, have called the Ljubljana facility home since their 2004 arrival. Zoo officials say the birth followed extensive preparation and considerable optimism about the breeding program.

“We were not really expecting, but hoping, working on it because we have a good breeding pair,” she said. Despite introducing the pair during optimal timing, “we weren’t completely sure,” she added.

“So we were also a bit surprised and of course very happy,” Strus said.

Successfully reproducing wild species within captive environments presents numerous challenges and frequently fails to produce offspring.

The newborns remain extremely fragile and must stay separated from all individuals except their mother during this critical period. However, zoo personnel and guests can observe the family through live video feeds displayed on monitors.

Observers gathered around the screens showed obvious delight watching the mother tend to her offspring. Barbara Gallaido, visiting from San Francisco, described the experience as “really fabulous.”

“I’ve seen tigers in the wild in India, but not like this, not with cubs,” she said. “It was really great.”

Four-year-old Arisa is experiencing motherhood for the first time, and Strus reports she’s adapting excellently to her new role.

“She is constantly licking them (cubs,) breastfeeding them and they are resting together,” she said. “So far so good. But … we still need to wait and see what will happen.”

Strus explained that tiger offspring typically develop sight and hearing capabilities approximately two weeks following birth. The mother should bring her young outside their den for initial exploration when they reach one month of age.

NASA ordered crew members aboard the International Space Station to take shelter in their docked spacecraft and get ready for a possible emergency departure on Friday while Russian personnel work to repair a deteriorating air leak in the Russian section of the space laboratory.

The four crew members from NASA’s Crew-12 mission currently stationed on the ISS — including two American astronauts, one French astronaut and one Russian cosmonaut — received instructions from NASA mission control at 9:04 a.m. Eastern Time on Monday to board their Crew Dragon vehicle attached to the station and put on their spacesuits as a precautionary measure in case the air leak becomes severe enough to require an emergency departure, according to a NASA official.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (AP) — Far from the coastline, Chris Kemp battles with his fishing rod as he works to reel in a catch from 150 feet beneath the surface. After a lengthy struggle, he successfully brings aboard a 10-pound red snapper onto the charter vessel Jodie Lynn II.

His celebration is short-lived. While Kemp holds up his catch for a photograph, the boat’s captain quickly approaches and pierces the fish’s air-filled swim bladder with a sharp instrument. This federally mandated process aims to increase the fish’s survival odds when returned to the water.

“Throw it back,” the captain commands. With those words, Kemp’s dream of taking his prize home for dinner vanishes.

Sport fishermen such as Kemp find themselves in opposition to commercial fishing interests and conservation groups in a court battle that stopped what should have been the most extended snapper season in recent memory. This conflict highlights wider disagreements surrounding the administration’s push to relax fishing regulations and reduce ocean oversight.

In support of these deregulation goals, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration granted states relief from certain restrictions under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the key legislation governing fisheries oversight, back in May. However, a federal judge in Washington prevented this decision from taking effect by issuing a court order blocking the plan.

The Atlantic red snapper has earned recognition for its fierce resistance when hooked and its appeal as table fare. Following years of excessive harvesting, authorities implemented strict recreational fishing limits in 2010, restricting access to just a few days annually or banning it entirely.

Beginning the previous year, the governor led an initiative alongside officials from Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina to assume control over recreational Atlantic snapper management, describing the effort as protecting anglers’ “God-given right to fish.”

In May, NOAA granted special authorization releasing the states from certain legal obligations regarding fish protection. Rather than implementing complete fishing prohibitions on bottom fishing during winter months, as NOAA had suggested the prior year, the agency established an Atlantic snapper season across four states lasting between 39 and 62 days, permitting anglers to retain one fish daily.

“We were excited,” Kemp stated, explaining he had scheduled a charter trip to align with the season’s first day.

The dispute reached federal court just prior to the May 22 season launch, and U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras granted an injunction partly due to environmental considerations. His decision referenced projections from the nonprofit Ocean Conservancy indicating recreational catches might total up to 485,000 in Florida alone during the extended season — twenty times the permitted landed catch quota.

Kemp discovered the judge’s ruling through a text from a friend while traveling to the marina.

“Originally we thought it was a joke, given the severity,” Kemp remarked.

The decision triggered immediate criticism. State wildlife authorities condemned the ruling as the action of a “rogue federal judge,” while some fishermen named in the lawsuit received threats after the governor incorrectly claimed they sought to monopolize the quota for their own benefit.

Among the plaintiffs, North Carolina fisherman Jeff Oden explained that commercial fishing operations face difficult conditions due to increased expenses and competition from foreign seafood imports. He expressed concern that expanded recreational harvesting might reduce snapper availability when the commercial season opens later this year.

“We’re vanishing,” Oden stated. “You as a consumer, you’re the loser.”

The disagreement partially originates from differing views on the fishery’s condition. NOAA calculates that approximately 25% of released red snapper perish, despite survival-enhancing methods like bladder puncturing to release gases that accumulate when fish are brought up from deep waters, preventing their return to their natural habitat.

Many fishermen maintain the population is healthy. Kemp’s party caught roughly twelve fish in just 40 minutes after reaching a reef off the coast.

“To be completely honest, we have never seen an unhealthy stock,” said Haley Stephens, who operates the charter boat Sea Spirit with her husband in Ponce Inlet.

Researchers argue that the prevalence of juvenile fish creates false impressions and reference biological studies showing most caught fish haven’t achieved full reproductive capability.

“It’s tricky because this is a rebuilding fish stock,” explained Meredith Moore, a program director at Ocean Conservancy. “So people out in the water are seeing more of the fish than they have seen in a long time, and so that gives them the sense that everything is great.”

NOAA refused to discuss the snapper controversy, referencing active legal proceedings. The agency noted it collaborates with fisheries administrators nationwide “to better prioritize work around existing resources, explore efficiencies, and streamline operations” following the “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness” executive order signed by the president last year.

In his decision, the judge criticized the states for refusing to supply their own catch estimates. State representatives countered that current federal projections were unreliable and would eventually be replaced with enhanced state-gathered information.

Oden acknowledged recreational fishermen’s frustrations but insisted everyone must participate in conservation efforts.

“There’s only so many fish to go around,” he concluded.

Educators across the country believe artificial intelligence will fundamentally change education in ways that surpass the transformative effects of the internet and computers, according to a recent survey conducted by NPR and Ipsos.

The polling data shows that numerous teachers have begun incorporating AI technology into their daily routines, using these digital tools to streamline their workload and enhance the quality of their instructional materials.

Despite this growing adoption, the survey reveals a significant concern among educators. The majority of teachers who participated in the study expressed apprehension about how artificial intelligence might negatively affect students’ ability to develop and maintain critical thinking skills.

The findings highlight the complex relationship educators are navigating as they balance the potential benefits of AI technology with worries about its long-term impact on student learning and cognitive development.

Following half a century of research efforts, scientists have successfully identified wind flowing from the massive black hole located at our galaxy’s core, revealing it produces more of a mild cosmic breeze than the violent storms observed elsewhere in the universe.

Researchers utilized observations from Chile’s ALMA telescope along with NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory to examine the space surrounding the black hole known as Sagittarius A*, abbreviated as Sgr A*.

The team identified an enormous cone-shaped hollow region containing hot, electrically charged gas next to Sgr A*, which they determined was carved out by wind flowing from the black hole that either displaced or heated the cold gas previously occupying that area. According to the researchers, only a supermassive black hole could generate the energy required to form such a cavity.

These cosmic objects possess incredibly dense matter with gravitational pull so powerful that light cannot escape their grasp. Most galaxies contain a supermassive black hole at their center that draws in surrounding gas and materials.

Researchers theorized decades ago that any active supermassive black hole would naturally eject some gas and materials into space due to fundamental physics – either as outward-flowing wind or concentrated jets. While they had previously observed this phenomenon in countless supermassive black holes throughout other galaxies, scientists had been unable to prove that Sgr A* exhibited similar behavior until now.

“This discovery resolves a half-century-old mystery,” said Lena Murchikova, a professor of physics and astronomy at Northwestern University in Illinois and co-leader of the study published this week in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Sgr A* contains approximately 4 million times our sun’s mass and sits roughly 26,000 light-years away from Earth. One light-year equals the distance light covers in a year – 5.9 trillion miles (9.5 trillion km). Compared to similar objects in other galaxies, it ranks as less massive and currently exists in a relatively calm phase.

The pointed end of the cone-shaped cavity begins near Sgr A* and spreads outward. Though researchers cannot determine the cavity’s complete size since it extends beyond their observation range, Murchikova estimated it might stretch approximately 6.5 light-years in length.

Due to Sgr A*’s current peaceful condition, the wind it produces lacks the intensity observed from other supermassive black holes. Northwestern University astronomer and study co-leader Mark Gorski compared its winds to Earth’s weather patterns.

“It is a gentle breeze coming from our supermassive black hole. It doesn’t appear to be strong enough to drastically restructure the galactic center,” Gorski said.

“Supermassive black holes spend most of their time in this quiet, gentle state. However, sometimes they go through outbursts ranging from thunderstorms to the most violent of hurricanes. Their most intense winds or jets can completely disrupt their host galaxies and regions well beyond,” Gorski said.

When gas and other materials spiral toward a black hole, they approach light speed, generating sufficient energy and pressure to launch some material outward.

“While some gas keeps falling in, other gas is ejected. In fact, more of the gas is ejected than falls into the black hole. This ejected gas is the wind we are talking about,” Murchikova said. “When we look at distant galaxies far-far away, it is much easier to see violent phenomena. We see huge, powerful jets ripping through the galaxy and everything else in their path. We see violent winds ejecting nearly all gas from their galaxies.”

The distinction between a jet and wind relates purely to shape.

“Jets are narrow and don’t expand very much as they leave their source, often producing a beam of matter. Winds, however, are wider and expand as they leave their source. It’s almost like the difference between a laser pointer and a flashlight,” Gorski said.

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Federal officials will conduct another oil and gas lease auction Friday for Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, marking the latest effort in the administration’s campaign to expand energy development in the state.

Environmental advocates opposing drilling activities in the refuge’s coastal plain have highlighted the limited corporate participation in previous auctions and the ongoing environmental changes affecting Alaska’s northern regions as evidence that the area should remain protected from energy extraction. However, development proponents view the coastal plain, which spans an area comparable to Delaware’s size, as an unexploited energy source that could enhance domestic oil output while creating employment opportunities and generating revenue.

Earlier this year, a group of environmental organizations delivered correspondence to executives at 11 oil companies, including major Alaska operators ConocoPhillips and Hilcorp, requesting they avoid participating in the upcoming auction. The correspondence highlighted continuing legal challenges to the leasing program that began during President Donald Trump’s initial administration and cautioned about “financial, operational and reputational risks.”

The correspondence, endorsed by organizations such as The Wilderness Society, Sierra Club and Earthjustice, described the refuge as a premier location within the nation’s public land network and noted widespread public support for its preservation, “making any action there especially visible and consequential.”

Megan Olson, a spokesperson for ConocoPhillips Alaska, stated the company does not reveal its lease sale strategies. A Hilcorp representative did not provide a response when contacted for comment.

The current administration has demonstrated significant focus on Alaska, with last year’s congressional tax and spending legislation containing requirements for lease auctions in three state regions. Beyond the refuge’s coastal plain, leasing opportunities have been made available in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska and Cook Inlet, a mature production area that has supplied natural gas to Alaska’s largest population center for many years.

The Cook Inlet auction in March attracted no bidders. However, the first National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska sale since 2019 drew hundreds of bids from major oil corporations, despite ongoing legal challenges to the leasing program. The administration has worked to make additional reserve lands available for drilling while reducing environmental protections. ConocoPhillips Alaska is currently advancing the substantial Willow oil development within the petroleum reserve.

Across Alaska’s expansive, oil-rich North Slope, the major production areas of Prudhoe Bay and Kuparuk are situated between the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, a state corporation, currently maintains leases within the refuge, though no active drilling operations exist. The U.S. Geological Survey has projected the coastal plain may hold between 4.25 billion and 11.8 billion barrels of extractable oil, though detailed information about the oil’s quantity and grade remains limited.

The coastal plain, which borders the Beaufort Sea in northeastern Alaska, contains rolling terrain and tundra that serves as habitat for various wildlife including musk oxen and migratory birds. The Gwich’in people consider it sacred territory, as the caribou herds essential to their way of life give birth there. Representatives from Gwich’in communities near the refuge have committed to ongoing resistance against drilling activities.

However, certain Alaska Native communities have supported development initiatives and consider them vital to the regional economy.

Nagruk Harcharek, president and CEO of Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat, an advocacy organization representing leaders from Alaska Native communities across the North Slope, explained there’s an established tradition of harmonizing development with culturally significant activities like subsistence hunting. Responsible development represents a crucial aspect of self-determination, especially for Kaktovik residents, the sole community located within the refuge boundaries, who favor drilling activities, he noted.

Kaktovik community members conduct hunting and fishing activities on the coastal plain and “will be a big part of whatever project moves forward in making sure that all of those resources are protected and that their people are taken care of,” he stated.

An artificial intelligence company issued a warning Thursday that the tech industry needs to establish a unified approach for temporarily halting AI advancement when systems start evolving beyond society’s ability to safely oversee them.

The AI startup emphasized that while self-improving artificial intelligence would mark a historic technological breakthrough, such capabilities could dramatically increase the danger of humans losing oversight of these systems.

“If systems are capable of fully building their own successors, the ways we secure them, monitor them, and shape their behavior all grow much more important,” the company stated.

To illustrate current AI capabilities, the company revealed that as of May, over 80% of code integrated into its programming system was created by Claude, its AI assistant.

The firm argued it would benefit society to have mechanisms in place for slowing or pausing cutting-edge AI research, allowing social frameworks and safety studies to match the pace of technological progress.

The company warned, however, that uncoordinated slowdowns by individual companies could prove counterproductive if other less safety-conscious organizations continue their research, potentially decreasing overall security.

Any effective pause would require cooperation among “multiple well-resourced labs” working at the technology’s forefront, along with clear guidelines about what circumstances would initiate or end such a halt and who would provide oversight.

While a single company could more easily implement its own development pause, this approach would have minimal effect and would mainly transfer industry leadership rather than encouraging worldwide discussion.

The company’s research division plans to investigate and develop frameworks needed to support potential industry slowdowns.

Over the next several months, the organization intends to organize conversations with government officials, scientists, community organizations, and other AI companies to address critical concerns.

These discussions will focus on managing AI-related dangers like self-improvement capabilities and enhancing cooperation methods among industry players.

The company recently completed a funding round that established its value at $965 billion and privately submitted paperwork for a U.S. stock market debut on Monday.

BRUSSELS — The European Union is launching a major expansion of its ocean surveillance capabilities through underwater robotics and satellite technology, positioning itself as a global leader in marine research while the Trump administration prepares significant reductions to comparable American programs.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen announced the OceanEye initiative Wednesday, a 92 million euro ($107 million) investment designed to strengthen the EU’s role in exploring the planet’s marine environments amid growing climate threats.

Earth’s oceans span roughly 70% of the planet’s surface, supporting intricate biological systems that produce oxygen and capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Rising ocean temperatures driven by climate change have intensified weather patterns, strengthened storms and droughts, damaged coral ecosystems worldwide, and threatened marine life already under pressure from commercial fishing and industrial contamination.

Research indicates that climate change will amplify both heat wave intensity and severe storm activity throughout Europe.

Ocean surveillance systems provide critical protection by identifying ecosystem damage and environmental risks, informing policy decisions designed to prevent species decline.

“This is about using science and good governance to understand our ocean and secure our future,” von der Leyen said.

American officials indicated in May their intention to eliminate funding for the Ocean Observatories Initiative, a surveillance network featuring over 900 marine sensors that cost $386 million to establish and has provided continuous real-time information for more than ten years.

The National Science Foundation supports these observation stations, which monitor ocean currents, marine life, climate patterns, and severe weather conditions. The system’s information has remained publicly accessible and contributed to over 500 research studies. The program was originally scheduled to continue operating for an additional 15 to 20 years.

European officials had developed their investment strategy before the American funding reductions were revealed.

The Global Ocean Observing System coordinates international marine research efforts. American operations generate more than half of global ocean data, while European systems contribute approximately 25%, with Japan, Australia, India and China providing additional monitoring.

“Europe needs to do more,” said Pierre-Yves Le Traon, an oceanographer and scientific director of the Mercator Ocean International based in Toulouse, France.

The EU plans to manage 35% of worldwide maritime surveillance operations by 2035, establishing itself as the primary source of global “ocean intelligence.”

Automated sensors deployed underwater and in space transmit data to shipping operations, fishing industries, emergency response teams, and research facilities including the Mercator Ocean Institute, which is developing a real-time virtual reality model of Earth’s oceans called the Digital Twin Ocean.

This information proves essential for climate adaptation strategies and supports numerous land and sea-based industries including fish farming, maritime transport through frozen regions, coastal recreation, farming, and military operations, Le Traon explained.

“Knowledge is essential if we want to manage the ocean,” Le Traon said. “We really have to be very active for the monitoring and protecting of the ocean because the ocean matters for to everyone: for life at sea, for life on Earth.”

Odran Corcoran, a policy advisor for Oceana, emphasized that lawmakers require deep-ocean data to effectively regulate fishing management, marine conservation, and habitat restoration initiatives.

“Europe does not just need more ocean data; it needs data that closes biodiversity and seabed knowledge gaps,” Corcoran said.

European funding will support private technology development programs for ocean research and strengthen current organizations like the Global Ocean Observing System.

Among the EU’s 27 member countries, 22 maintain coastlines along the Baltic Sea, Atlantic Ocean, Black Sea, and Mediterranean Sea. France operates the bloc’s most extensive ocean research institutions and maintains vast maritime boundaries through overseas territories spanning from Réunion in the Pacific to Saint Martin in the Caribbean and the Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean.

MADISON, Wis. — A major firefighting foam producer has reached a $10 million agreement with Wisconsin to resolve claims over PFAS chemical contamination that tainted drinking water supplies in the state’s northeastern region for many years, state officials revealed Thursday.

The agreement arrives as communities, residents, government agencies and environmental advocates nationwide grapple with addressing pollution from PFAS substances, commonly called “forever chemicals.”

The governor praised the deal with Tyco Fire Products as a “historic and important milestone” in efforts to secure clean water. State officials filed legal action in 2022 claiming that Tyco, which operates under Johnson Controls, polluted areas surrounding a firefighting training facility beginning in the 1960s while failing to adequately remedy the situation.

“Today’s a key step toward making sure polluters are held accountable, take responsibility for their actions, and ensure Wisconsinites don’t have to foot the bill for cleaning up the messes that others made,” the governor stated when announcing the agreement.

The company discontinued outdoor training exercises using PFAS-containing foam in 2017. That same year marked when Tyco began supplying bottled water and filtration systems to impacted residents. According to the company, it has invested over $100 million in contamination response efforts.

In a Thursday statement, Tyco expressed satisfaction with reaching the settlement, noting it “reflects the extensive work Tyco has undertaken” to tackle PFAS pollution.

“We’ve been part of the Marinette community for over 100 years and the spirit of doing what is best for our neighbors and the environment will continue to be our priority,” the company stated.

PFAS chemicals earn the “forever chemicals” label due to their resistance to degradation in groundwater and environmental settings. Within human bodies, these substances build up in organs like the liver, kidneys and bloodstream. Scientific studies have connected them to heightened risks of specific cancers and childhood developmental issues.

These substances were created as protective coatings for consumer products against stains, moisture and rust. Products containing these chemicals include non-stick cookware, carpeting, outdoor equipment and food containers. The chemicals also serve as components in firefighting foams.

Federal estimates indicate that as many as half of American households may have PFAS present in their water supply, whether from private wells or municipal taps. Wisconsin faces this as a statewide issue that has generated multiple legal cases.

The settlement terms require Wisconsin to deposit Tyco’s $10 million payment into a dedicated trust fund for PFAS remediation efforts. Tyco has also committed to continuing replacement well services for clean drinking water access, maintaining required monitoring and reporting protocols, and executing additional long-term area cleanup measures.

The legal action, brought by the state’s attorney general, claimed the company broke state regulations by failing to alert authorities about PFAS releases and not properly investigating or cleaning up contamination near the Fire Technology Center in Marinette, a community of roughly 11,000 residents located along Michigan’s Upper Peninsula border.

When the lawsuit was initially filed, Tyco representatives stated the company had dedicated “considerable resources” toward investigating and addressing PFAS pollution from the Marinette training facility, including providing bottled water and home filtration systems to affected residents plus constructing a groundwater pollution extraction system.

A separate state lawsuit targeting Tyco and more than a dozen additional companies regarding Wisconsin PFAS contamination continues in the courts.

The settlement announced Thursday requires approval from the presiding judge to become final.

The federal government has reached an agreement to eliminate endangered species protections for a lizard species inhabiting America’s top oil-producing area, bringing closure to legal action filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

In May 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had classified the dunes sagebrush lizard as an endangered species, determining that petroleum extraction activities in the Permian Basin had rendered the destruction of its natural environment “effectively permanent.”

However, federal wildlife officials now acknowledge they committed a “serious and fundamental” mistake by incorrectly concluding that environmental restoration was impossible, while also undervaluing experimental conservation programs that “showed promise,” according to a Wednesday court document filed by the U.S. Department of Justice as part of the agreement.

This mistake “led to an incomplete and potentially inaccurate assessment of the potential and ongoing conservation efforts in New Mexico and Texas,” the Justice Department stated.

A federal judge in Midland, Texas must give final approval to the settlement.

This development represents another environmental policy reversal under President Donald Trump, a Republican who has worked to eliminate regulations in an effort to lower industry costs and increase domestic energy production. Opponents argue his initiatives reduce safeguards for air, water and public health.

Paxton’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday.

The legal challenge filed in September 2024 aimed to overturn the final regulation protecting the lizard, which was implemented during then-Democratic President Joe Biden’s term in office.

Paxton argued the regulation was politically driven, could harm energy production, and jeopardized private property owners’ capacity to operate their businesses.

The Fish and Wildlife Service, operating under the U.S. Department of the Interior, had declared the lizard endangered through the federal Endangered Species Act, which limits development in areas considered essential for a species’ continued existence.

According to the settlement terms, the agency will conduct additional analysis and make a determination within two years on whether to categorize the lizard as endangered or threatened.

The agency did not acknowledge any misconduct beyond recognizing its mistake concerning habitat restoration possibilities.

Paxton, a Republican, is campaigning for a U.S. Senate position and maintains strong support for Trump.

The dunes sagebrush lizard inhabits an area covering 1.25 million acres (1,953 square miles), based on Fish and Wildlife Service data.

In 2024, Texas was responsible for 43% of the country’s crude oil production and 28% of its natural gas gross withdrawals, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

WASHINGTON — America achieved remarkable success in cutting smog pollution for more than ten years, but research published Thursday shows wildfire smoke has been undoing those gains since 2015, creating dirtier and more dangerous air conditions nationwide.

Researchers point to climate change as a major factor, though not the only cause behind this troubling reversal.

Between 2003 and 2015, nationwide smog pollution fell 11% thanks to tough federal rules targeting power plants, vehicles and diesel equipment. However, as wildfire activity has intensified, the country’s average ground-level ozone — the scientific term for smog — has climbed 4%. At this pace, smog could return to 2003 levels within two decades, according to lead researcher Weizhi Deng, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Iowa.

The research, published in the journal Science, also calculated rising death tolls from ozone’s harmful effects on respiratory systems. Using established health studies comparing mortality rates in clean versus polluted areas, scientists estimated 318 additional American deaths annually since 2013.

“For the last 20 years, by regulations, we keep decreasing the emissions” for human-caused smog-inducing chemicals, explained study co-author Meng Zhou, a University of Iowa wildfire researcher. “However, because of wildfires, that is actually from natural hazards, all those kinds of effort were wiped out.”

The research broke new ground by estimating smog levels across the entire nation, addressing limitations in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s monitoring network. Current monitors cover just 2% of the country, concentrated mainly in cities. Deng’s team combined these readings with satellite information, pollution data, weather records and computer models, then applied artificial intelligence to map ozone concentrations nationwide at a resolution finer than half a mile.

While EPA data suggests national ozone levels have remained relatively stable since 2015 with minor fluctuations, Deng noted, “by considering everywhere in the U.S., we actually found an increase in ozone starting from 2015.”

University of Delaware environment professor Cristina Archer, who didn’t participate in the research, praised the artificial intelligence approach as reliable because it builds from “massive and reliable datasets,” then uses computer modeling to intelligently fill gaps and create an “exceptional” detailed picture.

Teresa Feo, policy director for Megafire Action, noted that “experts have long called for expanding the air pollution monitoring network to improve research on wildfire smoke exposure and provide the data needed to better protect public health.”

For years, the U.S. has monitored six key air pollutants, including smog and tiny particles called soot. This latest research focused specifically on ozone, while a 2023 study by the same research team examined small particle pollution and found similar trends — the downward trajectory in soot levels had also reversed. That earlier study calculated wildfire smoke increased particle pollution deaths by roughly 670 annually.

Wildfires don’t directly create ozone, but they release chemical compounds that transform into smog when exposed to sunlight, scientists explained.

“Higher daily ozone concentrations can increase asthma attacks, hospital admissions, and mortality,” said University of Washington public health and climate scientist Kristie Ebi. While not as lethal as tiny particles, she noted, ozone remains “still a very important pollutant, which is why it’s regulated.”

During the severe wildfire seasons of 2022, 2023 and 2024, many blazes originated in Canada but sent smoke southward. The study found 43 million Americans were exposed to smog levels exceeding current EPA safety thresholds.

Those standards need strengthening, argued Dr. Lynn Goldman, former dean of the George Washington University School of Public Health and a former EPA assistant administrator. The administration delayed plans to tighten standards in 2023, and subsequent regulatory changes affected how deaths and health impacts factor into smog and soot rules.

The Northern Rockies saw the largest ozone increases due to proximity to fires, while the Midwest experienced significant impacts as smoke drifted eastward, Deng reported.

Annual wildfire activity now burns 9% more U.S. land compared to 2003-2014 levels, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Canadian wildfires have been especially severe since 2022, with 2023 bringing the orange skies and face mask-wearing conditions many easterners remember.

Canada’s 2023 burned area not only set records but doubled the previous high, said Brendan Rogers, an atmospheric scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center. Smoke from those Canadian fires caused 82,100 deaths worldwide — including 33,000 in the United States — due to particle pollution, according to a 2025 study.

Climate change from burning coal, oil and gas intensified Canada’s 2023 fire season by at least 50% and doubled the likelihood of the hot, dry conditions that fueled the blazes, research from 2023 determined.

“Human-caused climate change is an important contributor, because it increases hot, dry fire-weather conditions in many regions,” said Lixu Jin, a Rutgers atmospheric scientist not involved in the study. “But wildfire emissions also depend on fuels, land management, ignitions, suppression, and year-to-year meteorology.”

Former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, who served during the administration, expressed disappointment at seeing smog progress eroded.

While wildfires bring obvious death and destruction, she argued the greatest threat may come from smoke and extreme heat boosting ozone levels that damage public health.

“So the big question is,” she said, “when are we going to stop the nonsense from this administration to burn more and more ‘beautiful’ fossil fuels?”

Scientists have unlocked the genetic secrets of one of history’s most formidable predators – the cave lion that dominated vast territories spanning from Western Europe through Siberia to North America during the Ice Age, hunting massive prey and possibly even humans before disappearing approximately 14,000 years ago.

Breakthrough genetic research has unveiled what distinguished this enormous feline and how it varied from today’s lions, despite occasional crossbreeding between the species. The cave lion, scientifically known as Panthera spelaea, vanished around 14,000 years ago.

Scientists analyzed genetic material from 12 cave lions that existed between 17,000 and 148,000 years ago across locations including Russia, Austria and Canada’s Yukon territory, comparing them with genetic data from 20 contemporary lions. The ancient DNA came primarily from bones and teeth, plus soft tissue from remarkably preserved frozen cubs discovered in Siberia, where freezing conditions maintained the ancient genetic material. Among these specimens, a female named Sparta ranks as one of the finest Ice Age discoveries ever made.

“We show that cave lions were not simply Ice Age versions of modern lions, but instead represented a highly distinct evolutionary lineage,” said evolutionary geneticist Love Dalén of the Centre for Palaeogenetics, a collaboration between Stockholm University and the Swedish Museum of Natural History, senior author of the study published in the journal Cell.

The research demonstrated that these two species split evolutionarily approximately 1.7 million years ago during the Pleistocene Epoch. Both species developed distinct genetic traits that helped them adapt to different environments and lifestyles. These genetic variations affected growth patterns, eyesight, brain development and blood circulation.

Despite its misleading name, the cave lion didn’t actually inhabit caves but was considerably more massive and powerfully built than today’s lions. It thrived in colder environments, preferring the open grasslands and tundra regions of northern Eurasia and northwestern North America. This lost ecosystem, known as the mammoth steppe after its most famous resident, was similar to modern African savannas but with freezing temperatures.

“The cave lion was absolutely an apex predator, and as such filled an incredibly important and impactful ecological role,” said evolutionary geneticist and study lead author David Stanton of Cardiff University in Wales. “They were one of the most widespread carnivores to ever live.”

Their hunting targets likely included woolly mammoths – particularly young or old animals – along with woolly rhinoceroses, antelope, reindeer, horses and bison. Humans also inhabited these areas during the Ice Age’s final phases.

“While there is no clear evidence that cave lions preyed on humans, it seems highly likely that they occasionally did so. Cave paintings show that Ice Age people were highly familiar with these animals. They are often depicted with remarkable accuracy, and are usually shown without the large mane characteristic of modern male lions,” Dalén said.

Additional predators in this environment included wolves, cave hyenas, brown bears, cave bears and the scimitar-toothed cat Homotherium. The formidable saber-toothed cat Smilodon inhabited more southern regions but potentially encountered cave lions in Yukon and Alaska areas during brief Pleistocene warming periods.

Modern lions didn’t range as far north as cave lions typically lived. However, the study revealed the species met during especially frigid Ice Age periods when expanding ice sheets and growing steppe tundra pushed cave lions southward, creating overlapping territories.

“Climate appears to dictate the level of interbreeding that we see between these species,” Stanton said.

Researchers believe this crossbreeding possibly happened in areas like present-day Iran. That region once supported a substantial modern lion population, though they’re now mainly limited to Africa.

Rising temperatures at the Ice Age’s conclusion helped drive many large Pleistocene creatures, or megafauna, to extinction, with human hunting adding another destabilizing element.

“Cave lions, like the rest of the megafauna at the end of the Pleistocene, were under a huge amount of pressure due to rapid changes in climate combined with increasing human population densities. The extinction of cave lions falls into the general pattern that we see of mass extinction of megafauna at this time, but for reasons that we don’t completely understand,” Stanton said.

Planning summer vacation travel? If you’re bringing portable battery chargers for your electronic devices, new aviation regulations require your attention before boarding.

Portable rechargeable lithium-ion battery chargers, commonly called power banks, are available in different sizes and protective cases. These devices provide convenient extra power for mobile devices while traveling.

Following multiple smoke and fire emergencies, aviation authorities in the United States and internationally have established updated regulations, with airlines implementing stricter passenger requirements.

Here’s what air travelers should understand about power bank regulations.

The key rule: lithium battery chargers are prohibited in checked baggage and must be placed in carry-on bags.

Air travelers may typically bring two lithium ion power banks rated at 100 watt hours without requiring airline permission. This capacity provides multiple smartphone charging cycles.

Non-rechargeable lithium metal batteries are limited to two grams of lithium content per battery. Standard AA and AAA batteries usually contain under one gram of lithium.

These restrictions encompass nearly all lithium batteries found in typical consumer electronics, according to the Federal Aviation Authority.

The FAA states that current lithium ion batteries should display a watt hour (Wh) rating label. However, if your power bank shows energy capacity in milliampere hours (mAH), calculations are necessary, or you can use the FAA’s online calculator.

To calculate your battery’s watt-hour rating, divide the mAH number by 1,000 to obtain ampere hours, then multiply by the device’s voltage, typically 3.7 volts. For instance, a battery rated at 10,000 milliampere hours equals 10 ampere hours. Multiplying by 3.7 volts results in 37 watt hours.

Larger lithium-ion batteries rated between 100 to 160 watt hours, such as those in professional video equipment or medical devices, require airline permission.

Airlines are addressing lithium battery fire risks seriously following recent incidents.

A severe incident occurred in January 2025 when fire erupted on an Air Busan aircraft preparing for departure from a South Korean airport, requiring evacuation of all 176 passengers and crew.

The FAA documents nine lithium battery aviation incidents this year, with six involving power banks.

Battery concerns have caused flight disruptions even without actual problems. Last month, an Easyjet flight from Egypt to Britain diverted to Rome as a precaution after a passenger informed crew about a power bank charging a device in checked luggage.

Lithium batteries in aircraft cargo areas create dangers because crew members cannot immediately respond to smoke or fire situations, according to the International Air Transport Association, or IATA.

Cabin storage allows crew members to quickly address potential fires using fire-resistant containment bags and protective gloves for overheating devices.

While lithium ion battery short-circuit and fire risk remains very low, the resulting hazard is “very horrible,” said Paul Christensen, a professor of pure and applied electrochemistry at the University of Newcastle in the United Kingdom.

Lithium batteries can contain “a huge amount of energy in a very small space,” Christensen said. Danger arises when batteries are crushed, overcharged or overheated. This can cause “thermal runaway,” a chemical reaction producing heat and toxic gases, he said.

Christensen suggests inspecting your power bank for damage signs. Bulging or excessive heat during charging may indicate problems.

He also recommends avoiding inexpensive power banks from unknown manufacturers, which may lack proper quality controls preventing defects or contamination. Poor-quality lithium batteries can “produce thermal runaway a long time after they’ve been purchased,” he said.

During flight, airlines enforce strict power bank handling rules in passenger cabins.

Overhead bin storage is prohibited. Instead, keep power banks easily accessible, such as in seatback pockets or under the seat ahead of you.

Avoid using power banks to charge devices during flight, and don’t recharge them using aircraft power outlets.

If a battery or battery-powered device falls beside your seat, don’t move the seat to retrieve it.

“Seats can crush or damage the battery, which could cause it to overheat or catch fire,” IATA says. Instead, notify cabin crew members who are trained for safe device retrieval.

The FAA notes that individual airlines and international regulations may be more restrictive than U.S. rules, so checking with your airline is advisable when uncertain. Southwest Airlines, for example, announced in April that passengers would be limited to one charger each.

Many airlines maintain detailed regulations for various battery types, including lithium-powered devices like laptops, tablets and e-cigarettes.

The social media company has delayed the launch of its Muse Spark artificial intelligence model for software developers on multiple occasions and currently has no firm release timeline, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing sources with knowledge of the situation.

A company representative confirmed to Reuters on Wednesday that they are currently conducting tests of the Application Programming Interface with select early partners and anticipate making it available this month.

An Application Programming Interface serves as a software bridge that establishes how two different software systems communicate with each other.

“The muse spark API will be coming soon,” the company’s AI Chief Alexandr Wang posted on the social media platform X back in April.

The tech giant introduced Muse Spark in April, positioning it as their initial model designed to narrow the competitive gap with other companies in the field. This model represents the debut offering from the company’s Superintelligence Labs division.

On Wednesday, the company also announced a new AI assistant designed to support businesses with their daily operational tasks, signaling their intention to challenge competitors including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Alphabet’s Google.

Scientists have concluded that a comet from another star system contains no evidence of alien technology after conducting detailed radio telescope observations.

The SETI Institute announced Wednesday that comprehensive radio monitoring using their Northern California telescope detected no indicators of extraterrestrial technology from the interstellar visitor currently passing through our solar system.

The celestial body, designated 3I/Atlas, was first spotted last summer as it traveled through our cosmic neighborhood. Researchers rapidly determined it originated from another star system, though some speculated without proof that it could be linked to intelligent life forms.

This marks just the third confirmed object from a distant star to enter our sun’s domain — with all three determined to be naturally occurring phenomena.

Multiple NASA spacecraft monitored the icy space object during its approach near Mars in October, coming within 19 million miles of the red planet. Its nearest point to Earth occurred in December at a distance of 167 million miles.

According to SETI, researchers spent more than seven hours in July conducting observations shortly after the comet’s discovery, analyzing a broad spectrum of radio frequencies. The investigation detected nearly 74 million narrow-band radio transmissions.

After eliminating human-generated interference and signals that corresponded with the object’s trajectory, just over 200 signals remained for analysis, all of which “traced back to technology on the surface of the Earth or our own Earth-orbiting satellites,” SETI reported.

The findings appeared in the Astronomical Journal.

“These results show how realistic it is to detect a signal with the technology we have today,” stated co-author Valeria Garcia Lopez of Furman University. “That is why it is important to keep searching for technosignatures, even from objects we might not expect to have signals.”

Lead researcher Sofia Sheikh from SETI and her colleagues noted that NASA’s Voyager spacecraft will eventually become extraterrestrial objects in distant star systems. The twin probes, launched during the 1970s, represent Earth’s most distant spacecraft as they drift through interstellar space.

“Voyager and similar probes will eventually become interstellar objects in other stellar systems. We thus know that no extrapolation is needed for the idea of interstellar technological objects, as we have a proof by existence,” the research team explained.

Currently positioned almost 1 billion miles away as it returns to interstellar space permanently, the comet measures an estimated 1,444 feet to 3.5 miles across. Scientists believe it could be approximately 11 billion years old, making it twice the age of our sun.

Tesla announced Wednesday that it has expanded its autonomous taxi service to cover the entire Austin metropolitan region in Texas, marking another step in the electric vehicle company’s push to accelerate its self-driving ride operations.

The expansion of the driverless taxi service and broader implementation of its full self-driving technology – which powers the autonomous vehicles – represents a crucial component of Tesla’s growth plan following CEO Elon Musk’s strategic shift from electric vehicles toward artificial intelligence and robotics.

“Unsupervised Robotaxi now in the entire Austin Metro area,” Tesla’s official robotaxi account said in a post on X.

The autonomous taxi service has been running in Austin for almost a year, with riders frequently experiencing wait periods that exceed 30 minutes.

Based on data from Austin city officials, Tesla operates approximately 50 autonomous vehicles in the area, compared to Alphabet’s Waymo which runs over 250 vehicles in the same region.

Musk stated last month that he anticipates fully autonomous vehicles operating without human safety operators will expand across the United States during the latter part of this year, following their initial deployment in Texas.

The electric vehicle manufacturer announced in April that it was launching its driverless taxi service in Dallas and Houston.

Conservation researchers have announced the discovery of more than 70 previously unknown species during a February expedition to Angola’s Lisima plateau, according to a Wednesday announcement from the conservation organization.

The Wilderness Project explored the plateau’s waterways, which supply four major African rivers: the Congo, Okavango, Zambezi and Cuanza. Their findings included eight dragonfly species, three grasshopper varieties, and approximately 60 butterfly and moth species displaying brilliant colors.

Among the most remarkable discoveries was a crowned crab spider that emits fluorescence when exposed to ultraviolet light. Researchers also identified an armoured, predatory cricket, a copper caterpillar species along with its butterfly form, and a blood orange-colored ladybird orb-web spider that imitates ladybirds by displaying bright warning colors to deter predators.

Expedition leader Rob Taylor described the armoured crickets as particularly fascinating. “The armoured crickets are very cool … very fierce-looking,” Taylor explained to Reuters. “As a defense mechanism, they can actually squirt fluid onto whoever’s trying to attack them.”

This discovery comes as researchers worldwide race to catalog species amid a mounting environmental crisis that threatens one million plant and animal species with extinction. Scientific estimates suggest 8.7 million species exist globally, yet only 1.5 million have been formally identified by science.

Human activities are rapidly eliminating many species, with over 800 animal species becoming extinct since approximately 1500, according to the research.

Taylor identified multiple threats to wildlife in the Lisima plateau region, citing “tree-felling, deforestation and … the artisanal diamond mining industry.” He also pointed to slash-and-burn farming practices that destroy natural forests for temporary agricultural use, ultimately depleting soil nutrients through erosion.

Researchers have discovered a specialized group of worker honeybees that are uniquely equipped to construct the queen’s waxy living quarters inside the hive.

While worker bees handle numerous responsibilities to maintain the hive — from gathering food to tending young bees and caring for the egg-laying queen — new scientific findings show that the bees tasked with building the queen’s residence actually elevate their body temperature to melt and mix specific chemicals into the wax.

“No one had ever thought that there might be a specialized group of workers that were building these queen cells,” said bee researcher Julia Bowsher with North Dakota State University, who had no role in the study.

The research revealed that these specialized construction workers were younger bees with unique genetic expression patterns that equipped them perfectly for their role. The peanut-shaped dwelling they created was also distinctive, constructed from softer wax with an elevated melting point compared to the material used for regular worker bee chambers.

While scientists have traditionally understood that queens develop by consuming royal jelly produced by worker bee glands, and have long considered diet the primary factor in creating a monarch, the new research published Wednesday in the journal Nature indicates that the queen’s living environment may also be crucial.

Researchers tested this concept by raising future queens in containers sealed with either queen-specific wax or regular worker wax. Even though they consumed royal jelly, the queens developed in worker wax grew smaller and had lower survival rates.

“For centuries, we believed ‘you are what you eat’ was the only rule for making a queen bee. Our study rewrites that rule to say ‘you are where you live, too,’” Kai Wang, a study co-author with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said in an email.

While the research provides unprecedented insight into hive operations, many questions persist.

Given that honeybees are essential for pollinating crops including blueberries, squash, watermelon and almonds, additional studies are necessary to understand more about these specialized queen cell-building bees and the precise factors that create the hive’s leader.

“I would really like to know more about the specific chemical composition of this wax and which active ingredients are directly affecting the growth of the queens,” Bowsher said.

NASA has officially terminated its Maven mission following a half-year period without any communication from the Mars-orbiting probe.

The space agency announced Wednesday that the mission has concluded after more than ten years of atmospheric research around the red planet.

The spacecraft, which began its journey in 2013 to examine Mars’ atmospheric conditions from orbit, unexpectedly stopped communicating in early December when it moved behind the planet. Information from the probe showed it had entered an uncontrolled spinning motion, which altered its orbital path and depleted its power systems.

NASA assembled a review panel earlier this year that determined the spacecraft cannot be salvaged and is beyond repair. Officials continue investigating what triggered the malfunction.

During its operational period, Maven not only analyzed Martian atmospheric conditions and tracked a wandering interstellar comet in the previous year, but also served as a communication bridge for NASA’s Curiosity and Perseverance rovers operating on Mars’ surface.

Shannon Curry of the University of Colorado Boulder, who served as Maven’s lead scientist, praised the spacecraft’s contributions, calling its findings “amazing discoveries.”

Maven “has truly advanced our understanding of the Martian atmosphere and evolution,” she said in a statement.

A new United Nations University study shows that data centers worldwide now consume electricity at levels comparable to entire nations, and researchers warn this massive energy appetite will double within six years due to expanding artificial intelligence applications.

The research, released Wednesday, found that data centers globally consumed 448 trillion watt-hours of electricity during the past year – exceeding the power usage of all countries except the top 10. This enormous energy consumption generated approximately 208 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions, matching Argentina’s output, while requiring roughly 1.2 trillion gallons of water for power generation.

Projections indicate data centers will consume nearly 3% of global electricity by 2030, reaching 935 trillion watt-hours. If these facilities formed their own nation, they would rank sixth worldwide for power consumption by decade’s end. The associated carbon emissions would climb to nearly 440 million tons, researchers calculated.

“If you look at these numbers, we’re seeing scales comparable to nations,” explained study co-author Kaveh Madani, a water scientist and director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health in Canada. “The demand is enormous.”

Artificial intelligence drives much of this growth. Currently, AI applications account for about 20% of data center energy use, but this proportion should reach 40% by 2030, according to the findings.

The study carries weight due to the United Nations’ credibility and comprehensive approach, noted Fengqi You, a Cornell University energy engineering professor who leads the institution’s AI sustainability research.

“Its value is that a U.N. institution is putting carbon, water, land, life-cycle impacts and environmental justice into one frame” for an issue often hidden by secrecy and incomplete information sharing, said You, who did not participate in the research.

“The general public should be concerned, but not panicked,” he added.

Jean Su, director of the Energy Justice Program at the Center for Biological Diversity, called the research significant as the first United Nations or global analysis “that shines a light on the environmental harms of AI.”

Industry representatives defended their sector’s value and efficiency improvements. National Artificial Intelligence Association President Caleb Max highlighted AI’s growing benefits: “AI is rapidly becoming part of our everyday lives and adding benefits that improve safety, live longer, work more efficiently, enhance food production, and reduce poverty. The evidence is growing daily that the energy return on investment of AI development is transformative for our world and therefore more than worth it.”

Josh Levi, president the Data Center Coalition, emphasized the industry’s environmental awareness.

“We remain committed to working with policymakers, local communities, and industry partners to ensure that as data centers grow, they do so responsibly, transparently, and in ways that reflect the best available practices,” he stated.

Madani, who recently won the Stockholm Water Prize, stressed that AI’s environmental costs often remain hidden compared to obviously polluting devices like vehicles and heating systems.

“AI is not just a virtual thing. We’re talking about something that has physics, something that has real impacts. There is infrastructure there. There is energy that is being used,” Madani explained. “A lot of hardware is behind all these operations that to us seem very, very clean because we don’t see smoke out of our devices. On our cellphone, there is no visible smoke or out of our computer or something. But somewhere else someone is suffering.”

Users can help reduce AI’s energy consumption by writing shorter, more direct queries, Madani suggested. The study determined that reducing word count in requests by 30% cuts AI energy use by 25% – saving electricity equivalent to what roughly 700,000 people in Africa consume annually.

“If you’re too polite, then that extra ‘please’ you put there can make a huge difference,” Madani said. “You’ve got to be very precise and be short.”

Standard ChatGPT-style queries consume about 200 times more energy than basic text classification systems like email spam filters. AI-created images or videos require significantly more power.

More sophisticated AI systems demand exponentially more training energy. The report noted GPT-3 required approximately 1.3 billion watt-hours for training, while the subsequent version needed 50 to 70 billion watt-hours.

However, training represents a small fraction of total power consumption, explained study co-author Miriam Aczel, a United National University environmental policy researcher. Roughly 90% of AI energy use comes from operational requests, she noted. GPT alone processes 2.5 billion prompts daily.

Despite technology advocates arguing for improved efficiency, a common paradox emerges where greater efficiency leads to increased usage, causing total energy consumption to rise even as individual operations become more efficient, Madani observed. While some companies promote renewable energy for data centers, Madani warned this depletes clean electricity supplies, forcing other users toward dirtier energy sources.

Research challenges included widespread lack of transparency about data center and AI consumption, locations, and sizes, both Aczel and Madani reported.

“We cannot manage what companies do not disclose,” Cornell’s You concluded.

A rare parrot species that had virtually vanished for nearly 100 years has been found alive and thriving in the remote mountains of Indonesia, according to researchers who made the remarkable discovery in April.

The Blue-fronted Lorikeet, which exists only on the island of Buru, had been documented just once since the 1920s – through a single photograph taken in 2014. An expedition team organized by an Indonesian mountaineering group successfully located and photographed multiple birds after enduring days of treacherous climbing through razor-sharp limestone formations and challenging mountain conditions.

The discovery marks the first time scientists have recorded the bird’s distinctive high-pitched vocalizations, which the species uses for communication within the forest canopy. Researchers identified the small parrot by its vibrant green plumage, orange beak, blue rear crown, and sharp tail feathers.

“When you are looking for a bird that has only been documented once in the past century it feels like a long shot,” said John Mittermeier, director of the Search for Lost Birds at the American Bird Conservancy conservation group.

Scientists originally catalogued the Blue-fronted Lorikeet from seven specimens gathered during the 1920s. The species then disappeared from scientific records for nearly nine decades, despite extensive searches through lower elevation and mid-level forest areas, until the 2014 photographic evidence emerged.

Researchers had long theorized that the parrots might be surviving in higher mountain elevations that had been too dangerous to access. The highland region where the team finally located the birds had remained virtually unreachable until local climbers recently established a pathway into the mountainous area.

According to Mittermeier, the terrain presents extreme challenges including steep limestone cliffs, jagged rock formations, and complete absence of water sources, making exploration extremely difficult.

“There are no other birds on the island that look like the lorikeets, so when we saw them we knew immediately what they were,” Mittermeier said.

“We saw at least nine during the trip,” Mittermeier added.

James Eaton, a birder who participated in the expedition, described the harsh conditions including constant rainfall, sharp limestone surfaces, rushing river currents, and complete lack of established trails. He said reaching the mountain peak required “a strong – or crazy – reason to even attempt it.”

“This bird was our reason for doing so,” Eaton said.

Following an exhausting week of climbing, “to actually photograph our holy grail suddenly made all the hardships disappear – it’s a feeling adrenaline junkies would know well,” Eaton said.

The successful sighting represented the culmination of years of planning and preparation for Eaton.

“It makes all the researching, reading, plotting – some of which are years in the making, totally justified – it makes you feel alive, a justification for your dedication,” Eaton said.

The IUCN Red List had classified the Blue-fronted Lorikeet as Data Deficient, and the Search for Lost Birds partnership between American Bird Conservancy, Re:wild and BirdLife International officially designated it as a lost species in 2024.

Mittermeier emphasized that additional research is essential to determine the bird’s total population and identify potential dangers to its survival.

“A finding like this … is the first step to being able to protect it,” Mittermeier said.

For Eaton, rediscovering the species served as a powerful reminder of the natural wonders that remain hidden from human observation.

Despite constant negative headlines, Eaton said, “these moments of joy and discovery are a healthy reminder of what a beautiful world is there.”

“This small green parrot,” Eaton said, “it was here long before humans stepped foot on the island, just like birds living in your garden at home – they have more right to be there than you or I.”

What began as citizen reports about illegal deer spotlighting quickly evolved into a massive wildlife crime investigation, according to Senior Conservation Police Officer Dan Smith.

During this episode of True Wildlife Crime, CPO Smith details one of the most audacious wildlife crime cases he has ever investigated. The case involved illegal spotlighting activities, dangerous shooting practices, cruelty to animals, and close to 180 wildlife violations connected to months of unlawful behavior.

Authorities encourage the public to report suspicious activity to help safeguard Virginia’s wildlife resources. Citizens can report violations online.

A comprehensive new study reveals that Ötzi the Iceman’s ancient remains continue to harbor living microorganisms more than five millennia after his violent death in the Alps.

The famous mummy, who perished approximately 5,300 years ago near what is now the Italy-Austria border after being struck by an arrow, has become home to a complex ecosystem of bacteria, fungi, and yeasts. Researchers found his body contains three separate microbial communities that developed over different time periods.

The most extensive microbial examination ever conducted on Ötzi’s preserved remains, spanning over 30 years of sample collection, identified ancient intestinal bacteria from his original lifetime, cold-resistant microorganisms from his glacial burial site, and contemporary microbes introduced during decades of museum preservation.

“Our study reveals that Ötzi is not a static, biologically inert relic – he is a dynamic ecosystem,” said microbiologist Mohamed Sarhan of Eurac Research’s Institute for Mummy Studies in Bolzano, Italy, lead author of the study published in the journal Microbiome.

Sarhan explained that the mummy continues to host living organisms that actively adapt to their surroundings. “His body hosts living, metabolically capable organisms that are actively responding to their environment,” Sarhan said. “The cold-adapted yeasts are growing. Certain bacteria have colonized and persisted across his tissues for decades. The mummy is, in a very real sense, a living biological interface – a meeting point between the ancient world and the present, where microbes from 5,000 years ago coexist with organisms that arrived last decade.”

The ancient intestinal bacteria offer researchers an unprecedented glimpse into the digestive system of a Copper Age human, predating the industrial revolution, antibiotics, and processed foods that have dramatically altered modern human microbiomes.

However, the presence of actively growing cold-loving yeasts on Ötzi – who is stored at 21 degrees Fahrenheit at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano to replicate his glacial preservation conditions – raises concerns about the long-term preservation of the mummy, according to Sarhan.

The intestinal microbes dating to Ötzi’s lifetime included bacteria typically associated with high-fiber, pre-industrial eating habits that are seldom present in individuals following contemporary Western diets.

“Their disappearance from Western guts is likely linked to dietary shifts, antibiotic use and reduced exposure to natural environments. Ötzi essentially shows us what we have lost, and potentially what we might one day want to restore for health reasons,” Sarhan said.

When asked whether any of the original intestinal microbes remained biologically functional, Sarhan described it as one of the study’s most intriguing questions.

“The ancient gut bacteria show clear DNA damage signatures consistent with thousands of years of chemical degradation. This tells us their DNA is genuinely ancient. However, whether the cells themselves retain any metabolic activity is something we cannot fully determine from DNA analysis alone. What we can say is that they have been remarkably preserved in the protected anaerobic environment of the intestinal tract for over five millennia,” Sarhan said.

Earlier studies of Ötzi’s stomach revealed his final meals consisted of deer and goat meat along with wheat. Previous research indicated he was approximately 45 years old at death – considered advanced age for his time period – and maintained excellent physical condition. His possessions included clothing made from various animal species, a copper ax, longbow, arrows, quiver, flint dagger, and backpack, plus geometric tattoos on his skin.

“He is a visitor who provides us precious insights into the past,” said microbiologist and study co-author Frank Maixner, director of Eurac’s Institute for Mummy Studies.

The research team distinguished between microorganisms present during Ötzi’s lifetime and those that arrived after his death. Following his demise, the glacial environment introduced its own microbial population to his remains – cold-resistant bacteria and yeasts from the surrounding ice and earth.

Microorganisms found only in deep internal tissues with significant DNA deterioration were almost certainly present during Ötzi’s life or immediately afterward, Sarhan noted.

Those lacking DNA damage and matching the preservation environment represented modern additions, while glacier-derived microbes fell between these categories, indicating post-death but pre-discovery colonization. The living and biologically active microorganisms were the cold-adapted yeasts found on Ötzi’s skin and internal body fluids.

His transfer to the museum after discovery triggered another round of microbial colonization.

“We found that the spray water used to keep the mummy humid has introduced a dominant signature of bacteria onto his external surfaces. These modern introductions are effectively reshaping the mummy’s external microbiome – a consequence of conservation practices that was previously unrecognized,” Sarhan said.

A French quantum computing company announced Wednesday it has successfully secured €115 million ($133.72 million) in new investment funding, with backing from France’s state-supported investment bank Bpifrance, along with chipmaker STMicroelectronics and Sealsq.

The startup, called Quobly, received this major financial boost amid a surge of government investment in quantum computing technology across both the United States and Europe. Last month, French President Emmanuel Macron announced France would commit €1 billion toward quantum computing development, just one day following the Trump administration’s reveal of $2 billion in funding for similar technology initiatives.

While quantum computers hold theoretical promise for solving complex problems in chemistry, biotechnology and cybersecurity that would require conventional computers thousands of years to complete, today’s quantum machines remain less dependable and stable compared to traditional semiconductor-based systems that have benefited from more than 50 years of continuous improvement.

Quobly’s strategy focuses on creating affordable, dependable quantum systems using quantum chips built with modified transistors – the same components that drive regular computers – following a similar path taken by other emerging companies in this field.

“We benefit from the economy of scale of this industry,” explained Maud Vinet, CEO and co-founder of Quobly. “The cost of producing our chip leads us to design quantum computers that will be a 100 times cheaper than competing technologies.”

The company has established a close partnership with STMicroelectronics for chip manufacturing, with approximately 15 team members working directly within the chipmaker’s facilities.

According to Vinet, the company requires the consistent and reliable outcomes that only large-scale chipmaker production facilities can provide.

“It requires the yield and the quality of fabrication of commercial fabs,” Vinet explained. “We needed an agreement with this commercial fab to exchange the learning of what it is that is needed to optimize the technology.”

Quobly intends to offer cloud-based access to its initial systems from its Grenoble, France headquarters before the end of this year.

Additional participants in the funding round included the European Innovation Council, Blast, Air Liquide Venture Capital and current investor Innovacom.

South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT announced Wednesday that the Korea Internet & Security Agency has obtained access to an advanced artificial intelligence cybersecurity system called Mythos, developed by Anthropic.

The agency gained this access by joining Project Glasswing, an initiative that includes several prominent South Korean technology firms. The program focuses on utilizing cutting-edge AI technology to detect cybersecurity weaknesses and assist in resolving them.

In an official statement, the Ministry of Science and ICT indicated it has maintained ongoing collaboration with Anthropic and verified the security agency’s involvement in the program.

This announcement comes after reports that Anthropic plans to broaden access to its Mythos system to approximately 150 organizations across more than 15 nations, with South Korea among the countries included. The expansion reportedly encompasses Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix and SK Telecom as participating companies.

When contacted for comment, Samsung Electronics chose not to respond, while SK did not provide an immediate reply to requests for information.

The ministry stated that South Korea will maintain its efforts to enhance cybersecurity defenses, including through the implementation of various advanced AI systems and the development of domestic AI-powered information security technologies.

Federal authorities have filed criminal charges against two government laboratory researchers accused of illegally transporting deactivated mpox virus samples into the United States and providing false statements to investigators, officials announced Tuesday.

Vincent Munster, who leads the virus ecology section at Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Montana, and his colleague Claude Kwe face charges outlined in a criminal complaint filed in Detroit federal court.

The pair were detained at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in January following their return from Paris after spending nine days in the Republic of Congo. The central African nation has been battling an mpox outbreak responsible for over 2,000 fatalities, though health officials declared a two-year outbreak concluded in April.

According to FBI documentation, Munster “adamantly denied” carrying any biological materials or samples upon his return to the United States.

However, laboratory analysis later confirmed that both researchers possessed vials containing deactivated mpox virus, which they failed to properly declare or secure authorization for, FBI officials stated.

“Any deliberate effort to conceal and smuggle biological materials into the United States without proper authorization is a breach of the public’s trust and could have placed the public at risk,” stated Marcus Sykes from the Office of Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Neither researcher responded to requests for comment. Both are scheduled to make their initial court appearance in Missoula, Montana, on Wednesday. Officials also reached out to HHS, the laboratory’s oversight agency, for additional comment.

The government’s court documents do not explain the researchers’ motivation for transporting the deactivated mpox samples to their facility. However, FBI records indicate both are virologists with extensive experience studying mpox.

During questioning at the Detroit-area airport, Munster informed investigators that required documentation was stored on his laptop, stating “but you don’t need them. I do this all the time,” according to FBI records.

“It is reasonable to believe that Munster’s statements regarding the possession of the required documentation to (customs officers) were materially false,” FBI officials concluded.

According to the World Health Organization, mpox typically presents with rash and fever symptoms, though severe cases can occur. Most patients make complete recoveries.

Scientists first discovered mpox, formerly called monkeypox, in 1958 during outbreaks of a “pox-like” illness in monkeys. Until recently, human infections primarily occurred in central and West Africa among individuals with close contact to infected animals.

In 2022, researchers confirmed sexual transmission of the virus for the first time, leading to outbreaks across more than 70 nations that had never previously documented mpox cases.

OpenAI’s popular ChatGPT application has achieved an unprecedented milestone by becoming the first app to reach 1 billion monthly active users at record speed, new data from market research company Sensor Tower reveals.

This achievement occurs as competition intensifies between OpenAI and Anthropic in the fast-growing artificial intelligence sector.

Key findings from the data include:

• ChatGPT achieved the 1 billion user mark in May, approximately three years following its initial release, beating the timeline previously established by major platforms such as Google Maps, TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, according to Sensor Tower’s analysis.

• Research indicates that American ChatGPT users who downloaded Anthropic’s Claude application during the first quarter of 2026 reduced their ChatGPT usage by 5% within one month of installing Claude, compared to their typical usage over the previous eight months.

• Anthropic submitted confidential paperwork for a U.S. initial public offering on Monday, while Reuters has indicated that OpenAI is similarly preparing to file IPO documents in the near future.

• Current second quarter data shows Claude has accumulated 56 million monthly active users worldwide, with its annual user growth rate of approximately 640% far exceeding ChatGPT’s 62% growth rate, Sensor Tower reported.

Developers behind an ambitious maritime project are working to secure billions in funding for what they envision as a revolutionary floating metropolis that would house 80,000 people on the open ocean.

The Freedom Ship concept has been in planning stages for many years, but Freedom Cruise Line CEO Roger Gooch recently told The Telegraph that organizers now believe the massive undertaking is achievable.

“We feel very confident that we can put this together, but capitalization is key,” Gooch said.

The ambitious venture carries a price tag of $16.16 billion and would create living space for roughly 50,000 full-time inhabitants, 10,000 visitors, and 20,000 crew members.

Freedom Cruise International emphasizes that their vision differs significantly from traditional cruise vessels, positioning it instead as a perpetually functioning maritime metropolis.

“The Freedom Ship is envisioned as a permanently mobile city at sea—designed for long-term residence rather than short-term travel,” the company said.

“It is not a cruise ship and not defined by destinations or itineraries.”

The massive structure would stretch approximately one mile in length and operate as a complete urban ecosystem. Blueprints include educational institutions from elementary through college level, retail establishments, financial services, recreational venues, park areas, and an internal transportation network linking various districts.

“We started with the view that the ship should not be a monolithic piece but visually comfortable, so we softened all the edges,” Gooch said.

“We also want it to breathe, so we’ve gone to great lengths to allow walkways and green spaces.”

“It is meant to feel familiar, accessible, and unremarkable in the best sense—an ordinary part of life within a city that happens to move.”

Due to its enormous scale, the floating community would operate exclusively in international waters and rely on nuclear power for energy. The maritime city would complete a journey around the world approximately every two to three years.

Transportation to and from the vessel would rely on ferry services and small aircraft, with helicopter landing areas incorporated into the design to facilitate access.

Jeff Bezos’ space company announced Tuesday that essential fuel storage systems and other vital launch infrastructure survived last week’s devastating rocket explosion at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

The massive New Glenn rocket, which plays a crucial role in NASA’s Artemis moon program, exploded during an engine test, destroying a lightning tower and the transporter-erector system used for moving and positioning the rocket. The explosion created shock waves that were felt throughout the state.

CEO Dave Limp reported that the methane, hydrogen and oxygen storage tanks appear undamaged. The water storage tank also survived intact, and the remaining support tower can be fixed without replacement. A booster and additional rocket components stored in the vicinity escaped damage.

Limp characterized the situation as “a bit of good news” in a post on X, stating: “We will fly again before the end of this year.”

Investigators are still working to determine what caused the explosion.

The incident occurred just two days after NASA granted Blue Origin a multi-hundred-million-dollar contract, selecting New Glenn rockets to deliver two rovers to the moon before the first Artemis crew members arrive to operate them. The New Glenn system is also essential for launching the company’s Blue Moon lander, which will transport astronauts to the lunar surface in future missions.

NASA plans to achieve the first crewed moon landing since Apollo 17 in 1972 as early as 2028.

Administrator Jared Isaacman posted on X that the space agency will “do all we can” to restore launch pad operations quickly “while staying extremely focused on progressing the lander.”

Blue Origin’s New Glenn series of reusable rockets — honoring John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth — has completed only three launches. The system is smaller than SpaceX’s Starship, which conducts test missions to the edge of space from Texas. NASA has contracted both Starships and Blue Moon landers to transport Artemis astronauts to the lunar surface in upcoming years.

Microsoft is set to present its yearly software developer conference on Tuesday, where the technology giant plans to reveal innovative development tools for creating artificial intelligence applications across personal computers and cloud platforms.

During a main presentation in San Francisco, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella will detail the company’s strategy for competing in cloud computing markets, where it serves as both an investor and competitor to companies like OpenAI, while also expanding its presence in the personal computer sector.

Personal computers are increasingly featuring software like OpenClaw, an open-source program capable of coordinating multiple AI agents to perform routine tasks for users.

However, OpenClaw, which has become popular in China and contributed to Microsoft’s competitor Apple’s Mac computer sales, along with similar technologies, presents security concerns for most business environments.

Industry experts anticipate Microsoft will focus on developing safer AI agent tools for corporate use and for the billion users of its Windows operating system.

Additional details are expected regarding how Microsoft will enable developers to utilize a recently announced chip from Nvidia that was revealed on Monday, designed to integrate AI functionality directly into personal computers.

This new chip will be featured in laptops designed to rival Apple’s high-end products, and its announcement led to stock increases for both Microsoft and major computer manufacturers like Dell Technologies, though experts note business adoption of these new systems may require time.

Industry observers also expect Microsoft to share progress updates on its proprietary AI models, which the company uses to compete in areas like code completion against OpenAI’s Codex and Anthropic’s Claude Code.

Nadella’s presentation is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. ET.

Scientists have uncovered the most compelling evidence to date that planets outside our solar system generate magnetic fields, a discovery that enhances our knowledge of distant worlds and their potential for supporting life.

The research, conducted using telescopes located in Chile and Hawaii, focused on seven massive, scorching gas planets and their atmospheric wind patterns. The findings reveal that these distant worlds share a crucial feature found in six of the eight planets within our own solar system.

Magnetic fields form when electrically charged materials move within a planet’s interior – typically molten metal in the core – combined with the planet’s spinning motion. This creates an invisible protective barrier around the world.

Although the gas giants examined in this research cannot support life as we know it, magnetic fields may play a vital role in making rocky worlds like Earth suitable for living organisms.

Each of the studied planets circles extremely close to large, hot stars, with one hemisphere constantly facing the star while the other remains in perpetual darkness, similar to how our moon always shows the same face to Earth.

Scientists classify these worlds as “hot Jupiters” due to their similar size and makeup to our solar system’s largest planet, though they experience much more extreme temperatures. The seven planets studied range from approximately Jupiter’s mass to more than three times heavier.

Powerful winds sweep from the blazing “dayside” to the frigid “nightside” of these worlds. Their close proximity to their host stars results in blistering atmospheric conditions on the sun-facing side. All orbit closer to their stars than Mercury does to our sun.

“What you would expect is that the planets with hotter temperatures would have stronger winds. The more energy you put into the system, the more violent the winds become. But we see the opposite,” explained astronomer Julia Seidel of the Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur’s Lagrange Laboratory in Nice, France, who led the study published Tuesday in Nature Astronomy.

“It’s the hottest planets that have the least strong winds mixing the atmosphere. And that’s really strange from what we know of how atmospheres behave,” Seidel noted. “That means all that energy that the star puts into the planet’s atmosphere has to be dissipated in a different way. And the only possibility to brake the atmosphere that much that fast is via the magnetic field and its interaction with the moving charged particles of the atmosphere.”

Wind velocities on these seven distant worlds reached speeds of up to 15,500 miles per hour (25,000 km per hour), exceeding those found on Jupiter.

Given that most planets in our solar system possess magnetic fields, researchers said the discovery that distant planets also have them makes sense. However, they noted that scientists had previously struggled to find convincing proof.

“We do not look at a singular exoplanet, but we look at a population of them and see a trend emerge,” Seidel stated.

Jupiter possesses the strongest and most extensive magnetic field in our solar system. The seven distant planets produced magnetic fields weaker than Jupiter’s but similar in strength to other solar system planets overall.

Mercury, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune join Earth and Jupiter as our solar system’s planets that create global magnetic fields. Venus and Mars lack magnetic fields, though Ganymede, one of Jupiter’s large moons, produces its own magnetic field. Earth’s moon also once generated its own magnetic field long ago.

Magnetic fields represent one factor that determines whether a planet can preserve its atmosphere over extended periods. Mars, for example, once possessed a magnetic field but lost it billions of years ago when its interior cooled, leaving it with only a thin atmosphere and harsh surface conditions.

“Although it’s a common misconception that magnetic fields directly determine whether a planet is habitable, they can play an important role in how a planet evolves over time,” said astronomer and study co-author Bibiana Prinoth of the European Southern Observatory in Germany. “Life as we know it relies on having an atmosphere. An atmosphere helps maintain surface pressure, regulate temperature and, on Earth, allows liquid water to exist at the surface.”

Correctional facilities in Oklahoma are transforming vacant property into specialized gardens that support wildlife migration patterns.

These habitat areas are being established to provide essential resources for birds and butterflies during their seasonal journeys. The state sits along a major migration corridor, making these conservation efforts particularly valuable for traveling wildlife.

Prison officials are utilizing previously undeveloped areas within their facilities to create these pollinator-friendly environments, turning unused space into beneficial ecosystems for migrating species.

The World Meteorological Organization issued a warning Tuesday that a moderate to potentially strong El Niño weather pattern could elevate worldwide temperatures and heighten the likelihood of severe weather conditions in the months ahead.

According to the World Meteorological Organization, El Niño represents a cyclical warming of ocean surface temperatures across the central and eastern Pacific Ocean that generally persists for nine to 12 months.

The agency reported that elevated ocean temperatures are fueling El Niño’s formation and projected temperatures above normal levels across most global regions from June through August. Officials expect the El Niño pattern will likely persist through November.

“We need to prepare for a potentially strong El Niño event – which will exacerbate drought and heavy rainfall and increase the risk of heatwaves both on land and in the ocean,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.

Saulo noted that the previous El Niño occurrence during 2023-24 helped make 2024 the warmest year ever recorded.

The WMO documented changes in the Equatorial Pacific region, where ocean surface temperatures climbed sharply between late April and mid-May, indicating El Niño conditions were forming. The organization has recorded exceptionally warm underwater conditions throughout the tropical Pacific, with temperatures surpassing average levels by more than 6 degrees Celsius, establishing a heat reservoir that promotes surface warming.

This climate phenomenon disrupts regional weather systems and may deliver enhanced precipitation to southern South America, the southern United States, portions of the Horn of Africa and central Asia, while triggering dry conditions in Australia, central America, Indonesia, and areas of southern Asia. The pattern can also contribute to global warming effects and strengthen hurricanes across the central and eastern Pacific Ocean, the WMO stated.

“The world must treat it as the urgent climate warning it is. El Niño conditions will pour fuel on the fire of a warming world,” said U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, calling for a transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.

The WMO noted that while climate change does not appear to increase how often or how intense El Niño events become, it can worsen related consequences including severe heat waves and intense rainfall.

PARIS — Tourists standing in line under the summer heat to visit Notre Dame cathedral have no idea what’s happening just below their feet.

About 13 feet underground, archaeological teams are working their way down through layers of history, uncovering remnants of Roman Paris from 2,000 years ago.

The famous cathedral suffered devastating fire damage in 2019 when its spire collapsed in front of a global audience. After rebuilding efforts, Notre Dame reopened to the public in late 2024. Now city officials want to add trees and cooling shade to the hot, exposed plaza surrounding it.

However, in such an ancient city, construction crews can’t break ground until archaeologists first examine what’s buried below to prevent any damage to historical artifacts.

A section of Notre Dame’s front courtyard has been transformed into an excavation zone — a deep pit surrounded by safety barriers and crossed with wooden walkways, just steps away from the tourist queue.

French news outlets are calling it the “dig of the century.”

“It’s a rare opportunity for us to work on something that’s tangibly going to make a difference to the history of Paris,” Lucie Altenburg, a conservator with the Paris archaeology unit, told The Associated Press.

The hundreds of discoveries include a coin from the 4th century bearing Emperor Constantine’s image, plus fragments of medieval pottery decorated inside with mysterious symbols that researchers haven’t yet decoded — resembling a real-life Da Vinci Code puzzle.

“It makes Notre Dame feel alive again,” said Emily Carter, 34, a tourist from Manchester waiting in line with her two children. “You come to see the cathedral, then realize there’s another city under your feet. That’s almost more moving.”

Archaeological evidence begins appearing just 20 inches down, and the team continues extracting historical items from depths of 13 feet. On productive days, they collect 15 boxes of artifacts from soil that hasn’t been disturbed for decades.

This represents the reality of any ancient city: history isn’t confined to museums — it exists buried beneath the streets.

Urban areas grow upward over time. Every generation constructs new buildings on top of previous ruins, gradually raising the ground level; Rome’s surface has climbed approximately 30 feet since the empire’s fall in the 5th century.

When Athens constructed its subway system for the 2004 Olympics, the project triggered Greece’s most extensive archaeological dig ever, yielding tens of thousands of artifacts now displayed in the metro stations. Paris follows the same pattern.

Everything originates from the Seine river island called Ile de la Cite, where Paris first began.

Notre Dame was later built on this same location.

When the cathedral’s construction started in 1163, the entire plaza was crowded with medieval homes divided by one narrow road, explained Camille Colonna, the archaeologist directing the excavation.

By digging deeper, her team has reached those ancient house foundations — and consequently the historical periods they represent.

Underneath lie grain storage pits from the Merovingian and Carolingian eras spanning the sixth through tenth centuries; even deeper sits a concentrated Roman neighborhood from the fourth and fifth centuries.

Two thousand years of history are compressed into 13 feet of earth — roughly equivalent to stacking two-and-a-half Napoleon Bonapartes on top of each other.

“Here you can see the layers — medieval Paris, Roman Paris, maybe even before that,” said Yasmine Benali, 22, an archaeology student observing from behind the barriers. “It makes the city feel less like a postcard and more like something still being discovered.”

The most valuable discoveries emerge from the most unpleasant locations: deep pits underneath medieval houses that served as both toilets and garbage disposal sites.

From these areas, the team regularly recovers complete jugs and cups — discarded centuries ago but remaining unbroken — mixed among shattered dishes and animal remains.

Finding “complete ceramics” is “rare,” noted Valentine Breloux, an archaeologist with the unit.

The soft waste materials protected these items, allowing them to survive intact through the centuries.

Some discoveries have puzzled experts completely. While cleaning what appeared to be ordinary medieval pottery, conservators discovered faint red writing painted inside — identical mysterious markings appearing on multiple pieces.

The meaning of these symbols remains unknown.

Among everything she’s restored from Notre Dame, Breloux described these as the most “astonishing.”

Coins emerged as blackened circles, corroded by rust. However, X-ray examination revealed a face: Constantine, the Roman emperor who reigned in the early 300s.

Such artifacts also “can be invaluable in giving us the date of the (underground) layer,” Altenberg explained.

The Roman discoveries hold the greatest significance for archaeologists — representing the deepest, oldest, and least understood findings. During Roman occupation, the settlement was named Lutetia, with its main area located across the river on the Left Bank.

When the Roman empire crumbled, residents retreated to the Ile de la Cite, where Notre Dame would eventually stand, and strengthened the island using stone walls salvaged from earlier structures.

Colonna’s team discovered evidence of this: a Roman doorstep unearthed during excavation, originally from a much larger building, transported to the island, flipped over, and installed as street paving.

All discoveries leave the excavation site and travel north to the city’s archaeology center — what Colonna describes as “a huge archaeological store,” serving as Paris’s treasure repository.

For archaeologists, the cathedral dig represents an unusual opportunity. In France, like other countries, they typically work only where construction projects are planned — similar to how quarry workers sometimes accidentally discover dinosaur fossils.

“This only happens because the city of Paris decided it wanted to beautify the area,” Altenburg explained.

The renovated plaza should be largely completed by 2028: designed as a forest-like clearing featuring 160 new trees and a thin water film flowing over stone surfaces for summer cooling — part of Paris’s preparation for increasingly hot summers caused by global warming.

Tourists currently waiting in direct sunlight beneath the gargoyles will soon queue in shaded comfort.

The former underground parking garage will reopen as a visitor center overlooking the Seine.

Meanwhile, the Notre Dame team hopes to dig even deeper — beyond the Romans, toward the earlier inhabitants, the Gauls who first named the city.

“The hope is that we are able to go back in time even further than we’ve ever been before,” Altenburg said.

A major chip design company revealed Tuesday that two technology giants are using its artificial intelligence processors for their data center operations.

During remarks at the Computex technology conference in Taipei, Arm’s chief executive Rene Haas disclosed that ByteDance, the Chinese technology company, and Oracle, the American data center firm, are both purchasing the company’s AGI central processing units.

The announcement highlights the growing demand for specialized AI chips as companies expand their data center capabilities.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman revealed Monday that fixing the damaged Blue Origin launch facility following last week’s massive rocket explosion could require years of work, potentially stretching repairs until 2028.

Speaking during an interview at CNBC’s CEO Council Summit, Isaacman indicated that restoring the launch pad would “take some serious time,” with a 2028 completion date falling “within the realm” of possibility, according to the network’s coverage.

The catastrophic incident occurred Thursday when Blue Origin’s massive New Glenn rocket burst into flames during what should have been a standard engine test while secured to the launch structure. The rocket was being prepared for its fourth orbital mission since January 2025 through a routine static “hot-fire” examination.

The timing of this setback poses significant challenges for billionaire Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket program and Amazon satellite operations, as the company works to establish stronger competition against Elon Musk’s SpaceX, currently the dominant private space launch provider globally.

Sources within the company and industry reported over the weekend that the blast left the launch facility “practically destroyed,” with engineering assessments suggesting repairs will halt operations for a minimum of six months.

The accident at the U.S. Space Force facility in Cape Canaveral, Florida resulted in no personnel injuries. Additionally, the Amazon Leo satellites intended for the rocket’s payload had not yet been installed when the explosion occurred.

The New Glenn rocket, which honors late astronaut John Glenn, the first American to achieve Earth orbit, serves as a key component in NASA’s Artemis lunar program for transporting moon landers and supplies.

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory announced Monday that Kilauea volcano has achieved a historic milestone, recording 48 separate lava fountaining episodes since its current eruption cycle started in December 2024.

According to Katie Mulliken, a geologist and spokesperson with the observatory, this marks the highest number of fountaining episodes ever documented during a single eruption at Kilauea.

“Episodes are separated by periods during which little to no lava erupts. Since lava is coming from the same vents in a crater at Kilauea’s summit, it is the same overall eruption,” she explained in an email statement.

The current volcanic activity stands out for multiple reasons, Mulliken noted, particularly because of its accessibility to both local residents and visitors. She contrasted this with a previous eruption in the 1980s that produced 47 lava fountaining episodes across approximately 3½ years but occurred in a much more isolated location.

“The ongoing eruption is also reshaping the topography at the summit,” she said.

However, the spectacular lava displays come with potential risks, as the fountains can affect surrounding communities through the dispersal of volcanic debris and ash, scientifically referred to as tephra.

Situated on Hawaii’s Big Island, Kilauea ranks among the planet’s most active volcanic sites.

The chief executive of Nvidia stated Tuesday that his company possesses sufficient manufacturing capacity to handle strong demand growth for both central processing units and graphics processing units as the artificial intelligence industry continues expanding.

Jensen Huang made these remarks during Nvidia’s GTC press conference at Computex week in Taiwan, one day after the $5 trillion semiconductor company revealed a new processor that brings AI functionality directly to devices.

The company’s latest processor, scheduled for release this fall, will integrate AI capabilities straight into laptop and desktop computers, creating competition with companies like Advanced Micro Devices, Intel and Apple.

According to Huang, the RTX Spark PC processor represents Nvidia’s collaboration with Microsoft to “reinvent the PC” for the artificial intelligence age.

The Nvidia chief executive, who was born in Taiwan’s southern city of Tainan, revealed plans last week for approximately $150 billion in annual investment in Taiwan, calling the island nation the center of the AI revolution.

A thunderous double boom echoed across New England this past weekend, rattling houses and causing pets to scatter in fear while residents turned to social media for answers.

“Did anyone else hear that boom?”

“Anyone feel that?”

NASA initially confirmed over the weekend that a meteor caused the disturbance, but the space agency shared far more remarkable information on Monday.

The space rock weighed as much as an elephant and measured 5 feet (1.52 meter) across, hurtling through space at 42,000 mph (67,592.5 kph) before hitting Earth’s atmosphere. The object disintegrated high above New England on Saturday, releasing energy comparable to roughly 230 tons of TNT, which NASA said explains the loud booms.

NASA shared these extraordinary facts through a social media update Monday, along with additional data.

The space object consisted of natural materials — not satellite parts or space junk — and streaked through the atmosphere for approximately 26 miles (41.8 kilometers), NASA reported, before plunging into Cape Cod Bay off southeastern Massachusetts.

The space agency emphasized that while meteors happen frequently, most don’t attract this level of attention.

“They often occur over the ocean or unpopulated areas with no witnesses, or during the daytime, making them difficult to spot,” NASA stated.

The incident sparked immediate theories and confusion.

The thunderous sound led residents in Massachusetts and Rhode Island to wonder if an earthquake had struck or if a tree had crashed down. Many shared stories of their dogs becoming agitated. At least one person suggested extraterrestrial activity.

A resident in Peabody, Massachusetts, described thinking a massive tree had struck his home due to the windy conditions that day. After stepping outside, he discovered most of his neighbors gathered in the street with identical questions.

Multiple people submitted reports to the U.S. Geological Survey, documenting the tremors they experienced through the National Earthquake Information Center, agency spokesman Steve Sobie confirmed.

The organization created an event page after receiving numerous “Did you feel it?” submissions on its website. However, Sobie noted that no activity appeared on the agency’s seismographs, confirming the shaking wasn’t earthquake-related.

The American Meteor Society collected dozens of accounts from Delaware to Montreal from people who either heard the double boom, felt ground vibrations, or witnessed the fireball, according to program monitor Robert Lunsford.

Florida’s Attorney General filed a groundbreaking lawsuit Monday against OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, alleging the artificial intelligence company deliberately hid significant safety concerns while promoting ChatGPT to consumers.

Attorney General James Uthmeier announced during a press briefing that the company buried internal safety alerts and misled users about the product’s actual risks and capabilities.

“Today, we announced the first-in-the-nation state-led lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman,” Uthmeier said. “OpenAI and Altman ignored internal and external safety warnings, put children at great risk, and allowed a dangerous product to reach millions of Floridians.”

The civil case, filed in Florida’s circuit court, accuses OpenAI and Altman of choosing rapid market entry and profits over user protection while dismissing safety concerns raised by specialists within and outside their organization. According to the lawsuit, the company released technology that promotes harmful behaviors, including self-injury and violence, while falsely claiming it was secure.

The legal filing further contends that ChatGPT gathers information from children without proper parental supervision and creates addictive behaviors and mental harm. The company has also deliberately minimized dangerous mistakes, according to the suit.

State officials noted that Florida law bans unfair and defective business practices. The legal action claims OpenAI’s actions continue to harm Florida residents and seeks accountability.

OpenAI did not immediately provide a response to The Associated Press’ request for comment.

In April, Uthmeier launched a criminal probe into OpenAI regarding whether ChatGPT provided guidance to a shooter who killed two individuals and injured six others at Florida State University last year. In a separate incident, prosecutors revealed that the person accused of murdering two University of South Florida doctoral students had questioned ChatGPT about what would occur if a human body was placed in a garbage bag and disposed of in a dumpster, just days before the victims disappeared.

For the past 16 years, Nicole Calvin has made an annual journey to the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor to experience the university’s impressive peony display firsthand.

This year, she made the trip twice.

“I just love walking through the gardens,” Calvin shared on Monday. “I love that they come from different places, and there’s different varieties, different colors. It smells amazing. It’s just a really beautiful place to be.”

University officials expect approximately 100,000 people will visit to witness these distinctive flowering plants and their spectacular displays of pink, white, and red blossoms in numerous varieties and shades.

The W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden houses what may be the world’s most extensive assembly of historical herbaceous peonies dating before 1950.

“There’s been a long fascination with this plant, because, when it’s peak, it’s so out there. It’s such a big show,” explained Doug Conley, who serves as horticulture lead at Nichols Arboretum, locally called The Arb. “And our collection is overwhelming. When you see this garden at peak bloom, there’s nothing like it. You’re captivated by it.”

Watching the peonies has become such a popular springtime activity that shuttle services transport the numerous visitors who flock to The Arb each year to view these garden plants.

Within the W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden, visitors can explore hundreds of historical cultivated types from the 1800s and early 1900s, showcasing American, Canadian, and European peony varieties from that period. During peak blooming season, the garden displays tens of thousands of individual flowers.

Access to the garden costs nothing and remains available from dawn until dusk. Visitors seeking the strongest peony fragrance should plan morning or evening visits when the scents are most pronounced.

“It is restorative for all of us, I think, to come out into nature and be surrounded by joy, beauty,” Conley noted. “It’s a delightful place for people to just come and gather and be.”

BRUSSELS, June 1 – Recent United Nations climate conferences have not produced the bold measures that researchers believe are essential to combat global warming, according to the European Union’s climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra, who made the remarks on Monday.

Speaking at a Politico-sponsored event in Brussels, Hoekstra stated: “If you look at what the problem actually needs and where the bar should then be, and what most of the COPs of the last five, six, seven, eight years have delivered, then you just have to admit that that was underwhelming.”

The commissioner emphasized that while work should continue at these international climate conferences, where approximately 200 nations make decisions through consensus, there’s also value in having smaller coalitions of countries that are prepared to advance more quickly in addressing global warming.

Nvidia has placed artificial intelligence-powered computers in the spotlight following CEO Jensen Huang’s introduction of a new processor designed to integrate AI capabilities straight into personal computers and laptops, even as the market shows varying levels of interest in these devices.

While HP reported last week that computers optimized for artificial intelligence helped boost its quarterly earnings, Dell stated in January that the AI surge hadn’t created the level of consumer interest the company had expected.

Here’s what you need to know about AI-enabled computers:

UNDERSTANDING AI-POWERED COMPUTERS

According to manufacturers, these AI-enhanced machines can analyze information faster than conventional computers and manage larger amounts of artificial intelligence operations directly within the device itself, including running chatbot programs.

These systems don’t need to depend on remote cloud servers that currently power most AI programs like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude. Some versions can even support the training of AI models locally on the machine — a resource-heavy process usually performed on specialized servers.

The emergence of AI agents, which are programs capable of completing computer tasks independently with little human oversight, is also bringing renewed focus to AI-powered personal computers.

Nvidia’s RTX Spark, revealed before the Computex technology conference in Taiwan, represents what the company described as a partnership with Microsoft to “reinvent the PC” for the artificial intelligence age. This new processor was created working alongside MediaTek to operate agents directly on the device instead of depending on cloud-based computing.

Computer manufacturers hope these advanced AI capabilities will attract customers as more consumers rely on generative artificial intelligence for tasks ranging from composing emails to organizing travel plans.

HP announced in late May that AI computers represented 44% of its PC sales in the second quarter, an increase from over 35% in the prior quarter, helping the company exceed revenue and profit projections.

Nevertheless, widespread adoption of AI computers might face obstacles due to memory chip shortages and increasing costs.

Research company IDC anticipates that worldwide PC sales will drop in 2026 because of memory shortages, rising component costs and supply limitations, despite higher average prices boosting overall market value.

TECHNOLOGY BEHIND AI COMPUTERS

AI-powered computers feature specialized chips known as neural processing units that manage most of the artificial intelligence work performed on the device.

These NPUs collaborate with standard processing units and graphics chips to handle complicated operations, provide faster processing capabilities and run programs such as AI assistants.

CURRENT AI COMPUTER OPTIONS

Nvidia announced that RTX Spark laptops and small desktop computers are anticipated this fall from ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft and MSI, with Acer and Gigabyte planning to release models later.

Many of these manufacturers, together with Microsoft and Qualcomm, currently sell Copilot+ PCs, which need processors specifically built to handle AI operations on the device.

POTENTIAL ISSUES

When Microsoft announced its “recall” function in 2024, it sparked privacy worries. This feature would monitor every activity on the laptop from voice conversations to internet browsing, creating a comprehensive record saved on the device. Users could then search this database and review previous activities.

After facing significant criticism regarding privacy and security issues, Microsoft postponed the feature’s launch and made it available through a testing mode for select users after implementing additional security measures. This optional function is included in the latest Copilot+ PCs.

However, some technology specialists argue that handling more AI-related operations directly on the device provides better privacy protection by removing the requirement to use personal information for training large AI systems.

Marine archaeologists in Norway have pulled up an impressive collection of Chinese porcelain and European artifacts from an 18th-century shipwreck recently discovered in waters off the country’s coast, according to government and museum officials who announced the find Monday.

The Norwegian Maritime Museum reports that divers retrieved carefully packed blue and white porcelain bowls, drinking vessels, fabric, grain, and chandelier components from what remains of the unidentified sailing vessel.

According to the museum, a salvage company owner discovered the wreck in the Skagerrak strait waters near southern Norway. The vessel, thought to have gone down sometime during the mid-1700s, sits approximately 600 meters below the surface.

Norway’s Minister of Climate and Environment, Andreas Bjelland Eriksen, praised the discovery in an official statement: “This find is not only extraordinary, it’s also of considerable scientific value and demonstrates an important technological advancement in underwater archaeology.”

While researchers have yet to determine where the ship originated or its intended destination, the Maritime Museum indicates that investigation into the wreck and its contents continues.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Technology giant Nvidia announced Monday the launch of advanced computer processors designed to integrate sophisticated artificial intelligence capabilities into personal laptops and desktop machines, with new computer models from manufacturers like Microsoft and Dell scheduled for release later this year.

The Santa Clara, California-based technology company has already achieved tremendous success providing high-performance processors for data centers during the global AI expansion, but now seeks to broaden its reach into additional AI systems and consumer products.

Company founder and CEO Jensen Huang, who is Taiwanese-American, revealed the announcement during Nvidia’s annual GTC conference in Taipei. He stated that Microsoft and Nvidia “are going to reinvent the PC (personal computer)” during his main presentation.

“This is going to be the new PC,” Huang declared while introducing Nvidia’s RTX Spark superchip — which merges CPU, or central processing unit, and GPU, or graphics processing unit, functions — designed to operate new Windows laptop and desktop models in what the company termed “AI personal computers,” anticipated to launch this fall.

Nvidia currently holds the position as the world’s most valuable corporation, surpassing Apple, Google’s parent Alphabet and Microsoft.

The corporation stated it will be “reinventing the personal computer” for content creation and gaming purposes. “When it has an autonomous (AI) agent, an agent that’s helping you, that understands you, you could talk to it. It could look at you. You could ask it to read files, go help you do some research. It could do a lot more,” Huang explained.

Microsoft announced in a separate statement that personal computers operating on Nvidia’s RTX superchips would support “highly capable AI models” and demanding computational tasks. Using the new superchips, these personal computers can operate AI agents directly on the device, Nvidia reported.

Nvidia’s strategy represents a major development as demand increases for personal AI assistant usage, according to Lian Jye Su, chief analyst at technology research and advisory firm Omdia.

“For consumers, it means more choices, which is always a good thing,” Su commented.

Neil Shah, analyst and co-founder of Counterpoint Research, characterized Nvidia’s announcement as a development that’s “revolutionizing how PCs would look like in the next 10 years.”

The upcoming laptops and desktop computers “will drive agentic AI applications in every home,” Shah explained, aiming to establish an “AI supercomputer” in every household.

During Monday’s presentation, Nvidia’s Huang also announced that its new Vera CPUs for data centers are in complete production and are “going to be our new major growth driver” during the expansion of AI agents, with initial customers anticipated to include Anthropic, OpenAI and SpaceXAI. He additionally presented a humanoid robot reference design that could serve as a framework for future research, particularly in the higher education field.

Uber announced Monday its intention to introduce a self-driving taxi service in Munich, Germany, partnering with Israeli technology firm Autobrains and U.S. chip manufacturer Nvidia to advance autonomous transportation in Europe.

The collaboration will integrate Uber’s transportation platform with Autobrains’ “agentic AI” technology for autonomous driving, operating on Nvidia’s Drive Hyperion system. Munich has been selected as the initial launch location, subject to government regulatory clearance.

According to the companies, this initiative seeks to expand robotic taxi operations beyond limited test programs by developing an “OEM-agnostic” framework capable of functioning with various vehicle types and city environments.

The Autobrains technology divides driving tasks among specialized artificial intelligence agents that make decisions independently, allowing for immediate reactions using conventional automotive sensing equipment.

Munich has become a hub for testing self-driving vehicle technology, with Uber previously announcing intentions to start autonomous vehicle testing in the city beginning in 2026.

Eight crested ibises took flight in a Japanese town on Sunday, marking their return to an area where the species had vanished from the wild many years ago.

The endangered birds were set free from wooden enclosures during a ceremony in Hakui city, located in the Noto region where these creatures were previously spotted in their natural habitat.

Known locally as Toki, these white birds are indigenous to East Asia and are recognized for their distinctive orange-pink coloring beneath their wings and vibrant red markings surrounding their eyes.

Local residents celebrated as the birds flew skyward when Crown Prince Akishino, his wife Kiko, and other officials cut a ribbon around the wooden enclosures.

The species disappeared from the Honshu main island during the 1970s due to excessive hunting and habitat destruction. The final native Japanese ibis passed away in 2003 on Sado Island.

However, the species made a comeback through China’s assistance with breeding programs. According to the Environment Ministry, artificial breeding using a pair gifted from China resulted in the first Japanese crested ibis chick born in captivity in 1999.

These breeding and preservation initiatives have contributed to the species’ population recovery. The ministry reports that in 2008, 10 birds from the Sado conservation center were released on the island, where their numbers have now grown to approximately 500.

The release of these cherished birds was also viewed as a positive sign for the Noto region, which continues to rebuild following the devastating 2024 earthquake.

The eight birds were cared for and protected at a conservation facility on Sado in the adjacent Niigata prefecture. An additional ten birds are scheduled for future release.

DURHAM, N.H. — Following the loss of their second service dog, Booker T. Bones, Brenda and Brian Marquis found themselves searching for assistance with challenging daily tasks.

Their solution came in the form of Robbie, a mechanical assistant that emerges from their hallway into the main living area multiple times throughout each day.

“Do you want to exercise now? Please answer yes or no,” the caregiving machine inquires of 59-year-old Brian Marquis, who has been managing a traumatic brain injury following a 2012 automobile accident.

“Yes,” he replies. He then rises as the robot’s cartoon-like digital display transforms into a fitness video that leads him through his daily physical activity routine.

The multi-decade effort to create household robots that combine usefulness with human-like qualities — inspired by fictional characters such as the humanoid domestic helper Rosie from The Jetsons — remains largely unrealized. This persists even as demand grows, with the oldest members of the baby boom generation reaching 80 years old this year and the nation confronting an escalating shortage of in-home care workers, caused by inadequate compensation, frequent job changes, and challenging work conditions.

However, the device assisting the Marquis household — a robot operated through a laboratory at the University of New Hampshire with support from the National Institute of Aging — provides insight into developing opportunities.

The mobile robot that observers have compared to a clothing rack differed from what Brenda Marquis originally envisioned when she sent a message to a robotics instructor at the nearby university, seeking guidance about robotic canines.

Robbie, the pair’s chosen name for the latest robot version officially designated Stretch 4, remains at its power station located between the cooking area and sleeping quarters for most hours. During active periods, it performs essential functions, such as encouraging Brian, who lives with dementia, to consume his midday meal or stay hydrated.

Brenda Marquis, 59, explained that she and her spouse experience physical, mental, and emotional challenges that complicate their daily existence.

“We’ve been kind of trapped in a problem here in New Hampshire of being able to find and recruit enough home care support,” Brenda Marquis said in an interview at the couple’s Durham, New Hampshire apartment, where she scoots around in a motorized wheelchair while taking care of her husband. “That was when I started looking into robotics and trying to figure out what to do.”

Receiving Brenda’s message was Momotaz Begum, a computer science instructor at the university who has dedicated years to testing “socially assistive” robots designed to support individuals with dementia or similar cognitive conditions. Her research facility houses numerous experimental machines, including four-legged models.

According to the professor, the laboratory consulted focus groups consisting of senior citizens from memory care facilities to determine their preferred type of robotic home companion. Most participants favored animal-inspired robot designs.

“The common feedback that we got about Stretch was, ‘OK, this one looks like a coat hanger,’” she said. “But what we learned over time is that the look doesn’t matter.”

Beyond robotic cleaning devices, the nearest equivalent many elderly individuals have to caregiving robots consists of speakers equipped with artificial intelligence voice technology like Alexa. Certain robot manufacturers have extended this idea into rotating desktop devices such as ElliQ, created for senior companionship.

However, those machines lack sufficient mobility or functionality for the professor, who stated she is “trying to reduce that caregiver burden. And the caregiver actually does way more than social companionship.”

Human-shaped robots, meanwhile, remain impractical for most residential settings and create safety risks for individuals with restricted mobility should the machine stumble and topple over.

The creators of Hello Robot, which produces the Stretch robots, emphasized that its straightforward design is intentional.

“Our robot’s very practical, pragmatic. I think it communicates that,” said CEO Aaron Edsinger, a former director of robotics at Google. “If you show up looking like a humanoid, that expectation’s going to be set so high, it’s going to be very hard to do.”

The standard configuration of the Stretch 4 features an extending mechanical arm capable of retrieving a water container and positioning it for someone to drink using a straw. When presented with a medication container, it can assist in reading small text. The machine combines data from its visual sensors and internal equipment, along with additional sensors placed throughout a residence, to determine its position and identify room occupants.

Produced at Hello Robot’s facility in Martinez, California, and priced at nearly $30,000, the newest model introduced in May remains far from achieving the widespread adoption of a cleaning robot or an AI-enabled speaker. Yet for its intended users, it can provide crucial support.

Robbie’s scheduled care routine for Brian is displayed on the family’s wall, featuring exercise directions, food and medication alerts, bedtime routine reminders, and brief cleaning prompts that activate only when Brian uses the restroom.

“I was never into technology,” Brian Marquis said. “Then I realized I can’t remember to wash my face and my armpits. So, it just really kind of set me free almost.”

According to Brenda Marquis, the robot also relieved her of hours of daily responsibilities and helped reduce costs. Previously concerned about leaving her husband alone for extended periods, she relied on grocery delivery services. Now she can leave him under Robbie’s supervision while she handles shopping personally.

“I can go ahead and go to that mahjong game or whatever. Robbie’s gonna take care of him,” she said.

The chief executive of Nvidia will open the Computex technology conference in Taiwan on Monday with an extensive presentation focused on artificial intelligence, where he’s anticipated to discuss his company’s newest product developments and Taiwan’s crucial position in the tech sector.

The leader of the $5 trillion semiconductor company, a Taiwan native from the southern city of Tainan, revealed intentions last week to put roughly $150 billion per year into Taiwan, calling it the center of the AI transformation.

The presentation is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. (0300 GMT) at the Taipei Music Hall. This appearance follows approximately two weeks after he joined U.S. President Donald Trump on a trip to Beijing as part of a high-profile business group to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

The executive, who enjoys celebrity-like popularity in Taiwan, is anticipated to discuss Nvidia’s AI processors, software programs and computing systems. Focus will likely center on the company’s data center offerings, including its latest Vera Rubin AI computing platform and Vera central processing unit (CPU), along with its work in areas like robotics and self-driving vehicles.

Nvidia is also constructing a Taiwan headquarters that’s planned to begin operations in 2030. This facility will position the company nearer to important supplier TSMC, which produces many of the sophisticated semiconductors that power AI technology.

One possible discussion topic involves Nvidia’s work, as reported by Reuters in 2023, to create an Arm-based PC processor that would compete with Intel and Advanced Micro Devices. Processors require approximately two years to develop and the CEO has stated that the central processors, or CPUs, are optimized for consumer devices featuring AI capabilities.

During last month’s quarterly earnings report, the executive sought to reassure investors that Nvidia could sustain its rapid expansion. He indicated that a broad range of clients and new products would help the company exceed the approximately $1 trillion in revenue it has projected for its primary AI processors.

Computex is projected to draw 1,500 exhibitors from 33 nations worldwide. Chief executives from Intel and Qualcomm are also scheduled to present speeches at the technology conference.

Tesla’s chief executive appeared virtually at Israel’s major transportation technology conference after security concerns prevented his planned in-person visit. Speaking from Austin, Texas at approximately 2:30 a.m. local time, he participated in the Samson International Smart Mobility Summit 2026 in Tel Aviv, addressing questions about self-driving vehicles, artificial intelligence, and Tesla’s transportation vision.

While his participation provided international recognition for the event, the conference’s primary emphasis centered on the challenging transition from experimental projects to real-world implementation of advanced mobility solutions including autonomous systems, unmanned aircraft, flying vehicles, and innovative transit concepts.

During his virtual appearance, he offered high praise for Israel’s technological achievements. “I have to say, you know, I’m a huge admirer of the innovation coming out of Israel,” he stated.

“Honestly, I think objectively true that Israel punches far above its weight for population. I think probably number one, honestly, in the world,” adding, “My hat is off to Israel for just how much incredible innovation. I say innovation per capita. Israel must be number one by far in the world.”

When discussing Tesla’s self-driving vehicle development, he indicated the company was achieving “steady progress” in making autonomous driving broadly accessible, utilizing “AI and cameras” instead of radar or light detection and ranging (LiDAR), a technology that uses laser pulses to measure distances and create precise 3D maps of objects, terrain, or spaces. “It’s really trying to drive the car in the same way that a human drives the car,” he explained.

The conference’s central theme focused on transforming advanced mobility concepts from experimental demonstrations into functioning infrastructure. Exhibition areas showcased various future transportation technologies: self-driving sensors, unmanned aircraft companies, flying taxi prototypes, road safety systems, and urban transportation proposals. While some technologies were actively seeking commercial customers, others remained dependent on regulatory approval, infrastructure development, or public acceptance before advancing beyond testing phases.

This represented the conference’s fundamental challenge. Advanced mobility technologies were abundant, but practical implementation remained difficult. Transportation Minister Miri Regev connected this obstacle to Israel’s national transportation priorities, including infrastructure development, security considerations, and efforts to encourage public transit usage over private vehicle ownership.

Delivering remarks in Hebrew, she emphasized Israel’s continued investment in future transportation despite current challenges. “The State of Israel, despite the complex period we are in, continues to think ahead, invest in infrastructure, and develop the next generation of startups and technologies,” Regev stated. She highlighted Israeli companies that have transformed global mobility, noting that “millions of drivers around the world use Waze every day,” that “millions of public transport users use Moovit,” and that Mobileye’s technologies, “born in Jerusalem, save lives on roads around the world and advance the autonomous driving revolution.”

In a conversation with The Media Line following her presentation, Regev identified two primary challenges facing Israel’s transportation and technology sectors: security threats, particularly from low-altitude aerial systems, and traffic congestion in a densely populated country with limited space and increasing private vehicle ownership. “The biggest at the moment is the security challenge of low-altitude aerial systems,” she explained. “We saw them in the Russia-Ukraine war, and we also see them today in Lebanon.”

Regarding traffic issues, Regev stated, “Our goal is to move people from private cars to public transportation,” emphasizing that successful transition requires public transportation that is fast, efficient, and accessible.

The shift from private vehicles to integrated public systems emerged as a recurring conference theme. Regev described transportation as affecting living costs, access to outlying areas, employment, education, and essential services, characterizing the ministry’s approach as centered on “Connecting Israel.” She conveyed that transportation policy must now integrate with technology, encompassing not only traditional roads and railways but also data systems, connected vehicles, autonomous platforms, and necessary regulations for operation beyond controlled testing.

Throughout the exhibition area, these challenges manifested differently depending on the specific technology. Some companies faced sensor reliability issues, while others confronted airspace regulations, urban planning requirements, or immediate vehicle safety concerns.

These issues were particularly evident at the Innoviz display. Anna Michlin, VP of product management at the Israeli LiDAR company, explained that autonomous mobility requires perception systems capable of functioning in suboptimal road conditions. Innoviz collaborates with Volkswagen Group and Mobileye on the ID. Buzz autonomous shared mobility project, and with Daimler Truck on autonomous trucking initiatives.

Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz AD autonomous shared mobility project employs fully electric vans engineered to operate without human control in most urban environments, supporting planned ride-pooling and ride-hailing services in cities including Hamburg, Berlin, Oslo, and Los Angeles.

Michlin explained to The Media Line that safer autonomous systems require combining multiple sensors rather than depending on a single technology. “In order to enable safe autonomous mobility, you need to have an ecosystem of sensors that can have reliable sensing in all conditions,” she stated. “This is why cameras, radars, and LiDAR together, when combined, can elevate the safety of the transportation.”

She emphasized that no single sensor provides complete solutions. Cameras, radar, and LiDAR each perceive road conditions differently. Cameras require adequate lighting; LiDAR generates its own illumination; radar, utilizing radio waves, offers significant benefits but provides lower resolution. “They can see larger objects, but not the very small ones,” she noted. For Michlin, Israel’s contribution extends beyond individual technologies to accelerating the broader automotive ecosystem through engineering expertise, academic knowledge, and the startup approach that has characterized much of the country’s technology sector.

The conference also examined aerial technologies, including drones, aerial logistics, and air taxis. Ghil Harly, VP business development at Cando Group, acknowledged the drone industry’s advancement while cautioning against exaggerated expectations about current commercial drone usage. “I always tell my friends, it’s a big hype, right? Because everybody’s talking about drones and what’s happening with drones,” Harly told The Media Line. “But to be fair, let’s be honest, if you look outside of your window, and I dare every one of the viewers to do so, you won’t see a lot of drones in the air.”

Nevertheless, he maintained confidence in the technology’s future. “Will our kids see? Of course,” he said. “It’s here, and it’s here to stay. And it’s advancing. However, it’s still something that is in the works, and it will take time.” Harly noted that current large-scale drone applications remain primarily military, focusing on intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, but Cando aims to demonstrate civilian applications for the same technology.

Harly reported that municipal governments have expanded drone usage beyond homeland security and public safety to include event monitoring, crowd counting, construction site supervision, safety oversight, traffic analysis, and agricultural data collection. “Your customer teaches you the use that you didn’t even think of,” he observed. “It started by counting people, identifying changes, supervising construction sites, safety. It’s a world that never ends.”

Maxim Levy, COO of Dronery, extended this concept into logistics applications. Standing near an electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, Levy described Dronery as providing aerial logistics and transportation services focused on autonomous operations. “We give services here in Israel for logistic operations, like delivering medical equipment and medicines between hospitals and between clinics and other complex missions that drones can give the extra advantage that maybe a vehicle will not give it,” he told The Media Line.

The aircraft displayed at the conference, he explained, had completed multiple flights in Israel, including in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Caesarea, though not yet carrying passengers. “We didn’t fly it with people yet, but we are in the process of that,” he said. Levy described the aircraft as capable of vertical takeoff and landing, requiring less space than conventional aircraft, and incorporating safety redundancy through 16 motors and three flight computers.

He projected that commercial operations in Israel could begin within several years, but linked this timeline to security conditions and airspace limitations. “I think that in three or four years we will see them already operating commercially here in Israel,” he predicted. “In other countries in the world, this specific aircraft already operates as a commercial service, but I think when we still have this war here, and we have a lot of restrictions that are concerning the navigation and the communication in the air, it’s still a little bit dangerous.”

While drones and air taxis prompted discussions about airspace usage, other speakers redirected attention to urban infrastructure itself.

Saul Singer, co-founder and chief strategy officer of Line Mobility and co-author of best-sellers Start-Up Nation and The Genius of Israel, argued that mobility discussions should not focus solely on making cars smarter or more autonomous. Singer told The Media Line that the fundamental issue is cities designed around automobiles, and that current approaches have failed to resolve congestion. “Our cities are car-centric,” he said. “They’re full of traffic, and it’s just getting worse.”

His company develops elevated, autonomous mass transit systems designed to operate on dedicated tracks above street level, aiming to provide transportation faster than cars while freeing ground space for community use. “You need to be fast, non-stop,” Singer explained. “You need your own right-of-way, which is elevated. And you need to be autonomous, and it has to be a mass transit system.”

For Singer, elevating transportation above streets serves efficiency and represents a different urban design philosophy. “When transportation’s in the air, so people can have the ground,” he said. “More bike paths, more trees, more space for people. That’s the dream, to have people-centric cities, not car-centric cities.” Singer expressed hope that Israel would pilot the system early, though he added, “We’ll see.”

Other companies concentrated on immediate vehicle safety issues rather than long-term urban transformation.

Adam Tannenbaum, co-founder of TAKY Tech, presented a system designed to prevent children from dying or suffering severe injuries after being left or trapped in overheated vehicles. He told The Media Line that the company’s Athena product utilizes sensor integration from existing vehicle systems, combined with what he termed “escalation decision resolution.” When vehicles reach dangerous temperatures, the system can activate air conditioning, slightly open windows, and turn on lights.

If drivers fail to respond, the system escalates by contacting the driver and additional predetermined contacts. “Ten seconds or so later, we call the driver, and maybe the driver cannot respond,” he explained. “He can’t pick up the call. We call five more people that they’ve selected.”

Tannenbaum noted the problem extends beyond children forgotten in cars during morning routines. He reported that approximately 20% of children who die from vehicle heatstroke enter cars independently later in the day, often during games like hide-and-seek, and that his company addresses this scenario as well. He said the company has engaged with major automotive suppliers and sees deployment possibilities through software updates, including for vehicles currently on roads if necessary hardware exists.

The conference presented multiple visions rather than a single future scenario. For Innoviz, advancement begins with improved perception systems. For Cando and Dronery, progress moves skyward. For Line Mobility, solutions require elevating transit above streets to create ground-level space for people. For TAKY Tech, improvement starts with preventing child deaths in vehicles.

This diversity represented the conference’s central narrative. Advanced mobility no longer constitutes a single field with unified timelines. Some technologies approach deployment readiness, while others await regulation, infrastructure, public acceptance, or stable security conditions. In Israel, these issues are intensified by ongoing conflict, which has made airspace, security, and infrastructure interconnected concerns.

While he provided the conference’s most prominent international presence, and his recognition of Israeli innovation carried significant impact, the future of advanced mobility will be determined beyond conference presentations: in licensing offices, city governments, road testing, emergency services, investment discussions, and daily passenger decisions about whether these systems are sufficiently useful and trustworthy to adopt.

NASA has confirmed that a spectacular meteor explosion was responsible for the brilliant flash of light and thunderous noise that startled residents across New England on Saturday afternoon.

The space agency reported that the celestial event took place around 2:06 p.m. EDT, with both ground observers and NOAA’s GOES-19 satellite capturing the dramatic display, according to a NASA statement posted on X.

The meteor disintegrated approximately 40 miles above the earth’s surface, specifically over northeastern Massachusetts and southeastern New Hampshire, NASA officials explained.

According to the space agency’s calculations, the explosion generated energy comparable to roughly 300 tons of TNT, which explains the powerful sound that echoed throughout the area.

The dramatic audio effect occurs because meteors move at speeds exceeding the sound barrier, generating pressure waves during their fiery descent and destruction in the atmosphere, which can result in thunderous sonic booms audible from the ground below.

The absence of a word for flamingo in Venice’s traditional dialect speaks volumes about how recently these pale pink birds have made the Italian lagoon their home.

These striking birds, known as “fenicotteri” in Italian, are now arriving in Venice in unprecedented numbers as environmental restoration projects rebuild damaged wetlands that could expand their living space and potentially encourage breeding in the lagoon.

The elegant wading birds, which traditionally nest primarily in Spain and France, began appearing in Venice’s expansive lagoon during the early 2000s. They typically gather in fishing areas and mudflats in remote sections of the lagoon, with occasional rare appearances in the canal-filled historic district that draws millions of tourists worldwide.

Environmental experts view their presence in Venice as European flamingo populations spread as evidence of the lagoon’s improving health and its value as a feeding area.

During the previous year, flamingo populations spending winter in Venice reached an unprecedented peak of almost 24,000 birds. This represents an increase of 8,000 from the year before, creating numbers “that position the Venetian Lagoon as one of the most important wintering spots in its entire habitat range,” according to ornithologist Alessandro Sartori.

Sartori conducts weekly boat surveys throughout the lagoon searching for breeding evidence, which would signal the establishment of a permanent Venetian flamingo community. Currently, no new nesting signs exist following two previous breeding efforts in 2008 and 2013 in northern lagoon fishing areas that faced major challenges, including destructive hailstorms that killed numerous birds.

Over 90% of birds documented in the most recent count were located in the northern lagoon, which features extensive natural salt marsh areas. The flamingos are also drawn to traditional fishing valleys, which are semi-natural enclosed wetlands offering plentiful food sources but sometimes creating conflicts with human activities.

An initiative to rebuild salt marshes in the more remote southern lagoon — beyond the historic center and industrial port — creates possibilities for increased flamingo populations there by providing new habitat in a lagoon section where wetland loss has been particularly devastating. This could also redirect birds away from competing human activities in the north.

The Venetian Lagoon spans 550 square kilometers (over 200 square miles) and was originally almost half salt marsh. Currently, salt marsh areas — called “barene” in Venetian dialect — comprise only about 7%, with roughly half being reconstructed, explained Jane da Mosto, executive director of We Are Here Venice, the local partner in the EU’s 23.6 million euro ($27.5 million), 5-year WaterLANDS project aimed at restoring wetlands throughout Europe.

The destruction is particularly severe in central and southern lagoon areas, resulting from combined natural erosion and shipping channel dredging to reach the Marghera industrial port during the 1960s.

“And since then, there’s been much more widespread erosion and loss of sediments from the lagoon to the point that Venice is now on a trajectory to becoming a marine bay,” da Mosto stated. The wetlands reconstruction project “is specifically to show that it’s possible to address this trend and change the course of history.”

Reconstructing salt marshes enhances the lagoon’s capacity to absorb carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas contributing to climate change, and reduces impacts from rising sea levels. However, da Mosto noted that much larger restoration areas would be necessary to generate significant climate benefits. The EU project aims to make salt marsh reconstruction expandable.

Flamingos can also gain advantages as biological diversity improves.

Da Mosto’s research team is exploring methods to enhance biodiversity on rebuilt marshes, including cultivating plant species that can help prevent erosion and strengthen wetland resilience.

The mudflat where their work takes place shows evidence of flamingo presence, mainly scattered pink feathers. During a recent visit, approximately 30 birds were visible in the distance — flying away when a pair of calling oystercatchers warned them of approaching visitors.

Sartori already believes the reconstruction efforts have started attracting more flamingos to the region. During the past three years, he has observed their numbers in the southern lagoon increase from just a few to as many as 300 to 400 during certain times.

“The hope is that they can find — as they have found in other parts of the Mediterranean — right here on these barene, places where they can nest,” Sartori explained.

The flamingos’ establishment in the lagoon highlights the significance of Venice’s ecosystem and provides visitors with a new perspective for understanding the canal city and surrounding islands through their environmental — not solely historical and artistic — importance.

Nevertheless, Venice visitors hoping to easily observe flamingos will likely face disappointment, as reporters recently needed an hour-long boat journey to locate any. The flamingos live in shallow, hard-to-reach lagoon areas where safe navigation demands careful attention to tides and waterways. Even from far away, the birds are easily startled and quickly fly away.

Sartori anticipates flamingo viewing — currently possible from shores of small lagoon islands Murano and Burano but uncommon in the historic center — could become more frequent as their populations continue expanding.

“Obviously this should always be done with respect for the animals, keeping a safe distance and not interfering with their daily lives,” he noted.

Technology companies Nvidia and Microsoft are reportedly planning to introduce the first Windows operating system computers powered by Nvidia processors as their central processing units next week, according to a Saturday report from Axios that cited industry sources.

The Nvidia-based computers are anticipated to come from Microsoft’s Surface product line along with additional manufacturers such as Dell.

Reuters was unable to immediately confirm the information in the report. Both Microsoft and Nvidia declined to provide comments when contacted for a response.

A rocket explosion at Blue Origin’s facility has caused significant damage to the company’s launch pad, leading to months-long delays that will impact Amazon’s satellite deployment plans and strengthen SpaceX’s position in the commercial space industry, according to company and industry sources.

The incident happened during engine testing for the New Glenn rocket, which was scheduled to launch next week. The timing couldn’t be worse for Jeff Bezos’ space ventures, as both Blue Origin and Amazon are working to compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX in the heavy-lift rocket and satellite internet markets.

The explosion on Thursday also threatens NASA’s moon exploration goals.

The Blue Origin booster named “No, It’s Necessary” – referencing a line from the movie Interstellar – was destroyed in Thursday’s incident. An unnamed source familiar with the situation, who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly, said the launch pad was “practically destroyed” and engineers anticipate at least six months of delays, possibly longer.

“It’s only been a year since the SpaceX Starship also exploded on the launch pad and Blue Origin can also recover. But it will take months to rebuild,” said Antoine Grenier, partner and head of space consulting at Analysys Mason.

LENGTHY RECONSTRUCTION ANTICIPATED

When SpaceX’s Falcon 9 exploded on its launch pad in 2016, the company needed more than a year to fix the damaged infrastructure, though it managed to resume launches in 4-1/2 months by using a different Florida facility.

Although Amazon has diversified its launch partnerships, including working with SpaceX, this gives Musk’s company additional influence over his longtime competitor Bezos.

“Sorry to see this, I hope you recover quickly,” Musk wrote on X, later responding to Bezos with “Ad astra per aspera,” a Latin expression about achieving difficult objectives.

Amazon LEO had been counting on New Glenn’s frequent launch schedule to put half of its 3,200-plus satellite broadband network into orbit by July 2026 to satisfy regulatory requirements. A prolonged grounding by the FAA will seriously jeopardize this timeline.

SATELLITE NETWORK PLANS AT RISK

Grenier from Analysys Mason noted that Amazon has already secured much of the available capacity from other heavy-lift launch providers in the near future. While SpaceX might handle some additional demand, its Falcon 9 can transport roughly half the number of Amazon LEO satellites per mission compared to New Glenn, meaning any major shift would require substantially more launches, he explained.

Additionally, lunar cargo is designed for specific launch vehicles, making switches to different rockets complex.

The rocket was also set to carry Blue Origin’s inaugural Blue Moon lunar lander this year. NASA recently awarded the company a contract to transport two lunar rovers before the Artemis 4 mission in 2028.

NASA announced Thursday it would evaluate immediate effects on its Artemis and Moon Base initiatives, though it’s uncertain whether any missions will need reassignment.

However, it remains unclear how significantly this incident will affect Blue Origin’s future prospects and benefit SpaceX, whose schedule is already packed with its own Starlink satellite deployments plus commercial and government contracts.

The U.S. Space Force and National Reconnaissance Office reaffirmed their support for Blue Origin on Friday, maintaining their newly awarded national security launch contract from Thursday despite the devastating launch pad explosion that occurred hours afterward.

“Long term, the market still needs viable alternatives, so this strengthens SpaceX’s position at the margin, but doesn’t change the broader trajectory toward a multi-provider ecosystem,” said Mark Boggett, CEO of British space investor Seraphim Space.

Federal aviation safety investigators have temporarily disabled their public records database after discovering that artificial intelligence technology was being used to recreate confidential pilot communications from crash investigations.

The National Transportation Safety Board shut down its document access system when officials learned that digital images from their files were being utilized to reconstruct cockpit voice recordings from pilots involved in a recent aviation accident.

The agency’s action highlights growing concerns about how advancing AI capabilities are challenging traditional methods of protecting sensitive investigation materials that have historically remained confidential.

Chris Babcock, an engineer at the National Transportation Safety Board, works in one of the specialized listening facilities at the agency’s Washington, D.C. headquarters, where investigators typically review audio evidence from aircraft incidents.

The temporary shutdown demonstrates the unexpected ways that emerging technology is complicating efforts by federal investigators to maintain privacy protections around sensitive crash investigation materials.

In the United Arab Emirates’ Al Quaa Desert, astronomy enthusiasts are discovering what most of the country has lost to modern development: a crystal-clear view of the stars that once helped desert nomads navigate the vast wilderness.

While the UAE’s towering buildings and brilliant lights showcase the nation’s remarkable transformation into a global center for business and travel, this progress has come at a cost. The celestial views that historically guided Bedouin travelers through the shifting sands of the Empty Quarter have largely disappeared from populated areas.

Volunteers from the Dubai Astronomy Group are now organizing nighttime trips to Al Quaa Desert, among the few remaining dark locations in the Emirates, to help residents reconnect with the night sky and witness the Milky Way.

“It causes us to appreciate our existence in this galaxy,” said Sheeraz Awan, the general manager of the astronomy group, while leading participants during a late May stargazing session.

The Emirates is classified as one of the planet’s most light-polluted nations, joining other Gulf states where most citizens reside in major urban centers.

Research from 2016 determined that “humanity has enveloped our planet in a luminous fog” and found that 99% of UAE residents cannot observe the Milky Way from their residences due to artificial lighting.

This artificial brightness includes everything from highway street lamps to the spectacular LED displays that captivate visitors at Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the planet’s highest structure. Abu Dhabi is planning to construct a $1.7 billion replica of the Sphere, the Las Vegas venue, on its Yas Island.

In Abu Dhabi, the UAE’s capital, officials have recognized the light pollution issue and established what they term a “Dark Sky Policy” in 2024 addressing illumination and related concerns throughout their emirate. In Dubai, LED displays on buildings are becoming more prevalent and LED billboards are increasingly common. Dubai officials did not respond to requests for comment, though the emirate also contains Al Qudra Lakes, a countryside location with reduced light pollution.

Urban illumination cannot reach Al Quaa Desert.

The desert location is accessible by car, approximately 100 kilometers (62 miles) southeast of Abu Dhabi city via a main highway toward the oasis town of Al Ain, then another route heading south deep into the desert.

Although overhead lighting exists on the section called Razeen Road, including a brightly lit correctional facility along the route, the desert extends just beyond in complete darkness, free from urban illumination. Razeen Road eventually turns east, but an automated gate permits drivers onto a dirt path leading further into the wilderness.

Several kilometers deeper, beyond those camping among the dunes and enjoying some of the final pleasant overnight conditions before UAE summer temperatures reach approximately 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit), the astronomy volunteers assembled dozens of visitors for stargazing.

They had company. Multiple workers wrapped in thick blankets were sleeping nearby in a pickup truck bed beneath the stars. Under a single LED light marking the parking area, a Solifugae — commonly called a camel spider — consumed another camel spider following an extended battle. The creature briefly moved toward a reporter and volunteer before vibrations from an approaching vehicle caused it to retreat into the darkness. Everyone present then monitored their footing carefully.

On rugs spread for the May weekend expedition, families conversing in Arabic, English and Russian gazed upward. The half-moon gradually descended beyond the horizon. Shortly after, the Milky Way’s outline became visible to the unaided eye.

“When you look toward the east, can you see that faint cloud,” Awan asked. “That, ladies and gentlemen, is the Milky Way.”

Using a laser pointer to illuminate the star formations, he prompted one woman to cry out: “Ay ye ye!”

The Dubai Astronomy Group volunteers explained this represented one of the optimal periods annually for galaxy observation. Several people gasped upon spotting meteors periodically crossing the sky, clearly visible in the darkness without urban light interference.

Some congregated around telescopes to examine individual stars. Others reclined on the cold desert sand, receiving guidance on using their mobile devices for long-exposure photography to capture the galaxy shining above. Gradually, people slowly returned to their vehicles and began driving back to the UAE’s illuminated highways and cities.

For a brief time, they had connected with the night as Bedouins had done before them.

“When we look at this Milky Way, we’re kind of involved in an activity, which is not new,” Awan told the stargazers. “It’s something that people throughout time have been engaged in.”

California environmental regulators approved modifications to a major climate initiative on Friday, despite widespread opposition from green advocacy groups who argued the revisions would diminish the program’s effectiveness and hamper efforts to reduce emissions that contribute to global warming.

Oil industry representatives, however, contended that the program would continue to create obstacles for reducing energy costs in a state known for high prices.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and state legislators renewed authorization for California’s cap-and-trade initiative last year, extending it through 2045. This system establishes a decreasing ceiling on total greenhouse gas emissions from large polluting entities throughout the state. Businesses must either cut their pollution output, purchase permits from the government or other companies, or support projects designed to offset their emissions. Comparable systems operate throughout Europe and Asia, with California’s program connected to similar initiatives in Quebec, Canada and Washington state.

The modifications approved Friday will provide companies — primarily manufacturers and oil refiners — with approximately $3.5 billion in free permits if they construct projects that help decrease their emissions. State officials explained this approach aims to prevent major businesses from relocating outside California, though environmental advocates argue it contradicts the program’s fundamental purpose of encouraging companies to reduce pollution to minimize permit costs. They also contend it will reduce funding available for climate change mitigation and reduction programs.

California Air Resources Board Chair Lauren Sanchez, who previously served as the governor’s top climate adviser, stated the modifications will help California maintain its position as a climate leader.

“Moving forward shows that we can be responsive to affordability concerns, new legislative direction, while also setting a clear signal for Californians, other states and global partners that we remain committed to driving long-term investments in clean energy jobs and reducing pollution in communities,” she said.

State law mandates California reduce its planet-warming emissions by 40% and 85% below 1990 levels by 2030 and 2045, respectively. Program supporters believe cap and trade will help achieve these targets.

The governor signed legislation designed to better align the decreasing emissions ceiling with state climate objectives, designate program revenue for various climate, housing and transit initiatives, and potentially enhance carbon-removal projects. The legislation also renamed the program “cap and invest” to highlight its funding of climate initiatives.

However, achieving these objectives has generated months of air board discussions and intensive lobbying by both environmental organizations and the oil industry. An original proposal primarily focused on aligning the program with last year’s legislation, but was modified to emphasize reducing program costs.

California officials have encountered growing pressure to prioritize affordability in climate policy development after two oil refineries announced closure plans in recent years. The Democratic-controlled state has also confronted federal challenges to its climate agenda, including legislation Republican President Donald Trump signed last year blocking a pioneering rule prohibiting new gas-powered car sales by 2035.

The newly approved changes also boost funding from permit sales by $2 billion from 2027 through 2030 for a program offering utility bill credits to Californians and designate approximately $800 million to help cap-and-trade participating businesses limit program costs for residents.

Previously, roughly $4 billion the state collected annually from permit sales funded climate change mitigation, affordable housing and transportation projects through the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.

The governor and state lawmakers determine which programs receive fund money, and last year they agreed to provide $1 billion annually for the state’s delayed high-speed rail project.

The modifications will likely reduce annual fund revenues by half, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office. This reduction stems largely from the new incentive program for manufacturers and refiners, said Danny Cullenward, a climate economist who opposes the changes, though board staff disputes this assessment.

This week’s regulatory deliberations extended into a second day following extensive public commentary where climate advocates, legal experts and fossil fuel industry leaders discussed the rules’ effects on pollution and consumer costs, with many requesting the board postpone its vote to better align regulations with state priorities.

Environmental groups, Democratic lawmakers and other critics argue the changes impede state efforts to reduce planet-warming emissions. Cullenward stated the new manufacturer and refiner incentive program lacks testing and adequate safeguards to prevent misuse.

“The state is not on track for its climate goals,” he said at a media briefing Wednesday. “Cutting our climate funding does not help address consumer cost concerns, and it doesn’t accelerate emission reductions.”

The board agreed Friday to postpone issuing permits from the new incentive program until the agency’s executive officer reviews the program and reports back with potential modifications.

The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund reductions will severely impact diverse programs serving communities statewide, said Michelle Pariset, director of legislative affairs for social justice law firm Public Advocates.

“These are investments that determine whether a student can afford to take transit to school, whether a senior can get to a doctor’s appointment, whether a family can live near reliable transportation instead of enduring long commutes and higher costs,” Pariset said at the Wednesday briefing.

Jodie Muller, president and CEO of the Western States Petroleum Association, said the updates represent progress but inadequately address future energy affordability concerns.

“California refineries need long-term certainty to make the investments that keep energy reliable and affordable for consumers –- and right now, that certainty stops at 2030,” she said in a statement.

The changes will increase California’s dependence on oil imports to satisfy energy requirements, said Rock Zierman, CEO of the California Independent Petroleum Association.

“That means high GHG emissions, fewer jobs, more expensive gasoline, and lower tax revenue for schools, police, fire, and parks,” Zierman said in a statement, using an acronym for greenhouse gas.

The U.S. Space Force announced Friday that it has granted Elon Musk’s SpaceX a massive $4.16 billion contract to develop a program that will detect and monitor airborne threats from orbit.

Known as the Space-Based Advanced Moving Target Indicator (SB-AMTI), the system will function as an integrated network combining orbital sensors, protected communication channels, and terrestrial data processing to enhance collaboration throughout the government’s space industry partners.

According to the Space Force, multiple companies are part of the SB-AMTI contractor group, with SpaceX among them, and additional contracts will be distributed over the next twelve months.

“This initial award is projected to field a constellation of satellites by 2028, providing the Joint Force with an early capability to eliminate operational blind spots,” the agency stated in its announcement.

SpaceX, which announced its initial public offering plans earlier this month, is seeking a valuation exceeding $1.75 trillion.

Just days ago, the Space Force granted SpaceX another major contract worth $2.29 billion to construct a protected, high-speed satellite communication system that will link military sensors and weapons platforms worldwide.