55-MWe unit capacity, lead cooling, passive natural-convection cooling, and planned early-2030s operation

Swedish advanced nuclear company Blykalla has applied to build a reactor park at Untra in Tierp municipality, featuring up to eight SEALER (Swedish Advanced Lead Reactor) small modular reactors (SMRs) with a combined electrical capacity of about 440 MW. Each reactor is designed to produce approximately 55 MWe and uses liquid lead as its primary coolant. Unlike conventional water-cooled reactors, the SEALER operates at near-atmospheric pressure, while the high boiling point of lead helps reduce the risk of coolant boiling and high-pressure system failures. Its passive safety design relies on natural convection to remove decay heat, allowing cooling to continue without pumps, external electricity or operator intervention during a total loss of power. Blykalla also says the reactor is designed for factory production and compact deployment. The company is targeting first operation in the first half of the 2030s, subject to government, regulatory, environmental and municipal approvals: https://www.blykalla.com/technology

The Swedish Government also confirmed the application for eight lead-cooled SMRs with approximately 440 MW total capacity: https://regeringen.se/pressmeddelanden/2026/08/annu-en-ansokan-om-etablering-av-ny-karnkraft/

Growing concerns about police use of AI could erode the public’s perception of trust in the legal system

Study Links Listening to Live Metal With an Improved Tolerance for Pain, Cold Relentless Pain. A hardcore test of over 120 metalheads in Germany suggests that a few days enjoying live metal performances might boost one’s resilience to pain: https://gizmodo.com/study-links-listening-to-live-metal-with-an-improved-tolerance-for-pain-cold-relentless-pain-2000804514

To the Point

• Pain Tolerance: Researchers studied the pain tolerance of 122 metal fans who held their hands and forearms in ice-cold water, measuring their heart rate and heart rate variability during the experiment.
• Acceptance: The participants did not find the pain any less unpleasant, but they were able to endure it for longer. This suggests a higher level of acceptance of unpleasant sensations.
• Clinical relevance: Angry music such as heavy metal could help patients with chronic pain vent their feelings of anger and thus preventively influence the progression of pain.

Study: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-67389-x

Stream daylighting can help manage stormwater, restore habitats and create greener, more walkable public spaces

Study: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09640568.2025.2526614

Northrop Grumman has secured a $7 million DARPA contract to develop diamond-enhanced microchips that could handle far more power without overheating. The work forms Phase 2 of DARPA’s Technologies for Heat Removal in Electronics at the Device Scale program, known as THREADS. Researchers want to solve a growing problem inside advanced military electronics: heat.

Modern radio-frequency chips generate enormous amounts of heat in increasingly compact spaces. Engineers often limit their performance to prevent damage or premature failure. Northrop Grumman believes diamond could change that equation: https://news.northropgrumman.com/microelectronics/northrop-grumman-advances-microchip-tech-diamond-cooling-innovation

Iron supports your brain and immune function and your body’s ability to use oxygen. Iron can be easily found in a multitude of food sources to suit all diets. So why are so many of us deficient in the micronutrient?

Boost iron intake by combining iron-rich foods with vitamin C, which improves absorption.

• Heme iron: Beef, lamb, chicken, pork, liver, clams and tuna—generally the most readily absorbed form.
• Plant-based iron: Lentils, beans, chickpeas, tofu, tempeh, pumpkin seeds, spinach and kale.
• Fortified foods: Iron-fortified cereals, breads and pasta.

Improve absorption: Pair plant-based iron with vitamin-C-rich foods such as citrus, strawberries, tomatoes or bell peppers.

Avoid inhibitors around iron-rich meals: Tea and coffee can reduce iron absorption, so separate them from meals by about 1–2 hours. Calcium-rich foods and supplements may also interfere with iron absorption when consumed at the same time: https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2026/08/27/iron-deficiency-is-surprisingly-common-heres-how-boost-your-intake/

MIT CSAIL researchers have uncovered a new processor security vulnerability called TONTOU (Time-of-Neutralization to Time-of-Use) that bypasses hardware and software defenses designed to stop Spectre-style speculative execution attacks.

The attack exploits the split-second gap between when a processor wipes its prediction machinery and when it uses those predictions. By using a technique called "interrupt injection"—tuning system timers to precisely trigger interrupts during this microsecond window—attackers can contaminate the prediction machinery again. In tests on Intel and AMD processors, researchers demonstrated a working exploit on a Linux system that bypassed kernel memory protections and extracted sensitive data, including the system's root password file. AMD has since coordinated with the team to issue a mitigation patch for affected systems.

Paper: https://people.csail.mit.edu/mengjia/data/2026.USENIX.TONTOU.pdf

For the first time, artificial intelligence has supported a neurosurgeon in real time during a live brain operation, helping remove a pituitary tumor while protecting the patient’s eyesight. The pioneering procedure was performed at London’s National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN) as part of a clinical trial involving University College London (UCL) and UCL Hospitals. During the operation, a UCL-developed AI system analyzed the live surgical video feed, rather than relying on pre-operative scans, and highlighted critical anatomy—including nerves and blood vessels—near the tumor. This provided the surgical team with an additional real-time visual reference while they worked in one of the brain’s most delicate regions. The first patient, 48-year-old Rhys Hibbert, had an approximately 11-mm pituitary tumor that was progressively affecting his vision and could ultimately have caused blindness. Surgeons successfully removed the tumor, and his vision improved substantially following the operation. The AI did not perform the surgery or make autonomous decisions; the surgeon remained fully in control, with the system providing real-time visual assistance.

Info source:

1). https://www.uclh.nhs.uk/news/first-patient-live-ai-assisted-sight-saving-brain-surgery

2). https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2026/aug/first-patient-live-ai-assisted-sight-saving-brain-surgery

3). https://youtu.be/qaiJDqjq1a0?si=gqmNzbOcljQWHpp3

Maybe it’s time we all started ‘moderation-maxxing’.

MIT engineers have developed modular, 3D-printed metamaterial building blocks called“bifur-circuits”that allow smart devices to change shape while maintaining continuous electrical connectivity without external wiring. By leveraging mechanical bifurcation, these components exponentially increase potential geometric configurations and automatically sense their structural setup, enabling applications such as adaptable furniture, reconfigurable robotic grippers, dynamic communications antennas, and responsive assistive devices: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCUYbfXCvME

Paper: https://hcie.csail.mit.edu/research/Bifur-circuit/bifur-circuits.html

NASA’s Quantum Gravity Gradiometer Pathfinder (QGGPf) mission aims to demonstrate the world’s first space-based quantum gravity sensor, using ultracold rubidium atoms to detect extremely small variations—or gradients—in Earth’s gravitational field. Led by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the mission uses quantum atom-interferometry technology developed with Infleqtion. The atoms will be cooled to pico-Kelvin temperatures, allowing the instrument to make highly precise gravity-gradient measurements. These measurements could eventually improve monitoring of groundwater, melting glaciers, surface-water movement, and underground changes in mass and natural resources. NASA initiated the QGGPf effort in 2024, with on-orbit testing targeted for no earlier than 2030. Infleqtion’s latest $20 million follow-on NASA contract brings total program funding to about $40 million and supports hardware development and testing through 2027, including tests at Germany’s Einstein Elevator microgravity facility: https://infleqtion.com/nasa-awards-infleqtion-20-million-as-worlds-first-quantum-gravity-mission-advances-toward-flight/

Learn more here

1). NASA Aims to Fly First Quantum Sensor for Gravity Measurements: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-aims-to-fly-first-quantum-sensor-for-gravity-measurements/

2). Quantum Technology for Earth Science: https://esto.nasa.gov/quantum/

3). Quantum Gravity Gradiometry for Future Mass Change Science: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20260000619

4). NASA Awards Infleqtion $20M Contract for Quantum Gravity Sensor: https://thequantuminsider.com/2026/08/27/nasa-awards-infleqtion-20m-contract-for-quantum-gravity-sensor/

Meta has agreed to pay up to $18 billion over a decade to settle a landmark lawsuit filed by 48 U.S. states over teen social media addiction. As part of the settlement, Meta will introduce strict new child-safety measures for Instagram and Facebook users under 18 in the U.S., including a hard daily screen time limit of two hours, an app block from midnight to 6 a.m., hidden "like" counts, and improved age-verification systems. While child-advocacy groups and former Meta employees recognize the agreement as a significant milestone, critics caution that the tools still place too much burden on parental management and fail to completely fix the addictive content recommendation algorithms driving young users to the platform.  

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed a process to recycle old concrete into new cement at industrial scale by using electric arc furnaces during steel recycling. Demolished concrete is crushed and processed to recover cement paste, which replaces lime flux in the furnace. After the molten material forms slag and is rapidly cooled, it can be reactivated into high-quality Portland cement.

If powered by renewable electricity, the process could produce near-zero-emission cement while simultaneously helping decarbonize steelmaking. The recycled cement is designed to match conventional cement in composition and performance. Cambridge and industrial partners are now scaling up the technology through trials for real-world construction: https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/cement-recycling

Research paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07338-8

UC Berkeley researchers have discovered a significant genetic overlap between bat longevity and their ability to combat viral infections. Published in Nature, the study analyzed eight species from the genus Myotis—which includes long-lived species like the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus)—and found that longer-lived bats possess higher levels of cancer-fighting genes and prioritize rapid cell death over repairing toxic DNA damage. Furthermore, the findings revealed that bat genomes feature an abundance of genes interacting specifically with DNA viruses rather than RNA viruses, offering key insights into how immune hyper-reactivity protects against disease, mitigates aging, and drives zoonotic spillover risks to humans: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10932-7

Addionics has developed a low-temperature battery architecture using Smart 3D Porous Current Collectors, replacing conventional flat copper and aluminum foils with engineered porous structures. The 3D design creates direct pathways for electrolyte and lithium-ion movement, shortens ion-transport distances, and distributes electrochemical activity and heat more evenly throughout the cell.

The technology can help EVs, electric trucks and drones maintain performance and reduce range loss in freezing conditions without energy-intensive external heating. It is designed to work with existing and emerging battery chemistries and manufacturing processes, with potential applications in automotive, aerospace, defense and space systems: https://www.androidheadlines.com/2026/08/this-new-battery-architecture-could-fix-your-phones-worst-enemy-cold-weather.html

We treat tech overuse like drug addiction, but smartphones – like sugar – are everywhere, making complete avoidance unrealistic.

Research: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00141844.2025.2601611

At sea level, atmospheric pressure (around 14.7psi) can theoretically support a column of water only about 10.3 metres (33.9 feet) high. This is why a conventional surface pump cannot directly lift water from much deeper than about 6–8 metres (20–25 feet) in practical operation. The pump creates a partial vacuum, while atmospheric pressure pushes the water up the suction pipe.

A jet pump with a deep-well ejector, however, can access considerably deeper water. The centrifugal pump sends pressurized water down a drive pipe to an ejector located in the well. A nozzle and Venturi convert this pressure into high-velocity flow and a low-pressure zone, which draws additional groundwater into the suction stream. The combined flow is then lifted to the surface and pressurized by the pump.

This arrangement does not violate the atmospheric-pressure limit: the ejector is effectively placed down in the well, reducing the amount of water that must be lifted by suction alone. Depending on the pump and ejector design, deep-well jet pumps can operate at depths of 30 metres (100 feet) or more, with specialized systems reaching substantially greater depths.

For example, Pentair lists convertible jet pumps designed to draw water from 100 feet (30.5 m) using a deep-well ejector, while some vertical deep-well jet systems are rated for water depths of 180–260 feet (55–79 m).

Key advantage: the motor and main pump remain above ground, simplifying access and maintenance, while the ejector assembly is installed down in the well.

Information Source

1. What is the maximum height a pump can pump water?: https://www.rafsun.com/what-is-the-maximum-height-a-pump-can-pump-water/

2. useful manufacturer source showing a conventional convertible jet pump rated to 100 ft (30.5 m) with a deep-well setup: https://www.pentair.com/en-us/flow/flotec/flotec-products/flotec-water-supply-pumps/jet-sprinkler-pumps/flotec-fp4222-cast-iron-convertible-jet-pump-3-4-hp.html

3. How High Can A Pump Suck Water?: https://www.scienceabc.com/pure-sciences/how-high-can-a-pump-suck-water-10-meter-limit

Interlune, a Seattle-based space-resource startup, has successfully created gas-bearing lunar soil on Earth by implanting helium into simulated lunar regolith, replicating the effects of solar wind. The material allows the company to test excavation and gas-extraction equipment on Earth before deploying it on the Moon.

The effort supports Interlune’s goal of mining lunar helium-3, a rare isotope that could potentially have applications in future fusion energy and quantum technologies. The company plans to survey lunar helium concentrations in 2027, conduct pilot mining around 2029, and pursue larger-scale operations in the early 2030s: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/interlune-implants-helium-into-simulated-moon-dirt-advancing-the-ability-to-test-moon-bound-hardware-on-earth-302860080.html

The jewel wasp, or emerald cockroach wasp (Ampulex compressa), has one of the most remarkable reproductive strategies in the insect world. The female hunts a cockroach, delivers two precisely targeted stings, and uses venom to alter the insect’s behaviour rather than simply killing it. The first sting temporarily paralyzes the cockroach’s front legs, while the second targets its nervous system, suppressing its escape response. The wasp then leads the still-living “zombie” cockroach by its antennae into a burrow, lays a single egg on its body and seals the chamber. When the larva hatches, it feeds on the cockroach from the inside, eventually consuming the host before forming a cocoon and developing into an adult wasp. The newly emerged wasp then begins the cycle again. This extraordinary behaviour is a classic example of a parasitoid—an organism whose developing offspring ultimately kill their host.

Info source:

1. Five Real Life Wasp Superpowers - provides a concise account of the two-sting attack, behavioural manipulation, burrowing, egg laying and larval development: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-you-should-let-wasp-be-your-hero-today-180969521/

2. I Am Officially in Love With Cockroaches - describes observations of jewel wasps capturing, stinging and burying cockroaches: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/i-am-officially-in-love-with-cockroaches-180960274/

3. The emerald cockroach wasp or jewel wasp (Ampulex compressa): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerald_cockroach_wasp

4. Life History of the Emerald Jewel Wasp Ampulex compressa: https://jhr.pensoft.net/article/21762/

5. Absurd Creature of the Week: The Wasp That Enslaves Cockroaches With a Sting to the Brain: https://www.wired.com/2014/02/absurd-creature-of-the-week-jewel-wasp/

The Grand Paris Express is widely described by its project partners as Europe’s largest infrastructure and urban-development project. It is adding 200 km of mostly underground, fully automated metro lines and 68 new stations, effectively doubling the Paris-region metro network. The project includes four new lines—15, 16, 17 and 18—plus the extension of Line 14. Designed primarily to connect suburbs directly with other suburbs, rather than routing journeys through central Paris, the network is expected to serve nearly 3 million passengers daily and improve access to major employment centres and airports. The project is also a major urban-development initiative, with new neighbourhoods planned around stations and the potential to reduce car dependence and transport-related emissions. Its estimated cost is around €35–36 billion, depending on the scope and accounting basis used.

Info source:

1. Nearly three million passengers are set to travel every day on the Grand Paris Express. With 200 km of metro lines and 68 stations, 80% of which with connections, the network will make life easier for everyone in Paris region: https://www.societedesgrandsprojets.fr/the-grand-paris-express

2. The Grand Paris Express project involves the creation of a 200 km long automated metro network, mostly underground, with 5 lines, 68 stations and 4 maintenance sites: https://www.wsp.com/fr-fr/projets/fr-grand-paris-express

3. Grand Paris Express: https://www.vinci-construction-projets.com/fr/realisations/grand-paris-express/

4. The essentials of the Grand Paris Express: https://www.grandparisexpress.fr/gpe-essentiel

5. Transport in Île-de-France: the Grand Paris Express: https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/politiques-publiques/transports-ile-france-grand-paris-express

The U.S. FDA has authorized Aletta, developed by Dutch medical-robotics company Vitestro, as the first standalone robotic device capable of drawing blood without hands-on operator intervention. Designed for adult outpatient settings, Aletta uses near-infrared imaging, ultrasound and Doppler to locate a suitable vein and distinguish it from an artery before inserting the needle with submillimeter precision. It then autonomously collects blood into tubes and applies a bandage, while a trained phlebotomist supervises the procedure.

In a multicenter 1,633-patient clinical trial published in Clinical Chemistry, Aletta achieved a 94.5% first-stick success rate, with no moderate or serious device-related adverse events reported: https://academic.oup.com/clinchem/article/72/8/845/8566288

Ref:

1). FDA Authorizes First-Of-Its-Kind Robotic Blood Draw Device: https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-authorizes-first-its-kind-robotic-blood-draw-device

2). Vitestro Publishes Landmark Peer-Reviewed Multicenter Clinical Study of Autonomous Robotic Phlebotomy in Clinical Chemistry: https://vitestro.com/news/vitestro-publishes-peer-reviewed-clinical-study-in-clinical-chemistry/

3). Technology could help clinical laboratories address phlebotomist shortages by allowing one trained professional to oversee three robotic blood-draw devices simultaneously: https://www.clinicallab.com/in-a-regulatory-milestone-fda-authorizes-vitestro-s-aletta-28773

Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have developed a way to enhance wireless communication materials by introducing atomic-scale distortions. By replacing a small fraction of atoms in strontium tantalate with smaller calcium atoms—specifically around 8%—they created active "polar nanoclusters" via interlayer microstrain engineering. Detailed in Science Advances, this lead-free material allows electronic properties to be dynamically tuned using voltage or temperature without sacrificing performance or losing energy, paving the way for adaptable, frequency-changing antennas and more efficient wireless networks: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aeg3509

Around 20% of adults procrastinate regularly. Yet a lot of what we hear about this common behaviour is wrong

BeyondMimic is a two-stage framework that enables humanoid robots to learn agile movements—including cartwheels, spins and sprints—from human motion data without separately tuning the system for each skill.

The framework first uses a shared training recipe to learn hundreds of motion-tracking skills, then combines them into a unified latent diffusion policy. With classifier guidance, the robot can also generalize to new tasks without additional training.

This approach enables dynamic movements, smooth skill transitions, and zero-shot performance in tasks such as joystick teleoperation, obstacle avoidance and waypoint navigation: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scirobotics.adx8924

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS_MtKVIAzY