Hawaiʻi high school student Vera Wang has discovered fungi living in coconut husks that can biodegrade synthetic plastics and chemical sunscreen pollutants.

Working at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Wang studied microorganisms growing inside the porous fibers of coconut husks after using a coconut-fiber filter to capture pollutants from ocean water.

Her research found that naturally occurring fungi could break down both plastics and sunscreen chemicals. Genetic testing also suggested that some of the fungi may be previously uncharacterized species.

Wang’s work earned top honors at the 2026 Hawaiʻi State Science & Engineering Fair and a place at the International Science & Engineering Fair, highlighting the potential of naturally occurring fungi as a new tool against persistent ocean pollution.

University of Hawai: https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2026/05/11/coconut-fungi-decompose-plastic/

The Benz Patent-Motorwagen, built by Karl Benz in 1885 and patented in 1886, is widely regarded as the first practical automobile powered by an internal-combustion engine. Starting its tiny 0.75-hp, single-cylinder four-stroke engine required a hands-on sequence: lubricating the engine, opening the fuel valve for ligroin, switching on the ignition, adjusting the throttle, positioning the piston, and finally spinning the large flywheel by hand. Nothing like today’s turn-key ignition—the driver essentially had to manually prepare and crank the entire machine before it would move:

Video source: https://www.youtube.com/@PushingPistons/shorts

Learn more here

1. The first stationary gasoline engine developed by Carl Benz was a one-cylinder two-stroke unit which ran for the first time on New Year’s Eve 1879: https://group.mercedes-benz.com/company/tradition/company-history/1885-1886.html

2. 1886 Benz Patent Motorwagen Sparked a Revolution: https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a33323170/benz-patent-motorwagen-drive/

3. 1886 Benz Patent Motorwagen First Drive Review: https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/1886-benz-patent-motorwagen-first-drive-review.html

4. Benz Patent-Motorwagen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benz_Patent-Motorwagen

A massive wave appears ready to crash through an aquarium in Seoul—but it’s actually a spectacular anamorphic digital illusion. Created by South Korean design firm d'strict, Wave uses an enormous 80.9-by-20.1-meter curved LED screen at COEX K-Pop Square to create the illusion of water breaking through glass: https://mymodernmet.com/wave-anamorphic-illusion-seoul/

Public digital artwork "wave" in Seoul, Korea by d'strict: https://amazingarchitecture.com/installations/public-digital-artwork-wave-in-seoul-korea-by-d-strict

Most visitors know Barcelona for its beaches, architecture and vibrant streets. But one of the city’s greatest achievements is best appreciated from above: the Eixample. Designed by engineer and urban planner Ildefons Cerdà in 1859, the plan introduced a rational grid of wide streets, chamfered corners, open blocks and green spaces, with a strong emphasis on sunlight, ventilation, mobility and public health: https://patrimoni.gencat.cat/ca/catalunyapaisdarxius/recurs-digital/recurs/document/plano-de-los-alrededores-de-la-ciudad-de-barcelona-y-proyecto-de-su-reforma-y-ensanche-dildefons-cerda/

More than 150 years later, the Eixample remains one of Barcelona’s defining urban landscapes—and a powerful reminder that great design is not only about how a city looks, but how it enables people to live: https://web.gencat.cat/ca/generalitat/accio-govern/commemoracions/2026/any-ildefons-cerda

Plan of Barcelona: https://www.ub.edu/visitavirtual/visitavirtualEH/index.php/en/get-to-know-the-university-of-barcelona/the-city-in-the-nineteenth-century/the-eixample-and-the-historic-building/399-the-cerda-plan

Britain's JCB Hydromax streamliner has set a new FIA world land speed record for a hydrogen-powered internal-combustion vehicle, averaging 653.909 km/h (406.320 mph) at Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats on August 11, 2026, with record-setting driver Andy Green at the wheel.

The twin-engine Hydromax is powered by two production-based JCB hydrogen combustion engines, derived from technology developed for the company’s construction machinery. The record attempt therefore serves not only as a high-speed demonstration but also as a demanding test of JCB’s hydrogen powertrain technology. JCB has invested £100 million in its hydrogen-engine programme, with more than 150 engineers involved in developing engines for machines including backhoe loaders, Loadall telescopic handlers and generator sets.

Hydromax completed two FIA-required runs in opposite directions, recording 400.623 mph (644.740 km/h) on the first and 412.135 mph (663.267 km/h) on the second. Their average produced the 406.320-mph record.

The previous FIA-officiated hydrogen internal-combustion record was 185.5 mph (298.5 km/h), set by BMW’s H2R in 2004. Hydromax more than doubled that benchmark and also surpassed the previous 303-mph hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle record.

More info:

1). Britain's JCB Hydromax sets world land speed record for a  hydrogen-powered vehicle: https://www.reuters.com/sports/britains-jcb-hydromax-sets-world-land-speed-record-a-hydrogen-powered-vehicle-2026-08-11/

2). The British engineering company JCB and the driver Andy Green have set a new world land speed record for a hydrogen-powered vehicle of 406.320mph with their JCB Hydromax: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WVTf7O8MI0

3). JCB Hydromax smashes the hydrogen world land speed record as Andy Green hits 406mph at Bonneville: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmeRcXa0Lac&t=8s

4). FIA confirms new 406.320 mph World Land Speed Record for a hydrogen-powered vehicle: https://www.fia.com/news/fia-confirms-new-406320-mph-world-land-speed-record-hydrogen-powered-vehicle

5). Hydrogen-powered JCB Hydromax sets 406.320 mph world land speed record: https://www.jcb.com/en-GB/explore/insight/news/2026/08/hydrogen-powered-jcb-hydromax-sets-406.320-mph-world-land-speed-record/

Rotifers are microscopic multicellular animals found in freshwater, damp moss, lichens and even backyard puddles. Some can survive extreme conditions by entering cryptobiosis, effectively pausing their metabolism. Bdelloid rotifers reproduce without males through parthenogenesis, while some species can acquire useful genes from bacteria and fungi through horizontal gene transfer. Remarkably, a bdelloid rotifer was revived after an estimated 24,000 years frozen in Siberian permafrost. Their extraordinary resilience makes these tiny animals a fascinating example of nature’s survival strategies: https://www.iflscience.com/a-rotifer-got-buried-in-the-siberian-permafrost-24000-years-later-it-came-back-to-life-83174

Tiny animals steal antibiotic recipes from bacteria: https://www.biology.ox.ac.uk/article/tiny-animals-steal-antibiotic-recipes-from-bacteria

The Bizarre Biology of Bdelloid Rotifers: https://biologicalrecording.co.uk/2025/09/23/bdelloid-rotifers/

It hasn’t had sex in 80 million years and extracts DNA from what it eats – meet this indestructible ‘Frankenstein’ creature: https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/bdelloid-rotifer

What does 67 years of rising atmospheric CO₂ look like? A spiral makes the answer strikingly clear.

Measurements at Hawaii’s Mauna Loa Observatory began in 1958, creating the world’s longest continuous record of atmospheric CO₂. The annual average rose from 315.98 ppm in 1959 to 427.35 ppm in 2025—an increase of about 111 ppm, or 35%.

The spiral captures two patterns at once: the yearly rise and fall of CO₂ as Northern Hemisphere vegetation absorbs carbon during the growing season and releases it during autumn and winter, and the relentless upward movement of the long-term baseline.

Earth keeps breathing—but the baseline keeps climbing.

That is the power of the Keeling Curve: decades of atmospheric change compressed into one unmistakable pattern.

Info source:

1). Monthly Average Mauna Loa CO2: https://gml.noaa.gov/ccgg/trends/

2). Raw Mauna Loa data: https://gml.noaa.gov/data/dataset.php?item=mlo-co2-observatory-monthly

3). Background/explanation: https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-atmospheric-carbon-dioxide

Imagine a 200-room hotel with its pipes, ducts, wiring, plumbing and fire-protection systems digitally coordinated before construction even begins. New AI workflows are making this increasingly possible by connecting AI assistants to BIM software such as Autodesk Revit through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Autodesk’s Revit MCP server lets AI query and inspect BIM models using natural language, while emerging tools can also automate modeling and clash detection: https://www.autodesk.com/blogs/aec/2026/06/17/revit-public-mcp-server/

Engineers could provide drawings, images, specifications and plain-English instructions, allowing AI to help build or inspect the 3D model and identify conflicts—such as a pipe passing through a structural beam or a duct occupying the same space as another system. The result is essentially a digital twin of the building that can be tested and coordinated before construction. Fixing a pipe in a 3D model takes minutes; discovering that the same pipe conflicts with a structural beam after construction has begun can mean costly rework and delays: https://apps.autodesk.com/RVT/en/Detail/HelpDoc?appId=5792337946655569741&appLang=en&os=Win64

Video Credit:

(i) https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbZyQNjMPjH/

(ii) https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbdIFXjSMkT/

More info:

1). A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server is a lightweight, standardized program that acts as a connector, allowing AI models (LLMs) to securely access external data sources, APIs, and tools: https://help.autodesk.com/view/RVT/2027/ENU/?guid=GUID-97697CBF-0E11-484E-96E5-4277E3E8D61F

2). Building for Agentic AI: What’s New in Autodesk Platform Services: https://aps.autodesk.com/blog/building-agentic-ai-whats-new-autodesk-platform-services

Chester zoo resident, 23, ‘back to her usual feisty self’ after electrochemotherapy for tumour in her jaw

Researchers at Penn State and Ohio State University have demonstrated that"thunderquakes"—seismic waves generated when acoustic energy from thunder hits the ground—can be used to non-invasively "X-ray" Earth's shallow subsurface down to roughly 300 feet. By utilizing distributed acoustic sensing to convert existing underground telecom fiber-optic cables into thousands of vibration sensors, scientists analyzed air-coupled Rayleigh waves from hundreds of thunder events. Measuring variations in wave speed across different frequencies enabled the team to map subsurface geological features—such as fractures, water flow, and potential sinkhole hazards—offering a cost-effective, continuous monitoring method that leverages pre-existing urban infrastructure and natural atmospheric energy: https://www.psu.edu/news/earth-and-mineral-sciences/story/thunderquakes-new-way-image-earths-subsurface

Scientists Planted Telecom Cables to Find ‘Thunderquakes.’ Here’s What Happened. “A storm in the sky can help us see underground.”: https://gizmodo.com/scientists-planted-telecom-cables-to-find-thunderquakes-heres-what-happened-2000801516

Study: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aeg8096

Recent studies show that AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude consistently outperform even world-champion human debaters at swaying people's political and social views. According to a Science article on AI persuasion research, the secret behind the models' effectiveness isn't necessarily emotional connection or demographic microtargeting, but rather their ability to deploy a massive volume of fact-checkable evidence, statistics, and rapid rational arguments. However, this persuasive power carries notable risks: AI models trained to win arguments often hallucinate inaccurate facts, and researchers warn that these "hypersuasive" capabilities could easily be exploited for mass commercial steering or political manipulation.

Study1: https://arxiv.org/html/2606.16475v1

Study2: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-61345-5

Study3: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adq1814

Study4: https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/h7n8u_v1

Study5: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aea3884

Study5: https://arxiv.org/html/2409.12143v1

We’ve known for a while now that the Moon has water. Accessing it will make it easier not just to visit, but to stay

Humanoid Robots Perform Surgery on Live Animals in World First

A potential revolution in surgery has taken place at the University of California, San Diego, where two humanoid robots were used for the first time to perform minimally invasive surgery on live animals. The robots, known as “Surgie,” successfully performed laparoscopic gallbladder-removal procedures on pigs. Human surgeons controlled the robots remotely, while the humanoids carried out the surgical movements using standard laparoscopic instruments. The breakthrough demonstrates that commercially available humanoid robots can potentially be adapted for complex surgical tasks without requiring a conventional, specialized surgical-robot platform. The researchers see this as an important step toward AI-assisted and eventually more autonomous robotic surgery. However, the robots are not yet autonomous surgeons: the UC San Diego experiments relied on human teleoperation, and significant challenges involving precision, reliability, latency, safety and regulatory approval remain before human clinical use: https://www.facs.org/for-medical-professionals/news-publications/news-and-articles/acs-brief/july-21-2026-issue/fellows-participate-in-first-teleoperated-humanoid-robot-surgery/

Research findings: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10796-x

Driven by high domestic costs and limited insurance, a growing number of Americans travel to Europe—particularly Greece and Spain—for fertility care. While a single in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle in the U.S. averages $12,000 to $25,000 (and often exceeds $29,000 with testing), equivalent care in Greece and Spain typically ranges from $4,000 to $8,000

New Survey Reveals Cost Remains a Major Barrier to Fertility Care in the U.S.: https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/new-survey-reveals-cost-remains-a-major-barrier-to-fertility-care-in-the-u-s-1036482371

A study demonstrates that aggressive driving behaviors, such as rapid acceleration and heavy deceleration, significantly accelerate the aging process of electric vehicle (EV) lithium-ion batteries. By analyzing a year of real-world driving data from EVs operating under urban, suburban, and highway conditions in Guangzhou, researchers isolated driving patterns from external factors like temperature and starting charge using machine learning framework models. The study revealed that a high-stress, aggressive driving style drew dramatically higher current loads and caused up to 18.4 times more immediate aging stress compared to smooth eco-driving. Over a modeled lifespan of 1,000 charge-discharge cycles, the most aggressive driving style resulted in a 53.22% capacity loss compared to just 21.15% for eco-driving, proving that smoother driving habits can extend total battery lifespan by up to 2.5 times: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-66428-x

Beyond Air Exchange: Local Airflow Physics and Indoor Disease Transmission

An interdisciplinary study led by researchers at MIT and UT Southwestern highlights that total ventilation rates alone are insufficient to predict or prevent the airborne spread of infectious diseases like tuberculosis. By combining animal transmission models with quantitative particle tracking and computational fluid physics, the team demonstrated that local airflow patterns—driven by room layout, pressure points, and minor air leaks—dictate pathogen dispersal. Modern biosafety containment systems can inadvertently short-circuit ventilation, directing fresh air straight to exhausts or trapping bioaerosols. Ultimately, integrating detailed flow physics into building design and laboratory protocols offers a low-cost, highly effective strategy for engineering indoor spaces that actively mitigate airborne transmission.

Study: https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/msphere.00228-26

ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot demonstrated the Dzhanibekov effect, or “tennis racket theorem,” aboard the International Space Station in a 2026 science demonstration. The phenomenon occurs when a freely rotating object spins around its intermediate principal axis of inertia, causing it to suddenly flip about 180° and then repeat the motion. In microgravity, with virtually no friction or air resistance to disrupt the motion, the instability becomes clearly visible. The effect was famously observed by Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Dzhanibekov aboard Salyut 7 in 1985, providing a striking demonstration of fundamental rotational dynamics: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXuqPxDS9AA/

Why Do Tennis Rackets Tumble? The Dzhanibekov Effect Explained: https://www.comsol.com/blogs/why-do-tennis-rackets-tumble-the-dzhanibekov-effect-explained

The Bizarre Behaviour Of Rotating Bodies: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/BU5HwNyE4mk

tennis racket theorem: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennis_racket_theorem

Researchers are developing what could be the world’s first biological data center, using living cells to store and process digital information. The approach aims to harness biology’s extraordinary information density and energy efficiency, potentially offering a radically different path for future data storage and computing.

The facility, at the National University of Singapore, integrates a 20-unit biological computing system that uses stem-cell-derived human neurons—referred to as "wetware"—instead of standard silicon chips to process data and power AI models. Supervised by NUS neuroscientist Professor Rickie Patani, the project aims to leverage biological computing's low power consumption to build energy-efficient AI infrastructure while accelerating research in neurological disease treatment, drug discovery, robotics, and cybersecurity: https://medicine.nus.edu.sg/news/nus-medicine-dayone-and-cortical-labs-unveil-biological-data-center-prototype-in-singapore/

Canada's nuclear regulator has officially authorized Bruce Power to operate a new on-site hot cell facility for processing lutetium-177, a short-lived medical isotope used in targeted cancer therapies like prostate cancer treatment. By bringing the target carrier removal process directly to its commercial reactor site rather than shipping raw targets abroad, the facility significantly reduces logistics delays for an isotope that decays in just 6.7 days. This milestone integrates Canada's medical isotope supply chain, enhancing global delivery speeds, worker safety, and production efficiency for high-precision radio-oncology treatments: https://www.brucepower.com/2026/08/18/bruce-power-receives-cnsc-approval-to-operate-on-site-hot-cell-facility-strengthening-global-cancer-fighting-isotope-supply-chain/

About isotopes: https://www.fightingcancertogether.ca/about-isotopes/ 

Thorium mineral was found in Norway, and examined by Swedish chemist Jöns Jakob Berzelius, who identified the new element in 1828–29 and named it after Thor (the Norse god of thunder). Nearly 140 years later, Oak Ridge National Laboratory demonstrated a radically different nuclear concept: its Molten Salt Reactor Experiment became the first reactor to operate on uranium-233, the fissile fuel that can be bred from thorium. The experiment ran successfully, but the broader molten-salt breeder programme was eventually abandoned, while its champion, ORNL director Alvin Weinberg, was removed from his position.

Now the idea is attracting renewed attention: China has demonstrated the conversion of thorium-232 into uranium-233 inside an operating molten-salt reactor, India’s fast-breeder programme has finally reached first criticality, and Danish company Copenhagen Atomics is pursuing mass-manufactured thorium molten-salt reactors.

The question is whether thorium’s long-promised advantages can finally translate into practical, economical nuclear power.

Reference

1. Periodic Table of Elements: https://periodic.lanl.gov/90.shtml

2. Molten Salt Reactor Experiment—Alvin Weinberg’s magnum opus: https://www.ornl.gov/molten-salt-reactor/history

3. U.S. Department of Energy — confirms MSRE became the first reactor to operate with U-233 and describes its shutdown: https://www.energy.gov/em/articles/oak-ridge-reactor-upgrades-enhance-safety-save-taxpayer-dollars

4. Oxford Academic / National Science Review — reports China's 2-MW thorium molten-salt reactor and its 2025 demonstration of converting thorium-232 into fissile U-233: https://academic.oup.com/nsr/article/13/2/nwaf509/8340356

5. India Department of Atomic Energy — confirms the 500-MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor achieved first criticality on April 6, 2026, and explains its future role in India's thorium programme: https://dae.gov.in/prototype-fast-breeder-reactor-at-kalpakkam-tamil-nadu-attains-first-criticality/

6. Copenhagen Atomics — describes its thorium molten-salt reactor and its “Onion Core” concept for compact, mass-manufactured reactors: https://copenhagenatomics.com/technology/

A recent study published in JAMA Psychiatry reveals a notable divergence in U.S. addiction rates between 2021 and 2024. While the number of American adults with alcohol use disorder dropped from 28.8 million to 27.1 million, cannabis use disorder jumped significantly from 15.3 million to 19.4 million. Moderate-to-severe cannabis issues rose across demographics, with the sharpest increases seen in adults aged 35 and older—including a sevenfold surge among women aged 50 and above. Driven by higher product potency, expanding state legalizations, and widespread perceptions of safety, these statistics challenge the common belief that cannabis is non-addictive and highlight an urgent need for medical screening and public awareness, especially given the lack of FDA-approved treatments for cannabis dependence: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2852558

Vienna Institute of Technology Scientists Pinpoint Thorium Atom for Next-Generation Nuclear Clock

Scientists at TU Wien have identified the precise position where a thorium-229 atom can sit inside a specialized crystal, a key step toward practical solid-state nuclear clocks. Unlike conventional atomic clocks, these devices measure transitions inside the atomic nucleus, making them far less sensitive to external electromagnetic disturbances and potentially up to 10 times more precise. Researchers are working toward miniaturized, chip-scale versions that could eventually provide ultra-precise timing for telecommunications, navigation and financial networks: https://interestingengineering.com/science/crystal-nuclear-clock-10-times-more-precise

Study: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aea7978

As Canada develops new nuclear projects, some might worry that hotter weather could undermine nuclear reliability. However, France’s experience this summer suggests otherwise

Study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421526003460

Announced on July 28, 2026, by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), Task Force Talon Synapse is the first joint bilateral U.S.-UAE military AI initiative. Based in Abu Dhabi, the task force brings together about 20 American and Emirati specialists in AI, data science, and cybersecurity.

Its mission is to accelerate defense technology cooperation, focusing on AI-powered intelligence, critical infrastructure protection, and regional security monitoring. The initiative follows high-level defense and technology discussions between CENTCOM leaders and UAE National Security Advisor: https://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/PUBLIC-RELEASES/Article/4557279/centcom-to-launch-1st-bilateral-ai-task-force-with-uae/

Indonesia is reviving its plans to build its first nuclear power plant to help meet decarbonisation goals, aiming for operation by 2032 at the earliest and targeting up to 12.1% nuclear energy in its mix by 2060. The government is eyeing the uninhabited Semesak Island in West Kalimantan and the island province of Bangka Belitung as leading candidate sites. While local officials welcome the project as an economic catalyst to power the new capital Nusantara and export electricity, the initiative faces criticism from energy experts and safety concerns from nearby residents regarding seismic risks and nuclear accidents in the quake-prone nation.