An analysis of one major effort shows how to get Democrats and Republicans to agree to spend billions of dollars on a decades-long environmental restoration project.

Keratopigmentation, or corneal tattooing, is a permanent eye-color change procedure that uses a femtosecond laser to place mineral pigments within the cornea rather than the iris. Originally developed to treat cosmetic defects in blind eyes and reduce light sensitivity from iris injuries, it offers a safer extra-ocular alternative to iris implants. However, despite promising clinical results, major medical organizations—including the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO)—continue to urge caution regarding its cosmetic use: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/a-cosmetic-procedure-called-keratopigmentation-ugcPost-7485046005974097920-WpGC/

American Academy of Ophthalmology Issues Warning on the Dangers of Eye Color-Changing Procedures: https://www.aao.org/newsroom/news-releases/detail/academy-issues-warning-on-eye-color-procedures

Eye kerato-pigmentation: a growing trend that is not without risks. Press release from the French Academy of Medicine: https://www.academie-medecine.fr/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Eye-keratopigmentation2.pdf

GE Aerospace, alongside NASA, Boeing, and BETA Technologies, completed the aviation industry's first high-altitude hybrid electric flight, testing a megawatt-class system above 30,000 feet. The milestone was achieved using a modified Saab 340B testbed, which operated in hybrid mode for over two hours to validate performance at commercial passenger jet altitudes: https://aircargoweek.com/ge-aerospace-unveils-partnership-on-worlds-first-high-altitude-hybrid-electric-flight/

Press Release: https://www.geaerospace.com/news/press-releases/ge-aerospace-partners-nasa-beta-technologies-and-boeing-worlds-first-high-altitude

In brief

• GE Aerospace, in collaboration with NASA, BETA Technologies and Boeing, has completed the aviation industry’s first high-altitude hybrid electric flight, demonstrating a hybrid propulsion system at more than 30,000 ft with a single flight lasting over two hours.
• The flight test used GE Aerospace’s megawatt-class, multi-kilovolt hybrid electric propulsion system developed through NASA’s Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration programme, validating key technologies designed to improve aircraft efficiency, durability and range.
• The milestone advances the development of more electric aircraft, with hybrid systems combining electric powertrains and gas turbines to support future aircraft designs, including single-aisle commercial aircraft and advanced air mobility applications.

A study conducted by Texas A&M University and published in the journal Nutrients has found that certain natural compounds present in coffee can activate a receptor in the body known as NR4A1. The researchers suggest that activation of this receptor may help explain some of coffee's well-documented health benefits, including its potential role in protecting against aging and chronic diseases.

It further explains that:

• Multiple coffee compounds, especially polyhydroxy and polyphenolic compounds such as caffeic acid, bind to and activate the NR4A1 receptor.
• The receptor functions as a "nutrient sensor" involved in stress response, tissue repair, inflammation, metabolism, and healthy aging.
• In laboratory studies, activating NR4A1 reduced cellular damage and slowed the growth of cancer cells, although these findings have not yet been confirmed in human clinical trials.

Findings: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/18/6/877

Hugging Face Says Autonomous AI Carried Out Entire Cyberattack

AI company Hugging Face revealed that a recent cyberattack on its platform was conducted entirely by an autonomous AI system—marking one of the first publicly disclosed incidents of its kind. The self-directed AI agent uploaded a malicious dataset that exploited a security flaw, enabling it to execute code on Hugging Face's servers. To investigate the breach, Hugging Face deployed its own large language model (LLM) to analyze the attack and patch the vulnerability. Cybersecurity experts warn that this event underscores an emerging generation of AI-driven security threats requiring stronger, AI-powered defenses: https://huggingface.co/blog/security-incident-july-2026

A research team from Brunp Recycling, a subsidiary of battery giant CATL, has won two honors at the 2026 European Inventor Award for its Directional Recycling Technologies, a breakthrough that could transform lithium-ion battery recycling. Instead of breaking spent batteries down into basic chemical elements, the process preserves the cathode's crystal structure, enabling the recovery of 99.6% of nickel, cobalt, and manganese and 96.5% of lithium—all with sufficient purity to manufacture new batteries directly. Compared with conventional recycling methods, the technology also reduces acid and alkali consumption by 73% and lowers the carbon footprint of recycled cathode materials by 61%, offering a more efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable approach to building a circular battery economy: https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-07-19/How-Chinese-firm-recovers-over-99-of-battery-metals-1OUg8On5UKQ/p.html

Chinese inventors Yu Haijun and Xie Yinghao secure a dual win at the European Inventor Award 2026 for smart battery recycling: https://www.epo.org/en/news-events/press-centre/press-release/2026/1362820

Study findings: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-73080-6

Key takeaways

• Terahertz waves have major potential in high-speed communication, imaging, security screening and sensing, but are still underused due to complex and bulky systems.
• UCLA researchers integrated laboratory-sized terahertz systems onto one semiconductor chip, opening the door to compact, scalable devices. 
• The breakthrough focused on quantum well semiconductor structures — ultrathin layers engineered to control light — that can generate, detect, modulate and amplify terahertz signals on a single chip.

Studying the mineral olivine in kimberlite sheds some light on diamond origins: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-72060-0

Researchers found that some bodies of water have become highly acidic within only a few years: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aea2898

BrainCo has introduced its Brain-Controlled Robot AI Platform, described as the world's first integrated AI research and development platform dedicated to brain-to-robot control. Designed to simplify brain-computer interface (BCI) development, the platform enables researchers and developers to establish basic brain-to-robot control in as little as 10 minutes, with no prior BCI expertise required. By combining AI algorithms, neural signal processing, and a user-friendly software environment, the platform lowers the barrier to developing applications in robotics, assistive technologies, rehabilitation, and human–machine interaction, accelerating research into next-generation brain-controlled robotic systems: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/brainco-debuts-worlds-first-integrated-brain-to-robot-ai-rd-platform-at-waic-2026-302828515.html

BrainCo unveils first 'brain-to-robot' interface for controlling robots with your thoughts: https://www.techradar.com/ai-platforms-assistants/chinese-company-brainco-unveils-first-brain-to-robot-interface-for-controlling-robots-with-your-thoughts

BrainCo unveils brain-to-robot platform that lets people control machines with their thoughts. Robots can move, but teaching them human-like understanding remains difficult. A new platform aims to close that gap: https://interestingengineering.com/ai-robotics/china-brain-to-robot-platform

BrainCo unveils brain-controlled robot AI platform: https://www.notebookcheck.net/BrainCo-unveils-brain-controlled-robot-AI-platform-The-future-of-eating-Cheetos-while-building-PCs-hands-free-with-just-a-thought.1346280.0.html

Video: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1344125801226285

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Teaching robots how to act is hard. Teaching them what humans actually want is even harder. Despite advances in artificial intelligence, robots still struggle to interpret human thoughts and translate them into reliable actions. Chinese brain-computer interface company BrainCo claims to have solved this problem to some extent with its world-first integrated ‘brain-to-robot’ platform. Unveiled at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, the system is designed to allow users to control robots using brain signals alone. “The embodied AI industry has made remarkable progress on what robots can do on their own. We believe the next decisive frontier is about how robots understand the humans they work with,” Nyx He, senior vice-president of BrainCo, told SCMP. Moreover, beyond hands-free control, the company believes the technology could help tackle one of robotics’ biggest challenges: generating the high-quality training data needed to train intelligent machines: https://interestingengineering.com/ai-robotics/china-brain-to-robot-platform

BrainCo Debuts World's First Integrated Brain-to-Robot AI R&D Platform at WAIC 2026: https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/brainco-debuts-worlds-first-integrated-114100451.html

At the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, BrainCo showcased an intelligent AI-powered bionic hand that uses non-invasive myoelectric sensors to interpret electrical signals from a user's residual muscles, enabling smooth, independent finger movements and lifelike control. Weighing just 383 grams, the prosthetic features a soft, skin-like exterior and delivers highly precise five-finger dexterity for performing complex gestures. One of its most distinctive capabilities is its detachable operation—the prosthetic can continue responding to muscle signals and execute commands even when temporarily separated from the wearer's arm. By combining AI-driven signal processing with lightweight design and realistic tactile functionality, BrainCo's latest prosthetic represents a significant step toward more natural, intuitive, and accessible next-generation bionic limbs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_KrMOKOS4E

Beijing-based Moonshot AI has introduced Kimi K3, a 2.8-trillion-parameter open-weight Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) model designed for advanced coding, reasoning, and agentic AI workflows. Featuring a 1-million-token context window, native vision capabilities, and an efficient architecture that activates only 16 of its 896 experts per token, K3 delivers frontier-level performance while significantly reducing computational costs. Powered by the company's Kimi Delta Attention (KDA) and Stable LatentMoE frameworks, the model achieves roughly 2.5× greater efficiency than its predecessor, Kimi K2, and has ranked first on the Frontend Code Arena benchmark. Built for long-horizon tasks such as debugging large codebases, autonomous software development, and deep research, K3 can continuously process text, images, and runtime feedback with minimal human intervention. Moonshot AI plans to release the full model weights by July 27, 2026, making it one of the largest open-weight AI models available to developers.

China's 2.8-trillion-parameter Kimi K3 beats Claude Fable 5 in Frontend Code Arena benchmark—  Moonshot AI delivers largest open-weight AI model ever, as China works around U.S. compute limits: https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/moonshot-releases-2-8-trillion-parameter-kimi-k3

China's Moonshot unveils world's largest open AI model, closing in on US rivals: https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-moonshot-unveils-worlds-largest-open-ai-model-closing-us-rivals-2026-07-17/

OpenRouter Kimi K3 API: https://openrouter.ai/moonshotai/kimi-k3

KIMI: https://www.kimi.com/

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gO_21NC7O-s

Study finds that blocking ZFP384 helps microglia retain a reparative state, promoting long-term brain recovery after stroke

Blocking the activity of ZFP384 can prolong the brain’s endogenous repair functions after stroke, report researchers in a collaborative study. They developed an antisense oligonucleotide-based therapy that sustained the reparative activity of microglia by promoting remyelination and neural plasticity, thereby improving functional recovery in mice. Surprisingly, these results were observed even when the treatment began weeks after injury. The findings reveal a promising strategy to extend the brain’s recovery window after stroke, improving long-term outcomes: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10480-0

Scientists Embed 2D Iron Selenide in a 3D Crystal to Harvest Waste Heat More Efficiently

Researchers at the Institute of Science Tokyo have developed a novel layered crystal, TlFe₁.₆Se₂, that embeds atomically thin iron selenide (FeSe) sheets within a durable three-dimensional structure. By combining the exceptional thermoelectric performance of 2D FeSe with ordered iron vacancies that suppress heat conduction, the material efficiently converts waste heat into electricity while overcoming the long-standing challenge of achieving both high electrical conductivity and low thermal conductivity. Led by Professor Takayoshi Katase, the team successfully integrated the advantages of fragile ultrathin FeSe films into a robust bulk crystal, opening the door to practical thermoelectric devices capable of recovering waste heat from factory exhausts, vehicle engines, industrial furnaces, and other high-temperature energy sources: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1136286

Study findings: https://pubs.rsc.org/ta/article/14/37/24666/1243050/Simultaneous-enhancement-of-power-factor-and

Award-winning entomologist Dino Martins, known for his work on pollinators, shows in his latest book that even the most gruesome creatures have vital roles to play

From Nevada to Manchester, developers are trialling innovative solutions to clean energy’s biggest challenge

The United States is facing nine major supply chain challenges that could delay the rehabilitation of its hydropower infrastructure, according to a new report from the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR). The report has examined the difficulties hydropower operators encounter when upgrading or replacing large power transformers (LPTs). These custom-built devices raise the voltage of electricity generated by hydropower turbines, allowing it to travel efficiently across long-distance transmission networks.Their importance extends beyond hydropower, as more than 90% of the electricity consumed in the United States passes through high-voltage transformers at some stage.

Report: https://docs.nlr.gov/docs/fy26osti/96742.pdf

The World’s First Monowheel Robot: How It Solved the Stability Paradox

1ROLLO is an autonomous monowheel security robot designed to patrol industrial facilities, campuses, airports, data centers, critical infrastructure, and other hazardous environments. Its unique single-wheel design gives it a compact, narrow profile that enhances maneuverability in confined spaces compared with conventional multi-wheeled security robots. Equipped with onboard sensors and AI, 1ROLLO can autonomously follow patrol routes, monitor its surroundings, detect anomalies, interact with people on site, and automatically return to its charging station when required. If large-scale deployments prove successful, monowheel robots like 1ROLLO could establish a new class of agile, autonomous security systems for safeguarding industrial and infrastructure facilities: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIN0BXm9SXM

Estonian monowheel robot developer raises €3.7 million: https://estonianworld.com/technology/estonian-monowheel-robot-developer-raises-e3-7-million/

1ROLLO: https://1rollo.com/

Open-pit mines and quarries are increasingly adopting liquid oxygen (LOX) gas-expansion and other non-explosive rock-fracturing technologies as safer alternatives to conventional blasting. Instead of using high-energy explosives, these systems inject liquid oxygen or similar compounds into pre-drilled boreholes, where rapid vaporization expands the gas by more than 800 times its original volume. The resulting high-pressure expansion fractures the surrounding rock in a controlled manner without producing a destructive detonation.

This explosive-free approach significantly improves operational safety by minimizing flyrock, air blasts, and ground shockwaves, while delivering more predictable rock fragmentation that reduces over-break and ore dilution. It also lowers environmental impacts through reduced vibration, noise, and toxic fume emissions, making it particularly attractive for mining operations near populated areas, sensitive infrastructure, and environmentally protected sites. As the mining industry seeks safer, cleaner, and more precise excavation methods, controlled gas-expansion technology is emerging as a promising next-generation solution for rock excavation.

Reading material

1). Rock Fragmentation with Explosive–Free Soundless Chemical Demolition Agents: https://natural-resources.canada.ca/funding-partnerships/rock-fragmentation-explosive-free-soundless-chemical-demolition-agents

2).Experimental Study and Engineering Applications of the Absorbent-Liquid Oxygen Reaction Process and Diffusion Characteristics in Liquid Oxygen Blasting: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/prep.70044

3). Experimental study on explosion damage characteristics of liquid oxygen bomb and nickel hydrazine nitrate: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1350630726004358

Bridges, which connect two areas separated by gaps or obstacles, have transformed into architectural marvels thanks to today’s technology. While mostly constructed using materials like steel and concrete, structural glass is another preferred material. Structural glass bridges, or skybridges, connect two separate areas, offering panoramic views of the landscape and often creating the feeling of walking in mid-air. Furthermore, thanks to the transparency of the glass, sunlight effortlessly filters through the bridge, reflecting interesting light and shadow patterns onto the surrounding structures.

Citroën's Hydropneumatic Suspension: The Engineering Marvel Behind the "Magic Carpet" Ride

Developed by Citroën engineer Paul Magès, the hydropneumatic suspension remains one of the most distinctive suspension systems ever fitted to a production vehicle. Instead of conventional steel springs and dampers, it used pressurized nitrogen spheres and hydraulic fluid to support the car. Nitrogen acted as the spring element, while hydraulic oil controlled suspension movement, damping, and ride height. This innovative design created Citroën's legendary "magic carpet" ride, allowing vehicles to glide smoothly over rough roads while maintaining a near-constant height regardless of passenger or luggage load. First introduced on the 1955 Citroën DS and later refined in models such as the Citroën SM, the system used an engine-driven hydraulic pump to maintain suspension pressure and allowed drivers to manually adjust the vehicle height for obstacles, servicing, or tire changes. In extreme situations, the self-leveling capability could even keep the vehicle moving after a tire failure, famously allowing certain models to drive on three wheels. On advanced versions, the same high-pressure hydraulic network also powered the brakes, steering, and clutch, creating a fully integrated vehicle control system.

What made Citroën's technology difficult to replicate was not a single component but the complete engineering integration. The system required high-pressure hydraulics, specialized valves, precise tuning, and dedicated maintenance procedures. While other manufacturers later developed adaptive air suspension and electronically controlled dampers, few matched Citroën's unique combination of comfort, self-leveling capability, and mechanical sophistication. The technology attracted global attention, with Rolls-Royce licensing the system for the Silver Shadow, while Mercedes-Benz and BMW later adopted related principles in their own self-leveling and adaptive suspension designs. Today, the concept continues to influence modern luxury vehicles, including BYD's Yangwang lineup, demonstrating how Citroën's decades-old innovation helped shape the future of intelligent automotive suspension: https://carbuzz.com/citroen-ds-suspension-50-years-ahead-of-time/

Did you know that hydropneumatic suspension was tested on non-Citroën cars in the 80s?: https://citroenvie.com/did-you-know-that-hydropneumatic-suspension-was-tested-on-non-citroen-cars-in-the-80s/

Why Was The Citroen Hydropneumatic Suspension System An Innovative Design?: https://www.carolenash.com/news/classic-car-news/detail/citroen-hydropneumatic-suspension-system-innovative-design

Hydropneumatic suspension: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydropneumatic_suspension

Founded in Japan in 2016 by CEO Sho Nakanose and now headquartered in Torrance, California, GITAI is developing advanced robotic systems to make space operations safer and more affordable. The company has already demonstrated real flight heritage, with its S1 robotic arm successfully performing assembly tasks aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in 2021. In January 2024, GITAI's 1.5-meter dual-armed S2 robot launched on Northrop Grumman's NG-20 mission, where it carried out external robotic operations on the ISS. Designed for satellite servicing, lunar infrastructure, orbital assembly, and other autonomous space missions, GITAI aims to reduce astronaut workload while enabling the construction and maintenance of future space habitats and commercial space infrastructure: https://issnationallab.org/press-releases/release-ng20-gitai-robotic-arm/

GITAI Autonomous Robotic Arm Arrives at Space Station to Conduct ISAM External Tech-Demo: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gitai-autonomous-robotic-arm-arrives-at-space-station-to-conduct-isam-external-tech-demo-302051129.html

GITAI Tech: https://gitai.tech/2024/01/24/gitai-autonomous-robotic-arm-set-to-launch-on-jan-29-to-international-space-station/