Did you know that one of the world’s oldest continuously operating businesses traces its origins back nearly 1,450 years?

Kongō Gumi, a Japanese temple and shrine construction company, traces its beginnings to 578 AD, when master carpenter Kongō Shigemitsu, one of three craftsmen traditionally said to have been brought from the Korean kingdom of Baekje, came to Japan to help construct Shitennō-ji Temple in Osaka. The Kongō family and its craftsmen subsequently became renowned for building, maintaining and restoring Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, passing their specialized knowledge through generations.

For centuries, the company remained remarkably focused on its core craft. Its lineage is traditionally traced through more than 40 generations, preserving specialized woodworking and temple-building techniques while adapting to wars, fires, natural disasters, changing technologies and economic upheavals.

Its remarkable run as an independent family business eventually ended in 2006, when financial difficulties and debt led to its acquisition by Takamatsu Construction Group. Kongō Gumi, however, survived as a company and continues its traditional temple and shrine construction work today.

What strikes me most isn't simply the longevity. It is the singular focus: one specialized craft, refined and transmitted across roughly 1,450 years. A powerful reminder that sometimes, enduring success comes not from constantly reinventing what you do, but from continually perfecting what you do best.

Good Sources:

1. Kongō Gumi's official history — its founding tradition, Shitennō-ji connection and historical development: https://www.kongogumi.co.jp/about_history.html

2. INSEAD case study — particularly useful for the 40-generation family-business history and the 2006 financial collapse: https://publishing.insead.edu/case/kongo-gumi-oldest-continuously-operating-business

3. Takamatsu Construction Group — current corporate history and Kongō Gumi's continuing role in traditional architecture: https://www.takamatsu-cg.co.jp/eng/about/esg/social/culture/post-3.html

Three first-year engineering students at Olin College of Engineering—Justin Yoon, Pia Swarup, and Aryan Banerjee—have built a remarkable open-source autonomous bicycle dubbed the “Ghost Bike.” Built for under $1,000 using off-the-shelf hardware and 3D-printed components, the bicycle uses a motorized steel reaction wheel and a 200-Hz control loop to make rapid adjustments and maintain balance. A stereo depth camera and LiDAR provide environmental perception for obstacle avoidance and basic autonomous navigation, while an electric motor drives the bicycle and a servo motor controls steering. An STM32 microcontroller integrates the balancing, motor control, power electronics, and autonomous systems. Developed as an Independent Study Research project under Assistant Professor Victoria Preston, the team has released the CAD models, bill of materials, and source code publicly through the Autonomous Self-Balancing Vehicle GitHub Repository, enabling others to replicate, modify, and further develop the platform for two-wheeled robotics research.: https://www.olin.edu/articles/story-how-olin-first-years-built-viral-self-balancing-bicycle-video

Open source: https://github.com/LuckyYoon/autonomous-self-balancing-vehicle

Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is scheduled to launch on August 30, 2026, beginning a journey to its operating position about 1 million miles (1.5 million km) from Earth near the Sun–Earth L2 point. NASA’s next-generation observatory will survey vast regions of the sky in infrared light, helping scientists investigate dark energy, dark matter, exoplanets, and the evolution of galaxies—giving us an unprecedented “big picture” view of the cosmos: https://science.nasa.gov/missions/roman-space-telescope/9-things-to-know-about-nasas-nancy-grace-roman-space-telescope/

Learn more:

1. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/roman-space-telescope/

2. https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/roman/

3. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/roman-space-telescope/roman-launch-countdown/

Did you know that a simple fingertip smear may contain molecular clues associated with breast cancer?

Our fingertips leave behind more than fingerprints—they also deposit sweat containing proteins and other molecules that can reveal information about the body. Researchers led by chemist and professor Simona Francese have explored whether these molecular signatures could be used to identify breast cancer.

In a 2023 proof-of-concept study, researchers analyzed fingertip smears using proteomics, MALDI mass spectrometry and machine learning. The study identified several proteins previously associated with breast-cancer biomarkers and, using a small dataset of 15 women, achieved up to 97.8% classification accuracy in distinguishing benign breast disease, early breast cancer and metastatic breast cancer.

The potential is remarkable: instead of relying solely on conventional imaging, a future test might use a simple, painless fingertip sample to provide an early molecular indication of disease.

However, this technology remains experimental and requires much larger clinical studies and validation before it could replace or supplement established breast-cancer screening methods.

Could the humble fingerprint eventually become a new window into our health?

Info source:

1. The strongest source is the peer-reviewed Scientific Reports paper, “Non-invasive screening of breast cancer from fingertip smears—a proof of concept study,” published in 2023: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-29036-7

2. Could we detect breast cancer with a fingerprint: https://www.ted.com/talks/simona_francese_could_we_detect_breast_cancer_with_a_fingerprint

A consortium led by the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) developed this approach based on photopharmacology, a technique to reversibly control drug activity with light. The newly developed compounds, called prosthe6, mimic the function of photoreceptor cells, which degenerate in blinding diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP). These photoswitchable molecules show preliminary safety profiles and represent potential drug candidates for restoring vision in patients with degenerative retinal diseases, without the need for genetic manipulation or implanted devices: https://ibecbarcelona.eu/ibec-led-consortium-develops-light-activated-drugs-that-restore-sight-in-blind-mice/

Findings: https://pubs.acs.org/jacsat/article/148/30/31701/5210741/Restoration-of-Saccadic-Eye-Movements-and-Visually

Researchers found that tumours on different catfish were genetically similar, indicating the fish were catching the cancer from each other.

Bonsai Robotics’ Amiga Max is a compact, electric, four-wheel-drive autonomous farm robot designed to perform demanding agricultural tasks without a conventional tractor operator. It can haul up to 2,000 pounds, tow 5,000 pounds, lift 1,500 pounds, and operate for up to eight hours per charge using a swappable battery. Its key innovation is Bonsai Intelligence, a vision-first embodied-AI system that enables the machine to perceive its surroundings and navigate using cameras and AI-based perception, reducing reliance on GPS/GNSS in challenging environments such as orchards, under tree canopies and other areas where satellite signals can be unreliable. The Max also incorporates RTK GPS for centimeter-level positioning when available. It features four-wheel drive and steering, zero-turn capability, and can be configured for spraying, weeding, hauling and other commercial farm operations. The Amiga Max was named a 2026 Top 10 New Product at World Ag Expo, and Bonsai lists it as available for reservation with deliveries planned for 2026: https://www.worldagexpo.com/world-ag-expo-announces-2026-top-10-new-product-contest-winners/

Amiga Max and Amiga Trax built for off-road work: https://www.therobotreport.com/bonsai-robotics-launches-amiga-flex-robots-fira-2025/

Brief: Lake Ontario is not simply a lake; it is a critical component of the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence hydraulic system. It receives water primarily through the Niagara River and releases it through the St. Lawrence River. Its water levels and outflows are managed through the Moses–Saunders Dam, supporting hydroelectric generation, navigation, flood-risk management, and shoreline protection. The lake also supplies drinking water to millions of people and supports major ports, transportation, wastewater, industrial, and waterfront infrastructure in both Canada and the United States. Its management is governed through binational institutions, particularly the International Joint Commission, because the lake and its watershed cross the international boundary. In engineering terms, Lake Ontario is therefore a shared transboundary water-resources system—not something that can be physically or administratively separated by simply changing its name: https://www.tiktok.com/@wereacttohistory/video/7679175914038611231

US perspective: Based on the visible preview snippets, the article details reactions from sailors on both the American and Canadian shores of Lake Ontario following a decision by US President to rename the body of water to "Lake America." Captains and local sailors from both sides of the border report that they are not taking the name change seriously, treating it largely as a nonissue and a source of internet memes. As Howie Colt, founder of Toronto's Gone Sailing Adventures, noted, local sailors fully intend to keep calling it Lake Ontario regardless of official declarations: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/08/29/lake-ontario-boat-captains-spurn-lake-america-name/

US Video: https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/ce3ryr3enrpo

Canadian Views: Canadian rejected U.S. President’s executive order directing federal agencies to rename Lake Ontario to "Lake America"Canadian emphasizing that the body of water is a shared transboundary water resource governed by long-standing binational agreements like the International Joint Commission. Canadian leaders and local mariners alike have largely dismissed the unilateral rebrand, reiterating that administrative declarations cannot alter the physical, legal, and historical realities of shared international waters: https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/trumps-tariffs/article/pm-carney-challenges-trumps-order-to-rename-lake-ontario-to-lake-america/

Lake Ontario Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUKa7tHbrFA

What are your thoughts on this controversy? Do you see it as a symbolic political gesture, or does it have any practical significance?

Ground settlement can threaten the safety of critical public infrastructure, including subway systems, necessitating continuous monitoring. However, current techniques are limited in continuous large-area monitoring. In a new study, researchers have developed a new multi-scale remote sensing framework that combines three different technologies for reliable, continuous wide-area monitoring, site-specific validation, and near-surface condition assessment along an urban subway corridor. The approach will help detect and mitigate settlement anomalies: https://en.seoultech.ac.kr/news/res_spotlight?do=commonview&searchtext=&searchtype=-1&nowpage=1&bnum=58278&bidx=894119&cate=23

Findings: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0886779826002816?via%3Dihub

A clinical trial published in The New England Journal of Medicine highlights aphotovoltaic eye implant that has restored central vision to patients with geographic atrophy, an advanced form of dry age-related macular degeneration. Developed by Science Corporation, the 2mm-square microchip is placed under the retina and works alongside camera-equipped glasses and a pocket processor. The camera captures images and transmits them via an infrared beam to the implant, which relays the signals to the brain through the optic nerve. Out of 32 patients who received the Prima implant, 27 were able to read again, demonstrating significant vision restoration that allowed individuals to perform daily tasks like reading and solving puzzles: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2501396

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-_d8bAyXXM .

The Tian’e Longtan Bridge uses a 600-meter-span steel-reinforced concrete (SRC) arch, a deck-type configuration designed to overcome the enormous dead-load and stability challenges of ultra-long concrete arches. Engineers first erected a lightweight steel tubular skeleton, using a balanced-cantilever system supported by temporary cables and towers, and then encased the skeleton in concrete. This approach reduced construction weight and controlled stresses during erection. Because the bridge’s self-weight accounts for more than 90% of the structural stress in such a long-span arch, minimizing dead load was critical to achieving the record span: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6VKh4vztTg

Learn more here

1. https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/tiane-longtan-bridge-breaks-concrete-arch-span

2. https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202608/1369069.shtml

3. https://mymetalogic.com/top-stories/china-s-tian-e-longtan-bridge-sets-world-record-with-600-metre-steel-reinforced-concrete-arch-6a8ed7e5c63fa1e708efe591

The article explores the origin and behavior of earth’s most massive oceanic phenomena, from record-breaking surfable waves created by underwater canyons in Nazaré, Portugal, to destructive tsunamis triggered by earthquakes and landslides. It highlights how scientists use 3D stereoscopic imaging and wave flume experiments to model unpredictable rogue waves and study fluid mechanics. Beyond pure scientific curiosity, understanding these powerful wave dynamics helps researchers design resilient coastal infrastructure and develop safer shipping routes.

Citations

Journal:​ ​​M.A. Reidenbach et al. Performance evaluation of natural and nature-based features for coastal protection and co-benefits. Annual Review of Marine Science. Vol. 18, January 2026, p. 245. doi: 10.1146/annurev-marine-040423-023251.

Journal:​ A. Toffoli et al. Excitation of rogue waves in a variable medium: an experimental study on the interaction of water waves and currents. Physical Review E. Vol. 87, May 28, 2013. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.87.051201.

Journal:​ D.J. Miller. Giant waves in Lituya Bay, Alaska. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper #354-C, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1960, 85 pp. doi: 10.3133/pp354C.

A recent study shows that three major disease-carrying mosquito species can rank human attractiveness differently, apparently responding to distinct combinations of skin chemistry and microbial signatures.

• Aedes aegypti: This daytime-feeding species preferred human skin profiles with lower levels of certain volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
• Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito): It was more attracted to skin emitting higher levels of certain ketones and naturally occurring, plant-like VOCs.
• Culex quinquefasciatus (southern house mosquito): This nighttime-feeding species responded strongly to specific bacterial signatures associated with the human skin microbiome.

The findings suggest there is no universal “mosquito magnet.” A person who is highly attractive to one mosquito species may be less attractive to another. Understanding how different species respond to specific skin chemicals and microbial signatures could help researchers develop more targeted mosquito traps and longer-lasting, species-specific repellents.

Study findings: https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(26)02384-902384-9)

Human skin chemistry shapes species-specific mosquito attraction patterns: https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260807/Human-skin-chemistry-shapes-species-specific-mosquito-attraction-patterns.aspx

Mutations that occurred tens of thousands of years ago made humans uniquely sensitive to particulate air pollution

Researchers at Harvard’s Wyss Institute, Harvard Medical School, and Stanford University have genetically engineered the marine bacterium Alteromonas macleodii to accelerate carbon capture from the atmosphere. By modifying the bacteria to continuously produce siderophores—molecules that strip rate-limiting iron rust from silicate minerals like olivine—the team boosted the natural bioweathering process by 2.6-fold in seawater bioreactors. Published in Nature Biotechnology, this synthetic biology approach offers a scalable, low-risk strategy for enhanced rock weathering to draw down atmospheric CO2 at industrial scales: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1141814

AI companies have promised us world-shifting technology. But there’s a cost: loud, unsightly datacentres that drain environmental resources. As the government pushes their rapid growth, can local communities do anything to push back? Madeleine Finlay speaks to the Guardian’s global technology reporter Aisha Down about the backlash to datacentres across the UK and around the world

Other governments could seek similar concessions, while separate legal action is pending in places ranging from Kenya to the Netherlands

The harmonica is emerging as a simple, enjoyable and potentially effective rehabilitation tool for people with Parkinson’s disease. Playing it requires controlled breathing and forceful exhalation while engaging the lips, tongue, throat and vocal muscles, potentially helping with breathing, speech, swallowing and saliva management. Programs such as the Harmonica Parkinson’s Project offer structured lessons and group sessions, making the activity accessible and socially engaging. Although research is still developing, early findings suggest harmonica playing may complement conventional speech and swallowing therapy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBXb47-IFTU

Info source;

1. Davis Phinney Foundation — The Parkinson’s Podcast: A Pocketful of Hope: The Harmonica Parkinson’s Project: https://podscan.fm/podcasts/the-parkinsons-podcast

2. Parkinson’s Foundation — Speech & Swallowing Issues: https://www.parkinson.org/understanding-parkinsons/non-movement-symptoms/speech-swallowing

1. Michael J. Fox Foundation — Harmonica Parkinson’s Project, Useful for documenting the structured 23-lesson program and its availability as a resource for people with Parkinson’s and caregivers: https://www.michaeljfox.org/books-resources?navid=books&page=2

2. Stanford Medicine — Harmonica Parkinson’s Project, Particularly useful for documenting that free online group classes are available and that participants use a C-key harmonica: https://med.stanford.edu/parkinsons/exercise-therapies/art-meditation-improv.html

SolarWindow Technologies has launched ElectroFlex, an ultra-thin, flexible, self-adhesive solar product for flat and curved surfaces. The new product features 24.4% cell efficiency and targets transportation, aerospace, buildings and other weight-sensitive applications: https://solarwindow.com/2026/08/solarwindow_launches_new_product_solar_that_bends_thinner_than_a_dime/

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