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Latest story• Oct 23, 2025

$1,370: China unveils ‘world’s cheapest’ humanoid robot standing 3.1 feet tall

A three-foot-tall robot named Bumi is about to shake up the humanoid market with a price tag that sounds more like a laptop than a walking, dancing machine. Beijing startup Noetix Robotics has unveiled what it calls the world's cheapest humanoid robot at just $1,370. That's a fraction of what most bipedal robots cost. While competitors like Tesla's Optimus run two to three times higher, and Boston Dynamics' Atlas...

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Venomous snake strikes captured in extreme detail through high-speed videos for first time

Scientists filmed 36 venomous snake species striking fake prey with high-speed cameras. The footage showed vipers strike in 0.1 seconds using unique venom injection strategies.

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Charred piece of secretive Chinese rocket found still smoldering in the Australian outback

Miners in Western Australia discovered a 5-foot-wide piece of charred debris still smoldering in the outback, which experts identified as part of a secretive Chinese Jielong 3 rocket that failed to completely burn up during...

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Google Earth's new AI tools let users ask questions about the planet

Google Earth now uses AI to let users ask natural language questions about the planet and get instant answers by combining satellite imagery with Google Gemini's reasoning capabilities. The technology helps analysts quickly...

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Why Have We Never Sampled an Interstellar Comet?

NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft may accidentally collect the first-ever sample from an interstellar comet when it passes through comet 3I/ATLAS's tail between October 30 and November 6. This historic opportunity could provide...

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New images of interstellar object 3I/ATLAS show giant 'jet' shooting toward the sun

Newly released images reveal interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS shooting a massive jet of gas and dust toward the sun, demonstrating typical comet behavior as it heats up during its solar approach. The alien visitor, originating from an...

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Google’s Latest Quantum Experiment Moves from Hype to Proof

Google's Willow quantum chip completed calculations in minutes that would take classical supercomputers 47 years, achieving the first mathematically verifiable quantum computing breakthrough.

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US to open Cold War-era plutonium waste vault to power next-gen nuclear reactors

The U.S. Department of Energy will provide American companies access to 19 metric tons of weapon-grade plutonium from Cold War-era stockpiles to convert into nuclear reactor fuel. This initiative aims to reduce dependence on...

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3D zinc–organic polymer battery achieves 40,000-cycle lifespan with 93% retention

Researchers created a zinc-organic battery with a 3D polymer framework that delivers 1.32 volts and keeps 93% capacity after 40,000 cycles, overcoming stability issues for sustainable energy storage.

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MIT discovers amino acid that helps the gut heal itself

MIT researchers found that cysteine activates immune cells to boost intestinal stem cell regeneration. This discovery could help cancer patients recover faster from treatment damage by consuming cysteine-rich foods.

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Dinosaurs were thriving before the asteroid hit, new analysis suggests

New analysis of rock formations in New Mexico reveals that diverse dinosaur communities, including crested hadrosaurs and long-necked sauropods, were thriving just hundreds of thousands of years before the asteroid impact 66...

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Smart elastomer muscles give soft robotics record 2,000x lifting capability

University of Waterloo researchers have created a revolutionary artificial muscle material by mixing liquid crystals into rubber-like elastomers, making soft robots nine times stronger than before. The enhanced material can lift...

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Neutrinos changing ‘flavors’ could explain Big Bang mystery, new study shows

Scientists combined US and Japanese data to precisely measure neutrinos, mysterious particles that change "flavors" while traveling. This breakthrough helps explain why the universe has more matter than antimatter.

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Scientists discover bacteria that eats battery waste, making toxic disposal safe

Boston College scientists discovered that Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans bacteria can consume iron and stainless steel from spent batteries, creating solutions that effectively recycle cathode materials without requiring toxic...

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Physicist’s 150-year-old knot hypothesis could hold the key to why the universe exists

Japanese physicists have revived Lord Kelvin's 1867 knot theory to explain why the universe contains far more matter than antimatter, despite the Big Bang theoretically producing equal amounts. Their study suggests "cosmic knots"...

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Astronomers discover skyscraper-size asteroid hidden in sun's glare — and it's moving at a near-record pace

Astronomers discovered a 2,300-foot-wide asteroid named 2025 SC79 hidden in the sun's glare, making it the second-fastest orbiting asteroid in the solar system. The skyscraper-sized space rock completes an orbit around the sun...

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42,600 ton ship to break the world record for the deepest drill at 7 miles

A 42,600-ton floating behemoth named "Dream" is preparing to drill deeper into Earth's ocean floor than humanity has ever attempted before. China's Meng Xiang drilling vessel aims to penetrate 11 kilometers beneath the seafloor,...

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Lessons from robotics successes and failures

Leading robotics companies succeed by prioritizing customer needs over technology, with winners securing early revenue through co-development partnerships rather than perfecting products in isolation. Analysis of successful and...

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AI turns x-rays into time machines for arthritis care

University of Surrey researchers created AI that generates realistic X-rays predicting knee osteoarthritis progression one year ahead. The system runs nine times faster than similar tools, helping doctors intervene earlier.

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The Game Theory of How Algorithms Can Drive Up Prices

Two competing businesses using computer algorithms to automatically set prices can end up charging customers high prices even without illegal coordination, according to new research. When one company uses a "no-swap-regret"...

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Willow quantum chip demonstrates verifiable quantum advantage on hardware

Google's Willow quantum chip achieved the first verifiable quantum advantage by running the "Quantum Echoes" algorithm, performing 13,000 times faster than the world's best supercomputers. This breakthrough allows quantum...

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China Found Something Fascinating on the Far Side of the Moon

China's Chang'e-6 mission discovered rare water-bearing meteorite fragments called carbonaceous chondrite on the Moon's far side, marking the first such finding in lunar samples. These volatile-rich asteroid remnants suggest...

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Random spherical coordinates

Generating random points on a sphere typically involves creating Cartesian coordinates then converting to spherical form, but a more direct approach generates spherical coordinates immediately. While the radius equals 1 and...

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Recycled silicon from solar panels power low-cost, pure hydrogen production

South Korean researchers have developed a breakthrough process that produces 100% pure hydrogen from ammonia at just 122°F, dramatically lower than conventional methods requiring 400-600°F. The technique uses recycled silicon...

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