France ignites 'artificial Sun'

France's WEST reactor maintained plasma in a stable state for over 22 minutes without disruptions or overheating components - a new world record.

Scientists Store Data in Tiny Crystals

In the USA, scientists have learned to store data in tiny crystals. Researchers from the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering in Chicago have fitted computer memory into crystalline gaps where atoms would normally reside. They managed to pack terabytes of data into a cubic millimeter.

American Discovers Almost No Brain at 44

An American accidentally discovered that he has almost no brain - he found this out only at the age of 44. It all began when the poor fellow felt a slight pain and weakness in his leg that wouldn’t go away. The doctors shrugged and decided to do an MRI of the whole body. The result: it turned out that the patient’s skull had almost no brain matter. The skull was mostly filled with fluid, and the brain was compressed into a thin layer pressed against the edge of the skull. Despite this, the man was quite an ordinary person, lived a good life, started a family, and raised children. He was not particularly smart (IQ - 84), but overall within the normal range. Doctors concluded that he was not born this way, but his condition of hydrocephalus worsened over the years - brain tissue was gradually destroyed, making way for the fluid.

Elon Musk's Grok 3: The Smartest AI on Earth

Elon Musk has caused a revolution - Grok 3 has indeed become the smartest AI on Earth. The model currently holds the first position in the arena - it is the smartest model as of now. In mathematics, coding, and creativity, Grok 3 surpasses top GPT-4o, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Gemini-2 Pro, and DeepSeek-V3. The model was trained on the Colossus computer with 200,000 NVIDIA H100 GPU chips. Grok 3 is equipped with its own Deep Research feature - it operates much faster than the same feature from OpenAI.

Asia's Deepest Borehole Completed in Taklamakan Desert

In China's Taklamakan Desert, Asia's deepest and the world's second deepest borehole 'Shendi-1' has been drilled, reaching 10,910 meters underground. The implementation of the project took a year and 270 days: currently, the borehole is second only to the Kola Superdeep Borehole (12,265 meters), which was drilled in the Murmansk region over 22 years. It will be used to study the evolution of the planet and search for oil and gas resources.

New Pharaoh's Tomb Discovered in Egypt

In Egypt, for the first time in over 100 years, a new pharaoh's tomb has been discovered - it contained Thutmose II, who reigned from around 1493 BC. His mummy, however, was found in 1881 in a completely different location because the Luxor tomb was damaged by a flood in ancient times, leading to his reburial in a distant temple. The discovery is being hailed as one of the most important archaeological findings of the modern era: it was the last lost tomb of the rulers of the 18th dynasty.

US Retiree Sets Guinness World Record with Largest Collection of Bricks

A retiree from the USA has been entered into the Guinness Book of Records for amassing the world's largest collection of bricks. He owns 8,882 pieces - and each one is unique. The 87-year-old Clem Reinkemeyer became interested in bricks 40 years ago and filled an entire shed with them. Most are from different states of America, but there are also examples from other countries: Greece, Ireland, New Zealand, and even an ancient Roman brick over 2000 years old.

Humane Shuts Down

The startup Humane, which promised to reinvent smartphones, is shutting down and will turn off all sold AI pagers in just 10 days. The company will shut down servers and delete user data, while the developers themselves will move to HP, which bought Humane for $116 million. The gadget's features included a palm projector and built-in ChatGPT, and it was priced at $699.

NASA Increases Likelihood of Asteroid Impact

NASA has increased the likelihood of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting Earth in 2032 to 3.1% - making it the most dangerous space object in observation history. In the event of a collision with the planet, the shock wave would be 500 times more powerful than the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, with Colombia, Nigeria, and India in the risk zone. Nevertheless, there is no need for panic: the chance is still very small, and there is already experience in altering the trajectory of asteroids.

Apple Unveils iPhone 16E

Apple has unveiled the iPhone 16E - it is now the most affordable iPhone that will replace the SE series. It features a 6.1-inch screen (versus 4.7″ in the SE) at 60 Hz, USB-C, and an 'Action Button' instead of the sound lever, but lacks the Dynamic Island and side shutter button. The camera is single (48 MP, 4K/60 video), the processor is the same as in the iPhone 16, two colors are available (black and white), and storage options are 128/256/512 GB. The price starts at $599, and it will be on sale in a week.

Genetic Influence on Income

Scientists have discovered that the ability to earn money is partially inherited. A study of 668,000 people identified areas in the genome associated with income levels: Genes responsible for academic performance often overlap with 'money' genes. In societies with high inequality, even a small genetic advantage significantly increases income. Each 'money' gene increases earnings by fractions of a percent, overall providing up to a 25% increase. Individuals with these genes are less likely to experience obesity, diabetes, and depression, but have a higher propensity for risk.

AI Reads Human Thoughts

AI reads human thoughts and translates them into text - yes, this is now reality: Scientists have developed a 'brain decoder' based on AI. It was trained on several participants: they were shown short films and photo reports while fMRI data was recorded to create a map of how the brain reacted to audio and cinematic stories. Then, participants watched another film, and the decoder almost accurately converted their impressions. The development may help patients with aphasia (speech disorder) express their thoughts.

Argentina Fights Capybaras

The Argentine authorities have begun to confront the capybaras. The administration of Buenos Aires will sterilize the rodents. There are more than 1,000 capybaras living in the city, and they are causing real chaos - fighting with dogs and running onto the roads. These huge rodents have no natural predators, so their reproduction can only be stopped in this way.

Robot Dog Chained at Tokyo Exhibition

At an exhibition in Tokyo, a robot dog was chained up, from which it tried to break free. The author of the exhibition, Takayuki Todo, did not explain the meaning of his unusual work. Online, it is referred to as a 'Black Mirror'-style commentary on the dangers of the future with the integration of technologies and artificial intelligence.

Elon Musk Launches Grok-3 Chatbot

Elon Musk has launched the Grok-3 chatbot, calling it the "smartest AI on the planet". The neural network surpasses ChatGPT and China's DeepSeek in all top benchmarks, with its main goal being to "understand the universe and help answer the most important questions: what is the meaning of life and do aliens exist?" Currently, Grok-3 is in beta, with a full release on the social network X coming a little later.

Tesla Metro to be Built Under Dubai

A metro for Tesla will be constructed under Dubai. Elon plans to create a 17-km network of tunnels called Dubai Loop for autonomous vehicles, which will connect 100 of the city's attractions while remaining completely invisible.

French Musician Rilès Runs 24 Hours on Treadmill with Circular Saw at His Back

French musician Rilès ran non-stop for 24 hours on a treadmill with a circular saw at his back. During the 24 hours, Rilès ran 205 km. He performed this feat to promote his new album 'Survival Mode'. The saw symbolizes constant pressure and the need to keep moving forward without stopping. The show was successful: 100,000 people watched the broadcast, the video went viral on social media, and album sales soared.

AI can now cook you a full dinner

AI can now cook you a full dinner. It's all thanks to the startup Moley, which has developed a robotic kitchen with many capabilities: robotic arms can boil, fry, mix ingredients, and even add salt and pepper to taste.

The Longest Cable Car in the World

The longest cable car in the world is in Vietnam, stretching an impressive 7,899.9 meters. The route connects Phu Quoc Island with Hon Thom Island and is listed in the Guinness Book of Records. Most of the journey is over the sea, and there are a total of 69 cabins, each with a capacity of 30 people. The ride lasts about 20 minutes, with tickets starting at 650,000 dong.

The World's Most Crowded Santa Cruz del Islote

Santa Cruz del Islote is the world's most densely populated artificial island, where over 800 people live on an area of only 0.01 km². This small piece of land, measuring 130×190 meters, is located in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Colombia. There are only four streets and about a hundred houses, no authorities and no police, but there are a few shops and a school, and electricity is generated by solar panels.