During a two-day French army exercise, a Boston Dynamics Spot robot used for reconnaissance ran out of battery and had to be carried by soldiers. The incident highlights the practical limits of military robotics and raises questions about oversight as the company learns of the deployment after the fact.
An international team has detected a crescent-shaped hydrogen cloud, named Eos, only 300 light-years away, using a novel ultraviolet technique. The discovery, detailed in Nature Astronomy, could shed light on how molecular clouds form stars. The team also identified the most distant hydrogen molecules yet seen.
Northrop Grumman has unveiled a full-scale prototype of the Manta Ray, an autonomous underwater vehicle developed for DARPA. The glider-like drone can operate independently for long durations, potentially anchoring to the seafloor to conserve power. Its exact mission remains classified, with speculation ranging from surveillance to payload delivery.
NVBOTS, a Boston-based startup, has developed a 3D printing method that uses 21 different metals in a single job, potentially disrupting traditional metal casting. The technology, still in development, offers precision and cost advantages for small, high-value parts, with industrial partner trials planned later this year.
Scientists have unearthed 300,000-year-old Homo sapiens remains in Morocco, pushing back the origins of our species by over 100,000 years. The discovery at Jebel Irhoud challenges the long-held view that humanity emerged solely in East Africa, suggesting a more complex, continent-wide evolution.
Researchers from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and University College London have developed a new theory of molecular evolution using statistical mechanics. The model reveals that amino acid interactions and entrenchment drive evolutionary rates, potentially solving long-standing puzzles in reconstructing major evolutionary events.
A new study reveals that increased snowfall in East Antarctica could reduce ice melt and potentially slow sea level rise. However, scientists caution that this effect is part of a complex balancing act, and other factors may exacerbate the problem.
A research team has established a temporary camp on Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica, one of the fastest-melting ice masses. Their mission is to install ocean sensors to gather data on the warm waters accelerating ice loss. The operation, supported by helicopter airlifts, must conclude by early February.
An international team of researchers, publishing in Science Advances, has completed the first comprehensive health assessment of Earth's nine planetary boundaries, finding six breached. The study, which reviewed over 2,000 prior studies, warns that humanity is operating outside the safe zone, with biological systems at the highest risk.
Physicists in Barcelona have developed a floating glass bead, just a few hundred nanometers wide, that can measure individual molecules with high precision. The team believes this tabletop device could detect high-frequency gravitational waves and dark matter, offering a compact alternative to kilometer-scale detectors.