Blog

  • 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games push tech innovation boundaries in the arena-Xinhua

    BEIJING, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) — The ongoing 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games are part competition, part carnival. They are a stage on which intelligent machines from around the world demonstrate their skills in events ranging from football to high jump.

    As nations race farther into the era of artificial intelligence, companies and research institutions are using the event as both a showcase and a knowledge exchange, pushing the limits of robotics design and performance.

    On the football pitch, three-a-side and five-a-side matches pit AI-powered robots against one another. Guided by high-speed visual sensors, they track the ball’s trajectory with precision. What they lack in human speed and coordination — often tripping and tumbling — they make up for in mechanical agility, springing back to their feet in seconds to rejoin play.

    Around the venue, robot doctors diagnose breakdowns with terms such as “right hip joint disconnection” and “left foot plate detachment,” armed with tools for quick field repairs.

    The cycle of competing, falling, being fixed and returning to the field reflects a crucial stage in the evolution of robotics, said Li Zi’ao, a graduate student at North China Electric Power University and the leader of his school’s robot football team.

    “The main challenges in robot soccer right now are communication and coordination,” Li told Xinhua. “Most robots still play individually.”

    He has suggested strategies to improve algorithms, such as the creation of a captain-election algorithm that would allow the robot with the best vantage point to direct play and reduce communication chaos.

    While soccer matches unfold autonomously, other events test human-robot cooperation. For 400-meter and 1,500-meter races, technicians guide robots with devices similar to gaming controllers, using one hand to manage speed and the other to steer direction.

    Xue Qingheng, deputy general manager of Inter City Technology Co., Ltd., said that his company’s robot completed 1,500-meter race in 14 minutes. He compared this to its performance at a humanoid robot half-marathon that took place in April, when the technology was less mature.

    “After four months of iterations, our robot now runs stably without falls or glitches,” Xue said. “There’s room to improve speed and strength, but this marks real advancement.”

    Chen Dong of MagicLab Robotics Technology Co., Ltd., called the competition the “ultimate stress test” for product design. “If our robots can handle these extreme conditions, they can handle anything in daily operations,” he said.

    Heat is the biggest obstacle for racing robots, Chen noted. “Many overheat with prolonged operation. Top models use improved materials, but we still need better thermal solutions.”

    The combat arena has brought the fiercest action to the Games, with metallic clashes echoing as operators direct their machines from the sidelines.

    In the sport of free combat, hardware durability and software algorithms are both critical, said Deng Huasheng from Unitree Robotics. “If the structure can’t withstand collisions, it will fail. And if balance algorithms falter, a light push can knock a robot down.”

    Beyond human-inspired events, the games also feature competitions tailored to machine capabilities, such as box transportation and medicine sorting events — tasks that highlight practical applications in real-world scenarios.

    Logistics robots from Jianghuai Advanced Technology Center use wheeled chassis and telescopic arms to handle materials. Speaking to Xinhua, researcher Wang Xu noted that future designs will focus on refining arm structure, chassis stability and thermal control to boost efficiency in ways “beyond human capabilities.”

    “Humanoid robots today resemble the internet in the 1980s — poorly understood yet transformative,” Xue said. “But I believe that in the near future, robots could become as ubiquitous as smartphones.”

    Unitree CEO Wang Xingxing said the robot Games can drive progress across the industry. “I hope events like this propel the whole sector toward better development,” he said.

    The 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games opened in Beijing on Thursday, featuring 280 teams from 16 countries competing in 26 events at the National Speed Skating Oval from Friday through Sunday. Enditem

    (Huang Rongrong, Xiong Run and Zhang Yiyi also contributed to the story)

    Continue Reading

  • Noah Lyles pipped by Kishane Thompson in first 100m head-to-head since Paris Olympics | Athletics

    Noah Lyles pipped by Kishane Thompson in first 100m head-to-head since Paris Olympics | Athletics

    Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson exacted a measure of revenge by beating Olympic champion Noah Lyles over 100m at the Silesia Diamond League meet on Saturday.

    It was the first time the two sprinters have met since Lyles was awarded Olympic gold in Paris a year ago, just five-thousandths of a second ahead of Thompson.

    The fast-starting Jamaican timed a joint meet record of 9.87sec for victory in the Polish city of Chorzow, with Lyles second in 9.90sec. Another American, Kenny Bednarek, rounded out the podium in 9.96sec.

    “It felt alright. My job is to get the job done,” said Thompson.

    The Jamaican, who missed the cut for the 2023 world championships in Budapest, will be one of the favourites for this year’s edition in Tokyo on 13-21 September.

    But he downplayed the significance of the result.

    “Honestly, I compete against myself, no offense to the competition,” he said.

    Lyles put a positive spin on his second place, saying it was a “great stepping stone”.

    “I needed to see a sub-10,” the American said. “I needed to see winning, beating people, I took out some really big heads today, people who run 9.7 and 9.8.

    “I am getting the confidence. It makes me really excited for not only today, but also for next week and Tokyo.”

    Lyles was drawn in lane seven, outside Bednarek and inside Christian Coleman, with Thompson in five and South African Akani Simbine to his left.

    But it was Thompson who stole the march in hot and humid conditions, rocketing out of his blocks to leave the field in his wake for a true gun-to-tape display.

    Lyles had the joint slowest reaction of the nine-man line-up and looked to be out of even a podium finish from the start before he came through strongly over the closing 20 metres to pinch second place from Bednarek.

    Thompson’s winning time matched the 9.87sec meet record jointly held by Americans Ronnie Baker and Fred Kerley.

    It did not quite match the world-leading 9.75sec he set at the Jamaican trials in June, a time which puts him sixth on the all-time list.

    Continue Reading

  • Science says the body starts aging past 45, but can you slow it in its tracks?

    Science says the body starts aging past 45, but can you slow it in its tracks?

    For decades, aging has been viewed as a slow, steady decline, marked by wrinkles, greying hair, and aching joints. But new science is challenging that familiar timeline. A study published in Cell suggests that the body doesn’t age in a straight line—it hits an “inflection point,” with the most dramatic changes occurring between ages 45 and 55.This shift raises a big question: If the body begins aging faster around midlife, is there a way to slow the process?

    The midlife turning point

    Researchers analyzed blood and tissue samples from 76 organ donors aged 14 to 68, all of whom had died from accidental traumatic brain injury. The team catalogued proteins across key systems—cardiovascular, immune, digestive, endocrine, respiratory, skin, and muscular—and matched the findings with disease-linked genes.
    The results were striking. Between 45 and 55, tissues across the body showed accelerated aging, with the aorta, pancreas, and spleen undergoing the most drastic changes. According to the study, this makes blood vessels particularly vulnerable to early decline.

    John Fudyma, MD, clinical associate professor at the University at Buffalo, told Women’s Health that this “aging inflection” is marked by a decline in key proteins essential for cellular function. “We don’t really understand if it’s genetic, inflammatory…we don’t know why this seems to happen around age 50,” he explained.

    What triggers the shift?

    Experts suggest a combination of biology and lifestyle. Hormonal changes play a role, especially around the age of 50. Melissa Batchelor, PhD, from George Washington University, noted, “Your muscle mass declines, your metabolism declines—but all of that is part of the natural aging process.”But lifestyle is equally crucial. “There are two really important things that people have to understand about aging,” said Bert Mandelbaum, MD, co-director of the Regenerative Orthobiologic Center at Cedars-Sinai. “One is genomics—what are your genes?—and the other part is what you do to those genes.”

    iStock

    Aging is inevitable, but how you age is within your control

    Can you slow it down?

    The research underscores one important message: while you can’t stop aging, you can influence how well you age. Experts stress that small, consistent habits matter more than quick fixes.

    • Sleep well: Aim for at least seven hours of rest.
    • Stay active: Avoid prolonged sitting; regular movement supports longevity.
    • Build strength: Incorporate resistance training to offset hormonal shifts.
    • Eat clean: Focus on whole, minimally processed foods.
    • Manage stress: Mental well-being is as critical as physical health.

    “Aging well isn’t as much of a crapshoot as people think,” said Batchelor. “It’s really about having small, healthy habits that you build into your daily life.”
    Science may have found the body’s biological “midlife marker,” but experts say decline is not inevitable. As Mandelbaum put it, “You are what you eat, drink, think, and do.” A comprehensive approach to health—rather than obsessing over one or two fixes—could help delay the steep slide that begins in your late forties.

    If aging speeds up after 45, the choices you make today might just determine how gracefully you navigate the decades ahead.

    Continue Reading

  • West Midlands measles vaccine plea ahead of school term

    West Midlands measles vaccine plea ahead of school term

    Rachel Russell

    BBC News, West Midlands

    Getty Images A female child with long brown hair and a white top is getting a white plater stuck onto her arm following an injection. They person putting the plaster on is wearing light blue gloves, a pale blue top and has a pearl bracelet on one of their wrists. Getty Images

    Parents in the West Midlands were urged to make sure their children have had the MMR jabs

    Parents are being urged by health officials to make sure their children are vaccinated before the return to school as measles cases still circulate in the West Midlands.

    Uptake of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jabs by age five is as low as 75.8% in parts of the region, according the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) – the World Health Organisation recommends a 95% uptake to prevent outbreaks.

    It comes after Birmingham saw an outbreak in 2025 with 26 confirmed cases between January and June, government figures showed.

    Katie Spence, from the UKHSA, described measles as a “nasty virus” that can spread quickly among unvaccinated children and adults in places like schools and nurseries.

    “It can lead to serious health problems including ear and chest infections, inflammation of the brain, with some children ending up in hospital and being left with permanent disabilities. Tragically, in rare cases, it can even be fatal,” she said.

    “As children under the age of one cannot be vaccinated against measles, it’s important siblings are vaccinated to protect little ones and other vulnerable people – including those with weakened immune systems – who are unable to have the MMR vaccine and rely on the rest of us to protect them from measles.”

    She added that if parents are unsure about their child’s vaccination record, they can check their Red Book, the NHS app or contact their GP surgery.

    In 2024, figures from the UKHSA showed 329 of 465 (71%) measles cases across England from October 2023 to February 2024 were in the West Midlands.

    A GP in the Sparkbrook area of Birmingham said at the time that, in the majority of cases, medics were seeing were in unvaccinated people.

    The latest measles data from the UKHSA this summer revealed that there have been 674 laboratory-confirmed measles cases reported in England since 1 January, with 145 in 3-31 July.

    The West Midlands had 34 out of the 674 cases.

    Continue Reading

  • Kishane Thompson avenges Paris 2024 defeat to Noah Lyles in 100m

    Kishane Thompson avenges Paris 2024 defeat to Noah Lyles in 100m

    Kishane Thompson won the rematch, but will he do so again at the Tokyo World Athletics Championships?

    For the first time since the Paris 2024 men’s 100m final, Thompson faced Noah Lyles at the Silesia Diamond League stop on Saturday (16 August).

    Lyles won by just five-thousandths of a second in the French capital as he flew home in the closing stages. This time, he had too much to do after a sluggish start with his Jamaican rival – the fastest man in the world this year – flying out of the blocks.

    It was only with 30m to go that Lyles really started to motor. But Thompson was clear and won in a time of 9.87 seconds, equalling the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial meeting record set last year by Fred Kerley.

    Lyles clocked a season’s best 9.90 in second, and his fans will have been heartened by the way he closed at the finish. Kenny Bednarek, suffering his first defeat over 100m this season, was third in 9.96 with Christian Coleman posting the same time in fourth.

    Despite his win, Thompson insists there is plenty more to come. “My race was not so good, not so bad,” he said. “I enjoyed the competition against Noah today. It’s all about execution; I had problems with that, but I am finding it. The key is to find the momentum in the race and maintain it till the end.

    “Nobody is perfect, but I’m working on improving my strengths and my weaknesses. Paris last year was a big learning factor. I learned it is me against myself. No disrespect to my rivals, but anything is possible when you execute well.”

    “It’s a great stepping stone,” Lyles told reporters afterwards. “I needed to see a sub-10. I needed to see winning, beating people, I took out some really big heads today, people who run 9.7 and 9.8.

    “I am getting the confidence. It makes me really excited for not only today, but also for next week and Tokyo.”

    Thompson and Lyles are due to meet again at the Lausanne Diamond League on Wednesday (20 August).

    Continue Reading

  • Traffic noise exposure increases mental health risks

    Traffic noise exposure increases mental health risks

    The constant hum of city life often fades into the background, unnoticed by those who live in it. Yet, behind the sound of passing cars, rumbling trains, and the distant whir of traffic lights, an invisible health risk may be growing.

    Scientists are now uncovering how this steady noise pollution can do more than disturb sleep – it can shape mental well-being over time.

    Traffic noise and mental health


    A new LongITools study, published in the journal Environmental Research, shows a clear link between traffic noise and diagnosed depression or anxiety. It is the first study to investigate long-term exposure in children, adolescents, and young adults.

    Researchers from the University of Oulu found a sharp rise in mental health risks when traffic noise exceeds 53 decibels (dB) at home. This crosses the safe limit set by the World Health Organization.

    The findings support urban planning measures, like designing bedrooms on quieter building sides and lowering speed limits.

    Noise pollution as a health threat

    Environmental noise from roads, railways, airports, and construction is Europe’s second-largest environmental health concern. It can damage hearing, disrupt sleep, and trigger emotional stress.

    Over time, these effects can contribute to cardiovascular issues and neurological diseases.

    Noise also activates the body’s stress response through the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. This can impair emotional regulation, cognition, and behavior – especially in children whose systems are still developing.

    Noise exposure and mental health

    The study was focused on 114,353 people born in Finland between 1987 and 1998 who lived in the Helsinki metropolitan area in 2007. Participants were tracked for up to ten years, from ages 8 to 21.

    Noise exposure was calculated for the most and least exposed sides of each home. Annual averages included road and railway traffic noise, with extra weighting for evening and nighttime hours.

    The researchers examined participants’ medical records to determine whether they had diagnoses of depression or anxiety.

    Clear patterns emerged

    The World Health Organization advises keeping traffic noise below 53 dB over 24 hours. This study found that risks increase at or above this level. Each 10 dB rise in noise at the most exposed side was linked to a 5% higher risk of depression and 4% higher risk of anxiety.

    “Our analysis showed that anxiety risk is lowest when traffic noise is around 45 to 50 dB at the quieter side of dwellings but increases significantly after 53 to 55 dB,” noted Dr. Anna Pulakka, senior author of the study.

    “Above 53 dB, noise becomes a significant psychological stressor for young people regardless of whether an individual sleeps on the quieter or noisier side of a dwelling.”

    Anxiety links were stronger for males and for those whose parents had no mental health disorders.

    Noise, environment, and health effects

    The researchers investigated whether air pollution or access to green space could account for the connection between noise and mental health. They found that noise independently impacted mental health, even after accounting for these other factors.

    Nighttime noise was strongly associated with depression, supporting the idea that sleep disturbances from noise may be one way it affects mental health.

    For anxiety, the biggest impact was seen in places with 60–65 dB noise levels. These places also tended to have more social and environmental challenges, such as poorer living conditions.

    Broader implications of the study

    “Our findings support further actions towards reducing traffic noise exposure,” explained Yiyan He, lead author of the study.

    “For policymakers and urban planners, this should include measures such as ensuring bedrooms are on the quieter side of the dwelling and ensuring there is green space nearby. For transport, quieter tyres or reduced speed limits should also be considered.”

    Roughly 10% of young people in the study were diagnosed with depression or anxiety by the time they turned 30.

    Since traffic noise is something cities can change, it becomes a possible focus for prevention efforts. Lowering noise levels in living areas could help protect mental health, especially during the years when the brain and emotions are still developing.

    The study is published in the journal Environmental Research.

    —–

    Like what you read? Subscribe to our newsletter for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates. 

    Check us out on EarthSnap, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

    —–

    Continue Reading

  • Putin reportedly demands full control of Donetsk and Luhansk as condition for ending Ukraine war – live | Ukraine

    Putin reportedly demands full control of Donetsk and Luhansk as condition for ending Ukraine war – live | Ukraine

    Key events

    European leaders have been invited to Monday’s meeting with Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House although it remains to be seen who would attend, Reuters reports, citing a source familiar with the matter.

    Following Trump’s meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska, Trump briefed Zelenskyy on his conversation with the Russian president. Trump’s call with Zelenskyy lasted over an hour and a half and European and Nato leaders also joined.

    “The impression is he wants a fast deal at any price,” a source familiar with the conversation told Reuters.

    The source added that Trump told Zelenskyy that Putin had offered to halt fighting on the frontlines elsewhere as part of a peace deal if Ukraine fully withdrew its troops from eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions – which Zelenskyy said was not possible.

    Reuters further reports that Trump and US special envoy Steve Witkoff told Zelenskyy that Putin said there could be no ceasefire before that happened and that Putin could pledge not to launch any new attacks against Ukraine as part of a peace agreement.

    Share

    Continue Reading

  • Scientists observe new quantum behavior in superconducting material

    Scientists observe new quantum behavior in superconducting material

    Kagome metals, known for their distinctive two-dimensional lattices formed by corner-sharing triangles, have drawn significant attention in condensed matter physics due to their unique electronic properties. 

    Recent theoretical predictions suggest that these materials can host compact molecular orbitals – standing-wave patterns of electrons – that may enable unconventional superconductivity and unusual magnetic orders when activated by electron correlation effects. In most kagome materials, these flat electronic bands lie too far from active energy levels to meaningfully influence behavior. 

    However, in CsCr₃Sb₅, researchers have found that the flat bands are actively involved, directly affecting the material’s superconducting and magnetic properties, making it a rare platform for studying quantum phenomena.

    New pathway to engineer exotic superconductivity

    A recent study, led by Pengcheng Dai, Ming Yi, and Qimiao Si of Rice University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy and Smalley-Curl Institute, along with Di-Jing Huang from Taiwan’s National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, has been focusing on the chromium-based kagome metal CsCr₃Sb₅. 

    Published in Nature Communications, the research examines how this material, which exhibits superconductivity under pressure, hosts active flat electronic bands that directly influence its quantum properties, offering new insights into the design of unconventional superconductors and other advanced quantum materials.

    According to the researchers, their findings confirm a surprising theoretical prediction and highlight a pathway for engineering exotic superconductivity through chemical and structural control. 

    The study also provides direct evidence that active flat electronic bands in CsCr₃Sb₅ can be manipulated to influence the material’s superconducting and magnetic properties, offering a new platform for exploring unconventional quantum behaviors and guiding the design of next-generation quantum materials.

    Proof shows kagome lattice geometry controls electron behavior

    The experimental evidence now confirms concepts that until recently existed only in theoretical models, demonstrating that the unique geometry of kagome lattices can serve as a precise tool for controlling electron behavior in solids. Additionally, gathering such detailed data depended on exceptionally large and high-purity crystals of CsCr₃Sb₅, produced through a refined synthesis method that yielded samples roughly 100 times bigger than those achieved in earlier studies, the scientists noted.

    The research team also combined advanced synchrotron techniques with theoretical modeling to probe active standing-wave electron modes. Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), they mapped electrons emitted under synchrotron light, revealing distinct signatures of compact molecular orbitals. 

    Resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) further captured magnetic excitations tied to these electronic states, providing a comprehensive view of how lattice geometry governs emergent quantum phenomena.

    Furthermore, the ARPES and RIXS results indicate that the flat bands in CsCr₃Sb₅ actively participate in shaping the material’s magnetic and electronic properties, rather than remaining passive. Theoretical analysis supported these findings by examining the effects of strong electron correlations using a custom-built lattice model, which successfully reproduced the observed features and guided the interpretation of experimental results.

    Continue Reading

  • Erin expected to become a Category 5 hurricane, US National Hurricane Centre says – World

    Erin expected to become a Category 5 hurricane, US National Hurricane Centre says – World

    Hurricane Erin, the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season, could become a Category 5 hurricane, with additional strengthening expected this afternoon, the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said on Saturday.

    The storm is currently 375 kilometres east-northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, with maximum sustained winds of 250 kilometres per hour.

    Swells generated by Erin will affect portions of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, and the Turks and Caicos Islands through the weekend, the NHC said.

    The swells will spread to the Bahamas, Bermuda and the east coast of the US early next week, it said.

    Erin is expected to produce areas of heavy rainfall through Sunday across the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico, the centre said.

    Continue Reading

  • What are the chances of getting hit by meteorite? the only confirmed death by a meteor shower

    What are the chances of getting hit by meteorite? the only confirmed death by a meteor shower

    The Perseid meteor shower is still active this week, dazzling the night sky. Earth is remarkably hit by 44,000 kilograms of meteoritic material every day. Most of it is burned up in the upper atmosphere, but some material does reach the ground. But the meteorite hitting the earth is very rare to be captured in a camera.

    The first recorded footage of a Meteorite hitting the ground was shared by Joe Velaidum, a resident of Prince Edward Island, Canada, in January 2025. He was standing right in front of the door, just as he left to walk to his dog, the meteorite struck the ground at approximately 60,000 kilometres per hour.

    He was likely to be the second recorded case of Meteorite death. However, the chances of being hit by a meteor are very low. According to a study, it is more likely to be attacked by an elephant or a coyote than to be hit by a meteor. “Although everyone’s individual situation and risk are different, on average, it’s slightly more likely that a >140-meter asteroid or comet hits the Earth than an individual is struck by lightning,” lead author Professor Carrie Nugent from Olin College told IFLScience.

    “An impact is less likely than experiencing carbon monoxide poisoning. Although an asteroid impact is pretty unlikely to occur in any given year, the probability is not zero and might be higher than some people expect. But, just like carbon monoxide poisoning is preventable, so is an asteroid impact – if we have enough time to prepare.”

    The only ever death by a meteor shower

    The only person confirmed to have died from a meteorite hitting was in 1888 in Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. According to the three letters written by Ottoman officials and forwarded to the Ottoman ruler in Constantinople, a man was killed with a meteorite strike, and another was paralysed. It also destroyed a huge crop area. What makes the case extraordinary is its detailed documentation. Historians have unearthed these recent years, making it the only documented case of meteorite-caused human fatality.

    There are other relatable incidents like that of 1954 in Alabama, Ann Hodge became the only confirmed person to survive a meteorite strike. The grapefruit-sized rock crashed through her ceiling and left a large bruise. Another 2016 incident reportedly killed a man at a college, but it was later confirmed to be a ground-based explosion.

    So while one gazes up at the Perseid stragglers, it is to be remembered that even though these are considered awe-inspiring, they can turn lethal on rarest of occasions.

    Continue Reading