South Africa school uses cattle dung to generate biogas for cooking meals
A South African school uses cattle dung to generate biogas for cooking meals for over 1,000 students instead of relying solely on firewood. The biogas system at Tiyani Secondary School in Limpopo province processes dung collected from the local village.
From one deer’s DNA, a road map emerges to save an endangered Philippine species
Scientists sequenced the complete genome of a Visayan spotted deer, an endangered Philippine species, using DNA from a single animal named Abraham. The genetic roadmap will help guide conservation efforts for this critically threatened deer species.
TradFi perps volume surges 117-fold to $387B in 18 months as crypto exchanges eat Wall Street’s lunch
Traditional finance perpetual futures volume on crypto exchanges increased 117-fold to $387 billion over 18 months. This growth reflects traders' migration toward decentralized exchanges offering round-the-clock trading of traditional assets.
Figure’s Blockchain Marketplace Tops $1 Billion Weekly Loan Applications After Record Q2
Figure Technology Solutions' blockchain-based loan marketplace processed $4.3 billion in volume during Q2, representing a 132% increase. Weekly loan applications exceeded $1 billion following the record quarter performance.
Bitcoin miners sell 28,000 BTC worth $2B amid rising costs
Bitcoin miners sold 28,000 BTC valued at approximately $2 billion as operational costs increased. This selling activity reflects a broader strategic shift toward artificial intelligence and data center operations.
Why has Britain's grass turned yellow? A plant scientist explains what happens next
Extended drought has turned Britain's grass yellow as water becomes scarce during an exceptionally dry summer. Ancient underground structures like walls and ditches remain visible as green outlines because they retain moisture that sustains grass above them, while available water is prioritized for homes and farms.
Layered nano-biohybrid uses sunlight, air and water to make hydrogen peroxide
A layered nano-biohybrid material combining inorganic and biological components produces hydrogen peroxide using sunlight, air, and water as inputs. The technology was developed by a research team at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory.
Surf’s Up for Pups at World Dog Surfing Championship Where Rosie Leads the Pack (Video)
A 5-year-old Labrador Retriever named Rosie competed at a World Dog Surfing Championship in California. Rosie has nearly 340,000 Instagram followers and is recognized by local surfers.
Databricks Raises $5 Billion to Expand Enterprise AI Agent Platform
Databricks raised $5 billion in funding at a $190 billion valuation, up from $134 billion in February. The company plans to expand its enterprise AI agent platform with the new capital.
Mutation hotspots help 'friendly' viruses outmaneuver the bacteria in your gut
Researchers identified mutation hotspots in bacteriophages that allow these viruses to rapidly evolve and overcome antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the gut microbiome. These genetic regions enable phages to adapt quickly enough to maintain their role in controlling harmful bacterial populations.
Tether Announces Audit by KPMG, Reports Positive Opinion from Auditor
KPMG US issued a positive audit opinion on Tether following a complete review of the company's financial reserves. This addresses long-standing questions about whether sufficient assets back the USDT stablecoin, the leading digital asset in the stablecoin sector.
Tether Clears First Full Audit From KPMG Without Publishing the Statements
Tether received an unqualified audit opinion from KPMG for its 2025 accounts under AICPA standards rather than PCAOB standards. The company has not published either the audit statements or the opinion letter from the Big Four firm.
Databricks Closes $5 Billion Round at $190 Billion Valuation
Databricks raised $5 billion in funding at a $190 billion valuation, representing a 42% increase in six months. The company has achieved a revenue run-rate exceeding $7 billion with year-over-year growth above 80%.
A 13-year-old boy spent his whole summer 3D printing a custom wheelchair for a baby in need
A 13-year-old boy spent his summer 3D printing a custom wheelchair for a baby using designs from MakeGood. The organization provides free wheelchair designs that anyone can use to manufacture mobility devices.
Ospreys Recover Thanks to ‘Pioneering Pairs’ Who Nest Away From Main Population
Osprey populations in Britain are expanding through pairs that establish nests away from main colonies rather than clustering together. The birds first went extinct in the British Isles in 1916 and began recolonizing starting in 1954.
XRP Defends $1 by a Cent Since CLARITY Act Slipped. Now CFTC Steps In
XRP has remained near $1 after the CLARITY Act was delayed to September, following a peak when the House initially passed the bill. The CFTC is now intervening in the regulatory situation surrounding the cryptocurrency token.
White House Plans Crypto, Prediction Market Summit Next Week
The White House will host a summit with cryptocurrency and prediction market executives next Wednesday. Traditional finance executives may attend, with regulators scheduled to meet many of the same participants the following day.
Tether Finally Completes Independent Audit of Reserves With KPMG
Tether completed an independent audit of its reserves with KPMG, a Big Four accounting firm. The stablecoin issuer had previously struggled for years to secure such an audit from a major accounting firm.
Companies are charging ahead with AI—even though middle managers are not ready for it
Companies are collapsing management layers and prioritizing AI adoption at over 50% of firms, while 75% cite operational efficiency as a goal. However, chief people officers are often excluded from these transformation conversations, potentially limiting organizational change management effectiveness.
Cerebras Runs OpenAI’s GPT-5.6 Sol at 750 Tokens Per Second in New Ultrafast Tier
Cerebras announced it is running OpenAI's GPT-5.6 Sol model at 750 output tokens per second on a new Ultrafast service tier, delivering up to 14 times faster processing than Standard. The Ultrafast tier launched as a limited preview in the OpenAI API for select customers on August 13, 2026.
Cat Named ‘Toast’ Survives Intense Heat of 4-Alarm Fire By Hiding in Closet
A cat named Toast survived a four-alarm fire in a five-story Utah apartment building by hiding in a closet after a mechanical issue ignited the structure. The black and gray cat went missing during evacuation but was later found alive in the closet.
Building a practical path to post-quantum cryptography
The National Institute of Standards and Technology has standardized post-quantum cryptography algorithms to replace current encryption methods vulnerable to future quantum computers. Organizations should begin transitioning their systems now, as the migration to quantum-resistant cryptography represents an evolutionary business process rather than an emergency response.
Google’s Gemini 3.7 Flash targets coding and agents with a 50% introductory price cut
Google released Gemini 3.7 Flash with a focus on coding and agentic workflows at half price through end of 2026, with input tokens costing $0.75 per million and output tokens $3.75 per million. The model arrives three weeks after Gemini 3.6 Flash, driven by developer feedback and algorithmic improvements aimed at reducing retries and manual oversight.
DeepSeek Harness launches as open source rival to Claude Code, alongside V4-Pro on API with higher prices
DeepSeek launched DeepSeek-V4-Pro, an updated flagship model for agentic workloads, and DeepSeek Harness v0.1, an open-source agent harness available on GitHub under MIT license. API pricing shifts to peak and off-peak rates beginning August 16 at 16:00 UTC, with substantially higher prices than current rates.
Anthropic’s $2trn IPO is priced below what AI stocks already fetch
Anthropic investors project the company could reach a $2 trillion valuation in an autumn initial public offering, exceeding SpaceX's $1.77 trillion IPO valuation from June. Anthropic has not confirmed any listing plans or valuation figures itself.
DeepSeek built a Claude Code rival, then quadrupled its prices
DeepSeek increased API prices for DeepSeek-V4-Pro from $0.87 to $3.96 per million output tokens at peak rates starting August 16, while V4-Flash prices rose from $0.28 to $1.32. Off-peak rates were set at half the peak price for both models.
Bank of America to buy up to 49.9% stake in Jio Credit for $1.9B
Bank of America will acquire up to 49.9% stake in Jio Credit for $1.9 billion. The investment reflects the bank's confidence in India as a growth market where it has operated for decades.
Perseids Meteor Shower
The Perseid meteor shower has been increasing in intensity since early July and will continue through the end of August. The shower is one of the year's brightest and most popular meteor showers, with peak visibility occurring around August 12.
Why Capital One built its multi-agent AI platform around open-weight models
Capital One built a multi-agent AI platform using deeply customized open-weight models rather than relying on off-the-shelf foundation models, fine-tuning them with proprietary data. The bank constructed a centralized enterprise-wide AI platform with built-in governance and its own multi-agent orchestration harness based on foundational investments in data transformation and cloud adoption.
Writer says its new Palmyra X6 model cuts AI agent costs by 52% as token spending surges
Writer released Palmyra X6, which reduces AI agent costs by 52% and improves speed by 48% compared to previous versions. The model is a post-trained version of GLM-5.2, an open-weight mixture-of-experts model from Chinese company Z.ai, running on Writer's U.S. infrastructure.