A data centre rack running on living neurons is now operating in Singapore
A biological data centre prototype using 20 neuron-powered CL1 computers has been activated in Singapore through collaboration between NUS Medicine, DayOne, and Cortical Labs. The system runs on living human neurons, though no published efficiency figures have been released.
Octopus Charge puts 210,000 US chargers in one app, without Tesla, Ionna or Electrify America
Octopus Energy launched Octopus Charge, an app aggregating over 210,000 US chargers from more than 20 networks without markup on energy prices. The service excludes Tesla, Ionna, and Electrify America while covering 1.5 million chargers across Europe's 40-plus countries.
Cinemas, schools and ICE are all banning Meta smart glasses
Meta smart glasses are being banned in UK cinemas due to concerns about film piracy and customer privacy. Schools and Immigration and Customs Enforcement have also restricted the camera-enabled eyewear.
HSBC, Standard Chartered Complete Live Tokenized Deposit Transaction via Swift’s Blockchain enabled Platform
Two major banks completed the first live interbank transaction using tokenized deposits on a Swift-developed blockchain platform on August 19, 2026. The transaction demonstrates progress toward continuous cross-border payments using regulated bank-issued digital money.
Debates over AI consciousness are a trap
Debates about whether AI systems possess consciousness or autonomy are fundamentally misleading framings that distract from substantive policy discussions. Tech leaders invoke dramatic language like "rogue agents" and "superhuman systems" to justify regulation, but these characterizations misrepresent how current AI actually functions.
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong Says Bitcoin Will Likely Hit $400,000 By 2030
Brian Armstrong predicted Bitcoin will likely reach between $300,000 and $400,000 by 2030. Armstrong also stated the U.S. is moving in the right direction on crypto legislation following a White House meeting.
Archaeologists Triple the Scale of an Ancient Amazonian Civilization We Know Almost Nothing About
Laser radar surveys revealed hundreds of geometric earthworks in the southwestern Amazon, tripling estimates of an ancient civilization's scale. Archaeologists discovered massive earthen construction projects indicating a previously unknown precolonial monument-building society was far larger than initially believed.
NASA Selects University Teams to Help Advance Aviation Research
NASA selected four university teams to develop aviation technologies including high-supersonic propulsion systems and low-noise routes for small urban aircraft. The awards were made through the University Leadership Initiative, which enables student teams to work on flight research advancing NASA's aeronautics goals.
Serval’s super agent Catalyst creates roving background agents to identify and fix IT issues before they’re ticketed
Serval made Catalyst, an AI agent that automatically creates enterprise automations, generally available and enabled by default for customers. Catalyst can inspect system histories and natural-language instructions to identify recurring work, then draft workflows and skills needed to automate it, while background agents continuously monitor connected systems to propose fixes before tickets are filed.
Amazon’s Prime Air autonomous drones to reach 500 US cities
Amazon plans to expand Prime Air drone delivery to 500 US cities by end of 2026, representing a sixfold increase from current locations. This expansion will reach communities containing tens of millions of customers across nearly 500 cities and towns.
‘Why would you want to retire me?’: Novak Djokovic is still driven by doubt
A Prime Video documentary reveals that 39-year-old Novak Djokovic, who holds 24 Grand Slam titles and 428 total weeks at number one in ATP rankings, remains driven by doubt and stubbornness. The film explores how Djokovic's childhood experiences and siege mentality continue motivating him despite his status as the greatest male tennis player ever.
Woman Gives $1 Million in ‘Life-Changing’ Bonuses to Teachers in Her School District
A local resident donated $1 million in bonuses to teachers in her Northern California school district after learning it received minimal state funding. The Ross Valley School District organized a meeting of 100 K-8 teachers to receive the funds.
Knee osteoarthritis isn’t inevitable — here’s what you can do
Exercise and stronger leg muscles can reduce stress on knees and help manage osteoarthritis pain. A healthier diet and modest weight loss also dramatically decrease knee stress and slow disease progression.
How Figure turned a lending business into a financial network
By early July, Figure's platform was processing $1 billion in loan applications weekly. The company transformed from a blockchain-based HELOC lender into a broader financial network handling multiple lending products.
Schizophrenia’s lost brain connections follow a surprising pattern
Schizophrenia involves widespread loss of synapses connecting brain cells, with the left hemisphere affected more severely than the right. The damage follows an organized pattern linked to brain chemistry and wiring, with a left frontal region possibly serving as the origin point.
Man Rescued Alive After Being Trapped in Underwater Cave for 15 Days Without Food or Light
A fisherman survived 15 days trapped in an underwater Mexican cave without food by drinking rainwater and breathing from an air pocket. Erasto Crisanto Valdez was rescued from the pitch-black cave where he had been stranded.
Scientists say the human family tree may need a major rewrite
New fossils have blurred the traits once used to distinguish Australopithecus and Paranthropus from Homo, prompting researchers to propose reclassifying both genera into Homo. This reorganization would simplify the human family tree and provide a more accurate representation of human evolutionary history.
Stripe agrees to buy OpenRouter as AI model routing expands
Stripe is acquiring OpenRouter, an AI platform that routes developers to hundreds of models through one interface. OpenRouter currently supports over 400 models from more than 80 providers.
The next big thing in hydrogen could be underground
Underground hydrogen deposits could provide new fuel sources for trucks, planes, and steelmaking. Scientists are searching for natural hydrogen gas beneath the Earth's surface as a potential climate-friendly alternative since burning hydrogen produces only water.
The “Asian water tower” is losing 24 billion tonnes of groundwater every year
The Asian Water Tower loses approximately 24.2 billion tonnes of groundwater annually, with the steepest declines occurring in densely populated farming regions. Glacier melt may provide temporary relief around 2060, but depletion is expected to accelerate afterward without changes in water consumption practices.
Support networks aim to help kids through the polycrisis
Support networks are being developed to help children cope with multiple simultaneous crises including climate change, conflict, and economic hardship. These initiatives recognize that young people face interconnected global challenges that require coordinated community and institutional responses.
Agentic AI in government just hit the hard part: deciding what a machine may decide
The United Arab Emirates published a national AI strategy in October 2017 and created a ministerial position days later, appointing Omar Sultan Al Olama as the world's first minister of state for artificial intelligence at age 27. The UAE has been adopting AI for 9 years as of the article's writing.
Scientists crushed diamond beyond Neptune-like pressures—and solved a 20-year mystery
Scientists subjected diamond to pressures exceeding those found in Neptune and Uranus, revealing its behavior at extreme conditions and resolving a twenty-year discrepancy between theoretical predictions and experimental observations. The findings may improve fusion energy production and enhance understanding of diamond precipitation occurring within ice giant planets.
Max Verstappen signs new Red Bull contract to stay in F1 until 2030
Max Verstappen signed a contract extension with Red Bull Racing that keeps him with the team through 2030. This decision ends 18 months of speculation about potential moves to Mercedes or McLaren.
The Spanish Town Doing Capitalism Better
Fagor Arrasate, a Spanish manufacturing company, operates 20,000 square meters of industrial warehouses where engineers construct machines that assemble household appliances. The company is located in Spain's northern Basque Country.
AI data centre regulation just got a template that needs no new law
Pennsylvania implemented a template requiring AI data center developers to sign contracts accepting fixed conditions and penalties before permit approval. The developer must also obtain approval from the local town where the facility would be built.
HoneyBook bets on agentic AI to streamline small business operations with its new Claude connector
HoneyBook released a Claude connector called HoneyBook MCP that enables autonomous AI agents to automate tasks for independent businesses. The connector integrates agentic AI capabilities previously available mainly to large enterprises into HoneyBook's platform for small business users.
A SpaceX rocket smashed into the Moon — NASA just revealed the crater
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stage impacted the Moon on August 5, creating a crater approximately 60 feet wide. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter photographed bright and dark debris streaks radiating from the impact site and exposed fresh subsurface material.
This total solar eclipse looked strangely golden — here’s why
During Spain's total solar eclipse, the Sun's corona appeared golden instead of its typical pearly white because sunlight passed through additional atmosphere as the Sun set. Smoke from nearby wildfires filtered out blue light wavelengths, creating the unusual coloring alongside a bright pink solar prominence visible during totality.
Indigenous fishers rethink shark hunting & protect species on Colombia’s coast
Indigenous fishers in Colombia's La Guajira region are shifting from hunting sharks to protecting them through community conservation efforts. The practice involves limiting fin removal and preventing the killing of endangered shark species found along their coast.