The remarkable R1 humanoid robot, developed by Robbie Ant, a subsidiary of Ant Group, showcases the versatility of humanoid robots. With the ability to mimic human actions due to their similar appendages, R1 opens up possibilities across various job sectors.
Unlike traditional wheeled robots, the R1 achieves balance on two legs, thanks to its stable wheelbase and humanoid design from the waist up.
The R1 made a striking appearance at IFA 2025 in Berlin, demonstrating its cooking skills by preparing shrimp, albeit at a leisurely pace. Its creators envision potential applications for the R1 as a caregiver, nurse, or tour guide.
Tiangong Robot Takes a Tumble
Zhang Xiangyi/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images
The bipedal Tiangong robot, built by a government-backed AI robotics innovation center, aimed high but faced challenges—tripping and falling during a 100-meter race at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing.
Various events, including soccer and dance, took place, with Tiangong not the only robot to sustain injuries; another competitor withdrew from the 1500m race. As one robot lamented, “My head came off.”
Robot Jockey Racing on a Camel
Karim Jafar/AFP via Getty Images
In response to a ban on child jockeys in camel races, the Qatari government shifted to using robot jockeys in 2005. Initially, these robots were rudimentary, functioning with simple tools, but they have since evolved into more sophisticated devices.
The image shows a robot jockey at a race organized by the Qatar Camel Racing Organizing Committee in Al Shahaniya, just outside of Doha.
Ready, Set, Go!
Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
In April, an impressive 12,000 humans and 21 robots participated in the Beijing E-Town Humanoid Robot Half Marathon, marking the first event allowing both humans and robots to race together.
Six robots finished the race, with the Tiangong Ultra completing it in a remarkable 2 hours and 40 minutes, boasting the advantage of multiple battery sets, an opportunity not available to human competitors.
Robots in the Ring
Lintao Zhang/Getty Images
At the World Humanoid Robot Games, the first-ever kickboxing match between robots featured Unitree G1 robots. Though their movements were slow, their attempts at punches were more akin to gentle nudges than knockout blows. Despite frequently losing balance, these robots displayed agility and determination by promptly getting back up post-fall.
Cyborg Tadpole
Hao Shen et al. 2025, Jia Liu Lab/Harvard University SEAS
These tadpoles are actually cyborgs, implanted with electronic devices to monitor their neural development as they mature into frogs.
Research conducted by Jia Liu at Harvard University utilized a flexible material known as perfluoropolymer to create a soft mesh around an ultrathin conductor, which was applied to the brain precursor of Xenopus frogs (African clawed frog). As they matured, this mesh integrated seamlessly into the developing brain, enabling researchers to capture brain activity data.
Reading various novels for work can sometimes be challenging, especially when you want to find something captivating. However, Time Saving by Kaliane Bradley instantly drew me in with its engaging prologue. It was a brief glimpse into the life of a man sprinting through the snow, hearing his ship signal him. This offered plenty of intrigue for what was to come.
This month’s selection for the New Scientist Book Club has been a resounding success since its release last year. The narrative follows a young civil servant who unexpectedly applies for a mysterious position involving time travel, a concept kept under wraps, allowing individuals from the past to journey to the present.
These “visitors” require support, which is where our unnamed heroine comes in as a caretaker, dubbed a “bridge.” She is assigned to Commander Graham Gore, living with him and assisting him in adjusting to modern life.
New Scientist Book Club
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This is not solely a narrative about time travel; it meticulously explores whether the government would permit time travelers to integrate into society alongside civil servants. The novel confidently posits that, for this reader, it could have crafted Sally without delving into excessive particulars.
One of the intriguing aspects of the story is that Gore is rooted in reality, having been a genuine figure that many remain unaware of. He was the first officer of John Franklin’s ill-fated expedition to the Arctic and met his demise around 1847 or 1848. While the specifics of his final hours remain uncertain, the novel takes a creative approach by transporting him to contemporary London just before his death.
Modern London is full of men from the lost world. But Gore is a resilient and capable officer.
Bradley’s depiction of Gore exemplifies the art of storytelling. She brings him to life with such precision that he appears as a tangible, charismatic individual—rarely do we encounter characters so vividly portrayed in literature.
The vibrant interaction between our young bureaucrat and this spirited officer of the Colonial Royal Navy unfolds within the context of a future version of London, where many individuals from the past now inhabit. Once again, Gore’s resilience shines, highlighting that he is adaptable, making for the most enjoyable segments of the narrative where they learn from one another.
The plot transitions from romance to thriller, composing about 40% sci-fi, 40% romantic comedy, and 20% thriller. I found the initial segment significantly more engaging, though I questioned whether the thriller conclusion would hold up. However, this does not overshadow the fact that the book offers a delightful reading experience, perfect for those looking for fun.
At the conclusion of the novel, Bradley includes a photograph of Gore. Having grown fond of his fictional counterpart, it was a poignant moment to connect with the real historical figure. According to Bradley’s PostScript, he was regarded as “a remarkably fine officer with a kind temperament.”
This beloved, memorable officer represents a captivating twist in history that deserves a place in a bestselling novel nearly two centuries later. Bradley has undoubtedly fashioned a most endearing hero.
New Scientist Book Club Time Saving is our latest selection. Sign up here: NewsCientist.com/bookclub
While this is not science fiction, it resurrects another historical character—Alexander the Great—through the perspective of Bagoa, a young Persian boy in bondage. For me, this book, along with its precursor, provides all I need to know about Alexander.
Emily H. Wilson is the former editor of New Scientist and the author of the Sumerian trilogy set in ancient Mesopotamia. The series’ final installment, Ninshuval, will be released in August. Connect with her at emilyhwilson.com or follow her on X @emilyhwilson and Instagram @emilyhwilson1
The Arts and Science of Writing Science Fiction
Dive into the realm of science fiction and learn how to craft your own captivating stories in this immersive weekend getaway.
Bright objects falling from space lit up the sky in the Mexican capital around 3am on Wednesday, spreading over plains, volcanoes, and small towns.
Videos of a fireball that streaked across a Latin American country and exploded into a burst of light in Mexico City captured the attention of many.
“No, the meteorite that exploded last night is not a reason to reach out to your ex,” someone tweeted. Meteor shower.
Soon, the internet was filled with edited images of fireballs featuring cartoon characters and political jokes.
Bright objects illuminate the sky in Mexico City early on Wednesday.webcamsmx via AP
Mexican scientists quickly realized that the object streaking across the sky was not a meteorite but a bolido. This was Bolido.
Bolido, as defined by NASA, is “a very bright meteor that is spectacular enough to be seen over a large area.”
Mario Rodriguez, a space science researcher at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, explained that it could be classified as a meteor or a fragment of one.
Bolido, resembling a shooting star, creates a fire as it descends through the Mexican skies in the early hours of Wednesday.
“Due to the high pressure on the object, they begin to flare up with their trailing tails and emit light,” Rodriguez stated, part of a team of scientists analyzing the video that amazed many Mexicans. He added that unlike meteorites impacting the Earth, bolidos disintegrate in the atmosphere.
According to him, this particular meteor was around five feet long and posed no danger to the public.
If TikTok disappears from the United States, its 170 million American users won’t be the only ones who lose out.
British TikTokers and executives told the Guardian that they would lose a significant portion of their audience after the ban. The video app has become a key entry point into the U.S. for British online video creators who make a living by gaining views and securing sponsored content deals. The ban is scheduled to go into effect on Sunday, leaving a U.S.-sized hole in the global user base.
“In English-speaking markets, many creators have significant U.S. audiences following them,” says Billion Dollar Boy, a UK-based advertising agency that connects creators and influencers with blue-chip advertisers. CEO Thomas Walters said: He added that a ban would be “really sad” for creators who have “built an audience from nothing” on TikTok.
The Guardian spoke to several UK-based creators and one entrepreneur, all of whom said they would be affected by the ban.
Jay Beach, 30, London
Almost half of the users are from the United States. Beech’s 1.7 million viewers On TikTok. He said there were strong relationships between creators and users on both sides of the Atlantic, and that millions of Brits and Americans would miss this kind of digital cultural exchange.
“Seeing that gap in our feeds is going to make a big difference for all of us,” he says.
Beach, who describes her posts as “high energy fashion content”, said sponsored content from brands such as US skincare brand Kiehl’s and Sky TV makes up the bulk of her income. He also has a presence on YouTube Shorts and Instagram, but says he’s noticed that TikTok users “don’t necessarily follow you anywhere else.”
“[A ban] “It’s going to throw people into this diaspora of rediscovering their favorite creators and finding a new home on their platform of choice,” he said.
Fats Timbo, 28, Kent
Fats Timbo is a comedian and podcaster. Photo: Fats Timbo
Fats is a comedian and disability activist who posts comedy, beauty, and lifestyle content. 3 million followers on TikTok. She says the platform’s reach in the U.S. (about a quarter of her followers) is essential to her work.
“TikTok is very important to my career because it allows me to connect with an audience in the United States, where there is a lack of representation for people like me – Black women with dwarfism. “That’s often the case,” she says.
Timbo added that the United States offers creators like her the opportunity to “grow, collaborate, and get noticed on a global stage.”
“It’s not just about the numbers. It’s about the impact I can have and the representation I can give to people who rarely see people like them in the media. Losing that connection is something that I You feel like you’re losing some of your purpose,” she says.
Timbo says the US audience is “key to securing deals, collaborations and global visibility with brands.” Losing TikTok in the US would be a “major setback,” but she is also creating content on Instagram to stay connected with her US followers.
M Wallbank, 25, South Yorkshire
Approximately 40% of Em Wallbank’s audience is from the United States. The South Yorkshire-based creator said it was also thanks to her accent that her comedy skits became a hit across the Atlantic. Wallbank is best known for his posts riffing on Harry Potter characters. TikTok has 1.7 million followers.
“I think part of my popularity is because I’m from the north and my accent is a bit unusual.” [to US users]” she says.
Wallbank, who started posting skits on TikTok in 2022, said the U.S. social media market is a test of the ability for creators like the Kardashians and Nicole Richie to build broad careers.
“People who have careers outside of social media are getting more attention from American audiences,” she says.
Wallbank’s popularity in the US has led her to perform at US fan conventions and create sponsored content with multinational companies such as Disney+ in the UK. She’s concerned about aspiring creators who are using TikTok and its U.S. audience to access creative careers that might otherwise be out of reach.
“Being able to use my background to break into a creative industry is huge,” she says.
Sarah Yuma, 30, London
Uma says her American TikTok audience is essential to the growth of her business, which sells home accessories and hair accessories made from African fabrics.
“It can be difficult to build a business solely relying on a UK audience. It was the US audience that propelled my business during lockdown and took it to the next level.” she says.
Yuma has more than that 3,000 followers on TikToksaid it saw an influx of U.S. customers and followers in 2020 as the Black Lives Matter movement grew in popularity.
Sarah Yuma sells handmade products made from African fabrics from her home in London on Thursday. Photo: Martin Godwin/The Guardian
If TikTok were to disappear from the U.S., “we would be losing a huge part of our community,” Yuma said. “They helped me design it. It’s a really beautiful community I’ve created.”
She added that if TikTok were to be suspended in the U.S., it would have to rethink how it connects with U.S. audiences.
“We need to rethink our strategies on how to keep them in the community and keep them in touch,” she says. “I don’t want to isolate them. They’re really important to my business.”
Sam Cornforth, 29, London
corn force post fitness comedy sketches He has 460,000 followers, about a quarter of them in the United States. He said income from sponsored content would be protected by the fact that it was working with UK-based brands like Argos.
But he said brands could react negatively to creators losing a significant portion of their audience.
“Brands are paying attention to your entire reach. If you potentially cut 20% to 30% of that, would that impact future opportunities with those brands?” he asked.
Cornforth added that TikTok’s U.S. audience is important in establishing trends that filter down to other platforms. Without that influence, creators may lose the impetus and inspiration for their work.
“This is where the trends come from, which later narrows down to YouTube Shorts and Instagram,” he says.
During the era of dinosaurs, which occurred 246 million to 66 million years ago, none of the species existing today were present. However, there are several groups of species currently inhabiting the earth whose lineage can be traced back to ancient ancestors with striking similarities.
These creatures, known as “living fossils,” seem to have remained almost unchanged over time. Nevertheless, it doesn’t imply that there have been no changes at all. Their DNA is distinct and has undergone numerous refinements throughout the process of evolution.
These living fossils provide a glimpse into life millions of years ago. They also demonstrate the resilience of certain groups to catastrophic prehistoric events that led to the extinction of others, such as the dinosaurs.
1. Crocodile
Extinct crocodiles, like their descendants, hung out by the water, waiting for prey. – Photo credit: JA Chirinos/Science Photo Library
Presently, there are over 20 species of crocodiles, including true crocodiles, alligators, caimans, and gharials. These extant crocodiles share a common ancestor that coexisted with dinosaurs during the Late Cretaceous period, approximately 80 million years ago (Mya).
This common ancestor bore a strong resemblance to today’s crocodiles, spending the majority of its time near water, basking in the sun, and hunting prey. Despite nearly 80 million years passing, modern crocodiles differ significantly from their ancient ancestors that first appeared around 235 million years ago in the late Triassic period.
Some extinct crocodile relatives, like Ritargosuchus, had a slim and agile build, hunting prey on land similar to wolves, while others, like the massive Sarcosuchus, reached lengths of up to 12 meters (about 40 feet) and preyed on animals by the riverbanks.
The diversity among early crocodile ancestors has led some scientists to argue against labeling them as “living fossils.” Although resembling prehistoric creatures, today’s crocodiles have evolved substantially from their ancestors and are likely to continue diversifying in response to climate change.
2. Horseshoe crab
Horseshoe crabs are found on the eastern coasts of the United States and Mexico, as well as the Pacific and Indian Ocean coasts of Asia – Photo credit: Getty Images
Despite its crab-like name, the horseshoe crab is more closely related to spiders, ticks, and scorpions than to crabs. Its ancestors emerged during the Late Ordovician Period around 445 million years ago, while the modern group, Limuridae, appeared approximately 250 million years ago during the Early Triassic Period.
For the majority of the last 250 million years, horseshoe crabs have remained largely unchanged, displaying minimal anatomical alterations. A comparison between fossilized and living specimens would lead one to believe they are the same creature.
Their lifestyle has also endured; just like their ancestors, modern horseshoe crabs feed on small insects and mollusks at the murky bottom of the ocean.
These creatures have survived multiple mass extinctions, including the cataclysmic event caused by an asteroid that resulted in the extinction of dinosaurs. Their ability to endure extreme conditions, such as low oxygen levels, is believed to contribute to their resilience against extinction.
3. Wasp
A female wasp lays eggs on a tree using her abdominal ovipositor – Photo credit: A TINAUT/USDA/APHIS/PPQ/ITP/WSDA
Measuring at 1 cm (0.3 inches) in length, this small hornet is the sole surviving member of the Waspidae family, which boasted nearly 50 species around 165 million years ago during the mid-Jurassic period.
The modern-day wasp, Syntesis libocedrii, is native to the mountains of central California (USA) and British Columbia (Canada), whereas its ancestors resided across Eurasia. At that time, the Eurasian continent was closely connected to North America through a series of islands.
Wasps are known to lay eggs in freshly burned cedar wood. Upon hatching, the larvae emerge cylindrically, burrowing into the forest to feed and grow. They spend up to three years in this larval stage before maturing into adults. Their lifecycle is intricately tied to wildfires and can contribute to significant economic damage to cedar wood stocks.
4. Tuatara
Tuatara eat insects, earthworms, and spiders, but also seabird eggs and chicks – Photo credit: Alamy Stock Photo
As the diversity of dinosaurs flourished around 200 million years ago during the Early Jurassic Period, another group of scaly, lizard-like creatures began thriving. This group, the Sphenodontidae family, was once very diverse but is now represented by the single species, Sphenodon punctatus or tuatara.
Although tuataras bear resemblance to skinks with scaly skin, splayed limbs, and clawed digits, they do not share a direct relationship. Instead, they share a common ancestor that lived around 250 million years ago, shortly after the Great Extinction event.
Presently, tuataras inhabit several small uninhabited islands surrounding New Zealand’s North Island, coexisting with burrowing seabirds and utilizing their burrows for shelter.
The guano produced by these seabirds supports vast populations of centipedes, crickets, and snails, forming an essential ecosystem on these islands.
5. Platypus
The adaptations that help platypuses swim, although somewhat awkward on land, allow them to retract the webs on their feet to expose their claws, making them good at digging – Photo by Doug Gimesy/naturepl.com
Charles Darwin coined the term “living fossil” when discussing the semi-aquatic egg-laying mammal, the platypus, in his renowned book “On the Origin of Species.”
Unlike other mammals, platypuses lay eggs and possess a duck-like beak, along with venomous spines on the hind legs of males. They use their beaks filled with electroreceptors to navigate their habitat and hunt for prey.
Adult platypuses lack teeth, while babies are born with tiny teeth that are later absorbed into their beaks. These vestigial teeth have helped researchers trace the evolutionary lineage of platypuses.
Alongside their closest living relative, the echidna, platypuses represent the last survivors of monotremes, a group of early mammals that diverged from marsupials and placentals during the Middle Jurassic Period around 170 million years ago.
6. Lungfish
Lungfish’s ability to breathe air allows them to survive when seasonal droughts affect the freshwater environments they live in. – Photo credit: Naturepl.com
Slender and reminiscent of insects, lungfish belong to an ancient group that emerged over 410 million years ago during the early Devonian period. This era marked the rise of ray-finned and lobe-finned fish, to which lungfish belong.
Similar to other lobe-finned fish, lungfish have limb-like fins and lungs enabling them to breathe air, aiding in their survival during drought periods.
While lungfish have changed little over hundreds of millions of years, they are anything but “primitive.” Their lungs are intricate structures optimized for gas exchange, with most modern lungfish possessing two lungs, with the exception of the Australian lungfish having one.
Currently, six lungfish species exist, distributed across Africa, South America, and Australia, preferring freshwater habitats unlike their ancestors. During the Devonian period, lungfish thrived worldwide and coexisted with tetrapods, the ancestors of modern amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
7. Horsetail
Horsetail can grow up to 30-60 cm (11-23 inches) in height and is a food source for invertebrates and mammals, including humans – Photo credit: Colin Varndell / Naturepl.com
Horsetail, an ancient plant resembling bamboo with tall hollow stems and horizontal bands, emerged around 185 million years ago, preceding the rise of flowering plants by 55 million years.
During the early Jurassic period, horsetails formed the undergrowth of dense forests, providing shelter and sustenance to various dinosaur species. Their hardy nature allows them to thrive globally, even being considered invasive in many regions including the UK.
coelacanth
The coelacanth was thought to be extinct until it was captured in 1938. – Photo credit: Laurent Ballesta/Andromede Oceanologie
The coelacanth, a prehistoric fish once believed to be extinct alongside dinosaurs 66 million years ago, was rediscovered in 1938 off the coast of South Africa.
Presently, only two coelacanth species are known, showcasing significant diversity during their prime that has led to the development of over 100 fossil species from the Early Devonian period to date.
The coelacanth’s evolutionary zenith occurred during the Mesozoic Era, between 252 million and 66 million years ago, where it exhibited a wide range of adaptations. These elusive fish reside in the deep waters of the western Indian Ocean, surfacing only at night to hunt small fish.
The coelacanth’s survival through multiple mass extinctions, including the asteroid event that wiped out dinosaurs, speaks to its remarkable resilience and adaptation to the deep-sea environment.
These living fossils have withstood catastrophic events and continue to thrive in their unique habitats, offering invaluable insights into the evolutionary history of Earth’s diverse ecosystems.
“Hello again!” Pigeons remember individual human faces
Martin Parr/Magnum Photo
Recently, when I was walking in the park with some friends, they pointed out the pigeons and told me I was looking at their favorite bird. I couldn’t believe it. Pigeon? That winged pest? My friend responded with this perverse logic. It makes a lot of sense that pigeons are our favorite birds because they’re always fun.
I was momentarily confused and wondered if anyone could really be so obsessed with pigeons. As it turns out, the joke was on me. I talked to other friends and co-workers, and a surprising number of them loved the humble Pidge. one new scientist An anonymous colleague confessed to having a secret dove tattoo. I also saw a news report that A couple with their adopted pigeon sleeping on their bed.
After doing a little reading, I found that pigeons have a lot to recommend. In addition to their well-known homing abilities, they are intelligent to say the least. Although they are not mammals, they do produce a type of milk. They kiss each other and praise themselves after sex, recognize individual people (And you can remember the person who was mean to you). All this put together made me think that I might be able to love this seemingly ordinary bird after all. So, armed with curiosity and a bag of oatmeal, I set out to do just that.
A little bird watching
I wanted to conduct my research with at least a sense of scientific integrity, so I came up with the idea of an “experiment.” First of all, I…
Many of the circled objects represent previously unknown supernovae.
Collaboration between NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI and JADES
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have discovered a surprising number of supernovae in the distant universe, including some of the most distant yet seen. Their discoveries increase the number of known supernovae in the early universe by a factor of ten.
The researchers imaged the same small patch of sky twice, in 2022 and 2023, and found 79 new supernovae. “It’s actually very small, about the size of a grain of rice held at arm’s length,” the researchers said. Christa DeCourcy “We’ve spent more than 100 hours on JWST,” said Dr. [observing] I took my time with each image, which gives them a lot of depth.”
Astronomers then compared the two images with each other and with previous photos of the same area taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, looking for bright spots that appear in one image but not the other.
These specks are relatively faint stars that shone brightly before fading in bright supernova explosions. Some of them are candidates for the most distant supernovae ever found, although their distances have yet to be confirmed. And one of them is definitely the most distant one ever seen. This star exploded when the universe was only about 1.8 billion years old.
Such supernovae would have produced the heavy elements that are now widespread throughout the universe, so they would have had lower concentrations of these elements than modern supernovae. “The universe at this early stage was fundamentally different from what has been explored in the past by the Hubble Space Telescope and especially ground-based surveys,” he said. Justin Pierre “This is really new territory that JWST is breaking into,” he said during a presentation at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Maryland, where observations could help shed light on what the first stars were like.
Although water striders are small insects, they have an amazing ability to withstand the impact of raindrops that are tens of times heavier than themselves. Slow-motion video of being crushed by water reveals tricks to avoid being crushed by water, including how to ride a water jet, shoot into the air and somersault before landing. There is.
As their name suggests, water striders can be found walking along the surface of ponds, lakes, and rivers around the world. They have long legs covered in microscopic hairs that trap air and help the insect float in water.
“One day I saw them skating by the water and thought, ‘What do they do when it rains?'” andrew dickerson at the University of Tennessee. The weight of a raindrop is more than 40 times that of an adult water strider. “How do they survive? Submerged or thrown into the air?” he added.
To investigate, Dickerson and his colleagues placed several water striders in a glass aquarium filled with water, applied droplets of water, and recorded the creatures’ reactions on slow-motion video.
The researchers noticed that when raindrops hit insects on the water’s surface, the insects initially remained unharmed because of their low density. However, it was dragged into the resulting impact crater. The crater’s collapse then spewed out a stream of water that returned to the surface, taking the insects with it.
In a few cases, the researchers witnessed water striders jumping from the water jets before they returned to the surface. “It was so beautiful. You could see it do backflips out of that jet,” Dickerson says.
However, if the water strider cannot escape from the jet of water, it will be sucked back down. Luckily, their hairy, water-repellent feet allowed them to float and swim back to the surface.
“This is the equivalent of them surviving when we get hit by a car, and in some cases going through a very acrobatic journey in the process,” Dickerson said. .
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