Over a century has passed since the Endurance, reputedly the strongest wooden ship ever constructed, met its fate in Antarctic ice. Recent evaluations of historical evidence indicate that it might not have been as resilient as other polar vessels of its era, casting doubt on expedition leader Ernest Shackleton’s awareness of its limitations.
Shackleton aimed to journey across Antarctica from the Weddell Sea to the Ross Sea, making stops along the way. However, the Endurance never reached the Antarctic coastline. In 1915, it became trapped in ice in the Weddell Sea, leading to its sinking.
Jukka Tukuri, who was part of a significant expedition at Aalto University in Finland, discovered a shipwreck on the seabed in 2022. Upon researching the polar vessels of that time, he found that the narrative surrounding the Endurance was misleading; it lacked the structural strength attributed to it.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several ships were engineered specifically to navigate sea ice. Many featured an oval hull shape and shallow keels, which helped prevent ice from creating strong hold on the side, allowing it to slide beneath. Additionally, the internal structure of these vessels included a continuous deck spanning the hull’s entire length, which enhanced their rigidity.
In contrast, the Endurance was longer and had taller keels. Tukuri’s calculations indicated that other contemporary polar ships could withstand 1.7 to 2.7 times more compressive force than the Endurance. Furthermore, the ship’s large engine restricted the lower deck to only part of the vessel, creating structural weaknesses due to the absence of a reinforced box-like configuration.
In his review of Shackleton’s letters, Tukuri found evidence that Shackleton was aware of these design flaws. Just before departing for Antarctica, Shackleton noted in a letter to his wife that Nimrod, his previous ship, was more robust. Yet, he pressed on with his journey: “He was willing to embrace the risk,” Tukuri commented.
As predicted, the Endurance could not withstand the immense pressure of the sea ice. The vessel was compressed and distorted until its keel was ultimately torn apart and submerged.
Despite this, a myth arose portraying the Endurance as the world’s most resilient wooden ship, potentially fueled by an article in The Era. According to Tukuri, Shackleton perpetuated this narrative; the reasons remain unclear, but it seems to add an element of drama to his ill-fated expedition. “Endurance may have symbolized strength and heroism poetically,” he said. “Regrettably, that was not the case from an engineering perspective.”
google has unveiled the affordable Pixel 10, boasting enhanced cameras, speedier processors, and high-end software, stepping out from the shadows of its pricier professional counterparts to redefine expectations for flagship phones in the base model category.
The standard Pixel 10 is priced at £799 (€899/$799/$1,349) – the same as last year’s Pixel 9 – positioning it strategically below the £200 mark of the 10 Pro while competing effectively with rivals from Samsung and Apple.
The design closely mirrors that of the Pixel 9, featuring some new striking colors and the essential third camera situated in a distinctive tablet-shaped bump at the back. The satin aluminum and glass finish conveys high-quality craftsmanship, distinguishing it from the plethora of uniform smartphones. The 6.3-inch OLED display is sharp, exceptionally bright, and fluid with a 120Hz refresh rate.
The fast-screened fingerprint scanner enhances the Pixel 10’s responsiveness. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The glass back conceals another noteworthy upgrade: QI2 wireless charging and compatibility with magnetic accessories. Google has developed its own pixelsnap, an accessory QI2 is an open standard also compatible with a variety of Apple’s Magsaf accessories, such as chargers, wallets, grips, and stands that attach to the back of the phone.
Connectivity: 5G, ESIM, WiFi 6E, NFC, Bluetooth 6, GNSS
Water Resistance: IP68 (1.5m in 30 minutes)
Size: 152.8 x 72.0 x 8.6mm
Weight: 204g
Tensor G5
Charged via a power adapter (not included), Pixel 10 reaches 50% in 90 minutes and supports 15W wireless charging. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Google’s new Tensor G5 chip outperforms its previous processor by 34-38% in speed tests, marking a significant advancement for the brand, although it’s still not quite on par with Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon processors employed by competitors. Users will perceive a boost in speed during operation, effectively managing most tasks.
Battery longevity is commendable, providing around two days under light usage and approximately 33 hours under heavy usage, including five hours of 5G activity, with around seven hours of active screen time. Users will typically need to recharge every other day.
The Tensor G5 also features a notably faster AI processor that enhances Google’s advanced AI functions, allowing for more sophisticated on-device processing, effectively showcasing Google’s AI potential through the Pixel.
Android 16 with AI
Introducing Google’s new AI features: Magic Queue, Daily Hub, and Camera Coach. Composite: Samuel Gibbs/Guardian
Running on Android 16 out of the box, the Pixel 10 offers software support until August 2032. Google’s Android interface features vibrant typography, bold colors, large buttons, and lots of delightful interactions throughout. Even more subdued color combinations provide a premium experience.
The Pixels leverage some of Google’s most advanced AI technologies, including the latest version of Gemini Nano On-Device. A new voice translation feature allows for conversations simulating the caller’s voice, rather than using the default Gemini voice.
However, the standout AI feature is the Magic Cue, running locally on your device, designed to act as a small assistant to streamline your smartphone experience. It aggregates data from your Google account and phone to offer helpful suggestions when using various Google apps. For example, during a delivery inquiry, an order confirmation email appeared as a card in the phone app providing one-tap access to the order number.
If a text arrives regarding a flight’s landing time, it can automatically extract the date and time from your calendar for quick sharing. Additionally, the Weather app can suggest locations for upcoming trips from your calendar.
While these features may seem trivial, they mark an evolution in the use of AI, transitioning from flashy gimmicks to practical time-savers. Currently, Magic Cue supports Gmail, Maps, Calendars, Notes, Screenshots, Contacts, Messages, Google Photos, and more, with promising expansions in the pipeline. However, the absence of third-party app integration—such as WhatsApp—limits its utility.
Camera
The camera app is user-friendly, equipped with numerous tools and modes to enhance your photography. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The Pixel 10 features a 10.5-megapixel selfie camera and three rear cameras: a 48MP main, 13MP ultra-wide, and 10.8MP 5x telephoto, addressing prior criticisms of base model Pixel devices lacking telephoto capabilities.
Both the main and ultra-wide cameras deliver exceptional photos across various lighting scenarios, producing vivid contrast and outperforming competitors in low-light conditions. The new 5x telephoto lens captures impressive images and significantly enhances zoom capabilities, reaching up to 20x digital zoom. Although some images exhibit minor graininess when fully magnified, most users will be satisfied with the results.
Google excels in simplifying photography, ensuring good images with minimal effort. The revamped Auto Best Take mode improves upon the popular Group Shot Best Take feature, taking multiple photos and automatically blending them to ensure everyone is looking good. While most shots require little intervention, more complex scenarios with numerous subjects might see increased AI involvement.
The large rectangular camera bump on the back provides a stable grip, reducing camera shake. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The popular Add Me feature has been enhanced, allowing for larger and more intricate group photos, improved to accommodate more individuals and complex backgrounds. The
camera app will also implement C2PA Content Credentials in photos, detailing how images were captured and whether generative AI contributed.
One of the most noteworthy AI features is the new Camera Coach, which utilizes Gemini to guide users in configuring and framing shots for enhanced photography. Pressing a small button in the viewfinder sends the current image to Google’s servers for analysis, providing several suggested configurations. Users can select their preferred option and receive step-by-step advice on adjusting the camera for the shot. Initial tests showed promising suggestions, potentially aiding those wishing to elevate their photography skills.
In summary, the Pixel 10 excels in producing impressive photos and videos, with AI enhancements that add practical value.
Sustainability
Pixel 10 devices in the US do not include nano-SIM card slots and rely exclusively on eSIMs. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The battery israted for longevity, exceeding 1,000 full charge cycles while maintaining at least 80% of its original capacity. Users have the option to repair their devices through Google, authorized service centers, or via self-repair guides and parts available online.
The Pixel 10 comprises 32% recycled materials by weight, including aluminum, cobalt, copper, glass, gold, plastic, rare earth elements, tungsten, and tin. Google will disclose the environmental impact of the device and offers a program to recycle old devices at no charge.
Price
The Google Pixel 10 is priced at £799 (€899/$799/$1,349), available in four color options.
In comparison, the Pixel 10 Pro is priced at £999, while the Pixel 9a costs £399. The Samsung Galaxy S25 and iPhone 16 both retail for £799.
Verdict
The Pixel 10 sets a new benchmark for flagship phones in the base model segment, delivering a premium experience and an impressive camera with a valuable telephoto zoom that feels like an integral part of the device.
While the exterior remains largely unchanged from last year, it offers an attractive design that stands out amid a crowd of similar smartphones. Despite not being equipped with the fastest chip on the market, it operates smoothly, with a battery that lasts between 1.5 and 2 days on a single charge.
Several new AI features provide substantial improvements, particularly Magic Cues, Auto Best Take, and other small enhancements that run seamlessly in the background. Coupled with Gemini, Google has positioned itself ahead in the realm of genuinely useful AI tools compared to competitors like Apple, without compromising the core smartphone experience.
Although it may not be the steal that Google’s budget Pixel 9a offers, the Pixel 10 stands out as one of the best smartphones available, providing excellent value for users.
Pros: 7 years of software updates, 5x telephoto lens, excellent display, Magic Cue, outstanding camera with impressive AI features, QI2 wireless charging, magnetic accessory support, great battery life, ideal size, quick fingerprint sensor, and facial recognition capabilities.
Cons: The lack of a physical SIM card slot in the US, reduced performance compared to flagships, and less secure facial recognition compared to Face ID.
The Pixel 10 is a striking and superior flagship smartphone that exceeds its competitors. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
gArmin’s latest flagship running watch, the Forerunner 970, aims to take the place of one of the top training and racing companions available. Will the integration of built-in torches, software enhancements, and voice control truly make an impact?
The latest version builds on the body of the previous Forerunner 965 while incorporating advanced tech from Garmin’s top-tier adventure watch, the Fenix 8, which includes a significantly brighter display and enhanced running analytics.
These enhancements come at a price of £630 (750 Euros/$750/$1,399) – £30 more than its predecessor, positioning it at the pinnacle of running and triathlon watches, yet still below the Fenix 8, priced at £780.
The Forerunner 970 is sizable but remains unobtrusive, fitting comfortably under your shirt cuffs while exercising. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The 970 retains the same dimensions as the Forerunner 965, featuring a 47mm case and a stunning, bright 1.4-inch OLED display. The touchscreen is shielded by robust sapphire glass, akin to luxury timepieces, while the titanium bezel compliments the polycarbonate body in three color variants.
A notable enhancement is the transition of features from the Fenix 8, transforming the 970 into a more versatile everyday smartwatch. Garmin’s new offline voice control system allows you to quickly set timers, alarms, adjust settings, or initiate activities. The watch connects to your phone’s voice assistant via Bluetooth.
The upgraded interface provides faster access to notifications from your smartphone by swiping down from the top of the screen. With an iPhone, you can view and dismiss text-only notifications, while Android users can interact with images and reply directly from the watch. Although bank support is limited, you can control music on your mobile device and download streaming playlists from services like Spotify, Amazon Music, and YouTube Music for hassle-free listening during workouts.
Having a built-in torch on the watch is something you won’t want to be without. I find myself using it at least five times a day. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The standout feature is the built-in LED torch on the top edge of the 970. It’s incredibly useful, recalling fond memories of the Fenix 8, and is my favorite addition to the Forerunner. The brightness is sufficient to illuminate dark streets at night or to search for items in dimly-lit cupboards, and it can be adjusted to a gentle red light to avoid disturbing anyone at home. It can also be utilized as a strobe light for visibility while running at night.
The battery life is approximately six days with typical smartwatch use including always-on display, health monitoring, night tracking, frequent notifications, and torch functionality. The screen features auto-brightness; however, I adjusted it one notch lower to ensure it’s visible outdoors, which slightly extends battery life. By adjusting always-on display settings, you can gain an additional 12-15 days.
This watch charges via a USB-C cable which connects next to the sensor cluster on the back, reaching 70% charge in about 40 minutes. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The predecessor was an excellent running watch, full of metrics, useful analytics, and features from which the 970 is built. The large screen allows for the clear display of up to eight data fields simultaneously. The maps are notably refined and user-friendly via touch.
Though it includes modern dual-band GPS, Garmin’s algorithm remains superior in tracking accuracy compared to its competitors, even those with similar technology. The upgraded Gen 5 enhances heart rate monitoring in challenging conditions with an improved sensor on the back, enabling ECG (arrhythmia) measurements.
The 970 boasts a top-tier collection of fitness, recovery, and training metrics, along with several new insights designed to help prevent injuries.
Impact load measures how demanding your run is on your body relative to its intensity compared to simple, flat running at slower paces. A 7km uphill run felt comparable to a gentle 12km run, highlighting how it affected my legs and the need for longer recovery before my next workout.
Impact load estimations assist in preventing overtraining by assessing the toll a run takes on your body. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Furthermore, the new running load feature monitors mileage over a week and advises if you’re fit to run without elevating the risk of injury. Many runners, including myself, have suffered injuries during race training when exceeding weekly mileage too soon.
The 970 also introduces a running economy feature tracking the efficiency of your form, including how much speed you lose upon foot strike. However, this requires Garmin’s latest heart rate monitor strap, an additional purchase of £150.
Battery life for performance mode averages over 11 hours while listening to offline music via Bluetooth headphones; without music, expect around 16 hours. Adjusting screen brightness can extend battery life by several hours, while reducing GPS accuracy mode can last up to 26 hours.
Robust General Health Monitoring
The Forerunner watches have vibrant colors on their bodies and straps, yet they remain distinctly sporty, making them less suitable for all occasions. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Garmin provides extensive tracking for running, triathlon, and over 30 other sports. Additionally, it boasts a comprehensive suite of general health monitoring tools, including sleep tracking, activity monitoring, stress levels, women’s health, and heart health metrics, comparable to the Apple Watch.
Garmin’s advanced training tools evaluate your recovery both day and night, advising on your bodily condition. These features encompass built-in sleep coaches, running and triathlon coaches, and various activity suggestions to determine when to engage in hard workouts versus low-intensity sessions. The daily recommended workouts are adaptive, based on your sleep and recovery, preventing you from undertaking intense workouts following a poor night’s sleep. These automatic workouts can also be adjusted using Garmin’s robust tools or third-party resources to align with your race calendar.
Sustainability
These watches are generally repairable, with support options available here. The battery is rated to retain at least 90% of its original capacity after two years of weekly charging. The watch does not include recycled materials. Garmin assures security updates until at least May 21, 2027, but typically offers support for much longer. They also provide recycling programs with new purchases.
Price
The Garmin Forerunner 970 retails for £629.99 (749.99 Euros/$749.99/$1,399).
For comparison, the Garmin Fenix 8 starts at £780, the Forerunner 570 at £460, the Forerunner 965 at £499.99, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 at £799, and the Coros Pace Pro is priced at £349. The Suunto Race is available for £299, and the Polar Vantage V3 costs £519.
Verdict
Garmin continues to elevate the standard with the Forerunner 970. While it may not be a groundbreaking leap from the Forerunner 965, it enriches an already stellar design.
The display is brilliant, protected by scratch-resistant sapphire, and accented with titanium bezels for a luxury feel; the interface has become more modern and responsive. The incorporation of voice control and faster access to notifications enhances its usability as a smartwatch alternative. It signifies a sporty lifestyle when worn, differentiating itself from Apple or Pixel watches.
The upgraded heart rate sensor helps you optimize during challenging workouts and includes ECG measurements for thorough heart health tracking. Yet, the integrated torch stands out as an ideal addition for everyday utility—every watch should have one.
Moreover, the new impact load and durability features are incredibly beneficial in preventing overexertion and injuries, enhancing the already outstanding training and recovery metrics. Additionally, it offers top-tier running accuracy and detailed off-board maps for navigation.
For those seeking a premium running and triathlon watch packed with features, the Forerunner 970 remains an excellent choice, albeit at a high price point.
Pros: Comprehensive tracking and recovery analysis, ultra-bright OLED display, built-in torch, phone and offline voice control, Garmin Pay, and extensive support for running and various sports, complete offline mapping capabilities, responsive control through buttons and touch, and highly accurate GPS and ECG.
Cons: Despite its cost, Garmin Pay bank support is limited compared to Apple, Google, and Samsung watches, and it still lacks some smartwatch functions while having shorter battery life than some LCD competitors.
There is a wide range of customizable watch faces available from the Garmin IQ store to choose from. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
It is not well known how lightning starts in a thunderstorm. With the newly developed 3D mapping and polarization system, physicists at the Los Alamos National Laboratory observed that some lightning not only began with positive high-speed discharges, but also faster and wider negative discharges soon began. Surprisingly, the signal polarization is tilted from the direction of the discharge propagation, and the polarization of the two opposite discharges rotates towards each other, indicating that the initiating high-speed discharge is not driven solely by the storm electric field. The authors analyzed these observations in a cosmic ray shower and found that these seemingly strange features could be consistently explained.
Lightning starts with a positive fast discharge followed by a faster, broader negative discharge observed in 3D. The signal polarization from the direction of discharge propagation tilts and rotates between two opposite high-speed discharges. These functions are through a cosmic ray shower that pretreats the discharge path and directs the direction of the discharge current. Image credit: ELG21.
“Scientists still don’t fully understand how lightning starts in a thunderstorm,” says Dr. Xuan-Min Shao, the lead author of the study.
“We noticed an unusual pattern of how lightning started using 3D radio frequency mapping and polarization techniques. Instead of a speedy electrical discharge, the flash of lightning quickly, faster, and negative emissions followed.”
Generally, after the opposition to electrical charge (positive and negative) is separated by clouds, lightning begins, resulting in the emissions that people consider lightning.
In their study, utilizing an innovative, Los Alamos-developed mapping and polarization system called BIMAP-3D, Dr. Xiao and colleagues observed that signal polarization from these discharges had a diagonal pattern from the direction of propagation.
This indicates that something other than the electric field played a role in the initiation of lightning.
In addition to being oblique, physicists have noticed that the direction of polarization has changed between positive and negative emissions.
They attribute this behavior to cosmic ray showers, high-energy particles from spaces entering the Earth’s atmosphere.
These cosmic rays can generate secondary high-energy electrons and positrons in the atmosphere, further ionizing the air, creating paths into thunder, and travel faster after lightning.
Researchers found that high-energy electrons and positrons are pushed in different directions by the Earth’s magnetic field and the cloud’s electric field, leading to oblique discharge currents, i.e. tilted polarization from the path of the cosmic ray shower.
Positrons and electrons were deflected in different directions of the electromagnetic field, explaining why they behaved differently between fast positive and negative discharges.
“This concept can also explain the common case that involves only high-speed positive discharges, and therefore the onset of most lightning flashes,” the scientist said.
Their result It was released on March 3rd Journal of Go Physical Research: Atmosphere.
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Xuan-Min Shao et al. 2025. 3D radio frequency mapping and polarization observations show that a flash of lightning was ignited by a cosmic ray shower. JGR atmosphere 130 (5): E2024JD042549; doi: 10.1029/2024JD042549
Nvidia has announced the most powerful “superchip” it has ever produced for training artificial intelligence models. The U.S. computing company, whose value has recently soared to become the world's third-largest company, has not yet disclosed the price of its new chips, but observers say they will be available to a small number of organizations.
The chip was announced by NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang at a press conference on March 18 in San Jose, California. He showed off the company's new Blackwell B200 graphics processing unit (GPU). Each GPU is equipped with his 208 billion transistors, the tiny switches at the heart of modern computing devices, compared to his 80 billion transistors in Nvidia's current generation Hopper chips. He also revealed the GB200 Grace Blackwell Superchip, which combines two B200 chips.
“Blackwell will be a great system for generative AI,” Huang said. “And in the future, data centers will be thought of as AI factories.”
GPUs have become coveted hardware for any organization looking to train large-scale AI models. During his AI chip shortage in 2023, Elon Musk said his GPUs were “a lot harder to get than drugs,” and some academic researchers without access lamented that “GPUs are poor.” I did.
Nvidia says its Blackwell chips deliver 30x performance improvements compared to Hopper GPUs when running generative AI services based on large language models such as GPT-4, while consuming 25x less power. It claims to be 1 in 1.
OpenAI's GPT-4 large-scale language model required approximately 8,000 Hopper GPUs and 15 megawatts of power to run 90 days of training, whereas the same AI training could be performed using just 2,000 Blackwell GPUs. The company says it can run on 4 megawatts of electricity.
The company has not yet revealed the cost of its Blackwell GPUs, but given that Hopper GPUs already cost between $20,000 and $40,000 each, their prices could reach eye-watering levels. expensive. The focus on developing more powerful and expensive chips means they will be “available only to a select few organizations and countries,” he said. sasha ruccioni At Hugging Face, a company that develops tools to share AI code and datasets. “Aside from the environmental impact of this already highly ene… Read more
Power demand from data center expansion, driven primarily by the generative AI boom, is expected to double by 2026 and rival Japan's current energy consumption. If data centers that support AI training continue to rely on fossil fuel power plants, they may also be accompanied by a sharp increase in carbon emissions.
Global demand for GPUs also means more geopolitical complications for Nvidia, as tensions and strategic competition between the US and China increase. The U.S. government has instituted export controls on advanced chip technology to slow China's AI development efforts, saying it is critical to U.S. national security, so Nvidia is seeking performance improvements for Chinese customers. They are forced to produce lower versions of chips.
The UK should prioritize setting global standards for artificial intelligence testing, instead of attempting to conduct all reviews itself, as suggested by the company responsible for the government’s AI Safety Institute.
Mark Warner, CEO of Faculty AI, emphasized the institute’s commitment to AI safety and its development of technologies for chatbots like ChatGPT. He cautioned that excessive scrutiny of AI models could be limiting.
Last year, Rishi Sunak announced the establishment of the AI Safety Institute (AISI) ahead of a global AI safety summit. This initiative involved collaboration with large tech companies from the EU, UK, US, France, and Japan to prioritize testing of advanced AI models before and after deployment.
The UK’s leading role in AI safety was underscored by the establishment of the Institute, according to Warner, whose London-based company also works with a British lab to test AI model compliance with safety guidelines.
Warner stressed the importance of the institute becoming a global leader in setting testing standards: “I think it’s important to set standards for the wider world rather than trying to do everything ourselves,” he said.
He also expressed optimism about the institute’s potential as an international standard setter, promoting scalability in maintaining AI security and describing it as a long-term vision.
Warner cautioned against the government taking on all testing responsibilities, advocating for the development of standards that other governments and companies can adopt instead.
He acknowledged the challenge of testing every released model and suggested focusing on the most advanced systems.
The Financial Times reported that major AI companies are urging the UK government to expedite safety testing of AI systems. Notably, the US also announced the establishment of an AI Safety Institute participating in the testing program outlined at the Bletchley Park summit.
The UK’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology emphasized the role of governments in testing AI models, with the UK taking a leading global role through the AI Safety Institute.
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