Europe
Why don't we trust technology in sport?
For a few minutes on Sunday afternoon, Wimbledon's Centre Court became the perfect encapsulation of the current tensions between humans and machines. When Britain's Sonay Kartal hit a backhand long on a crucial point, her opponent Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova knew it had landed out. She said the umpire did too. But the electronic line-calling system - which means humans have been fully replaced this year following earlier trials - remained silent. The human umpire eventually declared the point should be replayed.
Chilling discovery exposes tiny differences between psychopaths and ordinary people
Scientists have discovered what really separates a cold-blooded psychopath from the average person. A team from the University of Pennsylvania has uncovered stark differences in brain structure that may explain why psychopaths think, feel, and behave in profoundly disturbing ways. Using MRI scans, researchers compared the brains of 39 adult men with high psychopathy scores to those of a control group, and what they found was unsettling. In psychopaths, researchers found shrunken areas in the basal ganglia, which controls movement and learning, the thalamus, the body's sensory relay station, and the cerebellum, which helps coordinate motor function. But the most striking changes were found in the orbitofrontal cortex and insular regions, areas that govern emotional regulation, impulse control, and social behavior.
I loved Arc browser and was skeptical of its agentic Dia replacement - until I tried it
When The Browser Company announced they were ending Arc and developing an agentic browser that could leverage AI in ways other browsers were not, I was skeptical. I was starting to see the value in AI, but using it in such a way seemed like just another crutch for users to lean on -- so they didn't have to take the time to do those things themselves. I also saw it as a possible security and privacy issue. And then I was accepted into the Dia beta program. After installing Dia on my MacBook, I saw it in action, and, well, it's impressive.
Mini robots detect and fix water pipe leaks without digging
Uber Eats uses four-wheeled robots to handle the final stretch of food delivery. Fixing underground water pipes usually means digging up roads and sidewalks -- a process that's disruptive and expensive. However, researchers at the University of Sheffield in the U.K. are working on a different approach. They've developed small robots called "Pipebots" that can travel inside water pipes to find and potentially repair leaks, all without any excavation. Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report Get my best tech tips, urgent security alerts, and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox.
AI could be about to completely change the way we do mathematics
Is an artificial intelligence revolution about to transform mathematics? Some prominent mathematicians think so, thanks to automated tools that can help write proofs suddenly showing impressive leaps in capability, with the potential to change the way maths research is done. Around 100 of the world's top mathematicians gathered at the University of Cambridge in June for a conference whose theme was based on whether computers might help mathematicians resolve some long-standing problems over how to check that their proofs were correct. This process, known as formalisation, doesn't necessarily have to involve artificial intelligence, and indeed a similar meeting held at Cambridge in 2017 made no mention of AI. But eight years later, AI has come on by leaps and bounds, most notably with the success of large language models powering tools like ChatGPT.
1,000-year-old medieval sword emerges from Dutch river after chance discovery: 'Barely corroded'
SOLVA Archaeology Service in Belgium announced the recent discovery of ancient Roman artifacts and remains, including a well-preserved dog, in Velzeke. A remarkable medieval sword with rare symbols was recently put on display in a Dutch museum, over a year after it was found by construction workers unexpectedly. The discovery of the sword was announced by the Netherlands' National Museum of Antiquities (RMO) in Leiden on June 24. The artifact, named the Linschoten Sword, was found in March 2024 during "maintenance dredging activities," the museum said in a press release. Construction workers were struck by a "long piece of iron" while cleaning a small river known as the Korte Linschoten, the statement noted.
I drove the world's first anti-sickness CAR - and it's the smoothest ride I've ever experienced
If, like me, you suffer from motion sickness, then you know just how quickly a trip down Britain's winding back roads can turn into a nausea-inducing nightmare. But if you struggle to hold on to your lunch as the car starts to lurch, there may soon be a solution. ClearMotion, a Boston-based startup, claims that its latest generation of cutting-edge suspension can'eliminate motion sickness' for good. So, with anti-nausea tablets in hand, MailOnline's reporter, Wiliam Hunter, took a trip to their Warwickshire testing facility to try it for himself. With compact motors tucked away above each wheel and a sophisticated onboard computer, the system can push and pull the wheels to cancel out bumps in the road.
Should pizza-making robots get a second chance?
Kurt Knutsson talks about a soft, vine-like robot called Sprout that aids safe survivor rescues in collapsed buildings. A Parisian restaurant once promised a pizza experience unlike any other. Order your pizza and, within five minutes, a robot would craft your pie from scratch, no human hands required. This was the vision of Pazzi Robotics, a French startup that merged advanced automation with Italian culinary tradition. For a time, the company seemed poised to redefine how people view pizza.
AI robots fill in for weed killers and farm hands
Oblivious to the punishing midday heat, a wheeled robot powered by the sun and infused with artificial intelligence carefully combs a cotton field in California, plucking out weeds. As farms across the United States face a shortage of laborers and weeds grow resistant to herbicides, startup Aigen says its robotic solution -- named Element -- can save farmers money, help the environment and keep harmful chemicals out of food. "I really believe this is the biggest thing we can do to improve human health," co-founder and chief technology officer Richard Wurden said as robots made their way through crops at Bowles Farm in the town of Los Banos.
UN chief 'strongly condemns' Russian drone assault on Ukraine
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned a Russian drone and missile attack against Ukraine this week that has been described as the largest such assault in the three-year war. In a statement on Saturday, Guterres's spokesperson said the Russian strikes "disrupted the power supply to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, once again underlining the ongoing risks to nuclear safety". "The secretary-general is alarmed by this dangerous escalation and the growing number of civilian casualties," the statement read. Ukrainian officials said Moscow fired more than 500 drones and 11 missiles at the capital Kyiv overnight into Friday in an attack that killed one person, injured at least 23 others and damaged buildings across the city. The sounds of air raid sirens, kamikaze drones and booming detonations reverberated until dawn.