Despite being declared the third-hottest year on record, 2025 was a relatively quiet year for climate disasters in the US. No major hurricanes made landfall, while the total number of acres burned in wildfires last year--a way of measuring the intensity of wildfire season --fell below the 10-year average. But starting this week, the West is experiencing what looks to be a record-breaking heat wave, while forecasting models predict that a strong El Niño event is likely to emerge later this year. These two unrelated phenomena could set the stage for a long stretch of unpredictable and extreme weather reaching into next year, compounding the effects of a climate that's getting hotter and hotter thanks to human activity. Beginning this week and heading into next, a massive ridge of high-pressure air will bring record-breaking temperatures to the American West.

An engineer at the AgiBot factory in Shanghai, China, where the 5,000th mass-produced humanoid robot had rolled off the production line. An engineer at the AgiBot factory in Shanghai, China, where the 5,000th mass-produced humanoid robot had rolled off the production line. How close are we to the sci-fi vision of autonomous humanoid robots? C hen Liang, the founder of Guchi Robotics, an automation company headquartered in Shanghai, is a tall, heavy-set man in his mid-40s with square-rimmed glasses. His everyday manner is calm and understated, but when he is in his element - up close with the technology he builds, or in business meetings discussing the imminent replacement of human workers by robots - he wears an exuberant smile that brings to mind an intern on his first day at his dream job. Guchi makes the machines that install wheels, dashboards and windows for many of the top Chinese car brands, including BYD and Nio. He took the name from the Chinese word, "steadfast intelligence", though the fact that it sounded like an Italian luxury brand was not entirely unwelcome. For the better part of two decades, Chen has tried to solve what, to him, is an engineering problem: how to eliminate - or, in his view, liberate - as many workers in car factories as technologically possible. Late last year, I visited him at Guchi headquarters on the western outskirts of Shanghai. Next to the head office are several warehouses where Guchi's engineers tinker with robots to fit the specifications of their customers. Chen, an engineer by training, founded Guchi in 2019 with the aim of tackling the hardest automation task in the car factory: "final assembly", the last leg of production, when all the composite pieces - the dashboard, windows, wheels and seat cushions - come together. At present, his robots can mount wheels, dashboards and windows on to a car without any human intervention, but 80% of the final assembly, he estimates, has yet to be automated. That is what Chen has set his sights on. As in much of the world, AI has become part of everyday life in China . But what most excites Chinese politicians and industrialists are the strides being made in the field of robotics, which, when combined with advances in AI, could revolutionise the world of work.

A whistleblower complaint alleges John Solly claimed to have stored highly sensitive Social Security data on a thumb drive. Solly and Leidos, his current employer, strongly deny the allegations. John Solly, a software engineer and former member of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), is the DOGE operative reportedly accused in a whistleblower complaint of telling colleagues that he stored sensitive Social Security Administration (SSA) data on a thumb drive and wanted to share the information with his new employer, multiple sources tell WIRED. Since October, according to a copy of his résumé, Solly has worked as the chief technology officer for the health IT division of a government contractor called Leidos, which has already received millions in SSA contracts and could receive up to $1.5 billion in contracts with SSA based on a five-year deal it signed in 2023. Solly's personal website and LinkedIn have been taken offline as of this week.

Massage guns used to be simple percussive devices. Now, they use vibrations, hot and cold therapy, and even LED light to ease post-workout pain and promote muscle recovery. Massage guns relieve muscle tension and increase blood flow for faster recovery . In her words, "As we exercise, we cause breakdown within the muscle fibers, which in turn stimulates muscle growth and regrowth, hypertrophy, and strength." After consulting the experts and testing them on myself pre-and post-workout, I've rounded up a lineup of the best massage guns, like our top pick, the Hyperice Hypervolt 2 ($229) .

TVs are bigger and better than ever. These are my favorite screens that come in extra-large sizes, from affordable to ostentatious. TVs have (literally) never been bigger. TV brands like LG, Samsung, TCL, Sony, and others have gotten the message buyers have been sending for some time now: Go big or go home. The demand has led to exponential growth for the big-screen TV--virtually every brand I talk to cites this as their fastest-growing segment--and thanks to a dizzying array of major leaps in display technology across brands, the best large TVs have never looked better cost less.

Use these verified Birdfy discount codes to score up to 40% off smart feeders, camera kits, and accessories. If you think you're seeing more birds around your neighborhood right now, it's not a coincidence. Spring is one of the busiest times of the year for bird activity. Not only are migratory birds returning to their nesting sites, but local birds are building nests, looking for mates, defending territories, and hunting for prey that's just starting to emerge post-winter. If you're interested in seeing all this activity up close, there's no better way than with a smart bird feeder .

Science Archaeology Civil War shipwreck remains in'fantastic' shape on ocean floor The USS Monitor was an ironclad ship nicknamed a'Yankee cheesebox.' A bathymetric view of USS Monitor, looking at the stern of the wreck with the boilers and inner framework of the armor belt captured by Northrop Grumman using μSAS . Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. One of the most famous shipwrecks in United States history has received a glow-up, courtesy of stunningly detailed, underwater 3D scanning technology. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently released highlights from its 2025 survey of the USS Monitor, the iconic prototype ironclad warship that sank during the Civil War .

Horrifying next twist in the Alexander brothers case: MAUREEN CALLAHAN exposes an unthinkable perversion that's been hiding in plain sight Alexander brothers' alleged HIGH SCHOOL gang rape video: Classmates speak out on sick'taking turns' footage... as creepy unseen photos are exposed Model Cindy Crawford, 60, mocked for her'out of touch' morning routine: 'Nothing about this is normal' Kentucky mother and daughter turn down $26.5MILLION to sell their farms to secretive tech giant that wants to build data center there Live Nation executives mocked'stupid' concert-goers in emails where they bragged about how to best rip them off: '$60 for closer grass' NFL superstar Xavier Worthy spills all on Travis Kelce, the Chiefs' struggles... and having Taylor Swift as his No 1 fan Heartbreaking video shows very elderly DoorDash driver shuffle down customer's driveway with coffee order because he is too poor to retire Amber Valletta, 52, was a '90s Vogue model who made movies with Sandra Bullock and Kate Hudson, see her now Nancy Mace throws herself into Iran warzone as she goes rogue on Middle East rescue mission: 'I AM that person' Hidden toxins in kids' treats EXPOSED: Health guru Jillian Michaels' sit-down with Casey DeSantis reveals dangers lurking in popular foods Nuclear death map of America reveals how FAST citizens in each state would die... and rare safe zones if atom bombs were dropped on key US silos Fears of nuclear war have surged after the US and Israel launched a major military operation against Iran, killing the country's supreme leader and other senior officials. As speculation grows about possible retaliation on American soil, new research reveals which parts of the country could be safest if the unthinkable happens. Scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst modeled a worst-case attack on the 450 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) silos clustered across the Midwest, which are considered prime targets because disabling them early would cripple America's nuclear arsenal. Using historical wind patterns recorded through 2021, scientists projected how radioactive fallout would spread if each silo were struck with a warhead roughly 50 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. According to their research, scientists determined that parts of the western US, stretching from Washington down to Texas, could be among the least affected regions in the immediate aftermath of a nuclear strike targeting US missile silos.

But the only native stork found in the U.S. is not out of the woods just yet. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. After over 40 years of recovery efforts, one population of the wood stork ()is being removed from the federal list of endangered and threatened wildlife. The large birds are as tall as 45 inches with wingspans that can reach 65 inches and are the only native storks in the United States. They are primarily found in the southeastern United States, where they feed on fish.

Our experimental results demonstrate that the ranking algorithm-based classifiers provide plans that enhance infection rate control, especially with increased action budgets for small networks.