'Genius' chimpanzee Ai dies in Japan at 49 Studies involving Ai, a genius chimpanzee who has died at the age of 49, are said to have revealed various aspects of the chimpanzee mind. Ai, a genius chimpanzee that could recognize more than 100 Chinese characters and the English alphabet, has died at the age of 49, Japanese researchers have said. Ai, whose name meant love in Japanese, took part in studies on perception, learning and memory that advanced our understanding of primate intelligence, the Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior at Kyoto University said in a statement. She died Friday from multiple organ failure and ailments related to old age, the school said. Aside from mastering Chinese characters and the alphabet, Ai could also identify the Arabic numerals from zero to nine and 11 colors, primatologist Tetsuro Matsuzawa said in 2014.

Ai, a female chimpanzee famous for her cognitive skills has died at 49, according to the Japanese institute where she lived. The Kyoto University's Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior said Ai died on 9 January of old age and organ failure and that she was surrounded by staff when she died. Ai was born in western Africa and arrived at the Japanese institute in 1977. There, she became the namesake of the Ai Project, a research programme into the chimpanzee mind. Among the institute's noteable findings were the fact that Ai was able to use numbers and identify colours.

Even the Empire State Building would eventually crumble. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. New York City is one of the noisiest cities in the world. With a population of eight and a half million people, the city is a nonstop symphony of car honks, yelling, and ambulance sirens. Now, imagine if all that noise and all those people suddenly disappeared overnight. Just how quickly would nature move into abandoned apartments? Well in a new episode of's podcast, we explore just that. So, yes, there's a reason cats love boxes and no, hot workout classes usually aren't better . If you have a question for us, send us a note .

January 3 marked the return of US military intervention in Latin America. While the events unfolded between Caracas and Brooklyn, social networks had already fabricated their own reality. A fire is seen in the distance at Fort Tiuna, Venezuela's largest military complex, following a series of explosions in Caracas on January 3, 2026. Geopolitics are being reduced to videos lasting just a few minutes. Social media has surpassed traditional media, not only in the speed with which it is created and shared, but also in its ability to frame our reality. People have the illusion of knowing what is happening and why within just a few hours--or less--of major world events. But reality is more complicated.

Gaming tech, foldables, wearables and AI gadgets from the likes of NVIDIA, Samsung, Pebble, Lenovo, Meta and Razer dominated the first day of CES 2026. With its XD Rollable concept, Lenovo took the Thinkbook Plus Gen 6's basic design and made it even more futuristic by allowing its flexible display to wrap around onto its lid. CES 2026's first official show day kept the pace up with a mix of near-term gaming upgrades, ambitious new form factors and a few reminders that not every gadget needs to do everything. NVIDIA announced important gaming news, we caught up with Samsung's tri-fold phone and Lenovo marched out an army of impressive looking gaming laptops and concept tech. Here are the biggest stories from January 6.

When the US Department of Energy announced that it would stop funding the tokamak at MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center, Dennis Whyte considered giving up on fusion research. But then he had a brainstorm--and challenged his students to bring the idea to life. This full-scale high-temperature superconducting magnet designed and built by Commonwealth Fusion Systems and MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC) has demonstrated a recordbreaking 20 tesla magnetic field. It is the strongest fusion magnet in the world. Ever since nuclear fusion was discovered in the 1930s, scientists have wondered if we could somehow replicate and harness the phenomenon behind starlight--the smashing together of hydrogen atoms to form helium and a stupendous amount of clean energy. Fusing hydrogen would yield times more energy than simply burning it. Unlike nuclear fission, which powers the world's 440 atomic reactors, hydrogen fusion produces no harmful radiation, only neutrons that are captured and added back to the reaction.

Dozens of skiers created a heart shape on the slopes of Crans-Montana to mourn the victims of the deadly bar fire on New Year's Eve. Forty people were killed at the bar where the fire began, while 119 others were injured. Swiss prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into the managers of Le Constellation bar. The annual food fight festival ''Els Enfarinats'' has left the Spanish town of Ibi covered in flour and egg shells. The French model and actress has died at the age of 91.

Gunfire and anti-aircraft blasts heard near Venezuela's presidential palace as chaos unfolds after Maduro's ouster Stephen Miller declares Greenland should be part of US and'nobody will fight' over country's future Timothee Chalamet's declaration of love to his pneumatic girlfriend Kylie Jenner at the Critics Choice Awards has left me with a terribly rude thought: CAROLINE BULLOCK Trump vowed to deport one million migrants. But insiders say explosive data that Kristi Noem is desperate to hide tells the REAL story... The View audience left stunned as woke anti-MAGA co-host defends Trump's arrest of Maduro Trump says US will have to pay oil companies to rebuild Venezuela's aging infrastructure as he declares HIMSELF in charge of ambitious 18-month plan Furious fallen dictator Nicolás Maduro's hearing descends into chaos as he gets into shouting match with man claiming he was prisoner of his regime JFK's grandson Jack Schlossberg, 32, looks heartbroken as he attends sister Tatiana's funeral after she died of cancer aged just 35, with Joe Biden seen crying Kylie Jenner's curves spark surgery rumors as Timothee Chalamet grabs her behind at Critics Choice Awards SNL star Chloe Fineman reveals'botched' cosmetic treatments in candid photos as fans beg her to stop Secrets of JD Vance's'home attacker': Suspect is transgender daughter of wealthy surgeon Democrat donor as ultra-privileged life is revealed Ancient Bible reveals timeline for humanity's final'day' before divine judgment Gmail users advised to'turn off' two features NOW amid email privacy concerns'Super flu' still spreading uncontrollably... as cities see record number of cases and hospitalizations My shock discovery made me rethink everything I know about death. This is exactly what happens after your heart stops beating... and what you'll see, reveals neurosurgeon Caroline Kennedy cradles granddaughter at her daughter Tatiana Schlossberg's funeral, as doctor widower holds onto their son Gmail users advised to'turn off' two features NOW amid email privacy concerns Google users have been warned that they've been secretly opted in to a feature that allows the tech giant to access all their private emails. According to electronics design engineer Dave Jones of Australia, all Gmail users have had their accounts automatically selected to allow Google to scan their messages and attachments to help train its AI models like Gemini.

Google TV's new Gemini features range from useful to unnecessary I checked out a preview of the new features during CES 2026. I met up with a few people from Google at the Encore Villas during CES (which is just 2,500 feet from my hotel but took 28 minutes to walk to, thanks to Vegas's pedestrian-averse design [also I got lost]). Once there, I saw what " more Gemini " will mean for people with a Google TV. The AI integration ranged from useful to probably unnecessary. The most useful bit, for me at least, came at the end.

It is difficult to think of a more influential figure in the arcade game industry than David Rosen, who has died aged 95. The co-founder of Sega, who remained a director of the company until 1996, was instrumental in the birth and rise of the video game business in Japan, and in the 1980s and 90s oversaw the establishment of Sega of America and the huge success of the Mega Drive console. As a US Air Force pilot during the Korean war, Rosen found himself stationed in Japan, and once the conflict was over, he stayed on, intrigued by the country and seeing possibilities in its recovering economy. In 1954 he set up Rosen Enterprises and noticing that Japanese civilians now required an increasing number of new ID cards he started importing photo booths from the US to answer the demand. From here he expanded to pinball tables and other coin-operated machines, importing them for installation in shops, restaurants and cinemas.