Save this picture!© Ugo Carmeni, 2025A pavilion in a Biennale serves as a platform for cultural expression, allowing a nation to articulate its architectural identity while responding to global challenges. These national exhibitions reflect how each country interprets the event's central theme through the lens of its own landscapes, histories, and future aspirations, reinforcing architecture's ability to act not only as a built discipline, but also as a catalyst for reflection, transformation, and dialogue. In this context, Montenegro's contribution resonates with particular force. Titled Terram Intelligere: INTERSTITIUM, the pavilion draws on the concept of a newly understood anatomical system of fluid-filled spaces running throughout the human body, facilitating connection and exchange. Once considered dense and inert, the interstitium is now revealed to be a network of dynamic interrelation — a metaphor that the curators use to reframe architecture as an active, living inquiry into natural, artificial, and collective intelligence, in tune with this edition's theme: Natural. Artificial. Collective.Curated by Prof. Dr. Miljana Zeković, with contributors Ivan Šuković, Dejan Todorović, and Emir Šehanović, transforms the newly inaugurated Arte Nova space in Venice's Campo San Lorenzo into a dynamic laboratory. The project treats the interstitium not only as a biological metaphor, but as an architectural strategy, and the pavilion becomes a mediating membrane, connecting biology, tradition, and speculative futures. As Zeković explains, "Architecture naturally occupies a space between disciplines — not only between art and science, but also engineering. Here, it becomes a form of mediation between species, materials, and temporalities."Floating polycarbonate forms, infused with soil-derived bacterial cultures, are suspended by cables and arranged in a carefully orchestrated constellation. These transparent volumes are not inert, but biologically active. Over the six months of the Biennale, the microorganisms within them will grow, mutate, and generate bio-pigments in response to environmental stimuli such as light and temperature. This expanded view of architecture revisits the suvomeđa, a traditional Montenegrin dry-stone boundary wall built without mortar. More than a marker of property, the međa embodies ecological coexistence and cultural memory. In the pavilion, its principles are reinterpreted through these structures, each evoking the porosity, modularity, and autonomy of this vernacular tradition. "The međa is present in the pavilion both as a metaphor and as a symbol," observes Zeković. "Stones traditionally assembled without binding material are now reimagined in a collective, organic form — each floating, yet interconnected." Save this picture!Save this picture!Rethinking Intelligence (and Color) Through Soil and Slow TransformationDeveloped in collaboration with the Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering at the University of Belgrade, the project demonstrates how soil bacteria collected from Durmitor National Park, Skadar Lake, Bukumirsko Lake, and villages near Virpazar produce bio-pigments under UV exposure. These vibrant and resilient pigments suggest a future in which ecological coloring could replace synthetic and toxic dyes in the construction industry. "The bacteria developed fascinating spatial systems," says Zeković, "which could easily be envisioned, in some modified form, applied in construction." For Zeković, this convergence between science and design reflects a deeper ambition: It is entirely realistic to expect that many industrial materials containing hazardous components will be replaced by natural, sustainable alternatives. (...) Science, art, and architecture can help create a better, more stable, and sustainable world. The Montenegrin pavilion offers more than a visual encounter — it invites participation. As Zeković states: Visitors can engage with the space in multiple ways. The first is as a passive observer, taking in the installation from afar. The second is for the curious — those who step closer, who examine the bacterial worlds, who enter the 'boundary' and explore this unexpected potential from multiple angles. Save this picture!Inside these floating forms, visitors discover not only living microbial ecosystems, but also narrative templates, abstract representations of Montenegrin terrains, and even living bacterial nanocellulose. It is a multisensory and educational journey — one that encourages slow observation and critical reflection.Rather than offering a definitive solution, Terram Intelligere: INTERSTITIUM invites us to rethink how we define intelligence, materiality, and boundaries. The project asks: what can we learn from soil, from tradition, from microorganisms? In doing so, Montenegro's contribution rejects immediate spectacle in favor of slow, cellular, and continuous transformation — proposing an architecture that adapts, and grows. As the curator affirms, "The theme of intelligence and future hybrid intelligent systems demands far more than mere interpretation; it requires deep engagement on multiple levels."Save this picture!Save this picture!And she reminds us that the Biennale is more than a platform for display: "The Architecture Biennale is indeed a showcase of nations and entities, but — and this is particularly important to me — it is also a place of education. Visitors come primarily to see and to learn, and therefore, the innovations and insights presented through the exhibitions are of great significance."Just as the međa quietly delineates space while sustaining complex and invisible ecologies, the systems explored in the Montenegro Pavilion suggest that resilience does not begin with grand gestures, but with subtle, intelligent adaptation. Rooted in the soil, microorganisms model complex cooperation and environmental responsiveness, constructing spatial networks, generating living pigments, and embodying an architecture that grows from within — silently, incrementally, collectively. As the text presented in the pavilion reminds us, "Through this quiet evolution, the city of the future may rise upon a living, ever-evolving foundation – one shaped by continuous growth, shared intelligence, and the subtle emergence of hybrid systems rooted in nature."Save this picture!Commissioner: Mirjana ĐurišićCurator: dr Miljana ZekovićExhibitors: Ivan Šuković, Dejan Todorović, Emir ŠehanovićProfessional collaborators and project partners: Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering (IMGGE), University of Belgrade - Dr Jasmina Nikodinović-Runić, Vukašin Janković, Dr Tatjana Ilić-Tomić, Dr Ivana Aleksić, Dr Dušan MilivojevićCreative team: Tamara Marović, Maja RadonjićProducer: Jelena BožovićProject technical director: Aleksandar JevtovićTechnical production assistants: Miloš Jevtović, Branislav DragojlovićLighting – technical implementation: Boris Butorac, Jovan Vanja MarjanovićSound design: Miloš HadžićPublication design and visual identity of the exhibition: Igor MilanovićOrganizer: Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property of Montenegro

After faithfully serving Americans since 1787, the penny is on its way to retirement. The United States Treasury announced it won’t place any more orders for penny blanks. That means once current supplies run out, new pennies will not be introduced into circulation. The Washington Post reported that the Treasury placed its final order for blanks this month with expectations that it will run out by early 2026. You can keep spending pennies as normal after that. But at some point, businesses will have to start rounding up or down to the nearest 5 cents for cash transactions. Why is the penny getting the axe? Well, according to the U.S. Mint’s 2024 annual report, pennies cost nearly 4 cents to produce and distribute. Part of this is due to rising material costs. Pennies are primarily made of zinc, and its price per metric ton has more than doubled since 2000. Over the years, penny production has decreased anyway. In 2024, the Mint only made 3.2 billion pennies, compared to about 11 billion each year in the 1990s. But last fiscal year, the Mint still lost $85.3 million on the pennies it produced. Per the Post, the agency estimated that it will save $56 million a year from reduced material costs. “Given the cost savings to the taxpayer, this is just another example of our administration cutting waste for the American taxpayer and making the government more efficient for the American people,” a Treasury spokesperson told Axios in a statement. Talks about ditching the penny have been around for awhile. For example, former Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew recommended suspending its production in 2016. Americans have also grown more favorable to the idea, potentially because the penny’s use in our daily lives has decreased. Per YouGov, about a third of Americans never spend pennies, with adults under 30 using them the least. Back in January, DOGE took aim at the penny, and, a month later, Trump followed up with a Truth Social rant about “wasteful” pennies, writing, “I have instructed my Secretary of the US Treasury to stop producing new pennies. Let’s rip the waste out of our great nations budget, even if it’s a penny at a time.” To be fair to the penny, rising production costs have hit all coins. For example, a quarter cost 25% more to make in 2024 than the year before (compared to the penny’s 17% increase). And, like the penny, nickels are also more expensive to produce and distribute than they’re actually worth. Ditching one-cent pieces isn’t unheard of. New Zealand and Australia discontinued theirs in 1989 and 1992, respectively, and Canada stopped producing pennies in 2012. The U.S. has discontinued other coins before, with the most recent being the $20 golden Double Eagle coin.

It won’t just be Nintendo games on the Switch 2 (Nintendo) Metro journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission – learn more Several retailers have new Nintendo Switch 2 bundles available to pre-order, but you’ll have to act fast. The Switch 2 has been available to pre-order in the UK for over a month now, but despite largely selling out everywhere, some retailers are still getting occasional bursts of stock. Nintendo is selling the Switch 2 in two variants, with the base console priced at £395.99 and a Mario Kart World bundle at £429.99. However, some retailers have started to sell their own bundles featuring other games and accessories. Along with The Game Collection, Currys is now selling various bundles starting from £569. One of these includes the Mario Kart World bundle, alongside another pair of Joy-Con 2 controllers, the wheel attachment, and a Switch 2 camera. Another, which also costs £569, comes with the Switch 2 base console, Street Fighter 6, the Switch 2 Pro Controller, and Switch 2 camera. The more expensive bundles come with additional games on top of the Mario Kart World bundle, with one adding the Switch 2 versions of both Zelda: Breath Of The Wild and Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom for £579. At the time of writing, the base console is still available at Very and the My Nintendo Store. For the latter, you’ll need an active Nintendo Switch Online membership to pre-order (the free trial period doesn’t count, unfortunately). Where to pre-order Nintendo Switch 2 in the UK? At Nintendo: Nintendo Switch 2 console – £395.99 Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World – £429.99 At Very: Nintendo Switch 2 console – £395.99 At Currys: Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle + Joy-Con 2 controllers + wheel attachment + Camera – £569 Switch 2 base console + Street Fighter 6 + Pro Controller + Camera – £569 Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle + Camera + Street Fighter 6 + microSD Express memory card – £579 Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle + Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom + Zelda: Breath Of The Wild + Carrying Case – £579 The launch is less than two weeks away (Nintendo) Switch 2 pre-orders at The Game Collection: Nintendo Switch 2 + Split Fiction + Switch 2 Camera – £484.95 Nintendo Switch 2 + Hogwarts Legacy + Switch 2 Camera – £484.95 Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World + Split Fiction + Switch 2 Camera – £519.95 Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World + Hogwarts Legacy + Switch 2 Camera – £519.95 Nintendo Switch 2 + Cyberpunk 2077 + Micro SD Express Card + Switch 2 Camera – £559.95 Nintendo Switch 2 + Cyberpunk 2077 + Hitman + Micro SD Express Card + Switch 2 Camera – £609.95 Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World + Cyberpunk 2077 + Hitman + Micro SD Express Card + Switch 2 Camera – £644.95 It’s very likely these deals will go fast, but it’s worth checking back at the above links anyway as restocks do seem to happen on a weekly basis. The Switch 2 is set to launch worldwide on June 5, 2025, so you have less than two weeks if you want to secure one for release day. Mario Kart World is the Switch 2’s big selling point (Nintendo) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.

Pokemon TCG Pocket's next themed Booster Pack, Extradimensional Crisis, is launching next week, and it's packed with fresh new Pokemon to collect — here's all we knowTech15:42, 22 May 2025There's a new Binder availablePokemon TCG Pocket was one of our favourite games of 2024, and we've not stopped logging in daily to open packs, whether that's for Celestial Guardians or otherwise.Just as the real card game keeps gaining fresh cards like the Destined Rivals set, Pokemon TCG pocket is getting another themed booster pack, meaning players will have even more options when they log in.‌Here's all we know about what's coming with the new set, including the new Null type, as well as the full reveal trailer that shows off some of the amazing new card art.‌As you can see in the trrailer, fans can expect Ultra Beast cards this time around, including Blacephalon, Nihilego, Guzzlord ex and Buzzwole ex when the update launches on May 29.Ultra Beast creatures debuted in Pokemon Sun and Moon, essentially tying this set to Celestial Guardians from a few weeks ago, and it's clear that The Pokemon Company has its foot on the gas with the number of themed booster packs we're getting.Article continues belowBlacephalon is getting a full-art cardThere are more creatures from the Alola region, too, and Null-type creatures will make their debut.If you're worried about having somewhere to display your new cards, fear not! Players can use their shop tickets from May 29 to buy a new Ultra Beast-themed binder cover, as well as a new floral display board from an upcoming Wonder Pick event in June.‌The following events will arrive next month, too, as per The Pokemon Company:Ultra Beast Drop Event (4 June at 6 a.m. UTC to 14 June at 5:59 a.m. UTC): Take on special solo battles to obtain new promo cards, including Ultra Necrozma ex.Wonder Pick Event (12 June at 6 a.m. UTC to 22 June at 5:59 a.m. UTC): Obtain new promo cards such as Poipole and Stufful and obtain event shop tickets by completing missions.Article continues belowUltra Beast Mass Outbreak Event (23 June at 6 a.m. UTC to 29 June at 5:59 a.m. UTC): Cards relating to Ultra Beasts will appear in rare picks and bonus picks.For more on the Pokemon TCG, be sure to check out our interview with Peter Murphy, Senior Director of Marketing at The Pokemon Company International who explains the game has never been more popular in the UK.For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.

On Tuesday, the Senate unanimously passed the No Tax on Tips Act, pushing one of President Donald Trump’s campaign promises one step closer to becoming law. The pledge to eliminate federal taxes on service and hospitality workers’ tips rallied voters in the 2024 election, so much so that even former Vice President Kamala Harris endorsed the idea in her campaign against Trump. Now, both Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill seem to want to make it a reality. It’s easy to see why “no tax on tips” has broad bipartisan support: It looks like a populist policy that gives lower-wage workers much-needed relief, and opposing it might make you seem out of touch with the working class. But as I wrote last year, “no tax on tips” would actually be more of a tax break for businesses that would cost the federal government an estimated $10 billion to $15 billion a year in tax revenue. In short, the policy incentivizes businesses to lower workers’ wages and make them rely more on tips. But that’s exactly the opposite of what workers — and tipped workers in particular — need. Tipped workers are underpaid. Some of them would certainly see their take-home pay increase if the federal government stops taxing them on tips, assuming that their wages stay the same. But tips can be volatile, and often vary by season, and a “no tax on tips” policy would make offseasons worse for tipped workers, who will likely be stuck with lower base pay. The reality is that the problem for tipped workers isn’t that their taxes are too high — it’s that their wages are far too low. Plus, not having their taxes tipped means workers might end up accruing less credit toward their Social Security. In fact, many underpaid workers won’t even see a difference from the policy. Some tipped workers — by some estimates more than a third of them — earn so little that they are already exempt from income taxes, which means that a “no tax on tips” law would do nothing to boost their take-home pay. More than that, “no tax on tips” doesn’t help out most low-wage workers: More than 95 percent of low- and moderate-wage workers don’t receive tips on a regular basis. So while Congress busies itself with flashy tax cuts that won’t go too far in helping low-wage workers, it might be better to focus on the root cause of tipped workers’ problem: the subminimum wage.What is the subminimum wage and why is it so low? The last federal minimum wage increase was in 2009, and it’s been the same since: $7.25 per hour. Many states have minimum wages that are higher than the federal level — but most also have a subminimum wage for tipped workers. That’s a carveout that allows employers to pay their workers less so long as they make up the difference in tips, and that wage is just $2.13 per hour. If a subminimum wage worker doesn’t make enough tips to reach the full minimum wage, the employer is required to pay the difference. These tiered minimum wages date back to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), passed in 1938. The legislation created a subminimum wage with the intention of encouraging employers to hire people “whose earning capacity is impaired by age or physical or mental deficiency or injury.” The idea was to ensure that job opportunities and work training programs would still be available for people with disabilities. But in 1966, Congress amended the FLSA to include a subminimum wage for workers who regularly receive tips, hoping this would lower payroll costs for service-sector businesses. This change fundamentally changed the culture around tipping: While customers used to give workers tips as a show of gratitude, tips became a necessity for workers in order to make ends meet. Since then, workers in the service and hospitality sectors in most places have been subject to a subminimum wage that has not increased since 1991. While tipped wages are often sold to workers as a benefit — in theory, there’s no limit to how much they can make if customers are generous — the reality is that their overall take-home pay, even including tips, is often not enough. For example, the median wage for waiters in 2024 was $33,760, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the bottom 10 percent of waiters earned about $18,000. For context, the standard deduction — that is, the portion of your income that is untaxed — is $29,200 for a married couple and $14,600 for an individual. “No tax on tips” might give waiters a small tax break, but it’s hardly enough to work as a meaningful solution to low wages.The movement to abolish the subminimum wageMany workers have grown frustrated with the tiered minimum wage system, leading to the creation of organizations like One Fair Wage, which advocates for getting rid of the subminimum wage — a measure that would likely help alleviate poverty. (At least eight states have eliminated the subminimum wage for tipped workers.) And because a handful of states have already abolished the subminimum wage in favor of one equal minimum wage for tipped and non-tipped workers alike, we can see how the former holds workers back.According to an analysis by the Center for American Progress, tipped workers have a higher poverty rate in states with a subminimum wage compared to states that have abolished it. In states with the subminimum wage, 14.8 percent of tipped workers live in poverty. By contrast, those same workers have a poverty rate of 11 percent in states that have gotten rid of the subminimum wage. The biggest problem with the “no tax on tips” idea is that it will likely only suppress wages, which will ultimately hurt workers in the long run. There are better ways Congress can help low-wage workers than eliminating taxes on tips, including by expanding the standard deduction — giving a meaningful tax cut to all low-wage workers, not just those who receive tips — or by finally getting rid of the subminimum wage. And they might consider increasing the minimum wage while they’re at it. After all, a raise is long overdue. This story is written for the Within Our Means newsletter. Sign up here.See More:

A US M1A1 Abrams tank. Spc. Christian Carrillo/US Army 2025-05-22T18:51:39Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Nearly 30 M1A1 Abrams tanks will roll down Constitution Ave. in DC for the Army's 250th birthday. The service is finalizing plans to prevent the heavy 70-ton tanks from damaging the road. Engineers will use steel plates and track pads to protect roads during the parade. The powerful M1A1 Abrams tank, with its heavy armor and 120mm cannon, is a massive hulk of steel, and dozens are set to hit the streets in the nation's capital next month.Nearly 30 of the tanks are expected to rumble down Constitution Avenue as part of the US Army's 250th anniversary celebration on June 14, set to coincide with President Donald Trump's birthday.The street, which runs parallel to the National Mall and serves as a major route for city traffic, isn't built to easily accommodate each tank's nearly 70-ton frame. Most cars weigh only about two tons.So how is the Army going to keep its tanks from chewing up Constitution Avenue? The service's engineers are putting the finishing touches on plans to protect the busy street's pavement from biting tracks.Officials aren't too concerned with the straight path down Constitution, which will likely see a single file of tanks. It's turning points that will be the most vulnerable to tears from the heavy tracked vehicles."We are targeting those areas that we have concerns," said Army Col. Jesse Curry, Executive Officer for the Army's Chief of Engineers, during a media roundtable with reporters on Wednesday. "Particularly the areas where the surface of the pavement would typically, you know, receive an exaggerated level of stress." US M1A1 Abrams tanks arrive via rail at Grafenwoehr, Germany. Staff Sgt. Christopher Stewart/U.S. Army To prevent such stress, military engineers are figuring out which turn points will be layered with steel plates at least one inch thick.Such large plates are commonly seen on city streets where heavy equipment is used, Curry said, adding that equipment staging areas and the parade route were specially chosen to minimize weight-related damage.Heavy tracked vehicles like the M1A1 often make turns by using differential steering — one side will roll forward while the other reverses, or the tracks will operate at a different speed. That can cause tracks to "pinch," a problem for asphalt.Inbound parade tanks will also don new "track pads," rubber components that create some separation between the metal tracks and the pavement, Curry told reporters.Additional measures to prevent damage are still being examined, with help from DC's Department of Transportation, the National Park Service (which oversees maintenance of the National Mall), and the Federal Highway Administration.The tanks and other vehicles, such as Bradley fighting vehicles and Strykers, will arrive in the DC area via rail and will then depart to parade staging areas via heavy-duty trailers, similar to those used to move houses down highways. An M1A1 Abrams is loaded onto a heavy equipment movement truck at Fort Cavazos, Texas. Spc. Alejandro L. Carrasquel/ US Army Troops will not be conducting any full-scale rehearsals for the parade, a notable deviation from typical military planning. Normally, complete rehearsals are an important part of any military mission, including small unit ceremonies. Officials said Wednesday that while the Army has been planning a major 250th birthday event for two years, the idea to include heavy vehicles like tanks and other armored vehicles in a parade only arrived this year. The officials did not specify how the idea originated.Even moving at a slow parade pace, any military activity using heavy equipment and vehicles is fraught with concerns that require meticulous planning for safety precautions, especially when it comes to the equipment offloads required to stage for such a parade. Large vehicles must rely on ground guides to ensure no one is inadvertently run over.Officials said Wednesday that Hercules wreckers will be available to recover any tanks that break down. How roads might handle the behemoth 70-ton M88 Hercules recovery vehicle with a downed tank on its trailer bed is unclear.

Anthropic has announced two new AI models that it claims represent a major step toward making AI agents truly useful. AI agents trained on Claude Opus 4, the company’s most powerful model to date, raise the bar for what such systems are capable of by tackling difficult tasks over extended periods of time and responding more usefully to user instructions, the company says. Claude Opus 4 has been built to execute complex tasks that involve completing thousands of steps over several hours. For example, it created a guide for the video game Pokémon Red while playing it for more than 24 hours straight. The company’s previously most powerful model, Claude 3.7 Sonnet, was capable of playing for just 45 minutes, says Dianne Penn, product lead for research at Anthropic. Similarly, the company says that one of its customers, the Japanese technology company Rakuten, recently deployed Claude Opus 4 to code autonomously for close to seven hours on a complicated open-source project.  Anthropic achieved these advances by improving the model’s ability to create and maintain “memory files” to store key information. This enhanced ability to “remember” makes the model better at completing longer tasks. “We see this model generation leap as going from an assistant to a true agent,” says Penn. “While you still have to give a lot of real-time feedback and make all of the key decisions for AI assistants, an agent can make those key decisions itself. It allows humans to act more like a delegator or a judge, rather than having to hold these systems’ hands through every step.” While Claude Opus 4 will be limited to paying Anthropic customers, a second model, Claude Sonnet 4, will be available for both paid and free tiers of users. Opus 4 is being marketed as a powerful, large model for complex challenges, while Sonnet 4 is described as a smart, efficient model for everyday use.   Both of the new models are hybrid, meaning they can offer a swift reply or a deeper, more reasoned response depending on the nature of a request. While they calculate a response, both models can search the web or use other tools to improve their output. AI companies are currently locked in a race to create truly useful AI agents that are able to plan, reason, and execute complex tasks both reliably and free from human supervision, says Stefano Albrecht, director of AI at the startup DeepFlow and coauthor of Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning: Foundations and Modern Approaches. Often this involves autonomously using the internet or other tools. There are still safety and security obstacles to overcome. AI agents powered by large language models can act erratically and perform unintended actions—which becomes even more of a problem when they’re trusted to act without human supervision. “The more agents are able to go ahead and do something over extended periods of time, the more helpful they will be, if I have to intervene less and less,” he says. “The new models’ ability to use tools in parallel is interesting—that could save some time along the way, so that’s going to be useful.”As an example of the sorts of safety issues AI companies are still tackling, agents can end up taking unexpected shortcuts or exploiting loopholes to reach the goals they’ve been given. For example, they might book every seat on a plane to ensure that their user gets a seat, or resort to creative cheating to win a chess game. Anthropic says it managed to reduce this behavior, known as reward hacking, in both new models by 65% relative to Claude Sonnet 3.7. It achieved this by more closely monitoring problematic behaviors during training, and improving both the AI’s training environment and the evaluation methods.

New contact lenses can provide infrared visionolga Yastremska/Alamy Contact lenses have enabled people to see beyond the visible light range, picking up flickers of infrared light even in the dark – or with their eyes closed. The lenses contain engineered nanoparticles that absorb and convert infrared radiation – specifically, a near-infrared wavelength range of 800 to 1600 nanometres – into blue, green and red light visible to the human eye. That is the same trick night-vision devices use to help people see in the dark, but the contact lenses weigh much less and require no additional power. Advertisement “The contact lenses would provide military personnel with discreet, hands-free night-vision capabilities that overcome the limitations of bulky night-vision [goggles or scopes],” says Peter Rentzepis at Texas A&M University, who has done related research applying the same nanoparticles – sodium gadolinium fluoride, ytterbium and erbium – to eyeglass lenses. The new wearables, developed by Yuqian Ma at the University of Science and Technology of China and his colleagues, don’t provide detailed night vision yet. That is because they can pick up only “high-intensity, narrowband LED” light sources, says Rentzepis, rather than lower levels of infrared light from ambient sources. “It’s an audacious paper but, using just the contact lens, you wouldn’t be able to read a book in the infrared, or navigate down a dark road,” says Mikhail Kats at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who was not involved in the research. Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. Sign up to newsletter Instead, in tests on humans and mice, the contacts converted a normally invisible flash of infrared light into what Kats says should be a “big colourful blob of visible light”. Those blobs had uses, however. For example, Ma and his colleagues varied the frequency, number and colour of different light flashes to encode and transmit letters of the alphabet. This follows a previous study in which the researchers injected nanoparticles directly into the eyes of mice to provide infrared vision. The wearable contacts represent a “safer and more practical approach for human applications”, says Rentzepis. But they still come with potential health and safety risks, he notes, such as heat exposure from the light-conversion process and possible nanoparticle leakage into eye tissue. Journal referenceCell DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2025.04.019 Topics:

Keep clear Federal regulators clear SpaceX for Starship test flight as soon as next week "The FAA is expanding the size of hazard areas both in the US and other countries." Stephen Clark – May 22, 2025 2:51 pm | 0 The Starship for SpaceX's next test flight, known as Ship 35, on the move between the production site at Starbase (in background) and the Massey's test facility for a static fire test. Credit: SpaceX The Starship for SpaceX's next test flight, known as Ship 35, on the move between the production site at Starbase (in background) and the Massey's test facility for a static fire test. Credit: SpaceX Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more The Federal Aviation Administration gave the green light Thursday for SpaceX to launch the next test flight of its Starship mega-rocket as soon as next week, following two consecutive failures earlier this year. The failures set back SpaceX's Starship program by several months. The company aims to get the rocket's development back on track with the upcoming launch, Starship's ninth full-scale test flight since its debut in April 2023. Starship is central to SpaceX's long-held ambition to send humans to Mars and is the vehicle NASA has selected to land astronauts on the Moon under the umbrella of the government's Artemis program. In a statement Thursday, the FAA said SpaceX is authorized to launch the next Starship test flight, known as Flight 9, after finding the company "meets all of the rigorous safety, environmental and other licensing requirements." SpaceX has not confirmed a target launch date for the next launch of Starship, but warning notices for pilots and mariners to steer clear of hazard areas in the Gulf of Mexico suggest the flight might happen as soon as the evening of Tuesday, May 27. The rocket will lift off from Starbase, Texas, SpaceX's privately owned spaceport near the US-Mexico border. This will be the third flight of SpaceX's upgraded Block 2, or Version 2, Starship rocket. The first two flights of Starship Block 2—in January and March—did not go well. On both occasions, the rocket's upper stage shut down its engines prematurely and the vehicle lost control, breaking apart in the upper atmosphere and spreading debris near the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Debris from Starship falls back into the atmosphere after Starship Flight 8 in this view over Hog Cay, Bahamas. Credit: GeneDoctorB via X Investigators determined the cause of the January failure was a series of fuel leaks and fires in the ship's aft compartment. The leaks were most likely triggered by vibrations that were more intense than anticipated, SpaceX said before Starship's most recent flight in March. SpaceX has not announced the cause of the March failure, although the circumstances were similar to the mishap in January. "The FAA conducted a comprehensive safety review of the SpaceX Starship Flight 8 mishap and determined that the company has satisfactorily addressed the causes of the mishap, and therefore, the Starship vehicle can return to flight," the agency said. "The FAA will verify SpaceX implements all corrective actions." Flight safety The flight profile for the next Starship launch will largely be a repeat of what SpaceX hoped to accomplish on the ill-fated tests earlier this year. If all goes according to plan, the rocket's upper stage, or ship, will travel halfway around the world from Starbase, reaching an altitude of more than 100 miles before reentering the atmosphere over the Indian Ocean. A little more than an hour after liftoff, the ship will aim for a controlled splashdown in the ocean northwest of Australia. Apart from overcoming the problems that afflicted the last two launches, one of the most important objectives for this flight is to test the performance of Starship's heat shield. Starship Block 2 includes improved heat shield materials that could do better at protecting the ship from the super-heated temperatures of reentry and, ultimately, make it easier to reuse the vehicle. The problems on the last two Starship test flights prevented the rocket from reaching the point where its heat shield could be tested. Starship Block 2 also features redesigned flaps to better control the vehicle during its descent through the atmosphere. This version of Starship also has larger propellant tanks and reconfigured fuel feed lines for the ship's six Raptor engines. The FAA's approval for Starship Flight 9 comes with some stipulations. The agency is expanding the size of hazard areas in the United States and in other countries based on an updated "flight safety analysis" from SpaceX and because SpaceX will reuse a previously flown first-stage booster—called Super Heavy—for the first time. The aircraft hazard area for Starship Flight 9 extends approximately 1,600 nautical miles to the east from Starbase, Texas. Credit: Federal Aviation Administration This flight-safety analysis takes into account the outcomes of previous flights, including accidents, population exposure risk, the probability of vehicle failure, and debris propagation and behavior, among other considerations. "The FAA uses this and other data to determine and implement measures to mitigate public risk," the agency said. All of this culminated in the FAA's "return to flight determination," which the agency says is based on public safety. The FAA's primary concern with commercial space activity is ensuring rocket launches don't endanger third parties. The agency also requires that SpaceX maintain at least $500 million in liability insurance to cover claims resulting from the launch and flight of Starship Flight 9, the same requirement the FAA levied for previous Starship test flights. For the next launch, the FAA will establish an aircraft hazard area covering approximately 1,600 nautical miles extending eastward from Starbase, Texas, and through the Straits of Florida, including the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. This is an extension of the 885-nautical mile hazard area the FAA established for the test flight in March. In order to minimize disruption to commercial and private air traffic, the FAA is requiring the launch window for Starship Flight 9 to be scheduled during "non-peak transit periods." The size of FAA-mandated airspace closures can expand or shrink based on the reliability of the launch vehicle. The failures of Starship earlier this year raised the probability of vehicle failure in the flight-safety analysis for Starship Flight 9, according to the FAA. The expanded hazard area will force the closure of more than 70 established air routes across the Gulf of Mexico and now includes the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. The FAA anticipates this will affect more than 175 flights, almost all of them on international connecting routes. For airline passengers traveling through this region, this will mean an average flight delay of approximately 40 minutes, and potentially up to two hours, the FAA said. If SpaceX can reel off a series of successful Starship flights, the hazard areas will likely shrink in size. This will be important as SpaceX ramps up the Starship launch cadence. The FAA recently approved SpaceX to increase its Starship flight rate from five per year to 25 per year. The agency said it is in "close contact and collaboration" with other nations with territory along or near Starship's flight path, including the United Kingdom, Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas, Mexico, and Cuba. Status report Meanwhile, SpaceX's hardware for Starship Flight 9 appears to be moving closer to launch. Engineers test-fired the Super Heavy booster, which SpaceX previously launched and recovered in January, last month on the launch pad in South Texas. On May 12, SpaceX fired the ship's six Raptor engines for 60 seconds on a test stand near Starbase. After the test-firing, ground crews rolled the ship back to the Starship production site a few miles away, only to return the vehicle to the test stand Wednesday for unspecified testing. SpaceX is expected to roll the ship back to the production site again before the end of the week. The final steps before launch will involve separately transporting the Super Heavy booster and Starship upper stage from the production site to the launch pad. There, SpaceX will stack the ship on top of the booster. Once the two pieces are stacked together, the rocket will stand 404 feet (123.1 meters) tall. If SpaceX moves forward with a launch attempt next Tuesday evening, the long-range outlook from the National Weather Service calls for a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Stephen Clark Space Reporter Stephen Clark Space Reporter Stephen Clark is a space reporter at Ars Technica, covering private space companies and the world’s space agencies. Stephen writes about the nexus of technology, science, policy, and business on and off the planet. 0 Comments

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun — Words of Vengeance is a new typing action game that’s free to play on Steam, and it challenges the player to enter words and phrases from the Warhammer 40K universe to slaughter your way through an environment filled with foes and Doom-like graphics. The game was announced as part of today’s Warhammer Skulls 2025 games festival, alongside other titles including Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy I and an expansion to Space Marine 2. A typing game might not sound challenging, but spelling is unpredictable 40,000 years in the future. Just take the main character’s name: Malum Caedo. Boltgun: Words of Vengeance is available to play now on Steam, but be warned: a single typo could spell the end. Recommended Videos Several classic Warhammer games are making their return through remasters. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War is getting a Definitive Edition that includes all its expansions and upgraded visuals. Following the success of Space Marine 2, the original Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine is back in the form of the Master Crafted Edition. On the new release front, Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy is an upcoming RPG from Owlcat Games, the developers of the excellent Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader. Fans of old-school shooters will get more of what they love in Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun II, a sequel that is dropping on Steam, Xbox Series, and PlayStation 5. There’s also a new mobile grand strategy title called Supremacy: Warhammer 40,000, and you can pre-register now on Android. Players who want a taste of Twisted Metal action can play Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks, a combat racing game that’s now leaving early access on Steam. Space Marine II is also getting a new Horde mode, while more new content has been added to a lineup of existing Warhammer games, including Tacticus, Vermintide II, Battlesector, Gladius, Blood Bowl III, and more.