Video: China’s humanoid robots perform synced dance using motion capture AI.
PNDbotics debuts full-sized humanoid Adam and legged Adam-U at WAIC 2025, merging agility, AI training, and motion capture.
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Astronomers observe a giant outburst of X-ray binary RX J0440.9+4431
Astronomers from Wuhan University in China have employed the Insight-HXMT satellite to observe a giant outburst that occurred in the X-ray binary RX J0440.9+4431 about three years ago. Results of the observations, presented July 24 on the pre-print server arXiv, provide a wealth of data regarding the properties and behavior of this system.
Shroud of Turin image matches low-relief statue—not human body, 3D modeling study finds
The Shroud of Turin is a famous artifact with obscure origins. How and when it was made has long been the subject of debate among many scientists, historians and religious leaders, alike. The two most prominent theories are that it was either created as a work of art during the medieval period or that it was a piece of linen that was actually wrapped around the body of Jesus Christ after his death over 2000 years ago.
Radiocarbon dating done in a 1989 study on the Shroud of Turin dated it around 1,260 to 1,390 AD, consistent with the medieval theory. Later, in 2005, Raymond Rogers argued that the tested sample from the radiocarbon dating came from an area that had been repaired, and was thus newer than the original cloth. And more recently, in 2022, a single thread from the shroud material was tested with a new—and somewhat controversial—method based on Wide Angle X-ray Scattering (WAXS), which claimed that the shroud dated back to the first century AD. If those results are reliable, this dates the cloth much closer to the time of Jesus.
Yet another study examined the blood patterns on the shroud and deemed them inconsistent with what would be expected with a deceased man lying flat. In fact, the authors stated that these blood patterns were “totally unrealistic.” This led to the idea that the blood might have been added to the shroud in a more artistic manner after its creation.
Plastic pollution ‘grave and growing’ health threat: Lancet
Plastic pollution is a “grave, growing and under-recognized danger” to health that is costing the world at least $1.5 trillion a year, experts warned in a report on Monday.
The new review of the existing evidence, which was carried out by leading health researchers and doctors, was published one day ahead of fresh talks opening in Geneva aiming to seal the world’s first treaty on plastic pollution.
“Plastics cause disease and death from infancy to old age and are responsible for health-related economic losses exceeding US$1.5 trillion annually,” said the review in The Lancet medical journal.
Zuckerberg Says Meta Is Now Seeing Signs of Advanced AI Improving Itself
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is making some very grandiose statements amid his ludicrously expensive quest to gain a lead in the AI industry.
It’s easy to get caught up in the human drama of his talent hunt. But in the very first lines of a new public letter about his so-called Superintelligence Lab, the tech founder made a claim that’s either a staight-up fib, a very generous reading of a situation, or a clue that he’s closer to enacting profound change in the world than almost anyone realizes.
