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Boston Dynamics unveiled the next generation of its humanoid Atlas robot on Wednesday. The announcement came just a day after the company retired the hydraulic Atlas robot. The new Atlas is fully electric and comes with several upgrades over the predecessor, including a superhuman range of motion. In a video, the slender and more athletic robot was shown moving in ways that defy human anatomy. The robotics giant claims it will be able to lift and manoeuvre a wide variety of objects.

In a video posted on YouTube, Boston Dynamics introduced the electric Atlas robot designed for real-world applications. Based on the demo, the new robot now has an entirely different design. It no longer possesses a heavy torso plate or carries a wider upper body. The new Atlas has a slender, metallic torso, longer and straighter limbs, no externally connected cables, and a ring light circling its head.

The demo begins with Atlas lying on the ground. As it boots up, the humanoid robot twists and folds its legs backwards over its body and then stands up as it twists its waist by 180 degrees as if a creature from a sci-fi horror movie. In the next few moments, it rotates its head a couple of times showcasing its head that appears to be a large camera lens and walks away taking straighter and concise strides.

In less than a minute, the video demonstrated that the new Atlas robot is not only more agile and flexible, it might also potentially move heavier objects given its larger limbs. Explaining its vision, Boston Dynamics said in a press release, “We designed the electric version of Atlas to be stronger, more dexterous, and more agile. Atlas may resemble a human form factor, but we are equipping the robot to move in the most efficient way possible to complete a task, rather than being constrained by a human range of motion.”

Currently, the electric Atlas is in testing and it will stay that way for the next few years. In this period, the company plans to explore multiple new gripper variations to enable the robot to perform a diverse set of tasks. The testing phase will include a limited number of customers, with Hyundai being the first in the line.


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New Study Suggests Yellowstone May Help Solve the World’s Helium Crisis

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New Study Suggests Yellowstone May Help Solve the World’s Helium Crisis

Helium, a non-renewable gas vital to technologies like superconductors, medical imaging devices, and space exploration, is in critically short supply. Traditionally sourced as a byproduct of methane extraction, helium production is closely tied to fossil fuels, prompting scientists to search for cleaner alternatives. A new study sheds light on the potential of carbon-free helium buried beneath ancient rocks in geothermally active regions, including Yellowstone National Park. If proven viable, these natural reserves could provide a sustainable source of helium without contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.

Helium Without Fossil Fuels

According to the study published on April 5 in the International Geology Review, geothermal energy is crucial in releasing helium from uranium and thorium-rich rocks. As per a report by LiveScience, these radioactive elements slowly decay over billions of years, producing helium atoms that remain locked inside mineral structures unless exposed to high temperatures.

“If the temperature is raised above what is called the closure temperature of the particular mineral, then the helium will be released,” co-author Jon Gluyas, a professor of geo-energy at Durham University in the U.K., told Live Science via email. Once released, helium seeps into fluids like water or brine that circulate between rocks, eventually escaping as gas.

Lead author Ernest Mulaya, a structural geologist at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, noted the urgency of finding greener helium sources. “We have been scratching our heads to find helium that is free from fossil fuels,” Mulaya told Live Science. The breakthrough came in 2016 when large carbon-free helium reserves were discovered in Tanzania’s Rukwa Rift Valley.

Ancient Rocks and Modern Promise

Researchers examined three locations, Yellowstone in the U.S., Bakreswar-Tantloi in India, and the Rukwa Rift in Tanzania, that share the essential geologic conditions for carbon-free helium production: geothermal activity, ancient rock formations, and high uranium-thorium content.

Yellowstone sits atop the 3.5-billion-year-old Wyoming Craton, and although helium is not trapped in sealed underground reservoirs there, an estimated 66 tons of it escapes annually through hot springs and steam vents. “It is not as if you could put an enormous bag over the whole area and catch it,” Gluyas said. However, he noted that areas around Yellowstone might act as traps where helium accumulates.

Encouraging results from a helium drill site near Babbitt, Minnesota, which shares similar geological traits, suggest that these regions could eventually help meet the growing demand for clean helium. “There’s a promising future for helium to cover the shortage we are currently facing,” Mulaya said.

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New Study Reveals How Jupiter’s Storms Hide Ammonia

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New Study Reveals How Jupiter’s Storms Hide Ammonia

Jupiter’s weather just got even stranger. A new study published in the Journal Science Advances revealed that the gas giant’s turbulent thunderstorms create massive, softball-sized hailstones called “mushballs,” made of ammonia and water ice. These violent storms churn Jupiter’s atmosphere so deeply that they may explain a long-standing mystery among the scientists: the missing ammonia in the planet’s upper layers. For years, scientists were puzzled over why deep pockets of ammonia seemed absent across Jupiter’s atmosphere.

Mushballs Shake Up Old Assumptions

As per a report by LiveScience, Scientists believed Jupiter’s atmosphere was well mixed, much like a pot of boiling water. However, after analysing a massive 2017 storm captured by Juno, researchers found that even local storms can punch ammonia deep into the planet, shattering the old assumption. “The top of the atmosphere is actually a pretty poor representation of what the whole planet looks like,” explained study lead author Chris Moeckel from the University of California, Berkeley, told the publication. On April 15, 2025, as per EarthSky, his team’s findings suggest that the atmosphere becomes well-mixed only much deeper down than previously thought.

Ammonia as a Tracer Beneath the Clouds

Jupiter’s thick cloud cover blocks direct observation, and ammonia acts as a critical tracer to understand the hidden activity beneath the clouds. Scientists theorised in 2020 that Jupiter’s powerful storms lift ammonia-rich ice particles to high altitudes, where they combine with water ice to create a mushy, slushy hailstone. These mushballs then grow larger and heavier, cycling up and down in the atmosphere before plunging deep, carrying ammonia and water with them. This process leaves the upper atmosphere depleted, matching observations from Juno.

Confirmation came during Juno’s February 2017 flyby. While passing over a storm zone, the spacecraft detected an unexpected deep signal rich in ammonia and water beneath the storm clouds. Moeckel recalled spotting the discovery while casually running data on his laptop at a dentist’s office, describing the moment he realised the mushball theory must be true.

A Universal Phenomenon Beyond Jupiter

Researchers now believe that Jupiter might not be unique. Gas giants across the universe and even newly forming planets could experience similar mushball processes. “I won’t be surprised if this is happening throughout the universe,” Moeckel told to LiveScience, suggesting that Jupiter’s stormy secrets may echo far beyond our solar system.

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Archaeologists Discover 4,400-Year-Old Tomb of Egyptian Prince in Saqqara

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Archaeologists Discover 4,400-Year-Old Tomb of Egyptian Prince in Saqqara

Archaeologists have unearthed a stunning 4,400-year-old tomb of an unknown Egyptian prince while digging at the old cemetery of Saqqara (roughly 30 km south of Cairo). The tomb is said to belong to Userefre (or Waser-If-Re) and is now recognised as a son of King Userkaf, Egypt’s Fifth Dynasty founder (c. 2465–2458 B.C.). The tomb’s most impressive element is its colossal pink granite false door—some 4.5 meters (14.8 feet) high and 1.2 meters (3.8 feet) wide—representing a gateway for the soul during and after death. The first of its kind to be discovered at Saqqara, this monumental pink granite false door indicates the prince’s elevated rank, excavation director Zahi Hawass told Live Science in an email. The expensive Aswan granite, generally reserved for the elite class, emphasises the prince’s exalted rank.

Tomb Architecture and Inscriptions

As per a report by LiveScience, Userefre’s tomb entrance was lavishly decorated in pink granite, and hieroglyphs on the false door enumerate his high-ranking titles, such as “Hereditary Prince,” “Governor of Buto and Nekheb,” “Vizier,” and “Royal Scribe.” The report further highlighted that there was no prior historical trace of Prince Userefre before this discovery. His name probably signifies “Re is powerful,” calling on the sun god. A red granite offering table was also found close to the door, evidencing ancient Egyptian mortuary practices of magically accepting food offerings, the report further added.

Within the tomb, scholars discovered artifacts dating to the early Fifth Dynasty. Thirteen stone stools were found, each of which once held a pink granite statue thought to represent Userefre’s wives, though two of the statues lacked heads. A secondary pink granite doorway featuring the cartouche of King Neferirkare, Userkaf’s successor, and a black granite statue, which had been knocked over among the ruins, were discovered.

Later Reuse and Historical Significance

Evidence shows the tomb was later reused during the 26th Dynasty (c. 688–525 B.C.). Archaeologists also uncovered sculptures from King Djoser’s Third Dynasty (c. 2630–2611 B.C.), including a sandstone statue showing Djoser seated with his wife and ten daughters—a rare depiction of royal women. A standing black granite figure from the 26th Dynasty was also discovered, verifying the tomb’s extended reuse.

Work continues on the site, and the prince’s real burial chamber remains to be discovered. Egyptologist Lara Weiss told LiveScience in a statement the discovery’s significance, saying it “adds to the growing evidence that Saqqara remained a prestigious burial site during the Fifth Dynasty” and sheds light on Egypt’s evolution from a centralised monarchy to a more dispersed elite system.

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