From Folding Boxes To Fixing Vacuums, New Robot Hits 99% Reliability

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From Folding Boxes To Fixing Vacuums, New Robot Hits 99% Reliability (Maria)

The author writes, “Robotic machine-learning company Generalist has announced GEN-1, a new physical AI system that it says ‘crosses into production-level success rates’ on a broad range of physical skills that used to require the dexterity and muscle memory of human hands. … The model now hits 99% success rates on repetitive but delicate mechanical tasks, the company said.”

As Trump Orders UFO Data Released, a Question Hangs: If Aliens Exist, What Would They Think of Us? (Reader Steve)

From the AP: “For generations, human beings have wondered: What would alien life from another planet be like? But we rarely ask the opposite: What would they think of us? It’s a question that can produce some, well, uncomfortable answers if you happen to be an earthling. … In a world riven by war, civil unrest, climate change and divisiveness, it’s easy to wonder what newcomers to Planet Earth might make of us and our struggles. Whatever the case, well over a majority of Americans echo the sentiment of the slogan from ‘The X-Files’: ‘The truth is out there.’”

Everest Guides Accused of Poisoning Foreign Climbers To Force Fake Rescues in $20M Scam (Dana)

From The Independent: “Mount Everest guides have been accused of secretly drugging foreign climbers to trigger expensive aerial evacuations as part of a $20m (£15m) insurance fraud scheme, according to an investigation by the Nepali police. Operators of mountain rescue companies in Nepal have been arrested as part of the police operation, and a police spokesperson told The Independent that a total of 32 people have been charged and 11 arrests made so far. The scale of the scam appears to be vast, affecting 4,782 international climbers between 2022 and 2025. Police said more than 300 cases of alleged fake rescues have been uncovered, with bills totalling nearly $20m charged to climbers and insurers.”

Why Catholicism Is Drawing in Gen Z Men (Russ)

The author writes, “About 100 young adults dressed in business casual were packed into a pizza shop. ‘Come to church with us!’ they shouted in unison. ‘In New York City!’ added Anthony Gross. He flashed a wide, white grin and raised the roof. Gross had helped organize this meetup at the Pizza Box in Greenwich Village. Soon, he would lead these Catholic and Catholic-curious young people to a Mass at St. Joseph’s Church a few blocks away. After Gross moved to New York last summer, he started documenting his search for ‘The best Catholic church in NYC.’ His criteria included the beauty of the church, a community of young people and ‘no whack political stuff.’ He declined to elaborate what constituted ‘whack political stuff.’”

Scientists Discover a New Branch of Life in the Deep Sea (Laura)

From Inside Climate News: “Beneath the neon lights of a laser-scanning microscope, newly classified species glow in vivid greens and oranges—a far cry from the pitch-black abyss of their natural ocean floor. Researchers have identified 24 new deep-sea creatures and a whole new evolutionary branch in the Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ), a wide swath of ocean between Hawaii and Mexico. The findings surface as the Trump administration, via a January mandate from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has fast-tracked permits for deep sea mining in that zone, one of the planet’s richest rare-earth metal regions. The identification of a new branch of life underscores the stakes of an international regulatory vacuum: Mining might be allowed to occur before scientists even have the chance to name species that call the seabed home.”

Tim Cook Is An Embarrassing Coward (DonkeyHotey)

The author writes, “Apple CEO Tim Cook represents soulless, rudderless contrition, unburdened by consistent ethics or any sort of overt moral compass, desperate to delude you into believing that fascism can be a reasonable partner open to meaningful dialogue.”

Ancient Bone Dice Reveal 12,000-Year History of Gambling in America (Mili)

The author writes, “More than 12,000 years ago, Native American hunter-gatherers were already making and using dice — thousands of years before similar tools appeared elsewhere. These bone ‘binary lots’ acted like primitive coins, producing random outcomes for games of chance. A new study shows these weren’t accidental objects but carefully designed tools used across many regions and cultures.”