NASA announced the crew of Artemis III mission, which will fly to low-Earth orbit to test rendezvous and docking maneuvers with one or two lunar landers.
A major new study led by researchers at Queen Mary University of London has revealed that noncognitive skills—such as motivation, curiosity, academic interest and self-belief—play a key role in translating children's genetic dispositions into academic achievement.
The US space agency unveiled the crew for its Artemis III mission on Tuesday during an enthusiastic event at Johnson Space Center in Houston.
For this spaceflight into low-Earth orbit, which will see the Orion spacecraft rendezvous and dock with lunar lander prototypes, NASA chose an experienced, all-male crew with military backgrounds. They were revealed inside a darkened Teague Auditorium where hundreds of friends, family members, and NASA employees cheered enthusiastically.
NASA’s next mission in its effort to return humans to the moon will be led by an all-male crew. Three of them have extensive experience in space, while the other was a backup on Artemis II.
NASA named the astronauts who will launch on its Artemis 3 mission next year to test docking procedures in Earth orbit ahead of a planned moon landing in 2028.
One day after WIRED revealed that Meta had quietly embedded an unreleased face-recognition system into an app installed on more than 50 million phones, the company removed it, according to a WIRED analysis of the latest version’s code.
The most recent version of Meta AI, a companion app for its line of smart glasses, strips out the unactivated software components that powered the system Meta internally called NameTag. The version published the day of WIRED’s report included several code libraries explicitly named for face recognition. Friday’s release includes none of them.
Andy Stone, Meta's vice president of communications, told WIRED on Monday that the feature is purely exploratory, adding: “No final decision has been made on what to do here, if anything.”
In 1925, while exploring the remote jungles of the Amazon on a quest to uncover a fabled lost city, British explorer Percy Fawcett and his small expedition party vanished without a trace.
Fawcett, a noted geographer, artillery officer, cartographer, surveyor, and archaeologist, set off into the rainforest accompanied only by his son, Jack Fawcett, and Jack’s best friend, Raleigh Rimell. Their goal was to locate an ancient lost city rumored to exist in the heart of the Amazon that Fawcett and others called “The Lost City of Z.”
While Fawcett and his expedition crew’s fate remains unknown, new advancements in modern archaeological science, propelled by technologies that include unmanned aerial vehicles and LiDAR, are now revealing what could be the archaeological reality behind part of what the ill-fated British explorer sought.
“The reward is that we’re finally finding the ‘lost civilisation’ that explorers like Percy Fawcett were searching for a century ago,” says José Iriarte, a professor of archaeology at the University of Exeter, writing in a piece featured at The Conversation, though adding that such discoveries are now being made “by cajoling a drone rather than battering through jungle.”
LiDAR: Unearthing Lost Worlds Hidden from Time
For a time, archaeologists presumed that the Amazon rainforest was a vast wilderness that, while abundant in resources, would have been capable of supporting only small, scattered communities.
With the aid of modern technologies, those past ideas have gradually changed as new archaeological evidence continues to push researchers toward rethinking past assumptions. Among these technologies is advanced laser-mapping technology known as LiDAR (light detection and ranging), which archaeologists have put to great use in the last several decades to aid in uncovering evidence of surface features that were once either inaccessible or otherwise invisible during ground-based surveys.
Something else that LiDAR excels at is penetrating the dense forest of areas like the Amazon, enabling researchers to get unprecedented aerial views of the surface below the canopy, along with any structures that may have been left there by humans from long ago. The result has been evidence of sprawling ancient societies hidden beneath the cover of thick jungle, revealing the Amazon as a region that once supported large populations that existed in sophisticated, interconnected landscapes.
The Cotoca site in Bolivia, revealed through LiDAR imagery (Image Credit: Prümers, Iriarte, et al./Nature/https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04780-4)
Rediscovering a ‘Lost Civilization’ in the Amazon
A particularly striking example of such discoveries involves the Llanos de Moxos region of northern Bolivia, where recent LiDAR surveys have revealed the presence of a sprawling archaeological site long hidden by dense jungle. Archaeologists believe the ancient settlement is linked to what is called the Casarabe culture, which would have thrived in the area sometime between A.D. 500 and 1400.
“The Casarabe organized into a hierarchy of four different sizes of settlements,” writes Professor Iriarte in his recent piece at The Conversation. “The biggest ones—the primary settlements—were as large as 3km² or 300 hectares.”
“That’s enough space for over 400 football pitches,” Iriarte notes, “suggesting that they could have accommodated substantial numbers of people.”
Unseen Evidence of an Ancient Amazonian Culture
Viewed from the ground, an observer who braved this dense region of Bolivian jungle might only see thick patches of forest separated by grassland savannahs.
That all changes when viewing LiDAR imagery obtained during aerial surveys, however. Through the sensitive detection capabilities afforded by laser pulses that can easily penetrate the dense vegetation, a lost world emerges—one the likes of which Percy Fawcett and other early explorers once only dreamed of rediscovering.
Researchers have now successfully identified a vast network of settlements at Llanos de Moxos, connected by raised causeways, canals, reservoirs, and engineered agricultural systems that cover an area of close to 20,000 square kilometers.
These complexes upend past thinking about the presence of isolated settlements in the region, and instead appear to show sites covering areas as large as three square kilometers, featuring monumental civic and ceremonial architecture, towering conical pyramids that ascend to heights of 20 meters, and the presence of massive U-shaped structures, which archaeologists believe had likely served as ceremonial structures that once hosted gatherings.
Unprecedented Scale of a Hidden World
Another surprising feature is the scale of the structures archaeologists have uncovered, which they say rivals some of the most well-known monuments like those of the ancient Tiwanaku civilization in the Andes.
Yet, unlike many densely packed ancient cities, the Casarabe landscape also differs in several ways: the unique variety of urbanism it reflects is suggestive of dispersed populations whose connected infrastructure also brought them together through ancient shared water management systems.
“It was clearly all planned and coordinated,” Iriarte explains, adding that the ancient builders at Llanos de Moxos engaged in precocious designs that were intended “not only as living spaces but for integrating the population across the region.” Similar architectural planning has been observed at other ancient sites around the world, which include those assembled by the ancient Maya of Central America, as well as the builders of Angkor across the world in Cambodia.
The “Dark Earth” Enigma
Beyond just architecture and clues to the way of life of these ancient societies, researchers are also gaining new insights into the agricultural practices of the early Amazonian world.
For many decades, scientists presumed that a major limiting factor on the region’s ability to sustain larger populations hinged on the presence of factors that included poor soils, seasonal flooding, droughts, and tropical diseases. However, mounting evidence suggests that the indigenous societies of the region were far from hindered by the landscape, and instead managed to transform and manage farmland at scales previously unimagined.
Along with sophisticated agricultural systems, ancient Amazonians were also capable of engineering remarkably fertile soils, known as Amazonian Dark Earths, which Iriarte says “combined charcoal, bone and waste materials with the existing poor-quality soil to make it fertile enough for widespread farming.”
“Amazonia had reclaimed vast expanses of seasonally flooded savannahs over several thousand years to create raised and drained field systems,” he adds, also noting the construction of extensive drainage networks and the cultivation of diverse crops such as maize. Rather than merely adapting to the rainforest, the ancient inhabitants of the Amazon actively reshaped it.
An Amazonian Archaeological Revolution
Thanks to similar LiDAR surveys that have recently been undertaken in nearby countries, including Ecuador’s Upano Valley, where thousands of structures linked by roads and organized according to highly structured settlement plans have been detected, the recent findings at Llanos de Moxos are one of the latest additions to a broader revolution in archaeology made possible through such exciting Amazonian discoveries.
In addition to Bolivia and Ecuador, researchers have also documented ceremonial earthworks, geometric enclosures, and sprawling ancient settlements in Colombia, Peru, and Brazil in recent years, all of which are challenging decades of past assumptions about ancient life in the Amazon.
Despite the recent advancements in our understanding, many questions remain unanswered. Among the questions archaeologists have are those related to how these ancient societies were governed, as well as what factors led to their decline, a fall which was precipitated by unknown factors that occurred before European arrival.
Possible contributing factors may include shifts in ancient climates, as well as environmental pressures. It is also possible that political changes or conflicts that emerged between neighboring societies may have played a role, which could have contributed to disruptions in trade networks that may have further weakened these once thriving societies.
Despite the remaining mysteries about these enigmatic cultures, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: the Amazon was far from being the unclaimed tropical wilderness many long believed it to be. In many ways, the fascination with lost cities and ancient civilizations that drove explorers like Percy Fawcett—and which led to his untimely fate—had more basis in reality than many historians, archaeologists, and explorers probably guessed.
As ongoing LiDAR surveys continue to expand across previously unexplored regions, archaeologists believe thousands more structures may still await discovery, suggesting that some of the Amazon’s greatest archaeological secrets remain hidden, but no longer kept entirely from view.
“What lies beneath the Amazon is not just a hidden past,” Iriarte says. “It is a reminder that even the most seemingly untouched landscapes can carry deep histories, waiting—sometimes just beneath our feet—to be revealed.”
Professor José Iriarte’s complete article appeared at The Conversation on June 8, 2026.
Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. A longtime reporter on science, defense, and technology with a focus on space and astronomy, he can be reached atmicah@thedebrief.org. Follow him on X @MicahHanks, and at micahhanks.com.
C’est sans aucun doute l’événement sportif le plus attendu dans le monde cette année : la Coupe du monde de football 2026. Elle réunira plus d'un milliard de personnes, derrière leurs écrans, ou bien sur place dans les différentes stades. Mais cette Coupe, qui avait été annoncée comme la plus...
BMW’s all-new iX3 has claimed top honors in one of the world’s largest real-world EV range tests, traveling an impressive 485 miles (781 km) on a single charge. Yet the biggest surprise of the event may have come from a Chinese electric minivan that dramatically exceeded its official range rating.
The results come from the latest summer edition of the “El Prix” range test, conducted by the Norwegian Automobile Federation (NAF) and Motor magazine. Held twice annually, the test is widely regarded as one of the most rigorous real-world EV range evaluations because vehicles are driven until their batteries are fully depleted under identical road and weather conditions.
BMW’s Neue Klasse EV takes the crown
The BMW iX3 50 xDrive, built on BMW’s new Neue Klasse platform, delivered the longest range of any vehicle in the 2026 summer test, reaching 781 km (485 miles) before stopping. The result slightly exceeded the SUV’s official WLTP range rating, outperforming the manufacturer’s claim by approximately 1.5%.
The performance reinforces BMW’s ambitious claims about the Neue Klasse architecture, which combines an 800-volt electrical system, sixth-generation battery technology, and improved efficiency. The iX3 carries a usable battery capacity of 108.7 kWh and supports charging speeds up to 400 kW, allowing rapid long-distance travel.
While the BMW topped this year’s rankings, it did not surpass the all-time El Prix record set by the Lucid Air during the 2025 summer test, when the luxury sedan traveled 517 miles (832 km).
The real winner may be Xpeng
However, range alone does not make the El Prix test valuable. EV Evolution notes that one of the event’s most closely watched metrics is how closely real-world results match official WLTP ratings. By that measure, the standout performer was the Xpeng X9.
The Chinese electric MPV traveled 646 km (401 miles) despite carrying an official WLTP rating of 580 km (360 miles). That translates to an 11.4% improvement over its stated range, the largest positive deviation recorded in this year’s test.
For consumers, that figure may be even more meaningful than absolute distance. It suggests the vehicle consistently delivers better real-world efficiency than its official certification suggests.
The result is not entirely unprecedented for Xpeng. The company’s G9 SUV also posted one of the strongest performances relative to its official rating during earlier editions of the Norwegian test.
Why these tests matter
Real-world range testing has become increasingly important as electric vehicles enter the mainstream. While standardized WLTP testing provides useful comparisons between models, actual range can vary significantly depending on weather, speed, terrain, and driving style.
Norway’s El Prix tests have gained global attention because they expose how different EVs perform under identical conditions outside laboratory environments. For buyers concerned about range anxiety, the results offer a practical benchmark that often proves more useful than manufacturer specifications alone.
Beyond the BMW and Xpeng, strong performances also came from the Lucid Gravity, Mercedes-Benz CLA, and Mercedes-Benz GLC, all of which exceeded 400 miles (644 km) during the test.
As battery technology improves and range figures continue to rise, the latest El Prix results suggest the industry is entering a new phase in which efficiency and accuracy may matter just as much as headline mileage numbers.
Using the SETI Institute’s Allen Telescope Array, a 42-element radio interferometer at Hat Creek Radio Observatory in Hat Creek, California, astronomers probed 3I/ATLAS for artificial radio transmissions but found only human-made interference.
NASA's Artemis III crew has been revealed. The astronauts will launch into low Earth orbit next year to test docking with commercial lunar landers being developed by SpaceX and Blue Origin.
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Tea choice significantly changes kombucha’s chemistry, flavor, and antioxidant potential, with green and oolong teas showing the strongest biological activity. Kombucha has surged in popularity worldwide in recent years, but researchers are looking beyond its flavor to better understand its chemistry and possible health-related properties. A team from the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life [...]
China Unicom’s US division warned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) a Trump administration proposal to bar US operators from interconnecting with Chinese telecoms firms deemed national security risks could severely disrupt global communications.
In a filing, the subsidiary stated the FCC’s proposal will “harm US companies with significant business and supply chain interests in China”.
It explained global communications infrastructure is built on a complex web of interconnection agreements between carriers across national borders, and Chinese-funded operators collectivity serve as the primary gateways for traffic flowing between the world’s two largest economies, the US and China.
“A blanket prohibition on interconnection with these entities would fundamentally fracture a critical segment of the global communications network,” the filing read.
As a solution, the unit suggested taking a more narrowly tailored approach that addresses national security risks, “while preserving an open and dependable interconnected global network would better serve the public interest and support the US government’s economic policies”.
In April, FCC commissioners voted unanimously to advance a sweeping notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) which would bar China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom from operating data centres and PoPs in the US.
The NPRM also seeks to prohibit US operators from interconnecting with entities on the national security covered list, including facilities such as data centres, gateways and internet exchange points owned by those entities.
China Unicom filed right at the FCC’s comments deadline which were due 8 June, 2026, with reply comments due 60 days after on 7 July.
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