Inceptive Mind

AMD has unveiled its 6th-generation EPYC 9006 series, codenamed Venice, with up to 256 cores and 512 threads per socket. Built on Zen 6 and TSMC’s 2nm process, the chips are aimed at the growing workload around agentic AI. These CPUs handle the less visible work behind AI agents, including orchestration, data retrieval, database access, tool calls and networking. They also support 16 memory channels, 12,800 MT/s MRDIMMs and PCIe Gen 6.

Samsung is betting that the next AI performance jump will come as much from memory as from processors. At FMS 2026 in Santa Clara, the company showed off several new technologies, including zHBM, zNAND-O, and V10 BV-NAND, aimed at AI servers, edge devices, and large data centers. The most eye-catching is zHBM. Instead of sitting beside an AI accelerator, the memory is stacked above it using 3D packaging.

Artificial intelligence is forcing chipmakers to rethink more than just processors. Intel has partnered with Lens Technology to accelerate glass substrate semiconductor packaging, a next-generation approach that could reshape how future chips are built. Glass substrates can support denser interconnects, better signal performance, and improved power efficiency compared with today’s organic materials.

A damaged molar from Siberia suggests Neanderthals may have intentionally drilled a painful cavity thousands of years before modern humans developed dentistry. Chagyrskaya 64 molar tooth and its macro-features: General view of the tooth in five projections. Credit: Zubova et al., 2026, PLOS One Deep inside a cave in the Altai Mountains of Siberia, archaeologists recovered a Neanderthal molar bearing an unusual hollow on its chewing surface.

A Penn State prototype turns exhaust heat into electricity and works without the bulky cooling systems that have held back similar ideas for years. Image for representation purpose only. Every time a gas engine runs, roughly three-quarters of its fuel escapes as heat through the exhaust, completely wasted. Researchers at Pennsylvania State University have built a compact device that clips directly onto vehicle exhaust pipes and converts that lost heat back into usable electricity.

The discovery points to an unexpected connection between a traditional fermented food and one of the most pressing concerns in modern environmental health. Microplastics are showing up everywhere they shouldn’t, including inside us. But a new study suggests that the same bacteria responsible for fermenting kimchi might help flush some of these particles out.

Scientists extracted DNA from samples collected in 1978 and what they found buried in those ancient threads is far more layered than anyone expected. Scientists have long argued over where the Shroud of Turin came from, but a new genetic study shifts the question entirely. By analyzing DNA extracted from samples collected in 1978, researchers found traces of at least 14 people, more than 19 plant species from four continents, and a complex community of microbes.

At a quiet Swiss airfield, a copper rocket engine suddenly roared to life — not with normal combustion, but with shockwaves spinning inside the chamber thousands of times every second. The engine was built by students from ETH Zurich’s ARIS space initiative, and after an earlier failed attempt, the second ignition finally worked. Sensors confirmed three rotating detonation waves racing through the engine, something only a handful of teams worldwide have achieved.

In a historic milestone for India’s nuclear energy program, the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, achieved criticality. This milestone marks the beginning of a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction in the reactor core, an important step towards full power generation. The PFBR is one of the 500 MWe-capacity reactors and is operated by the Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Ltd (BHAVINI). Its operational life is anticipated to be for a duration of 40 years.

Researchers at Hiroshima University have found a new way to 3D-print one of industry’s toughest materials: WC–Co cemented carbide. Led by assistant professor Keita Marumoto, the team combined hot-wire laser irradiation with a thin nickel-based alloy layer that helps the material bond while printing. The result is a dense carbide structure with hardness above 1400 HV; the kind of toughness usually demanded from industrial cutting tools.