Many dog owners warmly remember the first time their furry pal finally nailed a new trick they spent weeks working on. Countless bacon-flavored treats and high-pitched words of encouragement are all offered up in service of achieving a passable “roll over” or “shake.” It turns out Boston Dynamics engineers go through a similarly painstaking reward process with their quadruped robot, “Spot.” The coveted trick in this case: a fluid, uninterrupted triple backflip. Good boy?

A video of the feat (above), shared by the company late last week, shows an orange-coated Spot load up on its two front legs, heave itself backward into the air, flip, and land back on all fours. Without pausing, the robo-dog repeats the same acrobatics twice more. When it finally comes to a standstill, Spot bows slightly and stretches out its front left leg, as if with a hint of braggadocious bravado. In the video, several of the robot’s engineers can be heard cheering in excitement after the trick. 

At this point, readers are probably familiar with Boston Dynamics’ infamous robot videos. They often show the machines dancing, leaping, hurling heavy objects, and performing otherwise super human (or super dog) feats that blur the line between impressive and unsettling. Typically, those acrobatics serve as an eye-catching hook to draw viewers in before explaining more practical, real-world use cases—a point Boston Dynamics robotics engineer Arun Kumar acknowledges in the video.

“Obviously doing a backflip is not something our customers need,” Kumar said. “They might want it for fun.”  

But there are some good reasons for engineers to push Spot to its limits. The quadruped is currently deployed at car manufacturing sites and in hazardous industrial areas around the world. In those environments, it’s not out of the question that the robot could slip, get knocked off balance, or bump into an obstacle and tip over. In those cases, it’s crucial for the robot to be able to help itself back up. Spot also often carries heavy loads (the camera attachment it uses to “see” can weigh close to 20 pounds) so getting back up isn’t always as simple as it sounds.

Kumar says those types of scenarios partly inspired the idea of the triple backflip. Engineers can control each individual motor in Spot’s legs, which function much like joints in organic creatures. He and his colleagues ran tests with the goal of “exert[ing] as much force as the motors can possibly handle.”

Related: [‘Parkour’ robot dog can leap, jump, and crawl its way through complex obstacle courses]

Getting Spot to nail a triple backflip, on a practical level, actually shares some similarities with training a real dog. Spot’s software, like that of many advanced robots, gains new abilities through “reinforcement learning.” In computer science, the robot’s underlying software—or “brain”—is tasked with attempting a desired goal repeatedly and is given a “reward” when it succeeds. The robot’s reward (a simple script of code, in this case) is analogous to a Labrador getting a handful of Goldfish when it barely manages to plant its butt on the ground.

“It’s a lot like training a dog,” Kumar said of Spot’s reinforcement learning process. 

But success in a computer simulation does not immediately translate to a triple backflip, or any other desired outcome, in the real world. “As soon as something works in sim [simulation] we’ll deploy it in hardware and it never works the first time,” Kumar added. “It’s going to fail somehow.”

Like training a dog, the solution to that mismatch is to try, try, and try again. In this case, engineers have access to all of Spot’s camera data, which helps them pinpoint exactly what caused a failure. They can then use that data to debug the software, apply a fix, and run the test again and again until the physical robot gets it right. Eventually, you wind up with a triple backflip. 

Initially, Kumar says, engineers at Boston Dynamics weren’t even sure Spot could complete a single backflip. Now, he says, it’s possible the quadruped could keep flipping several more times without stopping, given the proper encouragement, of course. 

Related: [Boston Dynamics gives Spot bot a furry makeover]

The post Watch Spot the robot dog nail a triple backflip appeared first on Popular Science.

1. Locate your Markdown (.md) file on your iPhone (e.g., in Files or your writing app).


2. Open the file, tap Share, then choose Notes.


3. Tap Import at the prompt to save the file to an Imported Notes folder.

1. In Notes, open the note you want to export.


2. Tap the Share icon in the top-right corner.


3. Select Export as Markdown.


4. Choose where to share or save the markdown file from the share sheet options.

• Apple Watch Ultra 3: A slightly larger display, S11 chip, 5G support, and satellite connectivity for sending and receiving text messages in supported areas without Wi-Fi and cellular coverage. Other likely upgrades include faster charging, and a wide-angle OLED display that is brighter at an angle.


• Apple Watch Series 11: Expect a spec-bump year with an S11 chip and smaller changes, after the Apple Watch Series 10 featured bigger changes last year. iOS 26 beta code allegedly includes references to an unreleased "Sleep Score" feature that could be exclusive to the next Apple Watch models.


• Apple Watch SE 3: Larger display sizes and an S11 chip have been rumored for this model. The device was rumored to feature a plastic case in bright color options, but that might not be happening anymore. Given the Apple Watch SE has not been updated since 2022, it has many features to catch up on.


• iPad Pro: The next iPad Pro is expected to be powered by Apple's next-generation M5 chip. In addition, the device will reportedly be equipped with two front cameras, for both portrait and landscape orientation usage.


• Vision Pro: A minor refresh is expected for the Vision Pro, with rumored upgrades including an M4 chip or an M5 chip, and a new head strap that makes it easier to wear the headset for extended periods.


• Apple TV 4K (4th generation): Rumored features include an A17 Pro chip for faster performance, and an Apple-designed Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip with Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 support. A built-in FaceTime camera has been rumored for a future Apple TV, but it is unclear if that will arrive with the next model.


• HomePod mini (2nd generation): Rumored features include an S9 chip or newer, and an Apple-designed Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip with Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 support. Improved sound quality is also a safe bet.


• AirTag (2nd generation): Up to 3× longer item tracking range vs. current AirTag, a more tamper-proof speaker, and "very low" battery life alerts.


• AirPods Pro 3: Updated design, increased noise cancellation, and heart rate monitoring.


• Studio Display 2: A new version of the Studio Display with mini-LED backlighting is expected to launch in late 2025 or early 2026.

The age of anesthesia began in 1846, when a man named Edward Abbott came to Massachusetts General Hospital with a painful growth under his jaw. Dental surgeon William Thomas Green Morton saw the case as the perfect opportunity to test his anesthetic breathing apparatus in the hospital’s amphitheater. In front of a packed crowd of surgeons, Morton asked Abbott to breathe in the fumes of a sweet-smelling liquid, known as ether, contained inside a small glass sphere. Within minutes of inhaling, Abbott was unconscious. 

While doctors have significantly refined their techniques over the subsequent 150 years—ether made patients throw up and was flammable enough to cause mid-surgery explosions—there are still outstanding questions about how anesthesia works. 

That’s not to say there hasn’t been progress. Doctors now deliver safer anesthetics in more controlled ways, and there have been huge strides made in our understanding of how these drugs work at a molecular level. “Historically, it was thought these were very non-specific compounds,” says Nick Franks, a professor of biophysics and anesthetics at Imperial College London. Now, he adds, researchers have identified the specific brain molecules that anesthesia tweaks to alter our consciousness. 

Low doses of most anesthetics, says Franks, work by affecting our brain cells’ receptors. These receptors are like ports that shuttle molecules into and out of these cells. Several anesthetics, including propofol, thiopental, and isoflurane, increase molecular traffic through a specific “port” known as the GABA receptor. This receptor normally gives passage to gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), an important molecule that inhibits brain activity. By increasing activity at the GABA receptor, anesthetics further slow the brain. 

Franks, alongside his colleague Bill Wisden, is especially interested in the anesthetic dexmedetomidine, usually known as Dex. This drug blocks signaling through receptors in the brainstem for the molecule norepinephrine, which excites our brain. As the brainstem is crucial for maintaining consciousness, blocking these receptors sedates patients. 

Where our certainty about anesthesia breaks down is in linking molecular changes to specific neural pathways, or in understanding the subjective experiences of a sleep-like state. Research is further complicated by the range of different effects brought on by anesthetics. Dex, for example, produces a state “like non-REM sleep,” says Wisden. Patients can be briefly roused—for example, to ask them to roll over or change a dressing—before falling unconscious again. 

“When you look at the electrical waves that happen in sleep and when you get given this particular sedative, they look very similar,” Wisden adds. Other anesthetics, like propofol, have different effects. At higher doses, propofol essentially stops all brain activity, except that required for basic survival. 

Why do some people need less sleep?

Can tracking make my sleep worse? The quiet torment of sleep tech.

Why is deep sleep so important to memory? It’s about time.

For better sleep, borrow the bedtime routine of a toddler

Why do people need to sleep?

Sleep-mimicking anesthetics, like Dex, don’t produce a perfect imitation. Physiological changes that occur when we sleep, such as fluctuations in body temperature and heart rate, also occur under Dex, but more strongly—which is why medical professionals must administer the drug in a hospital setting. If natural sleep is attained by carefully dialing down our consciousness across several different parameters, anesthesia involves a more aggressive turn of these dials.

General anesthesia is now very safe, with deaths linked to anesthesia occurring less than one in every 100,000 uses. However, anesthesia can still be improved—complications related to anesthesia-induced body temperature changes remain a concern. If we can better understand anesthesia and create drugs that mimic natural rest more effectively, there could be huge benefits for patients. “After a good night’s sleep, you feel better,” says Franks. “You generally do not feel like that after an anesthetic, although it’s confounded by whatever procedure or surgery you may have had.” 

Although they aren’t interested in drug development, Franks and Wisden say Dex would be the “ideal” drug for exploring how to make an anesthetic that helps you feel rested, as it most closely mimics natural sleep. Some studies have even suggested the drug improves sleep quality in post-operative patients. Even if how Dex works on a molecular level is clear, what it does when it affects all the receptors in our brain—and even where those receptors are—remains a mystery.

As our tools for mapping the brain and its activity continue to improve, we will come closer to developing anesthetics that feel more akin to a good night’s rest. 

This story is part of Popular Science’s Ask Us Anything series, where we answer your most outlandish, mind-burning questions, from the ordinary to the off-the-wall. Have something you’ve always wanted to know? Ask us.

The post How does anesthesia work? Experts still have questions. appeared first on Popular Science.

• iPhone 16e


• iPhone 16


• iPhone 16 Plus


• iPhone 16 Pro


• iPhone 16 Pro Max


• iPhone 15


• iPhone 15 Plus


• iPhone 15 Pro


• iPhone 15 Pro Max


• iPhone 14


• iPhone 14 Plus


• iPhone 14 Pro


• iPhone 14 Pro Max


• iPhone 13


• iPhone 13 mini


• iPhone 13 Pro


• iPhone 13 Pro Max


• iPhone 12


• iPhone 12 mini


• iPhone 12 Pro


• iPhone 12 Pro Max


• iPhone 11


• iPhone 11 Pro


• iPhone 11 Pro Max


• iPhone SE (2nd generation and later)
Note that this compatibility list does not mean that all iOS 26 features will work with the above models. Several of the update's features are exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models, since they rely on Apple Intelligence. You can learn more about them here. Note that iOS 26 will come pre-installed on new iPhone 17 models when they launch in September 2025.

1. Plug your iPhone into your Mac using the supplied cable.


2. Allow the accessory to connect by clicking Allow in the dialog prompt.


3. Open a Finder window by clicking the Finder icon in the Dock.


4. Click your iOS device's name in the sidebar.
   
   
5. If this is the first time connecting your device to your Mac, click Trust in the Finder window.
   
   
6. Tap Trust on your device when prompted, then enter your passcode to confirm.


7. In the General tab, click the circle next to where it says Back up all of the data on your iPad to this Mac.


8. If you want to encrypt the backup, check the box next to Encrypt local backup, then enter a password to protect your data.


9. If you don't want to create an encrypted backup, or you've already set up encrypted backups, click Back Up Now.
   
   

1. Head over to Apple's Beta Software Program website and sign up using your Apple Account credentials.
   
   
2. Now go to Settings ➝ General ➝ Software Update on your iPhone.


3. Tap Beta Updates. If you don't see the option, try switching off Download iOS Updates (Automatic Updates ➝ Download iOS Updates), then tap Back and it should appear.


4. Select iOS 26 Public Beta in the list, then tap Back.


5. Wait for the Software Update screen to check Apple's servers. When the iOS 26 Public Beta appears, tap Download and Install, then follow the instructions and wait for installation to complete.
   

• How to Downgrade From iOS 26 Beta Back to iOS 18

Here's your first look at 5 new upcoming Beats colors:

1. Beats Solo Buds
Internal Color Name - Icing pic.twitter.com/T9jsz34M42

The age of pre-sorting mixed plastic waste may soon be over. The secret weapon? A cheap catalyst made from nickel that targets one of our most problematic polymers. The findings are detailed in a study published September 2 in the journal Nature Chemistry.

Even after decades of worldwide efforts, recycling plastic remains much easier said than done. The frustrating reality is largely thanks to a group of polymers called polyolefins. Humans manufacture roughly 220 million tons of polyolefin-based products every year, most of which are single-use items like condiment bottles, milk jugs, plastic wrap, trash bags, and juice cartons.

“Basically, almost everything in your refrigerator is polyolefin based,” Northwestern University chemist and study co-author Yosi Kratish said in a statement. 

Plastics are typically broken down using catalysts–compounds capable of exploiting weak chemical bonds to kickstart decomposition in the materials that otherwise take hundreds or thousands of years to deteriorate. 

We annually recycle less than 10 percent of polyolefin products, resulting in mountains of waste destined for either landfills or industrial furnaces. That’s because while other plastics are typically broken down with catalysts, polyolefins are a different story. These resilient polymers resist eroding due to tiny molecules linked by notoriously tough carbon-carbon bonds.

“Polyolefins don’t have any weak links. Every bond is incredibly strong and chemically unreactive,” said Kratish.

Our current solutions aren’t “solutions” so much as stopgaps. Polyolefin products can be shredded, melted, and downcycled into low-quality plastic pellets, but even then there are caveats. Human-assisted separating is still necessary, and even the smallest amounts of food residue or non-plastic material can compromise an entire batch. Meanwhile, burning polyolefins requires temperatures as high as 1,292 degrees Fahrenheit.

“Everything can be burned, of course,” said Kratish. “If you apply enough energy, you can convert anything to carbon dioxide and water. But we wanted to find an elegant way to add the minimum amount of energy to derive the maximum value product.”

A potential solution may reside in hydrogenolysis, a process in which a combination of hydrogen gas and a catalyst deconstruct polyolefin plastic into actually useful hydrocarbons. Existing hydrogenolysis options also involve high temperatures and expensive, noble metal-derived catalysts, but Kratish’s team found a workaround.

Unlike rare earth metals like palladium and platinum, engineers discovered that a synthesized alternative called cationic nickel is cheap, abundant, and easy to amass. Other nickel-based catalysts include multiple reaction sites. Cationic nickel’s single-site variant allows it to function more like a precise laser or sharp knife. Instead of breaking down all of a plastic’s structure, this option specifically targets those resilient carbon-carbon bonds at a much lower temperature and with half the hydrogen gas pressure. The new catalyst is so stable that it holds up to infamous, contaminant-heavy plastics like PVC.

“Adding PVC to a recycling mixture has always been forbidden. But apparently, it makes our process even better,” Kratish said. “That is crazy. It’s definitely not something anybody expected.”

If proven to be scalable and efficient, the new catalyst could largely eradicate the need for painstaking plastic pre-sorting while also drastically reducing the amount of microplastics released into the environment every day. 

The post Easier plastic recycling is on the horizon appeared first on Popular Science.

• Precision Black reduces consumer frustration that the image is "too dark" by making it crystal clear and improving clarity in any viewing environment without compromising artistic intent.


• Light Sense fine-tunes picture quality through advanced ambient light detection and new reference lighting data from the content source to optimize your TV for the ideal viewing experience.


• Sports and Gaming Optimization introduce new enhancements such as white point adjustments and motion control designed specifically to address the unique needs of live sports and gaming.


• New tone-mapping that takes advantage of modern TV improvements like brightness and color improvements.