Inside soccer’s data renaissance, computer scientists are rewriting the playbook for the world’s most popular sport. Jesse Davis, a professor of computer science at KU Leuven in Belgium, leads the university’s Sports Analytics Lab, which has been at the forefront of a data-driven transformation in soccer. Using AI and data analytics, his team has uncovered hidden tactical patterns and challenged long-held assumptions about how the game should be played.
A player might intentionally kick the ball out of bounds during a World Cup opening kickoff. This play might seem like a surrender of possession, but Davis would recognize it as a prime setup to score. Many of the insights now appearing on soccer pitches trace back to the lab’s work, according to reporters.
China’s nuclear push is picking up speed
In China, large reactors are coming together at a stunning pace. The country has nearly doubled its nuclear fleet since 2016, reaching nearly 60 gigawatts of total power capacity. Construction started on six new reactors in 2025, and two more have begun in 2026.
It’s incredibly difficult to build the massive projects that dominate the nuclear industry today. Up-front investment can run well into the billions, and designs are complex. Yet China is moving ahead rapidly. By 2030, the country is on course to overtake both the US and the EU in installed nuclear capacity.
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The question of whether bigger is better when it comes to nuclear power is central to China’s strategy. While other nations have struggled with cost overruns and delays on large reactor projects, China has managed to standardize construction and speed up timelines.
Autonomous drones and the future of warfare
Autonomous drones may have killed soldiers for the first time. A drone-maker said Russian troops were killed in a test. The US has also used a sea drone to rescue a helicopter’s crew, and Europe has a drone-filled vision for war.
Solar power has finally surpassed coal in US electricity generation, becoming the leading source of new power. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is increasing coal investments, creating a power struggle over the fuel source.
Russia’s FSB has taken control of the country’s internet, with the KGB successor now determining access. Rage over the restrictions is boiling over, according to journalists on the scene.
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OpenAI, SpaceX, and the business of AI
OpenAI says China is fomenting dissent over AI on ChatGPT, claiming to have found influence operations on the bot. The propaganda also targeted data centers and tariffs.
SpaceX’s listing price is expected to be revealed today, which could lead to the biggest IPO ever and turn 4,400 employees into millionaires. But not everyone is celebrating. Justin Pearson, who represents portions of Memphis in the Tennessee House of Representatives, told Wired why his constituents are angry about the SpaceX IPO. “We’re the extracted and exploited colony of what is going to be one of the most highly valued entities in the world. People are going to die because of this pollution,” he said.
EPA scientists say they’re pushed to downplay risks of household products, under pressure to alter reviews of chemicals in products. Anthropic has walked back a policy that “sabotaged” research, which would have limited Claude’s ability to develop competing AI models.
Congress wants in on the data center backlash, with members jumping on the fervor with new policy plans. Some are even asking whether data centers should be moved to space.
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Your search results are getting sloptimized, as companies game the chatbot internet. And scientists have discovered that humans prefer to walk anticlockwise, a finding that could improve crowd and evacuation management.
Space tourism is now officially a thing, but it remains ridiculously far beyond the financial reach of most people. Such flights also pose risks to both the passengers and the planet. Proponents of private spaceflight argue that it provides great opportunities for science and a sense of transcendence.
A rare antelope species was rediscovered in a remote Kenyan forest. An ingenious camping trailer pops up into a fully heated off-road bathroom. Iconic internet memes are now safely preserved in the British Film Institute’s moving image archive. And NASA’s experimental aircraft has successfully broken the sound barrier in a big win for supersonic flight.
