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At 5,200 meters above sea level, two women sit at a stone table, surrounded by towering mountains. Huayna Potosí, a 6,088-meter peak in Bolivia’s Cordillera Real, looms ahead, its glacier shimmering in the afternoon sun. A narrow path winds across its icy surface, the goal for many climbers.

Cecilia Llusco, an Indigenous Aymara woman, nibbles on crackers with caramel spread and sips coca tea, her eyes fixed on the peak. “It’s not always about reaching the summit,” she reflects. “Sometimes it’s about enjoying the mountains and going as far as you can without suffering.” As clouds drift in, veiling all but the tallest peaks, Llusco shares her thoughts on life. “It’s not about getting to the top but enjoying the journey. The most important thing is to be happy.” At 39, Llusco is one of just 10 Indigenous female mountain guides in Bolivia. Her long black hair, adorned with wool in the colors of the Bolivian flag, is tied in two braids. She proudly wears a traditional Aymara skirt, called a pollera, along with a pink top and fleece. “I’ve never worn trousers to climb a mountain, and I never will. Our polleras don’t hold us back.”

Though Llusco has spent her life climbing Huayna Potosí, a defining moment came in December 2015, when she and 10 other women summited the peak. They called themselves the cholitas escaladoras—the climbing cholitas. Once used as a derogatory term for Indigenous women, “cholita” has been reclaimed by the group, symbolizing empowerment and pride in their heritage. Huayna Potosí is a place of deep connection for Llusco. “I feel free, like I’m escaping, and the mountain is calling me,” she says. As if on cue, a condor—the national bird of Bolivia—soars overhead. The mountain’s name means “young mountain” in Aymara, Llusco’s first language. It is a sacred site where climbers leave offerings of coca leaves and alcohol to ask for safe passage.

Tourists often attempt the three-day expedition to Huayna Potosí’s summit, known as one of the most accessible climbs above 6,000 meters. Still, altitude sickness frequently forces many to turn back. For six years, Llusco has led expeditions on Huayna Potosí and other Bolivian mountains, but her journey began long before that. At just eight years old, she started working in tourism alongside her father, a trekking guide. “I saw how much my father carried and wanted to help,” she recalls. “I loved meeting foreigners and learning about them.” Her dream of summiting Huayna Potosí was born on those early trips to the base camp.

Today, base camp is a simple shelter equipped with bunk beds, a small kitchen, and a dining room. As Llusco prepares vegetables for lunch, she also helps her group gear up with boots, helmets, crampons, and ice picks. Together, they hike to the glacier’s edge, where Llusco teaches them how to walk on ice. The best climbing months in Bolivia run from May to November, making Llusco’s work seasonal. Despite her years of experience, she still rents most of her gear, and her well-worn hiking boots are due for replacement—a costly challenge she faces as she continues her journey, both on the mountains and in life.

While exploring Mars the Perseverance rover spotted a striking rock with black and white striations, similar to Alpine granite. NASA scientists are intrigued, as this could signal a region with new insights about the planet.

The rock, named Freya Castle, stands out in Jezero Crater, a site mostly composed of bedrock and sedimentary layers. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory used the rover’s Mastcam-Z to take a closer look, suspecting it to be a metamorphic rock. If confirmed, it could offer valuable details about Mars’ volcanic history, suggesting the rock may have fallen into the crater from higher elevations. Scientists, including Klidaras, are now watching for more deposits of this type, which could help determine if the rocks were uplifted by the Jezero impact or transported by ancient volcanic activity.

We’ve all felt uncomfortable when our clothing doesn’t match the weather—like being too hot in a jacket or too cold without one. As a solution the researchers at the University of California, Irvine, have created a new type of fabric that can adjust its temperature to keep you comfortable in any weather. This innovative material lets air flow through easily, is simple to wash, and can be used in a variety of flexible clothing items. The inspiration for this fabric comes from squid skin, which can change color. Just like squid skin has layers that help it manipulate light, this new material works by reacting to the heat from your body. When your body temperature goes up, it releases heat as invisible infrared radiation. The fabric is designed to detect this heat and adjust itself to keep you comfortable.

Here’s how it works: the fabric is made of a special polymer covered with tiny copper pieces. When you stretch it, these pieces move apart, changing how the fabric interacts with heat. This means it can help keep you cool when it’s hot and warm when it’s cold. To make the fabric even better, the researchers ensured it could be washed, breathe well, and be easily added to other fabrics. They used a thin layer to make it washable, created holes for airflow, and attached it to a mesh to help it blend into different materials. This way, it can let air and moisture pass through, similar to regular cotton.

The researchers tested the fabric’s ability to regulate temperature and found that their improvements didn’t affect its heat-controlling abilities. According to study author Alon Gorodetsky, this advanced fabric has exciting potential for various clothing, especially for cold-weather gear like ski jackets, thermal socks, insulated gloves, and winter hats. He also mentioned that the techniques they used could be applied to other wearable technologies, making them washable and flexible too.

Ford is envisioning a future where sci-fi-inspired holographic technology could bring digital representations of police officers, guard dogs, and even polar bears to life around its vehicles as a means to deter criminals. A recent patent filing from the automaker details a system of Integrated Holographic Camera Modules (IHCMs) that could create “moveable and interactive holograms” both inside and outside of a car. While it’s uncertain if Ford will ultimately pursue this hologram tech, the filing outlines various potential uses, such as warding off unwanted visitors or projecting a virtual drive-thru menu inside the car for easier ordering.

Holograms for Security
The patent explores projecting holograms on a vehicle’s exterior and interior, with one illustration showing a digital police officer standing beside a parked car. The system would use multiple IHCMs, which combine cameras, projectors, and computing components to create projections without noticeable distortion. Drivers could activate these holograms by simply looking at the car and giving a “thumbs up” gesture. The patent, filed in February 2023 and published recently, was first spotted by Ford Authority.

Ford envisions a scenario where if someone touches or walks through a holographic police officer guarding the vehicle, the driver would be alerted. The patent also describes a selection of holographic images stored in the car’s system, including a guard dog, intended to patrol the vehicle’s perimeter like a digital watchdog.

How Holograms Work
Holograms are created using lasers and light waves to project three-dimensional images that appear real to the naked eye without any special viewing equipment. A common version of this is on currency and credit cards. However, this is not the same type of hologram suggested in Ford’s Patent. The patent doesn’t delve deeply into the specific technology behind their system but focuses on the “system and method” of projecting these holograms via a vehicle.

Practical and Creative Uses
According to Ford, holograms of police officers or guard dogs could serve as a deterrent, alerting the vehicle owner if someone interacts with them. Inside the car, holograms could display drive-thru menus, movie listings, or even assist with navigation and parking by projecting guidance lines. Smaller holograms might appear on surfaces within the car, such as screens or mirrors, enhancing infotainment, video calls, or other interactive features.

The patent also imagines merging exterior and interior holograms into one large, bizarre projection—such as a giant holographic polar bear sitting in the driver’s seat, with its head protruding through the sunroof because it’s too big to fit inside. Personally, I think that internal drive-thru menus and parking guidance lines are where the strength of this tech could truly lie.

A team of international researchers has discovered why batteries lose capacity over time, a finding that could help electric vehicles travel farther on a single charge and extend battery lifespan.

It’s widely known that older devices, like mobile phones, lose power more quickly, but until now, the cause of this degradation wasn’t fully understood. Led by an engineer from the University of Colorado-Boulder, the team’s breakthrough may lead to improved batteries and energy storage technologies, accelerating the shift to clean energy. “We are advancing lithium-ion batteries by uncovering the molecular processes behind their degradation,” said Professor Michael Toney, the study’s lead.

For years, engineers have tried to design lithium-ion batteries without relying on cobalt, a rare and expensive mineral tied to environmental and labor concerns. Alternative materials like nickel and magnesium have been tested, but these led to higher rates of “self-discharge,” where internal chemical reactions reduce stored energy. This issue limits most EV batteries to a lifespan of 7-10 years. Toney’s team investigated self-discharge and found that hydrogen molecules from the battery’s electrolyte move to the cathode, occupying spots that lithium ions typically bind to. With fewer binding spots, the battery’s capacity and electric current weaken.

Toney noted that while some low-cobalt batteries could offer longer driving ranges, it’s important to ensure they remain durable. The team’s findings could guide future developments, such as coating the cathode to block hydrogen or using different electrolytes. “Improving battery performance is crucial for transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy,” Toney concluded.