How China struck gold. Geologists say a newly identified deposit beneath the Wangu gold field in China could pack as much as 1,100 tons of gold, potentially making it the largest precious-metal find on Earth. While early drilling revealed unusually rich concentrations, recent 3D modeling shows the mother lode runs far deeper than we originally thought. If the estimates are true, that's an $80+ billion—with a B—discovery that could ripple through global gold markets.
A future of floating drone carriers. Portugal is gearing up to launch Europe's first dedicated drone carrier. Instead of being designed for fighter jets, the carrier is built for fleets of unmanned aircraft, surface drones, and underwater vehicles. While the D. João II looks like a mini aircraft carrier, its flexibility is the special sauce: it takes just days to reconfigure it to deploy swarms of autonomous systems at sea. As more countries experiment with floating drone arsenals, the race is on to see who follows next.
