🚢 World's first hydrogen cruise ship, 190,000-year-old human jawbone found, US firm’s light-powered computer

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Shipbuilder Fincantieri and cruise line Viking have unveiled the “Viking Libra,” the world’s first cruise ship set to be powered by hydrogen stored onboard.

The ship will utilize advanced hydrogen fuel cell technology to generate up to 6 megawatts (MW) of power for propulsion and onboard electricity, sufficient for its 499 rooms. It is currently under construction at Fincantieri’s Ancona shipyard in Italy.

The 54,300 gross ton ship measures 784 feet (239 meters) in length. Viking Libra is designed to accommodate 998 passengers and is scheduled for delivery in late 2026. Dive deeper into this Must-Read.

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🚢 Viking Libra: World's first hydrogen cruise ship is 784-feet-long

The new system involves storing hydrogen directly on board within a specialized containerized system.

“The vessel will feature first-of-a-kind solutions to load and store hydrogen directly onboard the ship thanks to a containerized system to overcome supply chain constraints,” explained the shipbuilder.

This hydrogen will fuel state-of-the-art polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells specifically optimized for cruise operations and supplied by Fincantieri subsidiary Isotta Fraschini Motori (IFM).

💀 Fossil found off Taiwan coast belong to Denisovans, say scientists

Scientists have discovered that an ancient jawbone found in Taiwan belonged to Denisovans, a little-known extinct group closely related to Neanderthals and modern humans.

The jawbone fragment, along with various animal fossils, was pulled up during a fishing expedition in the Penghu Channel, located near the Taiwan Strait, which once was dry land.

It eventually made its way to an antique store, where a collector noticed it and bought it in 2008.

⚡US firm’s light-powered computer tackles energy-hungry AI problems

Silicon Valley startup Lightmatter has developed a novel computer chip that can speed up artificial intelligence processes and save electricity in the process. The company focuses on using beams of light to move data between computers rather than using electric signals.

Connection speeds are a great matter of concern when it comes to artificial intelligence due to its complex software. This complexity requires the software to be spread over many computers.

Currently valued at $4.4 billion after a venture capital round of $850 million, Lightmatter is confident that it can use beams of light to process the computation itself.

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