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Bridgestone spent 18 years getting its airless tire from prototype to street.

The debut tires run on self-driving golf carts for older residents in Higashiomi.

Cost and speed limits keep it far from ordinary passenger cars for now.

For almost two decades, Bridgestone has been chasing the formula for a workable airless tire , and after eighteen years of prototypes the company says it finally has one ready for the road. The catch is that you won’t be buying a set for your own car anytime soon, because the first commercial application is about as far from a performance application as it gets.

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The tire manufacturing juggernaut has launched its new AirFree tires on a fleet of self-driving vehicles operating in the Japanese city of Higashiomi, which look like stretched golf carts. These shuttles will ferry older residents around town, so the tires won’t exactly have a hard life. Even so, this marks the first time AirFree tires have entered regular commercial service rather than a limited-duration trial.

Read: Bridgestone Launches New Dedicated EV Tires For Teslas And Mustang Mach-E

Bridgestone built its first airless tire back in 2008 and unveiled the current third-generation version in 2023, so the technology on those go-karts represents eighteen years of steady refinement. Rather than lean on a hard material that might fail or ruin ride quality, the AirFree tires use a recyclable compound strong enough to handle daily use without turning every bump into a complaint.

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The construction relies on thermoplastic resin spokes wrapped in a thin rubber tread that meets the road. Bridgestone engineer Masaki Ota said the breakthrough arrived when the team stopped trying to make the material harder and turned instead to a flexible resin and a structure that spreads loads more evenly across the tire.

Not For Road Cars, For Now

Bridgestone

The tires were shown being put through their paces on the driverless go-karts to select members of the press earlier this week. These machines were limited to just 12 mph (20 km/h). It’s unclear whether they were capped at this speed for the comfort of attending journalists, or if that’s simply the maximum safe pace at which they were built to operate. Either way, Nikkei Asia reports that for now they suit only “relatively slow vehicles.”

As a result, these AirFree tires are nowhere near ready to replace the conventional rubber that current production cars rely on. Until the technology takes a meaningful step forward, expect to find tires like these only on small mobility fleets doing low-speed work in controlled settings.

As for the color, Bridgestone calls it ‘Empowering Blue,’ and says the vibrant shade was chosen to boost visibility during the day and at dusk.

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Bridgestone has not committed to a timeline for mass production and is currently weighing a business model that bundles the tires with services such as recycling. The company is also developing lunar rover tires built around a metal structure derived from the same AirFree design, which suggests it sees a future for the idea well beyond a Japanese retirement shuttle

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It's not just you: Steam is down right now. If this were a Tuesday around this time that'd be no big deal (Valve does maintenance every week), but on a Thursday, you have good reason to be looking for an explanation for the error that currently displays when you try to load Steampowered.com:

"You've made too many requests recently. Please wait and try your request again later."

No, you're not being blocked from Steam for reloading the store too many times. Something's wrong: SteamStat.us reports "too many requests" errors for both the Steam store and Steam community. Maybe something to do with the Summer Sale ending today?

Many of Steam's services are still showing a green light, and we're able to see friends online. Steam's matchmaking services are likewise still in operation, according to the status page. It's specifically the Steam website that's out of commission. We'll update this post as the situation develops.

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Maserati is previewing a new racer with Project GT4.

GranTurismo-based model is set to arrive in 2028.

Car loses serious weight and adopts hardcore aero.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is one of the few automotive events that still matters and Maserati has used it to unveil Project GT4. Created by Maserati Corse, the concept is designed to preview a race car that will enter competition in 2028.

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Based on the facelifted GranTurismo , the GT4 is instantly recognizable and features a familiar front fascia. However, the racer has been equipped with an aggressive aerodynamic package that includes a front splitter, dive planes, and a sizable rear wing. The car also sports a ventilated, quick release hood as well as a spoiler and diffuser that appear to carryover from the road-going model.

More: Maserati’s 2027 GranTurismo And GranCabrio Get More Power And Style

The changes don’t end there as the concept appears to be equipped with lightweight side windows. The rear quarter glass has also been replaced, while there are lightweight 18-inch wheels wrapped in Pirelli P-Zero tires. The latter are backed up by a “dedicated braking system with specific cooling.”

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While the road-going GranTurismo focuses on luxury and comfort, the GT4 has a stripped interior to save weight. Drivers sit behind a compact steering wheel and find themselves looking at a small digital instrument cluster.

The center stack is also unique to the race car as it features dedicated controls, two air vents, and a button to activate the fire suppression system. Other highlights include a roll cage and a homologated racing seat with a six-point harness.

Maserati was coy on performance details, but confirmed the car has a 3.0-liter Nettuno V6 with “pre-chamber combustion technology derived from Formula 1.” They noted the powertrain is capable of producing over 690 hp (515 kW / 700 PS), but declined to say what the GT4 is rated at.

Rounding out the highlights are a weight reduction of approximately 882 lb (400 kg) and a race-tuned suspension derived from the GranTurismo Trofeo. It features adjustable shock absorbers and anti-roll bars as well as other tweaks.

The car will be offered to a “select few customers who wish to try their hand on the track” and Maserati Corse’s Vincent Biard said, “Project GT4 represents a natural step in the evolution of the Maserati Corse program and completes our vision for the future of GT racing. On the back of the experience gained with the Maserati GT2 , this project was created with the aim of bringing all the technical, sporting and operational know-how developed in recent years to the GT4 category, while maintaining a strong bond with the new GranTurismo on which it is based.”

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He added the goal is to “develop a car that is competitive, reliable and accessible to the teams and drivers who choose Maserati .”

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The U.S. Navy’s Nimitz class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has been underway for 210 straight days – well over half a year – in support of Operation Epic Fury and the subsequent blockade of Iran. This looks to be a record-setting milestone. Lincoln , the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 3 (CSG-3), is currently operating in Middle Eastern waters.

Aircraft attached to Carrier Air Wing 9 fly over the flight deck of USS Abraham Lincoln, June 28, 2026. U.S. Navy photo U.S. Central Command Public Affa

Abraham Lincoln , the fifth Nimitz class supercarrier and self-styled “most capable CSG in the fleet,” weighed anchor and departed Naval Base Guam on December 12, 2025, after a quick one-day port call. Port calls, or temporary visits to friendly countries, allow the crew to disembark for “liberty” – to step on solid ground – and break up the grueling, nonstop schedule experienced during deployments. However, the stop in Guam, a strategic U.S. territory in the Western Pacific, was so brief that much of the crew likely never went ashore.

USS Abraham Lincoln pulls into Naval Base Guam for a scheduled port visit, Dec. 11, 2025. U.S. Navy photo by Valerie Maigue Valerie Lynn Maigue

Lincoln and CSG-3, made up of more than 5,000 Sailors and Marines, quietly departed Naval Base San Diego three weeks earlier on November 21, 2025. At the time, the U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean was the focus of public attention , and Lincoln was expected to conduct a routine Pacific patrol. An Iran contingency was on the table following Operation Midnight Hammer, when B-2 bombers struck nuclear targets deep inside Iran, and Lincoln’s Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) included preparing for a fight in the Middle East. COMPTUEXs are weeks-long capstone training events for carrier strike groups that come right before they deploy.

Abraham Lincoln pulls out of San Diego on November 21, 2025. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Mario Castro Gamez Petty Officer 3rd Class Mario Castro Gamez

After leaving Guam, Lincoln conducted operations in the South China Sea before entering the Indian Ocean and arriving in the northern Arabian Sea in late January. Aircraft from Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9 launched sorties in the opening salvo of Operation Epic Fury, and the CSG was instrumental in enforcing the naval blockade that followed. Since the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed on June 17, Lincoln has remained in the northern Arabian Sea, launching retaliatory strikes during the recent skirmishes .

F-35C Lightning II, attached to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314, staged for flight operations on the flight deck of USS Abraham Lincoln in support of Operation Epic Fury, Mar. 3, 2026. U.S. Navy photo U.S. Central Command Public Affa

The CSG has been deployed for more than seven months now and would likely be among the first naval assets to rotate out of the theater if an agreement is reached between the U.S. and Iran. The details and scale of the drawdown of forces in the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) AOR, as per the MOU agreed to by American and Iranian officials last month, are to be determined within 30 days if a final deal is reached before the deadline in mid-August. A new spate of tit-for-tat strikes just this week has created serious uncertainty around future talks between Washington and Tehran. More than 20 U.S. Navy surface combatants are still operating in the region.

“We’ve officially claimed the title for most consecutive days at sea for any modern aircraft carrier,” Lt. Commander Alexis Travis, an officer currently serving aboard Lincoln , wrote on Instagram on June 16.

We have reached out to the Navy to confirm whether this is indeed a record-breaking period at sea. However, we have not received a response as of the time of publication.

In June 2020, the U.S. Navy did announce that the Nimitz class carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Ticonderoga class cruiser USS San Jacinto had set a new record after spending 161 days consecutively operating at sea. Eisenhower did not make a stop in port until the next month, having been at sea for 206 consecutive days in the end. This was, in part, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, when port access was severely limited due to quarantine restrictions. The carrier had left Norfolk in January 2020 for a deployment to the Middle East and launched combat sorties during Operation Freedom’s Sentinel in Afghanistan, returning home nearly seven months later without a single stop. Prior to that, USS Theodore Roosevelt held the record in 2002, supporting the post-9/11 response. Roosevelt left Norfolk in September 2001 to participate in Operation Enduring Freedom and spent 160 days at sea before anchoring in Bahrain for a reprieve in February the following year.

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower transits the Arabian Sea on June 12, 2020, during a record-setting deployment. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Aaron Bewkes

In April, USS Gerald R. Ford , the newest American carrier and largest in the world, logged the longest deployment on record at 326 days. Ford, while deployed for nearly eleven months, was operating primarily in the U.S. European Command-6th Fleet area of responsibility (AOR) and U.S. Southern Command-4th Fleet AOR, which is relatively friendly territory, and made at least nine port calls in Marseille, Oslo, Palma de Mallorca, Split, St. Thomas Island, and Souda Bay. Between port calls and stops to refuel and make emergent repairs, Ford averaged a visit to port every 36 days.

USS Gerald R. Ford arrives at the NATO Marathi Pier Complex in Souda Bay, Crete, Greece, during a scheduled port visit on Feb. 23, 2026. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Hannah Donahue Petty Officer 3rd Class Hannah Donahue

The group, which also includes guided-missile destroyers from Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 21, served as the tip of the spear in Operation Epic Fury. DESRON 21 fired hundreds of Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAMs) against Iran, and provided defensive measures for the CSG, using Standard Missiles and other armaments to intercept incoming threats. The embarked “air wing of the future,” CVW 9, launched thousands of sorties and pressured Iran’s southern axis during the 40-day war, successfully escorted dozens of commercial ships through the contested Strait of Hormuz, and hunted and disabled Iranian-affiliated vessels attempting to run the blockade. The carrier’s air wing notably includes F-35C Joint Strike Fighters assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314 (VMFA 314), giving it better penetrating capabilities . The CSG has proven its ability to blend and interoperate high, medium, and low-end naval and joint capabilities, for offensive and defensive purposes, as well as integrate across platforms, including manned and unmanned systems, conventional and unconventional, surface and subsurface, overt and covert, and more, during nonstop combat operations.

USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Michael Murphy, USS Frank E. Petersen Jr., USNS Henry J. Kaiser, USNS Carl Brashear, USCG Robert Goldman, and USCGC Clarence Sutphin. Jr. sail in formation in the Arabian Sea, Feb. 6, 2026. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jesse Monford

The destroyers escorting Lincoln were able to make port calls before the war began, but some have been at sea for over four months. USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. , the Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Commander, moored at Navy Terminal in the Port of Duqm, Oman, for two days in mid-February. USS Michael Murphy , the last destroyer to leave the Persian Gulf before the first shots were fired, docked in Dubai, UAE, from February 25-27, and left the day before the city was targeted in the initial waves of Iran’s counterattack. Satellite imagery reviewed by TWZ at the time showed Murphy’s precise location the day prior was targeted. USS Spruance , the only San Diego-based destroyer operating with CSG-3, deployed on the same day as Lincoln , and has been at sea for just as long, with one port call in December in Guam. Spruance was spotted firing a black TLAM on the first day of Epic Fury.

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance fires a Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) in support of Operation Epic Fury, Feb. 28, 2026. U.S. Navy photo NAVCENT Public Affairs

“Literally no one signed up for this,” Lt. Commander Travis also wrote on Instagram. “And yet here we are, still doing it safely and successfully. Just a strong group doing tough stuff, breaking records and then waking up and doing it again.”

When the crew serving tirelessly aboard Lincoln will next set foot on land is unknown, and with the fate of the U.S.-Iran MOU similarly uncertain , it may be some time.

Contact the author: ian.ellis-jones@teamrecurrent.io

The post Supercarrier USS Abraham Lincoln Passes 200 Consecutive Days At Sea Mark appeared first on TWZ .

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Until about 60,000 years ago, diminutive hominin cousins, Homo floresiensis (affectionately nicknamed Hobbits for obvious reasons), shared the island of Flores with Komodo dragons, pygmy elephants, and giant rats.

Based on the presence of hominin and pygmy elephant bones in the same layers of cave sediment, it originally looked like the Hobbits had hunted and butchered dwarf elephants—an impressive feat for such a tiny hominin. But according to University of Tübingen anthropologist Elizabeth Veatch and her colleagues, it was the Komodo dragons that were the hunters, while the Hobbits only showed up to scavenge what was left.

If Veatch and her colleagues are right, their findings may challenge some of the assumptions we’ve made about Homo floresiensis —and about which hominin species was the first to venture into the wider world beyond Africa.

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A years-long malaria control campaign in the Brazilian Amazon nearly eliminated the disease from a city — but then cases rebounded. Now, scientists think they've uncovered why.

The campaign took place in northern Brazil during the construction of the Belo Monte Dam in the Xingu River, one of the largest hydroelectric dams in the world. From 2013 to 2017, the initiative slashed annual malaria rates from more than 1,200 cases to fewer than 60. But the program ended, and within a few years, infections had rebounded to more than 700 cases a year. This time, they were concentrated in the rural communities surrounding the river in the city of Altamira.

In a study published Thursday (July 9) in the journal GeoHealth , scientists analyzed 15 years of malaria surveillance records alongside satellite images of forests around Altamira. Earlier studies have pointed to deforestation and dam construction as a driver of malaria because they can provide habitats for mosquito larvae, which inhabit the forest edge. In Altamira, large stretches of rainforest have been cleared for cattle ranching, logging and settlement along the Xingu River in the decades since the region was first opened up by road-building, leaving a patchwork of cleared land pressed up against the remaining forest.

However, the study found that the malaria resurgence wasn't simply a result of how much forest had been cut down. Instead, cases tracked most closely with the forest edge , the boundary where intact forest meets cleared or open land. There, mosquitoes get everything they need to thrive: shade from the tree line, sunlit pools of standing water for their larvae, and people living or working close by.

The findings highlight how the environment contributes to malaria risk, suggesting that maintaining surveillance in these high-risk landscapes could be just as important as driving cases down in the first place.

"What made Altamira compelling was that the timing gave us something rare, close to a natural experiment," study co-author Eloise Skinner, an epidemiologist and postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Queensland in Australia, told Live Science in an email. The results of that natural experiment could help Brazil in its efforts to eliminate malaria from the country in the next decade, she said.

A program tied to temporary funding

The researchers tracked malaria trends before, during and after the construction of the Belo Monte Dam. Before construction began, malaria was already a persistent problem in the region; Altamira city alone reported more than 1,200 cases a year.

As thousands of workers moved in, local health authorities and the dam's developers rolled out an intensive control program that involved spraying insecticides indoors, using mosquito nets, and deploying rapid diagnosis and treatment when cases did emerge. The goal was to head off outbreaks spread by Nyssorhynchus darlingi , the mosquito that carries the malaria-causing parasite in the Brazilian Amazon.

Mosquitoes pick up the parasite that causes malaria by feeding on the blood of infected people, and they can then spread that parasite to others they bite. Treating infected people quickly can help break that chain of transmission.

Cases plummeted despite the influx of workers, but once construction wrapped up and the program lost its funding, malaria came back.

Nyssorhynchus darlingi , the mosquito that spreads malaria in the Amazon, breeds in partially shaded bodies of water. (Image credit: Sabrina Simon) To understand what drove the resurgence, the researchers combined three streams of data. Case records came from Brazil's national malaria surveillance system and covered 150 health centers in Altamira over 15 years. The team layered on temperature, forest cover and rainfall data, since both shape how favorable an area is for mosquito breeding and how efficiently the malaria parasite develops inside mosquitos. Plus, they added an estimate of travel time between each cluster of cases and the nearest town, as a proxy for how easily people and the diseases they carry might move around.

From the observations, the forest edge consistently emerged as the strongest predictor of increased malaria cases. For every 1% increase in the perimeter of the forest edge, malaria cases rose by roughly 0.7%; for every 1% increase in Altamira's population, who are located at the forest edge, cases rose by about 1.4%.

The rebound wasn't evenly distributed. Before the dam was built, most of Altamira's malaria cases came from clusters inside the city itself. Afterward, that pattern flipped: by 2020, the roughly 700 annual cases were concentrated almost entirely in remote, rural clusters near forest edges. Meanwhile, Altamira's urban center stayed comparatively protected, much as it had during construction.

"When the funded program wound down, malaria came back to the communities that are hardest for the health system to reach," Skinner said. "The city stayed protected, most likely because fast diagnosis and treatment are easier to deliver and keep going in a town."

That leaves the same communities exposed twice over, Skinner said. The places that are already the hardest to reach with health services also sit where the ecological risk is the highest.

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But this pattern could point to solutions. The resurgence didn't scatter unpredictably. It came back to the same kind of place — rural communities at the forest edge — each time. That's the kind of risk that can be anticipated in the future.

Brazil aims to eliminate locally acquired malaria by 2035 . Skinner said Altamira's near elimination of the disease, and its rebound within a few years of the control program ending, is a warning for that effort. When a community contains a strong environmental driver for malaria, like forest-edge ecosystems, stopping a control program short is sure to let the disease climb back.

"Because the resurgence wasn't diffuse, we can predict where malaria is likely to return first," Skinner said. "The message for a 2035 goal isn't only that elimination needs sustained investment. It is that where the environment drives risk, that risk is predictable, and planning for it from the start is what lets the money go where it matters most."