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Terraxy, an innovative startup emerging from cutting-edge research at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), has successfully secured $3 million in its Seed-2 funding round. This round was spearheaded by Wa’ed Ventures, the venture capital wing of Saudi Aramco, with additional support from KAUST itself. The investment aims to accelerate the scaling and commercialization of Terraxy’s groundbreaking soil regeneration and carbon storage technology, designed specifically to tackle the challenges posed by desert environments.
The capital injection follows a critical growth phase, facilitating Terraxy’s shift from pilot-scale initiatives toward full-scale industrial production. A flagship component of this expansion is the establishment of a 30,000-square-meter commercial facility located in Al Zulfi, Saudi Arabia. This state-of-the-art production hub symbolizes a major leap for the company in bringing its proprietary technology to market readiness, underpinning Wa’ed Ventures’ mission to translate locally developed, research-driven innovations into sustainable, practical solutions.
At the heart of Terraxy’s technology lies Carbosoil, a proprietary soil enhancer engineered to address the unique and challenging characteristics of sandy soils found across the Arabian Peninsula. Globally, soil degradation affects nearly a third of arable land, hindering agricultural productivity and ecosystem health. In Saudi Arabia, where sandy and nutrient-poor soils dominate, agricultural efforts are hampered by poor water retention and low nutrient availability. Carbosoil demonstrates a remarkable ability to improve these conditions, delivering up to a 70% increase in plant growth and yield using the same quantities of water and nutrients. This efficacy directly translates into enhanced resource-use efficiency, especially critical in arid regions where water scarcity is a major concern.
Integral to Terraxy’s success is the supportive regulatory landscape fostered by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA). Terraxy has benefited from MEWA’s Regulatory Sandbox, a pioneering initiative allowing emerging environmental technologies to be tested rigorously under real-world conditions. This framework not only accelerates the validation of novel technologies but also ensures alignment with stringent environmental standards and drives the responsible introduction of innovations to the market, supporting national sustainability targets.
The importance of soil health in the Kingdom cannot be overstated. It underpins food security, water efficiency, and land rehabilitation frameworks that are critical to Saudi Arabia’s ambitious environmental and economic agendas. Through collaboration between innovators, regulators, and investors, Terraxy exemplifies how multi-stakeholder engagement can foster the development of homegrown technologies that address both ecological and commercial imperatives.
Amidst escalating global efforts to combat land degradation and climate change, Terraxy’s dual-purpose technology stands out. It not only rehabilitates degraded soils but also captures and stores atmospheric carbon dioxide in a stable form that can endure for centuries. This long-term carbon sequestration capability complements regional and international commitments to emission reduction and climate resilience, providing a scalable solution adaptable to various arid and semi-arid environments.
Wa’ed Ventures CEO Anas Algahtani emphasized the strategic value of backing deep technology initiatives with tangible sustainability benefits. Highlighting Terraxy’s unique strength, he noted that the startup’s ability to transition from foundational science to deployable industrial applications underscores the potent role of science-led innovation. Such initiatives are vital to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which prioritizes sustainability, technological advancement, and economic diversification.
Aramco’s commitment to supporting solutions that address emissions from difficult-to-decarbonize sectors was also underlined by Ahmad O. Al-Khowaiter, Executive Vice President of Technology & Innovation at Aramco, and Chairman of Wa’ed Investment Committee. Terraxy’s technology fits squarely within this vision, exemplifying the kind of scalable, scientifically robust innovation required to achieve meaningful climate impact while fostering economic growth.
As a spinout from KAUST, Terraxy benefits from a robust ecosystem that bridges academia and industry. The National Transformation Institute (NTI) at KAUST has played a pivotal role in nurturing the company’s journey, offering infrastructure and translational support critical for scaling emerging technologies. Professor Himanshu Mishra, one of Terraxy’s co-founders and an associate professor at KAUST, highlighted how the broader ecosystem—rather than any singular breakthrough—was instrumental in Terraxy’s development.
Dr. Ian Campbell OBE, Senior Vice President at KAUST’s NTI, formally acknowledged the importance of NTI’s efforts in enabling Terraxy’s scale-up journey. He described Carbosoil as a cornerstone for soil enrichment initiatives and a tool that aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Green Initiative and expanding carbon credit market. Such alignment demonstrates how academia, government, and private sector investment can converge to yield innovations with direct and measurable impacts on national and global environmental priorities.
Substantial funding and institutional validation signal growing confidence in Terraxy’s technology. The company is poised to make a significant contribution to Saudi Arabia’s greening efforts, resource efficiency strategies, and carbon management policies. Its scalable commercial model offers a replicable path for other arid regions facing similar environmental challenges, positioning Terraxy as a potential global leader in sustainable soil regeneration and carbon sequestration.
The company’s trajectory also illustrates the power of university-driven innovation ecosystems in advancing high-tech environmental solutions. By translating fundamental research into market-ready products, Terraxy exemplifies how science and technology can be harnessed to create sustainable economic opportunities while addressing pressing environmental imperatives.
As Terraxy moves forward, its integrated approach to enhancing soil health and capturing carbon dioxide offers a compelling model for deep-tech interventions in the sustainability domain. With substantial backing and a proven technology platform, Terraxy’s advances could become a pivotal component in shaping sustainable land management and carbon reduction strategies, both within Saudi Arabia and internationally.
Le Parlement européen s'apprête à autoriser le 17 juin 2026 des nouvelles techniques génomiques (NGT) dans l'agriculture, qui peuvent rendre des plantations plus résistantes à la sécheresse ou aux maladies mais qui inquiètent des défenseurs de l'environnement et de petits exploitants.
SpaceX has agreed to acquire coding startup Cursor in a $60 billion all-stock deal, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The acquisition deepens the Elon Musk-led company’s push into artificial intelligence software and developer tools just days after its record-breaking Nasdaq debut.
The deal brings San Francisco-based Anysphere, the company behind Cursor, under the SpaceX umbrella as thje company looks to strengthen its position against rivals such as OpenAI and Anthropic in the fast-growing AI coding market.
SpaceX announced the massive deal in a post on X, saying: “SpaceX has exercised the option to acquire @cursor_ai in an all-stock transaction with the goal of building the world’s most useful AI models.”
SpaceX has exercised the option to acquire @cursor_ai in an all-stock transaction with the goal of building the world’s most useful AI models.
For the past few months, SpaceXAI has been jointly training a model with Cursor, which will be released in Cursor and Grok Build soon.… https://t.co/X5mepgXgjJ
The company added that it has been jointly training a model with Cursor over the past several months and plans to release it in both Cursor and Grok Build, xAI’s coding agent, in the near future.
Code meets compute
The acquisition comes after an agreement between the two companies in April that gave SpaceX the right to acquire Cursor at a predetermined valuation. According to SpaceX’s SEC filing, the companies also entered into a compute partnership under which SpaceX would provide GPU cluster capacity and collaborate on improving existing models, including Grok, while potentially developing new AI products together.
In the filing, SpaceX described software development as a strategically important AI use case because it generates structured, verifiable data and frequent user feedback. The company said Cursor’s coding workflows provide valuable developer interaction data, including coding prompts, iteration cycles and software architecture decisions that could help improve model training and inference.
Cursor has emerged as one of the fastest-growing AI software companies since its founding in 2022. Reports suggest that the company has reached roughly $2.6 billion in annualized business-to-business revenue and has recently been discussing a funding round that would have valued it at $50 billion.
The startup’s coding assistant is widely used by developers to generate, edit, and review software code. Cursor counts major companies such as Stripe, Adobe and Nvidia among its users, while Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has described it as his “favourite enterprise AI service.”
Data powers expansion
SpaceX said the acquisition will help advance its broader AI strategy by integrating its models more directly into developer workflows and expanding distribution through high-engagement software products.
“We look forward to working closely with the Cursor team to advance our frontier AI capabilities,” SpaceX said in its announcement.
Cursor also welcomed the deal, posting on X: “We’re excited to join forces with @SpaceX to advance the frontier of useful AI. Expect significant improvements to Cursor soon.”
We're excited to join forces with @SpaceX to advance the frontier of useful AI. Expect significant improvements to Cursor soon. https://t.co/62IMr2sgEy
The acquisition follows SpaceX’s blockbuster stock market debut last week. Reuters reported that the company’s valuation climbed above $2 trillion after the listing. The company’s shares surged further Tuesday, briefly pushing SpaceX past Amazon by market value.
SpaceX expects the transaction to close during the third quarter of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals. Once completed, the deal would give the company direct control of one of the industry’s most prominent AI coding platforms while expanding access to developer data that it believes can strengthen future versions of Grok and other AI models.
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Science is usually associated with reason, evidence, and discovery. Yet some of the world’s most significant scientific and medical sites have accumulated ghost stories, conspiracy theories, and paranormal legends of their own. In many cases, the lore emerged from tragedy, isolation, or misunderstood research rather than anything supernatural.
These seven sites sit at a rather eerie intersection of science and folklore.
1. CERN, Switzerland-France
Home to the Large Hadron Collider, CERN is one of the world’s leading centers for particle physics research. Yet despite its scientific credentials, the facility has become a recurring subject of internet conspiracy theories.
Rumors linking CERN to portals, alternate dimensions, and occult activity gained momentum in 2016 after a prank video filmed on the organization’s grounds appeared to show a ritual human sacrifice near the laboratory’s Shiva statue. CERN later clarified that the video was an unauthorized spoof and that no one was harmed.
The incident added fuel to years of speculation surrounding the collider’s experiments, making CERN one of the few modern research facilities to develop a paranormal reputation despite a lack of evidence supporting the claims.
2. Waverly Hills Sanatorium, United States
Opened in Kentucky in 1910, Waverly Hills Sanatorium was built to treat tuberculosis patients during one of the deadliest public health crises of the early twentieth century.
Waverly Hills Sanatorium main entrance. Credit – Wikimedia Commons
The facility became known for its advanced treatment methods and later for its so-called “body chute,” a tunnel reportedly used to transport the deceased away from patients. Decades after the hospital closed, stories of apparitions, shadow figures, and unexplained voices transformed it into one of America’s most famous haunted locations.
Whether the stories are true or not, the real history is grim enough. Thousands of patients passed through the sanatorium before antibiotics dramatically reduced tuberculosis deaths.
3. Poveglia Island, Italy
Located in the Venetian Lagoon, Poveglia served as a quarantine station during plague outbreaks beginning in the eighteenth century.
Ships arriving in Venice with suspected infections were isolated there, and over time, the island became associated with disease, death, and mass burials. Later, parts of the island housed a psychiatric facility before being abandoned.
Today, Poveglia is frequently described as one of the world’s most haunted islands. Local legends speak of restless spirits, mysterious voices, and supernatural activity, although many claims are impossible to verify. What is certain is that the island’s history reflects centuries of public-health efforts during some of Europe’s deadliest epidemics.
4. Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, United States
Completed in the nineteenth century, the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum was originally designed according to the Kirkbride Plan, an influential architectural approach to psychiatric treatment.
At its peak, the institution housed thousands of patients, far beyond its intended capacity. Reports of overcrowding, poor conditions, and controversial treatments became part of its history.
Central room inside the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. Credit – Wikimedia Commons
Today, the massive complex attracts paranormal investigators who report apparitions, voices, and other unexplained phenomena. While the ghost stories dominate popular culture, the site also provides a window into the evolving history of mental-health care and institutional medicine.
5. Pennhurst State School and Hospital, United States
Pennhurst was established in Pennsylvania to care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Over time, however, investigations revealed severe overcrowding and troubling conditions within the institution.
After its closure, the abandoned buildings became the focus of ghost stories and paranormal television programs. Reports of strange sounds, apparitions, and unexplained encounters continue to attract visitors.
Its haunted reputation is inseparable from its documented history. For many historians, Pennhurst serves as a reminder of how society once approached disability care and how those systems often failed the people they were intended to help.
6. Beelitz-Heilstätten, Germany
This vast hospital complex near Berlin opened in the late nineteenth century as a tuberculosis treatment center and later served wounded soldiers during both World Wars.
The sprawling campus, surrounded by forests and gradually reclaimed by nature, has become one of Europe’s most recognizable abandoned medical facilities. Its decaying corridors and operating rooms have inspired countless urban legends, ghost stories, and paranormal investigations.
Today, parts of the site have been restored and opened to visitors, but its eerie appearance continues to fuel speculation about what may still linger within its walls.
7. Duga Radar (“The Russian Woodpecker”), Ukraine
Hidden within the forests near Chornobyl stands one of the largest radar structures ever built. Known as Duga, the Soviet-era installation formed part of an over-the-horizon early-warning system designed to detect incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles during the Cold War. The enormous antenna array, stretching hundreds of meters long and rising roughly 150 meters high, transmitted a distinctive repetitive signal that was picked up by radio operators around the world between 1976 and 1989.
Full view of the two over-the-horizon radar antennas. Credit – Wikimedia Commons
The mysterious tapping noise earned the system the nickname “The Russian Woodpecker.” Because Soviet authorities never publicly explained the signal, speculation flourished. Amateur radio operators and conspiracy theorists suggested everything from weather control and mind-control experiments to secret military technologies.
While the radar’s true purpose later became known, the abandoned structure’s location near Chornobyl, its colossal scale, and decades of secrecy continue to fuel an aura of mystery around one of the Cold War’s most imposing engineering projects.
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Natural disasters are usually remembered for the destruction they leave behind. But some disasters do more than destroy cities, villages, or coastlines. They change the direction of history.
Across centuries, earthquakes, floods, eruptions, and storms have weakened empires, stopped invasions, changed belief systems, and forced societies to rethink how they build and survive.
Here are five of the deadliest natural disasters that changed human civilization.
Around 1600 B.C., a massive volcanic eruption struck Thera, now known as Santorini in Greece.
The eruption was one of the most powerful volcanic events of the ancient world. It sent ash into the sky, buried settlements, and triggered tsunamis across the Aegean Sea. One of the societies most affected was the Minoan civilization, based on Crete.
The Minoans were among the most advanced people in the ancient Mediterranean. They had large palaces, strong trade routes, and a powerful seafaring culture. But the eruption disrupted their economy and weakened their influence.
The disaster did not destroy the Minoans in one moment. However, it likely accelerated their decline and helped shift power toward the Mycenaeans. Some scholars have also linked the event to later stories about Atlantis, the lost island civilization described by Plato.
2. The typhoons that stopped the Mongols
In the 13th century, the Mongol Empire was one of the most powerful forces in the world. After conquering large parts of Asia and Europe, the Mongols turned toward Japan.
They launched two major invasions, first in 1274 and again in 1281. Both campaigns involved large naval fleets carrying troops across the sea.
But both invasions were struck by massive typhoons. The storms destroyed many Mongol ships and scattered the invading forces before they could take control.
In Japan, these storms became known as kamikaze, or “divine winds.” They helped preserve Japan’s independence and stopped Mongol expansion further east.
The storms also became an important part of Japanese memory, reinforcing the belief that the country was protected by divine forces.
3. The 1556 Shaanxi earthquake
The 1556 Shaanxi earthquake remains the deadliest earthquake in recorded history.
It struck China during the Ming Dynasty and killed an estimated 830,000 people. The death toll was so high partly because many people lived in cave dwellings carved into soft loess soil. When the earthquake hit, these homes collapsed almost instantly.
The disaster destroyed villages, farmland, roads, and local administrative systems. Entire communities were wiped out.
The earthquake showed that the impact of a disaster depends not only on nature’s force but also on how people live. It pushed later discussions around safer buildings, better settlement planning, and disaster response.
On November 1, 1755, a massive earthquake struck Lisbon, Portugal. It happened on All Saints’ Day, when many people were inside churches.
The earthquake was followed by a tsunami and fires that destroyed much of the city. Tens of thousands were killed, with some estimates reaching up to 100,000.
But the disaster did not only reshape Lisbon. It changed European thinking.
At the time, many people saw disasters mainly as acts of divine punishment. Lisbon’s destruction forced philosophers, scientists, and leaders to ask new questions. Could earthquakes be studied? Could cities be built to survive them?
The event influenced Enlightenment thinkers such as Voltaire and helped push early ideas in seismology. Lisbon was later rebuilt with stronger planning and more resilient design.
The 1931 China floods are among the deadliest natural disasters in human history.
They were caused by heavy snowmelt, extreme rainfall, and overflowing rivers, including the Yangtze and Huai. Vast areas of China were submerged.
The disaster killed an estimated 1 million to 4 million people through drowning, famine, disease, and the collapse of basic services. Crops were destroyed, communities were displaced, and cities and villages remained underwater for long periods.
The floods forced China to rethink flood-control policies, river management, urban planning, and agriculture. They showed how deadly extreme weather can be when it meets densely populated areas and weak infrastructure.
Conclusion
History shows that natural disasters are never just moments of destruction. Their impact depends on how societies prepare, respond, rebuild, and learn from what went wrong.
In many cases, the real legacy of a disaster is not the damage it causes, but the changes it forces into the future.
A possible agreement to end the war between the United States and Iran was announced late Sunday by U.S. President Donald Trump and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The deal includes stopping military actions, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and eventually lifting U.S. restrictions on Iranian ports. Still, Iran’s nuclear program, a key issue, has not been settled and will be discussed in future talks.
The agreement is expected to be officially signed in Switzerland on Friday. News of the deal quickly affected global markets, sending oil prices down and Asian stock markets higher.
Ceasefire framework signals end to active fighting
The U.S. president announced the agreement on his Truth Social platform at about 5:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, saying, “The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete.” His statement came after Sharif spoke, as Pakistan has helped mediate the talks.
Although all the details have not yet been shared, Sharif said the agreement includes “the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.”
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council later confirmed that military operations would stop for good starting Monday night. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said negotiators will use a 60-day ceasefire to work toward a broader agreement that could include easing sanctions and other long-term measures.
This announcement follows months of fighting that have killed thousands, mostly in Iran and Lebanon. After U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28, Tehran struck Israel and Gulf countries with U.S. bases. Iran also blocked shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, and the U.S. responded by restricting Iranian ports.
A major result of the agreement is the planned reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which is a key route for global oil and gas shipments. Trump said the waterway will reopen on Friday and that he has ordered the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports to end.
“Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!” Trump wrote.
Nuclear dispute remains the biggest challenge
Even with this diplomatic progress, negotiators have delayed decisions about Iran’s nuclear activities.
According to Iranian officials, discussions during the ceasefire period will focus on sanctions relief and the future of Tehran’s nuclear program. Sources indicate that the issue remains among the most difficult issues facing both sides.
The dispute goes back years. During Trump’s first term, the U.S. withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated under President Obama. After that, Iran increased its uranium enrichment and built up more than 400 kilograms (about 900 pounds) of uranium close to weapons-grade.
Former Biden administration State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller criticized the framework, saying: “We have no assurances the nuclear program will ever be addressed, but Iran has shown the world it can take the global economy hostage and get something from the U.S. in return.”
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham welcomed the ceasefire but stressed that future nuclear talks will be watched closely. “Under our law, any nuclear deal with Iran will be sent to Congress for review and a vote,” he said. “Congratulations to all on getting us to this point.”
As negotiators prepare for formal talks in Switzerland, the focus is now on whether the ceasefire will last and if both sides can agree on Iran’s nuclear future.
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In recent months hackers have attempted to extort money from porn stars with big followings, in some cases filling their feeds with pro-MAGA and crypto content.
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