Spring 2026 arrives this Friday with the equinox

Advances in brain-computer interfaces

Two investigations published in Nature Medicine confirm that neurotechnology is no longer science fiction. A man with severe amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) managed to communicate from home thanks to an implantable chip, used for two years. The study, led by Sergey Stavisky and David Brandman (University of California, Davis), is the first to demonstrate that these devices can be operated outside the laboratory.

“It is an important step forward, although it remains to be seen whether it can be generalized,” said Luca Berdondini, a researcher at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Genoa.

In the second study, coordinated by the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne (EPFL) and the University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV), 40 Parkinson’s patients improved their gait. A chip combined with artificial intelligence interprets brain activity in real time and adjusts electrical stimulation autonomously. The technique, used for 30 years, is now becoming much more adaptable.

The challenge of bringing technology to the clinic

Both cases reflect a global career. Berdondini warns that “Europe risks falling behind the United States and China” due to regulatory barriers. Although European research has advanced, the transition from trials to clinical application needs to be accelerated, respecting ethics.

The arrival of Elon Musk’s Neuralink accelerated the pace. “These results are a stimulus for companies, because they show that the path is viable,” concluded the researcher. The challenge now is to bring these findings to more people and ensure that technological competition does not leave Europe behind.

Almost 50 teams, three countries and more than one hundred matches. The 2026 World Cup will not only be the largest in history, but it will also transform the way we watch football from home. Artificial intelligence and advanced statistics will be the protagonists.

Tools like Football AI Pro, created with Lenovo, will help coaches prepare for matches and detect weak points. For the viewer, the data will be converted into graphs and summaries that explain what is happening on the court.

How the experience changes

In Qatar 2022, 12 cameras were already used to track the ball and 29 body points of each player 50 times per second. By 2026, that level of detail will be the norm. Stats will no longer be cold numbers: defensive lines, heat maps and movement patterns will be displayed.

In addition, the organization announced 3D avatars to recreate plays and referee decisions. Thus, tactical concepts such as high pressure or compact block will be visual and easy to understand.

The 2026 World Cup will maintain the excitement of goals and surprises, but with tools that allow us to better understand the game. Technology does not take away passion, but rather adds context.

Failures in Meta services

Since this Wednesday morning, users of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger reported interruptions in the operation of these platforms. The DownDetector site, which compiles crash reports, recorded an increase in complaints starting at 7:41 a.m.

According to the data, Facebook reached its peak of reports at 8:11 with 5,245 incidents. The main problems were concentrated in the application (47%), login (33%) and connection to the server (16%).

Messenger also had bugs. Its highest peak occurred at 7:48 with 260 reports. The most common difficulties were logging in (67%), the app (24%) and messaging (7%).

In the case of Instagram, reports increased until 8:20 with 326 complaints. 68% of users reported problems with the app, 14% with the connection to the server and another 14% with the login. The Tech Bit team confirmed difficulties when trying to publish stories, which could be related to the same bug.

WhatsApp, for its part, also suffered interruptions. 47% of the reports indicated problems with the web version, while 23% mentioned errors in the app and 16% in the login.

So far, Meta has not issued an official statement about the causes of these failures. Users are advised to stay tuned for updates.