Discovery

Robot assembles IKEA chairs:

Sick of struggling with incomprehensible instructions and a baffling array of planks and screws? Help is at hand in the form of a new robot that can assemble an IKEA chair in minutes.

The robot, developed by scientists at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, can put together the wooden IKEA chair in just eight minutes and 55 seconds — a swift timing that may give even DIY enthusiasts a run for their money.

The device, consisting of two mechanical arms with grippers, starts the process by taking photos of the parts spread on the floor with a 3D camera, which is supposed to mimic the cluttered environment after flat-pack furniture is unboxed. (AFP)

Calif most polluted in US:

California has the most polluted cities in the United States, a report issued on Wednesday said, as President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to force the state to weaken its vehicle emissions standards.

The study published by the American Lung Association — which covers the period from 2014 to 2016, the year before Trump took office — said Los Angeles remained the city with the worst ozone pollution, and ranked fourth in terms of year-round particle contamination.

Bakersfield, California, number two for ozone pollution, also maintained its position as the city with the worst short-term particle pollution.

That city and nearby Fresno and Visalia are subject to emissions from the powerful agricultural and petroleum industries. (AFP)

Japan volcano erupts:

A volcano in southern Japan erupted for the first time in 250 years on Thursday, spewing steam and ash hundreds of metres into the air, as authorities warned locals not to approach the mountain.

“There is a possibility that (Mount Io) will become more active,” said Makoto Saito, an official from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), confirming the eruption.

In a televised press conference, he warned residents in the area to stay away from the mountain, part of the Mount Kirishima group of volcanoes, as major ash deposits spread from the crater.

It was the first eruption of the mountain since 1768, the JMA said.

The agency warned that large flying rocks could fall over a three-kilometre (two-mile) radius.

The eruption threw smoke and ash 400 metres (1,300 feet) into the air. (AFP)

Saito

Stone Age veterinary surgery:

A hole in the skull of a Stone Age cow was likely made by humans about 5,000 years ago, probably by a primitive veterinarian or trainee surgeon, scientists said Thursday.

The hole appears to have been painstakingly carved into the animal’s head, but whether it was an operation to save the cow or practice for surgery on humans, was not clear, a duo of anthropologists reported in the journal Scientific Reports.

Either way, the puncture does seem to represent the earliest known example of veterinary “trepanation” — the boring of a hole into the skull, they said. (AFP)

‘Catastrophic’ coral die-off: