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Riyadh Space Fair Paves Way for Generation Interested in the Universe

An astronaut suit on display at the fair.
An astronaut suit on display at the fair.
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Riyadh Space Fair Paves Way for Generation Interested in the Universe

An astronaut suit on display at the fair.
An astronaut suit on display at the fair.

The Riyadh City Royal Commission launched on Sunday the Riyadh Space Fair, a first-of-its-kind event displaying models of rockets launched from space shuttles and the equipment used on space missions.

Also featured are astronaut suits, pressure and oxygen measuring devices, and food and beverage preservation equipment.

The Fair offers visitors of all ages the chance to enjoy interactive educational experiences and learn about space hands-on. Visitors can expect to learn about the relationship between man and the universe, explore the secrets of space, and learn about the immense recent achievements that have greatly enhanced man’s understanding of the universe.

The Fair is home to seven stations for live experiences that offer fun, adventure, and a wealth of information.

Visitors are taken on a gripping journey in which they learn about the development of astronomy, cosmology, and modern scientific theories about the nature of the universe through entertaining and informative games, interactive simulators like “Walk on Mars.”

They can also experiment with techniques used to study the universe, such as telescopes, satellites and others. Visitors will have all their questions about space answered in interactive sessions about space and its wanders.

Haifa Al-Idrisi, who runs the Fair, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the exhibition seeks to provide an introduction to anyone without a background in space.

“We also hope that the experience will open the doors of space science to young people, whom the exhibition will inspire to enter these fields.”

The fair is being held at the King Salman Science Oasis and runs until February 20.

Saudi Arabia intends to expand its space science research by launching the Saudi Space Commission, which will qualify and train Saudis and launch flights into space, the first of which will take off this year.

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First Leather Bag Made from T-Rex Cells Fails to Sell at Paris Auction

This photograph shows the first "T-Rex leather" bag on display ahead of its auction at the Hotel Drouot auction venue in Paris on June 9, 2026. (Photo by STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP)
This photograph shows the first "T-Rex leather" bag on display ahead of its auction at the Hotel Drouot auction venue in Paris on June 9, 2026. (Photo by STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP)
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First Leather Bag Made from T-Rex Cells Fails to Sell at Paris Auction

This photograph shows the first "T-Rex leather" bag on display ahead of its auction at the Hotel Drouot auction venue in Paris on June 9, 2026. (Photo by STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP)
This photograph shows the first "T-Rex leather" bag on display ahead of its auction at the Hotel Drouot auction venue in Paris on June 9, 2026. (Photo by STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP)

A leather bag made from Tyrannosaurus rex cells failed to sell on Thursday, the Paris auction house Drouot said, commenting that bids were well below expected.

Auctioneers Giquello had touted the "one-of-a-kind" piece to sell for more than $500,000 but bids barely broke the $150,000 mark, said the Drouot house where the sale took place.

Unveiled in the spring in Amsterdam, the bag was created from traces of collagen from the femur of a T-Rex found in the US state of Montana 25 years ago.

"In recent years, we've developed techniques -- biotechnologies that allow us to instruct a cell culture to produce, so to speak, genuine T-Rex skin in the laboratory," Iacopo Briano, a paleontology expert associated with the sale, recently told AFP.

He noted the material differs from vegan leather, which is mostly made from plastic.

"In this case, it's derived from a cell culture, so it's 100 percent skin. And at the same time, it comes from an animal that went extinct 67 million years ago!" he said.

With no precedent to go on, Alexandre Giquello, whose auction house is organizing the sale, explained they had to "come up with a price" that would reflect both the amount of investment required to create the bag and its rarity.

Giquello estimated the value at between 300,000 and 500,000 euros ($346,000 to $576,000).

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Antarctic Peninsula Sees Record High June Temperatures

(FILES) This handout photograph released by The British Antarctic Survey on April 8, 2026, shows Emperor Penguins on Antarctica on November 13, 2010. (Photo by PETER BUCKTROUT / BRITISH ANTARCTIC SURVEY / AFP)
(FILES) This handout photograph released by The British Antarctic Survey on April 8, 2026, shows Emperor Penguins on Antarctica on November 13, 2010. (Photo by PETER BUCKTROUT / BRITISH ANTARCTIC SURVEY / AFP)
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Antarctic Peninsula Sees Record High June Temperatures

(FILES) This handout photograph released by The British Antarctic Survey on April 8, 2026, shows Emperor Penguins on Antarctica on November 13, 2010. (Photo by PETER BUCKTROUT / BRITISH ANTARCTIC SURVEY / AFP)
(FILES) This handout photograph released by The British Antarctic Survey on April 8, 2026, shows Emperor Penguins on Antarctica on November 13, 2010. (Photo by PETER BUCKTROUT / BRITISH ANTARCTIC SURVEY / AFP)

Temperatures in the Antarctic Peninsula have reached a record-breaking high of 15.4C for June, and ice is melting at abnormal rates during the current winter, climate scientists told AFP on Thursday.

Esperanza Base, an Argentine research station located in the north of the peninsula, recorded the unprecedented figure on June 6.

The previous highest temperature on record for that month -- 13.3C -- dates back to 1998. The current heat also significantly exceeds Esperanza's June average of -6.2C.

Such a figure is "very unusual for this time of year," Jose Luis Stella, a climatologist at Argentina's National Meteorological Service, told AFP.

Argentine bases Marambio and San Martin also recorded unequalled temperatures between June 5 and 6.

Marambio recorded 11.8C, surpassing a previous high of 9.2C and its June average of -10.7C.

San Martin meanwhile saw 9.4C compared to its previous 7.8C record and June average of -5.6C.

The northern Antarctic heatwave is not an isolated event, University of Groningen professor Raul Cordero told AFP.

"It confirms a trend," he said, warning that "these kinds of events will continue to occur with increasing frequency" if global warming is not derailed.

Thomas Caton Harrison, a polar climate scientist at the British Antarctic Survey, believes a combination of factors including climate change resulted in the current heat.

"There is credible evidence that climate change is playing a role, but the effect is complex in this region," he said.

"Because Antarctica sees such big swings in temperature, we have to collect lots of data over many years to build a picture of the underlying climate."

Both specialists agree that regional temperatures have been rising for years and are already showing visible effects.

"A surprising amount of precipitation has been falling as rain rather than snow," Caton Harrison said.

"This has implications for polar ecosystems such as penguin colonies," he said, adding that "it poses a challenge to my colleagues working on Antarctic bases because a lot of liquid rain has been falling and creating runoff and ice."

Esperanza Base has been recording above-zero temperatures daily for three consecutive weeks.

This trend has caused "large areas in the far north of the white continent to remain free of snow," according to Cordero, who called it "an unusual scene in the Antarctic landscape during winter."

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Japan Flagship Rocket Carrying 6 Satellites Successfully Lifts Off

An H3 rocket carrying small satellites lifts off from the Tanegashima Space Center in Tanegashima, southwestern Japan, 12 June 2026. EPA/ Jiji Press)
An H3 rocket carrying small satellites lifts off from the Tanegashima Space Center in Tanegashima, southwestern Japan, 12 June 2026. EPA/ Jiji Press)
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Japan Flagship Rocket Carrying 6 Satellites Successfully Lifts Off

An H3 rocket carrying small satellites lifts off from the Tanegashima Space Center in Tanegashima, southwestern Japan, 12 June 2026. EPA/ Jiji Press)
An H3 rocket carrying small satellites lifts off from the Tanegashima Space Center in Tanegashima, southwestern Japan, 12 June 2026. EPA/ Jiji Press)

Japan's flagship H3 rocket carrying six small satellites lifted off Friday, live footage showed.

Friday's launch comes after the H3 rocket failed to launch a geolocation satellite into orbit in December due to engine failure.

"The second stage combustion, action control and trajectory are all normal," the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said in a live YouTube broadcast, about six minutes after lift-off.

The satellites loaded onto the rocket include Tokyo University of Science's "Umitsubame" which observes the Earth and other targets with a high-performance camera, and Shizuoka University's "Shiraito" that is testing space debris capture technology, JAXA said.