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Bezos's Blue Origin to 'Pause' Space Tourism to Focus on Moon Efforts

Jeff Bezos arrives to attend Dior Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2026 show in Paris, France, January 26, 2026. REUTERS/Abdul Saboor
Jeff Bezos arrives to attend Dior Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2026 show in Paris, France, January 26, 2026. REUTERS/Abdul Saboor
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Bezos's Blue Origin to 'Pause' Space Tourism to Focus on Moon Efforts

Jeff Bezos arrives to attend Dior Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2026 show in Paris, France, January 26, 2026. REUTERS/Abdul Saboor
Jeff Bezos arrives to attend Dior Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2026 show in Paris, France, January 26, 2026. REUTERS/Abdul Saboor

Jeff Bezos's space company Blue Origin said Friday it would temporarily pause flights of its space tourism rocket to focus more resources on its lunar ambitions.

According to AFP, the company said in a statement it would "pause New Shepard flights for no less than two years" in order to "further accelerate development of the company's human lunar capabilities."

"The decision reflects Blue Origin's commitment to the nation's goal of returning to the Moon and establishing a permanent, sustained lunar presence," the statement read.

New Shepard is a reusable rocket that has carried dozens of humans across the Karman line, the internationally recognized boundary of space.

But Blue Origin also aims to compete with Elon Musk's SpaceX in the orbital flight market.

Last year, the company founded by Amazon's Jeff Bezos successfully carried out two uncrewed orbital flights using its massive New Glenn rocket, which is significantly more powerful than New Shepard.

Also last year, NASA said it was opening bids for a planned Moon mission, the third phase of the Artemis program, to compete against rival SpaceX, which the then-chief said was "behind."

Blue Origin currently has the contract for the fifth planned mission of the multibillion-dollar Artemis program.

US President Donald Trump's second term in the White House has seen the administration pile pressure on NASA to accelerate its progress to send a crewed mission to the Moon, as China carries out similar efforts.

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Saudi Arabia: AlUla Hot Air Balloons, Safari Span 200,000 Years of History

The experience combines sunrise balloon flights with fine dining and stargazing under AlUla’s clear skies. SPA
The experience combines sunrise balloon flights with fine dining and stargazing under AlUla’s clear skies. SPA
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Saudi Arabia: AlUla Hot Air Balloons, Safari Span 200,000 Years of History

The experience combines sunrise balloon flights with fine dining and stargazing under AlUla’s clear skies. SPA
The experience combines sunrise balloon flights with fine dining and stargazing under AlUla’s clear skies. SPA

AlUla’s season has launched a new slate of aerial experiences, offering visitors a rare opportunity to explore nearly 200,000 years of human history from the air, with hot air balloon flights rising to 4,000 feet above the desert landscape.

The experience combines sunrise balloon flights with fine dining and stargazing under AlUla’s clear skies, blending adventure, heritage, and luxury hospitality.

Daily sunrise tours are operated by Hero Balloon Flights Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom’s first licensed hot air balloon operator.

The flights offer sweeping views of AlUla’s natural and historical landmarks, including deep valleys, carved tombs stretching across the desert, and sites of natural and cultural heritage from elevated vantage points.

As the balloon slowly inflates with bursts of hot air and lifts gently into the sky, expansive natural vistas unfold, offering what many describe as some of the most striking scenery in Saudi Arabia and a new perspective on the region.

Afternoon flights are paired with a broader program that connects seamlessly to dinner at Sharaan Nature Reserve and guided stargazing sessions.

The experience begins with an off-road exploration of valleys and natural trails within Sharaan Reserve, bringing visitors into close contact with the landscape while offering insight into the area’s geological features and history.

The evening concludes with a refined stargazing session led by a professional astronomer.

From daytime balloon flights, the experience extends to safari-style tours in Sharaan Nature Reserve, organized by Platinum Heritage Saudi, part of the Hero Experiences Group.

The journey highlights AlUla’s geological and cultural legacy.

The afternoon Platinum dinner experience is led by guides specializing in environmental conservation and natural heritage. As convoys travel through the reserve’s pristine terrain, guests learn about ancient rock inscriptions dating back thousands of years, explore historic valleys, and discover elements of local folklore.

As sunset approaches, visitors stop at a scenic overlook above the vast valleys, where appetizers and refreshments are served before continuing to dinner in Sharaan Reserve and a stargazing session that begins at dusk.

At a secluded desert camp illuminated by lanterns, guests are served dinner beneath a star-filled sky, combining nature and hospitality in the heart of the desert.

As night falls, a visual program blending light projection, sand art, and shadow transforms the canyon walls into a storytelling canvas, recounting the story of planet Earth and AlUla’s place within it.

Designed to accompany the dining experience, the show takes guests on a journey through time via projected imagery within a natural valley, supported by sand drawings and light interacting with sandstone formations.

The presentation reimagines the evolution of the planet, culminating in the rise of AlUla’s ancient civilizations.

The evening concludes with guided stargazing as guests observe celestial bodies and asteroids through telescopes, an experience that links sky and earth.

Positioned as one of the world’s emerging tourism destinations, AlUla offers a blend of unspoiled nature, cultural richness, and contemporary hospitality experiences.

Varieties

Scientists May Have Unlocked Key Secret to Long Life

Prof Uri Alon said he hoped the study would inspire further investigation into the genes that affect lifespan (Shutterstock)
Prof Uri Alon said he hoped the study would inspire further investigation into the genes that affect lifespan (Shutterstock)
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Scientists May Have Unlocked Key Secret to Long Life

Prof Uri Alon said he hoped the study would inspire further investigation into the genes that affect lifespan (Shutterstock)
Prof Uri Alon said he hoped the study would inspire further investigation into the genes that affect lifespan (Shutterstock)

Scientists think they may have unlocked a key secret to long life – quite simply, genetics, according to The Guardian.

Writing in the journal Science, the researchers described how previous studies that had attempted to unpick the genetic component of human lifespan had not taken into account that some lives were cut short by accidents, murders, infectious diseases or other factors arising outside the body. Such “extrinsic mortality” increases with age, as people often become more frail.

Prof Uri Alon and colleagues at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel say the true genetic contribution to the variation in human lifespan has been masked.

The team looked at “heritability,” the proportion of change in a characteristic such as height, body weight or lifespan within a population that can be attributed to genetics rather than environmental factors. Previous studies for human lifespan have thrown up a wide range of values – with heritability ranging from 6% of the variation to 33%.

But Alon, who co-authored the research, and his colleagues said such figures were underestimates. “I hope this will inspire researchers to make a deep search for the genes that impact lifespan,” The Guardian quoted Alon as saying. “These genes will tell us the mechanisms that govern our internal clocks.

“These can one day be turned into therapy to slow down the rate of ageing and in that way slow down all age-related disease at once.”

The team created a mathematical model that takes into account extrinsic mortality and the impact of biological ageing, and calibrated it using correlations of lifespan from historical datasets of thousands of pairs of twins in Denmark and Sweden.

They removed the impact of extrinsic mortality to reveal the signal from biological ageing, which is caused by genetics. The results suggest about 50% of the variation in human lifespan is due to genetics – a figure the researchers said was on a par with that seen in wild mice in the laboratory.

The other 50% of variation in human lifespan, they said, was probably explained by factors such as random biological effects and environmental influences.

Varieties

Berlin Drowning in Potatoes… for Free

Sack of fresh raw potatoes (Shutterstock)
Sack of fresh raw potatoes (Shutterstock)
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Berlin Drowning in Potatoes… for Free

Sack of fresh raw potatoes (Shutterstock)
Sack of fresh raw potatoes (Shutterstock)

A vast stockpile of potatoes is being given away for free by a farm in the German state of Saxony, after a bumper national harvest.

Thousands of tasty tubers have been rolling into the country's capital, Berlin, since mid-January, with residents risking icy streets to bag their share, according to BBC.

Dubbed “the great potato rescue” it is part of a plan to stop about 4 million kg of surplus spuds from going to ruin. Food banks, schools and churches are among the beneficiaries, according to organizers.

However, the enterprise was labelled a “disgusting PR stunt” by the Brandenburg Farmers' Association, which lamented the impact on local markets.

Germany is the European Union's potato-producing capital, and last year's harvest has left the market saturated.

Ultimately it is about “putting the potato in the spotlight as a valuable food,” said Berliner Morgenpost editor, Peter Schink who helped spearhead the plan.

The newspaper teamed up with eco-friendly search engine firm, Ecosia, to co-ordinate and fund the distribution of the spuds.

Not wishing to discard its “magnificent tubers” back into the fields, Osterland Agrar says it's set to have bussed around 500,000kg to Berlin, and other parts of Germany and Ukraine.

"We can store them until the middle of this year," said Hans-Joachim von Massow, Managing Director of Osterland Agrar, the agricultural firm that ended up with all the potatoes, after a customer contract was cancelled and settled.

But not everyone is celebrating.

“Food is and will remain valuable, even if thoughtless do-gooders throw around free potatoes at schools and churches,” said Timo Scheib from the Brandenburg Farmers' Association.