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Saudi Arabia Brings Together 19 Countries to Prepare a New Generation of Nuclear Scientists

The launch of the 3rd edition of INSO 2026 with students from 19 countries (Mawhiba)
The launch of the 3rd edition of INSO 2026 with students from 19 countries (Mawhiba)
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Saudi Arabia Brings Together 19 Countries to Prepare a New Generation of Nuclear Scientists

The launch of the 3rd edition of INSO 2026 with students from 19 countries (Mawhiba)
The launch of the 3rd edition of INSO 2026 with students from 19 countries (Mawhiba)

The city of Jeddah has become a global platform for young minds with the launch of the third edition of the International Nuclear Science Olympiad (INSO 2026), which Saudi Arabia is hosting for the first time.

The event, which brings together 120 students and experts from 19 countries, reflects the Kingdom’s commitment to strengthening its presence on the international scientific stage while developing national talent in one of the fields most closely linked to the future of development.

The International Nuclear Science Olympiad is the world’s leading competition for high school students in this field. It is organized under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in partnership with the Ministry of Education, the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba), King Abdulaziz University, and the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy.

The Olympiad aims to promote scientific excellence and international cooperation in the peaceful applications of nuclear science and technology.

During the opening ceremony, Minister of Education Yousef Al-Benyan stated that Saudi Arabia’s hosting of this global event reflects the strong support provided by the Kingdom’s leadership to education, research, and innovation.

He described the event as a practical expression of the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 and the Human Capability Development Program through investment in human capital, strengthening the Kingdom’s position as a global destination for knowledge, and attracting major scientific competitions.

He explained that the Olympiad, officially endorsed by the IAEA since 2024, brings together outstanding students and experts as a global platform for exchanging expertise and inspiring a new generation of scientists capable of developing solutions and innovations in the fields of peaceful nuclear energy applications, nuclear security, and nuclear technologies.

Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Technical Cooperation at the IAEA Hua Liu said the third edition marks an important milestone in the development of INSO, which is rapidly evolving into an inspiring global platform for young people.

He noted that nuclear science and technology play a pivotal role in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through their peaceful applications in disease diagnosis and cancer treatment, strengthening food security, managing water resources, protecting the environment and cultural heritage, improving industrial processes, and generating reliable low-carbon energy.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Dr. Anas Al-Wafi, Chairman of the Scientific Committee for Hosting the Olympiad, said that Saudi Arabia’s hosting of this edition reflects the importance and support that the Kingdom’s leadership places on education, scientific research, and the development of national capabilities.

He added that the royal approval to host the event underscores the central role of science and innovation in Saudi Arabia’s development journey.

Al-Wafi explained that the scientific committee includes a distinguished group of local experts from King Abdulaziz University, several government agencies, and Saudi universities, alongside international experts from universities and research centers specializing in nuclear sciences and technologies.

This, he said, ensures that the examinations are prepared and judged according to the highest international standards while promoting fairness and transparency throughout all stages of the competition.

He added that the Olympiad’s examinations are designed to measure scientific thinking rather than rote memorization. Nuclear science is inherently multidisciplinary, combining physics, chemistry, mathematics, engineering, and computer science. Consequently, the competition evaluates a student’s ability to apply knowledge from multiple disciplines to solve real-world scientific problems rather than simply recall theoretical information.

Al-Wafi noted that the questions simulate practical applications in nuclear energy, nuclear medicine, environmental science, and industry.

He stressed that the student most likely to excel is “not the one who has memorized the most information, but the one who possesses scientific curiosity, logical reasoning skills, and the ability to transform fundamental knowledge into practical solutions.”

These are the skills that will shape the future of nuclear science and technology.

He also revealed that the Olympiad’s impact extends well beyond the announcement of results. He cited the example of a Saudi student who participated in the previous edition without winning a medal, yet whose experience became a turning point in his academic journey. The student is now studying nuclear engineering at one of the top universities in the United States.

Al-Wafi stressed that the true success of the Olympiad “is not measured by the number of medals won, but by the lasting impact it has on students’ futures.”

He added that the international committee maintains ongoing engagement among participants through events and activities that connect alumni from previous editions with new competitors, helping build a global scientific community that exchanges expertise and encourages collaboration among young people.

Al-Wafi further explained that King Abdulaziz University was chosen to host the Olympiad because of its scientific legacy spanning more than 50 years.

The university’s Department of Nuclear Engineering is the oldest specialized department of its kind in the region and has played a key role in developing highly qualified national talent, specialized academic and research expertise, and advanced laboratories that support education, training, and scientific research in nuclear engineering and technology.

He added that through hosting this edition, Saudi Arabia seeks to demonstrate not only its organizational capability to host global events, but also its scientific foundation and national expertise capable of leading the technical and academic dimensions of a highly specialized international event. This reflects the maturity of Saudi universities and institutions and their ability to integrate effectively with international expertise.

Al-Wafi linked the Olympiad to the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 and the Kingdom’s national atomic energy program, explaining that the event supports efforts to build human capabilities and prepare a new generation of scientists, engineers, and researchers capable of contributing to the future of peaceful nuclear energy and technology applications.

It also strengthens Saudi Arabia’s presence within the international scientific community and creates broader opportunities for collaboration among universities, research centers, and specialized institutions while fostering sustainable scientific partnerships.

He emphasized that nuclear science is no longer limited to energy production. It now plays an important role in medicine, agriculture, industry, environmental protection, and even the preservation of cultural heritage and archaeological sites.

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Varieties

Satellites Show Earth Lost More Than 12 Trillion Tons of Ice from Greenland, Antarctica in 47 Years

Two groups from the Poseidon Expeditions tour company look at a glacier in the Scoresby Sund, Sept. 7, 2023, in Greenland. (AP)
Two groups from the Poseidon Expeditions tour company look at a glacier in the Scoresby Sund, Sept. 7, 2023, in Greenland. (AP)
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Satellites Show Earth Lost More Than 12 Trillion Tons of Ice from Greenland, Antarctica in 47 Years

Two groups from the Poseidon Expeditions tour company look at a glacier in the Scoresby Sund, Sept. 7, 2023, in Greenland. (AP)
Two groups from the Poseidon Expeditions tour company look at a glacier in the Scoresby Sund, Sept. 7, 2023, in Greenland. (AP)

About 12.5 trillion tons (11.3 trillion metric tons) of ice from glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica have melted since 1979, which is enough frozen water to stack ice five feet deep across the continental United States, according to a major scientific report.

A warming Earth is accelerating the melting of the planet's two major ice sheets, with five-sixths of the melt not coming from hotter air, but from warmer waters eating away at the ice sheets from below and the sides, with glaciers flowing into the oceans, according to a study in Wednesday's journal Scientific Data. That's bad news for future sea level rise, the study's authors said.

“The ice sheets are melting away fast,” said study co-author Eric Rignot, an ice scientist at University of California, Irvine. “We are melting the polar regions, sea level is rising worldwide and will exacerbate the vulnerability of coastal regions.”

Huge numbers for ice melt, people flooded

The numbers behind the melt are both mind-bogglingly huge and deceptively small.

All that melted ice turned into nearly 3 quadrillion gallons of water (11.3 quadrillion liters), which pushed global sea levels up about an inch (3.1 centimeters) since 1979, on top of other climate factors raising ocean heights, the report said.

An inch may not sound like much, but for every third of an inch (or centimeter) of sea level rise, another 2 to 3 million people get flooded at least once a year, said lead study author Ines Otosaka, an ice scientist at Northumbria University in England.

The Jakobshavn glacier in Greenland is now retreating up to 164 feet (50 meters) a day, Otosaka said.

The international collaboration of polar scientists, headed by the European Space Agency, had in the past only looked at ice sheet melt since the 1990s based on European satellite data. But by incorporating NASA satellites, the scientists were able to chart ice sheet volumes in Antarctica back to 1979 and in Greenland back to 1972.

The melting is accelerating

“There is a clear trend that the ice sheets are losing more mass and it has been increasing from decade to decade, especially if you look at the ice being discharged to the ocean," Otosaka said. "And that’s quite clear that there’s a link to climate change.”

It showed that in the 1970s, 1980s and into the 1990s, the ice sheets were relatively stable, but then melt started happening and it really kicked in during the 2010s, Otosaka said.

“That’s something to be concerned about as it shows that the changes are tracking decades behind global warming, which means we can expect them to continue for decades more — even if we are able to stop heating the planet,” said study co-author Andrew Shepherd, also of Northumbria.

The accelerating numbers seemed to pause from 2020 to 2023, but the study's authors said it more reflected short-term weather variations not long-term trends. Otosaka said the study stopped with 2023 data, but she's looked at measurements since and found the accelerating trend has picked back up.

A lot of the stability in Antarctica was because East Antarctica had record snowfall, which compensated for the rapid melting in the less stable West Antarctic Ice Sheet, the authors said.

The three-year hiatus was “just a bump in the record,” Rignot said. “The long rise is climate and the threat is crystal clear.”

Worrying about a collapse scenario

The biggest changes scientists saw are in what they call dynamic processes, which are more abrupt and active than the slow steady melting from the air, and that's something prone to trigger runaway “tipping points,” Otosaka said.

New York University ice scientist David Holland, said that's what concerns him “because most of the ice loss is dynamical and that is exactly what you would expect in an ice sheet instability collapse scenario.”

The international team used 45 independent surveys and 27 different satellites. “The use of relatively independent methods gives me greater confidence in the result,” said Holland, who wasn't part of the study. “The upward trend is real.”

“The ‘wild cards’ of Antarctic mass loss continue to pose a challenge for human management of the planet — a clear and present danger, but many decades in the future,” said University of Colorado ice scientist Ted Scambos, who wasn't part of the study. “We are now as a society smart enough to know the future, but not prudent enough to act upon the knowledge.”

Varieties

Centenarians Living in Japan Exceed 100,000 for the First Time

Elderly people rest under the shade of a tree in Tokyo, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2014. (AP)
Elderly people rest under the shade of a tree in Tokyo, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2014. (AP)
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Centenarians Living in Japan Exceed 100,000 for the First Time

Elderly people rest under the shade of a tree in Tokyo, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2014. (AP)
Elderly people rest under the shade of a tree in Tokyo, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2014. (AP)

The number of people aged 100 or older in Japan surpassed a record 100,000 this year, the latest government figures show, underscoring the country's rapidly aging and declining population.

The Health and Welfare Ministry statistics released Tuesday show Japan now has 107,677 centenarians, up 7,914 from the previous year and exceeding the 100,000 mark for the first time. Nearly 88% of them are women.

Kyoto resident Fuyo Kishimoto was recently recognized as the oldest Japanese woman at age 114. Japan's oldest male is 112-year-old Hikaru Kato from Kumamoto in southern Japan.

The figures were released to mark this year’s Sept. 15 Respect the Aged day, when healthy and active centenarians are honored by the government with a letter from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

“I'm very pleased that many people are living a long, healthy and active lives,” Health Minister Kenichiro Ueno told reporters Tuesday, citing progress in medical technology, healthy lifestyle and diet as contributing factors.

Ueno noted the importance of maintaining a sustainable social security system as the population continues to age and decline.

Many younger people, however, are not optimistic about their future.

The National Institute of Population and Social Security Research last week released the results of a survey indicating more than 20% of both men and women who are single and aged between 18 and 34 have no intention of ever marrying, with nearly half saying they see no benefit in marriage.

Ueno acknowledged the reasons for marriage reluctance among young people include the high costs of raising and educating children and the mental and physical burden on working parents. He said the government will continue addressing their concerns and attempt to turn around problems related to Japan's aging population and dwindling births.

Japan’s drastic population decline is inevitable, experts say, noting the country's total fertility rate dropped to a record low 1.14 in 2025, far below the 2.1 children needed to be born to each Japanese woman to maintain the current population.

Japan’s total population during the 2020 census stood at 126 million, almost 30% of which were 65 or older. Experts estimate there will be a decline to 87 million by 2070 with nearly 40% aged 65 or older, according to the national institute.

There were 153 people aged 100 or older in Japan when centenarian surveys began in 1963. They exceeded 1,000 in 1981 and surpassed 10,000 in 1998, according to the Health and Welfare Ministry.

Varieties

Spanish Scientists Find 1st Evidence of Diplodocus Dinosaur in Europe

FILE PHOTO: A diplodocus skeleton named "Misty" is seen at Summers Place Auctions in Billingshurst, southern England November 25, 2013. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A diplodocus skeleton named "Misty" is seen at Summers Place Auctions in Billingshurst, southern England November 25, 2013. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor/File Photo
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Spanish Scientists Find 1st Evidence of Diplodocus Dinosaur in Europe

FILE PHOTO: A diplodocus skeleton named "Misty" is seen at Summers Place Auctions in Billingshurst, southern England November 25, 2013. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A diplodocus skeleton named "Misty" is seen at Summers Place Auctions in Billingshurst, southern England November 25, 2013. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor/File Photo

Spanish paleontologists say they have found the first evidence that Diplodocus, the iconic long-necked dinosaur, once roamed Europe, according to research published on Tuesday in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Researchers from the Dinopolis Foundation in Teruel in eastern Spain recovered fossils comprising 14 caudal vertebrae and several chevron bones of one specimen ⁠from sediments dating back ⁠around 150 million years.

"The anatomical study and evolutionary analyses we conducted have allowed us to identify the El Castellar specimen as belonging to the genus ⁠Diplodocus. It is one of the most complete diplodocids discovered to date in Europe and represents the first evidence of this genus outside North America," lead author Sergio Sanchez Fenollosa wrote, according to Reuters.

Alberto Cobos, managing director of the Dinopolis Foundation and a co-author of the study, said the ⁠specimen ⁠likely measured around 25 meters (82 feet) in length. It joins a growing list of giant Jurassic sauropods found in the Teruel area.

First identified from fossils found in Wyoming in 1877, the herbivorous Diplodocus, known for its long neck, whip-like tail and four sturdy legs, is among the world's most recognizable dinosaurs.