Geothermal Boom: Mazama Energy’s $135M oversubscribed Series B signals big oil’s growing bet on engineered geothermal, using oilfield-style drilling and underground heat extraction to reach hotter rock. AI Safety Debate: A week of escalating warnings has major AI labs calling for slower development, as researchers flag existential risks and agent behavior that can breach safeguards. Earth’s Shape Shift: New reporting ties faster ice loss to a planet that’s becoming more spherical and flatter, with polar uplift and equator subsidence accelerating over recent decades. Climate & Wildfire Reality Check: Indonesia’s 2026 haze is back, with hundreds of thousands of hectares burned and officials warning fires may last into early November. Water, Floods, and Tech: Bengaluru’s Hebbal tunnel plan faces groundwater and congestion concerns, while Cebu’s climate project links digital payments to reforestation and flood control. Science Education & STEM: Malaysia’s youth center highlights STEM and drone/robotics, and a Nashua teen’s $1,800 brain-reading system aims to turn brain activity into speech without surgery. Earthquakes & Hazards: A strong quake rattled Papua New Guinea, underscoring ongoing Ring of Fire risk. Mining Impacts: Rajasthan’s Aravallis communities report silicosis deaths tied to dust and blasting, while Guyana seized dredges and gold in a Puruni illegal-mining crackdown.