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Vin Diesel hanging from a vehicle with explosion in the background, people inside train reacting.

Universal Orlando sets closing date for Fast & Furious attraction, teases new coaster

Universal Orlando has set a closing date for its Fast & Furious – Supercharged attraction and teased its new Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift coaster.

Starting with Fast & Furious – Supercharged, the last day to ride the attraction will be 16 August, according to a notice shared with annual passholders.

The post said that as the resort continues to "make way for the new Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift roller coaster opening next year, we are permanently closing Fast & Furious – Supercharged next month".

As for the new Fast & Furious-themed coaster, this will be the fastest in the Universal portfolio with speeds of up to 72 mph.

Universal Orlando has now shared a first look at the ride's 170-foot vertical spike, which will send guests nearly 17 storeys in the air, described as "just one of the high-octane thrills" of the new attraction.

Located at Universal Studios Florida, the ride will replace the former Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster.

The Fast & Furious franchise has earned more than $7 billion at the global box office, making it Universal Pictures' most profitable and longest running franchise.

Universal's fastest-ever coaster

The new coaster is also coming to Universal Studios Hollywood in California, where Fast & Furious – Supercharged closed in 2025.

As the theme park’s first-ever high-speed outdoor coaster, guests will race along 4,100 feet of aerial track in 360-degree rotating vehicles, designed to resemble iconic cars from Fast & Furious.

Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift is set to open at Universal Orlando in 2027 and at Universal Studios Hollywood this summer.

Images courtesy of Universal

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Hand using a smartphone app to photograph ornate stone artwork at the Met museum

The Met introduces generative AI to transform the guest experience

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has unveiled two new generative AI initiatives to transform how people discover art.

The museum is partnering with Google Arts & Culture on the projects, which include generative AI prototypes that address the visitor experience and an interactive AI tool called Art Aura.

Starting with the prototypes, the Met recently completed its six-month technologist in residence programme, for which it teamed up with creative technologist Julia Daser to explore how generative AI can enhance museum visits.

Using Google Gemini and Vertex AI, Daser collaborated with curators at the museum to quickly build and live-test prototypes directly in the exhibition spaces.

"Over the course of the six-month digital residency, we built dozens of testable prototypes that address the entire visitor journey, from initial navigation to post-visit engagement," said Brett Renfer, senior programme manager of emerging technologies at the Met.

"We’re excited about possibilities like improved wall text accessibility, wayfinding and deep post-visit engagement, and hope our findings can serve as inspiration for other institutions."

In addition to the residency, the Met is launching Art Aura, an interactive, multimodal AI experience developed by the Google Arts & Culture Lab.

Powered by Google Gemini, Art Aura allows users to create a "personalised portrait of their unique artistic taste", according to a blog post.

Users can drag artworks, styles or descriptive phrases into a digital zone to discover hidden thematic connections across the centuries of art in the museum's collection.

Earlier this year, the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced plans to merge with the Neue Galerie from 2028.

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Red panda walking through sunlit greenery and rocks at the Calgary Zoo

Wilder Institute's Calgary Zoo opens new Asian Highlands exhibit

The Wilder Institute's Calgary Zoo has opened its new Asian Highlands exhibit, providing three new habitats for snow leopards, red pandas and the Sichuan takin.

Inspired by the Eastern Himalayas, Asian Highlands is "the first phase of a broader journey to reimagine our connection to Asia’s wildlife and landscapes", said Kyle Burks, the zoo's president and CEO.

The project "brings together exceptional animal care, conservation storytelling, and meaningful opportunities for guests to learn and engage", he added.

Snow leopard resting on rocky terrain, surrounded by purple flowers and a wire fence above at Calgary Zoo The Calgary Zoo's snow leopards can now explore two interconnected habitats in Asian Highlands

Each habitat in Asian Highlands has been designed to support animal welfare and reflect the natural environments of the resident species.

The zoo's snow leopards can now explore two interconnected habitats in 'Kingdon Snow Leopard Ridge', named after donor David Kingdon.

"Snow leopards are a species we care deeply about, and we hope this habitat inspires others to share in that commitment to their future," he said.

As for the Sichuan takin, these animals now live in the 'Nicholls Family Himalayan Slopes', made possible through the support of the Nicholls family.

"Through its work as a global conservation charity and accredited zoo, the Wilder Institute’s Calgary Zoo helps position Calgary as a leader in animal care, conservation, and education," said Greig and Brenda Nicholls.

Finally, the red pandas can be seen moving through expanded climbing spaces and across overhead logs.

Asian Highlands is the first phase of the zoo's Imagine Asia project, a reimagining of the former Exploration Asia zone.

The Calgary Zoo is a 125-acre wildlife park in Alberta. Founded in 1929, it is Canada’s most-visited zoo and houses more than 4,000 animals representing over 100 species.

Images courtesy of the Wilder Institute's Calgary Zoo

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