⤴⤵ Up Wing/Down Wing #39
A curated selection of pro-progress and anti-progress news items from the week that was
In case you missed it .. .
✨📉 AI progress amid macroeconomic wreckage (Monday)
📈 Democrats and abundance: A Quick Q&A with … tech policy expert Adam Kovacevich (Tuesday)
🌦 Golden Age? Welcome to Trump's gloomy Iron Age (for now) (Thursday)
🌐 Tariffs are no cure for America's future fiscal solvency (Friday)
Up Wing Things
⚛️ States race to lead the nuclear renaissance. As SMRs and microreactors inch toward commercial viability, more than 25 states have collectively introduced over 200 bills supporting nuclear energy this year. Tennessee, Texas, and Utah are investing tens of millions to build supply chains, attract tech firms, and prepare reactor sites. Tech giants like Amazon and Google are fueling demand, eager for carbon-free electricity to power AI data centers:
The reactors could be operational as early as 2030, giving states a short runway to roll out the red carpet, and they face lingering public skepticism about safety and growing competition from renewables like wind and solar. Still, the reactors have high-level federal support, and utilities across the U.S. are working to incorporate the energy source into their portfolios.
While challenges remain, from fuel supply to regulatory bottlenecks, over 30 advanced reactor projects are in motion. If states get it right, the 2030s may see the dawn of modular nuclear power. (ABC)
🧠 Generative AI shows promise in mental health. In a first-of-its-kind trial, Dartmouth researchers tested a generative AI chatbot called Therabot on patients with depression, anxiety, and eating disorder risk. Over eight weeks, Therabot users reported a 51 percent drop in depression symptoms, 31 percent in anxiety, and 19 percent in body image concerns. These outcomes matched human-led therapy in half the time. Unlike most commercial bots, Therabot was trained on evidence-based practices instead of web forums. With proper guidance and continued research, AI therapy could soon become a reliable, accessible tool in global mental health care. (MIT)
🌎 Old coal site transforms into AI powerhouse. A coal plant in Homer City, Pennsylvania, has been demolished to make way for something new: a $10 billion natural gas power facility designed to serve a future AI data center campus. The plant will run on locally sourced natural gas and is expected to power both the PJM Interconnection and the New York Independent System Operator. The massive site is already lining up the resources needed to support AI’s enormous power needs: “At up to 4.5 gigawatts, the plant could nearly power Manhattan. Its output would more than double that of the original coal facility and be roughly equivalent to Georgia’s Vogtle plant, the country’s largest nuclear power site.” Construction could begin this year, with power flowing by 2027. One thousand-foot smokestacks are coming down so AI can rise. (WSJ)
🚀 Crypto investor funds historic polar flight. SpaceX has launched Fram2, the first human spaceflight mission to fly over both Earth’s poles. Funded by Chun Wang, a crypto investor and co-founder of F2Pool, the mission blasted off from Florida aboard a Falcon 9 rocket and will last three to five days. Wang is joined by Norwegian filmmaker Jannicke Mikkelsen, Australian adventurer Eric Philips and German grad student Rabea Robenhauser. All four are first-time astronauts. The crew will conduct research on human health in space while observing the North and South Poles from orbit. Mikkelsen called it “the first chance to capture the North Pole from space.” (Bberg)
🧬 Mitochondria transplants open new medical frontier. Mitochondria transplants are showing real promise, not just for repairing damaged tissue but potentially for extending human healthspan. Some researchers are testing the technique for stroke recovery and rare genetic disorders like Pearson’s syndrome. In lab studies, mitochondria transplants have shown remarkable regenerative effects:
One of the most intriguing findings of all, though, is that—in laboratory cultures, at least—transplanted mitochondria rejuvenate the biochemistry of elderly host cells. Given the number of free mitochondria in blood, this may help explain the puzzling observation that transfusing blood plasma from young to old animals seems to grant the latter a new lease of life.
With further research, mitochondria transplants could transform treatment for everything from cancer to neurodegenerative diseases to age-related decline. (Economist)
🔋 First tokamak components installed at SPARC site. Commercial fusion just took a major step forward. Commonwealth Fusion Systems has installed the cryostat base of its SPARC tokamak, the first core component of the fusion chamber itself. The cryostat will help keep the device’s superconducting magnets chilled to around 20 Kelvin and shielded from neutron bombardment, using specially treated stainless steel. This installation shifts SPARC from site preparation to actual reactor assembly. With most supporting infrastructure already built, the company aims to complete construction within a year and begin fusion experiments in 2027. For the first time, commercial fusion energy is moving from concept to concrete. (Ars)
🕶️ Meta prepares launch of newest smart glasses. Meta’s most advanced smart glasses yet, codenamed Hypernova, should be out by year’s end, and are expected to cost up to $1,400. The glasses will feature a small display in the right lens, gesture controls via a bundled neural wristband, and apps for photos, maps and messaging. Running on a custom Android OS, they will rely on the Meta View app for broader functionality. Meta is also developing a binocular-display follow-up for 2027 and testing sport-optimized Oakley-style glasses. With Hypernova, Meta inches closer to its long-term goal of full augmented reality, blending functionality with fashion. (Bberg)
🔥 Testing molten salt for nuclear’s future. Southern Company and Idaho National Lab have just made a big leap for next-gen nuclear with the first test of a molten salt flow loop, a critical system for developing safer, more efficient Gen IV nuclear reactors. These reactors ditch traditional fuel rods for molten salt slurry, which can safely shut itself down and even reuse nuclear waste. The test loop allows researchers to monitor the system’s behavior during operation without disassembly:
“Our loop at INL is unique because it serves as a test bed for advanced electrochemical sensors and bubbler instruments,” he added. “These instruments allow us to monitor and investigate material performance in real-time while the loop is still operational.”
If successful, this tech could revolutionize clean energy, making nuclear both more scalable and more sustainable. (NA)
🚀 New rockets are challenging SpaceX’s reign. After years of near-monopoly, SpaceX is finally facing serious competition. In 2024, it accounted for 87 percent of US orbital launches, but rivals like Rocket Lab, Blue Origin, and United Launch Alliance are preparing reusable rockets to contest its dominance. Rocket Lab’s Neutron is launching this year, while ULA’s Vulcan Centaur already has 80 missions booked. International contenders are rising too, including China's Space Pioneer and Europe’s Ariane 6. Although reliability and costs remain hurdles, these challengers could widen access to orbit and inject healthy competition into a market long dominated by one player. A more diverse launch ecosystem is on the horizon. (MIT)
On sale everywhere ⏩ The Conservative Futurist: How To Create the Sci-Fi World We Were Promised
Down Wing Things
📉 Goldman warns of rising recession risk. Goldman Sachs has nearly doubled its US recession forecast to 35 percent as Trump’s looming April 2 tariff rollout rattles markets. With businesses and households growing uneasy, Goldman now sees just one percent GDP growth for 2025 and expects inflation to hit 3.5 percent by year-end. The investment bank predicts that the Federal Reserve will respond with three rate cuts this year, scheduled for July, September, and November. However, it warns that the rising unemployment rate, forecasted at 4.5 percent, may influence those decisions beyond inflation alone. As global retaliation looms, the economic risks of aggressive trade policy are becoming harder to ignore, even in Goldman’s baseline outlook. (WSJ)
💉 FDA loses key leader amid vaccine turmoil. Dr. Peter Marks, head of the FDA’s vaccine division, resigned due to “pressure” by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., citing a “clear danger” to public health from the administration’s vaccine skepticism. Marks, a central figure in the US COVID-19 vaccine rollout, accused Kennedy of promoting misinformation and sidelining scientific evidence:
Dr. Marks led the agency’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research . . . He was viewed as a steady hand by many during the Covid pandemic but had come under criticism for being overly generous to companies that sought approvals for therapies with mixed evidence of a benefit.
Kennedy has proposed controversial changes, including a vaccine injury agency and revisiting debunked autism claims. Marks warned that undermining vaccine trust could reverse decades of life-saving progress. His departure raises concerns about the agency’s future scientific leadership and credibility. A replacement has not yet been announced. (NYT)
💰 Tariffs threaten to short-circuit chip industry. Even though Trump exempted semiconductors from his latest tariffs, the chip industry isn’t breathing easy. Most chips enter the US indirectly inside electronics, machines, and vehicles, goods that are now facing tariffs as high as 49 percent. That could drag down consumer demand and hurt chip sales, slashing profits and tanking stock valuations. The PHLX Semiconductor Index fell over seven percent, with Nvidia, Apple, and Dell all seeing steep drops. Analysts warn a wave of order cancellations could follow. With few incentives to shift production and no protection from global ripple effects, the chip sector may be running out of safe havens. (WSJ)
🧪 NIH grant collapse threatens future breakthroughs. Since Trump returned to office, NIH funding for US scientists has dropped more than 60 percent compared to the same point in 2024—down over $3 billion. The cuts have already paused clinical trials and shelved promising research in cancer, mental health, Alzheimer’s, and more. Labs are laying off staff and PhD programs are shrinking dramatically. At UCLA, a leading bioengineer has stopped recruiting grad students for the first time in two decades. One NIH official warned the impact could echo for generations: “You stop the pipeline, you pay with access to fewer cures later.” There’s no timeline yet for reversing the decline. (Ars)
💳 Tariff fears prompt sharp drop in spending. As tariffs loom, prompting Americans to tighten wallets. Consumer spending rose only 0.1 percent in February, following January's decline, while the savings rate reached 4.6 percent. Economists note even wealthy Americans are holding back:
The highest-earning 10 percent of Americans, with annual household incomes of $250,000 or more, have been driving much of the economy’s post-pandemic boom . . . But a recent slide in stock prices, combined with a burgeoning trade war, is causing even those well-heeled shoppers to think twice before booking vacations and snapping up designer watches.
Retailers and airlines face declining demand, while layoffs tied to federal funding hurt confidence. The University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index dropped for the third consecutive month, with two-thirds expecting higher unemployment. As economic uncertainty grows, previously confident consumers are canceling services and postponing big purchases. (Wapo)
🧬 Cuts to research threaten future innovation. Economists warn that Trump’s steep cuts to federal science funding are putting decades of US innovation at risk. NIH grants have been frozen, hundreds of NSF employees face layoffs, and key visas for foreign students have been revoked. Labs are halting clinical trials, universities like Harvard have frozen hiring, and France is actively recruiting American scientists. Federal R&D investments have powered breakthroughs from PCR to the internet, and account for one-fifth of postwar US productivity growth. Economists say this funding yields a five-to-one return, but that legacy is now in jeopardy. Undermining research today could cost future generations dearly. (NYT)
🌎 NASA slashes grants for climate and civic goals. NASA just canceled a swath of research grants, from lunar dust modeling to climate impacts on prisons, citing directives from the DOGE task force led by Elon Musk. The cuts hit projects like MIT’s satellite heat mapping and Oklahoma’s flood simulations on tribal lands, as well as DEI programs, including support for the National Society of Black Physicists. Critics say it undercuts NASA’s own rigorous review process and jeopardizes science driven by merit. Yale’s Michael Battalio warned, “Politics cannot and should not define what is scientifically worth studying.” NASA has pulled its grants database offline, offering little transparency. (NS)