⤴⤵ Up Wing/Down Wing #46

A curated selection of pro-progress and anti-progress news items from the week that was

In case you missed it ...

⚛⚡ Is there a long German word for regret over rejecting nuclear energy? (Monday)

🎇📰 The New York Times vs AGI (Tuesday)

💻 Tech-Savvy Tallinn: A Quick Q&A with … technologist Joel Burke on Estonian “E-Government” (Thursday)

🎇 Cold War lessons for an Age of Superintelligence - (Friday)

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⤴ Up Wing Things

🚀 NASA backs nuclear space engine for faster Mars missions. Space Nuclear Power Corporation (SpaceNukes) has been selected as the industrial partner for the University of Michigan’s SPAR program to develop a next-gen nuclear electric propulsion system for spacecraft. This advanced fission reactor could drastically shorten travel times to Mars from seven months to just one. SpaceNukes’ technology is 25 times more efficient than traditional rockets, enabling spacecraft to maneuver more freely. The collaboration represents a major step toward faster, more agile space exploration for both civilian and defense missions. (IE)

📵 OpenAI and IO team up on a mission to develop AI devices. OpenAI is making a bold move into hardware with its $6.5 billion acquisition of IO, a startup founded by legendary iPhone designer Jony Ive. The partnership aims to create a new wave of AI-powered devices that go beyond the smartphone:

If the two men succeed . . . they could spur what is known as “ambient computing.” Rather than typing and taking photographs on smartphones, future devices like pendants or glasses that use A.I. could process the world in real time, fielding questions and analyzing images and sounds in seamless ways.

While details remain under wraps, both Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman envision products that elevate human interaction with technology. This is OpenAI’s biggest acquisition yet, signaling its ambition to blend its AI products with beautifully designed hardware. (NYT)

⚛ A California power plant gets a 20-year extension. Federal inspectors have given the green light for California’s Diablo Canyon Power Plant to operate for another 20 years, citing strong aging management programs by operator PG&E. The plant, which supplies about 10 percent of the state’s electricity, had been slated for closure this year, but a 2022 deal led by Governor Gavin Newsom extended its life to 2030. Now, with a successful inspection and license renewal application underway, Diablo Canyon is positioned to continue contributing to California’s energy mix well beyond the next decade. (The Sun)

🧬 New trial suggests vitamin D slows aging. A new study based on the large trial suggests that vitamin D supplements may help slow cellular aging by reducing telomere shortening — an indicator of aging at the DNA level:

Telomeres are repetitive DNA sequences that cap the ends of chromosomes. They stabilize the chromosomes during cell division, though they get shorter each time cells divide. When the telomeres get very short, the cells stop dividing and die. Over time, as more and more of our cells die, the body ages and ultimately stops functioning.

While the exact health implications remain unclear, researchers observed that participants taking 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily experienced slower telomere loss over four years. The findings may help explain vitamin D's protective effects against diseases like cancer and autoimmune disorders. Experts caution that more research is needed, and supplementation should be targeted rather than universally recommended. (SciAm)

🛰️ US agencies plus commercial sector take space initiatives to new heights. NASA, the Space Force, and the National Reconnaissance Office are shifting how they build and buy space systems by tapping into the speed, efficiency, and innovation of the commercial sector. By partnering with companies like SpaceX and newer satellite manufacturers, these agencies are moving away from slow, custom-built systems toward more agile, cost-effective solutions. This new approach is already paying off, with programs like missile tracking, GPS, and space surveillance seeing faster development and lower costs. It's a strategic change that not only saves money but also opens the door to competition, flexibility, and stronger collaboration with private industry. (Ars)

🔋 California has supercharged its battery game. California’s Mojave Desert is becoming a hub for renewable energy, with massive battery installations supporting a booming solar sector. Battery capacity in the state has surged from 500 MW in 2018 to nearly 16,000 MW in 2025, helping store cheap midday solar power for use during peak evening demand. California's regulatory push contrasts with Texas’s market-driven growth, but both states now lead the US in storage capacity. While challenges like tariffs and safety concerns may slow momentum, batteries are proving essential to managing renewable energy and building a more resilient grid.. (Economist)

📱 New and improved customer service agents are powered by AI. New AI-powered voice bots are transforming customer service with faster, more natural-sounding interactions. Companies are already using these advanced voice agents to handle high call volumes and off-hours service, now that they’ve been backed by rapid improvements and over $2 billion in venture funding:

“You have AI voice agents that you can interrupt, that proactively make logical suggestions, and there’s very little or no latency in the conversation. That’s a change that I thought was going to happen a year and a half or two years from now,” said Tom Coshow, an analyst at market research and information-technology consulting firm Gartner. . . Gartner predicts that generative AI capabilities, from voice to chat, will be present in 75% of new contact centers by 2028.

These bots can now carry on humanlike conversations, make logical suggestions, and even handle reservations or sales. (WSJ)

💉 A vaccine for cocaine addiction? An experimental vaccine designed to block cocaine from reaching the brain has shown promise in a small, early-stage trial. Over 32 weeks, participants receiving the vaccine were 17 percent more likely to test cocaine-free and reported a 27 percent reduction in cravings versus those given a placebo. The vaccine stimulates the immune system to produce antibodies that neutralize cocaine before it can cause a high. While the main goal was to assess safety (success) a larger trial is needed to confirm its effectiveness. Researchers hope it could one day support recovery for people with severe cocaine addiction. (NS)

🌳 Market forces may steer us away from AI environmental damage. President Trump’s $500 billion Stargate initiative has sparked global debate on the energy demands of AI, a hot topic at Davos. Critics warn of soaring costs and environmental tolls, but there’s reason for optimism. Advances in efficient AI models, energy-saving chips, and smarter data center cooling offer promising paths forward. Companies are embracing smaller, task-specific models and exploring innovative hardware like analog and optical chips. As energy costs rise, sustainability aligns with business interests, pushing the industry toward greener tech. The AI race is on — but efficiency may be the true competitive edge. (MIT)

🤖 Miami schools are opting to harness AI. In Miami-Dade County, one of the nation’s largest school districts, educators are embracing AI in the classroom to enhance learning and digital literacy:

It is a sharp turnabout from two years ago, when districts like Miami blocked A.I. chatbots over fears of mass cheating and misinformation. . . Now some formerly wary schools are introducing generative A.I. tools with the idea of helping students prepare for evolving job demands. Miami school leaders say they also want students to learn how to critically assess new A.I. tools and use them responsibly.

Social studies teacher Tracy Lowd recently used a chatbot to simulate President Kennedy, sparking critical discussion among students. This initiative is part of a broader effort to train over 1,000 teachers and introduce Google’s Gemini chatbot to more than 105,000 high schoolers. While some educators remain cautious about potential pitfalls like misinformation or overreliance, they see AI as a powerful tool for developing real-world skills and encouraging thoughtful engagement with technology. (NYT)

🩸 FDA approves Alzheimer's blood test. Lumipulse is the first blood test to detect amyloid plaques in the brain — a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease — offering a less invasive and more accessible diagnostic option. Developed by Fujirebio Diagnostics, the test analyzes proteins in plasma and could significantly streamline early diagnosis for patients with cognitive symptoms. While not a standalone diagnostic tool, Lumipulse marks a major step forward, especially compared to costly brain scans and spinal taps. Experts hope this innovation will improve access to earlier intervention and help transform clinical care for the nearly seven million Americans affected by Alzheimer’s. (Wapo)

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⤵ Down Wing Things

🩺 Medical AI models struggle to understand “no.” AI models may excel at recognizing patterns, but when it comes to understanding simple negation — like “no” or “not” — they often fall short. A new MIT study tested vision-language models (including medical-focused versions of OpenAI’s CLIP) and found significant failures in accurately interpreting captions involving negation. This is especially concerning in healthcare, where the difference between “signs of pneumonia” and “no signs of pneumonia” is critical. While training on negation examples helped somewhat, researchers warn that current fixes are only partial solutions to a deeper design flaw in how these models process language. (NS)

🛢️ The AI boom may mean we’re stuck with natural gas. Meta plans to build a $10 billion AI data center in rural Louisiana, marking the largest private investment in the state’s history. While the project promises jobs and economic growth, its massive power demands — equivalent to a small city — are raising concerns. Regional energy company Entergy will build three new natural gas plants to meet demand, potentially committing the US to fossil fuel reliance for decades:

Meta said it will work with Entergy to eventually bring online at least 1.5 gigawatts of new renewables, including solar, but that it had not yet decided which specific projects to fund or when those investments will be made. Meanwhile, the new natural-gas plants, which are scheduled to be up and running starting in 2028 and will have a typical lifetime of around 30 years, will further lock in the state’s commitment to the fossil fuel.

Critics warn of rising emissions, future rate hikes, and a lack of transparency. The development highlights a national trend: AI's energy appetite may reshape the power grid and determine our sustainable energy future. (MIT)

📈 A new tax bill is shaking up the US bond market. Concerns are growing in the bond market as the Trump administration pushes a bill to extend 2017 tax cuts and boost military spending — moves likely to increase the federal deficit by over $3 trillion. Investors responded with a sharp sell-off in US Treasuries, driving yields to their highest levels in months and signaling rising anxiety about long-term fiscal sustainability. The spike in yields also rattled stocks, with the S&P 500 posting its biggest drop in a month. Experts warn that higher debt-servicing costs could pressure markets further if fiscal discipline isn’t restored. (NYT)

🔥 US disregards the warming planet. The Trump administration has been steadily dialing back the US response to climate change — cutting funding for climate research, dismissing top scientists, and halting data collection that tracks greenhouse gas emissions. Disaster-preparedness programs are also being downsized, and key environmental regulations rolled back, all while clean energy projects face new roadblocks:

The president’s proposed budget calls for eliminating funding for “the Green New Scam,” including $15 billion in cuts at the Energy Department for clean energy projects and $80 million at the Interior Department for offshore wind and other renewable energy. The administration has frozen approvals for new offshore wind farms and imposed tariffs that would raise costs for renewable energy companies.

Critics say this approach leaves the US less informed, less prepared, and increasingly isolated as the rest of the world ramps up efforts to tackle climate change. With rising risks from extreme weather, many experts warn these changes could have lasting consequences for people and the planet. (NYT)

💻 Austin tech hype is growing quieter. Austin, Texas’ tech boom is cooling, with a 2024 report from SignalFire showing declines in both Big Tech employment (–1.6 percent) and startup employment (–4.9 percent). Once seen as a rising star drawing companies from California, Austin is now losing talent back to the coasts, particularly New York and San Francisco, where AI innovation and return-to-office trends are fueling growth. Former transplants cite underwhelming infrastructure, fewer networking opportunities, and limited job prospects. While Austin leaders remain optimistic, the latest data suggest the city’s bid to become a top-tier tech hub faces growing challenges from more established markets. (WSJ)

🌊 Sea levels will rise even if we hit the 1.5°C climate change limit. Conventional climate wisdom has emphasized the need to limit global warming to 1.5°C — but that won’t stop sea levels from rising significantly over the coming centuries, a new review by climate scientists warns. Satellite data, historical climate records, and updated models show ice loss from Greenland and West Antarctica is already accelerating at just 1.2°C of warming:

The world is currently on course for roughly 2.9°C of warming by 2100. That would lead to the loss of both the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets, says Jonathan Bamber at the University of Bristol in the UK. “So if we’re talking about long-term commitments, that’s in excess of 12 metres of sea level rise,” says Bamber.

Even at 1.5°C, long-term sea level rise of one to two meters or more is likely. Researchers stress that reducing warming to closer to 1°C would be needed to truly slow the melt. Every fraction of a degree matters. (NS)

🧪 Students suffer the impact of NSF funding cuts. The National Science Foundation is facing major changes under the Trump administration, with STEM education research bearing the brunt. Since April, over half of the 1,400+ canceled NSF grants have been in this area, cutting $773 million in funding. Experts warn that scaling back STEM education undermines long-term scientific progress and equity in the field. Researchers say the cuts risk narrowing access and weakening the pipeline of future innovators, especially from underrepresented communities. (NYT)