⤴⤵ Up Wing/Down Wing #51

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

In case you missed it ...

✨ 5 takeaways from Peter Thiel's NYT chat with Ross Douthat (Monday)

✨ America's AI lead over China: Here's why it will continue (Tuesday)

🚀 Blue Origin and America's spacefaring future (Wednesday)

🎦🤖 'Jurassic Park's' surprising lesson about AI, automation, and jobs (Thursday)

🗽 America at (almost) 250: It still works! (Friday)

---

⤴ Up Wing Things

☢️ US nuclear reactor review fast-tracked. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has fast-tracked its review of TerraPower’s Natrium advanced reactor construction permit, now targeting completion by the end of 2025 — well ahead of the original August 2026 timeline. This progress reflects efficient collaboration with TerraPower and recent streamlining efforts, including a partial exemption from review for the plant’s energy storage systems. Planned for Kemmerer, Wyoming, the Natrium project features a special sodium-cooled fast reactor — which is more efficient than traditional designs, produces less waste, and offers flexible energy output to support the modern grid — along with innovative energy storage. TerraPower hopes to begin nuclear construction in 2026, aiming for commercial operation in 2031, pending final approvals. (WNN

)🌳 Wood-based material could replace steel and plastic. A revolutionary new material made from waste wood — Superwood — is bulletproof, fire-resistant, and stronger than steel. Developed by Maryland-based startup InventWood, it’s engineered at the molecular level to be incredibly strong yet lightweight. Initially aimed at building facades, decking, and siding, Superwood could eventually replace steel in construction — and even show up in vehicles, electronics, and consumer goods:

Superwood is like carbon fiber, but less brittle, and carbon fiber is already used in everything from sports equipment and tennis shoes to race cars and airplanes. The last notable wooden airplane was the De Havilland Mosquito, in World War II, but in a future of eVTOLs, otherwise known as “flying cars,” a material like Superwood could be in demand. And who wouldn’t want a laptop or smartphone made of deeply hued, extra-strong wood?

The company’s first factory launches this summer, with plans to scale up quickly, as it’s currently being backed by the US Department of Energy and private investors. (WSJ)

💉 New mRNA flu vaccine shows promise. Moderna’s mRNA-based flu vaccine, mRNA-1010, has delivered impressive results in a Phase 3 trial, showing 27 percent greater effectiveness than the standard flu shot—especially in adults over 65. Tested in nearly 41,000 participants, the vaccine also triggered stronger immune responses than current flu vaccines. Moderna highlighted the shot’s potential to better match circulating strains and respond quickly to future outbreaks, offering hope for improved protection in tough flu seasons. With these strong results, mRNA-1010 could also pave the way for future combination vaccines targeting both flu and COVID-19. (Ars)