Sunday Special: Lost cities and megastructures slowing the planet

Megastructures built by humans are slowing down the Earth’s spin. They may even be causing days to get longer. And two studies uncover surprising trends about how life has changed since the pandemic.

P.S. This is our third experimental Sunday Special email. I’ve created it to help you discover the latest scientific and technological breakthroughs beyond AI. Please share your feedback at the bottom of today’s email to help me create better emails for you!

SCIENCE SUNDAY

The biggest scientific discoveries and breakthroughs this week

The Lost City: Archaeologists have found a lost Mayan city in Mexico using Lidar technology. Thousands of previously hidden structures were found, including some pyramids.

Slowly But Surely: Scientists have calculated that a Chinese mega dam is slowing down the Earth’s rotation by a tiny fraction of a second by concentrating a huge amount of mass into one spot. Mega structures like these can even change the position of the poles and make days longer.

Carbon Killer: Scientists have discovered a new form of algae in volcanic ocean vents that eats CO2. The researchers say that the new algae strain could help in ocean decarbonization.

A Dark Find: A new study claims that evidence is mounting for dark energy from black holes. Dark energy is one of the biggest unsolved mysteries in Physics — It makes up the majority of the universe, but scientists don't exactly know what it is.

Mystery Solved: We finally know why so many Roman structures were able to last for thousands of years. The answer lies in the use of volcanic ash.

🔎 TREND SPOTTER

Life expectancy is returning to pre-pandemic levels — but out of home activities are declining

Health metrics are bouncing back post-pandemic, but it seems like lifestyle changes are here to stick around.

First, the good news. Life expectancy is finally rebounding to pre-pandemic levels in many countries, marking a significant milestone in our recovery from the pandemic’s devastating impact.

However, not everything is returning to "normal." There appears to be a persistent decline in out-of-home activities compared to pre-pandemic levels. A new study shows an overall drop of about 51 minutes in the daily time spent on out-of-home activities.

NEW TECH

Our favorite new tech gadgets this week

1. Vizio MicMe: A 2-in-1 device that can be used both as a sound bar and a karaoke machine.

2. Elemind: A headband designed to optimize your sleep. The company claims that the device helped 76% of participants in a study fall asleep significantly faster.

3. Amp: An electric fitness machine that attaches to a wall and lets you complete all your workouts at home.

4. Infinite Machine: An electric bike that comes with home chargeable batteries, mobile apps, cameras, and more. Claims to be the fastest vehicle in its class.

SOCIAL SIGNALS

What’s trending in Tech on socials this week

Beef: Things got spicy on X this week after famed venture capitalist Keith Rabois seemed to imply that startups shouldn’t hire people over 30. Elon Musk hit back.

Comet Gazing: A stunning image of a comet heading towards Earth went viral on Reddit.

Throwback: This series of historical photographs looks at what office life was like before the invention of AutoCAD and other drafting software.

Keyboard Craze: X went wild over a new keyboard (see image above). Seems futuristic but I’m not sure if this is an improvement over regular old keyboards.

Whoops: A tram derailed and crashed into an Apple store in Norway.

ONLY GOOD NEWS

A healthy dose of optimism to kickstart your week

A Pleasant Side Effect: A new study found that the diabetes and weight-loss drug Ozempic sharply reduces pain from obesity-related knee arthritis and improves a person’s chances of engaging in activities such as walking.

Blast From The Past: Seems like some things can’t be disrupted by technology, as vinyl record sales surge again this year.

Health Watch: Scientists want to use smartwatches to predict Parkinson’s disease. Data collected by smartwatches can be used to detect early signs of the ailment, according to some researchers.

Whale Talk: Scientists used AI and underwater speakers to contact a whale and conduct a 20 minute conversation with the whale off the coast of Alaska.

Life Saver: Researchers at the University of Southern California find that a medicine used in cancer and reproductive care also shows promise for extending human lifespans.

MEME OF THE WEEK

ChatGPT gets a sense of humor

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Until next time,

Zain and the Superhuman AI team