Sunday Special: A polar view from space

The universe was supposed to self-destruct 13.8 billion years ago, but a new study sheds light on how we may have dodged that bullet. Meanwhile, scientists seem to have finally figured out why your Spotify Wrapped looks the way it does.

P.S. The Sunday Special is designed to help you discover the most important scientific and technological breakthroughs outside of AI. Our regular AI and Tech updates will resume as usual on Monday.

SCIENCE SUNDAY

The most interesting scientific discoveries and breakthroughs this week

Cosmic Chaos: The fact that we exist at all has had physicists stumped for decades. The Big Bang should have created equal amounts of matter and antimatter, which would have annihilated each other, leaving the universe empty. Now, physicists are cluing in on why this didn’t happen, hinting at a mysterious imbalance in the rate at which matter and antimatter decay. This small mismatch might explain why a little more matter prevailed after the Big Bang, allowing stars, planets, and life to form.

Quantum Quake: Scientists claim to have demonstrated what could be the first-ever practical application of quantum computing. Using a 56-qubit quantum computer, they used a "certified randomness protocol" to generate truly random numbers — something classical computers can’t quite replicate. This has potential implications for cryptography and data security. While full-scale quantum computing remains distant, it’s a major milestone toward practical quantum applications.

Cells in Sync: Scientists have long wondered how complex life forms like humans evolved from single-celled organisms. Now, a new study has revealed that large single-cell organisms called stentors were able to vacuum up more food when they banded together, ramping up their feeding efficiency. This cooperative behavior of unicellular organisms could have been a crucial step in the eventual evolution of multicellular life on Earth.

Musical Mystery: A twin study of over 9,000 participants revealed that more than half of the differences in how people enjoy music are wired deep within our DNA. Researchers found that different genetic pathways were also found to influence specific aspects of music enjoyment, such as emotional response or dancing to rhythm. The findings could help explain why people experience music differently.

Decoding Death: Scientists have developed a neuroscientific model that explains near-death experiences (NDEs) as a physiological phenomenon. When oxygen drops and carbon dioxide rises during critical events like cardiac arrest, the brain releases a surge of neurotransmitters that can trigger vivid perceptions, like out-of-body sensations, a distorted awareness of time, or a sense of calm. The model is still purely theoretical and requires further empirical testing.

PRESENTED BY EIGHT SLEEP

How I get an extra 400 hours of sleep per year

As co-founder and CEO of Superhuman, I’m always looking to optimize my routine. So, how do I work 60-80 hours per week and get a full night’s rest every night?

I hack my sleep with The Pod by Eight Sleep.

The Pod is the simplest and most effective way to fall (and stay) asleep. Since using it, my deep sleep has increased by more than 1 hour each night – that's almost 17 days of extra sleep each year:

• High-tech mattress cover + app that tracks your sleep data

• Automatically cools/heats each side of the bed to maintain optimal temp range

• The most advanced version, the Pod 4 Ultra, can even reduce snoring

Get your best night’s sleep with $350 off Pod 4 Ultra and $200 off Pod 4 with code: ‘SUPERHUMANAI’.

NEW TECH

Our favorite new tech gadgets this week

1. xBloom Studio Coffee Machine: A coffee machine that integrates a grinder, brewer, scale, and mobile app all into one product. It also packs recipe cards to activate the roaster’s preset bean-specific brewing profile, ensuring a perfect cup every time.

2. Work Louder Nomad[e]: A modular keyboard for remote workers. It features an IPS display with a Pomodoro timer, a playful companion, and a “no code” configurator that allows intuitive mapping of shortcuts for improved efficiency.

3. Kabata Dumbbells: The world’s first AI-powered dumbbells that act as your personal trainer, keeping track of your reps and offering real-time form correction.

4. Shift Robotics Moonwalkers Aero: AI-powered wearable shoes that can reach speeds up to 7mph. They’re integrated with an app for real-time feedback and personalized control.

SOCIAL SIGNALS

What’s trending in tech on socials this week

🎬 Polar Premiere: SpaceX’s historic Fram2 mission marks the first time humans have ever orbited the Earth’s poles. Videos from the mission flooded our socials this week, and the view is absolutely stunning.

🧬 Embryo Explorer: The New York Times ran a feature on Orchid, the world's first whole-genome embryo screen. It helps parents get "100x more data" about their embryos’ genomes during IVF, giving their baby the best shot at a healthy start.

🎲 Cheat Craft: A video shows the science behind creating a 'loaded' or 'gaffed' dice — a dice expressly made for cheating. It’s way more complicated than it sounds.

🏥 Safe Transfer: China has created smart transfer hospital beds that minimize patient discomfort, reducing pain during transfers and slashing the risk of secondary injuries. A video of how it works has been trending this week.

PRESENTED BY DATADOG

Google’s 7 predictions on AI, LLM, and Observability

Want to stay ahead in the AI revolution? Read the 7 key takeaways from Google’s Director of AI and Datadog’s VP of Engineering as they break down their predictions of the future:

• Smarter AI and LLM strategies for your org

• Building customer trust in AI outputs

• Scaling your tooling as LLM expertise grows

Don’t fall behind–read the key insights here.

ONLY GOOD NEWS

A healthy dose of optimism to kickstart your week

Speech Surge: A stroke survivor, who lost her ability to speak 18 years ago, can communicate again, thanks to an experimental brain-computer interface. Built by researchers in California, the device translates neural activity into sound in real time, using a synthesizer created from recordings of her pre-injury voice. While more research is needed, the technology could potentially be available to patients within a decade.

Pulse Pioneer: Scientists have built a groundbreaking pacemaker, smaller than a grain of rice, that operates using light and harmlessly dissolves in the body. The device, which can be injected via a needle, is powered by a galvanic cell, which uses bodily fluids to generate electrical pulses that stimulate the heart. Still years away from human tests, it could potentially open the door to less invasive cardiac care.

In the Feels: Northwestern University engineers have developed the first "full freedom of motion" haptic device that goes beyond simple vibrations to create realistic touch sensations. The technology can be placed anywhere on the body and potentially assist visually impaired individuals, support remote healthcare, and even translate music into tactile sensations for those with hearing impairments.

Brain Booster: A new study by Stanford Medicine reveals that the shingles vaccine may reduce the risk of developing dementia by 20% — more than any other known intervention. Analyzing hundreds of thousands of Welsh health records, researchers found that older adults who received the vaccine were less likely to develop dementia over the next 7 years compared to those who did not receive it.

SUNDAY SCIENCE TRIVIA

And here’s the result from last week’s trivia: Almost a third of you got the answer right — Wow! Signal.

Your opinion matters!

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Until next time,

Zain and the Superhuman AI team