Sunday Special: Artificial suns and cosmic parades

A new study poses a significant challenge to our understanding of the theory of evolution. And one man built a fully-loaded Boeing 737-800 cockpit in his kitchen. It’s been another fascinating week of experimentation and tinkering.

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

Star Power: France just took a massive lead in the race to near-limitless clean energy. The country’s CEA WEST Tokamak reactor has shattered China’s record, maintaining a hydrogen plasma reaction for 22 minutes and 17 seconds flat. While it’s not commercial-ready yet, it’s a major leap in fusion research and has huge implications for the development of ITER, the world’s largest fusion project, in the south of France.

Two-way Street: Chinese researchers have built the world’s first two-way brain-computer interface (BCI). Unlike conventional BCIs that just decode brain signals, this system creates a feedback loop where both the brain and the machine learn from each other and improve at working together over time.

Theory Twist: Researchers from the University of Barcelona have offered a radical new take on the theory of evolution. Our current understanding associates evolution with increasing complexity and the acquisition of new genes. Now, scientists are challenging this idea. Dubbed the 'Less but More' model, researchers found that gene loss can also lead to major evolutionary leaps, and can set the stage for later duplications, driving adaptation and innovation in species.

Heat Harvest: Two-thirds of all energy turns into waste heat. Now, scientists are putting it back to work with a thermophotovoltaic (TPV) device that converts waste heat into electricity more efficiently than ever before. By eliminating the vacuum gap between the heat source and the photovoltaic cell, the finding could potentially revolutionize industries like manufacturing and power generation.

Ocean Ops: China has built an underwater computing center packed with over 400 high-performance servers. Using seawater as a cooling mechanism, the capsule can match the output of 30,000 high-end gaming computers and can process a year’s worth of data in just one second. This innovative setup is part of a broader push to boost China’s AI capabilities, offering more efficient, secure, and stable computing power.

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NEW TECH

Our favorite new tech gadgets this week

1. Planck SSD: The world’s smallest phone-first SSD, built for people who need portable high-speed storage. It records high-resolution video directly from iPhones and other USB-C devices without frame drops or storage limits.

2. HOTO Air Pump Pro: A portable high-speed electric air pump that inflates a car tire from 0 to 35 psi in under 5 minutes. It packs four preset modes, a smart auto-stop for precise inflation, and a 12-lumen light for low visibility.

3. Beatbot Aquasense Pro: The world’s first all-in-one robotic pool cleaner. It includes features like Smart Path Optimization and also allows users to customize their cleaning experience.

4. Ooni Halo Pro: A spiral mixer built for making high-quality dough at home. It uses a dual-kneading system that rotates both the hook and bowl, improving dough elasticity and texture.

SOCIAL SIGNALS

What’s trending in Tech on socials this week

Cockpit Cook: A man turned his home kitchen into a full-motion Boeing 737-800 simulator, and Reddit is loving it. The only complaint is that his choice of chairs isn’t exactly first-class.

Prompt Power: A user has posted a prompting framework shared by OpenAI President Greg Brockman — and it’s got Redditors smashing the like button.

Battery Beast: Ever since it was unveiled at CES 2025, Oukitel's new WP100 Titan smartphone has taken the internet by storm. The device packs a massive 33,000mAh battery that promises up to 6 months of standby time.

Stuck in Orbit: A video shows astronaut Chris Hadfield stuck floating in the middle of the Space Station, unable to reach a wall. One commenter summed it up perfectly: "That's how I feel in my career."

Drop Duel: A video showing a drop test between the legendary Nokia 3310 and a modern smartphone — both released from a drone high in the sky — just blew up on Reddit. The results are exactly what you'd expect, but still super impressive.

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ONLY GOOD NEWS

A healthy dose of optimism to kickstart your week

Mist Magic: While most cities dig deep into the ground for drinking water, one Chilean city is looking up. Scientists in Chile have found that capturing water from fog could provide a sustainable source of drinking water in even the world’s most arid climates. Using fine mesh nets, they estimate that fog catchers could replace weekly trucked-in water. The system is already used in rural areas, but researchers say it's time for a large-scale urban rollout.

Cosmic Lineup: Stargazing aficionados in the US have a fleeting chance to witness a rare planetary parade — seven planets in the solar system are set to align in a perfect row, completely visible in the night sky. The planets are expected to appear from the western horizon anywhere between February 23-26. Miss it, and you'll have to wait at least until 2036 for the next opportunity.

Cancer Counter: Scientists at Memorial Sloan Kettering have reported promising results from a small trial that used personalized mRNA vaccines to fight pancreatic cancer. Out of the 16 participants who were administered the vaccine, at least half generated long-lasting cancer-fighting T cells, with early results suggesting fewer recurrences. Researchers estimate these T cells could persist for years, offering hope for a future breakthrough.

Fountain of Youth: Japanese bioengineers claim to have found the 'rewind' button for aging. Noticing that older cells were considerably larger in size than younger ones, the scientists discovered that they were packed in a layer of the AP2A1 protein. This led them to conclude that blocking the protein could reverse aging — a potential breakthrough for anti-aging treatments. We’ll believe it when we see it.

Follicle Fix: Research teams around the world are possibly getting closer to reversing hair loss with a host of innovative new treatments. They’re currently testing a sugar-based gel that could stimulate blood supply to hair follicles, potentially offering a simple, affordable cure for baldness. Also, a new topical gel, PP405, aims to "wake up" dormant hair follicle stem cells, while exosome-based therapies show promise in regrowing hair naturally.

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