DTN 038: One Large Step Toward Space Babies

This startup wants to find out if humans can have babies in space

“SpaceBorn Unite is a biotech startup seeking to pioneer the study of human reproduction away from Earth. Next year, he plans to send a mini lab on a rocket into low Earth orbit, where in vitro fertilization, or IVF, will take place. If it succeeds, CEO Egbert Edelbroek hopes his work could pave the way for future space settlements. A report released in September by the US National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine points out that almost no research has been done on human reproduction in space, adding that our understanding of how space affects reproduction is “vital to long-term space exploration, but largely unexplored to date.” (MIT Technology Review)

Inside the quest for unbreakable encryption

“Computer scientists, mathematicians, and cryptographers are on a quest to find new encryption algorithms that can withstand attacks not only from today’s conventional computers but also from tomorrow’s quantum machines. For the last seven years, the job of finding the best candidates has been spearheaded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the US government body charged with collecting, testing, and standardizing cryptographic algorithms for public use. NIST has been running dozens of potential “post-­quantum” algorithms through a gauntlet of tests and making them available for outside testing. The process has winnowed the field to a few finalists, and in August NIST announced that one called CRYSTALS-Kyber, which takes an approach believed to be robust enough to counter quantum attacks, will be the first to be officially recommended for public use by 2024.” (MIT Technology Review)