DTN 153: TerraPower Gets License to Build
Plus: Graphene-based artificial skin, laser-driven lightsails, offshore datacenters, hyperscalers sign power pledge, and more.
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"Re-industrializing and rearming Europe is a project that's going to take at least 10 years. We need all the capital we can get flowing into the ecosystem."
Bill Gates–backed nuclear start-up TerraPower just got cleared to start building its first power plant
“Globally, only about 25 significant reactors have been built using sodium cooling, and most of them weren’t used to generate power; the US hasn’t built one since the 1960s and hasn’t operated one since the 1990s. This is a radical design, and the company could still face many hurdles before getting approval to operate it.”
- Hyperscalers sign White House pledge to fund data center power, grid upgrades
- China designates space sector an “emerging pillar industry,” sets deep space ambitions in new economic blueprint
- US reportedly considering sweeping new chip export controls
- Pioneering gene therapy may treat a deadly seizure disorder
- World-first gigabit laser link between aircraft and geostationary satellite
- Who needs data centers in space when they can float offshore?
"Despite current limitations, our research could serve as a foundation for the design and fabrication of multi-dielectric photonic crystal sails. It may provide a pathway to experimentally validated, scalable, lightweight devices for laser-driven propulsion, enabling future interplanetary exploration with minimal onboard mass," said Dimitar Dimitrov, an assistant professor at Tuskegee University. (via Phys.org)
- IBM scientists unveil the first ever “half-Möbius” molecule, with the help of quantum computing
- Graphene-based 'artificial skin' brings human-like touch closer to robots
- Chemists create iridium compounds for the synthesis of 'smart' antitumor drugs
- Bioinspired robot eye adjusts its pupil to handle harsh lighting
- Bio-inspired methods help guide coordination in underwater robot swarms
- Physicists developing a quantum computer that’s entirely open source
- Vast raises $500 million to keep developing 'Haven' private space stations
- Cognito Therapeutics raises $105M to advance Spectris non-invasive neurostimulation platform for Alzheimer's disease
- AgriPass raises $7.5M to develop AI and robotics solutions for agriculture
- Photoncycle raises €15M to scale seasonal hydrogen-based energy storage systems
- Science Corp. raises $230M to commercialize brain-computer interface and retinal implant technologies
- Smack Technologies raises $32M to advance frontier AI lab developing military decision systems
- Nominal raises $80M to scale data infrastructure and AI platform for aerospace, defense, and energy
- Sierra Space raises $550M to expand missile-tracking satellite production and defense space systems
- Oxa raises $103M to scale autonomous vehicle software for industrial logistics and manufacturing
- Mutable Tactics raises $2.1M for AI drone coordination in satellite-denied environments
- PLD Space raises €180M to scale Miura 5 rocket production and launch cadence
- PlasmaLeap raises $20M to scale zero-emissions ammonia and nitric acid production for agriculture
- Precision BioSciences raises $7.5M to advance ARCUS gene editing platform for genetic and infectious diseases
- Ayar Labs raises $500M to scale co-packaged optics solutions for AI infrastructure
- Antiverse raises $9.3M to develop AI-powered antibody design platform for challenging drug targets
- EGI Battery raises $10M to manufacture lithium-ion batteries for aerospace, drones, and robotics
- Anduril targets $60B valuation in new funding round to scale autonomous defense systems
- Polares Medical raises $50M to develop transcatheter mitral valve replacement system
- Poplar Therapeutics raises $45M to advance anti-IgE antibody therapy for food allergies and atopic diseases
- Shellworks raises $15M to scale Vivomer bio-based plastic alternative for sustainable packaging
- HawkEye 360 raises $23M to scale space-based signals intelligence for defense and national security
Some people see aliens while on DMT. Researchers want to find out what they can teach us. / Earth garden: Field recordings around the world / The space race's forgotten theme park / X says it will suspend creators from revenue-sharing program for unlabeled AI posts of ‘armed conflict’ / The US military is still using Claude — but defense-tech clients are fleeing / We are woefully unprepared for the next 25 years.
