Mousey Mammoth | Mooncations | WiFi Beams

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Want a relaxing yet awe-inspiring background video? Check out this 24/7 bald eagle nest cam!

Jackie and Shadow are protecting their 2 chicks and 1 egg from dangerous winds and snowy chills while putting on a majestic show.

Fun fact: Baby eagles are called “eaglets”.

—Steve 🦅 

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Mousey Mammoth

What if we crossed mammoths with mice? Colossal Biosciences genetically engineered a woolly mouse to find out.

• Used CRISPR to edit 7 hair and fat genes

• Woolly mice fur is 3x longer and thicker than normal

• Proof of concept for recreating extinct traits

Fur modification are a major step towards Colossal Bioscience’s goal of reintroducing woolly mammoths by genetically editing modern Asian elephants. Though ethical and ecological considerations must be sorted before we see wandering woollies.

IT’S SO FLUFFY

Mooncations

The moon is getting crowded. Two private companies accomplished lunar landings this week.

• Firefly’s Blue Ghost landing: 3/2, Mare Crisium

• Intuitive Machines’ Athena landing: 3/6, near the south pole

• Athena copied Odysseus and tipped over

Both landers are gathering data on lunar surface conditions as well as testing GPS navigation systems. Commercial landings are a crucial and growing part of lowering costs for NASA’s Artemis program. Next up: learn to land upright!

Athena | Blue Ghost

WiFi Beams

Long-range wireless internet is here. Alphabet’s Taara project uses FSOC to deliver high-speed internet via light beams instead of cables.

• FSOC = Free Space Optical Communication

• Transmits data where laying fiber is impractical

• Speed: 10x streaming demands across 12+ miles

Taara’s new silicon photonic chip reduces power consumption and cost for easier integration. The lack of cables could prove useful in disaster response, especially for remote locations. Sweet, I can finally watch YouTube in the desert.

Flashlight WiFi

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Unnatural Selection

Last week: “What type of glasses would your brain be?”

I was today-years-old when I learned the glasses emoji has semi-transparent lenses.

st3v on site

Flashlight WiFi

st3v reverse engineered Alphabet’s FSOC technology to work on a flashlight. Now he can keep an eye on those bald eagles even if the power goes out!

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