‘It’s rare to meet a moment when the risks of a scientific breakthrough are so clear’

‘Mirror life is theoretical. The danger is anything but.’

Mirror life “could theoretically be built out of biological molecules that are mirror images of the ones that exist naturally,” as it’s “possible to imagine — and maybe even create — a living organism made of mirror-image counterparts to natural biomolecules,” says Nidhi Kalra. Scientists “warn that mirror bacteria could devastate most life on Earth,” as it “might not be recognized by the things — immune systems, enzymes and other predator microorganisms — that keep normal bacteria in check.”

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Tanzania’s new hydroelectric dam has “doubled domestic generation capacity,” and “that’s the sort of energy abundance even developed countries dream of,” says Mihir Sharma. The country “has achieved this almost entirely on its own dime.” Given the “many pitfalls associated with big dams, it’s remarkable that Tanzania has pulled this off.” Western investors have “turned away from big projects in the emerging world and from hydropower in particular,” but “countries are discovering they can do it for themselves.”

A “few years ago, the idea of a billion-dollar Uzbek tech company would have sounded far-fetched,” but “today, investors are searching for the next Uzum, Uzbekistan’s largest digital ecosystem,” says Bruno S. Sergi. This is “exactly why Uzbekistan matters.” If the U.S. “wants Central Asia in its orbit and not locked into Russian surveillance tech, Chinese AI models and processing of its critical minerals, it needs a success story that is not built on sanctions or pressure, but on commerce.”

Robotic “tumbling records will likely be, in the pop cultural consciousness, eclipsed by something far more entertaining: tumbling robots,” says Kyle MacNeill. Along with the “epic wins, there have been some seriously old-school, epic fails,” and “these slapstick scenes are deliciously satisfying.” This “robot schadenfreude is fueled by a fear of the future,” as “pointing out their flaws makes humanity’s finish line feel further away, even if that’s a highly unintelligent thing to think.”

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