Track 7. AI Goes Nuclear, Longevity Clues, Solar-Powered Planes

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It’s July 3^rd . Today’s stops include:

• AI is going nuclear, literally ⚡️ 

• Did scientists find the key to longevity? ♀️ 

• Solar-powered ‘cell towers’ in the sky 🛩️ 

And don’t miss our #offtherails segment — not so future-focused, just a bit of fun

Weekly coverage of stories shaping the future — brought to you in streamlined bullet points:

AI is going nuclear, literally

• What to know: The WSJ just reported that Amazon is set to sign a deal with the largest owner of nuclear power plants in the US and we should all be paying attention to that

• Power-hungry plays: a double entendre — how fun! — the tech giants are all scrambling to take the lead in the Great AI Race and they all need reliable sources of power to get there

• Energy demands: the exact energy consumption of generative AI is a bit murky — but ChatGPT, for example, uses almost 25x more power than a traditional Google search

• The nuclear solution: nuclear offers an imperfect (uh, radioactive waste) but compelling (low carbon footprint!) energy solution, and several AI bigwigs have backed nuclear generating startups recently

• Some people love it: proponents see it as a win-win for both industries — scaling AI data centers with ‘clean’ power and bringing deep pockets to nuclear power plants with high operational costs

• Some people hate it: opponents see this as a diversion that takes nuclear generation away from replacing fossil fuels — and could result in greater power grid pressures that consumers will feel at scale

• Where our minds are going: our optimistic selves hope that the energy demands of AI will necessitate cleaner energy solutions we can all benefit from — and our cynical selves… worry otherwise

• In sum: there’s a lot about AI that can feel buzzword-y, but we’re starting to see the real-world implications outside of the tech sector and it reminds us that AI will touch every facet of our collective future

Did scientists find the key to longevity?

• What to know: researchers have found that ovaries age faster than any other organ in the human body, and understanding why could help us answer bigger-picture longevity questions

• Biology 101: a quick reminder — ovaries are glands in the female body that house all a woman’s eggs and produce reproductive hormones

• You need to understand menopause: once a female reaches menopause (average age is 51), their ovaries have effectively run out of eggs and they stop producing the same amount of hormones

• Longevity implications: studies have found that women who enter menopause at an older age (thus, their ovaries function for longer) are also more likely to live longer 

• Current trials: now, scientists are testing various therapies from hormone treatments to cancer drugs to delay the aging of ovaries to extend a woman’s fertile years and, possibly, her lifespan

• Anti-aging at scale: since ovaries age faster and their functioning is affiliated with longevity, they offer a unique testing environment to better understand anti-aging interventions for all people — yes men, even for you too!

• Where our minds are going: this is a sign of major step changes in how women’s health is studied (we love to see it), and we’re keeping our eyes on these female-focused biotech companies as drivers of the new longevity movement

A story that diverted us from our day job

Solar-powered ‘cell towers’ in the sky

• Have you heard of the Zephyr? It’s a super-light aircraft that flies above other aircraft and weather events — and while it seems like a high school physics project on steroids, it could also play a pivotal role in future telecoms

• Quick stats: weighing in at only 75 kg (165 lbs) the Zephyr is launched by hand and the propellers are entirely powered by sunlight — at night, the solar-charged batteries take over

• 20 years of progress: the first Zephyr flight was in 2004 and managed to stay in the air for 27 minutes — but today, these ‘planes’ are capable of staying up for over 2 months at a time

• So, why should we care: in theory, the Zephyr and other “high altitude platform systems” (HAPS) could stay in the air ‘forever’, offering uniquely scalable solutions that orbital satellites can’t provide

• Remote connectivity: for one, the Zephyr can effectively replace the functionality of a cell tower and bring mobile service to areas off the grid or those cut off from service due to natural disasters

• Additional solutions: HAPS can also monitor weather in localized regions more efficiently, and defense organizations are interested in them for border security and maritime patrol

• Where our minds are going: we agree that this feels like an “innovation looking for a problem to solve”, but as we face increasingly extreme weather events, it doesn’t hurt to have tools like these waiting in the wings

A bit of fun to round out your ride

• Paris is pushing for an Olympic village with no air conditioning and it’s safe to say some athletes are not chill about it 

• Barcelona just announced a total ban on short-term rentals within the next 5 years — a growing trend in cities around the world — so is it time to start thinking about a future without AirBnB?

• A leading NFL cornerback is becoming high-key obsessed with golf this offseason — the PGA tour pros are loving it and, frankly, so are we

• Anxiety doesn’t have to be a bad thing — here are 3 ways it can actually help you

Here’s what Bullet Train readers had to say about last week’s topics:

Will Moderna lead the cancer vaccine movement? 

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Yes, they have the trusted name from COVID-19 (55%)

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ No, other biotech companies are doing bigger things (0%)

🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️ I have another thought on this! (45%)

Are you more likely to get an e-bike or an electric vehicle?

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 E-bike, baby (52.4%)

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ EV exclusive (4.8%)

🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ Both (28.5%)

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Neither (14.3%)

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