🚗 Fewer traffic deaths in the US last year
Traffic deaths in the USA decreased by 3.6 percent last year. This marks the second consecutive year of a decrease in deaths, despite an increase in miles driven.
🚢 The world's largest electric ferry charges in six minutes - and reduces emissions
Electrification of a previously diesel-electric ferry reduces CO2 emissions annually by about 28,000 tons. The transition to fully electric operation is expected to be cost-effective within eight years, and the ferry is estimated to operate many more years than that.
📰 This is what the news could look like
The big news was not how many died in the earthquake in Taiwan, but how many did NOT die
🦾 Chatbot convinced conspiracy theorists to reconsider their beliefs
People's belief in conspiracy theories decreased by about 20 percent after talking to an AI. The chatbot used a fact-based method to question conspiracy theories. The change in belief persisted for at least two months, suggesting a lasting effect.
🚀 SpaceX plans even bigger Starships
In front of SpaceX employees, Elon Musk has updated his vision for how to take humans to Mars and establish a self-sustaining colony there. The key is the rocket currently being developed, Starship, which they are planning to make even bigger.
🔋 New fast-charging electric vehicle battery with a lifetime of 400,000 miles
StoreDot has introduced a new electric vehicle battery that can be charged up to 80 percent in just 5-10 minutes. The battery boasts a lifetime of 65,000 miles thanks to the ability to undergo 2,000 ultra-fast charging cycles.
💡 Premium Supporter recap + fact-based optimistic news
❌ Slovakia closes its last coal-fired power plant – six years ahead of schedule. 🏢 Thousands of deaths avoided in Taiwan earthquake. 🛫 Successful demo flight with the first private supersonic aircraft since the Concorde.
🌌 The most detailed measurement of the universe's expansion, conducted by DESI
This is the first time researchers have measured the expansion history of the distant period, 8-11 billion years ago, with a precision of better than one percent. With just one year of data, DESI has surpassed all previous 3D spectroscopic maps combined.
🔋 Battery storage in Europe expands significantly
The demand for energy storage has reached new heights in Europe with over 10 GW of new installations last year. The capacity is predicted to increase sixfold by 2030, with a total capacity of over 120 GW.
🛫 Successful demo flight with the first private supersonic aircraft since the Concorde
Boom Supersonic has successfully completed the first flight with XB-1, the world's first civilly developed supersonic aircraft. This paves the way for Overture, which will become the world's fastest airliner and will be powered by 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel.
🎵 Now there's a ChatGPT for making music (my three-year-old son and I made an opera)
I sing out of tune and can't play any instrument. My son is three years old. Yet, we have made an opera together. This has been made possible thanks to the latest developments in generative AI.
🏢 Thousands of deaths avoided in Taiwan earthquake
Building codes and infrastructure have been strengthened to withstand seismic forces, reducing damage and saving lives. An advanced early warning system and education programs have helped prepare the population.
❌ Slovakia closes its last coal-fired power plant – six years ahead of schedule
Slovakia has now ceased production at its last coal-fired power plant. The country's electricity is now almost exclusively from nuclear and renewable sources. The goal has been to phase out all coal power by 2030. A goal that is now achieved six years ahead of schedule.
🌞 Scientists solve decade-long problem: Converting carbon dioxide to methanol (good for the climate)
The process occurs at room temperature and normal air pressure, simplifying the conversion. Achieving this at room temperature is something scientists have been trying to accomplish for several decades.
💡 Premium Supporter recap + fact-based optimistic news
☣️ Toxic chemicals have decreased by 21% over ten years. 🌬️ Significantly improved air quality in Europe. 👩⚕️ Sharp decline in tuberculosis in Cambodia. 🌎 The vast majority believe in climate change.
📚 Top Reads
We're honored to present these top reads from world-class writers, who contribute to Warp News because they believe in our mission of spreading fact-based optimism all over the world.
🆙 Warp Levels - an idea to level up humanity
Humanity is doing the high jump without a bar. We have no goal. With Warp Levels, we determine what the next level for humanity should contain, so we can level up and make progress faster.
📚 Kevin Kelly: Focus on the biggest opportunities, not the biggest problems
We talk about some of the 450 advice in his new book, but also about his new project: Protopia - the hundred-year desirable future. And Kevin Kelly give advice for how Warp News should grow faster: "Wrap it around people and their dreams."
💡 A new mindset for humanity can impact billions of people now and in the future
If we succeed in giving humanity more optimism about the future, it will not only affect those living now but also all generations and billions of people who will live in the future.
💰 Wall Street legend: “Pessimists sound smart – optimists make money”
Jim O'Shaughnessy is a legendary investor on Wall Street. He shares what he thinks is the biggest opportunity for the future and explains how the world is going through a great reshuffle.
🔋 Northvolt and the benefit of understanding the future
The story of Peter Carlsson and Northvolt teaches us two lessons: You need to understand the future to see all the possibilities, and you must be a fact-based optimist to grab them.
💡 David Deutsch: Optimism, Pessimism and Cynicism
With so much progress in the world, how can pessimism still be widespread? It is because of cynicism, denying that “so-called-progress” is progress, argues David Deutsch, professor at Oxford University and one of the world's leading intellectuals on optimism.
