💡 Warp News #300
🐘 Elephant poaching decreased by 50 percent after China's ivory ban. 🦾 New AI-designed enzyme breaks down plastic foam into recyclable building blocks. 📉 China's carbon dioxide emissions lower than 18 months ago.
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Free newsletter with fact-based optimistic news about technology, science, and human progress with the angry optimist, Mathias Sundin. If you are not a subscriber, become one here.
🚀 History is made – and it renders just a small mention
Negative news reaches us in dramatic headlines over and over again. The optimistic developments don’t get the same treatment. It makes us a bit stupid, because it becomes easy to miss important things that are happening.
Last week brought two such events. One company landed a rocket, and another began offering driverless robotaxi trips on highways.
At best, they became short news briefs, yet they point to two developments that will each have a major impact on our world.
I write about this in this week’s Premium Supporter article (open to everyone): ⏰ Now it’s happening – but no one notices
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Mathias Sundin
The Angry Optimist
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⏰ Now it’s happening – but no one notices
Last week, two things happened that mostly showed up as brief news items. Having followed both of these developments for years, I’m fascinated by how little attention they get. Each of them will, on its own, have a massive impact on our world.
💡 Fact-based optimistic news of the week
📉 China's carbon dioxide emissions lower than 18 months ago
China's carbon dioxide emissions have been flat or declining since March 2024. Solar power increased by 46% and wind power by 11% in the third quarter, covering nearly all the increase in electricity demand. Emissions from the transport sector fell by 5% due to the rapid spread of electric vehicles.
🦾 New AI-designed enzyme breaks down plastic foam into recyclable building blocks
An AI-designed enzyme can break down 98 percent of polyurethane in 12 hours at industrial scale. Polyurethane is a type of plastic used in foam cushions, mattresses, insulation and other products. The process recovers pure building blocks that can be used to manufacture new plastic.
☢️ Nuclear reactor creates its own fuel from common thorium
A 2 megawatt reactor in the Gobi Desert converts thorium into uranium-233 inside the reactor while producing energy, which means it creates new fuel continuously. Thorium is much more common than uranium.
🐘 Elephant poaching decreased by 50 percent after China's ivory ban
Elephant poaching decreased by 50 percent after China implemented its total ivory ban in 2018. The number of illegal ivory seizures also declined after the ban. No "last-minute rush" in smuggling occurred before the ban took effect.
🚀 Blue Origin landed rocket at sea – second company in history after SpaceX
Blue Origin became the second company ever to land an orbital rocket on a platform at sea. The landing shows that reusable rockets are no longer unique to SpaceX, which increases competition in the space industry.
🚗 Waymo first with driverless taxi rides on highways in the US
Waymo becomes the first robotaxi company in the US to offer driverless rides on highways, available around the clock in San Francisco, Phoenix and Los Angeles. The service uses the same software and sensors as for city driving.
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