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July 21^st 2025

💻 Technology

🇯🇵 Japanese researchers break internet speed record with 1.02 petabit fiber, enabling instant data transfer

Japanese scientists at the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) have achieved a world-record internet speed of 1.02 petabits per second - transmitting 127,500 GB per second over 1,120 miles using a 19-core optical fiber. This new cable fits existing infrastructure and dramatically increases data capacity, potentially revolutionizing global networks without replacing undersea cables. Demonstrated at the Optical Fiber Communication Conference, this leap brings the world closer to ultra-fast, scalable internet infrastructure.

⚡️ Energy

🇨🇳 Chinese researchers achieve record solar-to-hydrogen efficiency using low-cost earth-abundant materials

Chinese scientists have set a new world record for solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency using copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS) photocathodes, reaching 9.91% with a novel precursor seed layer engineering (PSLE) technique. Developed at Shenzhen University and published in Nano-Micro Letters, the method enhances crystal quality, reduces defects, and enables the first unbiased CZTS-BiVO₄ tandem cell to work in seawater. This low-cost, scalable approach could significantly advance green hydrogen production without rare materials, supporting global efforts toward carbon neutrality.

🤖 Artificial Intelligence

🇺🇸 US company Netflix uses GenAI to produce complex VFX scene 10x faster in original series

Netflix has used generative AI for the first time to create final footage in an original series, completing a dramatic VFX scene in the Argentine sci-fi show El Eternauta ten times faster than traditional methods. The scene, involving a building collapse, was made possible through AI tools that reduced production time and cost - making high-end effects feasible for a modestly budgeted show. Netflix emphasized that AI is supporting, not replacing, human creators, and is also being integrated into personalization, advertising, and search features.

💊 Healthcare

🇺🇸 US researchers develop universal mRNA cancer vaccine that trains immune system to target any tumor

US scientists have created an experimental mRNA vaccine that triggers a broad immune response capable of attacking diverse tumors, regardless of cancer type. Developed at the University of Florida and published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, the vaccine induces expression of the PD-L1 protein in tumors, making them more visible to immune cells and eliminating drug-resistant cancers in preclinical models. This breakthrough suggests the possibility of an off-the-shelf, universal cancer vaccine, potentially replacing the need for surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation.

🇹🇼 Taiwanese scientists develop fat-melting injection nearing FDA approval for non-surgical belly reduction

Taiwan’s Caliway Pharmaceuticals has developed CBL-514, the first injection to trigger targeted fat-cell death, offering a non-surgical alternative to liposuction. In Phase 2b trials, over 75% of participants saw measurable belly fat reduction after just one shot, with no major side effects. Published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal, the drug now advances to Phase 3 trials and could become the first FDA-approved localized fat-loss injection with both aesthetic and metabolic health benefits.

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Max

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