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May 12^th 2025

⚡️ Energy

🇨🇦 Canadian engineers start G7’s first modular nuclear reactor to power 1.2 million homes

Ontario has begun building the G7’s first Small Modular Reactor (SMR), a BWRX-300 unit at Darlington, expected to deliver 300 megawatts of clean electricity—scaling to 1,200 MW with four units to power 1.2 million homes. Developed by Ontario Power Generation and GE Vernova, this modular nuclear project offers a replicable, low-carbon solution for future energy demands and has drawn global interest. Its success could accelerate SMR adoption worldwide as nations seek reliable, carbon-free power.

🚀 Space

🇺🇸 US firm develops lunar excavator to mine helium-3 for clean energy and quantum tech on Earth

Seattle-based startup Interlune has unveiled a prototype machine designed to extract helium-3 from the Moon’s surface, aiming to supply this rare isotope, vital for fusion energy and quantum computing, back to Earth by 2029. The company has already secured deals with the U.S. Department of Energy and Maybell Quantum, and its lunar mining plan involves in-situ processing to avoid returning moon soil. If successful, this could mark the first commercial return of extraterrestrial resources.

🤖 Artificial Intelligence

🇨🇳 Chinese researchers patent AI system to translate animal sounds into human language

Baidu has filed a patent in China for an AI-powered system that aims to interpret animal vocalizations—like cat meows—into human language by analyzing audio, behavior, and physiological signals. The system would identify emotional states and match them with semantic meanings to enable clearer human-animal communication. Though still in early research stages, this innovation could transform pet care and cross-species understanding if successfully developed.

🇨🇳 Chinese scientists develop AI that reconstructs 3D faces from DNA with striking accuracy

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences have unveiled Difface, an AI model that generates highly realistic 3D facial images from DNA alone, achieving a reconstruction error as low as 2.93 mm. Trained on data from nearly 10,000 Han Chinese individuals, the tool could transform forensics, medicine, and aging research—while raising major privacy concerns over genetic re-identification. The study was published in Advanced Science.

💉 Biotechnology

🇺🇸 US researchers develop ultrasound bioprinting that creates tissues inside the body without surgery

Engineers at Caltech have invented a minimally invasive 3D bioprinting method that uses focused ultrasound to solidify injected bio-ink deep within tissue, forming complex structures without incisions. The system, called DISP, activates gel formation using temperature-sensitive liposomes, enabling applications in drug delivery, tissue repair, and bioelectronics. Published in Science, this approach could revolutionize internal therapies where surgery poses high risks.

💊 Healthcare

🇺🇸 US scientists develop neck nerve stimulation device that eliminates PTSD symptoms in early trial

Researchers from Texas have created a dime-sized implant that stimulates the vagus nerve during exposure therapy, resulting in complete loss of PTSD symptoms in all patients during a Phase 1 trial. The device, developed by teams at the University of Texas at Dallas and Baylor University Medical Center, enhances brain plasticity to help erase trauma-related fear responses more effectively. Published in Brain Stimulation, this approach may offer a powerful alternative for patients who don’t respond to standard therapy.

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Max

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