DTN 110: The Climate Tech Vibe Shift

Plus: Night vision nanomaterials, geothermal gains ground, robotic pollinating bugs, China’s squeeze on rare-earth minerals, quantum computer cracks randomness, and more.

April 25, 2025

“Helium-3 arrives on the Moon via solar wind. Since the Moon lacks a magnetosphere, it doesn't deflect this solar wind, allowing helium-3 to become embedded in the lunar regolith. We need to get this resource into the hands of scientists who can use it like a magic wand to create incredible innovations.”

“The past few years have been an almost nonstop parade of good news for climate tech in the US. Headlines about billion-dollar grants from the government, massive private funding rounds, and labs churning out advance after advance have been routine. Now, though, things are starting to shift.

About $8 billion worth of US climate tech projects have been canceled or downsized so far in 2025.”

Neuroscientists are racing to turn brain waves into speech. Credit: Getty Images/UC Davis Health/YouTube.

Neuroscientists and companies are rapidly advancing brain-to-speech technology using AI and brain implants to help people who have lost the ability to speak due to conditions like stroke or ALS. By decoding brain signals into synthetic speech, researchers have significantly reduced response time and improved accuracy, though challenges remain in capturing natural speech qualities and speeding up the training process. Companies like Precision Neuroscience and academic teams in California are leading the way, aiming to make voice neuroprostheses viable for broader clinical use. (via Ars Technica)

Hegseth had an unsecured internet line set up in his office to connect to Signal / China Quietly Drops 125% Retaliatory Tariff on Crucial U.S. Semiconductors / Oldest ant fossil ever found reveals history of ‘hell ants’ / Deep-Sea Fishers Fight for Wi-Fi / The mind-bending innovations that built quantum computing / Magic: The Gathering Fans Harness Prime Number Puzzle as a Game Strategy / The Rise of Luxury Doomsday Prepping / Blog hosted on a Nintendo Wii / Columbia student suspended over interview cheating tool raises $5.3M to ‘cheat on everything’ / ChatGPT spends 'tens of millions of dollars' on 'please' and 'thank you' / “Lab leak” marketing page replaces federal hub for COVID resources / Actors Who Sold AI Avatars Stuck In Black Mirror-Esque Dystopia / China pits humanoid robots against humans in half-marathon / UAE set to use AI to write laws in world first / Scientists modified the eyes of 5 humans to see an ‘unprecedented’ new color / AI as normal technology