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WORLDCHANGING Space Energy Supercharges AI! What it means for Nvidia, Tesla and Other AI Companies

Elon Musk plans to launch solar-powered AI satellites that could provide a nearly limitless source of energy to supercharge AI processing capacity, potentially disrupting traditional energy production and benefiting companies like Nvidia and Tesla ## ## Questions to inspire discussion.

Space Solar Power Economics.

🚀 Q: What’s the projected cost trajectory for space-based solar power? A: SpaceX could achieve $10 per watt for space solar by 2030–2032, down from previously estimated $100 per watt, with ultimate target of $1 per watt for operational systems, requiring 3–4 orders of magnitude cost reduction through Wright’s Law.

💰 Q: How much would launching 1 terawatt of space solar cost? A: Launching 1 terawatt of space solar power requires $1 trillion in launch costs alone, not including manufacturing and operational expenses.

⚡ Q: What energy advantage does space solar have over ground-based systems? A: Space solar plants generate 10x more energy than ground-based sources by operating 24/7 with double intensity, each equivalent to a nuclear power plant in output.

SpaceX Launch Capacity and Timeline.

How AI Crossed the Limits of Human Intelligence

When I look back at how computing started, I remember a time when I could see the entire problem in my head and simply tell the machine exactly what to do. That world no longer exists. We allowed our systems to make their own decisions, and with that, we crossed into a new era of autonomy.

In this talk, I explain how AI moved beyond imitation and began outperforming us in ways we once believed were uniquely human. I walk through the early intelligence tests, the exponential doubling of capabilities, and the moment we touched the threshold of AGI. Most importantly, I explore what this means for us as a species.

I am neither optimistic nor pessimistic. I am realistic. The coming years will be challenging before they become extraordinary.
And the outcome will depend far more on humanity than on the machines we’ve created.

In this video I talk about:
‱ how we shifted from rule-based programming to autonomous decision-making.
‱ the first AI IQ and capability tests and what they revealed.
‱ why AI abilities doubled roughly every 5.7 months.
‱ the early evidence of AGI and what it truly represents.
‱ the meaning of the singularity and why we’re already feeling its effects.
‱ the two eras ahead: augmented intelligence and machine supremacy.
‱ why humanity’s biggest risk is not AI’s intelligence, but our own stupidity.
‱ how we can guide this transition wisely instead of fearfully.

Kimchi acts as a ‘precision regulator’ for the immune system, 12-week clinical trial suggests

Amid concerns about the simultaneous spread of multiple respiratory diseases, such as colds and influenza, with the change of seasons in current times, a clinical study has scientifically proven that kimchi, a traditional Korean fermented food, enhances the function of human immune cells and maintains the balance of the immune system.

The World Institute of Kimchi has reported the results of a single-cell genetic analysis that suggests that kimchi consumption has immunomodulatory effects, which include the suppression of excessive immune responses while simultaneously enhancing defense functions.

The results of the research are published in npj Science of Food.

Scientists Detect “Switchback” Phenomenon In Earth’s Magnetosphere For The First Time

The study was led by Emily McDougall, an astrophysicist who conducted the work while at the University of New Hampshire. McDougall’s research focuses on a phenomenon called magnetic reconnection, in which nearby magnetic fields—like those of the Earth and the Sun—interact and release huge amounts of energy. These energy releases, far from our planet, kickstart processes that produce phenomena here on Earth, such as dramatic auroras.

Switchbacks are kink-shaped plasma structures that form out of reconnection events. Switchbacks have been previously found near the Sun, by missions like the Parker Solar Probe, but not near Earth.

Scientists mapped the shape of a supernova for the first time ever — and it’s not what we expected: Space photo of the week

Astronomers using data from the Very Large Telescope (VLT) have revealed that the initial “breakout” phase of a supernova is elongated, not perfectly spherical.

They Built a Crystal to Trap Light — And Found a New Kind of Quantum Link

Researchers at Rice University have developed a sophisticated 3D photonic-crystal cavity that can trap and control light in unprecedented ways, unlocking powerful light-matter interactions. Their work explores how photons and electrons interact under intense conditions — revealing exotic quantum states like polaritons and entering the realm of “ultrastrong coupling.”

Mindscape 242 | David Krakauer on Complexity, Agency, and Information

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll.
Blog post with audio player, show notes, and transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2023/07/10/242-
formation/

Complexity scientists have been able to make an impressive amount of progress despite the fact that there is not universal agreement about what “complexity” actually is. We know it when we see it, perhaps, but there are a number of aspects to the phenomenon, and different researchers will naturally focus on their favorites. Today’s guest, David Krakauer, is president of the Santa Fe Institute and a longtime researcher in complexity. He points the finger at the concept of agency. A ball rolling down a hill just mindlessly obeys equations of motion, but a complex system gathers information and uses it to adapt. We talk about what that means and how to think about the current state of complexity science.

David Krakauer received his D.Phil. in evolutionary biology from Oxford University. He is currently President and William H. Miller Professor of Complex Systems at the Santa Fe Institute. Previously he was at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he was the founding director of the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery and the Co-director of the Center for Complexity and Collective Computation. He was included in Wired magazine’s list of “50 People Who Will Change the World.”

Mindscape Podcast playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrxfgDEc2NxY_fRExpDXr87tzRbPCaA5x.
Sean Carroll channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/seancarroll.

#podcast #ideas #science #philosophy #culture

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