Sunday Special: A trip to a black hole

Welcome back, Superhuman. China’s building a spacecraft to land a man on the moon, scientists find a mysterious molecule that could explain life in space, and the FDA just approved eye drops that can fix blurry near vision for up to 10 hours without glasses. It’s been another fascinating week in science.

SCIENCE SUNDAY

The most interesting scientific discoveries and breakthroughs this week

1. China aces early testing of manned lunar lander: Designed to put the first Chinese astronauts on the moon, the country’s "Lanyue" spacecraft prototype successfully underwent testing at a site in the Hebei province. Scientists hope that the lander will transport astronauts between lunar orbit and the surface, providing living space, power, and data capabilities once on the moon. The milestone is another step toward advancing Beijing's vision for a permanent research station on the moon by 2035. Watch the groundbreaking feat here.

2. Scientists create mysterious molecule that could spark life in space: Researchers claim to have successfully created a wildly unstable compound called methanetetrol, dubbed a "prebiotic bomb" that could be crucial to life's origins. When this molecule breaks down, it creates several compounds essential for life, potentially explaining how complex chemistry forms in space. Finding regions where this molecule forms naturally could help us spot locations in the universe with the building blocks to support life.

3. Astrophysicist reveals blueprint for an interstellar trip to a black hole: According to astrophysicist Cosimo Bambi, a paperclip-sized spacecraft traveling at one-third the speed of light could reach a nearby black hole in about 70 years plus development time. The proposed mission would use laser-propelled nanocrafts to journey 20-25 light-years from Earth, gathering data that would take about 100 years from launch to return. Though the tech doesn't exist yet and would set us back by trillions of dollars today, Bambi remains optimistic.

4. Scientists grow a mini-brain that works like the real thing: Johns Hopkins researchers claim they’ve created a first-of-its-kind "multi-region brain organoid" that works like a rudimentary human brain, with basic blood vessels and active neural connections. Unlike earlier versions that only replicated single brain regions, this mini-brain connects different parts to produce electrical signals similar to early fetal development. It could potentially transform research for different conditions like autism and Alzheimer's.

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NEW TECH

Our favorite new tech gadgets this week

1. KikFin Shark: The first underwater jet-pack designed for hands-free propulsion. You steer by tilting your head and control speed with a wireless glove remote.

2. Eufy FamiLock S3 Max: A digital peephole that combines a smart door lock with an integrated video doorbell. It’s packed with advanced palm vein unlock technology, allowing you keyless entry with a simple wave.

3. Samsung Bespoke: An AI-powered fridge that tracks food, manages energy, and connects to smart devices. It learns your routine and shows what’s inside without opening the door.

4. Adventure Mate V3: A 6-in-1 multitool built for the outdoors. It packs an axe, saw, shovel, entrenching tool, hammer, and hook in one modular system. See it in action here.

SOCIAL SIGNALS

What’s trending in tech on socials this week

🔄 Spin Science: A video showing the "insane physics" behind a mass accelerator technology designed to move payloads into space has racked up thousands of views on Reddit.

🛞 Tire Tornado: A clip showing a NASCAR pitstop from the mechanic’s point of view highlights the technical expertise and grit needed to run a flawless tire change in seconds under crushing pressure.

👬 Peas in a Pod: An interesting piece of criminal forensics trivia — one of the major reasons police began using fingerprints to identify criminals stems back to a strange case from 1903. Two unrelated prisoners named William West looked completely identical to each other and had the same measurements, making the old ID obsolete. Check out their pictures here.

✈️ Practice Makes Perfect: New Boeing 747 pilots often struggled with judging turns and centerline alignment from the jet’s unusually high cockpit. To fix this, Boeing built a 747 “taxi trainer,” an unusual-looking vehicle for safe practice on taxiways.

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ONLY GOOD NEWS

A healthy dose of optimism to kickstart your week

Vision Voodoo: The FDA just green-lit VIZZ, the first aceclidine-based eye drops that can fix blurry near vision for up to 10 hours without glasses. These once-daily drops work by creating a "pinhole effect" that sharpens close-up vision without messing up your distance sight. The drops will be available by the end of 2025 for the 128M Americans dealing with presbyopia — inevitable age-related vision loss that hits almost everyone over 45.

Memory Miracle: Harvard scientists may have just found Alzheimer's kryptonite. They’ve discovered that lithium depletion plays a key role in Alzheimer's, with tiny doses of lithium orotate reversing the condition in mice. The study found that naturally occurring lithium maintains neural connections and helps clear harmful brain debris. Lithium is extremely cheap, and so if the study holds up, it could potentially lead to more affordable treatments and earlier detection through lithium screening.

Let It Grow: Scientists claim to have successfully grown the first long-term human kidney organoid that survived for a record-breaking 34 weeks — equivalent to kidney development through the third trimester of pregnancy. The team used kidney tissue stem cells, allowing the synthetic organ to develop blood filters and urinary ducts while remaining stable for about 8 months. Previous attempts at growing kidney organoids typically failed after just one month.

SUNDAY SCIENCE TRIVIA

Don’t Cheat: You can read more about the shocking incident here.

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Zain and the Superhuman AI team