Sunday Special: AI creates viable new viruses not found in nature

Welcome back, Superhuman. AI has invented life forms that have never existed in nature. Scientists have generated dozens of viable, never-before-seen viruses, raising fresh questions about the technology's long-term risks. Meanwhile, a biotech startup has gene-edited dogs that no longer produce the protein responsible for most dog allergies.

1. AI creates viable new viruses in major “biosecurity concern”: Scientists at Stanford used an AI model called Evo to generate 700,000 viral genome blueprints, then synthesized 285 of them. Sixteen produced viable, replicating viruses never seen in nature. Although the viruses infect only bacteria and pose no human threat, biosecurity experts warn the same approach could theoretically be used to engineer dangerous pathogens, and regulatory guardrails haven't really kept pace. Dive into the details here.

2. Unprecedented images capture the Sun’s surface like never before: The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawaii has captured the highest-resolution images ever taken of the Sun's surface, and discovered tiny whirlpools called Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities rippling across it. The finding explains two long-standing solar mysteries: why the sun's outer atmosphere is hotter than its surface, and what triggers the magnetic energy buildup behind solar flares. See the Sun’s surface in unprecedented detail here.

3. FDA green-lights powerful new flu vaccine in world-first: Moderna's mFlusiva has received FDA approval for adults 50 and older, marking the first mRNA flu vaccine ever authorized in the US. Clinical trials showed it is 27% more effective than conventional flu shots, which have used the same basic technology for over 70 years. The mRNA approach also cuts manufacturing time from six months to two to three months, allowing faster responses to an infectious disease that kills up to 52,000 Americans annually.

4. Scientists discover a sprawling lost civilization hidden in the Amazon: Using lidar to see through the Amazon rainforest's dense canopy, archaeologists have found nearly 400 previously unknown geometric earthworks in northern Brazil, presumably built by a civilization called the Aquiry around 2,000 years ago. The findings suggest up to 3 million people once inhabited the region the size of North Dakota. The survey covered less than 3% of Amazonia, raising the possibility that it was once home to tens of millions.

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🦑 Peep Show: Giant squid have inspired sailor myths for centuries, yet they're almost never seen alive. New footage captures the elusive deep-sea giant making an extraordinarily rare nighttime visit to the surface.

☀️ Escape Plan: Studies show that in about five billion years, the Sun will swallow the Earth. Now, one scientist has come up with an audacious plan to help Earth avoid that fate.

🚗 World Racer: What if Google Maps was an open-world racing game? This new browser experience lets you drive virtually anywhere on Earth — and even challenge friends to multiplayer races.

🌌 Cosmic Jackpot: The universe may be putting on its greatest show of the year. Three of astronomy's most spectacular and rare events are expected to coincide on the very same day this week.

🌊 Sleepless Swim: If you’ve ever hallucinated from a lack of sleep, you know how bad it is. An endurance swimmer has rewritten the record books after completing an extraordinary crossing of the Baltic Sea without sleep, hallucinating for the final 15 hours.

🗻 Mountain Maker: Some of Earth's most dramatic events unfold so slowly we never notice them. This stunning animation reveals the continental collision that gave rise to the Himalayas.

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Perfect Pup: New York startup Kindred Companion Sciences has used CRISPR to produce Bailey and Alfie, two gene-edited beagles whose saliva and hair no longer contain the key protein responsible for dog allergies. The company's own scientist, who is allergic to dogs, can now pet Bailey without sneezing. Long-term health monitoring and commercialization remain years away, but for people with pet allergies, it's a meaningful early step.

Chew Cure: UPenn researchers have developed a bioengineered chewing gum made from lablab beans that sharply reduced HPV and two bacteria linked to head and neck cancer in patient saliva samples. A single dose brought levels of two cancer-associated bacteria down to near zero, without harming beneficial mouth bacteria. The treatment could eventually be used alongside existing cancer therapies or as a preventive measure at a fraction of the cost of current drugs.

Crash Predictor: Archer Aviation has developed ZEE, an AI system that forecasts aircraft movements on airport surfaces several minutes ahead, giving controllers and pilots earlier warning of potential conflicts. Runway incidents account for 30-40% of aviation accidents worldwide, and current tracking systems only show where aircraft are now, not where they're heading. ZEE is already being tested at Hawthorne Airport in California, with broader deployment to follow.

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Until next time,

Zain, Faiq, and the Superhuman AI team