Sunday Special: China's 'artificial sun' breaks fusion limits

Welcome back, Superhuman. “The power of the sun in the palm of my hand.” Doc Ock’s chilling line from Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 may soon edge out of sci-fi and into reality, as Chinese researchers pull off a fusion milestone most scientists thought was still years away. In lighter findings, a new study suggests some rare dog breeds might be quietly eavesdropping on your conversations without you ever noticing.

SCIENCE SUNDAY

The most interesting scientific discoveries and breakthroughs this week

1. China’s 'artificial sun' breaks fusion limit scientists thought was unbreakable: The country’s fully superconducting EAST tokamak just became the first reactor to give experimental confirmation of a theoretical "density-free regime," where plasma remains stable even when pushed beyond traditional limits. If true, the breakthrough could remove a major obstacle that's held fusion back for decades.

2. Drug to enhance REM sleep closes in on breakthrough territory: After decades of sleep meds that suppress REM as a side effect, Bright Minds Biosciences may have cracked the code. Their experimental drug BMB-101, still in clinical trials, has reportedly boosted REM sleep by 90% in epilepsy patients without making them sleep longer. BMB-101 could also have major potential implications in addressing cognitive decline, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's by restoring one of the brain's most restorative sleep phases.

3. Scientists can now watch plants "breathe" in real time: University of Illinois researchers have unveiled 'Stomata In-Sight', a system that lets them observe the microscopic pores on plant leaves opening and closing while measuring how much carbon dioxide and water vapor flow through them. The groundbreaking tool could potentially help us breed drought-resistant crops that can grow with less water, essential in maintaining global food security.

4. Your dog might be eavesdropping on you: A new study has revealed that certain dogs can pick up new toy names by listening in on their owners' chats, just like a toddler. Scientists tested 10 rare “gifted word learner” dogs (mostly Border collies). They found that they could retrieve new toys 80% of the time after simply overhearing their names, matching the cognitive abilities of 18-month-old children.

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NEW TECH

Our favorite new tech gadgets this week

1. Swippit Instant Power System: A charging hub that can power up to 5 batteries in one go. It swaps your dying battery with a new one in 2 seconds flat, ensuring you never pack light.

2. Garmin inReach Mini 3 Plus: A satellite communicator built for off-grid use. It packs a color touchscreen and supports voice messages, photo sharing, and SOS for emergencies.

3. Ubiquiti UniFi Travel Router: A pocket-sized router that mirrors your home UniFi network while traveling. It runs on USB-C power, applies VPN rules automatically, and handles hotel Wi-Fi logins for you.

4. Pebble Round 2: An ultra-thin round smartwatch with an e-paper display focused on notifications. It uses physical buttons, lasts for days on a single charge, and supports thousands of Pebble apps.

SOCIAL SIGNALS

What’s trending in tech on socials this week

🌌 Red Reveal: A razor-sharp video of Mars in high definition is going viral on Reddit. One user sums it up perfectly: "Weird seeing a landscape that can be so oddly familiar yet not a single soul has ever walked through it!”

🫀 Cardiac Colossal: Just how big is the heart of the largest mammal in the world? Here’s a hint: You can probably crawl through it!

⚛️ Particle Picture: A viral post has resurfaced on social media showing a groundbreaking 2018 photo of a single atom glowing in an ion trap — visible to the naked eye thanks to laser light and a long exposure.

♾️ Endless Orb: A social media clip is spotlighting artist Anthony James’ Infinity mirror sphere, a gleaming geodesic sculpture that creates the illusion of endless cosmic depth using nothing but light and reflection.

☀️ Solar Surge: Footage of plasma violently ejecting from the Sun shows the massive solar eruption in striking detail, leaving viewers stunned by the raw power of our neighborhood star.

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ONLY GOOD NEWS

A healthy dose of optimism to kickstart your week

Plate Police: French startup Allergen Alert has unveiled a paperback-sized device at CES 2026 that delivers lab-grade allergen detection right at the dinner table. The device tests for gluten, dairy, and peanuts with professional precision. Launching later this year, it could potentially be a game-changer for people with food allergies, a majority of whom go through severe reactions outside their home kitchens.

Sleep Scan: Stanford researchers claim they’ve built an AI that can predict your risk for about 130 diseases using just one night of sleep data. The system is trained on almost 600,000 hours of recordings and can spot subtle mismatches between brain, heart, and breathing signals, revealing early disease warnings years before symptoms appear. Although the data is still early-stage, the system has reportedly delivered accuracy scores that could potentially make sleep studies a powerful preventive health tool.

Blink of an Eye: Some paralyzed patients tend to use eye-gaze to control their wheelchairs or communicate. Now, researchers from China’s Qingdao University claim to have built a self-powered eye tracker that harvests energy from eyelid friction, essentially generating electricity every time you blink. The groundbreaking technology could potentially help patients ditch bulky batteries and gain greater independence and round-the-clock accessibility.

SUNDAY SCIENCE TRIVIA

Don’t Cheat: You can read more on the shocking incident here or watch terrifying visuals of the explosion here.

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Zain and the Superhuman AI team