Sunday Special: NASA's quiet supersonic jet hits near-Mach speeds

Welcome back, Superhuman. The days of spending 14 hours crammed into an airplane seat may soon be coming to an end. Supersonic passenger flights are slowly inching toward a comeback, as NASA’s X-59 jet reached a key milestone this week that could make quiet overland travel a real possibility. Meanwhile, a fresh batch of US UFO files has landed online, and the internet can’t agree on what it’s looking at.

SCIENCE SUNDAY

The most interesting scientific and technological breakthroughs this week

1. NASA's quiet supersonic jet hits near-Mach speed in major breakthrough: The X-59 aircraft hit 0.98 Mach during a recent test flight, marking a major milestone in the race to bring supersonic travel back over populated areas. The jet’s needle-thin nose is engineered to reduce its sonic boom. NASA now plans to fly the jet over real US communities to test public reaction to the quieter sonic ‘thump’, potentially paving the way for commercial supersonic flights over land. Watch the breakthrough unfold here.

2. Scientists claim to have found the "holy grail" gene for limb regrowth: A cross-species study spanning axolotls, zebrafish, and mice may have cracked one of biology's biggest mysteries. Scientists have reportedly identified SP genes as a shared driver of regeneration, partially restoring bone regrowth in mice using gene therapy. Humans already share some of these regenerative pathways. If researchers can unlock the rest, it could possibly mean growing back lost limbs instead of replacing them with prosthetics.

3. Astronomers discover atmosphere around a tiny world beyond Pluto: Scientists claim they’ve detected an atmosphere around an icy planet in the Kuiper Belt, making it the smallest object ever found to host one. Don’t make your travel plans to the planet just yet, though: its atmosphere is 5M-10M times thinner than Earth's. But if verified, the discovery could mean that small, frigid worlds across the outer solar system may be far more active than we imagined.

4. Scientists reverse liver aging in stunning new mice study: Scientists may have found an unexpected weapon against liver cancer. In a mouse study, researchers preserved each young mouse's gut bacteria, then transplanted those samples back into the same animals as they aged. Treated mice showed less inflammation, reduced liver damage, and exhibited zero cases of liver cancer. If the treatment translates to humans, it could potentially open up a new frontier in cancer prevention.

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NEW TECH

Our favorite new tech gadgets this week

1. FitBit Air: Google’s answer to the Whoop 5.0. It’s a screen-free fitness tracker that tracks heart rate, sleep, and recovery in a lightweight band. Ideal for people who want health monitoring without the distractions of a smartwatch.

2. reMarkable Paper Pure: A black and white paper tablet for writing and reading. It has higher contrast, faster performance, less eye strain, and up to 3 weeks of battery life.

3. Framework Laptop 13 Pro: A 13.5-inch laptop built for Linux users who want repairability. It packs a CNC aluminum body, a 120Hz touchscreen, a larger battery, and swappable ports.

4. Dyson HushJet Mini Cool: A portable bladeless fan for cooling on the go. It uses a star-shaped nozzle to reduce turbulence and push focused airflow up to 55 mph.

SOCIAL SIGNALS

What’s trending in science on socials this week

👽️ Alien Alert? The US government declassified a long-awaited batch of UFO files this week, and the internet is split. Some viewers think the footage points to mysterious activity, while a vast majority aren’t impressed. Here’s a viral thread compiling the released videos, so you can judge for yourself.

💰️ Bitter Pill: A little-known story about the insulin patent is making the rounds on Reddit, and users are stunned by the contrast of its altruistic origins and the enormous profit margins on the drug today.

👶 Hands On: A visually-impaired pregnant woman got her ultrasound turned into a 3D-printed model so she could feel her baby’s first image, and her reaction is incredibly wholesome.

🚀 Cosmic Content: An AI-generated “space vlog” that imagines astronauts casually documenting daily life on different planets across the solar system is giving us a glimpse into what the future could look like, stacking up thousands of likes on social media.

🚗 Vintage Wheels: A California man brought one of the earliest cars ever built back to life. He restored a 1886 Mercedes-Benz Patent-Motorwagen and actually got it to start again. Social media users can’t believe how different the technology looks from today’s vehicles. See it here.

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ONLY GOOD NEWS

A healthy dose of optimism to kickstart your week

🫀 Change of Heart: In a world first, scientists have confirmed that the human heart produces new muscle cells following a heart attack, a process previously observed only in animal models. By analyzing living tissue samples taken during bypass surgery, the team found direct evidence of cardiomyocyte division in damaged hearts. The regeneration is modest and insufficient to fully restore function, but scientists believe it could be amplified through future therapies to reduce reliance on transplants.

👁️ Eye Opener: A wireless neural implant that is implanted directly into the visual cortex to create artificial vision has been successfully fitted in a third blind participant, a milestone that signals the technology is reliable enough to scale. After a recovery period, the participant will begin training to interpret signals from the visual cortex for real-world navigation. Researchers say the repeated success of implantation is a key milestone toward broader clinical adoption of the technology.

SUNDAY SCIENCE TRIVIA

The Extraordinary Life of David Attenborough

Don’t Cheat: You can relive some of his key career moments here and see some of his most iconic pictures here.

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Zain, Faiq, and the Superhuman AI team