Sunday Special: Scientists build computer that works without electricity

Welcome back, Superhuman. While much of the world pours billions of dollars into smaller chips and faster charging, one group of scientists has gone in the opposite direction, unveiling a computer that doesn’t need electricity to run at all. But don’t count fast charging out just yet. A Chinese company is making headlines by claiming it can charge an EV from near-empty to 95% in a coffee break.

SCIENCE SUNDAY

The most interesting scientific and technological breakthroughs this week

1. Scientists build spring-powered computer that runs without electricity: The novel computing system is powered entirely by the physical memory of springs and steel. Just as rubber remembers how far it's been stretched, these mechanical devices can count, distinguish inputs, and retain force measurements without needing electricity. It could prove transformative in environments that destroy traditional hardware, and may one day power smarter prosthetics and self-monitoring industrial equipment.

2. Chinese startup claims to make EV charging as fast as a coffee run: If you own an EV, you’re probably aware just how annoyingly long they take to recharge. Now, Chinese battery maker Sunwoda has unveiled its Xingchi Supercharge Battery 2.0, an LFP pack that reportedly charges from 5% to 95% in just nine minutes. Sunwoda is also pushing into sodium-ion batteries for entry-level EVs and embedding AI throughout its entire battery design and maintenance pipeline.

3. Scientists finally clocked a black hole's jets, and the numbers are staggering: In a world-first, scientists have measured the real-time power and speed of jets blasting from a black hole. The jets from Cygnus X-1, the first black hole ever identified, pack the energy of 10,000 suns while screaming through space at 355 million mph, which is roughly half the speed of light. Based on 18 years of radio imaging, the team's findings could reshape our understanding of how black holes sculpt entire galaxies.

4. Scientists print artificial neurons that communicate with real brain cells: A team at Northwestern University has built flexible, low-cost artificial neurons capable of firing electrical signals that real brain cells actually respond to. Flexible enough to match the brain's soft architecture, the devices triggered real responses in live mouse brain tissue. As AI systems grow increasingly energy-hungry, brain-inspired hardware could potentially offer a dramatically cheaper path forward.

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NEW TECH

Our favorite new tech gadgets this week

1. Tonal 2: A home gym that brings professional-grade training straight to your living room. It also features real-time coaching via upgraded cameras and HIIT workouts.

2. Elemind: A headband designed to optimize your sleep. The company claims that the device helped 76% of participants in a study fall asleep significantly faster.

3. Amazon Kindle Scribe 2: This e-reader and notebook has a glare-free display that feels like writing on paper. Also, a new upgrade — the Active Canvas feature — lets you create notes directly in books.

4. LeafyPod Starter Package: An AI-powered planter with sensors that track soil moisture, light, temperature, etc. It links to an app that offers care info on 100+ different houseplants.

SOCIAL SIGNALS

What’s trending in science on socials this week

🤺 Blade Blitz: Often called one of the more “boring” Olympic sports, fencing is suddenly blowing up on socials after footage of a tech upgrade reemerged that makes it look like something out of a Star Wars movie. See the new innovation in action here.

🐘 Giant Gap: Social media users are left stunned after a viral post offers a side-by-side comparison of the largest land mammal of today (the elephant) and the largest land animal that ever roamed the Earth. Spoiler alert: it’s not even close.

🚀 Space Seats: Ever wonder what a rocket launch would look like from space? Here’s a video giving you the best seats in the house, and a view very few people get to see.

🧫 Cell Split: Cell division is one of the most basic processes in biology, occurring in every living body at all times. This video makes it look almost otherworldly once you actually see it unfold in real time.

🛡️ Great Guardian: Astronomers say Earth may owe its safety to an unlikely bodyguard in our solar system — one that quietly intercepts dangerous asteroids before they get anywhere near us. A viral Reddit video shows the process unfolding in real time.

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ONLY GOOD NEWS

A healthy dose of optimism to kickstart your week

Smart Scrub: Conventional mouthwashes and oral care destroy mouth bacteria indiscriminately, often including good bacteria, letting harmful strains recolonize fastest. Now scientists claim to have found a smarter fix: a toothpaste that blocks gum disease-causing bacteria, leaving good bacteria free to reestablish balance naturally. Given that gum disease has been linked to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer's, a smarter toothpaste could possibly matter far beyond your next dental checkup.

Virus Veto: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infects 95% of people and is linked to multiple cancers and chronic illnesses — and until now, blocking it has proven nearly impossible. Now, Fred Hutch Cancer Center researchers have identified antibodies that stop EBV from entering immune cells, with one completely preventing infection in lab models. With an industry partner already involved, clinical trials could be on the horizon.

Opioid Override: Scientists at the National Institute on Drug Abuse have developed DFNZ, a synthetic opioid that relieves pain without triggering the rapid dopamine bursts that drive addiction in drugs like morphine. In rat studies, animals cut off from DFNZ showed milder withdrawal symptoms and gave up drug-seeking behavior faster than those coming off morphine. Clinical trials are still years away, but the drug could eventually offer a safer option for post-surgical and chronic pain patients.

SUNDAY SCIENCE TRIVIA

The man who survived two atomic bombs

Don’t Cheat: You can read more about the unbelievable story here.

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Zain, Faiq, and the Superhuman AI team