Sunday Special: Scientists discover an entirely new cosmic object

Welcome back, Superhuman. Scientists are stunned at the discovery of what they think is an entirely new cosmic object from the dawn of the universe, and it’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. Meanwhile, Chinese scientists have tested an experimental train that can accelerate from zero to 800 km/h in the time it takes you to read this sentence.

1. Scientists spot new cosmic object unlike anything they’ve seen before: The James Webb Space Telescope has detected an object from a few hundred million years after the Big Bang that appears to be a black hole wrapped inside a star-like cloud of hydrogen — producing roughly 100Bx more energy than any known star could physically generate. MIT scientists have dubbed it a "black hole star". You can see the first illustrations of the previously unseen cosmic structure here.

2. Experimental Chinese bullet train shatters the world acceleration record: A test vehicle at China's East Lake High-Speed Railway Lab accelerated from zero to 800 kilometers per hour in just 5.3 seconds — as fast as the cruising speed of a commercial airplane and theoretically fast enough to travel from New York to LA in roughly five hours. It's the third world record broken at the same facility since 2025. The lab's ultimate target is 1,000 km/h, and at this rate of progress, it appears well on track to get there.

3. New treatment appears to completely clear HIV-like virus in infant primates: Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University have found that combining standard antiretrovirals with two experimental antibodies, given within three days of exposure, fully cleared HIV in newborn primates, something none of the treatments could do alone. The regimen could head to human trials soon. With over 120,000 babies infected with HIV each year, a working version could spare newborns a lifetime of daily medication.

4. New floating vessel could bring electricity to disaster zones in days: Optimal Transit has announced a second configuration of its Kraaken vessel, a self-powered offshore platform that is expected to generate 40 MW of baseload electricity and produce fresh water for 150,000 people, all without fuel or emissions. The $587 million vessel will be designed to disconnect and relocate within hours, potentially making critical infrastructure far easier to deploy in disaster zones and regions with unreliable grids.

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1. ASUS Oxiis: A backpack-sized device that clamps near your seatpost and uses a motorized roller to turn a regular bike into an e-bike.

2. Somnee 2.0: A sleep headband that uses neurostimulation and claims to help you fall asleep 50% faster, slashing midnight wake-ups by a third.

3. Striv Insoles: These insoles act as your personal run coach. They use AI to track your stride length, power, and efficiency as you jog, crunching that data in real time.

4. Saga HoloBike: A holographic training bike for immersive indoor rides. It packs a panoramic light-field display to simulate a 3D trail ride — no VR headset required.

🌑 Lights Out: Europe just witnessed its first total solar eclipse in 27 years, producing breathtaking (and now viral) images of the Sun’s glowing corona. But the view from space might be even more surreal.

☀️ Solar Blockbuster: If you missed this year’s eclipse, next year could offer an even bigger spectacle. The “eclipse of the century” will plunge parts of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East into darkness for more than six minutes next year. With prime viewing spots already filling up, this guide shows you where you can still catch it.

🦠 Tiny Terror: It looks like something dreamed up for a sci-fi horror movie. This terrifying microscopic animal looks like it has a rotating chainsaw for a mouth as it pulls bacteria and algae in for dinner. (2.9M views)

🥤 Bottle Buster: A glass Coke bottle looks fragile, but it can handle far more pressure than you might expect. This satisfying experiment keeps piling on the weight until it finally gives way.

⚓ Ancient Survivor: More than 2,400 years ago, an ancient Greek merchant ship sank to the bottom of the Black Sea. Thanks to one extraordinary quirk of its resting place, it’s still remarkably intact today. You can see the shocking wreckage here. (28K likes)

🦈 White Giant: Great whites are intimidating at half this size. Watch the extraordinary moment Ocean Ramsey swims cage-free beside a colossal specimen stretching roughly 20 feet long. (1.3M views)

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Hurricane Help: Scientists are tagging sharks to better predict hurricanes, fitting them with sensors that measure ocean temperature, salinity, and depth as they swim along the U.S. East Coast. Shark species including makos, hammerheads, and juvenile great whites can transmit the data to satellites when they surface. Since warm upper-ocean water fuels hurricane intensification, the project could fill major observation gaps and ultimately improve forecasts of how powerful storms will be when they make landfall.

Operation Cleanup: A new study by ETH Zurich claims that integrating direct air capture into cement production could cut the industry’s climate impact by 78% by 2050. The approach uses the same lime-based chemistry already critical to cement making, allowing plants to capture CO₂ from both limestone processing and the surrounding air. Since cement generates roughly 5–8% of global emissions, retrofitting existing facilities could transform one of the world’s dirtiest industries into part of the climate solution.

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Zain, Faiq, and the Superhuman AI team