Hosted by Lester Nare and Krishna Choudhary, Episode 7 of From First Principles covers four stories at the frontier of science and technology. This week, we dive into new telescope data on the interstellar visitor 3i Atlas, explore a major longevity study that suggests life expectancy may have plateaued, unpack a breakthrough nickel catalyst that could enable no-sort plastic recycling, and look at Microsoft’s analog AI computer — a potential game-changer for energy efficiency and medical applications.

Summary

• Interstellar comet 3i Atlas imaged by Hubble, JWST, TESS, and ESA orbiters

• Longevity study shows human life expectancy may have plateaued post-1939 births

• Northwestern researchers develop a nickel catalyst for no-sort plastic recycling

• Microsoft unveils an analog optical AI computer with 100x GPU efficiency

Show Notes

• Space.com — 3I/Atlas Coverage
• PNAS — Longevity Plateau Study
• Nature Chemistry — No-Sort Plastic Catalyst
• Nature — Analog AI