DTN 021: The Seductions of Big Science

The Big Picture

The Seductions of Big Science

“The macroscientific view is to zoom out and think about Big Science as being part of a vast and varied portfolio of institutions that advance science and technology. In effect, this collective distribution of institutions is a series of bets on the approaches that will shift the scientific and technological frontier. The question that science strategy should confront is: does the existing portfolio of scientific institutions in a society produce the rate and type of progress that is desirable? We need policy levers that allow us to dial up and dial down the influence and number of various types of institutions as needed. This is not only because what is “desirable progress” may shift over time: Big Science may be the most efficacious tool to achieve our ends at one moment, the weirdo fringe scientist at another moment.” (Macroscience)

The State of Deep Tech

“In the State of Deep Tech, we explore what innovators are building today and celebrate the XB100, the definitive ranking of 100 of the most promising deep tech startups. XPRIZE and Bessemer partnered to create the list, and a panel of scientists helped rank the companies. From quantum computing to rocket technology to next-generation biotherapeutics, the companies in this report are tackling problems on a planetary scale. Their speed and success will ultimately determine the plot for our next chapter of humanity.” (Bessemer Venture Partners)

Synthetic human embryos created in groundbreaking advance

“Scientists have created synthetic human embryos using stem cells, in a groundbreaking advance that sidesteps the need for eggs or sperm. Scientists say these model embryos, which resemble those in the earliest stages of human development, could provide a crucial window on the impact of genetic disorders and the biological causes of recurrent miscarriage. The structures do not have a beating heart or the beginnings of a brain, but include cells that would typically go on to form the placenta, yolk sac and the embryo itself.” (The Guardian)

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Deep Tech News

• Toyota claims solid-state EV battery tech breakthrough could offer +900 miles driving range
• OpenAI faces defamation suit after ChatGPT completely fabricated another lawsuit
• Wind-to-Hydrogen Production Reaches Deep Water
• In a First, Wind and Solar Generated More Power Than Coal in U.S.
• SETI Scientists to Devise Plan for Lunar Listening Station
• AI is going to eat itself: Experiment shows people training bots are using bots
• GPT-4 Can Use Tools Now—That’s a Big Deal

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Crypto News

• Miami's crypto mayor, Francis Suarez enters the Republican presidential primary
• Crypto bot borrows $200M in a flash loan to secure just $3 of profit
• How the SEC Could Cripple Crypto Venture Capitalists
• BlackRock files to launch Bitcoin ETF with Coinbase and Nasdaq listed as partners
• Court Finds a 'DAO Is a Person,' Owes $643,542 in Shutdown Order
• North Korea’s Lazarus Group reemerges with new $100M crypto hack

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Peer Review

• Fungi and their 'necromass' absorb one-third of the carbon emitted by burning fossil fuels every year
• Team artificially re-creates cell 'skeletons' using strands of DNA
• Physicists design metamaterials with built-in frustration for mechanical memory
• Researchers achieve first-ever printing of materials using laser techniques that change with voltage
• Scientists develop new AI tool for gene discovery in clinical and research settings
• Quantum interference of light: Anomalous phenomenon found
• Microfluidics in space to detect extraterrestrial life signatures and monitor astronaut health

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Funding x M&A

DEEP TECH

• Mistral AI blows in with a $113M seed round at a $260M valuation to take on OpenAI
• Medivis, an augmented reality surgery platform, raised a $20M Series A
• Tomorrow.io Closes $87M Series E for Weather Satellites
• Nordic VC Voima Ventures launches €90M fund for deep tech startups
• Synthesia secures $90M for AI that generates custom avatars
• Military contractor Primer announces $69M to build AI for ‘those who support and defend our democracy’
• Autonomous and electric truck startup Fernride raised a $31M Series A
• Ten63 Therapeutics, a startup combining generative AI and physics-based models to develop therapeutics, raised a $15.9M Series A
• Magrathea, a startup developing tech for the production of carbon-neutral metal from seawater and brines, raised a $10M seed
• Cultured meat startup Uncommon raised a $30M Series A
• Genialis, a computational precision medicine startup, raised a $13M+ Series A

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CRYPTO

• Blockchain-based marketplace for compute power Gensyn raises $43M
• Salesforce Ventures leads $6M fundraise for NFT data platform Mnemonic
• ResearchHub a startup that rewards scientists with crypto for publishing, raises $5M
• Connext, a blockchain interoperability protocol, raised a $7.5M strategic round at a $250M valuation

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Miscellanea

Which flying taxi will take off first? / What Is Electrochemistry, and Why Is It So Important to a Green-Energy Future? / Global oil demand to peak before the end of the decade / The AI Hype Wall of Shame / Contra Marc Andreessen on AI / Why does nuclear power plant construction cost so much? / Man locked out of smart home for a week after driver accuses him of being racist / Secret Messages Can Hide in AI-Generated Media / Why the U.S. Is Paying Billions to Russia’s Nuclear Agency / Radio station gets part-time AI DJ based on its midday host / Meet PassGPT, the AI Trained on Millions of Leaked Passwords

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