⚔️ China reveals plans to block island with drones, Nickel extracting plants, 3D printer for space sets up shop for brief 140 seconds

China has announced that it is confident of blockading a small island using drones alone. In a study released last month, People’s Liberation Army (PLA) analysts revealed how this can be achieved.

This announcement comes at a notable time, just weeks after the United States announced “Hellscape,” its strategy to defend Taiwan using drones.

For more on this development, check out today’s Must-Read.

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MUST READ

⚔️ Taiwan: China preps quadruple drone siege to fight US suicide drone plan

The PLA’s study, led by engineer Chen Huije, explores the concept of “area blockade and control” using drone swarms in military operations.

The plan involves a diverse fleet of drones, each tasked with a specialized role. It includes large, endurance-focused drones for surveillance and strikes and smaller, agile units for close observation and radar elimination.

While the PLA maintains that this is a theoretical exercise and does not specifically mention Taiwan, the parallels to the island’s geography have not gone unnoticed.

🌻 Power from flower: Albanian farm plants suck EV battery metal from soil

Startups are exploring an unusual avenue in the quest for sustainable nickel production: phytomining.

This approach leverages plants to extract nickel from the soil, offering a cleaner alternative to traditional mining. As the world embraces electric vehicles, the demand for nickel has skyrocketed, prompting the need for such eco-friendly alternatives.

Startups like Metalplant, Econik, and Viridian are cultivating plants that naturally accumulate nickel in their biomass across hundreds of hectares. Some species, like the Odontarrhena decipiens, can concentrate nickel up to 2% of their biomass, promising significant yields from small land areas.

🚀 3D printer shot into space for 140 seconds, prints toy shuttle at super speed

A 3D printer designed for space applications recently hitched a ride on Virgin Galactic’s latest mission.

Developed by UC Berkeley engineers, the SpaceCAL printer aims to revolutionize how astronauts handle equipment failures and medical emergencies during long-distant space travel.

The device employs a technique called Computed Axial Lithography (CAL) and autonomously printed objects using a specialized liquid plastic during its brief 140-second journey in microgravity.

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