🪖 US warns of ‘window of vulnerability’ in space, Cheese byproduct extracts gold, Armed robot dogs

While speaking in testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander of U.S. Space Command, issued a stark warning about U.S. space assets. Whiting claimed that the U.S. faces a “window of vulnerability” over the next few years, during which it could face potential aggression in space from other world powers. For more on this story, check out today’s Must Read.

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MUST READ

🪖 US general warns of ‘window of vulnerability’ in space

During the February 29 hearing, Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander of U.S. Space Command claimed China and Russia are the two biggest threats to the US space architecture. This is because both nations are developing anti-satellite weapons.

Since the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the use of satellites has been in the public spotlight, as SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellite service has allowed Ukrainian troops and civilians to stay connected on the ground.

Though Whiting explained that the ongoing war in Ukraine has “established space as an indelible enabler of terrestrial warfare,” he emphasized that the long-term priority should be to remain ahead of China.

🧀 Scientists extract gold from electronic waste using a cheese byproduct

A team led by Professor Mezzenga from ETH has found a highly efficient, affordable, and notably sustainable solution: they used a byproduct of the cheesemaking process to extract gold from electronic waste.

They used whey proteins to make a sponge-like material that can pull gold from old computer motherboards dissolved in acid. Due to the proteins' unique structure, the material has enhanced effectiveness in adhering to gold ions compared to other metals.

After soaking up the gold, it’s then turned into smaller pieces and melted to make a nugget. Surprisingly, from only 20 motherboards, the team got a nugget weighing 450 milligrams and 91 percent pure gold. The team believes that their process could be used on a larger scale.

🧮 AI wars: Elon Musk sues OpenAI, Sam Altman over broken non-profit pledge

Elon Musk, the tech visionary renowned for his ventures in space and electric vehicles, finds himself entangled in yet another legal battle, but of a different kind.

The crux of Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI, which Musk co-founded with his share of $50 million, revolves around what he perceives as a betrayal of the organization’s founding principles. OpenAI, initially established to develop open-source artificial general intelligence (AGI) for humanity’s betterment, is now accused of straying from its noble mission.

Additionally, the recent partnership forged between OpenAI and tech behemoth Microsoft has attracted scrutiny from the European Union Commission, which is looking into Microsoft’s investment of $13 billion into OpenAI.

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