Edition 7: Life (and love) in our sci-fi world

(This newsletter was sent to email subscribers on January 17, 2020.)

Happy Friday, muggles. Instead of talking U.S. politics, we dug up some interesting stories across three themes.

SPACE

Japanese billionaire seeks a woman for a romantic trip to the moon

Mon Jan 13

The newly-single bachelor, Yusaku Maezawu, is looking for a date to join him on SpaceX’s first commercial flight around the moon, tentatively scheduled for 2023. His search for love was announced in a tweet last Friday, encouraging single women over 20 — ideally those with “bright” personalities and a desire for “world peace” — to apply for the matchmaking process.

Unfortunately for the adventurous U.S.-based bachelorettes out there, the application deadline will have passed by the time this newsletter hits your inbox … but stay tuned: Yusaku plans on documenting the experience in a TV special for the Japanese streaming service, AbemaTV.

Commercial satellites may one day outshine the stars

Fri Jan 10

Astronomers worry that we may someday alter our view of the night sky, as hundreds of satellites are launched into space. Many of these satellites are part of SpaceX’s Starlink project, which plans to offer internet access to remote places in the world. However, astronomers are concerned by the minimal amount of government oversight, which allows SpaceX — and potential competitors, such as Amazon — to launch thousands of satellites into Earth’s orbit, without regard for the possible consequences of meddling with the Earth’s atmosphere.

SCIENCE

Scientists introduce Xenobots, “the world’s first living, self-healing robots”

Tues Jan 14

This novel feat of bioengineering can survive for weeks without food and is small enough to travel through the human body, which lends itself to numerous medical and environmental applications. Scientists say that the Xenobots can potentially be used to:

• Transport medicine within the human body
• Clean up nuclear waste, microplastics, or plaque buildup in arteries
• Assist in further cell development research

For those who may be wondering about the possible worst-case scenarios, the research team has already addressed some concerns regarding the future applications of Xenobots in an FAQ.

London installs artificial trees that absorb as much pollution as 275 real ones

Tues Jan 7

How do they work? These small, moss-filled towers — that look nothing like actual trees — absorb nitrogen oxides and other pollutants, while producing oxygen. They also have self-sufficient energy and irrigation systems, allowing them to function in any kind of weather. Don’t get too excited, because there are only two towers in the entire city … but the project might serve as a stepping stone for more ambitious environmental reforms in the future.

INTERNET BLACKOUTS

India orders WhatsApp to save messages related to a recent violent protest

Tues Jan 14

In response to the Jan 5 “mob attack” at the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus, the New Delhi High Court has ordered WhatsApp to hold on to any messages, photos, and videos, that could be used to identify the responsible parties. However, WhatsApp has repeatedly said their messages are encrypted — inaccessible by their own team — which has resurfaced old tensions between the company and the Indian government.

Also happening in India: The government-sanctioned internet blackout in Kashmir has exceeded a record of 150+ days. You can check out our previous newsletter to learn more about how that shutdown began six months ago.

A ship’s anchor drops onto Yemen’s main internet cable, causing a week-long blackout

Mon Jan 13

While some might imagine the internet as a “cloud,” it actually exists as a series of undersea cables. When one breaks or naturally erodes, usually there are several more cables that can maintain internet connectivity until it’s repaired. Unfortunately, Yemen’s undersea network wasn’t very reliable: When one of their main cables was cut by a ship’s anchor, 80% of the country’s available bandwidth was shut down.

As of publishing, Yemen’s 28 million residents have gone eight days without internet access. While repairs are underway, it could still be weeks before the country gets back online.

That’s all for this week. Have a magical weekend.✨

Be among the first to get this news by subscribing to the Below the Fold newsletter here.