A new HIV-free world

Hello! In today’s edition:

👉 One step closer to eliminate HIV

👉 Google new quantum cheap can’t destroy Bitcoin

👉 Elon Musk wants to build a city in Texas

and many more!

Today’s issue is a 5-minute read.

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Quote of the day

“In this life, it’s not what you hope for, it’s not what you deserve – it’s what you take!”

Tom Cruise

Must Know

Doctors are finally defeating HIV

💉 A new drug called lenacapavir is being celebrated as the 2024 Breakthrough of the Year for its potential to nearly eliminate new HIV infections. This drug has shown impressive results in clinical trials, with a recent study revealing it is 96% effective at preventing HIV among various groups, including men and transgender individuals.

Another trial found that not a single woman who received the drug contracted HIV, indicating a 100% success rate. Lenacapavir is different from current treatments because it is given as an injection twice a year, rather than requiring daily pills.

This could make it easier for people to stick to their prevention routine, especially in places where taking daily medication can be challenging due to stigma or access issues. Experts believe that if lenacapavir is made widely available, it could significantly reduce the number of new HIV cases and help end the epidemic.

Elon Musk wants to build a city in Texas

🚀 SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, is planning to turn its Starbase site in South Texas into an official city. On Thursday, the company requested an election from local officials to incorporate Starbase, which is located near Boca Chica Beach and the Mexican border.

This move aims to support the growth of SpaceX's workforce as they develop and manufacture their Starship rockets. More than 3,400 employees work at Starbase, and the idea of creating a city there has been discussed before.

Musk first suggested it in 2021. Local officials will now review the petition to see if it meets legal requirements. While some residents are excited about this change, there has been pushback from groups concerned about environmental issues related to SpaceX's operations.

What’s the deal of the drones in New Jersey?

🛸 In New Jersey, residents are talking about mysterious large drones that have been spotted flying at night, some look like small cars. The sightings, which began a month ago, have raised questions among locals and officials, including the FBI, who are trying to determine if these are indeed drones or misidentified aircraft.

Despite numerous reports, the White House has stated that there is no evidence these sightings pose a threat to public safety. Experts note that large drones can serve many purposes, from 👨‍🌾 agriculture to ⚔ military use. They can be used for tasks like surveying fields or monitoring infrastructure.

However, the exact nature of the drones seen in New Jersey remains unclear, leading to frustration among residents who seek answers about what they are witnessing in the skies.

⚡Speed-Round: The Most Impactful Stories

👨‍💻⚛ In the last 2 days, many in the Bitcoin community were panicking about Google's new groundbreaking Willow quantum chip, fearing that it would break the encryption of Bitcoin that might lead to the shattering of its $100k value overnight. The chip, while advanced, cannot break modern cryptography, according to the director of Google Quantum AI. With only 105 qubits, Willow is far from the millions needed to compromise encryption systems powering cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.

💰 Shares of Palantir Technologies have soared over 340% this year due to high demand for its new artificial intelligence platform. However, analysts warn that the stock might drop by about 48% based on current price targets. In contrast, Shopify and Arm Holdings are seen as better investment choices. Shopify's stock is expected to rise by 23%, reaching a price target of $140. Meanwhile, Arm Holdings could see a 28% increase, with a target price of $175 due to its strong position in the chip market, especially for mobile devices. Both companies are anticipated to grow rapidly, making them attractive alternatives to Palantir. (Disclaimer: This is not financial or investment advice. Always conduct your own research before making investment decisions.)

Top-levels

Markets & Business

• 💊 Editas Medicine will lay off 65% of its staff, around 180 employees, as the company stops its lead gene-editing program for sickle cell disease. | 💳 Klarna, swedish fintech company, stopped hiring a year ago to replace 100s of employees with AI.

• 🛒 Costco sales rose 13% in the quarter compared with the same period last year. | 🥤 Stanley, the famous American drink and beverage container maker, recalls 2.6 million travel mugs due to a hiccup with the lids; Its travel mugs could shrink if exposed to too much heat.

• 🎥 YouTube TV raises subscription price 14%, to $83 per month, due to higher costs of content. | ✈ Boeing is investing $1 billion to increase its 787 Dreamliner widebody jets production in South Carolina. It will create about 500 new jobs in the next five years.

• 📈 Shares of Broadcom jumped 14% today, as the company is moving closer to $1 trillion in market value and the prediction of rising demand for its AI chips in the coming years.

Science & Tech News

• 🤖 Gemini, the Google’s AI assistant, can now summarize documents or answer questions about a project, and generate summaries of everything inside a folder in your Google Drive.

• 👨‍🔬👩‍🔬 Researchers from Stanford, Genentech, and the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative propose creating the world's first AI-powered virtual human cell to simulate human biology, which could revolutionize our understanding of cellular functions and accelerate the development of new therapies.

• 🤖🎥 ChatGPT now understands real-time video, ChatGPT Plus, Team, or Pro subscribers can point their phones at objects and have ChatGPT respond in near real time.

• Microsoft launched a new AI model yesterday called Phi-4 that achieves remarkable mathematical reasoning capabilities while using far fewer computational resources than its larger competitors.

Did You Know?

📃 There are over 87,000 Americans on waiting lists for organ transplants.

🌱 Toxic house plants poison more children than household chemicals do.

🌀 A category three hurricane releases more energy in ten minutes than all the world's nuclear weapons combined.

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