Interstellar Visitor 3I/Atlas, Human Longevity Plateau, New No-Sort Plastic & Analog AI (EP. 7)

Hosted by Lester Nare and Krishna Choudhary, Episode 7 of From First Principles covers four stories at the frontier of science and technology. This week, we dive into new telescope data on the interstellar visitor 3i Atlas, explore a major longevity study that suggests life expectancy may have plateaued, unpack a breakthrough nickel catalyst that could enable no-sort plastic recycling, and look at Microsoft’s analog AI computer — a potential game-changer for energy efficiency and medical applications. Summary • Interstellar comet 3i Atlas imaged by Hubble, JWST, TESS, and ESA orbiters • Longevity study shows human life expectancy may have plateaued post-1939 births • Northwestern researchers develop a nickel catalyst for no-sort plastic recycling • Microsoft unveils an analog optical AI computer with 100x GPU efficiency Show Notes Space.com — 3I/Atlas Coverage PNAS — Longevity Plateau Study Nature Chemistry — No-Sort Plastic Catalyst Nature — Analog AI