The Download: a nuclear landmark, and China eyes Nvidia chips

I was really looking forward to July 4, and not just because I love a poolside barbecue. This year the American holiday also marked a big symbolic deadline for US nuclear power.

Last year the Trump administration set a goal to see three new microreactors achieve criticality, a technical milestone establishing that a reactor can sustain a chain reaction, by the nation’s 250th birthday. And just in time, not just three, but four reactors did so.

It’s a positive sign for nuclear technologies at a time of increasing need for electricity and emissions-free energy sources. But achieving criticality doesn’t mean a reactor is ready to provide electricity for the grid (or at all, for that matter).

Here’s what the milestone could mean for nuclear power in the US—and where the four companies might go next.

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Quote of the day

“I talk about it on Tic Tac.”

—President Donald Trump tells the public where to find his insights on the dangers of communism, Gizmodo reports.

One More Thing

Robots are bringing new life to extinct species

Paleontologists aren’t easily deterred by evolutionary dead ends or a sparse fossil record. And in the last few years, they’ve developed a new trick for turning back time and studying prehistoric animals: building experimental robotic models of them. 

In the absence of a living specimen, an ambling, flying, swimming, or slithering automaton is the next best thing for studying the behavior of extinct organisms. Learning more about how they moved can in turn shed light on their lives, such as their historic ranges and feeding habits. Scientists can simply sit back and observe their behavior in different environments. 

Read the full story on the rise of paleo-inspired robots—and four examples that are shedding light on creatures of yore.

—Shi En Kim

We can still have nice things

A place for comfort, fun, and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line.)

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