☕️ DeepMind AI weather forecaster beats world-class system.

Good morning. The AIP (Australian Institute of Physics) congress is over and as promised I’ll share a fun story from the week.

Growing up, I had something of a stepfather for a fair chunk of time. He was a typical working class man and wasn’t too bright. For example he had been to prison and most of his family were drug addicts back in Adelaide. One day, whilst pursuing my undergrad in physics, he tells me of his nephew who (who he hasn’t had contact with in 10+ years) was also studying physics or something. So I look him up and he was completing his PhD in physics (quantum computing) at Melbourne University! I couldn’t flipping believe it. How was someone related to this guy doing that?!

I ran into the nephew at the AIP congress this week, who is now a postdoc at Melb Uni and introduced myself seeing as we are virtually almost family. He couldn’t believe it either 😂 We yarned and yapped for quite some time and realised we’re really quite similar: we both had an obsession with the Halo video games and probably constantly played each other in Halo 3 multiplayer, being two of the top ranked players from Australia. We brought the convo back to physics and what we were both up to. Turns out this guy is developing something of a competitor to Qiskit, which is the world’s most popular software stack for quantum computing. I’m trying to encourage him to create a startup with me to further develop it together!

Also, you might notice the ad just below in today’s Brew! Help me keep the Brew alive by clicking on the ad — I’ll get $1 each time. I offer the Brew for free but it isn’t free to operate so pls click on it and help your boy out, you don’t have to do anything else 😎

Dylan J. Dance

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SCIENCE

🌦️ DeepMind AI Weather Forecaster Beats World-Class System. Google DeepMind has developed an artificial intelligence model named GenCast that outperforms the world’s leading operational model in predicting extreme weather events, providing forecasts up to 15 days out in mere minutes, rather than the hours needed by today’s forecasting programs; as well as the probability of accuracy. And it does so faster than the best operational model. The purely AI system beats the world’s best medium-range operational model, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts’ ensemble model (ENS), at predicting extreme weather such as hurricanes and heatwaves. Conventional forecasts, including those from ENS, are based on mathematical models that simulate the laws of physics governing Earth’s atmosphere. They use supercomputers to crunch data from satellites and weather stations ― a process that takes hours and vast amounts of computing power. GenCast, by contrast, has been trained only on historical weather data, which enables the system to draw out complex relationships between variables such as air pressure, humidity, temperature and wind. This helps it to outperform strictly physics-based systems, says Ilan Price, a research scientist at Google DeepMind in London and an author of the paper. “We’ve really made dramatic progress to catch up and now overtake [physics-based models] with machine learning,” said Ilan Price, a research scientist at Google DeepMind. The researchers have released the underlying code and are making model parameters called ‘weights’ available for non-commercial use. Price says this will help to “democratize” research and increase public access to weather modelling. “This is a really great contribution to open science,” says Matthew Chantry, a machine-learning coordinator at the European Centre For Medium-Range Weather Forecasts in Reading, UK.

🌌 Neutron Stars Illuminate the Hidden Physics of Quark Superconductivity. Recent research has allowed scientists to determine the properties of quark superconductivity in neutron stars, marking significant progress in understanding dense matter. “This work is the first to use data from neutron stars to establish empirical constraints on quark pairing strength,” said lead researcher Aleksi Kurkela​.

🧠 Researchers Link New Neuron Growth to Enhanced Memory and Learning in Adults. Scientists at USC have found a direct link between the growth of new brain cells in adults and enhanced memory and learning abilities. “Our study provides the first cellular evidence of how neurogenesis contributes to human cognition—in this case, verbal learning and memory,” said Michael Bonaguidi, co-corresponding author​.

🧬 Researchers Reveal Potentially Game-Changing New Approach for Prostate Cancer Treatment. An international team led by Umeå University has discovered that activating the GP130 protein can slow prostate tumor growth and stimulate the immune system to fight cancer. “Our results show that by activating the signaling pathway, not only does the growth of the tumor slow, but the immune system is then stimulated to actively fight tumor cells,” said Lukas Kenner, visiting professor at Umeå University​.

💉 Possible Colon Cancer Vaccine Target Uncovered in Bacteria. Researchers have identified two specific strains of E. coli that could be linked to higher rates of colorectal, bladder, and prostate cancers. "Targeting these strains with vaccines or other treatments could reduce cancer risks and alleviate infection burdens in industrialized countries," said Dr. Tommi Mäklin, lead researcher from the Wellcome Sanger Institute.

🔭 Hubble Takes Closest-Ever Look at a Quasar. Using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have gotten the closest look yet at the quasar 3C 273. "Thanks to Hubble's observing power, we're opening a new gateway into understanding quasars," said Bin Ren of the Côte d'Azur Observatory, emphasizing how Hubble continues to expand our knowledge of these celestial giants​.

TECH

🤖 OpenAI Launches Full O1 Model with 34% Reduced Error Rate, Debuts ChatGPT Pro. OpenAI has launched its O1 model, which includes enhanced image analysis capabilities and faster responses with fewer errors. "This upgrade aims to tackle real-world challenges with refined reasoning, coding, and mathematical abilities," said CEO Sam Altman during the announcement​.

🤖 Roboticists Develop a Bird-Like Robot That Can Jump Into the Air to Launch Itself Into Flight. A team of roboticists from EPFL and UC have designed RAVEN, a robot that mimics the spring-like motion of birds such as crows to achieve flight. Aimy Wissa, an aerospace engineer, commented, "This innovation could be a viable solution to achieve multimodal locomotion for unmanned aerial vehicles"​.

🛡️ OpenAI to Partner with Military Defense Tech Company. OpenAI announced a partnership with Anduril Industries to use AI for security missions, focusing on defending against drone attacks. "AI can help protect people, deter adversaries, and even prevent future conflicts," said OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, emphasizing the technology's potential to bolster national security.

HEALTH

☀️ Does High-Dose Vitamin D Prevent Diabetes? Long-Term Study Finds Surprising Results. A new study from the University of Eastern Finland found that high-dose vitamin D does not reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes in elderly individuals with sufficient vitamin D levels. “Our findings reinforce the view that higher doses of vitamin D do not significantly affect the risk of diabetes in those without prediabetes,” said lead researcher Jyrki K. Virtanen​.

🦵 Revolutionary Pain Alleviation: Minimally Invasive Procedure Relieves Knee Arthritis. A minimally invasive procedure called Genicular Artery Embolization (GAE) has shown promising results in reducing knee osteoarthritis pain. “This study addresses osteoarthritis, which is a significant public health issue and the leading cause of chronic pain and disability worldwide,” said Dr. Florian Nima Fleckenstein, highlighting the potential of GAE in improving quality of life​

🧪 New Research Overturns Decades-Old Beliefs About How Cancer Grows and Spreads. A study by researchers at the University of Cologne and the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) challenges the belief that tumors grow faster at their edges. The team found that tumors grow uniformly, providing new insights into cancer growth. “We show they are uniformly growing masses, where every region is equally active,” said Dr. Donate Weghorn, co-corresponding author​.

SPACE

🌕 NASA Delays Artemis 2 Moon Mission to April 2026, Artemis 3 Lunar Landing to Mid-2027. NASA has announced a delay for the Artemis 2 mission, which will now launch in April 2026 instead of September 2025. "Space is demanding," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, explaining that more time is needed to prepare the Orion capsule for its first crewed mission since the Apollo era.

🌊 Comets Probably Delivered Earth Its Water Long Ago, New Study Reveals. A new study supports the theory that comets played a crucial role in delivering water to Earth. "It was really starting to look like these comets played a major role in delivering water to Earth," said Kathleen Mandt, planetary scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

☄️ 'Spectacular' Asteroid Blazes Over Siberia Just Hours After It Was Detected. An asteroid named C0WEPC5 entered Earth's atmosphere over northeastern Siberia, creating a stunning fireball display. The European Space Agency (ESA) noted, "Thanks to observations from astronomers around the world, our alert system was able to predict this impact to within +/- 10 seconds," highlighting the improved capabilities of detection systems.

CLIMATE

🌍 New Study Blames Recent Spike in Global Warming on Lack of Low Clouds
A study from German scientists attributes the recent spike in global warming to the Earth absorbing more sunlight due to reduced cloud cover. "The energy imbalance set a new high in 2023, with a record amount of energy being absorbed by the ocean/atmosphere system," the authors noted, explaining the significance of the reduction in cloud reflectivity​.

🌍 Rapid Surge in Global Warming Mainly Due to Reduced Planetary Albedo.
Scientists at the Alfred Wegener Institute suggest that recent global warming spikes could be attributed to a reduction in planetary albedo, with declining low-altitude cloud cover as a significant factor. "If this reduction is indeed due to feedbacks between global warming and low clouds, we could see climate warming exceeding 1.5°C sooner than expected," said Dr. Helge Goessling, lead researcher​.

WORLD

🔫 Something Wild Was Written on the Bullet Casings Used to Execute Health Insurance CEO. The recent killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson took a strange twist when police discovered the words "deny," "defend," and "depose" on the bullet casings. The incident, covered in a report, has led to speculation about its motives, with some linking it to the insurance industry's controversial practices. Thompson’s wife also confirmed that her husband had received threats before his death​.

❄️ Antarctica Is in Crisis and We Are Scrambling to Understand Its Future
Antarctica is experiencing unprecedented sea ice losses, which serve as a protective wall for the continent’s massive ice sheets. "If all our fear and uncertainty over climate change could be distilled into a single statistic, then arguably it was delivered to an emergency summit on the future of the Antarctic last month," said Dr. Nerilie Abram at the Australian National University

🌀 Did Suicide Pod Malfunction? Strangulation Marks Raise Alarms in Swiss Case. A controversial case involving the Sarco “suicide pod” has raised suspicions of a malfunction or foul play, after autopsy findings revealed strangulation marks inconsistent with a calm nitrogen-induced death. Swiss Chief Prosecutor Peter Sticher hinted at a potential malfunction or interference, stating the need for further investigation.