Aluminum is Wealth and Knowledge is Better than Gold

This post is also available in video form: https://youtu.be/pXXad5FmkiU

Aluminum is wealth. That sounds strange – it’s cheap, and it’s a recent invention. But the fact that we can all get use (goods and services) because of things made of aluminum is a kind of wealth. And it’s an example of a bigger principle. When someone tells you something is rare or scarce and equates that to value, remember this. Value comes from enabling more people to enjoy something, not from preserving its exclusivity.

Two videos, one BIG one about aging biology

I posted two videos in March:

Using electroluminescent film as a lightbox for tracing: https://youtu.be/ygrJ_BAm_Kg

Aging biology at 4 levels: https://youtu.be/9_JTit5J9zo

The second one was a doozy, here’s the edited-for-text version.

Nuclear Fusion Fuels – Where will they come from?

This post is also a video! Click here to watch.

I know you’ve seen lots of people say “fusion is limitless energy forever and it’s just around the corner. A brighter future will soon dawn for everyone.” I think that hype is maybe not ideal. I do this thing where I read the news like I’m watching lottery drawing – maybe today will be THE DAY and all the problems are SOLVED. I think that’s setting myself up for disappointment. Instead, I took a look at some technical problems and how far along researchers are to solving them.

Top Science of 2023

Here is the science I was most excited about in 2023. It’s still January!  I got it done just in time! This post is also a video. If you want this post in video format, you can click here.

I reviewed the lists of top science from Science magazine, Nature, the Guardian, as well as my notes over the year. Here are my selections. Links for all sources – lists and original articles – are at the bottom.

A Deeper Look at Systems Biology and Aging

Why do we need Systems Biology to help science slow or stop aging? That would be the most profound medical breakthrough since antibiotics. I think systems biology is the key and I spent the last month learning about how it relates to aging research, and I’ve tried to summarize my thoughts here and in a YouTube video (which you can check out at this link). So: what even is Systems biology?

Imagine we have a little miniature world, like a terrarium.