President-elect Donald Trump has nominated SpaceX veteran and billionaire Jared Isaacman as NASA’s next head, set to replace Bill Nelson. At 41, Isaacman brings two SpaceX missions, including the first private spacewalk in Polaris Dawn (Sep 2024), and his role as Shift4 CEO. Rocket Lab’s Peter Beck cheers the move, anticipating a boost for rocket and satellite sectors. With NASA’s Artemis program ramping up for lunar returns, Isaacman’s commercial flair could spark new cosmic ventures—assuming government paperwork doesn’t send him back to Earth!

In a groundbreaking 2024 collaboration, University of Bristol and UK Atomic Energy Authority launched the world’s first carbon-14 diamond battery. Boasting a lifespan of 5,700 years, this gem repurposes nuclear waste to power medical devices and spacecraft with microwatt precision. Safely encased in lab-grown diamond, it promises sustainable energy without frequent replacements. While it won’t charge your phone, this long-lasting marvel could revolutionize power solutions for the far future.

Google DeepMind launched GenCast, an AI marvel trained on 40 years of weather data (1979-2018), outperforming ECMWF’s ENS 97.2% of the time for 15-day forecasts—all in eight minutes on a single TPU v5. Excelling at predicting extreme events like cyclones, GenCast boosts renewable energy planning via better wind forecasts. While it edges out predecessors like GraphCast, challenges remain in cyclone intensity predictions. Accessible through Google Earth Engine, GenCast is reshaping meteorology with a sprinkle of AI magic.

The Department of Energy is set to loan $7.54 billion to Stellantis and Samsung SDI for two Kokomo, Indiana EV battery plants, creating over 2,800 jobs. Slated to produce batteries for roughly 670,000 vehicles annually, the first plant kicks off in early 2025 with the second following in 2027. Conditional on a Community Benefits Plan, this initiative aims to turbocharge domestic battery manufacturing and curb reliance on foreign suppliers. Fingers crossed the loan gets finalized before the next political pit stop!

Meta is venturing into nuclear energy, aiming to add 1-4 gigawatts of U.S. nuclear capacity by the early 2030s to power its AI-driven data centers. Joining tech giants like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google, Meta has issued an RFP to partner with nuclear developers, likely focusing on small modular reactors. While this aligns with Meta’s 100% clean energy goals, challenges such as high costs, regulatory hurdles, and waste management remain. Will Meta’s nuclear leap light up its AI ambitions?

NASA's new study reveals that Comet 103P/Hartley 2 mirrors Earth's water molecular signature, suggesting Jupiter-family comets might've helped flood our planet. This shakes off previous skepticism from Comet 67P’s mismatched ratios. Released on December 5, 2024, the research highlights Kuiper Belt comets' potential role in Earth's watery origins, sparking fresh debates. Meanwhile, meteorites and elusive dark comets continue to stir the cosmic conversation, proving space still loves to keep us guessing.

Satellite images reveal Antarctica has become ten times greener since 1986, with vegetation on the Antarctic Peninsula expanding from 0.33 to 4.61 square miles by 2021. NASA’s Landsat data shows this greening boosted notably after 2016, sparking concerns about invasive species and ecosystem balance. Mosses and hardy plants like Antarctic Pearlwort are leading the charge, reminding us that even the coldest places aren’t immune to climate change’s green thumb. Scientists call for more research to manage this unexpected botanical boom.

On December 5, 2024, Amazon unveiled Project Rainier, a powerhouse AI supercomputer powered by its latest Trainium2 chips. Backed by an $8 billion investment, including $4 billion in Anthropic, Rainier is five times larger than Anthropic’s current setup, delivering up to 65 ExaFLOPS. Boasting 30-40% better price-performance than Nvidia’s GPUs, Amazon is set to shake up the AI chip market. With Trainium3 slated for late 2025, AWS is clearly upping its AI game.

Breaking the AI non-military norm, OpenAI partners with defense powerhouse Anduril Industries, valued at $14 billion, to enhance anti-drone systems. This landmark collaboration integrates OpenAI’s cutting-edge AI into Anduril's Lattice software, aiming to bolster U.S. air defenses and safeguard military personnel. CEO Sam Altman emphasizes ethical AI use, while Anduril bags a hefty $99.7 million contract with U.S. Space Command. Amid rising global tensions, with rivals like China in the mix, this partnership underscores tech’s pivotal role in modern warfare – high tech meets high stakes!

Meta is set to invest over $10 billion in Richland Parish, Louisiana, unveiling its largest data center globally. This giga-project will create 1,500+ jobs and peak with 5,000 construction workers, making it Louisiana’s biggest private investment ever.

Governor Jeff Landry lauds Meta’s green commitment, promising 100% renewable energy and aiming to be water positive by 2030. With 4 million square feet of tech prowess, Meta is not just building infrastructure but also nurturing local talent and sustainability.