⚡️ Are solar-powered cars the future?

PLUS: New gene therapy lets deaf children HEAR

Welcome, Tech enthusiasts.

A Dutch solar EV just passed a grueling 1,000km desert test drive — crossing Morocco's punishing terrain and crossing the Sahara Desert finish line.

Will this demo pave the way for a solar transport revolution? Let’s dive in…

In today’s tech rundown:

  • ☀️ Solar car conquers 1,000km desert drive

  • 🧬 New gene therapy lets deaf children hear

  • 🛠️ 10 New products

  • 📰 7 quick stories

Read time: 3 minutes

TODAY’S HEADLINES

TRANSPORTATION

Image source: STE/Bart van Overbeeke

The Rundown: Dutch students successfully drove their solar-powered SUV 1,000km across the Moroccan desert, proving its potential for viability in areas with less developed charging infrastructure.

Key points:

  • The lightweight ‘Stella Terra’ automobile traversed rugged terrain for three days straight on solar power alone.

  • The model was built by students at The Eindhoven University of Technology, and used 30% less energy than expected on the trip.

  • With 630km (391 mi) max range, it could eliminate range anxiety in sunnier regions lacking charging infrastructure.

  • The model also doubles as a camper van — with a max speed of around 90 mph and a highly efficient custom-built converter.

The relevance: Are solar cars the transportation method of the future? Mass production remains a concern, but adoption of the tech could be a promising green step — particularly for areas without proper EV infrastructure.

TOGETHER WITH GIST

⚡️ The Gist sports news - your sports update simplified

The Rundown: Enjoy a 4x-weekly newsletter delivering concise highlights from the sports world.

What it covers:

  • Experience inclusive and progressive sports news that explores the social and cultural impact of sports.

  • The newsletter offers bite-sized, entertaining, and humorous insights.

  • Covers the biggest headlines, including the social and cultural impact of sports.

GENETICS

Image source: MITTR

The Rundown: Doctors in China just used gene therapy to successfully restore substantial hearing in multiple deaf-since-birth children — a major milestone for the treatment method.

Key points:

  • The therapy delivers a functional copy of the missing otoferlin gene needed for hearing via a virus injected into the inner ear.

  • It allows kids born profoundly deaf to pick up sounds like speech at 50-60 decibels (about the level of a conversation).

  • The treatment is being used to combat a specific defect that causes about 1-3% of congenital deafness cases.

  • Restoring hearing with gene editing had not been achieved before, marking a huge milestone in the field.

Why it matters: This incredible feat opens up possibilities for future treatments. As gene therapies advance, more people could eventually have access to hearing restoration treatments where devices may fall short.

NEW PRODUCTS

💡 Idea Spark- Discover ideas quickly and efficiently (link)

🧊 ColdDM- Automate X, formerly Twitter, cold outreach (link)

💼 JobPulse- Find the newest and best entry-level jobs in tech (link)

🧘 Focus Rings- Do deep work without distraction (link)

📝 Copy AI- Generate content, such as blog headlines, emails, and social media posts using AI (link)

📧 Superhuman- The fastest email experience ever made, with AI-powered features (link)

📱 Synthesia- Create professional videos without mics, cameras, or actors using an AI-generated character (link)

🔥 Jasper- An AI copywriter assistant that can generate any kind of marketing copy (link)

🦾 Browse AI- Train a robot in 2 minutes to extract and monitor data from any website (link)

🎙️ Wondercraft AI- Turn existing content such as blog posts, into full podcasts (link)

Browse the most popular tools ever featured with our tool database.

SNIPPETS

Google researchers adapted noise-canceling earbuds with a software update to measure heart rate using ultrasound technology.

Apple will likely debut three M3 chips with up to 16 CPU and 40 GPU cores at its "Scary Fast" event.

The UK's Online Safety Act, aiming to regulate internet content and protect users, especially children, is now law, but has stirred controversy over privacy concerns and its approach to encryption.

NASA's INFUSE mission is launching a rocket to study the Cygnus Loop, a 20,000-year-old supernova remnant, to understand its impact on galaxy formation.

Posts corrected by X's fact-checking system, Community Notes, won't earn revenue, says Elon Musk.

UK's Policing minister, Chris Philp, encourages increased police use of facial recognition for crime prevention, sparking civil liberty concerns.

French scientists discovered a large deposit of white hydrogen, a naturally occurring clean energy resource, which could play a significant role in addressing climate change.

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THAT’S A WRAP

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