Wookyoung Kim, Jisoo · August 6, 2025
Personal superintelligence, fusion power plants, malaria, Leonardo da Vinci
Our brains think time slows down when we encounter something novel. When we sense the meaning of a moment, we can enjoy that moment for longer. Conversely, when we think something has no meaning, the moment seems to pass more quickly. That may be why it is important to know what to focus on.
This newsletter covers personal superintelligence, fusion power plants, malaria, and Leonardo da Vinci.
1/ Personal Superintelligence, from Meta:
Over the past few months, we have seen AI systems begin to improve themselves. The pace of improvement is still slow, but the progress is undeniable. The development of superintelligence is now within sight.
Mark Zuckerberg said that over the past few months he has observed AI beginning to improve itself. AI that improves itself means a model continues to enhance its own capabilities without human intervention, showing that superintelligence is close at hand.
Alongside this, Mark Zuckerberg argues that superintelligence will greatly help accelerate the pace of human progress. Just as people have used the productivity gained through technological progress to accomplish what was previously impossible, push the boundaries of science and health, and spend more time on the joys of life, he says personal superintelligence can help each person move toward what they value in their own life.
This resembles an expression Isaac Asimov used in Whatever You Wish.
Historically, there were periods when the aristocratic class lived in idleness on the backs of "living machines" such as slaves, serfs, and tenant farmers. But when such a structure was combined with high culture, aristocrats used their leisure to study literature, art, and philosophy and cultivate themselves. These studies had no direct practical use for labor, but they enriched the mind, made interesting conversation possible, and created a more enjoyable life.
Just as aristocrats who did not need to work led literature, art, and philosophy, people in the era of personal superintelligence may spend their time making life more enjoyable and valuable.
2/ Construction Begins on the World's First Commercial Fusion Power Plant
Helion Energy held a groundbreaking ceremony for the world's first commercial fusion power plant. The 50 MW facility, capable of supplying electricity to 40,000 to 50,000 homes, is targeting the start of operations in 2028.
Fusion power still has not found a way to generate more energy than is needed to trigger and sustain the fusion reaction. Even so, it is meaningful that construction has begun on a commercial fusion power plant, because fusion power is possible and people will eventually find a way.
3/ Genomic Engineering for Biodiversity Conservation and Restoration
When populations become extremely small due to rapid habitat destruction, disease, or climate change, repeated inbreeding can create genetic drift debt. This Nature Reviews paper discusses ways to conserve biodiversity by using gene-editing tools such as CRISPR to correct harmful mutations and restore lost adaptive traits.
Until now, much of genomic engineering has focused on reviving extinct species such as mammoths. This paper is interesting because it addresses the genetic problems of endangered species that still exist.
4/ A FREP1 Gene Mutation That Removes the Ability to Transmit Malaria
With malaria killing 600,000 people each year, mosquito-eradication methods such as insecticides face problems of ecological disruption and resistance. This Nature paper proposes a way to block mosquitoes' ability to transmit malaria by changing just one amino acid in the mosquito FREP1 gene.
If gene-editing technology changes L224 to Q224 in the FREP1 gene, it can block malaria transmission. Even after 10 generations, more than 90% of the mosquitoes are unable to transmit malaria.
Until now, many malaria strategies have focused on killing mosquitoes or reducing their numbers. This paper is interesting because it removes only the mosquito's ability to carry malaria, without killing mosquitoes or disrupting the ecosystem.
5/ Leonardo da Vinci's To-Do List
- Calculate the measurements of Milan and its suburbs. - Find a book about Milan and its churches at the stationer's on the way to Cordusio. - Find out the measurements of the ducal palace's main building, the Castello. - Learn from a master of arithmetic how to square a triangle. - Ask Messer Fazio, professor of medicine and law at Pavia, to explain proportion. - Ask the Brera friar at the Benedictine monastery in Milan to show you the medieval mechanics text De Ponderibus.
This is Leonardo da Vinci's to-do list from 500 years ago. Looking closely at the list, what stands out is how he sought outside help in areas he did not know well or could not handle himself. In the modern world, 500 years later, people often forget that when they do not know something, they should ask and seek help.
Thoughts
Our brains think time flows more slowly when we encounter something novel. When we sense the meaning of a moment, we can enjoy that moment for longer. Conversely, when we think something has no meaning, the moment seems to pass more quickly.
Among the decisions we make, some are obviously likely to work, while others are ambiguous. But when nothing is in place yet, you should do only what is obviously likely to work, not what is ambiguous.