288: Hofstader's Butterfly
Hi everyone, Gus here, apologies for the missed issue last week. I do have a good excuse though :) Sammy and I welcomed a new baby into our family - she was born en caul, at sunrise last Thursday. We don't have a name for her yet but she's healthy and hungry and very, very cute. I'd forgotten the way babies burrow into your neck when they're having a cuddle, and how one moment like that can make up for an entire sleepless night. Mum is recovering well and our other two girls are besotted. We are so grateful.
Hopefully back to regular programming now, but the schedule could get a little wobbly over the next few weeks as our lives settle into a new pattern. Thanks in advance for your understanding.
We've got such a great issue this week, kicking off with this month's charity partner...
The Alma Nuns
A couple of weeks ago we came across the incredible story of the ALMA Nuns, who run an orphanage and school for kids with disabilities in Timor Leste. On a budget of next to nothing, these nuns have 20 children living in their small house and provide them with a loving home, food, treatment and round-the-clock care. Most of the kids have special needs and many are left by families who don’t have the means to support them.
We’re giving them $10,000 AUD, which they're putting towards the construction of a new classroom to meet increasing demand. Caring for a disabled child is hard enough but in a country like Timor Leste where specialised healthcare and infrastructure is lacking, the challenge is overwhelming. And yet, when we spoke with Sister Anastasia Muti, the joy in her voice was infectious (even over a slightly unstable WhatsApp connection). She told us that despite the challenges, every child who lands on their doorstep is considered a gift.
In addition to the orphanage the nuns run two classrooms for around 70 kids, some who live at the orphanage and others from surrounding villages who are collected by a bus each morning because public schools won’t accept students with disabilities. They welcome every race and religion and run programs for children who are blind, deaf, struggling with severe learning difficulties, cerebral palsy, autism and range of other health problems to help them build the skills to live a meaningful life.
How you can help
The ALMA Nuns rely solely on donations to continue their work, not just monetary but also education and health supplies. If you can help them out with wheelchairs, books for the school or shoes/clothing for kids or if you have any working computers that you no longer need, please contact Sister Anastasia directly: mutianastasiam@gmail.com
This week's top stories
China, long the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter and designated bogeyman of climate conferences, is now leagues ahead of any other country on wind, solar and electric vehicles, and green tech now contributes significantly more to its economy than any other major power. China sees investing in clean energy as a key pillar of its efforts to surpass the EU and US technologically…and while this progress may be couched in terms of great power competition, it’s a huge net good for the world as a whole. WaPo 🎁
A new report shows that the United States installed 50 GW of new solar in 2024, the largest single year of new capacity added to the US grid by any energy technology in two decades. But wait, there's more. Solar and batteries will supply four fifths of new power capacity in the United States in 2025. This surge will accelerate coal's decline, with 5% of remaining coal plants set to retire this year—twice last year's closure rate. Yale360
Did you know that in the past five years, over 100 million people in Africa have gained access to electricity? Liberia has seen access go from 5% in 2017 to 35% today, Rwanda has gone from 6% in 2009 to 75% today, Nigeria is now at 70%, up from 50% a decade ago, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea have reached 90%, and Rwanda, Senegal and Kenya are all targeting universal access by 2030. Global Energy Prize
⚡ Those may seem like dry numbers but it’s life-changing stuff; for a vivid look at how lives change when people gain access to electric power, check out Robert Caro’s piece on pre- and post-electricity life in 1930s rural Texas in “The Sad Irons.”
It's not just electricity but wireless internet and potable water that could be coming to the world’s most isolated areas: Alphabet's Project Taara has developed laser technology transmitting internet at fiber-optic speeds without physical cables. Their 'light bridges' have successfully connected communities across the Congo River, reducing costs in Kinshasa fivefold. Wired
Meanwhile, researchers in Texas have developed a system that transforms common biomass—food scraps, branches, seashells—into water-harvesting materials. The system requires minimal energy while being scalable for off-grid communities, and produces 14.19 litres of water daily per kilogram of material, triple the output of conventional methods. Advanced Materials
Vaccines now save six lives per minute in Zimbabwe; the country has slashed under-five mortality from 93 to 48 deaths per 1,000 live births since 2008 through systematic vaccination expansion. The national immunization program has grown from six to 13 antigens while mobilizing village health workers to conduct community outreach in hard-to-reach areas. Gavi
UN biodiversity talks have established a framework to monitor nations' progress on protecting 30% of the earth by 2030. Despite geopolitical tensions, countries achieved breakthrough consensus on a pathway for the $200 billion annual nature funding goal, including dedicated funding for indigenous groups. NYT 🎁
And on the topic of indigenous groups taking charge on conservation, Canada’s Inuit have just secured a huge amount of government funding to lead conservation of Arctic marine ecosystems. Canada's federal government has committed $200 million for Inuit-led conservation across 800 km² of the Qikiqtani Region, supplemented by $70 million from philanthropic sources. Nunatsiaq News
Cambodia, once the world's most mined country, is now almost landmine-free. Last year, teams cleared over 273 km2 of the country, destroying 17,853 anti-personnel mines, 228 anti-tank mines, and 91,111 explosive remnants. Down from 3,300 km2 in 1992, there are now just 348 km2 remaining that require clearance...or, in other words, at last year's rate of mine clearing, a little more than a year of de-mining left. Cambodia Constructors Association
Princeton researchers have visualized Hofstadter's butterfly—a quantum fractal pattern—for the first time in physical materials, confirming a mathematical prediction from 1976. This discovery reveals how nature's self-repeating patterns extend into the quantum realm - suggesting that fundamental mathematical principles manifest across different scales of reality, and hinting at deeper organizing principles throughout nature. Phys.org
The Right to Repair movement has reached all 50 US states. Wisconsin just became the final state to introduce legislation, completing nationwide coverage. Six states have already passed laws requiring companies to sell repair parts, share manuals, and remove software locks that restrict repairs, and 20 more are actively considering bills. "We’ve completed the sweep of getting bills filed in all 50 states. Our legislative map no longer has any blanks." 404 Media
New molecule matches Ozempic's weight loss effects without harsh side effects. Stanford researchers identified a molecule known as BRP that suppresses appetite and reduces weight but without nausea, constipation, or muscle loss. BRP targets specific brain neurons in the hypothalamus rather than affecting multiple body systems. 🤖 Here's the key part: The study would not have been possible without the use of artificial intelligence to sift through dozens of proteins in a class called prohormones.
Arizona's 15-week abortion ban has been permanently invalidated following voters' decisive support for Proposition 139, which enshrined abortion rights in the state constitution. Though dozens of restrictive laws remain, this ruling allows doctors to provide care without risk of imprisonment, and represents the first significant step in aligning state legislation with the overwhelming 62% voter mandate for reproductive healthcare autonomy. AZ Mirror
Canada secures the future of affordable childcare. The country's transformative national childcare program will get an additional $37 billion investment, ensuring affordable early education until 2031. The program has already created 150,000 new childcare spaces nationwide. Beyond maintaining $10-a-day fees, the new agreement includes annual funding increases, "cementing childcare as a foundational building block of Canadian identity." CBC News
After a 3,000 years of absence on mainland Australia, Tasmanian devils have been released into a protected sanctuary in New South Wales. The rewilding initiative aims to restore ecological balance by reintroducing these apex predators, which can help control invasive foxes and cats devastating native wildlife (did someone just say trophic cascade?!). New Scientist
And in a high altitude forest east of Melbourne, more than 3,000 critically endangered Baw Baw frogs have just been set free, following a pioneering conservation program by Melbourne Zoo. Currently, only around 500 of these frogs exist in the wild. The Guardian