Scientists say pig kidneys that were cooled to -150 °C and stored in a freezer for months have been successfully rewarmed and shown to work again for the first time. The kidneys, similar in size to human ones, were left in a glass-like state, in one case for over a year. After rewarming, testing in machines, and transplantation into pigs, the kidneys regained their color and produced urine, key signs they were working.
The results are a big milestone for organ transplantation. However, the team still needs to establish whether the approach could work for humans.
Elsewhere, electricity demand is rising, and people are trying to squeeze more power out of every plant. Constellation, the largest nuclear operator in the US, announced plans to add nearly a gigawatt of new capacity across 11 existing reactors at six plants. On October 5, the Department of Energy awarded Vistra a $4.2 billion loan to upgrade three plants.
Pushing existing reactors to produce more could quickly provide additional clean power for data centers. But how much extra power can be counted on remains an open question.
The newsletter also covers Ukraine's claim that sudden Starlink speed limits disrupted key drone missions. Starshield, the military version of Starlink, capped speeds at 100mph, and Ukraine suspects the restrictions are political retaliation.
Source: MIT Technology Review · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing