Portable Muon Beams, Sodium Batteries, and the Secret to Long Life

Aloha internet — Lester Nare and Krishna Choudhary are back with three brand-new research papers from the frontiers of physics, chemistry, and biology. From laser-driven muon beams small enough to fit in a lab, to sodium-ion batteries that could replace lithium, to naked mole rats redefining what aging means — this is From First Principles.

Summary

• Lawrence Berkeley’s new portable muon-beam generator and how it could revolutionize archaeology, volcanology, and even cargo inspection.

• University of Chicago / UC San Diego’s breakthrough sodium-ion battery showing solid-state performance close to lithium, but at a fraction of the cost.

• Tongji University’s naked-mole-rat study that reveals how four amino-acid changes could unlock radical DNA repair — and maybe longer human life.