Elon Musk: Person of the year

New ambitious mission concepts could find signs of life on Venus, scientists have grown acid-producing advanced mini-stomachs in the lab Dec 14, 2021 [View on browser]( Good morning to Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who has been named Time Magazine’s 2021 Person of the Year. Of course, he doesn’t have to be yours. The canonical magazine described Musk as “a person with extraordinary influence on life on Earth, and potentially life off Earth, too,” so if there is life on Venus, this news concerns them too, since researchers have proposed new missions to explore signs of life in its atmosphere. Some critics think Musk is Time’s “worst choice ever”, and if you’re among them, might we suggest you try out a new artificial acid-producing mini-stomach, to better digest the news. This is The Blueprint. Keep reading. CULTURE [Elon Musk Was Just Named 'Person of the Year' by TIME Magazine]( [Elon Musk is Time magazine's Person of the Year.]( Surprise, surprise. Time Magazine named Tesla and SpaceX Founder and CEO [Elon Musk the person of the year](. He can now add another title to his résumé — as if he needed it. - The magazine’s Person of the Year highlights people of influence, and “few individuals have had more influence than Musk on life on Earth, and potentially life off Earth too,” the magazine wrote. Why? "For creating solutions to an existential crisis, for embodying the possibilities and the perils of the age of tech titans, for driving society’s most daring and disruptive transformations, Elon Musk is Time's 2021 Person of the Year," the magazine explained. - "In 2021, Musk emerged not just as the world’s richest person but also as perhaps the richest example of a massive shift in our society,” it continued, stating that the shift includes "the continuing decline of traditional institutions in favor of individuals; government dysfunction that has delivered more power and responsibility to business; and chasms of wealth and opportunity.” For good or ill. Some critics [have called Musk Time's “worst choice ever”]( since the billionaire has also elicited scorn over the years — even more so over the course of the pandemic as he spread misinformation about the coronavirus, became the richest man in the world more than once while millions starved, and more. [Read More]( SCIENCE [New Ambitious Mission Concepts Could Find Signs of Life on Venus]( [A composite image of Venus, under the sun's bright glare.]( Earth's twin sister is holding many secrets. This is why a team of scientists [has proposed a suite of new missions]( to explore Venus and seek regions of habitability, signs of life, and perhaps even life itself somewhere in the planet's atmosphere. Life on Venus. One of the reasons we’re so intrigued by Venus' potential for habitable conditions is the presence of unexplained atmospheric chemical anomalies, like the abundance of O2, SO2, H2O, and more. Such anomalies could be linked to living material, so the scientists propose a means of doing in-situ exploration to uncover the facts. - While NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have already selected other missions to visit Venus ([DAVINCI+, VERITAS, and EnVision]( the researchers argue that these are only designed for general studies of the planet's properties, leaving many questions about habitable conditions in Venus' clouds unanswered. Future of private-public space ventures. The scientists emphasized a need for these missions to supplement, and not supplant NASA and the ESA's missions to Venus, with public-private partnerships. If these mission concepts gain funding, the defining feature of Space Race 2.0 — space ventures operated by private firms — will be going interplanetary. And someday, it may be a CEO, not a NASA officer, who tells us that life exists on an alien world. [Read More]( HEALTH [Scientists Have Grown Acid-Producing Advanced Mini-Stomachs in the Lab]( [The close-up of the organoid inside of a mouse.]( With the increasing demand for organ transplants, scientists have been working on growing full-sized, functioning organs in the name of regenerative medicine for some time now. These "organoids" are tiny, three-dimensional organs that are grown from stem cells that often resemble and work as their real counterparts. - So far, we've seen scientists 3D-print organoids and create miniature livers using human skin cells. Now, scientists [have created the most advanced mini-stomach yet]( that can contract and produce acid. How? Starting with human pluripotent stem cells, the team used three types of cells to grant the new mini-stomach abilities approximating a regular one. The organoids were then transplanted into mice, where they grew a thousand times larger than they usually do in cell culture. They even developed other features that had been lacking, like a Brunner’s gland. Lifting the ceiling. While there's still work to do to create organoid tissue that would be fully suitable for transplantation, this study has reached a brand new horizon [in the field of artificial organs](. [Read More]( MAIL & MUSINGS Let’s say you needed a kidney transplant, and an artificial kidney and the “real thing” are up for grabs. Which one would you pick? Be sure you check back tomorrow for the results! [What does it matter? Either way is fine.]( [Donor organ. I’m old-fashioned.]( [Meet my new artificial kidney.]( [Ask my doctor. That’s what I pay for.]( Yesterday’s Results As you may already remember, passengers in Nepal had to lend their airplane a hand after its tire ruptured on the runway, resulting in a strange yet amusing scene. We asked if you'd join the crowd if you were there, and the vast majority of you answered you would. That's the attitude! Absolutely! We're all in this together. 87% No way. I can't risk my life right now. 5% I'm Superman. I'll do it alone. 5% This is terrifying. I want out! 4% QUOTE OF THE DAY “ Courage is grace under pressure. ” Ernest Hemingway as quoted by Dorothy Parker in the November 30, 1929 issue of the ‘New Yorker’. [Video]VIDEO OF THE DAY [The Dangers Behind Using Fighter Jet Ejection Seat Systems]( If one thing goes wrong, these pilots could be in grave danger. [The Dangers Behind Using Fighter Jet Ejection Seat Systems]( AND ANOTHER THING... - Welcome to the future of moral dilemmas: Can artificial intelligence be ethical? Researchers asked AI, [and it sees both sides](. - Toyota has announced that [it will extend production stoppages]( at some factories in Japan as it continues to feel the impact of supply chain issues. (BBC) - Humans have been dreaming of living on the moon, but [what would that look like exactly]( - A leisurely stroll through [the year’s sharpest and most brilliant science shots](. (Nature) - A Stanford professor wants to unlock the secrets of UFO crash materials, and [he suspects a link to Havana Syndrome](. - Powerful tornadoes barreled through five U.S. states on Friday, leveling houses and factories and bringing down power lines. This is [the level of destruction it left in its wake](. (The Guardian) - Could F-35s get new engines by 2027? The U.S. congress thinks so, as [a flurry of upgrades]( is on the horizon. [Share to Win]SHARE TO WIN [All products]( Share The Blueprint! Give your friends deeper insights into engineering and tech, and win exclusive IE swag for free. [Read Details]( Share your link Copy & share your referral link with others. [ [Referral Program Terms and Conditions]( Prepared by Derya Ozdemir and Brad Bergan Enjoy reading? Don't forget to forward to a friend! Was this email forwarded to you? 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