🌎 Double Trouble

Google wants to launch AI data centers into space

Now AI slop can sit with the space debris. Google recently announced an ambitious new plan called Project Suncatcher, which aims to dodge resource constraints for energy-hungry AI data centers by building them in space.

It’s an idea, for sure

AI data centers are sprawling terrestrial facilities that suck up massive amounts of electricity and water, and the tech industry is building them as quickly as it can buy up the land.

So, what’s the way around the sky-high energy costs and surging demand? A “moonshot” research effort that will put them in space (read official blog). According to Google’s internal documents:

• The company is exploring deploying satellite clusters that would fly in extremely tight formations, closer than any current satellite formation.

• The space-based data centers would use the near-constant sunlight present in orbit to generate up to eight times more solar power than they would be able to on Earth, according to Google.

The tech giant plans to launch two prototype satellites by early 2027 to test the concept in orbit, though the project likely won’t be feasible until the mid-2030s.

That’s because it won’t be easy: As Google itself notes, they’re dealing with massive engineering hurdles, including temperature control, radiation impact on hardware, high launch costs, and the logistics of such a tight orbital formation.

Google isn’t alone in its endeavor: Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos said orbiting data centers are the most efficient way to handle the world’s computing needs, while SpaceX CEO Elon Musk recently suggested his Starlink satellites could one day offer similar capabilities.

Shein opens its first physical store in Paris amid massive backlash

Ahhh, Paris, where cheap fashion meets an expensive image problem. The Chinese-founded e-commerce giant Shein opened its first brick-and-mortar location in Paris on Wednesday, sparking a legal and PR firestorm.

Complete PR disaster

Shein is opening in the historic BHV Marais, a nearly 170-year-old department store in Paris, which houses products from iconic fashion brands like Chanel, Dior, and Givenchy.

While that might seem like it would give Shein a reputation boost, it actually did quite the opposite:

• In the weeks leading up to the store’s opening, several luxury brands pulled their merchandise from the BHV building in protest of the company’s fast-fashion business model.

• At the same time, street protests erupted outside the location over Shein’s factory working conditions (which it has refused to answer questions about) and the environmental impact of its cheap, “throwaway” fashion products.

However, Shein’s problems only got worse from there. The retailer faced new outrage over the weekend after investigators found childlike sex dolls being sold on the platform. Shein claimed the dolls were listed by a third-party seller and have since been removed.

• Then, on Wednesday, the French government announced it will temporarily ban Shein from selling products in the country until the e-commerce giant proves its content is in line with French laws.

Looking forward: Shein is planning to open five more physical locations in France to help offset revenue struggles due to US tariffs (see breakdown), though its current regulatory hurdles are likely to dampen that prospect.

Scientists just made a breakthrough in camouflage technology

Time to make the Harry Potter cloak a reality. Scientists have developed a way to mass-produce xanthommatin, the color-shifting pigment behind octopus camouflage, opening doors for uses from defense technology to sunscreen.

Why is this a pretty big deal?

Until now, getting usable amounts of the pigment, either naturally from animals or in the lab, has been extremely difficult.

However, the new study published this week (see here) shows that researchers have produced up to 1,000 times more xanthommatin than ever before:

• Scientists genetically engineered a microbe to make one molecule of xanthommatin for every molecule of formic acid, a compound necessary for the bacteria’s survival and growth.

By forcing the bacteria into a survival mode where producing xanthommatin is tied directly to their growth, it creates a “make this pigment or die” loop, supercharging production of the pigment.

What can this be used for? Since xanthommatin has remarkable color-shifting and light-absorption properties, it might soon find itself in everything from color-changing paints and eco-friendly dyes to clean, fossil fuel alternatives.

Looking forward: The leap in production has already garnered interest from the US Department of Defense (for its stealth capabilities) and, on the opposite end of the spectrum, the cosmetics industry (for use in natural sunscreens).

In partnership with Money.com

Home insurance premiums are up by 9% this year

Home insurance costs continue to climb, with premiums rising over 9% this year and more than 60% in the past five years. However, coverage hasn’t kept pace, leaving many homeowners paying significantly more for less protection. With affordability becoming a growing concern, it’s more important than ever to compare options—check out Money’s handy home insurance tool to find the best fit for you.

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FBI to help track down Guatemalan gang leaders who escaped prison

The group was recently designated as a terrorist organization. This week, Guatemala’s government announced that the US will send a dedicated FBI team to help the country find 20 leaders of the Barrio 18 gang who escaped unnoticed from a maximum-security prison near Guatemala City.

Who are the Barrio 18?

Commonly known as the 18th Street Gang, Barrio 18 began as a street gang in Los Angeles during the 1960s, before spreading across Central America after many members were deported. See an overview here.

• The transnational gang is largely known for its extreme violence, widespread extortion, and recruitment of elementary and middle-school-aged youth, earning it the nickname "Children's Army".

• Barrio 18 is also a bitter rival of the infamous MS-13 gang. The two together are estimated to be responsible for roughly 200,000 deaths over the last 30 years.

The US government designated the group as a terrorist organization in September, while Guatemala did the same following the recent prison break.

A massive manhunt

Shortly after the 20 senior leaders of Barrio 18 escaped, three top security officials, including the interior minister, resigned after it emerged that the escapes had gone unnoticed for days until a prisoner recount.

Guatemala's new interior minister then asked for help from the FBI, with Washington agreeing to dispatch the agency’s premier gang hunting team:

• Joint Task Force Vulcan, which specializes in Latin American criminal organisations, was selected to assist in the manhunt.

Of the 20 high-ranking operatives who escaped from the Fraijanes II maximum security prison, only four have been recaptured so far, raising alarm among many senior officials.

Looking forward: Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo called for an overhaul of the country’s prison system and announced plans for a new maximum-security prison that will house 2,000 inmates, which is expected to be completed sometime next year.

College students are all in on double-majoring

Double the major, double the fun. More college students than ever are choosing to double-major as a way to boost their job prospects amid an increasingly uncertain job market for young professionals.

Double trouble

To help stand out amongst their peers, roughly 12% of recent graduates earned more than one credential, a notable rise from 6% just 10 years ago, according to a Hechinger Report analysis of federal data.

Although some universities—Ivy League, private, and public alike—are seeing a much bigger spike. For example:

• Between 2014 and 2024, double majors skyrocketed 591% at Drexel University, 334% at Harvard, and 169% at UC San Diego.

The shift is seen as an adaptation to a weak labor market: One study found that double-majors have about a 56% lower chance of seeing major income changes during downturns compared with single-majors.

Some of the picks are strategic: At the University of Wisconsin–Madison, double majors have risen 25% over the past decade, with nearly 60% of computer science students adding data science, an industry promising abundant, high-paying jobs.

Catch up on this week’s weird news

 > Scientists have spotted the most powerful flare ever recorded from a supermassive black hole, located 10 billion light-years away, with an intensity 30 times brighter than anything previously observed.

> Tom Brady revealed his dog Junie is actually a clone of his late pet Lua, who died in 2023. He worked with biotech firm Colossal Biosciences—where he’s an investor—to make it happen, calling it a “second chance” for his family.

 > Researchers found that older adults who walked at least 3,000 steps per day showed slower cognitive decline than less active peers, though benefits peaked between 5,000 and 7,500 steps.

 > Coca-Cola has released a new AI-generated holiday commercial, though company executives say “this time it’s different” after last year’s AI ad drew heavy criticism. Watch the new ad here.

 > Hollywood had its weakest Halloween weekend in 31 years, spooked by a rare combo of the holiday landing on a Friday and the World Series stealing audiences’ attention.