Sunday☕️

24 Nov 2024 — 5 min read

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Today, Chinese geologists announced the discovery of a massive gold deposit in Hunan Province, estimated to be worth $83 billion. The deposit, located in Pingjiang County, includes over 40 gold ore veins found at depths exceeding 2,000 meters underground. Initial studies identified 300.2 tons of gold in the core exploration area, with further projections suggesting over 1,000 tons of reserves at depths greater than 3,000 meters. This discovery reinforces China’s status as the world’s largest gold producer, contributing to about 10% of global output in recent years.

Economic’s & Markets:

Geopolitics & Conflicts:

The French Foreign Ministry has authorized Ukraine to use SCALP-EG long-range air-launched cruise missiles to target locations deep within Russian territory. While these types of weapons have been supplied to Ukraine for some time, they were previously limited to use within Ukrainian borders.
This change follows similar approvals from the United States and the United Kingdom, which have also allowed Ukraine to use Western-supplied weapons for strikes inside Russia. France has confirmed the delivery of over a dozen additional SCALP-EG missiles to Ukraine in December, further boosting its ability to carry out deep strikes. This decision highlights the growing support for Ukraine from Western allies as the conflict continues.

Politics:

On November 21, 2024, Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered all state agencies to divest from investments tied to China, citing concerns over financial and security risks. The directive bans new investments in China and requires state agencies to quickly sell off existing holdings.
This decision impacts major state funds, including the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, which manages over $210 billion in assets, with about $1.4 billion currently invested in China and Hong Kong. The move reflects growing concerns about China’s influence and aims to reduce potential risks to state resources.

Research:

FDA researchers have found that the asthma drug montelukast, sold as Singulair, may be linked to mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, agitation, and suicidal thoughts. Studies show that montelukast interacts with brain receptors involved in psychiatric functioning, which could explain these effects.
Since its release in 1998, the drug has been widely prescribed, but thousands of reports submitted to the FDA and shared online have described neuropsychiatric symptoms, including dozens of suicides. While it has not been definitively proven that montelukast directly causes these issues, the consistent patterns have raised concerns. This has prompted calls for further investigation, particularly into its effects on children.

Security:

Stop & Shop, a supermarket chain headquartered in Quincy, Massachusetts, has been hit by a cyberattack that disrupted its inventory management, delivery operations, and e-commerce systems. Detected on November 8, the attack caused widespread product shortages, delayed restocking of stores, and impacted online orders. Pharmacy services were also affected, leading to delays in processing prescriptions. Stop & Shop operates over 400 stores across the northeastern United States, serving millions of customers, making the disruption highly noticeable.
The exact nature of the cyberattack has not yet been disclosed. It remains unclear whether the attackers accessed sensitive data, deployed ransomware, or simply disrupted critical systems. Stop & Shop is working with cybersecurity experts and law enforcement to investigate and mitigate the issue. This attack highlights the challenges of securing interconnected systems used for retail and supply chain management. For large retailers like Stop & Shop, strong defenses are crucial to maintaining operations and protecting sensitive customer and operational data.

Space:

Yesterday, the Russian Progress MS-29 cargo spacecraft, also known as Progress 90, docked with the International Space Station’s Poisk module at 9:31 a.m. ET. It delivered nearly three tons of supplies, including food, fuel, and equipment for the Expedition 72 crew. The docking was streamed live, showing the spacecraft’s careful maneuvers and alignment with the ISS.

Yesterday, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, carrying 20 Starlink satellites. Among these, 13 are equipped with Direct to Cell technology, designed to improve global cellular connectivity. The launch, which occurred at 7:26 p.m. PST, is part of SpaceX’s ongoing efforts to expand the Starlink network, providing high-speed internet access worldwide and enhancing communication capabilities.

Science & Technology:

Recently, Microsoft and Atom Computing announced breakthroughs in quantum computing, each creating systems with 28 logical qubits. A qubit, or quantum bit, is the basic unit of information in quantum computing. Unlike a classical bit, which can only represent a 0 or a 1, a qubit can represent 0, 1, or both simultaneously (superposition), enabling quantum computers to perform many calculations at once. Logical qubits are specially protected qubits, using error-correction techniques to make them more stable and reliable for computations.
Microsoft reduced error rates significantly through advanced correction methods, while Atom Computing focused on scaling up quantum processors to handle larger, more complex calculations. These advancements bring us closer to fault-tolerant quantum computing, which could solve problems that classical computers cannot, such as modeling molecules for drug discovery, creating new materials, and improving encryption methods.
In addition, researchers in photonics have visualized the shape of a single photon, the smallest unit of light. Understanding a photon’s spatial structure can improve how we manipulate light at the quantum level, opening up possibilities for secure communication, quantum computing, and precision measurements. Together, these advancements highlight the growing potential of quantum technologies to revolutionize science and technology.

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