Weekly Dose of Optimism #200
Brief
Packy McCormick's 200th Weekly Dose of Optimism (July 3, 2026) pairs cultural optimism with breakthroughs in biology and energy. Key science stories: Conception in Berkeley converted blood cells into induced pluripotent stem cells, grew miniature ovaries and produced early primary oocytes that underwent meiosis and follicle formation — a proof of concept toward in vitro gametogenesis though mature IVF-ready eggs and clinical applications remain years away. At the University of Minnesota, Kate Adamala's team published a ~190-page report on 'SpudCell,' a synthetic cell built from nonliving chemicals capable of feeding, growing, reproducing and competing; Drew Endy and Adamala plan to open-source further work through a nonprofit, Biotic. Meta released a v2 brain-to-text model translating external brain activity into words. The newsletter also catalogs fast-moving advanced-nuclear milestones: Radiant received 100 lb of medium‑enriched TRISO fuel, Aalo loaded its first fuel bundle and moved toward criticality, Deployable Energy reached criticality in its Unity demo, and Valar Atomics is powering NVIDIA Spark with nuclear energy.
Why it matters
Packy McCormick published the 200th Weekly Dose of Optimism on July 3, 2026, tying the newsletter to the U.S. 250th birthday and noting broad market and cultural optimism (World Cup energy, sports trades).
Key details
- Conception (Berkeley) reported growing primary human oocytes from induced pluripotent stem cells derived from blood by creating miniature ovaries; the oocytes underwent meiosis and formed follicles but are early-stage (not yet IVF-ready), with clinical use still years away — project led by Matt Krisiloff.
- University of Minnesota researchers (lead Kate Adamala) announced 'SpudCell,' a synthetic cell assembled from nonliving chemicals that can feed, grow, reproduce and compete; the work is detailed in a ~190-page lab paper and will be advanced openly via a nonprofit (Biotic) with Drew Endy.
- Multiple advanced-nuclear milestones: Radiant received 100 pounds of Standard Nuclear's medium-enriched TRISO fuel; Aalo loaded a fuel bundle and began pre-critical splitting (aiming for criticality); Deployable Energy achieved criticality in its Unity demonstration reactor; Valar Atomics is supplying nuclear power to NVIDIA Spark.