January 13, 2025 | Read Online​

Happy Monday and welcome to the twenty-ninth edition of the Tech Fizz newsletter!

Buckle up, because last week’s discoveries are rewriting what we thought we knew about the world—and beyond. From ancient tectonic plates hidden deep in the Earth to a chicken-sized dinosaur that’s shaking up evolutionary timelines, science is full of surprises.

🧠 Brain Blast
​Hot tech discoveries and breakthroughs from last week

Deep Dish: Researchers have discovered ancient remnants of tectonic plates hidden deep within the Earth’s mantle, potentially dating back to the planet’s earliest days. Using advanced seismic modeling, they located these plates in unexpected places—beneath other continents, far from the usual tectonic boundaries.

Blood-borne: In 1972, a puzzling case of a woman missing a common blood molecule left doctors baffled. Fifty years later, scientists have solved the mystery, uncovering a new human blood group system. This discovery expands the catalog of rare blood types and could enhance treatments for unique transfusion cases.

Wrinkle in Time: Your next vacation might take you to the year 2125. Physicist Lorenzo Gavassino’s research proposes that time travel could bypass paradoxes like the “grandfather paradox” by leveraging principles from quantum mechanics, general relativity, and thermodynamics. Although still theoretical, it offers fresh perspectives on the nature of space-time.

Dino Descent: Scientists have identified a chicken-sized dinosaur in North America, dating back 230 million years. This find reshapes our understanding of dinosaur origins, challenging the idea they first evolved in the southern hemisphere and extending the timeline for their global expansion.

Quantum Quake: Quantum mechanics has long held that particles fall into two categories: bosons or fermions. However, physicists at Rice University have proposed a third possibility—paraparticles. This theoretical discovery questions existing frameworks and transforms our understanding of particle physics.

📸 Industry Snapshot
​A candid look at layoffs and venture capital funding

• On January 2nd, the New York-based benefits startup, Level, shut down and laid off all of its employees after a failed acquisition deal.
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• On January 7th, the digital investment platform, Altruist, laid off 37 employees (or 10% of its workforce) to focus on hiring the "best people possible", despite seeing impressive revenue growth. Doesn't seem very altruistic of them.

🤖 DataDirect Networks (DDN), an AI data storage and management solutions company, raised $300M on January 9 with Blackstone Group as the lead investor to reach a valuation of $5B.

🛍️ Whatnot, a livestream shopping platform for buying and selling products, raised $265M on January 8 with Avra as one of the lead investors to reach a valuation of $5B.

😷 Hippocratic AI, a company that is developing a safety-focused large language model for healthcare, safety, and accuracy, raised $141M on January 9 with Kleiner Perkins as the lead investor to reach a valuation of $1.6B.

⛓️ Movement Labs, a modular framework platform that builds and deploys move-based blockchains and applications in distributed settings, raised $100M on January 8 with CoinFund as one of the lead investors to reach a valuation of $3B.

📱 Social Cues
​What's poppin' in tech on social media

Affordable Accessory: A recent study trending on X reveals that sales of jewelry featuring lab-grown diamonds rose by 12.5% in 2024, while their prices plummeted by 75%.

Seashells by the Seashore: A viral Reddit video showcasing bioluminescent beach sand has users captivated, describing it as something straight out of science fiction.

Smart Solution: Despite two years of updates, the "grandma jailbreak" still works on ChatGPT. Users have discovered that asking the bot to role-play as their grandmother can bypass its restrictions.

IQ Inversion: New research suggests that lead poisoning in ancient Rome may have caused a widespread drop in intelligence, potentially contributing to the empire’s downfall.

Featured Fakes: A Redditor searching for the release date of John Wick: Chapter 5 stumbled upon a website filled with fabricated, AI-generated details about a movie that hasn’t premiered yet.

😎 Only Good Vibes
​A boost of positivity to jumpstart your week

Cosmic Alignment: Mark February 28th on your calendar—seven planets in our Solar System will align in a straight line in the night sky, a rare event not seen in decades. But the wait for a celestial spectacle might be shorter: tonight (January 13th), Comet ATLAS (C/2024 G3) is expected to outshine Venus and streak across the sky.

Breakthrough Blood Test: A new blood test for diagnosing endometriosis has cleared clinical trials and is set to launch in Australia later this year. Boasting 99.7% accuracy in detecting severe cases, it could replace surgery, offering a simpler, more reliable diagnostic method with fewer errors.

3D Printed Medicine: Scientists have pioneered a revolutionary technique using liquid "sono-ink" injected into the body and solidified with ultrasound waves. This innovation allows implants to be 3D-printed directly inside the body, successfully repairing heart tissue, bones, and even delivering chemotherapy—all without invasive surgery.

Magnetic Therapy: Researchers have developed a groundbreaking non-invasive treatment for neurological disorders like Parkinson’s. Instead of implanting electrodes through surgery, they’re using metallic discs that generate electricity when exposed to magnetic fields, providing a safer and more accessible alternative.

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Thanks for reading and stay tuned for next week's edition!

- Tech Fizz Team