Earlier this week, I had to do something I wasn’t looking forward to: I visited the dentist to get a partial crown placed. Just a few years ago, this would have been a tedious and uncomfortable experience. I would have gone in for an appointment, been numbed up, had the tooth drilled, and then had to endure biting into a gooey, unpleasant-tasting silicone to create an impression of my tooth. Then I would have needed a second appointment a week or two later to get the crown placed.

But this time, things were different. Yes, part of my tooth was still drilled out—there’s no getting around that part. But I didn’t have to deal with the messy silicone. Instead, my dentist used a small intraoral camera to take a 3D scan of my tooth. Then, right in front of me, he used a laptop to design the crown based on the scans. The design was then sent to a milling machine from Dentsply Sirona, which carved the crown from a ceramic block in under 8 minutes. A few minutes later, it was bonded to my tooth.

When I think about it, the whole process—which took less than an hour—was made possible by a convergence of cutting-edge technologies. It required tiny digital cameras, AI-powered software to generate a 3D model of my tooth, intuitive design tools for the dentist to use, automated milling machines to fabricate the crown precisely, and advanced materials science to create the ceramic used. It’s incredible how much innovation is packed into a simple dental procedure.

Waymo Engineers Are Bringing Self-Driving Tech to Construction Sites

A group of former engineers from Waymo, the leading self-driving car company, is now setting its sights on automating the construction industry.

Boris Sofman, a former top engineer at Waymo who worked on autonomous trucking, recently joined forces with ex-Waymo colleagues Ajay Gummalla and Kevin Peterson, along with engineer Tom Eliaz, to launch a new startup called Bedrock Robotics. Their first focus is on excavators—those ever-present machines used for digging.

Based in San Francisco, Bedrock isn’t building its own construction equipment. Instead, they’re retrofitting existing machines with cameras, lidar, onboard computers, and AI software that allow them to operate autonomously—even in extreme conditions where human workers would need to take frequent breaks.

Bedrock, which has brought on former Uber Freight executive Laurent Hautefeuille as COO, is now coming out of stealth with $80 million in fresh funding and plans to start commercial operations by 2026. The company is currently testing autonomous excavators in Arizona, Texas, and Arkansas, and will begin testing on actual customer sites next month. If all goes well, CEO Sofman—who holds a PhD in robotics from Carnegie Mellon—says, “we expect to achieve the first operator-free form in 2026.”

Read the full article at Forbes.

DISCOVERY OF THE WEEK: BROAD-SPECTRUM ANTIVIRALS

When a virus infects your body, it begins replicating rapidly. During this process, it produces molecules that activate what scientists call the “integrated stress response pathway,” which signals your cells to stop producing the materials the virus needs to multiply. Since this pathway was identified, scientists have searched for compounds that can enhance it to boost the body’s natural defenses. However, most of these compounds have also been toxic.

Recently, a multi-institutional team of researchers conducted a massive screening of 400,000 potential antiviral compounds, narrowing them down to around 3,500. In lab tests using human cells, several of these compounds successfully combated RSV, herpes, and Zika viruses—suggesting they could work broadly against multiple viruses, similar to how antibiotics work against various bacteria. The findings were published this week in the peer-reviewed journal Cell. The next step is testing these compounds against more virus types to identify the most effective ones.

FINAL FRONTIER: CONGRESS FIGHTS BACK AGAINST NASA BUDGET REDUCTIONS

Earlier this year, the White House proposed a budget that would cut NASA’s funding by nearly a quarter. However, Congress is resisting. Both the House and Senate budget subcommittees have approved legislation that would maintain NASA’s current funding levels, although the House version allocates more funds to human spaceflight at the expense of the science budget.

WHAT ELSE I WROTE THIS WEEK

In my other newsletter, InnovationRx, Amy Feldman and I covered new legislation that could reverse recent Medicaid cuts, how Daniel Nadler became a billionaire by creating a ChatGPT-like tool for doctors, major updates from two Chinese pharmaceutical firms, how AI is being used in healthcare, and more.

SCIENCE AND TECH TIDBITS

Researchers at DARPA have set a new record for wireless power transmission, successfully sending 800 watts via laser beam over a distance of 8.6 kilometers.

Scientists from Tel Aviv University have developed an mRNA vaccine that protects against the bacteria responsible for plague.

Using the James Webb Space Telescope and the ALMA radio telescope, astronomers have, for the first time, observed planets forming in a young solar system located about 1,300 light years away.

Varda Space Industries, a company producing pharmaceuticals in orbit, has raised $187 million in a new venture round, bringing its total funding to $329 million. (You can read more about their space-based manufacturing in a story I wrote last year.)

PRO SCIENCE TIP: LEARNING MUSIC CAN KEEP YOUR BRAIN SHARP

As we grow older, our brains typically age alongside our bodies, with declines in sensory functions like hearing and vision, as well as in cognitive speed and performance. However, research shows that learning to play an instrument can help slow this decline. Earlier studies found that musicians tend to experience less cognitive deterioration than non-musicians. A new study published this week confirms that brain scans of older musicians show activity more similar to younger individuals than to older adults who don’t play instruments. This suggests that picking up a musical instrument can have long-term cognitive benefits. Next, researchers plan to study the brains of older adults who are bilingual or who regularly exercise—two other activities linked to slower cognitive aging.

WHAT’S ENTERTAINING ME THIS WEEK

Last weekend I went to the movies and watched Superman, written and directed by James Gunn, known for the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy and the cult classic Slither. I found it to be a welcome change from typical superhero films. It’s packed with deep DC comic references but never feels overdone. At its core, it’s a fun, heartfelt blockbuster. David Corenswet shines in the lead role, and the entire cast is excellent. But the standout performance for me was Edi Gathegi as Mr. Terrific—he owns every scene he’s in.

MORE FROM FORBES

ForbesYou’re Not Imagining It: AI Is Already Taking Tech JobsBy Richard NievaForbesHow This New Biotech Billionaire Outmaneuvered Merck In ChinaBy Kerry A. DolanForbesThis AI Founder Became A Billionaire By Building ChatGPT For DoctorsBy Amy Feldman

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