i'm obsessed with what's happening in AI reforestation right now
this Franco-Brazilian startup called MORFO took a patch of land in Brazil that was rock-hard and compacted from years of cattle farming. they replanted it using a single drone. months later the ground was covered in grass, bushes, and small trees. the land came back to life.
here's how the whole thing works.
1. drones scan the terrain with high-resolution cameras and sensors
2. AI analyzes the imagery alongside soil samples, moisture levels, slope, and surrounding vegetation
3. the system picks from a catalog of 300+ native species, deciding exactly which plants will thrive in which specific spot
4. the drone fires biodegradable seed pods packed with seeds, nutrients, and moisture at 180 capsules per minute
5. satellite and drone imagery monitors regrowth over time, with AI tracking vegetation cover and biodiversity
6. two people and one drone cover 50 hectares a day. a person planting by hand manages about one hectare.
and MORFO isn't alone. AirSeed in Australia drops 250,000 seed pods per day into bushfire-scarred koala habitat, replanting swamp mahogany that koalas depend on to survive. Flash Forest in Canada fires 50,000 pods daily into wildfire-destroyed boreal forest, planning the replanting alongside Cree Indigenous communities. re-green won Prince William's Earthshot Prize after planting 6 million seedlings across 30,000 hectares of Amazon and Atlantic Forest.
five companies across four continents built this same approach independently. nobody coordinated. the physics of the problem demanded it.
knowing which seeds belong in which soil used to require years of ecological fieldwork, manual planting crews, and budgets that made large-scale restoration nearly impossible. now two people with a drone and an AI model trained on local soil data can replant 50 hectares before lunch.
this is the AI work that'll still matter in 50 years.
Kasparov: The imperial idea sits deeper than communism in Russia. Communist dictatorship lasted 74 years. The imperial idea has lived for centuries. It mutates, transforms, you can't simply pull it out
You need a shock and I believe there is only one such shock that will work 1/
there is a popular bit of climate misinformation that says a warmer planet is a good thing.
world-renowned earth system scientist @JRockstrom eviscerates that claim:
Hace 4.500 años existió una civilización tan grande como Egipto y Mesopotamia juntas. Tenía ciudades con alcantarillado, baños en cada casa y agua corriente. No hemos hallado ni un solo rey, ni un ejército, ni una guerra. Y nadie sabe leer su idioma. Tira del hilo 🧵👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽
The US ambassador to Belgium had Belgian police remove two journalists from a public event after they asked uncomfortable questions.
The event, organized by the Trump-aligned Freedom 250 initiative, was meant to celebrate American values such as freedom of speech.
Oh, the irony.
YOU WANTED A WALL, TRUMP? YOU’LL HAVE ONE.
Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, responded to Trump’s threats:
“So you voted to build a wall.
Well then, dear Americans — even if geography isn’t your strong suit, and you see America as a country rather than a continent — you should know that on the other side of that wall stand 7 billion people.
And if the word ‘people’ doesn’t resonate with you, let’s call them ‘consumers.’
Those 7 billion consumers can switch from iPhone to Samsung or Huawei in less than two days.
They can trade Levi’s for Zara or Massimo Dutti, and within six months replace Ford and Chevrolet with Toyota, KIA, Mazda, Honda, Hyundai, Volvo, Subaru, Renault, or BMW — brands that are already more popular in many places.
They can cancel DirecTV.
And even if they choose not to, they can stop watching Hollywood films and turn instead to higher-quality productions from Latin America or Europe — with richer storytelling and better filmmaking.
Believe it or not, people can skip Disney and visit the Xcaret resort in Cancún instead — or explore destinations across Mexico, Canada, or South America.
Even in Mexico, you can find better burgers than McDonald’s — with higher nutritional value.
Have you ever seen pyramids in the United States?
Egypt, Mexico, Peru, Guatemala, and Sudan have ancient wonders — none of them in the U.S.
If they were, Trump would probably have bought and resold them by now.
We know Nike isn’t the only sneaker brand. There’s Adidas — and even Mexican brands like Panama.
We understand economics better than you think.
And we also know that when those 7 billion consumers stop buying American products, unemployment will rise, and your economy — trapped behind its own self-imposed wall — will begin to collapse to the point where you’ll be begging for help.
We didn’t want to do this.
But you wanted a wall?
Well.
You’ve got one.”
Her approval rating has reached a historic level — according to a recent poll, it stands at 85%.
Everyone is talking about Trump’s mock up arch at the Great American State Fair, so I filmed it from top to bottom and front to back for everyone who can’t see it in person.
"The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command. If all others accepted the lie, if all records told the same tale, the lie passed into history and became truth" Orwell 1984
"We got THOUSANDS celebrating here" FoxNews
Putin's war has created a corruption economy where Russian soldiers literally have to pay to stay alive. According to investigations by Meduza and Verstka, these are some of the going rates:
- Avoid being sent to the frontline to die: €600-12,000
- Get leave or a vacation: €600-6,000
- Obtain a certificate proving you were wounded: €600-72,000
- "Contribute" to common purchases: €10-600
- Avoid punishment for using your phone: €10-120
Canceling your contract is almost impossible, and refusing to pay can lead to harassment or being assigned suicidal missions.
Even the families of dead soldiers reportedly face corruption when trying to claim compensation.
Жена военного Александра Лунина, ранее заявившего о готовности поднять мятеж против Владимира Путина, сообщила, что после его отъезда в Москву ночью в их доме прошёл обыск
По её словам, сотрудники полиции изъяли «всё, что нашли»: флеш-накопители, компьютеры, ноутбуки, диск и нунчаки. Сам Лунин перестал выходить на связь. В сети также распространяются неподтверждённые сообщения о том, что он якобы умер в результате отравления алкоголем. Официального подтверждения этой информации на данный момент нет.