Portable Muon Beams, Sodium Batteries, and the Secret to Long Life (EP. 13)

From First Principles · Oct 23, 2025 · 1h 36m · transcript

Aloha internet — Lester Nare and Krishna Choudhary return with three extraordinary research stories: portable muon beams, sodium-ion batteries, and the secret to long life.

Summary

• Lawrence Berkeley’s compact muon beam technology and its applications in archaeology, volcanology, and security.

• UC San Diego + U Chicago’s solid-state sodium battery that rivals lithium in power but not in cost.

• Tongji University’s naked mole rat DNA study uncovering a genetic pathway for longer, healthier life.

Show Notes

Portable Muon Beam

Nature News Coverage

Physical Review Accelerators and Beams Paper…