Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 🌌 Space products on Earth
• 🤖 Humane AI sells to HP
• 🧂 Salt = old-school money

… and more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~4.19-minute read (1,114 words).

Did someone forward you this email? Subscribe here for free.

“Never put off to tomorrow what you can do to-day.”

–Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)

Maybe the real treasure of space travel was the products we made along the way. NASA last week released its annual Spinoff publication, which highlights the agency’s technologies that successfully transfer over to the commercial sector.

Spinoff 2025 features more than 40 such examples, including:

• “Antigravity” treadmills for improving astronauts’ fitness in space, which are now used on Earth to help people with a variety of conditions run or walk for exercise (including Jeremy Renner after his snowplow accident).
• Technology for NASA to 3D-print buildings on the Moon that’s now being used to print large structures on Earth.
• Electrostatic sprayer technology to water plants without the help of gravity, now used in sanitation, agriculture, and food safety across the globe.

The space-to-Earth tech pipeline

For six decades, NASA has worked to gain more knowledge about space and its exploration. And this research has consistently bled into the commercial and medical sectors on Earth.

Many modern technologies can trace their origins back to NASA, including cell phone cameras, CAT scans, wireless headsets, freeze-dried food, scratch-resistant lenses, rechargeable hearing aids, and nutrient-enriched baby formula.

NASA’s role in these breakthroughs is no accident. When Congress established the agency in 1958, it was tasked with sharing information about its discoveries. NASA was also given the green light to patent its inventions and help businesses develop commercial uses for them.

🏌️ The agency is already teeing up next year’s list. In its Spinoff 2025, NASA also highlighted 20 additional technologies with the potential for commercialization that are currently available for companies to license.

The Knowledge delivers quick, easy-to-read articles that keep you up-to-date on current events – with a healthy dose of humor.

Never let your busy schedule stand in the way of staying informed; catch up on world news with quirky facts and interesting views from the comfort of your email.

Join 140,000+ subscribers free today at The Knowledge.

Humane AI is going b-AI b-AI. The once-buzzy hardware startup announced its wearable Pins will stop working for good on February 28, and the rest of the company’s assets will be sold to HP for $116 million.

What HP is getting: Humane’s CosmOS, which the startup in recent months has been positioning as an AI operating system for devices.

It’ll also absorb Humane’s engineers and product managers. This team will lead a new group within HP called HP IQ, dedicated to helping integrate AI into the company’s personal computers, printers, and connected conference rooms.

The launch…and crash

After raising $230+ million from investors including Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, Humane debuted its wearable AI Pin in April 2024, which it lauded as a smartphone replacement.

From there, things went about as well as Alexander’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

• The AI Pin’s reviews following its launch were scathing: The Verge’s David Pierce said that “it just doesn’t work,” and mega-YouTuber MKBHD called it "the worst product I’ve ever reviewed."
• By August, daily product returns were outpacing sales, according to The Verge.

In the know: Humane reportedly started looking for a buyer shortly after the launch of the AI Pin. The price it was seeking? ~$1 billion.

🐇 Meanwhile…Rabbit, another AI device startup, is still kicking. The company published a blog post and video yesterday showing off a “generalist Android agent”...very…slowly…controlling apps on a tablet.

Auction giant Christie’s is launching a first-of-its-kind auction dedicated entirely to pieces created with the help of AI.

The online auction, featuring 34 artworks from professional artists, opens today and will run through March 5 alongside a live exhibit in New York City.

• The piece with the highest projected price tag is Alexander Reben’s “Untitled Robot Painting,” which quite literally paints itself.
• An AI-powered robot will gradually add to the currently blank 10-foot-by-12-foot canvas each time someone places a new bid on the work. Christie’s estimates it could sell for up to $1.7 million.

AI artwork is in growing demand. One example: three months ago, Sotheby’s auctioned off a painting created by robot artist Ai-Da for $1.3 million. Overall, the global AI art market is projected to reach ~$1 billion by 2028, doubling its value compared to 2023.

🖐️ But…The trend isn’t without its critics. The inaugural AI art auction has drawn pushback from thousands of artists, who signed an open letter claiming many of the artworks were created using AI models known to be trained on copyrighted work without a license.

Taking melatonin can disrupt circadian rhythms (your body clock), and make you feel groggy in the morning. But Slumber Deep Zzzs is sleep a plant-based, doctor-recommended way to sleep better with no morning drowsiness or dependency.

• 😴 Contains CBN CBD, and THC – hemp-derived melatonin alternatives that promote rest, relaxation, and sleep
• 🙌 87% of 500 participants reported Deep Zzzs worked better than other sleep aids they used.
• ✅ Clean, tested, and quality assured. And if you don’t sleep better, the 30-day guarantee means your money back

Save 40% on Slumber Deep Zzzs with code DONUT40.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 📈 US markets rose across the board (S&P: +0.2%; Dow: +0.2%; Nasdaq: +0.1%).
• 💰 X is in talks to raise capital at a $44 billion valuation, according to Bloomberg. | 🚛 Nikola, an electric truck maker once valued above Ford, filed for bankruptcy.
• 📱 Apple unveiled the iPhone 16E, its newest budget phone (starting price: $599); it features the A18 chip, making it Apple Intelligence capable; it’s also the first iPhone to contain a modem developed by Apple itself.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

in partnership with "Rate My Friends" from Dyce Games

• 🎸 Paul Simon announced a four-month tour across 20 North American cities; Simon previously retired from touring in 2018 due to hearing loss. | 🍿China's Ne Zha 2 has earned $1.69 billion at the box office, passing Inside Out 2 as the highest-grossing animated film ever.
• 📲 Instagram users gained access to a range of new DM tools yesterday, including the ability to translate messages across 99 languages.
• ⚖️ Seven men were charged for their alleged roles in burglaries of pro athletes' houses; federal prosecutors say they were part of a South American crime group and are connected to thefts at the homes of Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Joe Brrrrr-ow, Bobby Portis, and more.

*From our partners: 🤔 Who of your friends is the most moody? Funny?? Attractive??? "Rate My Friends" includes 300 topics for players to rate themselves, then see if other players agree. Score by guessing closest. Save 20% on "Rate My Friends" from Dyce Games here.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 💻⚛️ Microsoft announced a new quantum computing breakthrough the company hopes will unlock the ability for quantum computers to solve industrial-scale problems.
• 🧊 The world’s glaciers have lost ~5% of their mass since 2000, with the pace of melting rising to its highest level on record in recent years, per a new study.
• 🌎☄️ The odds of asteroid YR4 2024 hitting Earth in late 2032 increased to a record-high 3.1% on Tuesday before falling to 1.5% yesterday, per NASA. (Why the odds keep changing.)

MISCELLANEOUS

in partnership with Niphtio

• 📝 The US government formally placed eight Latin American gangs on a list of terrorist organizations, including six Mexican drug cartels.
• 🗽🚦 The Trump administration terminated federal approval of New York City’s recently implemented congestion pricing plan. (Dive deeper: Congestion pricing has arrived in NYC) | 🏛️ President Trump said there’s a possibility that 20% of the money saved by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will be sent to American citizens. | 🇺🇸🇺🇦 President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have exchanged recent barbs, including Trump accusing Zelensky of starting the Russia-Ukraine war and calling him a “Dictator without Elections.”
• 🇧🇷 Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro was charged with plotting to seize power and overturn his 2022 election loss.

*From our partners: 🙌 Turn Bluesky scrolling into smart collections… Niphtio's browser extension now seamlessly integrates with Bluesky, letting you save your favorite content from your feed. Learn more about Niphtio’s Bluesky integration and download free here.

Six decades ago, mathematician Leo Moser posed a question that has come to be known as the Moving Sofa Problem: When moving a 2-dimensional piece of furniture through an L-shaped hallway, what’s the largest shape that won’t get stuck?

Some obvious answers include a square with a side length exactly as long as the hallway (1 unit by 1 unit), or a semicircle with a radius of 1 unit (total area: ~1.57 units). However, those shapes are relatively small.

• In 1992, Joseph Gerver of Rutgers University proposed a uniquely shaped “sofa” (☝️) featuring an area of 2.2195 units.
• This was believed for decades to be the maximum possible amount, but researchers couldn’t prove it.

Until now…In a new 119-page paper, which is in the peer-review process, South Korean postdoctoral researcher Jineon Baek proved Gerver’s sofa is the largest possible shape that can successfully pass through the hallway.

☝️ You’re looking at an excerpt from the American Photography exhibition at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam; the display explores the American spirit through photographs spanning over seven decades.

🤔 Did You Know? Salt has been used as currency throughout human history. The word “salary” is even derived from the Latin word for salt (“sal”).

📰 Worth a Read: The quest to make the perfect toothbrush

🖱 Clickbait: Stares and Ear Twitches: Do Cows Talk to Each Other?

Yesterday we covered how America’s relationship with Europe has come under focus in recent days, following a series of statements and actions by the Trump administration.

❓ Our question to you: In general, how do you feel about the US government’s recent statements and actions regarding Europe?

• 👍 Support: 23%
• 👎 Oppose: 69%
• 🤷 Unsure/other: 8%

Click here to read some of the most thoughtful longform responses.

+Note on sample size: We received 2,525 votes and 244 longform responses.

👵🏻 Miskel Spillman hosted Saturday Night Live in 1977 after winning the show's first and only “Anyone Can Host” contest. Miskel, who was 80 years old at the time, is still the only non-public figure to ever take on the challenge of hosting the iconic sketch show.

🐻 A 525-lb bear was found hidden in one California resident’s crawl space after last month’s Altadena wildfires. Eight people were needed to lure the black bear – named Barry – safely out from under the home and into a trap before he was released back into the wild.

🤯 A Brazilian couple just earned the world record for the longest living marriage. As of Valentine's Day, Manoel and Maria Dina have been hitched for 84 years and 77 days.

Corfu is an island that's a part of which country?

Our DONUT Dealz page is packed tighter than a jelly donut with sweet, sweet bargains. Missed out on a past deal from our partner? No worries! We’re always rolling out fresh deals, like a baker on a mission. And remember: supporting our partners helps us keep bringing you the daily goods every morning for free.

Check out the DONUT Dealz page to see what’s cooking. 

Greece