Relaying what matters next.
The Relay is a new media project dedicated to covering slightly futuristic domains such as artificial intelligence, space exploration, longevity science, crypto and blockchain, advanced biology, and defense technologies. Our mission is to capture the signals of tomorrow and relay them forward with clarity, depth, and context.
What's happening today?
A Starless Planet Caught in a Record Feeding Frenzy
A free-floating, Jupiter-mass world just set the fastest known accretion rate, blurring the line between planets and brown dwarfs and pointing to a fast path for finding many more starless worlds.
Three-parent IVF ignites a new era in mitochondria medicine
Peer-reviewed results from Newcastle University’s mitochondrial donation program show eight births with minimal mutant mtDNA after pronuclear transfer. Here is how this 2025 proof point reframes adult mitochondria therapies and policy.
AP2 and x402 Flip the Switch on the Agent Economy Now
Google’s Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) and Coinbase’s x402 make agent-to-agent payments practical, unlocking pay-per-action APIs, autonomous procurement, and machine-native pricing. Learn how design patterns change, what to build now, and why adoption will accelerate in 2026.
Aave V4’s modular turn: Q4 plan to rewire DeFi liquidity
Aave V4 shifts to a hub and spoke architecture and ERC-4626 vaults, aiming to compress rates, simplify cross-chain UX, and concentrate liquidity in Q4. Here is what changes, who benefits, and how to prepare.
Coinbase’s POL auto-swap makes Polygon’s AggLayer default
Coinbase will pause MATIC activity and automatically convert balances to POL between October 14 and 17. Here is what changes for holders, builders, and liquidity as Polygon’s AggLayer becomes the default path.
Microsoft makes agents real with 365 Premium and Security Store
In three days, Microsoft turned AI agents into governed software with identity, pricing, and audit. Here is what launched across 365 Premium, Agent Mode, Office Agent, Security Store, and Entra Agent ID, plus the playbook to adopt them safely.
Makemake’s methane signals a new Kuiper Belt playbook
A faint methane glow above dwarf planet Makemake changes how we explore the Kuiper Belt. Here is a practical two-track plan, from a real-time Kuiper Belt Watch to a lean flyby that rides a Jupiter assist.
Turning Plasma Exchange Hype Into Testable Human Biology
A rigorous 2025 randomized trial reported multi-omics shifts and aging-clock improvements after therapeutic plasma exchange, especially with IVIG. Here is what that signal means for safety, cadence, costs, and how clinics can test it without hype.
After Alpenglow, Firedancer aims to uncap Solana blocks
Jump Crypto’s Firedancer team has proposed SIMD-0370 to lift Solana’s per block compute cap once Alpenglow ships. Dynamic blocks could raise throughput, fee capture, and real user performance, while sharpening debates about propagation limits and decentralization pressure.
The USB‑C Moment for AI Agents: MCP and A2A Go Mainstream
In 2025, cross-vendor agent interoperability quietly became real. With Agent2Agent entering the Linux Foundation and the Model Context Protocol landing natively in Windows, Azure, and OpenAI’s stack, agents are about to plug into every app, cloud, and desktop like USB-C.
PrSM Enters Production as the Army’s Deep-Strike Era Begins
With Milestone C on July 2, a $4.94 billion production vehicle on March 31, and IOT&E finished on September 26, 2025, the Precision Strike Missile shifts from promise to presence. Next up: a seeker for moving ships, allied co-fielding, and scale by 2027.
Uranus just gained a moon. Time to launch the orbiter
A fresh Uranus moon from JWST and crisp April 2025 occultations reshape ring hazards and entry conditions. Here is a concrete two-year plan to de-risk and fast-track a Uranus Orbiter and Probe.
The New Utility Playbook for AI: Data Center Rate Classes
Utilities are moving fast to put AI data centers in their own rate class. The new playbook uses minimum-take obligations, demand guarantees, and 24/7 clean-energy clauses to fund grid upgrades without shifting costs to households.
The Next Longevity Lever: Lp(a) Suppression Goes Mainstream
In 2025, lipoprotein(a) finally became actionable. Durable RNA silencers cut Lp(a) 80 to 95 percent and an oral blocker emerged, setting up twice-yearly injections or a daily pill as a new backbone for cardiovascular prevention.
Agent Memory Wars: The New Data Layer For Autonomy
Q4 2025 turns agent memory into the new battleground. Platforms now ship project and team memory, vector-native storage, and consent policies that lock in context. Here is the emerging stack, the tradeoffs, and a portable blueprint to ship.
BTCFi lands on Starknet: trustless BTC staking, 100M STRK
Starknet has switched on BTCFi, bringing non-custodial Bitcoin staking and a 100 million STRK incentive program to jump-start BTC-backed lending and liquidity. Here is what launched, how it works, the risks, and the scorecard to watch over the next six months.
NASA’s two-track bet to bring Mars samples home
NASA has funded two rival paths to land a Mars Ascent Vehicle and bring Perseverance’s samples home. Lock the right interfaces in 2025, hold the 2026 downselect, and Earth could see Mars rocks in the mid‑2030s. Slip again, and China may claim first return.
CMV’s 2025 readout could launch longevity vaccines
Moderna’s cytomegalovirus vaccine is nearing a pivotal 2025 efficacy readout that could recast prevention as a lever on immune aging. Here is what matters for regulators, payers, and anyone tracking the first real test of longevity vaccines.
















