E14: Dragon orbits the poles, global happiness, it's free trade stupid, next generation GLP-1 drugs, and much more:
Tony Morley, April 5th, 2025
It's free trade, stupid.
Free trade and globalization, a blessing or a curse? Spoiler alert, it's not just the lesser of two evils, it's a prime mover of global progress and prosperity. — "Is free trade worth the cost?"
“Why not choose economic independence? It's a bold new idea. Except … it's not that new. In fact, it's been tried before. And there is one teensy drawback. Which is that it tends to totally backfire.”
“In fact, it's estimated that the poorest Americans lose more than five times as much of their income to tariffs as the wealthiest ones.”
You’re reading The Up Wing, Edition 14, progress and optimistic news, collated, curated, and delivered weekly-ish. We report on the past, present, and future of human progress, and optimistic news. We’re pro-growth, free markets, progress, techno-optimism, classical liberalism, and a better future for civilization.
Hey team, Tony here. Can you help support The Up Wing mission? 80% of our subscribers are currently free subscribers; please consider supporting our mission and newsletter here: Support The Up Wing and or help support the project by liking and sharing our Edition 14 post on X/Twitter,
Scientists Just Transplanted a Pig Liver Into a Person for the First Time
A team of scientists and doctors have successfully completed the first xenotransplantation of a pig liver into a human. The transplant represents a significant historical breakthrough for xenotransplantation progress.
"The pig liver is meant to be a stop-gap measure rather than a full replacement. It could temporarily keep patients alive until a human donor organ becomes available or the patient’s own liver recovers."
Shelly Fan
At the peak of the HIV epidemic, AIDS caused more than half of all deaths in some countries
Progress in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment has turned the tide on HIV/AIDS. Between 2008 and 2024, global deaths from HIV/AIDS have fallen from 1.3 million annually to roughly 630,000.
Hannah Ritchie
SpaceX returns NASA astronauts stranded for 9 months in orbit aboard the ISS
After a series of faults with Boeing's Starliner stranded Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore at the International Space Station for 9 months, SpaceX has safely returned them home.
"As it approached the space station, some of Starliner’s thrusters stopped working. Although the Boeing spacecraft managed to dock at the ISS, NASA preferred not to take any risks with its return and opted to send Starliner back to Earth without crew on board."
Javier Carbajal
SpaceX successfully completes the first human crewed orbital flight over the poles
In a historic flight, SpaceX has successfully completed the first human orbital flight over the poles, providing a view never before seen in person by humanity.
"Chun Wang, a Chinese-born entrepreneur, hurtled into orbit from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. SpaceX's Falcon rocket steered southward over the Atlantic, putting the space tourists on a path never flown before in 64 years of human spaceflight."
Marcia Dunn
And return to Earth safely. “4 space tourists splash down after traveling an orbit never attempted before”
“The group splashed down at 9:19 a.m. PT, or 12:19 p.m. ET, off the coast of California — the first West Coast landing in SpaceX’s five-year history of human spaceflight missions”
Jackie Wattles
The latest round of Trump's trade war will bring tariffs to the highest levels of tax imposed on American importers since 1910.
The economic fallout, if uncorrected, will be swift and long-lasting. Trade wars erode progress, lower living standards, dismantle globalization and bite the hand that has fed human prosperity over the last half century.
Here's a look at the scale of just how dramatic delta has been in tariffs over the last hundred years.
Anna Fleck
Katharina Buchholz
A new gene discovery could help new wheat varieties to better battle rust disease
A new study in the Journal of Science has revealed the mechanism behind an important new resistance gene, which could help newly designed wheat varieties to better resist stem rust. The implications could help boost crop yields and agricultural resilience.
“In the future, maybe a lot of different types of resistance genes will be found,” says Chen.
Imma Perfetto
We're only just unlocking how GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic are beneficially impacting the brain's reward system; and what that could mean for those who battle addiction
"Anecdotal reports suggest drugs like Ozempic may curb not just appetite but also impulsive or addictive behaviour, hinting at links between metabolic health and our brains"
#author.fullName}
Breakthrough in long-term contraceptive delivery
Researchers have made progress in developing a long-term contraceptive delivery method. The injectable proof-of-concept, while still awaiting human trials, shows considerable promise as an effective long-term drug delivery method, without the previously required invasive surgery.
The method could also aid in application where long-duration, low-dose delivery of a drug is required.
“It’s suitable for any poorly soluble hydrophobic drug, especially where long-acting delivery is needed. This includes treatments for HIV, TB, schizophrenia, chronic pain, or metabolic disease,”
Nicola Davis
Oh, a paywall eh? Jump it here:
Higher GDP, higher self-reported life satisfaction
When it comes to the pre-conditions for a good life, living in a country with a higher GDP is unquestionably near the top. By way of example, “No country with an income per capita above $10,000 has an infant mortality rate above two per cent.”
"Money can’t buy happiness, but it’s more comfortable to cry with a full belly in a warm, bright house — than hungry in a cold, dark hut. “People in richer countries tend to say they are more satisfied with their lives” — Tony Morley, March 19th, 2025
“The wealthier a country is, the healthier it is. Variation in income can explain over seventy per cent of the variation in infant and child mortality. No country with an income per capita above $10,000 has an infant mortality rate above two per cent.” — Johan Norberg
They say "money can't buy happiness", but it unquestionably buys the things that provide happiness. From reliable transport, communications and hospital, to higher material living standards — more abundance equates to higher happiness, few exceptions.
Kayla Zhu
By: Esteban Ortiz-Ospina and Max Roser
We're at the bottom of the sigmoid for what GLP-1 and similar drugs can do for weight loss, and a fleet of other health conditions.
“The race is underway to make faster, cheaper and better GLP-1 drugs that will go beyond reducing obesity levels to treating some of our most difficult conditions”
Aside from helping shed up to 15—20% of body weight, GLP-1 drugs, Ozempic and Wegovy, are showing an incredible host of positive impacts on heart health, insulin management, heart attack and stroke, addiction management and more. In short, semaglutide is turning out to be far more of a breakthrough than anyone imagined.
#author.fullName}
GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are having rather unexpected impacts on society, and raising questions about the equity of access
“Given the strong link that already exists between lower incomes and a higher risk of obesity, this inequality of access to GLP-1 drugs “will just cement the association between being fat and being poor”
#author.fullName}
A paralysed man stands again after receiving a treatment of ‘reprogrammed’ stem cells
”A paralysed man can stand on his own after receiving an injection of neural stem cells to treat his spinal-cord injury. The Japanese man was one of four individuals in a first-of-its-kind trial that used reprogrammed stem cells to treat people who are paralysed.”
Smriti Mallapaty
Chat GPT-4o broke the internet this week, here's my contribution
We're all well and truly across the incredible Chat GPT-4o image processing release, and the subsequent deluge of viral prompt trends. My contribution is this American Dad inspired “Make America Free Tarde Again” render.
3D-printed skin could replace animal testing for cosmetics
“Researchers from Austria's Graz University of Technology and the Vellore Institute of Technology in India have developed a way to 3D print hydrogel formulations along with living skin cells, that eventually develop into tissue you can use to test new cosmetics.”
Manisha Sonthalia / Vellore Institute of Technology
We're working to reboot and uplift The Up Wing. We're still under construction, in beta mode, if you will, still a little 404 broken, with plenty of room for improvement. The site and newsletter will be updated in the following months. The UI/UX is going to get better; we have more great sections and content planned. Supporting the mission by subscribing helps economically and motivationally. Thank you kindly in advance.
