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Trade Wars
Nobel Prizes Awarded
A trio of neuroscientists were awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their pioneering work on optogenetics, a method of controlling nerve cells with light, which makes it possible to study how the brain shapes memories, feelings and behaviors. The Nobel committee said the work of Drs. Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel had laid the foundation of a new era in neuroscience. The work “unlocked new understanding of how the brain works, new possibilities for treating neurological and psychiatric disorders,” said Jonathan Levin, president of Stanford University, where Deisseroth is a neuroscientist and psychiatrist. Hegemann is based at Humboldt University in Berlin and Nagel at the University of Würzburg in Germany.
Broadly, the method is used to study how brain activity is linked to psychiatric or behavioral conditions. Finding the cells that matter can then help to design new therapies, Deisseroth said Monday. Studies are under way using optogenetics in autism and schizophrenia, and others coming along for Parkinson’s disease and depression, he said. “We’re optimistic that this will help us across neuropsychiatry,” he said. WSJ
Belgian-American particle physicist Francis Halzen won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics for ground-breaking work creating an observatory to detect some of the universe's most elusive particles, high-energy neutrinos, and how they are created. Halzen realised that ice at the South Pole could be used to track neutrinos, sometimes known as 'ghost particles' for the way they pass through the Earth and our bodies without a trace, and only interact with matter extremely rarely.
The neutrino interactions collected by the IceCube observatory in Antarctica provide researchers with knowledge about how high-energy neutrinos are created, potentially even revealing previously unknown cosmic phenomena, the body said. - Reuters
Bayer to Invest 2.2 Billion U.S. Dollars in a New Manufacturing Site in Ohio
Bayer announced on Friday plans to invest 2.2 billion U.S. dollars in a new pharmaceutical manufacturing site in New Albany, Ohio, U.S. Building on more than seven billion dollars in U.S. pharma R&D and manufacturing spend over the past five years, the project is a central element of Bayer’s long-term growth strategy and commitment to innovation and patient access in its largest pharmaceuticals market. Bayer is expected to create around 600 high-value jobs in the New Albany International Business Park and roughly 1,500 construction jobs during the facility’s construction.
The flexible, modular campus is designed to combine drug substance and drug product manufacturing, leverage advanced digital and automation technologies, and support our growing portfolio initially in oncology, cardiovascular and renal care. The first module, dedicated to drug substance manufacturing, is expected to become operational in 2031. A second module for drug product manufacturing is planned to follow in 2034. The new site will complement Bayer’s U.S.
pharmaceuticals headquarters in Whippany, New Jersey and its other sites in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Berkeley, California; Cambridge, Massachusetts; Research Triangle Park, North Carolina; and San Diego, California.
Read more at BioSpace
Rolls-Royce Invests £300 Million In Manufacturing And Engineering Facilities Across The UK
Rolls-Royce has invested £300 million ($398 million) in manufacturing and engineering facilities across the UK, with projects in Derby, Bristol, Glasgow, Rotherham and Warwickshire. The company, which develops and delivers engines for aerospace and naval vehicles, has earmarked:
- more than £140 million ($186 million) in Derby
- more than £90 million ($119 million) in Bristol
- £43 million ($57 million) in Inchinnan, Glasgow
- £19 million ($25 million) in Rotherham
- and £5 million ($6.6 million) in Ansty, Warwickshire.
Each site will focus on different projects. In Derby, the investment will fund new engineering and manufacturing services facilities and aftermarket support improvements, with the work expected to be completed in 2028. The Derby investment is intended to enable future growth, increase capacity and improve operational efficiency. In Glasgow, the money will be used to introduce machinery that will enable the manufacture of new engine components. In Rotherham, the funds are being invested at the Advanced Blade Casting Facility to increase its capability and productivity, with the program expected to double production of advanced turbine blades by 2030. In Ansty, Warwickshire, the investment in machinery upgrades will enhance manufacturing capability and efficiency.
Read more at Plant Services
FAA Finds No Risk with 737 MAX Software
The Federal Aviation Administration has concluded that a software defect in some Boeing 737 MAX flight-management systems is not a safety concern. The issue was discovered by Boeing in August and reported to FAA and 737 MAX operators. The wider significance of the issue was the pending FAA-certification of the 737 MAX 10, the largest variant of Boeing’s narrow-body jet series. Boeing earlier explained the issue could cause an aircraft’s automated vertical navigation (VNAV) system to fail unexpectedly during a missed approach or reapproach, if the flight crew alters the pre-programmed flight path. In those instances, pilots are instructed to execute further procedures in order to use automated tools on subsequent approaches.
No airline operators are known to have reported adverse incidents related to the issue, which affects versions 14 and 14.1 of the VNAV software. Earlier versions of the program are not affected. Whether the FAA’s pass on the VNAV issue will speed up its certification of the MAX 10 is unknown. Boeing had been anticipating that FAA clearance before the end of this year, signaling to analysts that deliveries (and thereby, revenues) would follow in course. Boeing has booked over 1,400 orders from major carriers, including Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Ryanair, and United Airlines.
Read more at American Machinist
Report: America Not Creating Enough Skilled Trades Workers
America needs to find 1.7 million skilled tradespeople every year through 2035 to fill the nation’s job openings. But schools and programs are only turning out 55 graduates for every 100 positions needed. That’s according to “The State of America’s Skilled Trades: A National Report,” a study just released by the Alliance for America’s Skilled Trades. The report covers 124 occupations, including advanced manufacturing, in every state. It discusses where workers are needed most and if enough workers are being trained there. The goal, according to the alliance, is to help employers, educators and lawmakers put resources where they are most important.
According to the alliance, many people are interested in trades jobs—many just don’t know how or where to find them. High school guidance counselors are still not steering students toward trades work. According to the report: Only one in four regularly recommend apprenticeships. Only 50% of counselors suggest trade school. Nine in 10 suggest getting a four-year degree, which doesn’t meet the needs of many students.
Read more at Advanced Manufacturing
Google and Constellation Energy Strike a Sweeping Nuclear-Power Deal
Google and Constellation Energy agreed to a sweeping, 20-year nuclear-power deal that would boost output at 11 existing reactors, the latest tie-up between the tech and energy industries to power new data centers. The 890-megawatt power-purchase agreement unveiled by the companies Tuesday involves improvements to Constellation-owned reactors in Illinois, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The upgrades will provide additional power to the grid that is roughly equivalent to building a new large reactor. The deal is the largest-ever “uprate” project, one that squeezes more power out of existing reactors.
Constellation aims to deliver the first uprate project in 2028, while construction on the others continues through 2032 or 2033, Dominguez said. Google and Constellation also agreed to a 15-year supply deal for an additional 2,700 megawatts of electricity in the PJM power market in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. Constellation, the country’s largest owner of nuclear power reactors, also has a deal with Microsoft, which is supporting the restart of the undamaged reactor at Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island.
Read more at WSJ
Anduril's $3.7B Md. Shipyard To Focus On Navy Submarines
General Motors plans to introduce hybrid models into its U.S. lineup as sales of the vehicles continue to grow amid inflated gas prices and a pullback in all-electric cars. Mike Anderson, GM’s vice president of propulsion engineering, reconfirmed the automaker’s hybrid plans, but declined to discuss timing for such vehicles, which had previously been expected as soon as next year. “It’s fair to say that [hybrids are] part of the plan,” Anderson, a 35-year GM veteran, told CNBC during an interview. “We’re not tone deaf to our customers. We know what they want and we want to give that to them as quickly as we can.”
Anduril won an up to $2.9 billion contract with the U.S. Navy on Tuesday to boost submarine production, days after co-founder Palmer Luckey was named to a Pentagon future weapons task force. The company is also investing $3.7 billion to scale a new shipyard at Sparrows Point, outside Baltimore, Maryland, slated to start operations in 2030 and create about 3,100 jobs. Anduril said the 2 million-square-foot facility will build components for the Virginia-class submarine. Some parts, including torpedo tubes, will be manufactured at a 160,000-square-foot facility in Orange County, California. Anduril is widely known for building autonomous drones and crafts. Over the summer, the Wall Street Journal reported that the company was reportedly in talks to build drone boats on the site. Brose said the facility will focus on the Virginia-class submarine program, illustrating a push into conventional shipbuilding by the growing defense contractor.
Read more at CNBC
Army Taps Anduril for Up to $1.8B NGC2 Data Layer Rollout
The Army has awarded Anduril Industries a five-year contract worth up to $1.8 billion to field the Next-Generation Command and Control, or NGC2, common data layer across operational units, starting with I Corps. I Corps, known as America’s First Corps, oversees four Army divisions in the Pacific region, where deployments may sit thousands of miles apart and must coordinate with joint and allied forces amid disrupted communications. Anduril said NGC2 must link the separated units and keep operations running when segments of the wider network go down.
Anduril’s Lattice platform supplies the distributed data layer within NGC2, tying together applications, artificial intelligence models, sensors and vehicles. The company said the open design lets the Army select technology from multiple vendors and add sensors, applications or weapons without rebuilding the foundation. The award carries a $162.8 million base period, with options making up the remaining value, Anduril said. The company said the contract shifts NGC2 from division-level prototyping to operational deployment.
Read more at GovCon Wire
US Crude Stocks Reach 427.3 Million Barrels as Fuel Markets Tighten
According to the Weekly Petroleum Status Report released on September 30 by the EIA, US commercial crude stocks reached 427.3 million barrels for the week ended September 25, 2026, up 0.9 million barrels week-on-week. That total excludes the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). At the same time, gasoline and distillate inventories declined, according to the agency. This divergence means that a build in crude stocks alone cannot characterize the state of the refined products market.
Refining activity forms an essential link between these two markets. A drop in throughput processed by refineries reduces the conversion of crude into fuels, which can simultaneously contribute to a crude stock build and a drawdown of finished product inventories. This reading remains consistent with the EIA's weekly report, though it does not amount to a full breakdown of the changes observed: commercial trade flows and product supplied to the market also play a role in the variations recorded.
Read more at Energy News
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