Welcome to Discover Daily by Perplexity , an AI-generated show on tech , science and culture . I'm Sienna . Today we're exploring China's new planetary defense force a deep dive into the country's latest efforts to protect Earth from cosmic threats . But first let's look at what else is happening across the economic and tech landscapes . The economic and tech landscapes .
The latest Consumer Price Index report reveals inflation accelerated to 3% year-over-year in January 2025 , the highest rate since May , surpassing economists' forecasts of 2.9% . Prices rose 0.5% month-over-month , marking the steepest single-month increase since August 2023 . Core inflation , which excludes volatile food and energy prices , climbs 0.4% monthly and 3.3% annually .
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell maintained the central bank's cautious stance recently , stating policymakers don't need to be in a hurry to cut rates . With inflation now well above the 2% target , analysts predict extended higher interest rates , slashing the likelihood of a March rate cut to just 15% , according to CME Group market data .
Market reactions were immediate S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures dipped , while Treasury yields surged . The US dollar hit a three-month high against major currencies . Notably , egg prices soared 15.2% monthly , the sharpest jump since June 2015 , driven by ongoing avian flu outbreaks across commercial poultry farms .
Turning to tech , elon Musk has offered to withdraw his $97.4 billion bid for OpenAI's non-profit division , but only if the chat GPT maker abandons its planned transition to a for-profit structure . This bombshell comes from court filings in Musk's ongoing lawsuit against his former AI venture .
The conflict escalated when OpenAI CEO , sam Altman , rejected Musk's offer via a sarcastic ex-post quote no thank you , but we will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you want Musk fired back by labeling Altman a quote swindler . It's the latest salvo in a legal battle court documents suggest could drag into 2027 .
Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015 , but left three years later after demanding majority equity and CEO control during failed 2017 talks about converting to a for-profit model . The current lawsuit alleges OpenAI violated its original mission by letting Microsoft gain influence through board appointments , like LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman .
Openai's board formally rejected Musk's bid , calling it an attempt to disrupt their $40 billion funding round with SoftBank . The company maintains its transition to a limited-profit model Backed by Microsoft's $1 billion investment remains essential for competing in AI development .
Now to our main story China's ambitious plan to defend Earth from asteroid threats , announced on February 11th . A new team of experts will focus on monitoring asteroids and developing early warning systems . The most concrete aspect of China's planetary defense is their upcoming asteroid deflection mission , which has been delayed from 2025 to 2027 .
The mission's new target is Asteroid 2015 XF261 , a 30-meter-wide space rock . What makes this mission special is its dual spacecraft approach . A single Long March 3B rocket will deploy both an observer spacecraft and an impactor . The observer will spend three to six months mapping the asteroid structure , followed by a high-speed kinetic impact to alter its path .
Post-impact observations will continue for up to 12 months to evaluate the deflection's effectiveness . A 30-meter asteroid like 2015 XF261 might seem small compared to other larger asteroids , but the physics of space travel make this mission significant .
Even a tiny deflection of just 3 to 5 centimeters early in an asteroid's journey can alter its path by more than 1,000 kilometers after three months . China isn't waiting idly until launch day . They've already activated the Northern Hemisphere's largest time domain survey facility , the 2.5-meter Wide Field Survey Telescope .
This observatory joins forces with two other powerful telescopes in tracking near-Earth objects . Even more ambitious is the Compound Eye , a network of 25 radar antennas set to begin operations next year . This system will strengthen our ability to assess potential cosmic threats , bouncing signals off space objects to determine their risk to Earth .
Looking ahead , china's roadmap is remarkably comprehensive . They aim to catalog 90 of near-Earth asteroids larger than 140 meters by 2035 . Even more ambitious are their plans for a constellation of six satellites in Venus-adjacent orbits , designed to serve as an early warning system for incoming threats .
As a member of the International Asteroid Warning Network since 2018 , china shares data and coordinates with observatories worldwide , including those in the US , chile and Australia . The mission also builds upon NASA's successful DART test , adding to humanity's growing arsenal of asteroid defense capabilities .
Thank you on the go , with the mobile app available for both Android and iOS . There's also the Perplexity desktop app for macOS . In other Perplexity news , the company has launched Sonar and Sonar Pro APIs enabling developers to integrate real-time AI search capabilities into their applications with unparalleled factual accuracy .
The new offering stands out for its affordability and advanced features , including double the citations of standard search and the ability to customize trusted sources , with companies like Zoom already leveraging the technology to enhance their video conferencing platform . We'll be back with more stories that matter . Until then , stay curious .