Duties, De-extinction, Design - Sunday Summary 13th of April 2025

Dear readers, welcome to my first Sunday Summary!

It has been a turbulent week thanks to Trump’s imposition and backtracking on worldwide tariffs, which may have overshadowed other important news. Let us try to wrap the week up by making sense of America’s commercial policy, as well as by looking into design innovation, the possibility of bringing back extinct animals, and the latest sporting events.

Starting with politics, the Trump Administration had announced on Wednesday the enforcement of global tariffs, in an attempt at protecting American producers from cheaper foreign alternatives. However, this approach turned out counterproductive, as businesses failed to adapt and the stock market suffered a considerable fall, leading Trump to hit the brakes and announce a 90-day suspension of trade barriers with the exception of those on China, now at 125%. This provoked the ire of Beijing, who announced retaliatory tariffs, a stop to TikTok's American takeover, and restrictions on rare earth exports, showing little intention to negotiate. On Saturday, the US exempted tech products from tariffs, as Apple fears skyrocketing prices. As it regards the EU, the Commission has announced the immediate imposition of counter-tariffs up to 25% on American imports which will be followed by a second package of countervailing measures such as the European trade ‘bazooka’. Uncertainty prevails in global markets, leading to predictions of an incoming US recession and a redrawing of the global economic order. Another polemic has arisen from how these sudden changes may have benefitted those with inside information. To this purpose, congressmen have been accused of insider trading, as these quick developments in the stock market were preceded by suspicious movements by both Republicans and Democrats who, possibly knowing about the imminent crashing of the stock and the suspensions of tariffs before any official announcements, may have invested in strategic stocks.

Moving onto German politics, the election-winning CDU and the incumbent SDP have announced the reaching of an agreement towards a government coalition, keeping the promise to end negotiations before Easter. While the CDU and its Bavarian branch CSU will take the roles of Chancellor and Foreign Minister (held by Friedrich Merz and Johann Wadephul), the SPD will appoint Lars Klingbeil as Vice-Chancellor and Finance Minister, while retaining Boris Pistorius as Defense Minister. The Interior Ministry will go to the CSU, with Markus Söder being promoted from his role as State President. This arrangement also ensures the exclusion of the far-right AfD from the governing coalition.

Moving onto arts and culture, the Milan Design Week has showcased several innovations to pursue sustainability through design. One of the main installations was Villa Heritage, designed by Pierre-Yves Rochon. Here, the artist attempts at creating a timeless masterpiece by reflecting on the complex interaction between progress and tradition, questioning the future trajectory of luxury markets. Another important exhibition was Euroluce, whose projects show how light can be used as a functional and aesthetic element, giving new dimensions to living spaces.

As for new designs, the Vaia cube presents itself as an alternative to Bluetooth speakers, as it uses wood from the forests on the Dolomite mountains to amplify sound without electricity, giving new life to local supply chains and young artisans. In the same vein, Mandarina Duck has presented a reusable packaging, aiming at cutting pollution from online shopping by 75%. Fashion brands were also present to expand their global influence at the world’s biggest design stage, with Gucci, Prada, and Dolce & Gabbana trace organising exhibitions to share their brands’ history and reveal their future product strategies.

Continuing with science and technology, scientists may have made a breakthrough first imagined by Michael Crichton in Jurassic Park. Recently, bioscientist company Colossal has announced the direwolf’s comeback, a species best known for being featured in Games of Thrones, which had gone extinct 12,000 years ago. This direwolf used to roam the Americas, and has been brought back with three puppies: Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi. This phenomenon, called de-extinction, creates new versions of previously extinct animals rather than an exact copy, sparking a significant ethical debate. The goal behind Colossal’s de-extinction is to find a more efficient approach towards ecosystem conservation and restoration by crafting species that fit empty but essential biological niches. In what used to be considered science fiction, gene editing may become the future of conservation, overtaking selective breeding (the re-awakening of dormant genes by artificially selecting mates) and cloning as the most efficient methods. Through CRISPR technology (a cut-and-paste tool for the exchange of genetic information), scientists will merge ancient DNA with the DNA of the most compatible species to fill eventual gaps in the genetic code. The enthusiasm around de-extinction, however, seems to be overblown. Species will never be able to be brought truly back, and there is too little genetic engineering to consider the next milestones of new species rather than modified originals. Moreover, marketing the possibility to reverse the laws of nature may enable environmental destruction, with the excuse of bringing the extinct species later.

Ending our summary with sports, this week has seen the return of the great gala of European football, with the Champions League entering the quarterfinals. On Tuesday, a clockwork Inter Milan beat injury-plagued Bayern Munich away with a late goal by Davide Frattesi, while in North London, Arsenal stunned Real Madrid 3-0 with a free-kick brace by Declan Rice to put the Gunners one foot in the semifinals. On Wednesday, Barcelona crushed Borussia Dortmund 4-0 to continue their pursuit of the treble, while PSG imposed themselves 3-1 against Aston Villa at the Parc des Princes. As for basketball, the NCAA college championship also known as ‘March Madness’ ended on Tuesday with a close win by Florida against Houston (65-63), concluding an unpredictable tournament. Moreover, former Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic has played his first game against the Mavs since his controversial move to the Los Angeles Lakers, delivering one of his best performances against his former team. Ending with Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton shocked fans by suggesting in an interview they should not expect anything from his first season at Ferrari, as the first few races seem to be a sign of a never ending struggle throughout this year’s championship.