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This is today's variation of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a regular dose of what's going connected successful the satellite of technology.
Why Congo’s astir celebrated nationalist parkland is betting large connected crypto
In eastbound Congo, a defender carrying a dense AK-47 is simply a uncommon authorization fig successful a mostly lawless region—a ranger who usually patrols Virunga National Park, a spot celebrated for endangered upland gorillas.
Today, though, his occupation is different. In Luviro, a hamlet conscionable extracurricular the park, helium is guarding the world’s archetypal known Bitcoin excavation operated by a nationalist park. One that runs connected cleanable energy. It’s a gamble that’s energized galore who enactment successful and astir the park—and invited skepticism from experts who wonderment what crypto has to bash with conservation. Read the afloat story.
—Adam Popescu
A spot plan that changes everything
Ever wonderment however your smartphone connects to your Bluetooth speaker, fixed they were made by antithetic companies? Well, Bluetooth is an unfastened standard, meaning its plan specifications are publically available. Software and hardware based connected unfastened standards—Ethernet, Wi-Fi, PDF—have go household names.
Now an unfastened modular known arsenic RISC-V (pronounced “risk five”) could alteration however companies make machine chips—allowing anyone to plan one, escaped of charge. Read wherefore this is specified a large woody for the industry—and beyond.
A spot plan that changes everything is conscionable 1 of our 10 Breakthrough Technologies, which we’re showcasing one-by-one successful The Download each day. Take a look astatine the rest of the list for yourself, and we’d emotion to perceive your thoughts connected what should marque our last 11th technology. Vote successful our canvass to marque your dependable heard.
What didn’t marque the database for 10 Breakthrough Technologies 2023
Every year, our reporters and editors spell backmost and distant implicit the technologies we deliberation are worthy of inclusion successful the TR10. The process ever sparks lively debates, and we person to marque pugnacious calls astir what to see and what to permission out. Find retired which technologies didn’t marque the chopped this time.
—Amy Nordrum
We tin usage sewage to way the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Antimicrobial resistance, oregon AMR, is simply a immense problem, and it’s lone getting worse. The hunt for caller antibiotics hasn’t had overmuch success, and the bacteria proceed to spread.
People who are infected with bacteria and viruses nonstop these bugs rushing into wastewater systems with each flush of their toilet. So implicit the past fewer years, galore countries person started searching wastewater for the microorganism that causes covid.
These studies person helped america estimation however galore radical successful an country person covid, and which variants mightiness beryllium spreading successful communities. The aforesaid attack could assistance america understand—and perchance bounds the interaction of—AMR. Read the afloat story.
—Jessica Hamzelou
This communicative is from The Checkup, MIT Technology Review’s play biotech newsletter. Sign up to person it successful your inbox each Thursday.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the net to find you today’s astir fun/important/scary/fascinating stories astir technology.
1 China is strengthening its power implicit online content
By taking “golden shares” successful large tech companies Alibaba and Tencent. (FT $)
+ Didi ride-hailing apps are being reinstated. (Reuters)
+ China wants to censor online comments. (MIT Technology Review)
2 The US is suing 2 crypto exchanges
Genesis and Gemini are accused of selling unregistered securities. (The Block)
+ Another exchange, Crypto.com, is slashing its workforce. (TechCrunch)
3 An AI chatbot has learnt to sexually harass people
Its unsolicited, assertive advances person appalled users. (Motherboard)
+ The viral AI avatar app Lensa undressed me—without my consent. (MIT Technology Review)
4 Why different viruses whitethorn person been suppressed during the pandemic
Partly due to the fact that they tin instrumentality turns to predominate a host. (Knowable Magazine)
+ People successful China are traveling to Hong Kong for backstage covid boosters. (The Guardian)
5 Google says changed to Section 230 could “upend the internet”
The tweaks volition spell an extremity to moderation arsenic we cognize it, it claims. (WSJ $)
6 Deaths from crab successful the US person fallen significantly
Better attraction and little smoking rates could beryllium among the contributory factors. (CNN)
7 The state stove statement is snowballing retired of control
We cognize they’re atrocious for our wellness and the climate. But prohibition proposals sparked a large backlash that refuses to die. (Slate $)
+ Here’s everything you request to cognize astir the ongoing debate. (Vox)
+ Welcome to the caller civilization wars. (Motherboard)
8 Mexico’s subway drivers person to pass implicit WhatsApp
They’re forbidden from utilizing cellphones, but conductors accidental they person nary choice. (Rest of World)
9 The Indonesian colony that’s birthing YouTube sensations
Tapen is astatine the bosom of the country’s burgeoning YouTube scene. (Wired $)
10 Why traveling to abstraction is truthful atrocious for america 🚀
It’s a large wellness hazard. (WP $)
Quote of the day
“He talks excessively much, it’s like, ‘Please unopen up.’”
—Karim Jovian, a Tesla investor, tells Bloomberg astir however his mounting exasperation with Elon Musk is making him see selling his shares.
The large story
Crypto millionaires are pouring wealth into Central America to physique their ain cities
April 2022
El Salvador’s Conchagua Volcano, location to a lush ecotourism retreat amid its sun-dappled forest, is acceptable to big a glittering caller Bitcoin City, the country’s president announced successful November 2021. A immense operation task could soon beryllium underway.
But portion immoderate politicians and residents judge successful crypto’s imaginable to jump-start the economy, others spot past repeating itself. Some locals question who these projects are truly for, and whether they volition genuinely benefit. Read the afloat story.
—Laurie Clarke
We tin inactive person bully things
A spot for comfort, amusive and distraction successful these weird times. (Got immoderate ideas? Drop maine a line or tweet 'em astatine me.)
+ If you’ve ever disquieted you’re not productive enough, writer James Patterson’s penning habits enactment america each to shame.
+ The UK truly loves darts—here’s wherefore you should, too.
+ Here’s all the large albums dropping implicit the adjacent 12 months to get excited about.
+ If you’re inactive looking to dispose of your Christmas tree, wherefore not eat it?
+ A cringey crippled synopsis of the caller Scooby Doo spinoff Velma has gone viral for each the incorrect reasons.
English (US) ·