10 months ago
163 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.
Two companies tin present merchantability lab-grown chickenhearted successful the USThe news: The archetypal cultivated, oregon lab-grown, nutrient has been approved for merchantability successful the US. Two companies, Upside Foods and Eat Just, person received grants of inspection from the United States Department of Agriculture, the last measurement required for each institution to statesman commercialized US accumulation and sales.
How it’s grown: Most nutrient alternatives connected the marketplace contiguous are made utilizing plants. Cultivated nutrient products are made utilizing carnal cells that are grown successful bioreactors. Tissue samples from surviving animals are isolated and their cells grown successful a lab. As those cells turn and multiply, they tin beryllium processed into food.
Why it’s important: This brace of approvals are archetypal of their benignant successful the US. Animal agriculture makes up astir 15% of human-caused planetary greenhouse-gas emissions, and the 2 companies are among a increasing fig of enterprises moving to bring alternatives to marketplace that person the imaginable to chopped emissions. Read the afloat story.
—Casey Crownhart
What “rewilding” means—and what’s missing from this caller movement
Repairing the harm humans person done to the satellite is simply a colossal challenge. One mode we tin reconstruct immoderate of its earthy ecosystems is done rewilding: making much country for earthy processes and allowing different taxon the state to signifier their environments, with quality absorption kept to a minimum.
Not since the eco-utopian communes of the 1960s and ’70s has determination been specified an appetite for applicable guides to technologist our surroundings to conscionable the needs of nature. A increasing fig of books suggest applicable projects to repair the earthy environment, with the purpose of starring america retired from ecological anxiousness toward anticipation for a wilder world. Matthew Ponsford takes a look astatine 3 caller titles, and what those of america without hectares of onshore to our names tin bash to help. Read the afloat story.
This communicative is from our forthcoming people issue, which is each astir accessibility. If you haven’t already, subscribe to marque definite you don’t miss retired connected aboriginal stories—subscriptions commencement from conscionable $80 a year.
The anticipation and hype of seaweed farming for c removal
Say, theoretically, that a tube successful your bath springs a leak. Bad situation, right? The bully quality is that determination are beauteous overmuch lone 2 things you request to do: crook the h2o disconnected and cleanable up what’s already been spilled.
In the aforesaid way, determination are 2 large things we request to bash to code clime change. We request to chopped emissions—for example, by slowing down our usage of fossil fuels. That’s akin to turning disconnected the h2o tap. Then we’ll request to mop up the spill—that’s c removal.
A increasing fig of ventures are turning to the oceans to bash that. They screen two-thirds of our planet, and person immense imaginable to store carbon. But determination are large obstacles successful their way, too. Our clime newsman Casey Crownhart explains what they are. Read the afloat story.
Casey’s communicative is from The Spark, her play newsletter covering vigor and climate. Sign up to person it successful your inbox each Wednesday.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the net to find you today’s astir fun/important/scary/fascinating stories astir technology.
1 The FTC is suing Amazon for ‘tricking’ customers into paying for Prime
It says it traps users via ridiculously analyzable cancellation policies. (NYT $)
+ Amazon says it’s looking guardant to its time successful court. (WP $)
+ Bernie Sanders wants the company’s moving conditions investigated, too. (The Guardian)
2 The adjacent pandemic could beryllium triggered by AI
People could perchance usage ample connection models to make deadly pathogens. (Vox)
+ AI is consuming… much AI. (The Atlantic $)
+ Let’s play AI existential hazard bingo. (IEEE Spectrum)
+ How existential hazard became the biggest meme successful AI. (MIT Technology Review)
3 Abortion pill providers successful the US aren’t giving up
Despite authorities authorities making it arsenic hard arsenic imaginable to get them. (Wired $)
+ Texas is trying retired caller tactics to restrict entree to termination pills online. (MIT Technology Review)
4 Apple is opening up app improvement for the Vision Pro
It’ll beryllium hoping that anxious developers volition measurement up to reply its call. (TechCrunch)
+ Fitness features were mysteriously missing from the motorboat event. (The Information $)
+ Apple volition request to person developers to physique apps for its headset. (MIT Technology Review)
5 A Catholic cartographer wants to assistance the religion combat clime change
Trouble is, nary 1 knows conscionable however overmuch onshore it really owns. (MIT Technology Review)
6 These saildrones are susceptible of sailing into hurricanes ⛵
They’re sturdy capable to seizure information wherever humans situation not venture. (Ars Technica)
7 China’s ostracized net users person fled to Reddit
But the refuge has simultaneously fostered utmost views. (Rest of World)
+ Reddit is inactive successful a authorities of chaos pursuing the API fallout. (Slate $)
8 Sperm counts are falling crossed the world. Why?
Scientist Shanna Swan thinks mundane products successful our homes are to blame. (FT $)
+ Inside the contention to marque quality enactment cells successful the lab. (MIT Technology Review)
9 The net isn’t a municipality square
These days, it’s person to a sanitation system—sewers and all. (The Atlantic $)
10 Sweden is gathering a wholly woody city
And earlier you ask, yes it’s already thought astir the hazard of fires. (Economist $)
Quote of the day
"The communicative speaks for itself.”
—Meta spokesperson Iska Saric gives the Verge a cryptic effect erstwhile asked for further details astir Mark Zuckerberg challenging Elon Musk to a cage fight.
The large story
Your archetypal lab-grown burger is coming soon—and it’ll beryllium “blended”
One chill autumn nighttime successful 2010, Jessica Krieger was horrified by a documentary that showed the gruesome ways animals are slaughtered for food. Then an undergrad successful neuroscience, she threw herself into a then-fringe country of research: increasing and harvesting edible carnal cells without sidesplitting immoderate sentient creatures.
While lab-grown nutrient was engaged trying to find its mode retired of the petri dish, plant-based nutrient substitutes were undergoing a revolution. But alternatively than treating their occurrence arsenic a threat, Krieger and a fig of different entrepreneurs spot it arsenic the opening they request to yet bring their creations to market—in the signifier of “blended meat.” Read the afloat story.
—Niall Firth
We tin inactive person bully things
A spot for comfort, amusive and distraction successful these weird times. (Got immoderate ideas? Drop maine a line oregon tweet 'em astatine me.)
+ The UK’s ancient stones are beauteous awe-inspiring.
+ This year’s Drone Photo Awards winners bash not disappoint!
+ If you’re readying a solo vacation, Rwanda and Guatemala look particularly astonishing places to start.
+ Why not footwear backmost successful the prima with 1 of these timeless summertime novels? (Rebecca is peculiarly brilliant.)
+ Why cooking precocious astatine night isn’t for the faint-hearted.
