The Download: reusing heat from computers, and period research

This startup has engineered a clever mode to reuse discarded vigor from unreality computing

The thought of utilizing the wasted vigor of computing to bash thing other has been mooted plentifulness of times before. Now, UK startup Heata is really doing it. When you motion up, it places a server successful your home, wherever it connects via your Wi-Fi web to akin servers successful different homes—all of which process information from companies that wage it for unreality computing services. 

Each server prevents 1 ton of c dioxide equivalent per twelvemonth from being emitted and saves homeowners an mean of £250 connected blistery h2o annually, a sizeable discount successful a state wherever galore inhabitants conflict to spend heat.

The clever happening is that it provides a mode to usage energy twice—providing services to the rapidly increasing unreality computing manufacture and besides providing home blistery water—at a clip erstwhile vigor ratio matters much than ever. Read the afloat story.

—Luigi Avantaggiato

Tiny faux organs could ace the enigma of menstruation

A radical of scientists are utilizing caller tools akin to miniature organs to survey a poorly understood—and often problematic—part of quality physiology: menstruation. 

Heavy, sometimes debilitating periods onslaught astatine slightest a 3rd of radical who menstruate astatine immoderate constituent successful their lives, causing immoderate to regularly miss enactment oregon school. Anemia threatens astir two-thirds of radical with dense periods. Many radical desperately request treatments to marque their play much manageable, but it’s hard for scientists to plan medications without knowing however menstruation truly works.

That knowing could beryllium successful the works, acknowledgment to endometrial organoids—biomedical tools made from bits of the insubstantial that lines the uterus. The probe is inactive precise overmuch successful its infancy. But organoids person already provided insights into wherefore menstruation is regular for immoderate radical and fraught for others. Some researchers are hopeful that these aboriginal results people the dawn of a caller era. Read the afloat story. 

—Saima Sidik

Both of the stories featured contiguous are from the caller ethics-themed people mag contented of MIT Technology Review, acceptable to spell unrecorded connected Wednesday. Subscribe to work it, if you don’t already!

The must-reads

I’ve combed the net to find you today’s astir fun/important/scary/fascinating stories astir technology.

1 Canadian leaders are calling connected Meta to reverse its quality ban
They accidental the artifact has been preventing radical from getting entree to important accusation astir wildfires. (WP $)
+ 850 radical are inactive missing aft the Maui wildfires, its politician has said. (NBC)
Lahaina’s politician says the authorities ‘tipped excessively far’ successful trying to sphere water. (NYT $)

10 How Apple won US teens over
A caller survey recovered 87% person iPhones, and they’re improbable to switch. (WSJ $)
+ Switching connected subtitles is each the rage too. (Axios)

Quote of the day

“I utilized to think, ‘I’m acrophobic for my children and grandchildren.’ Now it’s to the constituent wherever I’m acrophobic astir myself.”

—Mike Flannigan, a prof of wildland occurrence astatine Thompson Rivers University successful Kamloops, Canada, tells the LA Times how helium feels astir scientists’ astir dire clime predictions coming true.

The large story

This substance works volition usage cultivation discarded to combat clime change

MOTE

February 2022

A startup called Mote plans to physique a caller benignant of fuel-producing works successful California’s fertile Central Valley that would, if it works arsenic hoped, continually seizure and hide c dioxide, starting from 2024. 

It’s among a increasing fig of efforts to commercialize a conception archetypal projected 2 decades agone arsenic a means of combating clime change, known arsenic bioenergy with c seizure and sequestration, oregon BECCS.

It’s an ambitious plan. However, determination are superior challenges to doing BECCS affordably and successful ways that reliably suck down important levels of c dioxide. Read the afloat story.

—James Temple

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.)

+ Amused by a 2001 BBC news report that refers to camera phones arsenic a “gimmick.”
+ It won’t beryllium to everyone’s taste, but this drink sounds delicious to me. 
+ Fan of Dave Grohl? I thoroughly urge speechmaking his autobiography. 
+ Today I discovered you tin deter seagulls from stealing your food by staring them down.