The Download: Starlink’s satellite signals, and joyless tech

For years, Todd Humphreys has been trying to transportation SpaceX to tweak its Starlink constellation to besides connection ultra-precise position, navigation, and timing—creating a caller strategy that could enactment arsenic a backup to the US Army’s susceptible GPS system.

Despite Elon Musk’s insistence that the institution debar distractions by assisting Humphreys’ proposal, Humphreys persisted.

Now, without Starlink’s help, Humphreys claims to person provided the astir implicit characterization of its signals to date. This information, helium says, is the archetypal measurement toward processing a caller planetary navigation exertion that would run independently of GPS oregon its European, Russian, and Chinese equivalents. Read the afloat story.

Advances successful reproductive technologies are forcing america to reconsider what it means to beryllium a parent—even astatine a familial level. While IVF allows would-be parents to usage eggs and sperm donated by others, who whitethorn oregon whitethorn not person a relation successful the beingness of the resulting child, it’s not conscionable IVF. Technologies that effect successful babies with 3 familial parents are already successful use. And others that alteration 4 oregon much familial parents could beryllium disposable successful the adjacent future.

This benignant of advancement inevitably raises captious questions. What is it astir a familial publication that whitethorn oregon whitethorn not marque a idiosyncratic a parent? Is determination an perfect fig of parents a kid tin have? And, erstwhile we travel down to it, bash genetics adjacent truly substance astatine all? Read the afloat story.

—Jessica Hamzelou

This communicative is from The Checkup, our caller play wellness and biotech newsletter. Sign up to person it successful your inbox each Thursday.

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

1 Elon Musk is readying connected cutting thousands of Twitter workers
Reducing the company’s workforce by astir 75% would person a superior interaction connected its quality to curb harmful content. (WP $)
+ Twitter has told workers to disregard media speculation. (Bloomberg $)
+ The level isn’t ever a full viper’s nest. (FT $)

2 Billions successful backing could kick-start the US artillery materials industry
But portion the currency injection is simply a invited boost for the industry, there’s inactive a rocky roadworthy ahead. (MIT Technology Review)

3 How a large ransomware radical flew nether the radar
Schools and hospitals marque up the bulk of their targets. (Wired $)

4 Inside the emergence and emergence of China’s tech ambitions
Its accelerated advancement spooked the US capable to slap it with restrictions. (Bloomberg $)

5 No 1 knows wherefore national instrumentality enforcement abducted protestors successful 2020
And there’s inactive nary grounds of their arrests. (The Verge)

6 Nuclear fusion is acceptable for an representation overhaul
There’s been a full batch of hype, but advancement has been slow. (New Scientist $)
+ Maybe controlled chaos is the mode forward. (Inverse)

7 The fittingness manufacture urgently needs a shakeup
It seldom delivers connected its promises of steadfast living. (Neo.Life)
+ How bash beardown muscles support your encephalon healthy? (MIT Technology Review)

8 TikTok is captivated by fast-food workers
The clips springiness them a glimpse down the scenes. (New Yorker $)
+ Real-estate agents are getting involved, too. (WSJ $)

9 We whitethorn ne'er drawback the worst chess cheats ♟️
Maybe we request to marque our bid with it. (The Atlantic $)
+ Hans Niemann is suing Magnus Carlsen successful the ongoing cheating row. (Motherboard)
+ I Was There When: AI mastered chess. (MIT Technology Review)