1 year ago
116 When the James Webb Space Telescope sent its archetypal images backmost to Earth successful July past year, researchers gathered excitedly to pore implicit them. JWST, a NASA-led collaboration betwixt the US, Canada, and Europe, is the astir almighty abstraction scope successful past and tin presumption objects 100 times fainter than the Hubble Space Telescope. Those images contained the archetypal wide grounds for c dioxide successful the ambiance of a satellite extracurricular the star system.
Almost instantly aft it started afloat operations, unthinkable vistas from crossed the beingness poured down, from images of distant galaxies astatine the dawn of clip to astonishing landscapes of nebulae, the dust-filled birthplaces of stars.
Months later, JWST continues to nonstop down reams of information to astonished astronomers connected Earth, and it is expected to alteration our knowing of the distant universe, exoplanets, satellite formation, galactic structure, and overmuch more. Read the afloat story.
—Jonathan O'Callaghan
The James Webb Space Telescope is 1 of MIT Technology Review’s 10 Breakthrough Technologies of 2023. Explore the rest of the list, and ballot successful our poll to assistance america determine our last 11th technology.
What Mexico’s planned geoengineering restrictions mean for the aboriginal of the field
What’s happened: Last month, a US startup called Make Sunsets claimed it had conducted a star geoengineering experimentation successful Baja California, Mexico, launching a brace of upwind balloons laden with a fewer grams of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere. Now, the Mexican authorities plans to prohibition related experiments.
Why it matters: Scientists judge that spraying sulfur dioxide oregon different reflective particles into the stratosphere successful capable quantities mightiness beryllium capable to offset immoderate level of planetary warming. But the chartless broadside effects, coupled with the hard questions implicit however to govern a temperature-tweaking technology, marque it highly controversial.
What’s next: The startup didn’t question support earlier its balloon launch. Now, by announcing plans to prohibit immoderate aboriginal star geoengineering experiments, Mexico whitethorn beryllium 1 of the archetypal nations, if not the first, to denote an explicit prohibition connected specified projects. Read the afloat story.
—James Temple
Read next: What is geoengineering—and wherefore should you care? As the threats of clime alteration grow, we’re each apt to perceive much and much astir the possibilities, and dangers, of geoengineering. Here’s what it means.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the net to find you today’s astir fun/important/scary/fascinating stories astir technology.
1 Pressure is mounting connected Germany to nonstop tanks to Ukraine
Ukraine is hopeless for them, but Germany fears provoking Russia. (Vox)
+ NATO allies are increasing progressively exasperated. (FT $)
+ Germany’s overseas curate wouldn’t halt Poland from sending theirs. (BBC)
+ If released, the tanks could assistance unafraid a Ukrainian triumph (Economist $)
2 Thousands marched to people the 50th day of Roe v Wade
Protestors demonstrated successful 46 states crossed the US. (NYT $)
+ What the Roe verdict leak tin thatch aboriginal leakers. (The Intercept)
+ The aboriginal of aesculapian termination volition extremity up being fought implicit successful court. (Vox)
+ The cognitive dissonance of watching the extremity of Roe unfold online. (MIT Technology Review)
3 Crypto’s pseudo-banks are dying
And they whitethorn beryllium taking immoderate people’s beingness savings with them. (WSJ $)
+ FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried definite isn’t going quietly. (Slate $)
+ Investors successful the crypto speech Gemini are increasing understandably worried. (FT $)
4 Confidential US constabulary files were stolen successful a large hack
The thieves besides stole tactical raid plans and a fishy report. (TechCrunch)
5 Donald Trump is reportedly going to ditch his ain societal media platform
He wants to instrumentality to Twitter conscionable arsenic the Republican superior heats up successful June. (Rolling Stone $)
6 Ultrasound tech isn’t conscionable for gestation scans
AI and different advances person turned it into a almighty diagnostic tool. (New Yorker $)
7 Livestreaming is 1 of Big Tech’s biggest challenges
It’s fiendishly hard to moderate. (FT $)
8 How Wikipedia edits alteration however we spot the world
For amended oregon worse, it’s hugely influential. (The Atlantic $)
9 Japan’s sushi-making robots are connected the emergence 🍣
Don’t expect them to portion food unaided, though. (The Guardian)
+ This robot walks utilizing rodent muscles grown successful a lab. (Inverse)
10 NASA is earnestly originative close now
Its outlandish projects could alteration however we research space. (Wired $)
+ Why we can’t halt anthropomorphizing abstraction robots. (Insider $)
+ What’s adjacent successful space. (MIT Technology Review)
Quote of the day
“I’ve ne'er heard of a lawsuit that says, ‘I’m going to hold until the economical situation improves to woody with a rat that’s moving circular my kitchen.’”
—Andy Ransom, CEO of pest power institution Rentokil, which has started utilizing facial designation exertion to show rats, tells the Financial Times wherefore he’s assured the concern tin header successful an economical downturn.
The large story
Tech’s caller labour question is harnessing lessons learned a period ago
June 2021
Back successful 2020, arsenic the satellite struggled to header with the pandemic, workers astatine the Amazon fulfillment halfway successful Bessemer, Alabama, were being pressed to enactment harder and longer. They felt dehumanized, and wanted dignity, not conscionable higher wages.
Workers pushed to articulation the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union, but Amazon waged warfare connected the campaign, and yet a ballot passed successful favour of keeping the presumption quo. Elsewhere, however, different workers crossed the state had started agitating.
The Bessemer fight, and Amazon organizing arsenic a whole, bespeak a caller groundswell of involvement successful organizing among tech workers. Today’s workers are up against the world’s richest companies. But for some sides successful this struggle, the bottommost enactment is not wealth but power. Read the afloat story.
—Sarah Jaffe
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.)
+ Snow monkeys conscionable emotion a spot of fishing.
+ The incomparable Kate Bush has written messages to fans utilizing invisible ink successful her caller paperback book.
+ Immerse yourself successful this year’s Sony World Photography Awards’ shortlists.
+ Bad quality for Times New Roman fans (thanks Melissa!)
+ San Francisco’s back, baby!
