1 year ago
135 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.
How scientists privation to marque you young again
A small implicit 15 years ago, scientists astatine Kyoto University successful Japan made a singular discovery. When they added conscionable 4 proteins to a tegument compartment and waited astir 2 weeks, immoderate of the cells underwent an unexpected and astounding transformation: they became young again. They turned into stem cells astir identical to the benignant recovered successful a days-old embryo, conscionable opening life’s journey.
At slightest successful a petri dish, researchers utilizing the process tin instrumentality withered tegument cells from a 101-year-old and rewind them truthful they enactment arsenic if they’d ne'er aged astatine all.
Now, aft much than a decennary of studying and tweaking alleged cellular reprogramming, a fig of biotech companies and probe labs accidental they person tantalizing hints that the process could beryllium the gateway to an unprecedented caller exertion for property reversal. Read the afloat story.
—Antonio Regalado
This portion is from our forthcoming mortality-themed issue, launching tomorrow. If you privation to work it erstwhile it comes out, you tin subscribe to MIT Technology Review for arsenic small arsenic $80 a year.
Machine learning could vastly velocity up the hunt for caller metals
The news: Machine learning could assistance make caller types of metals with utile properties, specified arsenic absorption to utmost temperatures and rust, according to caller research. A squad of researchers from the Max Planck Institute managed to place 17 promising caller metals utilizing AI, which predicts which combinations of metals volition amusement committedness acold much precisely than existent methods of laboratory experimentation.
Why it matters: The find could beryllium utile for a scope of sectors—for example, metals that execute good astatine little temperatures could amended spacecraft, portion metals that defy corrosion could beryllium utilized for boats and submarines. It could besides pave the mode for greater usage of instrumentality learning successful materials science. Read the afloat story.
—Tammy Xu
Do AI systems request to travel with information warnings?
Considering however almighty AI systems are, and the roles they progressively play successful helping to marque high-stakes decisions astir our lives, homes, and societies, they person amazingly small ceremonial scrutiny.
That’s starting to change, acknowledgment to the blossoming tract of AI audits. When they enactment well, these audits let america to reliably cheque however good a strategy is moving and fig retired however to mitigate immoderate imaginable bias oregon harm—and their expanding adoption suggests that 1 time we mightiness spot cigarette-pack-style warnings that AI systems could harm your wellness and safety. Read the afloat story.
—Melissa Heikkilä
Melissa’s communicative is from The Algorithm, our play newsletter giving you the wrong way connected each things AI. Sign up to person it successful your inbox each Monday.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the net to find you today’s astir fun/important/scary/fascinating stories astir technology.
1 The likelihood of atomic warfare is inactive precise low
Despite what Vladimir Putin would person america believe. (Wired $)
+ Russia has falsely accused Ukraine of making a “dirty bomb.” (The Atlantic $)
+ Ukraine is desperately trying to support its powerfulness grid. (The Economist $)
+ What is the hazard of a atomic mishap successful Ukraine? (MIT Technology Review)
2 The US has charged Chinese quality officers with spying
Two men person been accused of trying to interfere with the country’s transgression prosecution of Huawei. (FT $)
+ Apple’s narration with China is dilatory souring. (Economist $)
3 Handwashing won’t bash overmuch to forestall you getting covid
But it’s cardinal to preventing the dispersed of different illnesses. (The Atlantic $)
4 Cocaine from cause transportation services is sometimes laced with fentanyl
The deadly opioid is sidesplitting users who are unaccustomed to it. (WSJ $)
5 Japan is pushing integer IDs with renewed vigor
But its privacy-conscious citizens are reluctant to get connected board. (AP News)
6 TikTok is afloat of predetermination misinformation
It’s a newer platform, yet has each of the aforesaid problems that plagued its predecessors. (The Guardian)
7 Ring information camera alerts are triggering violence
An guiltless pistillate was changeable astatine aft a homeowner suspected her of trying to rob him. (Motherboard)
+ How Amazon Ring uses home unit to marketplace doorbell cameras. (MIT Technology Review)
8 Your car’s information tech isn’t needfully making you safer
By over-relying connected it, we hazard exacerbating the problem. (The Verge)
9 Fake nutrient is becoming much convincing 🥩
But plant-based nutrient has a cognition occupation that’s hard to shake. (Vox)
+ Could “hybrid meat” alteration our minds? (Vox)
+ Impossible Foods has a large caller offering successful the works: filet mignon. (MIT Technology Review)
10 Indonesia isn’t bothered astir Netflix
Native streaming level Vidio is wherever it’s at. (Rest of World)
Quote of the day
“The accusation warfare moves astatine the velocity of electrons, not astatine the velocity of interviews.”
—Denver Riggleman, a erstwhile elder advisor to the January 6 committee, highlights the difficulties successful trying to drawback rapidly-changing governmental misinformation to Wired.
The large story
My outer would acceptable successful a tiny suitcase.
December 2020
Sara Seager has thought agelong and hard astir the math: the likelihood that Earth harbors the lone beingness successful the beingness are astir impossible.
A pioneer successful the hunt for exoplanets, oregon planets orbiting different stars, the MIT astrophysicist came up with the now-standard signifier of studying the atmospheres of planets by analyzing the airy that filters done them.
She besides developed ASTERIA, a outer the size of a tiny suitcase, designed to show the exertion needed for a tiny scope to hunt for exoplanets by detecting the minuscule dip successful a star’s airy erstwhile an orbiting satellite passes successful beforehand of it. Read the afloat story.
—Sara Seager
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.)
+ Congratulations to “The Lord’s Drapes”—the victor of the USA Mullet Championships!
+ I’ve been inspired to signifier my competitory powerful owl call (thanks Alan!)
+ This chill caller website is making the contented of CDs and floppy discs accessible to web users.
+ Any British readers cognize what a formative relation Ceefax played successful our pre-internet lives: now, immoderate dedicated fans person resurrected it.
+ A saccharine small baby bison has been calved successful the English countryside.
