11 months ago
170 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.
Future abstraction nutrient could beryllium made from astronaut breath
The aboriginal of abstraction nutrient could beryllium arsenic simple—and weird—as a macromolecule shingle made with astronaut enactment oregon a burger made from fungus.
For decades, astronauts person relied mostly connected pre-packaged food, oregon the occasional grown lettuce, during their forays disconnected our planet. With missions beyond Earth orbit successful sight, a NASA-led contention is hoping to alteration each that and usher successful a caller epoch of sustainable abstraction food.
To lick the occupation of feeding astronauts connected long-duration missions, NASA asked companies to suggest caller ways to make sustainable foods for aboriginal missions. Around 200 roseate to the challenge—creating nutritious (and outlandish) culinary creations successful the process. Read the afloat story.
—Jonathan O'Callaghan
How 5-minute artillery swaps could get much EVs connected the road
Charging is the main mode radical support their EV batteries afloat of foodstuff portion connected the go. But immoderate companies person an alternate that could beryllium adjacent quicker than the fastest chargers today: artillery swapping.
But portion proponents accidental artillery swapping could assistance fortify the lawsuit for EVs by making it faster to replenish a car’s range, immoderate experts are skeptical—viewing artillery swapping arsenic an costly solution that volition astatine champion service a constrictive niche wrong the aboriginal of electrical transportation. Read the afloat story.
—Casey Crownhart
Read much artillery swapping investigation from Casey, successful the latest contented of The Spark, her play newsletter giving you the wrong way connected each things batteries, 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 Montana has go the archetypal US authorities to prohibition TikTok
But it’s improbable to past ineligible challenges. (The Guardian)
+ The authorities has besides banned Telegram and Chinese apps from authorities devices. (The Verge)
2 The satellite looks progressively apt to breach 1.5°C planetary warming
In astatine slightest 1 of the adjacent 5 years, according to the World Meteorological Organization. (Economist $)
+ Do these vigor waves mean clime alteration is happening faster than expected? (MIT Technology Review)
3 The US isn’t prepared for AI-induced occupation losses
In theory, cosmopolitan basal income is astatine slightest 1 solution. (The Atlantic $)
+ What would an AI regulator look like, exactly, Sam Altman? (Wired $)
+ ChatGPT is astir to revolutionize the economy. We request to determine what that looks like. (MIT Technology Review)
4 A New York-based crypto miner is mounting up store successful Iceland
It’s a dodge to debar the Biden administration’s dense crypto mining tax. (WSJ $)
+ How Bitcoin mining devastated this New York town. (MIT Technology Review)
5 Facebook’s contented moderators successful Nairobi are suing Meta
It’s conscionable 1 of 3 lawsuits the institution is facing implicit however it treats moderators. (FT $)
6 Homeland Security is utilizing AI to analyse travelers’ societal media
It raises questions implicit what intent surveilling them serves. (Motherboard)
7 California’s EV propulsion is coming for truckers
The state’s charging infrastructure can’t accommodate dense vehicles. (Wired $)+ The U.S. lone has 6,000 accelerated charging stations for EVs. Here’s wherever they each are. (MIT Technology Review)
8 Anti-aging drugs marque lofty promises
Sometimes, bully aged fashioned workout is conscionable arsenic effective. (New Scientist $)
+ How scientists privation to marque you young again. (MIT Technology Review)
9 Serving celebrities with ineligible papers is easier said than done
Lawyers for FTX investors are being thwarted astatine each turn. (WSJ $)
10 How TikTok is shaking up edifice menus 🧀
Extra cheese, please! (NY Mag $)
Quote of the day
"It seems similar playing the lottery."
—Author Michelle Schusterman tells Insider astir however publication income look to progressively beryllium astatine the mercy of TikTok’s algorithm.
The large story
The quest to amusement that biologic enactment matters successful the immune system
August 2022For years, microbiologist Sabra Klein has painstakingly made the lawsuit that sex—defined by biologic attributes specified arsenic our enactment chromosomes, enactment hormones, and reproductive tissues—can power immune responses.
Klein and others person shown however and wherefore antheral and pistillate immune systems respond otherwise to the flu virus, HIV, and definite crab therapies, and wherefore astir women person greater extortion from vaccines but are besides much apt to get terrible asthma and autoimmune disorders.
Klein has helped spearhead a displacement successful immunology, a tract that agelong thought enactment differences didn’t matter—and she’s acceptable her sights connected pushing the tract of enactment differences adjacent further. Read the afloat story.
—Sandeep Ravindran
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.)
+ Check retired this fascinating mentation why we’re much intimately related to sponges than immoderate jellyfish-like creatures.
+ Finally—justice has been served for this ruby slippers thief.
+ This is cool: Weezer performed a abbreviated set for the striking TV writers extracurricular Paramount Studios.
+ If lone we could each look arsenic youthful arsenic Patrick Bateman.
+ A amusive potted past of the Caesar salad.
