The Download: rub-on gene therapy, and safeguarding email memories

11 months ago 151

The news: Last week, the US Food and Drug Administration approved income of the archetypal cistron therapy that is straight applied to the body—as good arsenic the archetypal intended to beryllium utilized connected the aforesaid idiosyncratic repeatedly.

How it works: The attraction introduces a missing cistron to tegument cells truthful they tin marque collagen. It’s already helping radical with dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, a uncommon inherited illness that makes tegument incredibly fragile. The topical ointment helps to heal the disease’s chronic, blistering wounds, portion an eyedrop mentation tin forestall scar insubstantial from gathering up successful their eyeballs and amended their vision.

The adjacent steps: The cistron attraction is antithetic arsenic it doesn’t impact injection oregon altering immune cells extracurricular the body. It suggests akin approaches could person lucrative applications. The biggest question close now, however, is however overmuch it volition outgo the families who request it. Read the afloat story.

—Antonio Regalado

How to sphere your integer memories

—Tate Ryan-Mosley

My email archive holds treasured messages marking the important days of my life: a missive of acceptance to postgraduate school, question plans with my sisters, a occupation connection astatine Tech Review, an invitation to reconnect with a adjacent person with whom I’d mislaid touch. 

I’ve ne'er thought each that overmuch astir what to bash with each these integer records. I person had a benignant of anticipation that I’ll ever beryllium capable to entree and negociate my emails connected my ain terms. And portion I don’t presently prevention peculiarly important ones, I astir apt request to alteration that.

That’s because, successful reality, I’m conscionable renting abstraction owned by a tech company. Google and Twitter precocious announced caller policies to region inactive accounts, and it’s a reminder of conscionable however impermanent and fragile our integer lives truly are. Read the afloat story.

Tate’s communicative is from The Technocrat, her play newsletter covering argumentation powerfulness struggles successful Silicon Valley. Sign up to person it successful your inbox each Friday.

The must-reads

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

1 The EU has slapped Meta with a grounds €1.2 cardinal fine 
For failing to safeguard users’ information during its transportation from Europe to the US. (Politico)
+ Meta’s been fixed 5 months to halt immoderate further idiosyncratic information transportation to the US. (Bloomberg $)

2 Carbon removal is becoming large business
That doesn’t mean it needfully does overmuch to combat clime change. (Economist $)
+ Grassy roofs are helping Brazil’s favelas to bushed the punishing heat. (Undark)
+ What it volition instrumentality to execute affordable c removal. (MIT Technology Review)

3 The spot manufacture is nether threat
Crackdowns connected “forever chemicals” are threatening chipmakers’ manufacturing processes. (FT $)+ China claims it’s unearthed information risks successful US-made Micron chips. (Bloomberg $)

4 China’s ramping up its outer web plans
Launch sites are being prepared, and caller companies are cropping up. (WSJ $)
+ Starlink signals tin beryllium reverse-engineered to enactment similar GPS—whether SpaceX likes it oregon not. (MIT Technology Review)

5 SpaceX’s 2nd backstage ngo is connected its mode to the IS
The 3 paying customers volition walk a week aboard the abstraction station. (CNN)

6 E-sports isn’t the money-spinner it erstwhile was
Viewers look to beryllium losing interest, and squad owners are selling up. (NYT $)

7 Bitcoin’s blockchain is being taken implicit by memecoins and NFTs
And bitcoin purists aren’t blessed astir it. (Bloomberg $)

8 Caregiving robots don’t ever present connected their promises
Some quality carers find they tin beryllium much occupation than they’re worth. (The Guardian)
+ Inside Japan’s agelong experimentation successful automating elder care. (MIT Technology Review)

9 MDMA therapy could beryllium connected the horizon
But taking psychedelics successful aesculapian environments doesn’t ever nutrient the desired effect. (Vox)
+ Mind-altering substances are being overhyped arsenic wonderment drugs. (MIT Technology Review)

10 Why voicemail isn’t going anyplace 📞
There’s nary amended alternative, for one. (The Atlantic $)

Quote of the day

“AI is not magic. There are a batch of radical progressive – humans.”

—Timnit Gebru, the machine idiosyncratic fired by Google successful 2020 for sounding the alarm connected AI bias, dismisses the inclination to dainty the exertion arsenic thing fantastical to the Guardian.

The large story

What cities request now

April 2021

The latest astute metropolis projects person overmuch successful communal with erstwhile iterations. Again and again, these initiatives committedness caller “solutions” to municipality “problems.”

After a decennary of aviator projects and flashy demonstrations, though, it’s inactive not wide whether astute metropolis technologies tin really lick oregon adjacent mitigate the challenges cities face. Read the afloat story.

—Jennifer Clark

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.)+ Who knew that neolithic humans were surprisingly businesslike planners?
+ It’s clip to aftermath up and odor the coffee—quite literally, successful the lawsuit of these intrepid scientists.
+ These savory pancakes could beryllium having a moment. 🥞
+ We’re learning much astir Mars, acknowledgment to what we already cognize astir Earth.
+ Healthy breakfasts and affirmative vibes are conscionable immoderate of the apical tips for surviving a longer, happier life.

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