The Biggest Technology Failures of 2016
Stem-cell clinics
This year we learned the story of medical tourist Jim Gass, a corporate executive who hoped to have the results of a stroke healed with stem-cell treatments at a Mexican clinic and instead ended up with a strange, sticky mass in his spine. But you don’t need to go overseas for dodgy treatments never approved by the FDA. At least 351 U.S. businesses operating in a regulatory gray zone are promising that stem cells will treat everything from sports injuries to Alzheimer’s disease. “The clinics are doing an unapproved and for-profit gigantic human experiment,” according to stem cell scientist Paul Knoepfler.
Keep Reading
Most Popular
Large language models can do jaw-dropping things. But nobody knows exactly why.
And that's a problem. Figuring it out is one of the biggest scientific puzzles of our time and a crucial step towards controlling more powerful future models.
How scientists traced a mysterious covid case back to six toilets
When wastewater surveillance turns into a hunt for a single infected individual, the ethics get tricky.
The problem with plug-in hybrids? Their drivers.
Plug-in hybrids are often sold as a transition to EVs, but new data from Europe shows we’re still underestimating the emissions they produce.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.