The Download
What's up in emerging technology
A court case over memory chip tech shows why America is so worried about Chinese IP theft
Supreme Court rules police must have a warrant to track your cell phone
Here’s how the proposed reorganization of the federal government could impact science and tech
Over one-third of industrial robots purchased last year were installed in China
A freshly funded battery startup aims to ease the cobalt crunch
Sept. 11-14, 2018
MIT Media Lab
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Rewriting Life
The citizen scientist who finds killers from her couch
How CeCe Moore is using her genetic knowledge to expose murderers.
Connectivity
Five ways you can already become a cyborg, one body part at a time
Want to use your hand to prove your identity? Become a better skier without any work? Try this.
Rewriting Life
US military wants to know what synthetic-biology weapons could look like
Re-created viruses, toxic bacteria top new ranking of risks.
Connectivity
It’s time to rein in the data barons
Facebook, Amazon, and Google will resist attempts to restrain their market power. But for the sake of our collective prosperity and our personal privacy, it’s a fight we can’t afford to lose.
Intelligent Machines
This AI program could beat you in an argument—but it doesn’t know what it’s saying
The latest human-versus-machine matchup involves an argumentative AI system.
Connectivity
Keeping America first in quantum computing means avoiding these five big mistakes
Potential pitfalls include putting the military in charge and spraying too much money around.
Sustainable Energy
China is creating a huge carbon market—but not a particularly aggressive one
The biggest test of cap-and-trade to date may be too timid to make much of a difference for the world’s largest carbon polluter.
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CRISPR Decoded 02:22
Access to broadband is as important as access to water and electricity 01:15
We shouldn't preserve "willy nilly" the cost of production 01:00
Coffee-fetching robots 02:08
Automating things on wheels 00:50
Humans versus machines: Chopin edition 02:06
Teaching systems to dance 01:44
3-D printed potato chips 01:15
Robots as nurses' assistants 00:36
Communicating with robots 01:35
Rewriting Life
CRISPR Decoded 02:22
Your two-minute guide to understanding how the revolutionary gene-editing technology works.
From Our Current Issue
Rewriting Life
Reprogramming our bodies to make us healthier.
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The citizen scientist who finds killers from her couch
How CeCe Moore is using her genetic knowledge to expose murderers.
by Antonio Regalado and Brian Alexander
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This is how many people we’d have to send to Proxima Centauri to make sure someone actually arrives
Since it would take at least 6,300 years to reach the closest star to our sun, enough men and women to produce many genetically healthy generations would need to make the trip.
by Emerging Technology from the arXiv
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US military wants to know what synthetic-biology weapons could look like
Re-created viruses, toxic bacteria top new ranking of risks.
by Antonio Regalado
Briefing Paper
How to Unlock the Power of IoT with Real-Time Monitoring
Global Survey Report
Unlock Data Intelligence with AI
Features
Sustainable Energy
The scientist still fighting for the clean fuel the world forgot
A decade of investment in advanced biofuels led nowhere, but Jay Keasling remains undaunted.
Sustainable Energy
Can we sustainably provide food, water, and energy to a growing population during a climate crisis?
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Alphabet is in talks to spin out its molten-salt storage play
Bill Gates’s Breakthrough Energy Ventures is involved in the deal.
by James Temple
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China is creating a huge carbon market—but not a particularly aggressive one
The biggest test of cap-and-trade to date may be too timid to make much of a difference for the world’s largest carbon polluter.
by James Temple
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China’s ambition to power the world’s electric cars took a huge leap forward this week
CATL’s stock has shot up since it raised nearly $1 billion in an IPO to build more lithium-ion battery plants.
by James Temple