The Download
What's up in emerging technology
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
The US Federal Trade Commission wants your ideas for how to better police Big Tech
Tesla files a lawsuit against a former employee for allegedly leaking confidential IP
Sept. 11-14, 2018
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Business Impact
Basic income could work—if you do it Canada-style
A Canadian province is giving people money with no strings attached—revealing both the appeal and the limitations of the idea.
Rewriting Life
US military wants to know what synthetic-biology weapons could look like
Re-created viruses, toxic bacteria top new ranking of risks.
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.
Business Impact
From rust belt to robot belt: Turning AI into jobs in the US heartland
Artificial intelligence is offering an amazing opportunity to increase prosperity, but whether or not we will seize it is our choice.
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CRISPR Decoded 02:22
Access to broadband is as important as access to water and electricity 01:15
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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.
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Rewriting Life
Reprogramming our bodies to make us healthier.
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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
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Gene therapy is saving children’s lives—but screening to discover who needs it is lagging behind
States in the US have been slow to test newborns for genetic conditions.
by Emily Mullin
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It’s fiction, but America just got wiped out by a man-made terror germ
At “germ games” held in Washington, DC, pandemic planners get a look at the threat posed by synthetic biology.
by Antonio Regalado
Briefing Paper
How to Unlock the Power of IoT with Real-Time Monitoring
Global Survey Report
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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