The Download
What's up in emerging technology
We still don’t know if 3-D printers pose a health risk—but I’m taking no chances
A new personal genome test is free, but only if you bare all about your life
Google is closing a bipedal-robot project, but the robot revolution is far from over
Facebook is being accused of hiring a PR firm to smear its opponents
Google’s decision to absorb DeepMind’s health division has sparked privacy fears
March 25-26, 2019
San Francisco, CA
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Sustainable Energy
California must reinvent its practices and policies for a deadly new fire reality
Reducing the escalating destruction from fires will mean rethinking development patterns, forest management, early warning systems, and more.
Sustainable Energy
Brazil’s presidential election could mean billions of tons of additional greenhouse gases
Policies leading to more destruction of the Amazon and Cerrado would have a huge impact on climate change.
Intelligent Machines
Is this AI? We drew you a flowchart to work it out
The definition of artificial intelligence is constantly evolving, and the term often gets mangled, so we are here to help.
Intelligent Machines
AI is not “magic dust” for your company, says Google’s Cloud AI boss
Andrew Moore says getting the technology to work in businesses is a huge challenge.
Sustainable Energy
People will never vote for a carbon tax, so let’s stop asking
Voters in the state of Washington rejected, once again, what would have been the US’s first carbon tax.
Intelligent Machines
A robot scientist will dream up new materials to advance computing and fight pollution
Kebotix is using AI and robotics to brainstorm—and then test—novel compounds.
From Our Current Issue
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AI in Industry: Intelligent Health Care 29:27
Next-Generation Robots Need Your Help 27:36
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
AI in Industry: Intelligent Health Care 29:27
MIT professor Dina Katabi is building a gadget that can sit in one spot and track everything from breathing to walking, no wearables required.
Rewriting Life
Reprogramming our bodies to make us healthier.
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United Nations considers a test ban on evolution-warping gene drives
Debate over a new idea for stopping malaria is pitting some environmental groups against Bill Gates.
by Antonio Regalado
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Genes I wish they would find
Enough with the useless genes. Here are some that would actually come in handy.
by Sarah Cooper
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Editor’s letter: The precision medicine issue
Precision medicine has led to incredibly effective treatments for cancer and inherited disease. But not everyone gets treated.
by Gideon Lichfield
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SPONSORED
The crisis of social reproduction and the end of work
High-income societies are facing the rise of precarious employment.
by Helen Hester and Nick Snircek
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SPONSORED
Advanced tech, but growth slow and unequal: paradoxes and policies
Slowing productivity growth in major economies amid seemingly booming technology presents a paradox.
by Zia Qureshi
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SPONSORED
From the age of perplexity to the era of opportunities
Finance for Growth
by Francisco Gonzalez
Features
Rewriting Life
Digital immortality: How your life’s data means a version of you could live forever
Your family and friends will be able to interact with a digital “you” that doles out advice—even when you’re gone.
Intelligent Machines
Artificial intelligence and robots are transforming how we work and live.
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Should a self-driving car kill the baby or the grandma? Depends on where you’re from.
The infamous “trolley problem” was put to millions of people in a global study, revealing how much ethics diverge across cultures.
by Karen Hao
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The rare form of machine learning that can spot hackers who have already broken in
Darktrace’s unsupervised-learning models sound the alarm before intruders can cause serious damage.
by Karen Hao
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The US military is testing stratospheric balloons that ride the wind so they never have to come down
A sensor that can spot the wind direction from miles away will let DARPA’s surveillance balloons hover at the very edge of space in one spot indefinitely.
by David Hambling