The Daily
Your guide to what matters this weekend
02.20 - 02.21
Synthetic biology
How One Brazilian City Is Tackling Mosquitoes
The city of Piracicaba, Brazil is responding to the outbreak of mosquito-borne diseases by genetically altering their mosquito population.
Security and privacy
Hollywood Hospital’s Run-In with Ransomware Is Part of an Alarming Trend in Cybercrime
Cybercriminals are frequently using their arsenal of malware to target health-care facilities.
Security and privacy
Apple’s Stand Against the FBI Gets Weak Backing from Other Tech Giants
CEO Tim Cook roared in defiance of a court order demanding he unlock a terrorist’s iPhone, but other companies have been muted or silent on the matter.
Computing
From the latest smartphones to advances in quantum computing, the hardware behind today's digital age is rapidly changing.
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Why the Policy Fight over Encryption Is at an Impasse
The next U.S. government looks set to inherit the ongoing fight over whether the government should rein in encryption.
by Tom Simonite
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NSA Says It “Must Act Now” Against the Quantum Computing Threat
The National Security Agency is worried that quantum computers will neutralize our best encryption – but doesn’t yet know what to do about that problem.
by Tom Simonite
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What Marvin Minsky Still Means for AI
How Marvin Minsky, a pioneer of artificial intelligence who died on Sunday, still influences the field today.
by Will Knight
Features
Neuroengineering
In First Human Test of Optogenetics, Doctors Aim to Restore Sight to the Blind
A breakthrough technology from neuroscience might allow blind people to see a monochromatic world.
May 23-24, 2016
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Smartphones and apps
Nextbit Robin Review: A Smartphone Aims to Solve Storage Woes
Nextbit is trying to make it so you never run out of storage on your smartphone.
Security and privacy
Apple Vows to Fight the Feds in the Battle over Encryption
Apple CEO Tim Cook has said his company will fight a court order to unlock the iPhone 5c owned by one of the San Bernardino shooters.
Wearable devices and sensors
How Armbands Can Translate Sign Language
A research project looks at how gesture-recognition armbands can help the hearing impaired communicate more easily with those who don’t understand sign language.
Security and privacy
Hospital Forced Back to Pre-Computer Era Shows the Power of Ransomware
Patients had to be moved from a Los Angeles hospital struck by malware that encrypts data and demands money to unlock it.
Clean power
Scalia’s Death Boosts Chances for Obama’s Clean Power Plan
The president’s plan for reducing carbon emissions has a easier path to implementation, but the future of the U.S. power industry is likely to remain in limbo for some time.
Mobile
How ubiquitous information and communication are transforming our lives.
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Review: What It’s Like to Have Super Hearing Abilities
With Here earbuds from Doppler Labs, you’re in control of your aural environment, and it’s pretty sweet.
by Rachel Metz
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A Gadget for Spotting Fake Viagra, and Other Counterfeit Pills
Startup Stratio says its small spectrometer can attach to your smartphone and figure out which pills are the real deal.
by Rachel Metz
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New Wearable Sensors Know What’s in Your Sweat
Researchers came up with a flexible band of sensors that can track chemicals in perspiration while you work out.
by Rachel Metz
Features
Software
Technical Roadblock Might Shatter Bitcoin Dreams
A study of the system that powers Bitcoin concludes that it cannot become widely used without a major redesign.
