Seven Must-Read Stories (Week Ending September 20, 2014)

Another chance to catch the most interesting, and important, articles from the previous week on MIT Technology Review.

September 19, 2014

Making Innovation
The hubs of advanced manufacturing will be the economic drivers of the future because innovation increasingly depends on production expertise.
Gene-Silencing Drugs Finally Show Promise
After more than a decade of disappointment, powerful new drugs based on a Nobel-winning idea are getting closer to the market.
Technology Stalled in 1970
Peter Thiel says he’s trying to get entrepreneurs to go after bigger problems than the ones Silicon Valley is chasing.
Radical New DNA Sequencer Finally Gets into Researchers’ Hands
A DNA sequencer the size of a cell phone could change where, and how, gene research occurs.
Smartphone Movements Could Reveal Empty Parking Spots
Researchers say “pocketsourcing” could let you find parking spots easily, without requiring cities to add spot sensors.
Construction Begins at a Carbon-Capture Plant, but Will It Ever Be Completed?
A FutureGen project in Illinois aimed at capturing carbon dioxide from a rebuilt coal power plant is threatened by a lawsuit and a deadline.
Motorized Pants to Help Soldiers and Stroke Victims
A soft, lightweight exoskeleton developed at Harvard applies assistive force without interfering with a person’s normal gait.

Exclusive conversations that take us behind the scenes of a cultural phenomenon.

For decades, coders wrote critical systems in C and C++. Now they turn to Rust.

New large language models will transform many jobs. Whether they will lead to widespread prosperity or not is up to us.

An approach that promised to democratize design may have done the opposite.

Illustration by Rose Wong

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