Seven Must-Read Stories (Week Ending January 17, 2015)

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

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January 16, 2015

Black Phosphorus: The Birth of a New Wonder Material
Materials scientists have discovered how to make black phosphorus nanosheets in large amounts, heralding a new era of nanoelectronic devices.
SpaceX Claims Partial Success with Rocket Crash Landing
Success would redefine the economics of space travel, but SpaceX’s reusable rocket shows that it’s still hard to perform a safe landing.
Robot Journalist Finds New Work on Wall Street
Software that turns data into written text could help us make sense of a coming tsunami of data.
Can GM Go from Volt to Bolt?
GM revealed a concept all-electric hatchback today that it claims will have a 200-mile range.
Low Oil Prices Mean Keystone Pipeline Makes No Sense
New exploration on the bulk of Canada’s oil sands reserves can’t start unless prices are at least $60 per barrel, economists say.
An Internet of Treacherous Things
A zombie network of home routers highlights the importance of prioritizing smart appliance security.
Something Lost in Skype Translation
Skype’s real-time translation software highlights remarkable progress in machine learning—but it still struggles with the subtleties of human communication.

Keep Reading

Large language models can do jaw-dropping things. But nobody knows exactly why.

And that's a problem. Figuring it out is one of the biggest scientific puzzles of our time and a crucial step towards controlling more powerful future models.