Recommended from Around the Web (Week Ending April 18, 2015)

A roundup of the most interesting stories from other sites, collected by the staff at MIT Technology Review.

MIT TR Editorsarchive page

April 16, 2015

A Project to Turn Corpses into Compost
A low-tech possibility for making burial more sustainable.
—Brian Bergstein, deputy editor

Why This National Data Breach Notification Bill Has Privacy Advocates Worried
Perhaps the patchwork of state laws on data breaches is better than the national standard we supposedly should want.
—Brian Bergstein

Taking Back Detroit
Informative and engaging user experience design on this three-part feature profile of Detroit, Michigan.
— Kyanna Sutton, senior Web producer

L.A. School District Demands iPad Refund from Apple
Interesting story about LAUSD’s bad experience with a plan to buy iPads for all students, teachers, and administrators, shining a light on the idea that more technology isn’t always better.
—Rachel Metz, senior editor, mobile

Meet the Lawyer Taking On Uber and the Rest of the On-Demand Economy
A labor lawyer could dent the sustainability of Uber with a case arguing that its drivers are employees, not independent contractors.
—Tom Simonite, San Francisco bureau chief

Devices and Apps for Heading Outdoors After the Thaw
Techies go outside.
—J. Juniper Friedman, associate Web producer

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Discovered more than a decade ago, a remarkable compound shows promise in treating everything from Alzheimer’s to brain injuries—and it just might improve your cognitive abilities.

Adam Piorearchive page

This scientist now believes covid started in Wuhan’s wet market. Here’s why.

How a veteran virologist found fresh evidence to back up the theory that covid jumped from animals to humans in a notorious Chinese market—rather than emerged from a lab leak.

Jane Qiuarchive page

Conceptual illustration showing a file folder with the China flag and various papers flying out of it

The US crackdown on Chinese economic espionage is a mess. We have the data to show it.

The US government’s China Initiative sought to protect national security. In the most comprehensive analysis of cases to date, MIT Technology Review reveals how far it has strayed from its goals.