Seven Must-Read Stories (Week ending September 26, 2015)
1. The Hit Charade
An algorithm might create a playlist you enjoy, but don’t mistake that for creativity.
2. J. Craig Venter to Offer DNA Data to Consumers
A genomic entrepreneur plans to sell genetic workups for as little as $250. But $25,000 gets you “a physical on steroids.”
3. Spinning Synthetic Spider Silk
A California company may have figured out how to use genetic engineering to make extremely versatile fibers the way spiders can.
4. Why America’s Top Mental Health Researcher Joined Alphabet
Tom Insel explains why he’s ready to give Silicon Valley a try.
5. What the VW Scandal Means for Clean Diesel
The revelations about Volkswagen’s diesel emissions hurt not only the German carmaker, but the diesel industry overall.
6. Could Dark Matter Cause Cancer?
Astrophysicists speculate that “mirror” dark matter poses an entirely new form of radiation threat and could cause the mutations that lead to cancer.
7. Make Your Own Buttons with a Gel Touch Screen
Researchers covered a touch screen in gel that can harden into buttons of all shapes and sizes so you can use the display even if you can’t gaze at it.
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Geoffrey Hinton tells us why he’s now scared of the tech he helped build
“I have suddenly switched my views on whether these things are going to be more intelligent than us.”
Deep learning pioneer Geoffrey Hinton has quit Google
Hinton will be speaking at EmTech Digital on Wednesday.
Video: Geoffrey Hinton talks about the “existential threat” of AI
Watch Hinton speak with Will Douglas Heaven, MIT Technology Review’s senior editor for AI, at EmTech Digital.
Doctors have performed brain surgery on a fetus in one of the first operations of its kind
A baby girl who developed a life-threatening brain condition was successfully treated before she was born—and is now a healthy seven-week-old.
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