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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Meta has built a massive new language AI—and it’s giving it away for free
Facebook’s parent company is inviting researchers to pore over and pick apart the flaws in its version of GPT-3

The gene-edited pig heart given to a dying patient was infected with a pig virus
The first transplant of a genetically-modified pig heart into a human may have ended prematurely because of a well-known—and avoidable—risk.

Saudi Arabia plans to spend $1 billion a year discovering treatments to slow aging
The oil kingdom fears that its population is aging at an accelerated rate and hopes to test drugs to reverse the problem. First up might be the diabetes drug metformin.

Yann LeCun has a bold new vision for the future of AI
One of the godfathers of deep learning pulls together old ideas to sketch out a fresh path for AI, but raises as many questions as he answers.
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