Research
These new solid-state ACs promise a cool future. Scientists aren’t so sure.
After three years of record-breaking heat, this one is set to be yet another scorcher. Air-conditioning? Not going anywhere. The International Energy Agency projects that the num…
The Download: “reprogramming” aging, and the hidden sense of interoception
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Why “reprogramming” is the buzziest appro…
You do your own time
There we were, a regular murderers’ row of librarians. Little Jo. Eustace. And me. Turning around in the nave of our library to greet the sound of footsteps, pistols leveled in ca…
Inside Interoception: The hidden sense of how you feel inside
MIT Technology Review Explains: Let our writers untangle the complex, messy world of science and technology to help you understand what’s coming next. You can read more from the s…
Why “reprogramming” is the buzziest approach to reversing aging right now
Earlier this week, Life Biosciences, a biotech company focused on reversing age-related diseases, announced that it had dosed its first volunteer. A person with glaucoma has had a…
The Download: soccer’s data renaissance and China’s big nuclear plans
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Inside soccer’s data renaissance Imagine …
Google DeepMind is worried about what happens when millions of agents start to interact
Google DeepMind is funding research into the potential dangers of millions of different AI agents interacting with each other online. According to Rohin Shah, who directs the comp…
Why China is betting on big nuclear reactors
It’s a tale of two nuclear industries. In China, large reactors are coming together at a stunning pace. The country has nearly doubled its nuclear fleet since 2016, reaching nearl…
Inside soccer’s data renaissance
Imagine tuning in to the opening kickoff of a World Cup match and seeing a player intentionally send the ball all the way down the pitch and right out of bounds on the opponent’s …
Job titles of the future: Nature’s drug designer
In 2018, after nearly two decades working in Big Pharma, chemist Tim Cernak was ready to put his skills to a new use. For Merck, he’d developed precision therapies for cancer, HI…
The Download: the “steroid olympics” and a safer Mythos
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. The “steroid olympics” were a circus—and …
The “steroid olympics” were a circus—and a window into our culture
Testosterone. Methenolone. Nandrolone. Human growth hormone and EPO. Meldonium, modafinil, and mixed amphetamine salts. Clomiphene, anastrozole, levothyroxine, and liothyronine. P…
The Download: whole-body rejuvenation drugs and five things to know about AI
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. David Sinclair plans to test whole-body r…
Learning to lead in a hybrid human-AI enterprise
As adoption of AI agents looks set to surge by as much as 300% in the next two years, leadership teams are carefully considering the implications of a hybrid human-AI workforce. …
David Sinclair plans to test whole-body rejuvenation drugs in the XPrize competition
The outspoken longevity scientist David Sinclair has been predicting that one day, you’ll go to the doctor and get a prescription that will make you 10 years younger. Now MIT Tech…
Five things you need to know about AI
At SXSW London last week I gave a talk called “Five things you need to know about AI,” in which I shared what I think are the biggest themes in AI right now. I pulled a few things…
The Download: how the World Cup ball will fly and OpenAI’s “super app”
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Why this year’s World Cup ball may not fl…
Why this year’s World Cup ball may not fly as far
Much is new about this month’s upcoming FIFA World Cup tournament, which will be held in the US, Canada, and Mexico. It hosts more teams than ever before. It’s the first to occur …
The Download: AI hacking beyond Mythos, and chatbots’ impact on our brains
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. The Meta hack shows there’s more to AI se…
The Meta hack shows there’s more to AI security than Mythos
On June 5, 404 Media reported that attackers had been using Meta’s AI customer support agent to steal Instagram accounts. Their approach was simple: They asked the agent to link t…
Are AI chatbots making us lose control of our brains?
This week I’ve been at SXSW London. There’s been music, film, and a lot—and I mean a lot—of talk about AI. I also had the opportunity to sit down with Gloria Mark, a psychologist …
The Download: AI-generated lawsuits and virtual power plants for data centers
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. How courts are coping with a flood of AI-…
How courts are coping with a flood of AI-generated lawsuits
Most days in her chambers, Judge Maritza Braswell, a federal magistrate judge in Colorado, sifts through stacks of documents written by people without a lawyer. Many of them can’t…
How virtual power plants could provide energy for data centers
Would you take a payment to ramp down your electricity use? Would it change anything if you were doing so to help power a local data center? Google just signed a new deal to help …