Plus: on-line conspiracy theories are swirling concerning the drones noticed over US skies
That is at the moment’s version of The Obtain, our weekday e-newsletter that gives a each day dose of what is going on on on this planet of know-how.
AI is altering how we research hen migration
In a warming world, migratory birds face many existential threats. Scientists depend on a mixture of strategies to trace the timing and site of their migrations, however every has shortcomings. And there’s one other downside: Most birds migrate at night time, when it’s tougher to determine them visually and whereas most birders are in mattress.
For over a century, acoustic monitoring has hovered tantalizingly out of attain as a technique that may remedy ornithologists’ woes. Now, lastly, machine-learning instruments are unlocking a treasure trove of acoustic knowledge for ecologists. Learn the complete story.
—Christian Elliot
This story is from the forthcoming journal version of MIT Know-how Overview, set to go dwell on January 6—it’s all concerning the thrilling breakthroughs occurring on this planet proper now. If you happen to don’t already, subscribe to obtain a duplicate.
A girl within the US is the third individual to obtain a gene-edited pig kidney
Towana Looney, a 53-year-old girl from Alabama, has turn out to be the third residing individual to obtain a kidney transplant from a gene-edited pig.
Looney, who donated certainly one of her kidneys to her mom again in 1999, developed kidney failure a number of years later following a being pregnant complication that brought about hypertension. She began dialysis therapy in December of 2016 and was placed on a ready listing for a kidney transplant quickly after.
Nevertheless it was tough to discover a match. So Looney’s medical doctors beneficial the experimental pig organ in its place. After eight years on the ready listing, Looney was licensed to obtain the kidney. Learn the complete story.
—Jessica Hamzelou
Roundtables: The Worst Know-how Failures of 2024
Every year, MIT Know-how Overview publishes a listing of the worst applied sciences of the previous 12 months.
Antonio Regalado, our senior editor for biomedicine, sat down to debate 2024’s worst failures with our govt editor Niall Firth in a subscriber-exclusive on-line Roundtable occasion yesterday. Watch their dialog about what made the lower right here, and to be sure to don’t miss out sooner or later, subscribe!
MIT Know-how Overview Narrated: Meet the radio-obsessed civilian shaping Ukraine’s drone protection
Regardless of it being over 100 years previous, radio know-how continues to be important in virtually all elements of contemporary warfare—together with within the drones which have come to dominate the Russia-Ukraine warfare.
Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov, who has been obsessive about radios since childhood, has turn out to be an unlikely hero of the battle, sharing recommendation and intel. His work could decide the way forward for Ukraine, and wars far past it.
That is our newest story to be become a MIT Know-how Overview Narrated podcast, which
we’re publishing every week on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Simply navigate to MIT Know-how Overview Narrated on both platform, and comply with us to get all our new content material because it’s launched.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the web to search out you at the moment’s most enjoyable/vital/scary/fascinating tales about know-how.
1 Conspiracy theories are nonetheless circulating about these mysterious drones
What are they? And the place have they arrive from? (NY Magazine $)
+ Authorities try to quell public hysteria, however theories abound. (WP $)
+ Realistically, they’re most likely simply normal drones out for a night-time flight. (AP Information)
2 AI poses a serious risk to the ability grid
That’s in accordance with the US business watchdog, which is feeling the stress. (FT $)
+ AI’s emissions are about to skyrocket even additional. (MIT Know-how Overview)
3 SpaceX and Elon Musk are below investigation
US federal companies are probing their repeated failures to adjust to reporting guidelines. (NYT $)
4 Nvidia has unveiled a tiny, reasonably priced AI supercomputer
Which is useful for roboticists trying to bypass connecting to distant knowledge facilities. (Gizmodo)
+ Whereas it’s not the corporate’s strongest system, it’s fairly speedy. (WSJ $)
+ Microsoft is gobbling up extra of Nvidia’s chips than anybody else. (FT $)
+ Blacklisted Chinese language AI chip companies gained entry to cutting-edge UK tech. (The Guardian)
5 Bitcoin’s worth is rocketing even increased
The business continues to increase within the wake of Trump’s election victory. (Bloomberg $)
+ A lot so, luxurious manufacturers are weighing up accepting crypto funds. (Reuters)
6 Hepatitis B is an especially treatable illness
So why are so many individuals nonetheless dying from it? (New Yorker $)
+ We’re beginning to perceive the mysterious surge of hepatitis in youngsters. (MIT Know-how Overview)
7 Earth—briefly—had an additional second moon
And scientists consider it originated from the precise moon we all know and love. (New Scientist $)
8 The way forward for deep-sea mining
A algorithm governing how we must always do it’s extremely contentious—and up for debate.(Hakai Journal)
+ These deep-sea “potatoes” may very well be the way forward for mining for renewable vitality. (MIT Know-how Overview)
9 Resist the temptation to outsource your Christmas buying to a bot
You by no means know what you’ll find yourself with. (Insider $)
+ It’s most likely faster to browse the online your self. (WP $)
10 Our snacks may quickly be designed by AI 🍪
Confectionary big Mondelez is utilizing the tech to tweak recipes and check new ones. (WSJ $)
+ Neglect cookies—this creamy vegan cheese was made with AI. (MIT Know-how Overview)
Quote of the day
“It takes lots for an uber-wealthy, creative-type CEO, lots of whom lean left, to suck it up and cope with Trump. However what selection have they got?”
—A Washington lobbyist explains to the Monetary Occasions why the regular stream of tech executives paying their respects to US President-elect Donald Trump reveals no signal of slowing.
The large story
What does GPT-3 “know” about me?
August 2022
One of many greatest tales in tech is the rise of huge language fashions that produce textual content that reads like a human may need written it.
These fashions’ energy comes from being educated on troves of publicly accessible human-created textual content hoovered up from the web. If you happen to’ve posted something even remotely private in English on the web, likelihood is your knowledge is likely to be a part of a number of the world’s hottest LLMs.
Melissa Heikkilä, MIT Know-how Overview’s AI reporter, puzzled what knowledge these fashions may need on her—and the way it may very well be misused. So she put OpenAI’s GPT-3 to the check. Examine what she discovered.
We will nonetheless have good issues
A spot for consolation, enjoyable and distraction to brighten up your day. (Acquired any concepts? Drop me a line or tweet ’em at me.)
+ 2024 was a severely bizarre 12 months, as evidenced by this utterly bonkers listing.
+ Who knew Seal was such a grunge head?
+ These Charli xcx Christmas mashups will hang-out my goals perpetually, and never in a great way.
+ Subsequent summer season I really feel the necessity to stage up my sandcastle sport.