The Obtain: direct-air-capture vegetation, and measuring physique fats

That is immediately’s version of The Obtain, our weekday publication that gives a every day dose of what is going on on on the earth of know-how.

These are the most effective methods to measure your physique fats

—Jessica Hamzelou

Everyone knows that being chubby will not be nice to your well being—it’s linked to metabolic ailments like diabetes and cardiovascular issues. However weighing your self received’t inform you all it is advisable to learn about your illness threat.

A good friend of mine is a super-fit marathon runner. She’s all lean muscle. And but in accordance with her physique mass index (BMI), which is a measure of weight relative to top, she’s chubby. Which is frankly ridiculous.

I, then again, have by no means been all that muscular. I wish to assume I’m a wholesome weight—however nurses up to now have suggested me to eat extra butter and doughnuts primarily based on my BMI. That is recommendation I by no means anticipated to obtain from a well being skilled. (I ought to add right here that my good friend and I are roughly the identical top and put on the identical dimension in garments.)

The BMI is flawed. Fortunately, there are a number of high-tech alternate options, however a easy measure that entails mendacity in your again may additionally inform you about how your physique dimension would possibly affect your well being. Learn the total story.

This story is from The Checkup, our weekly publication providing you with the within observe on all issues biotech and well being. Enroll to obtain it in your inbox each Thursday.

The US should do extra to spice up demand for carbon elimination, observers warn

In 2022, the US made an enormous guess on the carbon elimination trade, committing $3.5 billion to construct 4 main regional hubs in an effort to scale up the sector. However trade observers worry that market demand isn’t constructing quick sufficient to assist it.

Some at the moment are calling for the Division of Power to redirect a portion of the cash earmarked to construct direct-air-capture (DAC) vegetation towards purchases of greenhouse-gas elimination as a substitute. 

Breakthrough Power, the Invoice Gates–backed local weather and clear power group, has launched a commentary calling for extra authorities assist for demand to make sure that the trade doesn’t stall out in its infancy. Learn extra about what they must say.

—James Temple

The must-reads

I’ve combed the web to seek out you immediately’s most enjoyable/necessary/scary/fascinating tales about know-how.

1 Tesla has unveiled its Cybercab robotaxi
Elon Musk optimistically anticipates they’ll be obtainable “earlier than 2027.” (Tech Crunch) 
+ He has a protracted historical past of overpromising and undelivering. (WP $)
+ Musk was obscure on particulars, however claimed it might price lower than $30,000. (FT $)

2 Hurricane Milton has left thousands and thousands of Florida residents with out energy
Hundreds of individuals have been rescued from flooded areas. (WSJ $)
+ Fortunately, satellite-connected smartphones can maintain them related. (WP $)
+ Meteorologists are receiving loss of life threats amid storm misinformation. (Rolling Stone $)

3 The US and UK will work collectively to guard kids on-line
The 2 nations are forming a working group to deal with sexual abuse and harassment. (BBC)
+ In style gaming platform Roblox is failing to guard younger customers, a report claims. (FT $)
+ Learn how to shield your little one’s images on-line. (The Guardian)
+ Baby on-line security legal guidelines will really damage youngsters, critics say. (MIT Expertise Overview)

4 China is spreading antisemitic claims forward of the US election
Faux accounts are spreading harmful conspiracy theories about politicians. (WP $)
+ US authorities worry Russia, China, Iran and Cuba will sow doubts concerning the outcomes. (Reuters)

5 Large Pharma is preventing again towards compounded weight reduction medicine
Unbranded variations proliferated throughout a scarcity of big-name medicine. Now, the biggest corporations need them gone. (Wired $)

6 Uber and Lyft exploited a authorized loophole to keep away from paying NY drivers
Drivers have reported being locked out of the app nearly each hour. (Bloomberg $)
+ Uber’s facial recognition is locking Indian drivers out of their accounts. (MIT Expertise Overview)

7 Viral debate movies are inescapable on-line
The extra aggressive, theatrical, and unbalanced, the higher. (Vox)

8 How Wikipedia editors are tackling the inflow of AI trash content material
They’re making an attempt to defend the positioning from deceptive, garbled AI articles. (404 Media)
+ AI educated on AI rubbish spits out AI rubbish. (MIT Expertise Overview)

Quote of the day

“As ordinary, Elon Musk is making an attempt to compete within the Tour de France on a tricycle.”

—Dan O’Dowd, billionaire co-founder of Inexperienced Hills Software program and founding father of the software program security Daybreak Venture group, was left unimpressed by Tesla’s cybercab occasion, he tells Rolling Stone. 

The massive story

Individuals are apprehensive that AI will take everybody’s jobs. We’ve been right here earlier than.

January 2024

It was 1938, and the ache of the Nice Melancholy was nonetheless very actual. Unemployment within the US was round 20%. New equipment was reworking factories and farms, and everybody was apprehensive about jobs.

Have been the spectacular technological achievements that had been making life simpler for a lot of additionally destroying jobs and wreaking havoc on the financial system? To make sense of all of it, Karl T. Compton, the president of MIT from 1930 to 1948 and one of many main scientists of the day, wrote within the December 1938 situation of this publication concerning the “Bogey of Technological Unemployment.”

His essay concisely framed the controversy over jobs and technical progress in a method that is still related, particularly given immediately’s fears over the impression of synthetic intelligence. It is a worthwhile reminder that worries over the way forward for jobs are usually not new and are greatest addressed by making use of an understanding of economics, fairly than conjuring up genies and monsters. Learn the total story.

—David Rotman

We will nonetheless have good issues

A spot for consolation, enjoyable and distraction to brighten up your day. (Received any concepts? Drop me a line or tweet ’em at me.)

+ Marty the robotic is a Boston icon, rolling up and down Cease & Store’s aisles with out complaining.
+ Punctuation actually issues—a easy comma price these corporations thousands and thousands!
+ Cool: these pumpkins are thriving in Bangladesh sandbars.
+ For all our Warhammer heads on the market: there’s just one shade of inexperienced that issues.