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Brazilians are turning to Instagram to identify far-right rioters

In just 24 hours, it reached 1.1 million followers.  “I’m not surprised at all that this account came about so quickly,” says David Nemer, a professor of media studies at the University... Read more »

The Download: crypto in the Congo, and a chip design milestone

The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 China is strengthening its control over online contentBy taking “golden shares” in major tech companies Alibaba... Read more »

We can use sewage to track the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria

The risk is that doctors will opt for what’s known as a broad-spectrum antibiotic—a powerful drug that’s capable of killing many different types of bacteria. These medicines should be a last resort,... Read more »

Gorillas, militias, and Bitcoin: Why Congo’s most famous national park is betting big on crypto

That’s why the park is a vital source for charcoal, or makala in Swahili, and for food—even though farming, fishing, hunting, and logging are all illegal. Park resources are stripped with regularity:... Read more »

Here’s what didn’t make the list for 10 Breakthrough Technologies 2023

The task of selecting technologies for this list always sparks lively discussions and debate within our team. We have to make tough calls about what to include and what to leave out. Below... Read more »

The Download: virtual grief meet-ups, and bitcoin mining in Kazakhstan

2 Two climate technologies will prove especially crucial this year EVs and battery recycling get our vote. (MIT Technology Review) 3 FTX has recovered more than $5 billionBut how much money is still... Read more »

Two climate technologies that matter

The 2023 Breakthrough Technologies It’s finally here—our 2023 list of 10 Breakthrough Technologies. Two climate items made the list this year: electric vehicles and battery recycling! We’ve been working on this list... Read more »

Inside the metaverse meetups that let people share on death, grief, and pain

Elena Lister, a psychiatrist at Columbia University who specializes in grief, says a healthy level of denial about death is necessary. But now, Lister says, her colleagues are talking about a pandemic... Read more »

Bitcoin mining was booming in Kazakhstan. Then it was gone.

De Vries, the researcher, says that even if miners move on to cleaner energy sources, the industry still won’t be sustainable. All it will do is crowd out other consumers of clean... Read more »

The state of responsible technology

What can be concluded is that responsible technology now goes beyond a hypothetical or a buzzword—it has become a concrete business consideration across industries. Executives are increasingly considering how responsible tech policies... Read more »