Biotechnology
3-Year-Old Boy’s Cancer Disappears After He Gets Experimental ImmunotherapyEd Cara | Gizmodo
“After his first (CAR T) infusion, he showed signs of a partial response; after his second dose, the remaining cancer in his body appeared to dissipate completely. And as of the 12-month mark, the boy still seems to be cancer-free. Importantly, he also didn’t experience serious side-effects known to occur with CAR T, such as cytokine release syndrome (this syndrome basically sends the entire immune system into overdrive, which can be deadly).”
Robotics
Joby Aviation’s 3,100-Mile Autonomous Flight Signals Its Push Beyond Electric Air TaxisKirsten Korosec | TechCrunch
“Joby Aviation said the cross-country trip, which it described as the ‘first-ever autonomous flight across the United States,’ included autonomous taxiing, takeoffs, navigation, and landings. The aircraft was remotely supervised from Joby’s headquarters in California and Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina. A pilot was on board for compliance, but Joby said the aircraft performed the entire operation autonomously.”
Future
Inside the Suddenly Explosive World of AI SafetyHayden Field | The Verge
“As AI labs have flourished, a cottage industry of AI researchers has sprung up to identify the risks and dangers of charging ahead with the increasingly influential technology. …They’re not anti-AI activists, but realists, including former OpenAI and Anthropic employees, doing everything they can to make sure AI stays in line with human goals and interests. So far, all of their predictions have come true. And they have a plan for what to do next—if anyone will listen to them.”
Science
Meet a Mouse Whose Brain Cortex Is Made Up of Human CellsAntonio Regalado | MIT Technology Review ($)
“Multiple cameras tracked a mouse as it wandered around a small arena. A computer charted its position and speed, leaving Pong-like traces on a monitor. The reason to watch this rodent so carefully? Nearly half its brain volume had been replaced with human cells.”
Tech
Microsoft Exec Called AI Scraping the ‘Largest Theft of Labor in Human History’Ashley Belanger | Ars Technica
“For years, Microsoft and OpenAI have fought to keep certain information out of the public eye in their fight with news organizations that have accused the AI firms of teaming up to violate copyright laws by stealing tons of news content to train AI. However, now the details that should never have been marked confidential are starting to leak.”
Future
Forget the AI Apocalypse—the Real Threats Are Already HereChristopher Mims | The Wall Street Journal ($)
“The so-called doomers’ assertion that AI might decide to wipe out all of humanity—or even ‘just’ topple human civilization—is contingent on it achieving a pace of development not yet seen. And if the assumptions behind this global-doomsday scenario are wrong, it could lead us to curb or regulate AI in ways that don’t address its real harms.”
Artificial Intelligence
I Trained a Fly’s Brain to Generate ‘Wired’ Story IdeasWill Knight | Wired ($)
“I used an open-source map of a fruit fly’s brain to vibe code a website called PitchFly. …[It] has 165,112 neurons, and they’re all trained to generate story ideas. A sampling of [its] early output: ‘The Hidden Weather Problem Inside Surveillance’; ‘The Engineers Who Think Elon Musk Needs Less Computer Security’; and my personal favorite, ‘Everyone Wants Cooking. Nobody Has Solved Donald Trump.'”
Tech
World’s Smallest CT Scanner Fits in the Palm of Your HandOmar Kardoudi | New Atlas
“Picture a CT scanner and you probably imagine a donut-shaped machine the size of a small car, standing about 6.6 ft (2 m) tall and weighing several tons. Chinese researchers just built one small enough to hold in one hand. …Its maker, Ruiying Detection Technology, a spinoff from the Institute of High Energy Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, calls it the smallest and lightest CT system ever built.”
Robotics
Agility’s New Humanoid Robot Will Stop, Squat to Avoid Harming Human CoworkersJeremy Hsu | Ars Technica
“Agility Robotics has debuted its first humanoid robot engineered to work safely near humans without risking harm to flesh-and-blood coworkers. Such safety features could unlock many more opportunities to use such robots inside warehouses and automotive factories—all without requiring isolated robot work cells and physical separation barriers.”
Space
Want a City on the Moon? Scientists Say There’s Not Enough WaterVikhyaat Vivek | Digital Trends
“The researchers modeled a lunar population using water recycling comparable to the International Space Station, where approximately 98% of water is recovered and reused. Even with that extraordinary level of recycling, the estimated lunar reserves would sustain a population of one million people for only about 100 years.”
Future
The Dominance of AI Is Not Inevitable. We Can Choose to Change Things for the BetterNick Evershed | The Guardian
“Never forget that generative AI is not a technology that is apart from human society. In fact, its development and whatever semblance of intelligence it has comes from us, and our work. And despite what the tech CEOs say, there’s nothing inevitable about AI, and we as a society can make decisions to change things for the better. History shows us this can be done.”
Energy
‘Offensively Cheap’: Solar Power Is Looking UpRachel Millard, Humza Jilani, Monica Mark, and Krishn Kaushik | Ars Technica
“The solar revolution made possible by cheap Chinese photovoltaic panels—and the rise of small-scale, individual power generation—is transforming energy in the developing and industrialized world alike. …But such a massive, ungovernable influx of energy carries risks, too—the world’s power infrastructure was not designed for solar self-generation—and investment, pricing models, and even the security of supply could be affected as a result.”
