Technology

Big Tech’s big bet on a controversial carbon removal tactic

October 15, 2025
Over the last century, much of the US pulp and paper industry crowded into the southeastern corner of the nation, setting up mills amid sprawling timber forests to strip the fibers from juvenile loblolly, long leaf, and slash pine trees. Today, after the factories chip the softwood and digest it into pulp, the leftover lignin,…

The Download: aging clocks, and repairing the internet

October 14, 2025
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 aging clocks can help us understand why we age—and if we can reverse it Wrinkles and gray hairs aside, it can be difficult to know how well—or poorly—someone’s body is truly aging.…

How aging clocks can help us understand why we age—and if we can reverse it

October 14, 2025
Be honest: Have you ever looked up someone from your childhood on social media with the sole intention of seeing how they’ve aged?  One of my colleagues, who shall remain nameless, certainly has. He recently shared a photo of a former classmate. “Can you believe we’re the same age?” he asked, with a hint of…

Can we repair the internet?

October 14, 2025
From addictive algorithms to exploitative apps, data mining to misinformation, the internet today can be a hazardous place. Books by three influential figures—the intellect behind “net neutrality,” a former Meta executive, and the web’s own inventor—propose radical approaches to fixing it. But are these luminaries the right people for the job? Though each shows conviction,…

Transforming commercial pharma with agentic AI 

October 13, 2025
Amid the turbulence of the wider global economy in recent years, the pharmaceuticals industry is weathering its own storms. The rising cost of raw materials and supply chain disruptions are squeezing margins as pharma companies face intense pressure—including from countries like the US—to control drug costs. At the same time, a wave of expiring patents threatens…

The Download: planet hunting, and India’s e-scooters

October 13, 2025
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. An Earthling’s guide to planet hunting The pendant on Rebecca Jensen-Clem’s necklace is composed of 36 silver hexagons entwined in a honeycomb mosaic. At the Keck Observatory, in Hawaii, just as many segments…

An Earthling’s guide to planet hunting

October 13, 2025
The pendant on Rebecca Jensen-Clem’s necklace is only about an inch wide, composed of 36 silver hexagons entwined in a honeycomb mosaic. At the Keck Observatory, in Hawaii, just as many segments make up a mirror that spans 33 feet, reflecting images of uncharted worlds for her to study.  Jensen-Clem, an astronomer at the University…

The Download: our bodies’ memories, and Traton’s electric trucks

October 10, 2025
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 do our bodies remember? “Like riding a bike” is shorthand for the remarkable way that our bodies remember how to move. Most of the time when we talk about muscle memory, we’re…

How do our bodies remember?

October 10, 2025
MIT Technology Review Explains: Let our writers untangle the complex, messy world of technology to help you understand what’s coming next. You can read more from the series here. “Like riding a bike” is shorthand for the remarkable way that our bodies remember how to move. Most of the time when we talk about muscle memory, we’re…