Technology

The robots are already here

April 6, 2023

In a blog post published last week, Meta asks, “Where are the robots?” The answer is simple. They’re here. You just need to know where to look. It’s a frustrating answer. I recognize that. Let’s set aside conversations about cars and driver assistance and just focus on things we all tend to agree are robots. […]

The robots are already here by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch

High-quality data enables medical research

April 6, 2023
One unexpected side effect of the covid-19 pandemic was that the usually obscure world of health data was brought to national attention. Who was most at risk for infection? Who was most likely to die? Was one treatment better than another? Was getting covid-19 more or less dangerous than getting a vaccine? These complex questions,…

HeatTransformers turns up the dial on heat pumps with new funding

April 6, 2023

In the Netherlands, central heating boilers will be banned by 2026 and its government has incentivized the installation of heat pumps. Meanwhile, the U.K. government estimates that heating buildings accounts for 25% of the U.K.’s greenhouse gas emissions. It passed the Energy Security Bill, and is aiming to install 600,000 heat pumps a year by […]

HeatTransformers turns up the dial on heat pumps with new funding by Haje Jan Kamps originally published on TechCrunch

Synthetic embryos have been implanted into monkey wombs

April 6, 2023
Embryos made from stem cells—instead of a sperm and egg—have been created from monkey cells for the first time. When researchers put these “synthetic embryos” into the uteruses of adult monkeys, some showed the initial signs of pregnancy. It’s the furthest scientists have ever been able to take lab-grown embryos in primates—and the work hints…

Lyft re-launches EV service, starting with business travelers

April 6, 2023

Lyft is re-launching a feature that will allow riders to request an electric or hybrid vehicle for their next pickup. The service, Lyft Green, will initially only be available to business travelers in select cities when it begins April 17. Lyft had originally launched Lyft Green in 2019 in Seattle, with plans to scale across […]

Lyft re-launches EV service, starting with business travelers by Rebecca Bellan originally published on TechCrunch

Alga Biosciences wants to help climate change, one bovine burp at a time

April 6, 2023

Cows are a significant source of methane emissions, primarily due to their unique digestive system. Milk and beef cows are ruminants, which means they have a specialized stomach chamber (called the rumen), which houses billions of microbes that facilitate the breakdown of fibrous plant material. The process is called “enteric fermentation,” and as these microbes […]

Alga Biosciences wants to help climate change, one bovine burp at a time by Haje Jan Kamps originally published on TechCrunch

True Anomaly wants to train space warfighters with spy satellites

April 6, 2023

As tensions between the United States and China continue to escalate, a new startup has emerged from stealth with millions raised and a plan to send intelligence-gathering pursuit satellites to orbit this year. Colorado-based True Anomaly was founded last year by a trio of ex-Space Force members. The company’s set out to supply the Pentagon […]

True Anomaly wants to train space warfighters with spy satellites by Aria Alamalhodaei originally published on TechCrunch

The Download: ChatGPT in schools, and deep sea mining

April 6, 2023
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. ChatGPT is going to change education, not destroy it Just days after OpenAI dropped ChatGPT in late November 2022, the chatbot was widely denounced as a free essay-writing, test-taking tool that made it…