February 5, 2025

Supersonic planes are inching toward takeoff. That could be a problem.

Boom Supersonic broke the sound barrier in a test flight of its XB-1 jet last week, marking an early step in a potential return for supersonic commercial flight. The small aircraft reached a top speed of Mach 1.122 (roughly 750 miles per hour) in a flight over southern California and exceeded the speed of sound…

Technology

What impact will AI have on video game development?

September 10, 2024
This story is from The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get it in your inbox first, sign up here. Video game development has long been plagued by fear of the “crunch”—essentially, being forced to work overtime on a game to meet a deadline. In the early days of video games, the crunch was often…

To be more useful, robots need to become lazier

September 9, 2024
Robots perceive the world around them very differently from the way humans do.  When we walk down the street, we know what we need to pay attention to—passing cars, potential dangers, obstacles in our way—and what we don’t, like pedestrians walking in the distance. Robots, on the other hand, treat all the information they receive…

Preparing for the unknown: A guide to future-proofing imaging IT

September 9, 2024
In an era of unprecedented technological advancement, the health-care industry stands at a crossroad. As health expenditure continues to outpace GDP in many countries, health-care executives grapple with crucial decisions on investment prioritization for digitization, innovation, and digital transformation. The imperative to provide high-quality, patient-centric care in an increasingly digital world has never been more…

The Download: Roblox’s generative AI, and tech for humanity

September 9, 2024
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. Roblox is launching a generative AI that builds 3D environments in a snap What’s new: Roblox has announced plans to roll out a generative AI tool that will let creators make whole 3D…

For Subscribers: Celebrate 125 years of MIT Technology Review

September 6, 2024
Celebrate 125 years of MIT Technology Review! This is a special year for MIT Technology Review, and we could not have reached this milestone without the support of our readers. With the release of our 125th anniversary issue, we are extending our gratitude of your loyalty by offering subscribers a chance to win a complimentary…

The Download: mining metals with plants, and our dystopian future

September 6, 2024
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 plants could mine metals from the soil Nickel may not grow on trees—but there’s a chance it could someday be mined using plants. Many plants naturally soak up metal and concentrate it…

How plants could mine metals from the soil

September 6, 2024
Nickel may not grow on trees—but there’s a chance it could someday be mined using plants. Many plant species naturally soak up metal and concentrate it in their tissues, and new funding will support research on how to use that trait for plant-based mining, or phytomining.  Seven phytomining projects just received $9.9 million in funding…

Integrating security from code to cloud

September 5, 2024
The Human Genome Project, SpaceX’s rocket technology, and Tesla’s Autopilot system may seem worlds apart in form and function, but they all share a common characteristic: the use of open-source software (OSS) to drive innovation. Offering publicly accessible code that can be viewed, modified, and distributed freely, OSS expedites developer productivity and creates a collaborative…

The Download: greenhouse gases, and how AI could affect inequality

September 5, 2024
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. A brief guide to the greenhouse gases driving climate change Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) is used in high-voltage equipment on the grid. It’s also, somewhat inconveniently, a monster greenhouse gas. Greenhouse gases are those…