That is at present’s version of The Obtain, our weekday publication that gives a every day dose of what’s happening on the planet of expertise.
Exosomes are touted as a classy cure-all. We don’t know in the event that they work.
There’s a classy new cure-all on the town—you may need seen adverts pop up on social media or learn rave evaluations in magnificence magazines.
Exosomes are being touted as a miraculous remedy for hair loss, growing older pores and skin, zits, eczema, ache situations, lengthy covid, and even neurological illnesses like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. That’s, after all, for those who can afford the value tag—which may stretch to 1000’s of {dollars}.
However there’s a giant drawback with these large guarantees: We don’t absolutely perceive how exosomes work—or what they even actually are. Learn our story.
—Jessica Hamzelou
AI will add to the e-waste drawback. Right here’s what we will do about it.
The information: Generative AI may add as much as 5 million metric tons of e-waste in complete by 2030, in line with a brand new research. That’s a comparatively small fraction of the present world complete of over 60 million metric tons of e-waste annually. Nevertheless, it’s nonetheless a big a part of a rising drawback.
Underneath the hood: The first contributor is high-performance computing {hardware} that’s utilized in knowledge facilities and server farms. That tools is stuffed with worthwhile metals and dangerous supplies, and it’s being changed at a fast charge as AI corporations race to undertake probably the most cutting-edge {hardware} to energy their fashions.
What will be executed: Increasing {hardware}’s lifespan is among the most vital methods to chop down on e-waste. Refurbishing and reusing parts may play a big position, as can designing {hardware} in ways in which makes it simpler to recycle and improve. Learn the total story.
—Casey Crownhart
Militaries are nice testing grounds for AI tech, says Palmer Luckey
Conflict is a catalyst for technological change, and the final couple of years have been marred by high-profile conflicts all over the world. Geopolitical tensions are nonetheless rising now.
Silicon Valley gamers are poised to profit. One in all them is Palmer Luckey, the founding father of the virtual-reality headset firm Oculus, which he offered to Fb for $2 billion. After Luckey’s extremely public ousting from Meta, he based Anduril, which focuses on drones, cruise missiles, and different AI-enhanced applied sciences for the US Division of Protection. The corporate is now valued at $14 billion. We interviewed Luckey about his new mission: headsets for the army.
However the usage of AI for the army is a controversial subject, with an extended and bitter historical past that stretches from Venture Maven to killer robots. Learn the total story.
—Melissa Heikkilä
This story is from The Algorithm, our weekly publication all concerning the newest in AI. Enroll to obtain it in your inbox each Monday.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the web to search out you at present’s most enjoyable/necessary/scary/fascinating tales about expertise.
1 Strava is leaking the situation of international leaders
Their bodyguards’ runs are revealing greater than they must. (Le Monde)
+ It’s shockingly straightforward to purchase delicate knowledge about US army personnel. (MIT Expertise Overview)
2 A person who used AI to make baby sexual abuse pictures has been jailed
His 18-year sentence is the primary of its type within the UK. (FT $)
3 Right here’s what Trump plans to do if he wins a second time period
The 900-page Venture 2025 doc supplies loads of hints. (The Verge)
+ It will be laborious for him to roll again the Inexperienced New Deal—however not unimaginable. (Axios)
+ Russia, China and Iran are interfering within the election. (NYT $)
+ However cybercriminals could pose a fair larger menace. (Wired $)
4 Apple Intelligence is right here
But it surely appears it’s nonetheless kinda dumb. (WP $)
+ Meta is reportedly constructing its personal AI search engine. (The Data $)
+ The difficulty is, AI chatbots make stuff up. And it’s not a totally fixable drawback. (MIT Expertise Overview)
5 Medium is drowning in AI slop
Virtually half of the posts on there now are in all probability AI-generated. (Wired $)
6 What steampunk can educate tech at present
We’re too eager on eradicating friction—folks nonetheless like fidgeting with dials and gears. (New Yorker $)
+ Prosthetics designers are arising with new methods to reinforce our our bodies. (MIT Expertise Overview)
7 That is what wargaming seems like now
Militaries all over the world use software program known as Command PE constructed by a tiny British sport writer. (WSJ $)
8 Tiktok’s founder has turn into China’s richest man
Zhang Yiming’s wealth has virtually doubled within the final 12 months, to $49 billion. (BBC)
+ How China takes excessive measures to maintain teenagers off TikTok. (MIT Expertise Overview)
9 How complicated life began to flourish 
You’ll be able to thank eukaryotes, a kind of cell that emerged about 3 billion years in the past. (Quanta $)
10 Oregon Path is being changed into an action-comedy film
With musical numbers. Sure, severely. (Hollywood Reporter)
Quote of the day
“I believed it will conquer the world.”
—Tim Walz, the Democratic nominee for vice chairman, spoke for us all (effectively, for me anyway), when he waxed lyrical concerning the 1999 Sega Dreamcast online game console on a Twitch stream final weekend, the Washington Submit experiences.
Meet the radio-obsessed civilian shaping Ukraine’s drone protection
September 2024
Drones have come to outline the brutal battle in Ukraine that has now dragged on for greater than two and a half years. And most depend on radio communications—a expertise that Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov has obsessed over since childhood.
Whereas Flash is now a civilian, the previous officer has nonetheless taken it upon himself to tell his nation’s protection in all issues associated to radio. He research Russian transmissions and tries to study concerning the issues going through troops.
On this race for survival—as either side continuously tries to finest the opposite, solely to start out yet again when the opposite inevitably catches up—Ukrainian troopers have to develop artistic options, and quick. As Ukraine’s wartime radio guru, Flash may be one among their finest hopes for doing that. Learn the total story.
—Charlie Metcalfe
We are able to nonetheless have good issues
A spot for consolation, enjoyable and distraction to brighten up your day. (Bought any concepts? Drop me a line or tweet ’em at me.)
+ Timothée Chalamet turned up at his personal look-alike contest in New York final weekend. Spoiler alert: he didn’t win.
+ Be taught these fundamental guidelines to make veg-based meals scrumptious.
+ There’s one thing very particular about historical timber.
+ Do you are inclined to please everybody however your self? Right here’s the best way to cease. (NYT $)
