Alissa Totman turns campus support group into national brain-injury network
An MIT alumna’s undergraduate volunteer work grew into a career in brain injury medicine and a nonprofit spanning 28 universities.
Society
Education, media, ethics, and culture.
Computing's Easy Scaling Era Is Over, but Physics Still Has Room
The decades-long free ride of ever-shrinking computer chips is stalling, forcing a brute-force buildout of data centers even as fundamental physical limits remain far off.
AI agents face cultural hurdles in developing nations
A new analysis warns that AI agents, despite rapid deployment, are not yet equipped to handle the social and cultural complexity of the Global South.
Fighting Arctic Wildfires to Protect Thawing Permafrost Carbon
Researchers are weighing whether to suppress remote boreal fires to stop permafrost thaw and avoid a climate feedback loop.
Semafor expects second profitable year, fueled by CEO convenings
The news startup's reliance on high-end events shows how media companies are turning to gatherings to sustain journalism.
404 Media Reports on Staples Gift Card Heist
A new report from 404 Media details a gift card heist at Staples, though full details are paywalled.
AI Voice Clone Used in Florida Sheriff Impersonation Scam
A Florida sheriff's office says scammers used AI to clone a sheriff's voice, underscoring the growing threat of voice-cloning fraud in police impersonation scams.
Chinese Crime Ring Hacked Staples to Steal Millions in Gift Cards
Newly unsealed court records reveal how hackers breached Staples' internal systems and turned thousands of fraudulent gift cards into merchandise across the U.S.
Police Used AI-Generated Child Images to Lure and Arrest Suspected Predator
An undercover operation using AI-generated photos of a teenage boy led to the arrest and confession of an Illinois high school maintenance worker.
Human Brain Organoids Identify Braille Letters in New Study
Lab-grown human brain tissue classified Braille letters with up to 83 percent accuracy, a step toward biological computing.
Chinese Open-Weight AI Models Match US at Lower Cost
Experts say China's open-weight models are highly capable and cheap, but monetization and compute limits hold them back.
Prima implant offers first vision restoration for AMD
The Prima system, approved in Europe, is the first treatment to restore vision lost to age-related macular degeneration.
Pet Biotech: Cloning, Cryonics, and Longevity for Grieving Owners
A new MIT Technology Review piece explores how biotech companies are marketing cloning, cryonics, and longevity treatments to pet owners who can't bear to let go.
Charlie Jane Anders Explores Love as Infrastructure
A new short story from MIT Technology Review imagines emotional bonds as the unseen systems that connect people.
Kids Outsmarting Social Media Bans Isn't the Problem
As governments restrict minors' social media access, a new analysis argues that kids' workarounds are not the real problem.
Journalist Rents Windowless Box to Build a Content Palace
A 404 Media co-founder describes escaping his garage home office by renting a cheap, windowless room for podcasting, riso printing, and video.
AI Tool Lets Police Pinpoint Homes From a Single Interior Photo
A geolocation AI called Raven can now identify a specific house from one indoor photo, raising privacy concerns for law enforcement use.
Crypto's Washington Playbook: Safe Seats, Steady Money, and Tether's Influence
A new newsletter lays out how the crypto industry's super PAC is padding its record and how Tether's payments to a Trump aide's family firm raise fresh questions about influence.