The Obtain: the mortality concern, and America’s new favourite procuring app

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That is right this moment’s version of The Obtain, our weekday e-newsletter that gives a day by day dose of what’s happening on the planet of know-how.

Introducing: The Mortality Situation

From the second you’re born, the one factor you could be fully sure of is that you’ll die. However what if growing older isn’t inevitable, in any case? And in the event you may gradual, and even flip again the clock, would you?

The newest concern of MIT Know-how Evaluation examines what demise means to us in 2022, digging into why some persons are nonetheless dedicating their lives to kicking towards it, whereas others are growing their very own coping mechanisms for grief. Right here’s a collection of among the new tales within the version, assured to get you fascinated with what comes subsequent.

• My colleague Charlotte wrote a lovely piece about making digital clones of her (residing) mother and father, for a glimpse into what it may very well be like to speak to the lifeless. Would you be ready to do the identical to your family members? 
• When you’ve ever questioned about what occurs to your physique whenever you donate it to science, surprise no extra.
• Simply because AI could make life-and-death choices, doesn’t essentially imply we must always permit it to.
• Why the impossible-seeming dream of reviving frozen human our bodies utilizing cryonics refuses to die.
• Ought to we imagine in—and even need—immortality?
• In an age when every little thing is being recorded, even data has a lifespan.
• Are electrical autos actually the answer to the local weather disaster they’re being touted as?
• Know-how was once one thing to get enthusiastic about. When did it turn into one thing to dread?

Learn the total journal, and in the event you haven’t already, you possibly can subscribe to MIT Know-how Evaluation for as little as $80 a 12 months.

The most important procuring app in America that you simply’ve by no means heard of

There’s a brand new Chinese language e-commerce app that’s quietly however rapidly rising. It’s known as Temu. And on October 17, it grew to become probably the most downloaded procuring app in america, beating off competitors from Amazon, Walmart, and its Chinese language competitor Shein.

In case your speedy response is What? I’ve by no means even heard of Temu!, you’re in good firm. The app stays obscure amongst most individuals, although it marks one other high-profile try by yet one more Chinese language tech big to attempt its luck within the American e-commerce market. So how did Temu rise to the highest of the iOS App Retailer’s procuring chart? Learn the total story.

—Zeyi Yang

Zeyi’s story is from China Report, his new weekly e-newsletter filling you in on all the newest happenings in China. Join to obtain it in your inbox each Tuesday.

The must-reads

I’ve combed the web to seek out you right this moment’s most enjoyable/essential/scary/fascinating tales about know-how.

1 Conspiracy theorists have seized upon Russia’s “soiled bomb” claims
Regardless of there being no proof for its existence. (NYT $)
+ Russia’s presentation on the so-called soiled bomb contained 9/11 footage. (Motherboard)
+ The battle in Ukraine is dragging us again to a bloodier age. (Economist $)

2 Movie star deepfakes are promoting’s subsequent frontier
The businesses behind them assume the assured consideration is definitely worth the potential authorized repercussions. (WSJ $)
+ Contained in the unusual new world of being a deepfake actor. (MIT Know-how Evaluation)

3 Twitter’s most lively customers are turning their again on it
And its workers aren’t totally positive why. (Reuters)
+ Twitter has been ever madder than traditional over the previous week. (Motherboard)
+ Elon Musk is optimistic he can shut his deal by Friday. (Reuters)
+ Why Twitter nonetheless has these horrible Traits. (MIT Know-how Evaluation)

4 US election officers are swamped with public data requests 
It’s all thanks to 1 man in Florida. (Bloomberg $)

5 Local weather activists are suing governments
They declare that authorities’ inaction to guard nature has harmed their constitutional rights. (Hakai Journal)
+ Nature-based options may help to mitigate the local weather disaster’ results. (CNET)
+ Local weather motion is gaining momentum. So are the disasters. (MIT Know-how Evaluation)

6 Tech’s unicorns have gotten rarer once more
Buyers aren’t giving up hope, although. (WP $)
+ Some enterprise capital funds are going after narwhals as an alternative. (Bloomberg $)

7 Sexually transmitted infections are rising within the US
Medical doctors are holding off prescribing a capsule particularly designed to fight them, although. (Vox)

8 The pandemic proved it was attainable to conduct good science rapidly
Better transparency round analysis may assist to hold it on. (Wired $)
+ Is a covid and flu “twindemic” on the horizon? (MIT Know-how Evaluation)

9 NASA’s main UFO investigation has begun
Perhaps the reality actually is on the market. (Motherboard)
+ Radiation-resistant micro organism may survive on Mars for hundreds of thousands of years. (New Scientist $)

10 Singapore’s politicians are TikTok superstars
Their clips are met with nearly unprecedented positivity. (Remainder of World)

Quote of the day

“It’s not good, it’s not enjoyable.”

—Palmer Luckey, who based Oculus VR, just isn’t a fan of Meta’s VR social app Horizon Worlds, Insider stories.

The large story

That is how AI bias actually occurs—and why it’s so arduous to repair

February 2019

If we wish to have the ability to repair bias in AI, we have to perceive the mechanics of the way it arises within the first place.

We regularly shorthand our clarification of AI bias by blaming it on biased coaching information, however the actuality is extra nuanced. Bias can creep in lengthy earlier than the info is collected in addition to at many different phases of the deep-learning course of—and could be extremely arduous to repair. Learn the total story.

—Karen Hao

We are able to nonetheless have good issues

A spot for consolation, enjoyable and distraction in these bizarre occasions. (Bought any concepts? Drop me a line or tweet ’em at me.)

+ Animals actually do do the funniest issues (thanks Charlotte!)
+ Males, would you dare to reveal in a backless swimsuit?
+ Properly, this small picket ball rolling down a colossal xylophone in a Japanese forest has made every little thing higher.
+ I had no concept a magnified ant face can be such nightmare fodder.
+ Dare you go to this spooky Italian ghost city?

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