This is at the moment’s version of The Download, our weekday e-newsletter that gives a day by day dose of what’s happening on this planet of know-how.
A brand new tick-borne illness is killing cattle within the US
In the spring of 2021, Cynthia and John Grano, who personal a cattle operation in Culpeper County, Virginia, began noticing a few of their cows slowing down and appearing “spacey.” They figured the animals had been affected by a standard infectious illness that causes anemia in cattle. But their veterinarian had warned them that one other illness carried by a parasite was spreading quickly within the space.
After a 3rd cow died, the Granos determined to check its blood. Sure sufficient, the take a look at got here again optimistic for the illness: theileria. And with no therapy accessible, the cows saved dying.
Cattle house owners just like the Granos will not be alone. Livestock producers across the US are confronting this new and unfamiliar illness with out a lot info. Researchers nonetheless don’t understand how theileria will unfold, even because it rapidly spreads west throughout the nation. If states can’t get the illness below management, then nationwide manufacturing losses from sick cows might considerably injury each particular person operations and the complete {industry}. Read the total story.
—Britta Lokting
Super-hot salt might be coming to a battery close to you
The world is constructing extra capability for renewables, particularly photo voltaic and wind energy that come and go along with the climate. But for renewables to make an actual distinction, we’d like higher choices for storing power. That’s the place batteries are available in. And handily, there’s a wave of different chemistries slowly percolating into the rising power storage market.
Some of those new gamers might finally be cheaper (and in numerous methods, higher) than the industry-standard lithium-ion batteries. Among essentially the most promising is molten salt know-how, which Ambri, a Boston-area startup, is satisfied might be as much as 50% cheaper over its lifetime than an equal lithium-ion system.
But, like its rivals experimenting with different types of power storage, Ambri is going through actual limitations to adoption, with scaling presenting the principle, ever-present hurdle. Read the total story.
—Casey Crownhart
Casey’s story is from The Spark, her weekly e-newsletter overlaying battery breakthroughs and different local weather information. Sign up to obtain it in your inbox each Wednesday.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the web to seek out you at the moment’s most enjoyable/necessary/scary/fascinating tales about know-how.
1 What comes after Twitter?
Whatever the reply, downloading knowledge and contacts is a brilliant transfer. (NYT $)
+ It’s unlikely, nonetheless, that you simply’ll be capable of save every thing. (Wired $)
+ A load of fired contractors aren’t planning on going quietly. (Bloomberg $)
+ One of its former knowledge scientists is extraordinarily anxious. (Rest of World)
+ Twitter’s potential collapse might wipe out huge information of current human historical past. (MIT Technology Review)
2 The ripple results of FTX’s collapse
The crypto alternate’s poor practices are triggering fears in regards to the {industry}’s future—and its workers are livid. (WSJ $)
+ Sam Bankman-Fried had an ill-advised chat with a journalist over Twitter. (Vox)
+ A category motion has been filed in opposition to FTX within the US. (The Guardian)
3 The US’s bioweapon detection system is unreliable
20 years after its introduction, it nonetheless prices $80 million a 12 months. (The Verge)
4 Telehealth websites are riddled with knowledge trackers
They might reveal delicate dependancy info that’s ripe for abuse. (Wired $)
5 Activision Blizzard’s video games are being pulled offline in China
It’s been unable to strike a take care of its Chinese distributor. (FT $)
6 Intel thinks it might catch deepfakes with 96% accuracy
By monitoring the “blood flow” of video pixels to detect residing people. (VentureBeat)
+ A horrifying AI app swaps ladies into porn movies with a click on. (MIT Technology Review)
7 We’ve ignored concrete’s carbon footprint for too lengthy
It’s not as massive a polluter as transport or power, but it surely’s in pressing want of a greener overhaul. (Knowable Magazine)
+ How Joe Biden bought away with passing the IRA. (The Atlantic $)
+ How hydrogen and electrical energy can clear up heavy {industry}. (MIT Technology Review)
8 Lab-grown meat is fit for human consumption 
The FDA has inexperienced lit lab-grown rooster—but it surely must cross different exams earlier than it may be bought. (NBC News)
+ Will lab-grown meat attain our plates? (MIT Technology Review)
9 Why NASA’s astronauts aren’t allowed to TikTok from house 
Even although their European counterparts are. (Vox)
+ NASA’s Artemis 1 launch was an oddly muted affair. (The Atlantic $)
+ Here’s every thing the mission is taking with it to the moon. (IEEE Spectrum)
10 We might hitch a experience on a flying taxi in the future 
By the tip of the last decade, apparently. Let’s see. (Economist $)
Quote of the day
“Ireland really bet the farm on the future of tech . . . almost at the expense of everything else.”
—Mark O’Connell, government chair and founding father of OCO Global, a commerce and funding targeted advisory agency, tells the Financial Times why the tech sector’s mass job cuts will hit Ireland significantly onerous.
The massive story
Bright LEDs might spell the tip of darkish skies
August 2022
Scientists have recognized for years that gentle air pollution is rising and might hurt each people and wildlife. In individuals, elevated publicity to gentle at evening disrupts sleep cycles and has been linked to most cancers and heart problems, whereas wildlife suffers from interruption to their reproductive patterns, elevated hazard and lack of stealth.
Astronomers, policymakers, and lighting professionals are all working to seek out methods to cut back gentle air pollution. Many of them advocate putting in light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, in outside fixtures similar to metropolis streetlights, primarily for his or her potential to direct gentle to a focused space. But the excessive preliminary funding and sturdiness of contemporary LEDs imply cities must get the transition proper the primary time or doubtlessly face a long time of penalties. Read the total story.
—Shel Evergreen
We can nonetheless have good issues
A spot for consolation, enjoyable and distraction in these bizarre occasions. (Got any concepts? Drop me a line or tweet ’em at me.)
+ A luxurious prepare journey seems to be like the right solution to unwind to me.
+ Nothing can exchange the enjoyment of choosing out a terrific learn from a bookstore.
+ It’s by no means too early to start out planning on your subsequent nice journey.
+ Olive oil? Good. Cake? Good. An olive oil cake?! GOOD!
+ The oldest recognized sentence written within the first alphabet is entertainingly home.