{"id":624294,"date":"2023-04-01T09:49:37","date_gmt":"2023-04-01T14:49:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.sellorbuyhomefast.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/01\/the-download-toxic-chemicals-and-russias-cyberwar-tactics\/"},"modified":"2023-04-01T09:49:37","modified_gmt":"2023-04-01T14:49:37","slug":"the-download-toxic-chemicals-and-russias-cyberwar-tactics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/01\/the-download-toxic-chemicals-and-russias-cyberwar-tactics\/","title":{"rendered":"The Download: toxic chemicals, and Russia\u2019s cyberwar tactics"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<header id=\"the-download--toxic-chemicals--and-russia-s-cyberwar-tactics\">\n<div>\n<p>Plus: AI coding tools could emerge as a key tech battleground<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"content--body\">\n<div>\n<p><em>This is today&#8217;s edition of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/forms.technologyreview.com\/newsletters\/briefing-the-download\/?_ga=2.179569122.736533416.1649661040-405833893.1649413289\">The Download<\/a><\/em>,<em>\u00a0our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what&#8217;s going on in the world of technology.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>We\u2019re consuming toxic chemicals. Now we need to figure out how they\u2019re affecting us.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>What are chemical pollutants doing to our bodies? It\u2019s a timely question given that last week, people in Philadelphia cleared grocery shelves of bottled water after a toxic leak from a chemical plant spilled into a tributary of the Delaware River, a source of drinking water for 14 million people. And it was only last month that a train carrying a suite of other hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, unleashing an unknown quantity of toxic chemicals.<strong><\/strong>There\u2019s no doubt that we are polluting the planet. In order to find out how these pollutants might be affecting our own bodies, we need to work out how we are exposed to them. Which chemicals are we inhaling, eating, and digesting? And how much? The field of exposomics, which seeks to study our exposure to pollutants, among other factors, could help to give us some much-needed answers.<strong> <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2023\/03\/31\/1070664\/inhaling-eating-and-drinking-toxic-chemicals-affecting-us\/?truid=*%7CLINKID%7C*&#038;utm_source=the_download&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&#038;utm_term=*%7CSUBCLASS%7C*&#038;utm_content=*%7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C*\">Read the full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2014Jessica Hamzelou<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>This story is from The Checkup, Jessica\u2019s weekly biotech newsletter. <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/forms.technologyreview.com\/newsletters\/biotech-the-checkup\/?_ga=2.226698266.686773677.1679908563-160041263.1657781451\"><strong>Sign up<\/strong><\/a><strong> to receive it in your inbox every Thursday.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Read more:<\/p>\n<p>+ <strong>The toxic chemicals all around us<\/strong>. Meet Nicolette Bugher, a researcher working to expose the poisons lurking in our environment and discover what they mean for human health. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2022\/12\/19\/1063912\/the-toxic-chemicals-all-around-us\/?truid=*%7CLINKID%7C*&#038;utm_source=the_download&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&#038;utm_term=*%7CSUBCLASS%7C*&#038;utm_content=*%7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C*\">Read the full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>+ <strong>Building a better chemical factory\u2014out of microbes<\/strong>. Professor Kristala Jones Prather is helping to turn microbes into efficient producers of desired chemicals. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2021\/08\/24\/1030413\/building-a-better-chemical-factory-out-of-microbes\/?truid=*%7CLINKID%7C*&#038;utm_source=the_download&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&#038;utm_term=*%7CSUBCLASS%7C*&#038;utm_content=*%7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C*\">Read the full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>+ <strong>Microplastics are messing with the microbiomes of seabirds<\/strong>. The next step is to work out what this might mean for their health\u2014and ours. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2023\/03\/27\/1070341\/microplastics-messing-with-microbiomes-of-seabirds\/?truid=*%7CLINKID%7C*&#038;utm_source=the_download&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&#038;utm_term=*%7CSUBCLASS%7C*&#038;utm_content=*%7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C*\">Read the full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><strong>The must-reads<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>I\u2019ve combed the internet to find you today\u2019s most fun\/important\/scary\/fascinating stories about technology.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>1 Inside Russia\u2019s secretive cyberwarfare tactics<\/strong><br \/>A whistleblower has lifted the lid on the country\u2019s hacking and disinformation methods. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/2023\/mar\/30\/vulkan-files-leak-reveals-putins-global-and-domestic-cyberwarfare-tactics\">The Guardian<\/a>)<br \/>+ <em>Ukrainian hackers claim to have infiltrated a Russian colonel\u2019s accounts. <\/em>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vice.com\/en\/article\/bvjxmv\/hackers-claim-to-dox-russian-war-criminal-convince-his-wife-to-do-patriotic-photoshoot\">Motherboard<\/a>)<br \/>+ <em>Russia is risking the creation of a \u201csplinternet.\u201d<\/em> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2022\/03\/17\/1047352\/russia-splinternet-risk\/?truid=*%7CLINKID%7C*&#038;utm_source=the_download&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&#038;utm_term=*%7CSUBCLASS%7C*&#038;utm_content=*%7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C*\">MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>2 There\u2019s an AI coding war brewing<\/strong><br \/>Ensuring developers get their hands on the best AI tools could emerge as the next major tech battleground. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/ai-coding-wars-openai-google-microsoft\/\">Wired<\/a> $)<br \/>+ <em>Tesla has created an immediate AI threat to humanity. <\/em>(<a href=\"https:\/\/slate.com\/technology\/2023\/03\/elon-musk-chatgpt-openai-artificial-intelligence-tesla.html\">Slate<\/a> $)<\/p>\n<p><strong>3 Extremist content is thriving on Twitter\u2019s For You page<\/strong><br \/>Its algorithms are amplifying hateful and racist content, too. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/technology\/2023\/03\/30\/elon-musk-twitter-hate-speech\/\">WP<\/a> $)<br \/>+ <em>The company won\u2019t charge its top advertisers for blue checks. <\/em>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/03\/30\/technology\/elon-musk-ftc-chair.html\">NYT<\/a> $)<\/p>\n<p><strong>4 The rise and rise of police surveillance tech<\/strong><br \/>Countries in the Middle East and beyond are following China\u2019s lead. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/03\/30\/technology\/police-surveillance-tech-dubai.html\">NYT<\/a> $)<br \/>+ <em>How US police use counterterrorism money to buy spy tech. <\/em>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/03\/30\/technology\/police-surveillance-tech-dubai.html\">MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>5 India is on the hunt for new powerful spyware\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>The notorious Pegasus system is too well known, so officials are widening their search. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/7674d7b7-8b9b-4c15-9047-a6a495c6b9c9\">FT<\/a> $)<br \/>+ <em>Twitter is censoring users who criticize the Indian prime minister. <\/em>(<a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2023\/03\/28\/twitter-modi-india-punjab-amritpal-singh\/\">The Intercept<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>6 Virgin Orbit is ceasing operations<\/strong><br \/>Richard Branson\u2019s troubled rocket company failed to secure much-needed funding. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2023\/03\/30\/virgin-orbit-funding-ceasing-operations-layoffs.html\">CNBC<\/a>)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><strong>7 Streaming algorithms aren\u2019t built to handle classical music <\/strong><strong>????<\/strong><strong><br \/><\/strong>But Apple is confident it has a solution. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/apple-music-classical-app-3325c6ba?mod=tech_lead_pos5\">WSJ<\/a> $)<\/p>\n<p><strong>8 These startups want to make it easier to invest in property<\/strong><br \/>That\u2019s often bad news for renters. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/arrived-fractional-investment-real-estate\/\">Wired<\/a> $)<\/p>\n<p><strong>9 Who are online business courses really benefiting?<\/strong><br \/>It\u2019s an extremely lucrative career path for the savvy creators behind them. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/culture\/2023\/3\/30\/23661712\/influencer-online-course-class-miss-excel\">Vox<\/a>)<br \/>+ <em>There\u2019s a new anime dating game that simultaneously does your taxes. <\/em>(<a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2023\/03\/30\/anime-girl-tax-dating-sim-mschf\/\">TechCrunch<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>10 The woolly mammoth meatball is a colossal PR stunt ????<br \/><\/strong>Who could have guessed? (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/health\/archive\/2023\/03\/woolly-mammoth-meatball-stunt-food-marketing\/673578\/\">The Atlantic<\/a> $)<br \/>+ <em>How much would you pay to see a woolly mammoth? <\/em>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2022\/11\/21\/1063548\/how-much-would-you-pay-see-woolly-mammoth\/?truid=*%7CLINKID%7C*&#038;utm_source=the_download&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&#038;utm_term=*%7CSUBCLASS%7C*&#038;utm_content=*%7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C*\">MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Quote of the day<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was all held together with duct tape.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u2014An anonymous former Twitter employee describes the creaking system propping up the company\u2019s blue checks to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/technology\/2023\/03\/31\/twitter-verification-checkmark-ending\">Washington Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><strong>The big story<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Should we believe in\u2014or even want\u2014immortality?<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure><a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2022\/10\/20\/1060934\/pursuing-immortality-consolations-mortality\/?truid=*|LINKID|*&#038;utm_source=the_download&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&#038;utm_term=*|SUBCLASS|*&#038;utm_content=*|DATE:m-d-Y|*\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/N9j3eucKKhXHNnWAssqt0vbFOgW9jTe3Kus3Co9u_8sa8XKNZds-XdEjHWqiIWDq6LV5zm0PPyVQk_Lmq-n9fYY9aJ-BK0Kh06jo0Ju0m08HJfVaTE-h22J8lZOG_2rQQ_9gnMyMWzIFsjWtrmsU09g\" alt width=\"797\" height=\"449\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2022\/10\/20\/1060934\/pursuing-immortality-consolations-mortality\/?truid=*%7CLINKID%7C*&#038;utm_source=the_download&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&#038;utm_term=*%7CSUBCLASS%7C*&#038;utm_content=*%7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C*\"><\/a><strong>October 2022<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Twenty years have passed since writer Jonathan Weiner first met Aubrey de Grey, the man with the Methuselah beard. Back then, Aubrey was already a True Believer in the quest for immortality. And he wasn\u2019t yet a man in disgrace.<\/p>\n<p>Weiner first met Aubrey in 2002, when Aubrey was still working as a computer programmer in the Department of Genetics at the University of Cambridge. He rapidly became a secular guru, a prophet of immortality\u2014to the intense annoyance of most of the scientists in the aging field.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But Aubrey\u2019s eagerness to convince believers they could live for centuries, millennia, or even longer, raises pertinent questions about what it is to want something we may not even believe in. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2022\/10\/20\/1060934\/pursuing-immortality-consolations-mortality\/?truid=*%7CLINKID%7C*&#038;utm_source=the_download&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&#038;utm_term=*%7CSUBCLASS%7C*&#038;utm_content=*%7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C*\">Read the full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><strong>We can still have nice things<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>A place for comfort, fun and distraction in these weird times. (Got any ideas? <\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/mailto:rh***************@**************ew.com\" data-original-string=\"2OSdabHd8IE3Cq+pRDircA==7f4PgZjYEMk4PsD\/XAWaqilH4yD12DfPP2O0AEmnACMEG\/tmWBfEALZXygRLonMrda2\" title=\"This contact has been encoded by Anti-Spam by CleanTalk. Click to decode. To finish the decoding make sure that JavaScript is enabled in your browser.\"><em>Drop me a line<\/em><\/a><em> or <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RhiannonJudithW\"><em>tweet &#8217;em at me<\/em><\/a><em>.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>+ The roots of <a href=\"http:\/\/gal-dem.com\/musicians-guitar-people-of-colour-rock\/\">guitar music<\/a> run far deeper than the birth of rock n roll.<br \/>+ Here\u2019s everything you\u2019ve ever wanted to know about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.popsci.com\/science\/types-of-stars\/\">stars<\/a>: including what happens after they die.<br \/>+ The world\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/travel\/oldest-cities-in-the-world\">oldest cities<\/a> are getting better with age.<br \/>+ What\u2019s cooler than being cool? <a href=\"https:\/\/heatmap.news\/culture\/how-birding-became-cool\">Birdwatching<\/a>, that\u2019s what.<br \/>+ Why did <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mentalfloss.com\/article\/71404\/what-ever-happened-waterbeds\">waterbeds<\/a> never take off? They\u2019re surprisingly high maintenance.<svg viewBox=\"0 0 1091.84 1091.84\"><polygon fill=\"#6d6e71\" points=\"363.95 0 363.95 1091.84 727.89 1091.84 727.89 363.95 363.95 0\" \/><polygon fill=\"#939598\" points=\"363.95 0 728.24 365.18 1091.84 364.13 1091.84 0 363.95 0\" \/><polygon fill=\"#414042\" points=\"0 0 0 0.03 0 363.95 363.95 363.95 363.95 0 0 0\" \/><\/svg> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2023\/03\/31\/1070676\/download-toxic-chemicals-russia-cyberwar-tactics\/\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><br \/>\n Rhiannon Williams<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Plus: AI coding tools could emerge as a key tech battleground This is today&#8217;s edition of\u00a0The Download,\u00a0our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what&#8217;s going on in the world of technology. We\u2019re consuming toxic chemicals. Now we need to figure out how they\u2019re affecting us. What are chemical pollutants doing to our bodies?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":624295,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24097,46,4858],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-624294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-download","category-technology","category-toxic"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/624294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=624294"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/624294\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/624295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=624294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=624294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=624294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}