That is at this time’s version of The Obtain, our weekday e-newsletter that gives a day by day dose of what’s occurring on this planet of expertise.
Why worms (and microbes) are catching on as a manure air pollution answer
Anthony Agueda, a third-generation California dairy farmer, pulls a rake by way of a mattress of darkish, moist wooden chips to disclose a half-dozen squirming purple earthworms. There are possible tons of of 1000’s extra wriggling just below the floor.
The worms and microbes are a part of a “vermifiltration” system that cleans manure wastewater. The strategy might dramatically lower methane, nitrous oxide, and water air pollution.
Vermifiltration is only one of quite a lot of strategies that farmers, corporations, and scientists are using to drive down manure air pollution because the livestock trade faces rising strain to handle the environmental harms from one of many smelliest components of the enterprise.
Discover how the common-or-garden earthworm might reshape the way forward for sustainable farming.
—James Temple
MIT Expertise Assessment Narrated: geoengineering will get a actuality verify
Photo voltaic geoengineering, the controversial concept that we might intentionally intervene within the local weather system to counteract international warming, is transferring past laptop simulations and into the sensible engineering challenges required to make it actual.
Researchers at the moment are engaged on plane, supplies, and different programs for photo voltaic geoengineering. However as they delve into these particulars, they’re discovering that even early deployment would require vital new infrastructure, time, and funding.
—James Temple
That is our newest story to be become an MIT Expertise Assessment Narrated podcast, which we publish every week on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Simply navigate to MIT Expertise Assessment Narrated on both platform, and comply with us to get all our new content material because it’s launched.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the web to search out you at this time’s most enjoyable/vital/scary/fascinating tales about expertise.
1 The Trump administration has lifted restrictions on OpenAI’s GPT 5.6
The inexperienced gentle got here after further testing and conferences. (Axios)
+ OpenAI subsequently stated it is going to launch extensively tomorrow. (Bloomberg $)
+ The rollout had been delayed attributable to safety issues. (Verge)
+ Does AI know an excessive amount of? (MIT Expertise Assessment)
2 China is curbing abroad entry to its high AI fashions
Alibaba, ByteDance, and Z.ai attended conferences in regards to the plan. (Reuters $)
+ Beijing can be weighing the safety dangers of open-weight AI. (SCMP)
+ And has issued a “backdoor” safety alert over Claude Code. (CNBC)
3 European NATO allies have unveiled a $50 billion high-tech missile plan
They’ll engineer stealth and high-speed hypersonic weapons. (BBC)
+ Which may strike targets at the least 300 km away. (Reuters $)
+ The Dutch and British are additionally growing amphibious ships. (Bloomberg $)
4 Meta is testing “tremendous sensing” AI glasses that report each second
It plans to disable privateness LEDs that alert folks once they’re “on.” (FT $)
+ It’s additionally launched an AI picture generator. (NYT $)
+ Which lets anybody use your Instagram images in AI pictures. (Wired $)
5 China’s DeepSeek is growing its personal AI chip, sources say
It might scale back the corporate’s reliance on Nvidia and Huawei. (Bloomberg $)
+ DeepSeek V4 was a win for Chinese language chipmakers. (MIT Expertise Assessment)
6 Wikipedia is combating to outlive the web’s subsequent period
It’s underneath assault from MAGA, AI raids, and repressive regimes. (NYT $)
+ AI has given Wikipedia a language downside. (MIT Expertise Assessment)
7 SpaceX plans to launch its first mannequin coproduced with Cursor
The brand new frontier mannequin might arrive as quickly as this week. (Data $)
+ It’s constructed with AI startup Cursor, which SpaceX is shopping for for $60 billion. (FT $)
8 A brand new tutorial “humanizer” instrument can erase indicators of AI-written textual content
However researchers are very divided over its potential influence. (Nature $)
9 Scientists have detected a thriller chemical on Pluto and Titan
It seems to soak up gentle in a means we don’t presently perceive. (Wired $)
10 A Waymo robotaxi reportedly referred to as the cops on ingesting teenagers
Officers then approached the car with weapons drawn. (404 Media)
Quote of the day
“Dad and mom are you aware the place your teenagers are? Waymo does!”
—Native police submit on Fb {that a} Waymo in California referred to as the cops on two youngsters for “ingesting and capturing from the car.”
One Extra Factor
Your boss is watching
Dora Manriquez has spent 9 years driving for Uber and Lyft, the place each journey she accepts or rejects is tracked by the apps she depends on for work. Having discovered herself unable to attain sufficient better-paying rides, she has needed to file for chapter.
App-based employers aren’t the one ones holding a really shut eye on employees at this time. Jobs at this time—whether or not in an workplace, a warehouse, or your automotive—can imply fixed digital surveillance with little transparency, and probably with livelihood-ending penalties in case your productiveness flags.
All that information is shifting the relationships between employees and managers—and protections are lagging. Learn the total story on the widening energy imbalance it’s created.
—Rebecca Ackermann
We are able to nonetheless have good issues
A spot for consolation, enjoyable, and distraction to brighten up your day. (Obtained any concepts? Drop me a line.)
+ Literary worlds collide on this marvellous Dr Seuss/Stephen King mashup.
+ A daring snorkeler saved a dolphin from a suckerfish—after which celebrated with its complete pod.
+ This intelligent musical mission seamlessly constructs an authentic tune from vocal snippets of fifty artists singing US metropolis names.
+ An extended-lost pockets from 1970 was lately unearthed, making a cute time capsule from its proprietor’s highschool years.
