We should not be creating conscious, humanoid agents but an entirely new sort of entity, rather like oracles, with no conscience, no fear of death, no distracting loves and hates. . Continue Reading
After sepsis forced the amputation of Sheila Advento's hands, an intricate transplant technique made her whole again. Then came the side effects. . Continue Reading
Voice computing seeks to deliver a single correct response to any query. That's why it's going to upend our relationship with information. . Continue Reading
Direct democracy! Universal basic income! ... Fascism? The inside story of Italy’s Five Star Movement and the cyberguru who dreamed it up. . Continue Reading
We are building a 1-to-1 map of almost unimaginable scope. When it's complete, our physical reality will merge with the digital universe. . Continue Reading
Squirrel monkeys don’t see color like people. But inject their eyeballs with a genetically engineered virus and they suddenly can perceive a new rainbow. The same trick could someday be used on color-blind people. . Continue Reading
Activists, entrepreneurs, and doctors in the US and Canada are working to decriminalize psilocybin psychotherapy and calling for a psychedelic revolution. . Continue Reading
In 1972, a photo of a Swedish Playboy model was used to engineer the digital image format that would become the JPEG. The model herself was mostly a mystery—until now. . Continue Reading
Along the way, he contributed to America's painkiller epidemic and got involved with North Korean methamphetamine manufacturing, Somali pirates, and murder-for-hire. . Continue Reading
Dominique McLean has been winning fighting-game tournaments since his early teens—but now SonicFox, as he's known, has turned a knack into a dynasty. . Continue Reading
David Carroll has been locked in a legal war to force the infamous company to turn over its files on him. He’s won a battle, but the struggle continues. . Continue Reading
The all-seeing Amazon, Google, and Facebook have every incentive to help the national security state undermine privacy, free speech, and democracy. We’ve read this book before. . Continue Reading
Weedmaps doesn’t sell pot itself. It's just a tech platform that provides visibility for those who do—apparently, whether or not they follow state rules. . Continue Reading
OK, so it was never great in the first place. But the rise of rank nationalists could finally—perversely—spark an era of progress and cooperation for all humanity. . Continue Reading
When Sonia Vallabh lost her mother to a rare disease, she and her husband, Eric Minikel, set out to find a cure. . Continue Reading
Bob Wells, a 63-year-old YouTube personality, has been living the #vanlife since 1995. He’s managed to make a living—and inspire a generation. . Continue Reading
These three iconic historical paintings pulse with intense anxieties about electricity, hematology, and astronomy. . Continue Reading
The glass company can't just melt silica. The process involves glass soot particles and a grain silo of sorts. . Continue Reading
Known as the Lockerbie bombing, in December 1988 a bomb downed a Pan Am jet, leaving 270 dead. It was the first mass killing of Americans by terrorists. As the head of the Justice Department’s criminal division, Robert Mueller oversaw the case. And for him, it was personal. . Continue Reading
Scientists studying rare creatures face a tricky conundrum—how to publicize their research without launching their subjects into the exotic wildlife trade. . Continue Reading