So the team behind a new decision-making tool hopes it will help clear up some of the misconceptions surrounding the procedure — and give prospective parents some much-needed insight into the true costs, benefits, and potential pitfalls. Read the full story.
—Jessica Hamzelou
This story comes from The Checkup, MIT Technology Review’s weekly newsletter that gives you the inside track on all things health and biotech. Register to receive it in your inbox every Thursday.
The must reads
I’ve scoured the internet to find you the funniest/most important/scariest/fascinating stories about technology today.
1 Elon Musk held a surprise meeting with American political leaders
Allegedly in the interest of ensuring that Twitter is “fair to both parties”. (Insider $)
+ Kanye West’s presidential campaign advisers have been kicked off Twitter. (Rolling stone $)
+ Twitter’s trust and security head is Musk’s biggest champion. (Bloomberg $)
2 We now treat covid like the flu
Annual covid shots are the next logical step. (The Atlantic Ocean $)
3 The Worst Of Sam Bankman-Fried’s Prison Spell?
Being cut off from the internet. (Forbes $)
+ Most crypto criminals only use five exchanges. (Wired $)
+ Collapsed crypto firm FTX has objected to a new inquiry request. (Reuters)
4 Israel’s technology sector revolts against the government
Tech workers fear that the harsh policy will harm startups. (FT $)
5 It is possible to fully power the world using renewable energy
At least, according to Stanford academic Mark Jacobson. (The protector)
+ Tech bros love the environment these days. (Slate $)
+ How new versions of solar, wind and batteries can help the power grid. (MIT Technology Review)
6 Generative AI is extremely expensive to run
And that’s why promising startups like OpenAI have to link their cars to those of Microsoft. (Bloomberg $)
+ How Microsoft capitalizes on the ChatGPT hype. (Vox)
+ BuzzFeed plans to make quizzes supercharged by OpenAI. (WSJ $)
+ Generative AI changes everything. But what remains when the hype is over? (MIT Technology Review)
7 It’s hard not to blame self-driving cars for accidents
Even if it’s not technically their fault. (WSJ $)
8 What it’s like to trade Google for TikTok
It’s great for food suggestions and hacks, but hopeless for anything work-related. (Wired $)
+ The platform is very keen to remain operational in the US. (Vox)
+ TikTok has been embroiled in a controversy over eyelashes. (Rolling stone $)
There are 9 CRISPR gene editing kits available to purchase online
But there is no guarantee that these experiments will actually work. (Motherboard)
+ Next up for CRISPR: Gene editing for the masses? (MIT Technology Review)
10 Tech employees livestream their layoffs
It’s a candid window into how these notoriously secretive companies treat their workforce. (The information $)