The Download: herbicide-resistant weeds, and an octopus-inspired adhesive

That is at this time’s version of The Download, our weekday publication that gives a day by day dose of what’s happening on the planet of know-how.

The weeds are profitable

For the reason that Eighties, increasingly more crops have advanced to develop into proof against the biochemical mechanisms that herbicides leverage to kill them. This herbicidal resistance threatens to lower yields—out-of-control weeds can scale back them by 50% or extra, and excessive instances can wipe out entire fields.

At worst, it may possibly even drive farmers out of enterprise. It’s the agricultural equal of antibiotic resistance, and it retains getting worse. Weeds have advanced resistance to 168 totally different herbicides and 21 of the 31 recognized “modes of motion,” which implies the precise biochemical goal or pathway a chemical is designed to disrupt.

Agriculture must embrace a variety of weed management practices. However that’s a lot simpler mentioned than finished. Read the full story.

—Douglas Major

This piece is from the subsequent print situation of MIT Expertise Evaluation, which delves into the strange world of meals. If you happen to don’t already, subscribe to obtain future copies as soon as they land.

Every little thing comes again to local weather tech. Right here’s what to observe for subsequent.

Local weather know-how by no means stands nonetheless. From power and transportation to agriculture and coverage, there’s all the time a brand new growth to get your head round.

Casey Crownhart, our senior local weather reporter, has been serious about the place local weather tech will go subsequent. Check out her predictions for the future.

This story is from The Spark, our weekly local weather and power publication. Sign up to obtain it in your inbox each Wednesday.

This octopus-inspired adhesive can stick with absolutely anything

What’s new: A brand new adhesive know-how pays homage to considered one of nature’s strongest sources of suction: an octopus tentacle.

What’s it? Researchers replicated an octopus’s sturdy grip and managed launch to create a software that manipulates a big selection of objects. It might assist enhance underwater building strategies or discover software in on a regular basis gadgets like an assistive glove. Read the full story.

—Jenna Ahart

Roundtable: Producing climate-friendly meals

Our meals techniques account for a serious chunk of worldwide greenhouse-gas emissions, however some companies try to develop options that would assist deal with the local weather impacts of agriculture. That features two corporations on the recently-announced 2024 listing of MIT Expertise Evaluation’s 15 Climate Tech Companies to Watch. Pivot Bio is inventing new fertilizers, and Rumin8 is working to sort out emissions from cattle.  

Be a part of MIT Expertise Evaluation senior editor James Temple and senior reporter Casey Crownhart at this time at 12pm ET at this time for a subscriber-exclusive Roundtable diving into the way forward for meals and the local weather with particular company Karsten Temme, chief innovation officer and co-founder of Pivot Bio, and Matt Callahan, co-founder and counsel of Rumin8. Register here.

The must-reads

I’ve combed the web to search out you at this time’s most enjoyable/essential/scary/fascinating tales about know-how.

1 The following Hurricane Milton could possibly be even worse 
Excessive storms are getting extra highly effective, and world warming isn’t serving to. (NY Mag $)
+ Hurricane disinformation is rife—and extremely harmful. (The Atlantic $)
+ Make sure you verify credible sources for the most recent updates. (Vox)

2 Tesla is making ready to unveil its Cybercab robotaxi
The corporate is getting into a crowded and extremely aggressive market. (Wired $)
+ It’s time for Elon Musk to ship on his long-discussed guarantees. (The Verge)
+ What’s subsequent for robotaxis in 2024. (MIT Technology Review)

3 Russia has banned Discord
Regardless that its army depends on its chat operate to speak on the battlefield. (WP $)
+ It’s the most recent in an extended line of US platforms to be restricted in Russia. (Vice)

4 What the James Webb Area Telescope tells us about cosmic historical past
That includes every thing from historical galaxies to colossal black holes. (Quanta Magazine) 

5 Meta’s new AI chatbot has lastly launched within the UK
Regulatory points prevented it from launched similtaneously the US. (The Guardian)
+ Nevertheless, not all of us need to use chatbots on a regular basis. (NYT $)+ Overlook chat. AI that may hear, see, and click on is already right here. (MIT Technology Review)

6 Nigeria is trying to sanction Starlink
For practically doubling its month-to-month subscription price with out warning. (Bloomberg $)

7 Rise of the picket skyscrapers
It could possibly be a viable high-rise different to metal and concrete. (Knowable Magazine)
+ The hidden local weather price of every thing round us. (MIT Technology Review)

8 Hold an eye fixed out for porch pirates
Opportunistic thieves are stealing packages containing AT&T telephones throughout the US. (WSJ $)

9 Self-hypnosis apps are rising in reputation
Simply don’t deal with them as replacements for precise drugs. (FT $)

10 The Europa Clipper mission is genuinely thrilling
But it surely very practically didn’t occur. (Ars Technica)
+ Area startups are attracting main curiosity from buyers proper now. (Reuters)
+ NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft is about to search for life-friendly situations round Jupiter. (MIT Technology Review)

Quote of the day

“It has been a catastrophic yr.”

—Brian McNoldy, a senior analysis scientist on the College of Miami who focuses on tropical cyclone analysis, affords a frank evaluation of 2024’s hurricane season to the Atlantic.

The large story

How environmental DNA is giving scientists a brand new method to perceive our world

February 2024

Environmental DNA is a comparatively cheap, widespread, probably automated method to observe the variety and distribution of life.

In contrast to earlier methods, which might establish DNA from, say, a single organism, the strategy additionally collects the swirling cloud of different genetic materials that surrounds it. It may function a surveillance software, providing researchers a way of detecting the seemingly undetectable.

By sampling eDNA, or mixtures of genetic materials in water, soil, ice cores, cotton swabs, or virtually any atmosphere conceivable, even skinny air, it’s now attainable to seek for a particular organism or assemble a snapshot of all of the organisms in a given place.

It affords an exciting — and probably chilling — method to gather details about organisms, together with people, as they go about their on a regular basis enterprise. Read the full story.

—Peter Andrey Smith

We will nonetheless have good issues

A spot for consolation, enjoyable and distraction to brighten up your day. (Obtained any concepts? Drop me a line or tweet ’em at me.)

+ Get your time off to the absolute best begin with this adorable mole.
+ At 81, Martin Scorsese has no plans to retire any time quickly.
+ I need to keep at each single considered one of these unbelievable surf hotels.
+ Wait, if milk is white, why is cheese yellow?!

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