In this edition: Fighting the flu, investigating TikTok's algorithm and finding a replacement for silicon. |
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| PHOTO: PHILIP KEITH FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL |
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A startup says it has built an inexpensive battery that can discharge power for days using one of the most common elements on Earth: iron. Form Energy’s batteries are far too heavy for electric cars. But it says they will be capable of solving one of the most elusive problems facing renewable energy: cheaply storing large amounts of electricity to power grids when the sun isn’t shining and wind isn’t blowing. Its prototype battery, nicknamed Big Jim, is filled with 18,000 pebble-size gray pieces of iron, an abundant, nontoxic and nonflammable mineral. If all continues to go according to plan, its iron-air batteries will be capable of affordable, long-duration power storage by 2025. 🔋 Read more here about how Form's technology works. As always, send me your thoughts, questions and predictions by hitting "reply" to this email. |
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🏙 The Future of Cities. Did the pandemic leave a lasting impact on our metropolitan centers? Hear from city leaders and visionaries on how they expect urban communities to evolve as cities come back to life. Join us online on July 27 at 12:30 p.m. ET. The event is complimentary. Register here. |
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| PHOTO: MADDIE MALHOTRA FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL |
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Another Shot. mRNA vaccines have been critical in fighting Covid-19. Now, drug makers want to replicate that success in the yearly fight against the flu. |
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| PHOTO: JOE RAEDLE/GETTY IMAGES |
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| PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: LAURA KAMMERMANN/THE WALL STREET JOURNAL |
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How TikTok's Algorithm Figures Out Your Deepest Desires. The Wall Street Journal created dozens of automated accounts that watched hundreds of thousands of videos to reveal how the social network knows you so well. |
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“I have respect for the environment, and I drive an electric car and am happy to pay the extra costs because the technology is good. But to say that an electric stove is as good as a gas one is misunderstanding the art of cooking.” | — George Chen, executive chef and founder of San Francisco restaurant China Live. Cooks are pushing back as cities try to phase out natural gas. |
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10.9 million | The number of American workers who described themselves as digital nomads in 2020, up 49% since 2019, according to a recent study. The post-pandemic digital nomad makes longer stays, takes fewer flights and maybe even puts down roots. |
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Inside Story. NASA-funded researchers say they have mapped the interior of Mars, revealing a planet with a molten core whose size and composition came as major surprises. |
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PHOTO: F. MARTIN RAMIN/ THE WALL STREET JOURNAL |
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New Tricks. Need to leave your dog alone? These five gadgets, from treat-dispensing cameras to smart doors, will help turn your home into a tech-enabled doggy daycare. |
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PHOTO: GABRIEL ZIMMER FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL |
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Last week, we reported on an experimental brain implant that translates brain signals into words on a computer screen. Readers shared their thoughts: "I think it is great, but there is always the risk of abuse. Examples if the technology evolved to a wearable: Industrial espionage (someone with a top-secret clearance is captured and made to wear a device); one's spouse or partner; employment interview; politicians (although perhaps that is not a bad idea!)." —Peter Samson, Washington "This technology can be a godsend for people with clinical conditions that render them unable to speak. However, I fear that, if this becomes widespread throughout the world, people will become more isolated from one another by not interacting with others through speaking and conversing with them. I also fear that singing would disappear." —Martin Soy, California "While I’m sure these poor trapped people are glad to have something that starts to reconnect them to humanity, the cybersecurity guy in me wonders about risks. Will this electronically mediated communication be treated as a way to enter legally binding agreements? What happens if the 'translator' starts communicating the wrong things? Would people without brain injuries be included in such treatments?" —Andrew Wolfe, Louisiana (Responses have been condensed and edited.) |
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How Far Off Is ‘Gene Doping’ at the Olympics? (Neo.Life) Lab-Grown Foie Gras Is Delicious (Bloomberg) An Increasingly Popular Way to Be Buried: Become Part of an Artificial Reef (Washington Post) |
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