Should the US switch to prioritizing first vaccine doses? These experts think so.

Rocket Lab could be SpaceX's biggest rival 

Sponsored by Esri The Download Your daily dose of what's up in emerging technology How to save lives 03.03.21 Good morning! Today: public health experts are calling for the US to switch to a new vaccination strategy to save lives, Rocket Lab could become SpaceX's biggest competitor, and why you shouldn't write off Silicon Valley. Get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day. Should the US switch to prioritizing first vaccine doses? These experts think so.   A new approach: To save lives, US officials should switch to a new vaccination strategy, prioritizing getting one shot into as many high-risk individuals as possible, say a growing number of public health experts. The two vaccines that have been administered in the US, from Pfizer and Moderna, require two doses spaced three or four weeks apart. But studies suggest that even the first dose provides good protection against illness—both Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccine were found to have 92% efficacy before the second shot. The urgency: The US is in a race against time, as the UK variant starts to gain a foothold amid a sluggish vaccine rollout. A recent report from the University of Minnesota calculated that temporarily prioritizing first doses for those over the age of 65 might save as many as 39,000 lives. The booster shot could wait until the surge passes and more doses are available. The UK adopted a similar strategy in December. The case against: Many public health experts, including senior advisors in the Biden administration, argue that there isn’t enough data to support a switch to a one-dose strategy. They worry that deferring the second dose will leave people vulnerable to infection, and potentially give rise to new variants that can evade the immune response. Read the full story. —Cassandra Willyard Rocket Lab could be SpaceX’s biggest rival Competition hots up: In the private space industry, it can seem that there’s SpaceX and then there’s everyone else. The only other big name, Blue Origin, hasn’t even gone beyond suborbital space yet. But Rocket Lab might soon have something to say about that duopoly. The company is second only to SpaceX when it comes to launch frequency—the two are the only American companies that regularly go to orbit. Big plans: On March 1, the company made its ambitions even clearer when it unveiled plans for a new rocket called Neutron. At 40 meters tall and able to carry 20 times the weight that its small flagship rocket Electron can, Neutron is being touted by Rocket Lab as its entry into markets for large satellite and mega-constellation launches, and even human spaceflight. The company calls it a “direct alternative” to the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Its first-stage booster will even be designed to land vertically on an ocean platform. Read the full story. —Neel V. Patel Why it’s a mistake to bet against Silicon Valley There has always been an immense amount of debate over what accounts for the uniqueness of Silicon Valley. We hear grand claims of innovative culture or geographic advantages. But the reality is that serendipity played a huge role. Look at the Valley’s roots. First, William Shockley decided to leave Bell Labs and start his new semiconductor company in Palo Alto because he wanted to be close to his aging mother. Then, a couple of years later, a Justice Department antitrust lawsuit against American Telephone & Telegraph led to mandatory free licensing of the company’s integrated-circuit technology. This sparked the explosion in transistors and computers, and wave after wave of change. Serendipity is particularly worth keeping in mind as high-profile companies head for the exits. Just last December, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Oracle announced they were relocating their headquarters to Texas, and Tesla gave signs it may follow suit. Their moves have touched off a new round of hand-wringing and speculation over whether the Valley has lost its mojo. But this is not the first time the question has been posed. There were times in the past when progress appeared to be lagging, only for it to roar back with some breakthrough that seemed to come entirely out of left field. Read the full story. —John Markoff This story is from the latest issue of MIT Technology Review, which is all about progress. Read the full magazine, and subscribe if you don't already. We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction in these weird times. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet 'em at me.)   + Pretty sure these are the least convincing lookalikes you will have ever seen.    + It's March again, so that means we're back to eating banana bread. These scallion pancakes look delicious too.   + Virtual tours of spectacular buildings around the world.   + You can still meet new people without leaving your house.   + Meet Afghanistan's first female animator. Sponsor Message Envisioning better health outcomes for all Esri uses GIS data to analyze treatment and coronavirus vaccination disparities in underserved communities and help pinpoint solutions. “Geographic perspective will help find any gaps. Who is left out? Where are the populations that aren’t within the range of identified facilities? We can provide stop gaps until we have fully equitable systems, ensuring that one day everyone will have the same opportunity to reach their full health potential.” says Esri's Este Geraghty. Learn more. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Biden has vowed all US adults can be vaccinated by the end of May That's two months earlier than anticipated, thanks to a rapid production ramp-up. (AP)    + A universal coronavirus vaccine could stop the next pandemic. (Wired UK)   + Texas is lifting its mask mandate, but some businesses will still be enforcing it. (Reuters)   + Covid long-haulers say they feel better after being vaccinated. (The Verge)  2 Global carbon emissions have already rebound to pre-pandemic levels This should be a big wake-up call. (Axios)   + The pandemic taught us how not to deal with climate change. (TR)  3 The hunt for animals harboring covid-19  The fear is that it could leap from people to wild animals, mutate, and then leap back to humans. (Nature)   + A variant in Brazil infected people who had already recovered from Covid-19. (NYT $)  4 Spy agencies are excited about AI 🕵️‍♀️ But there are ethical constraints, and practical ones too. (The Economist $)   + Building trust in AI systems is essential. (FT $)  5 Microsoft reckons we'll "holoport" in the future You could go anywhere… without actually going anywhere. (The Verge)   + Think Zoom meets Facebook meets Roblox but with holograms. (WSJ $)  6 The US is still committed to making it to the moon 🚀 The 2024 target still feels like a reach, but it has at least helped to focus minds. (WP $)   + Can technology open spaceflight to disabled astronauts? (Wired $)   + You can apply to hitch a ride into space with a Japanese billionaire. (The Guardian)  7 Unravelling the mystery of Jack Dorsey Twitter's leader seems determined to avoid… leading. (Wired $)    8 Think microdosing works? It's all in your head 💊 Never underestimate the power of the placebo effect. (Wired UK)   9 The way influencers get jobs is changing Essentially, it's becoming more formal and more professional. (NYT $)   + Instagram accidentally hid likes for a while yesterday, and everyone lost their minds. (Mashable)   + LA's creator community is moving out. (The Verge)  10 There's no such thing as lie detector technology Every single method tested has come up short. (Vice)   + Lie detectors have always been suspect. AI has made the problem worse. (TR) You are just 3 weeks away from EmTech Digital, our virtual event focused on AI. If you're developing your AI strategy, implementing AI solutions, or looking for the latest advancements in AI technology, you need to join us at EmTech Digital. Register now. Quote of the day "At some point we’re going to ask to see the algorithm." —Alan Rusbridger, former newspaper editor and member of Facebook's oversight board, says the board needs to see more of the company's inner workings, The Guardian reports. Top image credit: MS TECH | GETTY Please send banana bread to hi@technologyreview.com. Follow me on Twitter at @charlottejee. Thanks for reading! —Charlotte Was this newsletter forwarded to you, and you'd like to see more? Sign up for free Don't settle for half the story. Subscribe to MIT Technology Review for access to subscriber-only content and more.   Follow us: MIT Technology Review One Main Street Cambridge, MA 02142

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