Covid killed universal basic income. Long live guaranteed income

Why mixing vaccines could help boost immunity

Sponsored by Quantic The Download Your daily dose of what's up in emerging technology Cash transfers 05.07.21 Good morning! Today: how the pandemic turned the concept of universal basic income into something far more radical and long-lasting, why a mix-and-match vaccine strategy might be the way forward, and the campaign for better public bathrooms. I hope you have a great weekend! Get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day. Covid killed universal basic income. Long live guaranteed income   The big idea: Universal basic income has become a favored cause for many high-profile Silicon Valley entrepreneurs as a solution to the job losses and social conflict that would be wrought by automation and artificial intelligence—the very technologies their own companies create. But the conversation has changed. Its center of gravity has shifted away from “universal basic income” aimed at counterbalancing the automation of work and toward “guaranteed income” aimed at addressing economic and racial injustices.  Where things stand: As it turned out, what made the difference wasn’t more research but a global pandemic. In the face of the recession caused by the pandemic, relief packages were suddenly seen as necessary to jump-start the American economy. The success of the $1,400 stimulus checks make it more likely now than ever before that that guaranteed income could soon become a permanent fixture of federal policy. Read the full story. —Eileen Guo Why mixing vaccines could help boost immunity The potential: A handful of trials are now under way to test the power of vaccine combinations. If these mixed regimens prove safe and effective, countries will be able to keep the vaccine rollout moving even if supplies of one vaccine dwindle. But there’s another, more exciting prospect: mixing vaccines might lead to broader immunity and hamper the virus’s attempts to evade our immune systems. Eventually, a mix-and-match approach might be the best way to protect ourselves. The trials: In one trial, participants will get Pfizer or Oxford-AstraZeneca as a first dose, followed by the same vaccine or a shot of Moderna or Novavax for their second dose. The initial results should be available later this month. There are other studies underway elsewhere, too.  However: Despite evidence that mixing vaccines can boost immunity, the idea hasn’t really caught on—yet. Vaccine development is expensive. Companies don’t necessarily have an incentive to develop two different vaccines if one will do the trick. But the pandemic has changed the vaccine development landscape, and the idea may be gaining traction. Read the full story. —Cassandra Willyard How to build freestanding public restrooms that are clean and safe Public restrooms serve the most basic of human needs, but they’re not always easy to find. Some cities, including Portland, Oregon, and Montreal, Canada, are rising to the challenge by setting up stand-alone lavatories that anybody can use, free of charge. Though the two types of lavatories differ in technical complexity, both have the potential to make urban communities more hospitable and hygienic. Other cities—including Paris and San Francisco—operate public restrooms too, but Portland and Montreal stand out for their unique approaches to treating bathrooms as essential infrastructure. Read the full story. —Andrew Giambrone This story was part of our latest print magazine issue, all about cities. Read it and subscribe. 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.)   + There are pretty much just 12 types of academic paper.   + My god, just LOOK at this dog.   + Enjoy the sounds of the sea.   + This 100-car treadmill race was genuinely quite gripping.    + Cats will sit in any square, even ones generated by an optical illusion.   + These Japanese straw sculptures are seriously impressive.   + Squishy furniture is back in, and I want some. (NYT $) Sponsor Message Quantic School of Business and Technology Executive MBA The #ModernMBA is here. Quantic is the world's only accredited, mobile-first graduate school. With an innovative tuition model, most companies will cover the cost through standard tuition reimbursement.  Specializations like Blockchain (complete with NFTs!) are routinely added to the interactive curriculum to equip students with the most in-demand skills sets. Join a global network of leaders in science, tech, and business — including over 300 managers from Google, Apple, and Amazon. Sign up to apply and access over 40 free courses. Apply now, applications close soon. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 A new covid-19 vaccine could be ready next month 💉 German company CureVac has created an mRNA vaccine that doesn't have to be kept in deep freeze. (NYT $)   + IP waivers may not fix the real problems causing vaccine shortages. (UnHerd)   + The EU will discuss whether to join the US in backing patent waivers today. (AP)  2 AI consumes a lot of energy. Hackers could make it consume more. For now, the threat is mostly theoretical—but that's set to change. (TR)   3 Trump tried to sneak back onto Twitter It is pretty hilarious that anyone thought this was going to work. (NBC)   + He's facing the worst fate of all since his social media bans: total irrelevance. (Recode)   + YouTube is still mulling whether to keep him banned or not. (WSJ $)  4 Much of the opposition to net neutrality was faked  About 18 million of the 22 million comments sent to the FCC in 2017 weren't from real people. (Mashable)   5 How Big Pharma hunts for sick people on Facebook It isn't really possible to do this directly—but it's very easy to do it by using proxy interests. (The Markup)   6 Maybe Elon Musk is going to make it to Mars after all 🚀 An idea that seemed outlandish a few years ago is increasingly starting to look feasible today. (The Atlantic $)   7 We need to be open to reforming Section 230  It's time for a more intelligent conversation. (Wired $)   8 The scammer twisting science to sell climate change "solutions" When something sounds too good to be true, it almost always is. (Buzzfeed)   + China's carbon pollution now surpasses all developed nations combined. (Ars Technica)   9 The weirdly soothing world of computer-generated interiors on Instagram These are so inexplicably relaxing to look at. (New Yorker $)   10 Sharks use Earth's magnetic field to navigate 🦈 This has been suspected for a long time. Now some researchers have finally proven it. (Science) Join MIT Technology Review and Harvard Business Review virtually at EmTech Next. Discover the technologies propelling organizational growth, the impact of AI and automation, the urgency to upskill the workforce, and more. Register today. Quote of the Day “Blowing up a mountain isn’t green, no matter how much marketing spin people put on it.” —Max Wilbert, who has been living in a tent on the proposed site of a large-scale lithium mine in Nevada, tells the New York Times about the ruinous side effects of the production of raw materials necessary to meet the demand for electric cars. Top image credit: MS TECH | GETTY Please send squishy stuff 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 today Re-envision the future of work Join us virtually | June 8-10, 2021 Register now   Follow us: MIT Technology Review One Main Street Cambridge, MA 02142

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