Inside the risky bat-virus engineering that links America to Wuhan

The race to find covid-19 drug treatments that actually work

Sponsored by Masterworks The Download Your daily dose of what's up in emerging technology Risky business 06.29.21 Good morning! Today we have a close look at the links between controversial "gain of function" research in the US and that carried out in China. We also take a look at the quest to find drugs that treat covid, and why they're a vital part of the next stage of the pandemic. And as a heatwave bakes the Pacific Northwest we explain why it's a test of the region's ageing grid. Get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day. Inside the risky bat-virus engineering that links America to Wuhan What caused the covid-19 pandemic remains uncertain. But now that US officials have said the possibility of a lab accident needs to be investigated, the spotlight has fallen on American funding of research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Controversially, the work was allowed to be carried out at a lower biosafety level than that in the US.  Even if there is no link to covid-19, allowing work on potentially dangerous bat viruses at this lower level is “an actual scandal,” says Michael Lin, a bioengineer at Stanford University.  Read the full story about “gain of function” research and the links between America and China.  —Rowan Jacobsen In case you missed it: Read our profile of Alina Chan, the biologist who has called on scientists to take the lab-leak hypothesis more seriously.  The race to find covid-19 drug treatments that actually work Something missing: The global effort to develop vaccines against covid-19 has been a scientific triumph. The search for new therapies, however, has had far less success. More than a year and a half into the pandemic, few treatment options for covid-19 exist. The quest: The need for new therapies is still urgent as the virus is raging in some countries with limited access to vaccines. New drugs might help people with early cases of covid avoid hospitalization and prevent those who are hospitalized from dying. They could also be a crucial stopgap if SARS-CoV2 mutates enough to evade the immune response in people who are vaccinated. Read more here. —Cassandra Willyard The Northwest’s blistering heat wave underscores the fragility of our grids The news: The record-breaking heat wave baking the Northwest US offers the latest example of how ill-prepared we are to deal with the deadly challenges of climate change. The cause: The soaring temperatures are being caused by a high-pressure ridge parked along the Canadian border that has created what’s known as a heat dome, trapping hot air over an area stretching down to Northern California and as far east as Idaho. Creaking grid: In many areas, the heatwave has created soaring energy demands and strained the grid as residents crank up fans and air conditioners. Thousands of homes lost power.   The problem: What we’re witnessing is an electricity system largely built for the climate of the past increasingly struggle with the climate of the present. This is what we need to do. —James Temple 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.) + A standing ovation for healthcare staff and Prof Dame Sarah Gilbert (creator of the Oxford-AZ vaccine) on Centre Court, Wimbledon yesterday. + Check out Raja the tiger keeping cool during the heatwave in the northwest US. + This Twitter bot generates an image when you tweet phrases at it. + Meet Gracie, the Bark Ranger at Glacier National Park who keeps deer and sheep away from visitors. Sponsor Message Forget Cryptofomo, Here’s Something Bigger. “We also do not believe that Bitcoin is a long-term store of value or an investable asset class...” That’s how Goldman Sachs—the finance expert’s finance expert—views investing in crypto. Their suggestion? Get serious with real assets like art. We’ll explain. The $1.7T asset class is larger than crypto market capitalization and virtually untapped by hedge funds. That’s why two-thirds of billionaire collectors allocate more than 10% to art. Masterworks uses big data and A.I. to finally unlock this exciting market to investors of all types, at a fraction of the normal entry cost. Learn more > The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Immunity from the covid vaccines may last for years Some good news! (NYT)   + Here’s what we know about vaccines and altered periods. (New Scientist)   + Why women are more likely to suffer from long covid. (Guardian)   2 No one is sure if the Delta variant is deadlier. Viral evolution is a haphazard mess. (Atlantic)   + There’s been a surge in Japan, just a month out from the Olympics. (Guardian) 3 Venus doesn’t have enough water in its clouds to sustain life Well, that’s a bit of a blow. (TR) 4 Is Facebook a monopoly? Please define, says judge. A federal court threw out two antitrust complaints, but the case isn't quite closed. (TR) 5 England vs Germany in the Euros today will be determined by spreadsheets There’s a data revolution in football. (Wired UK) 6 Can the most exciting new solar material live up to the hype? The big test for perovskites is here. (TR)   + Why concrete defines our age. (BBC Future) 7 The strange art of the deadline And how to trick yourself into sticking to them. (New Yorker) 8 The memory loss that is harming the planet Every generation is handed a world that has been shaped by their predecessors – and then forgets that fact. (BBC Future) 9 Going back to the office is not as easy as it seems Employers are facing some tough choices. (Economist)   + America’s workers are burned out. (WaPo) 10 How underground fiber optics let us listen to the world We can see how the pandemic made it fall practically silent. (Wired) An offer this good won't last. Get 2 additional months FREE when you purchase a subscription to MIT Technology Review. With thought-provoking perspectives and insightful analysis, our journalism will help deepen your understanding of the world. Subscribe now and save. Offer ends Friday. Quote of the day “I’m an old-school kind of guy, and I give every job 110%. This really upset me because we're talking about my reputation. They say I didn’t do the job when I know damn well I did.” Drivers for Amazon say they’re being terminated by algorithms, even when they did nothing wrong. Top image credit: MS TECH | AP Thank you to Amy for her help in today's edition! 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