The big tech quest to find the metals needed for the energy overhaul

Chinese hackers disguised themselves as Iran to target Israel

Sponsored by Cornerstone OnDemand The Download Your daily dose of what's up in emerging technology A mining revolution 08.11.21 Hello there! Today we're taking a look at the increasingly hi-tech search for metals used in the batteries that power electric cars. Also: new research reveals how Chinese hackers posed as Iranians to target Israel. Get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day. The big tech quest to find the metals needed for the energy overhaul   ​​In recent weeks, every day that the weather permitted, a helicopter contracted by KoBold Metals flew over a remote part of northern Quebec carrying some unusual cargo.  A 115-foot-wide copper coil dangled from the belly of the craft, sending electromagnetic waves into the earth and creating currents in rocks deep underground. Any good electrical conductors sent telltale signals back to a receiver coil, suggesting that the rocks might contain valuable deposits of nickel and cobalt—metals used in the batteries powering cell phones, laptops, and electric cars, demand for which is expected to soar in the coming years. The data collected is plugged into machine-learning models which advise the team on the best places to survey next. It’s a far cry from how geologists have traditionally hunted for mineral deposits. These days, data science and machine learning are becoming a bigger part of the effort to find the next big payday underground. Read the full story. —Maddie Stone This story is for subscribers only. If you still haven't joined us, why not sign up now to enjoy all of our award-winning journalism? It's a steal at just $50 a year. Chinese hackers disguised themselves as Iran to target Israel The news: When hackers broke into Israeli computers in 2019 and 2020, evidence initially suggested they were from Iran. But on closer inspection, analysts concluded it was conducted by Chinese operatives posing as a team from Tehran, according to new research from American cybersecurity firm FireEye. How they did it: Many of their tactics were blunt, such as using the word "Iran" in file paths. But they also wrote in Farsi, and deployed tools normally associated with Iranians. The attackers also took pains to protect their true identities by minimizing the evidence they left behind, and hiding the infrastructure they used to break into Israeli machines. Ultimately they failed. The hackers made several mistakes that blew their cover and linked them back to their previous work. For example, they used similar files, infrastructure, and tactics across multiple operations in the Middle East.  The significance: The attack was not particularly sophisticated or successful, but it shows how important attribution—and misattribution—can be in cyber-espionage campaigns. Read the full story. —Patrick Howell O'Neill 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.)   + If you fancy pretending to live on Mars for a year, NASA wants a word.    + I want to eat all of these dal dishes.   + This boy has raised a lot of money for charity—by camping for 500 nights in a row.    + Perhaps inspired by KFC's gravy abomination, IKEA has decided to release a candle that smells like its Swedish meatballs.    + Lack of travel getting you down? Take an online architecture tour around some of the world's best buildings.   + Okay it's not "nice" but I'm afraid I laughed... Plastic pollution is making hermit crabs horny. (WP $)   + I love photographer Ashraful Arefin's work.   + This weeknight ragu looks delicious. Sponsor Message Work in Asia's data age How Asian businesses are integrating their HR and technology adoption strategies, and leveraging AI capabilities to reshape their organizations and operations. Read the free report. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Florida has become the epicenter of the pandemic in the US And instead of responding to the crisis, officials are squabbling over data. (Ars Technica)   + Hospitalizations are soaring in hotspots. (NYT $)   2 Hackers made off with $600 million in cryptocurrency 💰 This must be one of the biggest heists of its kind ever, enabled by a vulnerability in blockchain site Poly Network. (BBC)   + Crypto is getting captured by the very structures its devotees once sought to replace. (Axios)  3 Chameleon-inspired robot skin changes colors instantly What a fabulous invention. (TR)   4 Inside the White House/Facebook fight over vaccine misinformation 💉 Yet again, it's clear that Facebook either doesn't know, or won't reveal, the size of the problem. (NYT $)   + How Facebook got addicted to spreading misinformation. (TR)   + Twitter has suspended Marjorie Taylor Greene for seven days over vaccine misinformation. (NYT $)   + Americans are grappling with totally not-fit-for-purpose vaccine cards. (The Atlantic $)   + How to make sure you have vaccine proof on you at all times. (NPR)   + A nurse in Germany may have injected thousands with saline instead of vaccines. (The Guardian)  5 Why is tech illustration so boring? You may not have heard of "corporate memphis," but you've almost certainly seen it. (Protocol)   + It's not just you. Startup brands really do increasingly all look the same. (Bloomberg $)   6 Google might cut the pay of workers who want to stay remote Anyone affected who'd like to argue back might want to point to its latest financial results. (Reuters)   7 What do you do in the 10 seconds before an earthquake hits? ⏱️ Early warning systems have vastly improved. The question is what we do with the information they provide. (New Yorker $)   8 Meet the people who share all their financial transactions openly online  It's the voyeurs on the other end that confuse me. Why? Who even has the time? (The Guardian)   9 One man's year-long quest to get an Indian driver's license 🚗 There are few things more frustrating than technology that simply... does not work. (FT $)   10 Rickrolling just never gets old Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" has surpassed a billion views on YouTube. Well done everyone. (WP $) Join MIT Technology Review's Global Panel (membership is free).  Take part in original research on tech and business, and get tools for making smarter decisions. Learn more. Quote of the day “It’s time to go out and to make demands. Don’t criticize at home: let’s make them listen to us.” —The text of the Facebook post that helped to spark a wave of protests across Cuba last month, NBC reports. Top image credit: Getty Please send rickrolls 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 Leading with Innovation. Join us virtually September 28-30. Register now   Follow us: MIT Technology Review One Main Street Cambridge, MA 02142   *Manage Your Email Preferences or *Unsubscribe  Subscription Information This email was sent to Webmaster220 Bible Study Blog  *the blog owner has deleted the hyperlink intentionally