What we know about how the delta variant of covid is spreading

The UN climate report pins hopes on technologies that barely exist 

Sponsored by Cornerstone OnDemand The Download Your daily dose of what's up in emerging technology Delta's dominance 08.10.21 Good morning! Today: everything you need to know about how the delta covid variant spreads. Also: the optimistic projections in the UN's landmark climate report rely on technologies that barely exist. Get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day. What we know about how the delta variant of covid is spreading   What’s happening: Covid cases in the US have doubled over the past two weeks, and scientists are now racing to understand the delta variant, which appears to account for the vast majority of new infections.  What we know: The delta variant is nearly twice as contagious as previous versions of the virus, according to the CDC. It also seems to lead to higher viral loads. The evidence suggests that vaccinated people may be able to transmit the virus, perhaps even just as readily as unvaccinated people. The overwhelming majority of infections are still in unvaccinated people. So far, it looks as if vaccines still largely work, especially in preventing severe illness. What we don’t know: The appearance of a new variant has people worried we’ll see other, even worse variants. There is some genuine cause for concern: viruses mutate all the time, so as long as there are places in the world where there’s unchecked spread, we’ll likely continue to see more variants that will behave differently. The solution is to increase vaccination rates, and fast. Read the full story. —Casey Crownhart The UN climate report pins hopes on carbon removal technologies that barely exist The news: The UN’s long-awaited climate report, released yesterday, offered a stark reminder that removing massive amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere will be essential to prevent the gravest dangers of global warming. But it also underscored that the necessary technologies barely exist—and will be tremendously difficult to deploy. The specifics: The report found that greenhouse gases are likely to drive worldwide temperatures at least 1.5˚C above preindustrial conditions within the next 20 years, fueling severe heat waves, floods, and droughts. Once that happens, carbon removal is essentially the only way to bring the climate back to a safer zone, because the greenhouse gas persists for hundreds to thousands of years in the atmosphere. A rosy view: The model used to create the most optimistic scenario in the report, which limits warming to 1.5˚C, assumes the world will create a brand-new carbon-sucking sector operating on the emissions scales of all America’s cars, power plants, planes, and factories, in the next 30 years or so. But much of the technology that would underpin it has only ever been proven in small-scale projects. Read the full story. Read next: Carbon removal hype is becoming a dangerous distraction. —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.)   + What if the Olympic games… were held in SPACE? Astronauts aboard the ISS gave it a go!   + Gary is a magnificent cat. And Marlin, though he seems to believe he's a dog.    + Pie recipes galore.    + Photos of the newest UNESCO World Heritage sites.   + I need to make this zucchini dish. Thanks for the inspiration Donna. And if you're on the hunt for more veggie recipes, why not sign up to this new weekly newsletter?   + If you're a fellow 90s kid, enjoy some nostalgia and make some art with a rebooted web version of Kid Pix.   + Enjoy this pleasing paper art from Reina Takahashi.   + An essay on nature's endless spirals. 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. Learn more. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 If we don't act to stop climate change now, we never will Amid floods, fires, and extreme heat, many of us are reaching our own personal "tipping point." (The Atlantic $)   + 13 things we learned from the IPCC report. (New Scientist $)   + The facts are clear: we're in an emergency. (Wired UK)   + We need electric cars to get much cheaper. (NYT $)  2 US military personnel will be required to get vaccinated against covid-19 The rule is expected to come in some time next month. (CNN)   + Yes, the pandemic is bad again. (The Atlantic $)   + Cases in the US have risen to their highest levels since February. (NYT $)   + More kids are ending up in hospital with the virus. (Axios)   + As the delta variant surges, so does online misinformation. (NYT $)  3 A new generation of AI-powered robots is taking over warehouses 🤖 The big question is whether they will augment, or replace, the people who work in them currently. (TR)   4 TikTok has overtaken Facebook as the world's most downloaded app That's quite the milestone.  (Nikkei)   + Facebook has launched a prayer tool. It's had a mixed reception so far. (NBC)  5 Twitter's racist image-cropping algorithm is also sexist and ageist This is bad—and totally rife within AI. (The Verge)   + Twitter has finally complied with India's new laws. (The Next Web)   + South Africa has granted a patent to an AI system. (Quartz)  6 How well can animals grasp numbers?  Even better than we'd previously believed, it seems. (Quanta)   7 Text memes are taking over Instagram It's not just Gen Z either. My teen idol Courtney Love is getting in on the act. (NYT $)   + Gen X themes are all the rage on TikTok (some good news for you, Niall.) (Wired $)  8 Smiley emojis might not mean what you think 🙂 It's a minefield out there. (WSJ $)   9 Office politics are moving into the home If you still haven't claimed a permanent workstation, please do get on with it, for the sake of your mental health. (Axios)   10 Are lightsabers theoretically possible? Kind of. (Gizmodo) Immerse yourself in bold thinking and innovation at EmTech MIT.  Join us to get critical, ahead-of-the-curve knowledge and actionable insights on the breakthrough technologies fundamentally changing how business is done. Purchase your ticket today. Quote of the day “It’s not the hill I’m going to die on. If it really became something that was going to strongly affect my career, I would probably just get it.” —Benjamin Rose, a 28-year-old bank worker who has been hesitant about getting vaccinated, suggests to the New York Times why vaccine mandates might just work. Top image credit: MARIO TAMA | GETTY IMAGES Please send lightsabers 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 Understand the promise of technology. Make MIT Technology Review your go-to resource for thought-provoking insights, analysis, and news about the world of technology. Get unlimited access when you subscribe today. 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