Meet Altos Labs, Silicon Valley’s latest wild bet on living forever

How Ida dodged NYC's flood defenses 

The Download Your daily dose of what's up in emerging technology Prolonging life 09.06.21 Good morning! I hope you had a fab weekend. Today: introducing Altos Labs, a Jeff Bezos-backed bet on living forever. Also: how Ida dodged New York City's flood defenses, and five of the biggest questions about memories. Get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day. Meet Altos Labs, Silicon Valley’s latest wild bet on living forever   Last October, a large group of scientists made their way to Yuri Milner’s super-mansion in the Los Altos Hills above Palo Alto. The topic: how biotechnology might be used to make people younger. Milner is a Russian-born billionaire who made a fortune on Facebook and Mail.ru and previously started the glitzy black-tie Breakthrough Prizes, $3 million awards given each year to outstanding physicists, biologists, and mathematicians. But Milner’s enthusiasm for science was taking a provocative and specific new direction. As the scientific sessions progressed, experts took the stage to describe radical attempts at “rejuvenating” animals. That meeting has now led to the formation of an ambitious new anti-aging company called Altos Labs, according to people familiar with the plans. Altos is pursuing biological reprogramming technology, a way to rejuvenate cells in the lab that some scientists think could be extended to revitalize entire animal bodies, ultimately prolonging human life.  It plans to establish several institutes around the world, and recruit a large cadre of university scientists. Investors include Jeff Bezos, the world’s richest person. Read the full story. —Antonio Regalado How Ida dodged NYC’s flood defenses A catastrophe: Floods killed at least two dozen people as Hurricane Ida swept through New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania on the night of September 1. New York City was hit particularly hard, despite billions of dollars the city has spent to improve its flood defenses since Hurricane Sandy in 2012. What went wrong? New York City has been relatively forward-thinking when it comes to preparing for floods. For years, the city put in more permeable architecture, like green roofs and rain gardens, and upgraded pumps and drainage pipes. But while Sandy caused an intense storm surge, where the ocean rushed into the city, the problem New York faced last week was pluvial flooding, the kind caused by rainfall. The big problem: Climate change and adaptation efforts are running at different speeds. Adapting will take time and money, and hundreds of billions of dollars, while climate change is already making floods bigger and deadlier. Read the full story. —Casey Crownhart  Five of the biggest questions about memories Technologies such as optogenetics and advanced imaging are helping neuroscientists better understand the nature of memories. For example, memory helps shape our identities, and memory impairment may indicate a brain disorder. Alzheimer’s disease robs individuals of their memories by destroying synapses; addiction hijacks the brain’s learning and memory centers; and some mental health conditions, like depression, are associated with memory impairment. Read five of the big questions about memories, including: can they be manipulated? And can we actually see them? —Joshua Sariñana We included some poetry in the latest print edition of MIT Technology Review! We published five poems, all about the topic of the mind. They cover themes like love, dreams, medication, and trauma, and much else besides. Even if you don't consider yourself a poetry person, give them a go.  And if you want to read the rest of the magazine, and gain access to all of our award-winning journalism, please do subscribe. This is the last week of our end-of-summer offer, which bags you an extra two months free when you sign up for a year's subscription. Check it out. 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.)   + How will the universe end? The answers are surprisingly fun, according to this podcast episode.    + Metallica's legendary Black Album is 30 years old this month.    + This guy has incredible parkour skills. My legs ache just watching him!   + A duck in Australia learned to say "you bloody fool." No joke.   + If you like drawing, you'll enjoy these TikTok tutorials.    + What if… every sport used bowling balls?   + How a "guerilla public service" stunt in 2001 became part of Los Angeles lore. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Covid deaths are surging across the US again  More than 1,500 Americans are dying most days. (NYT $)   + A trio of conservative radio hosts died of covid. Will their deaths change peoples' minds on vaccines? (NBC)   + The rise in cases is throwing back-to-school plans into disarray. (WSJ $)   + Covid is leaving survivors with lingering kidney problems. (NYT $)   + England is about to introduce vaccine passports. (BBC)   + Experts are scratching their heads over the sudden drop in cases in South America. (NYT $)  2 Climate disaster pile-ups are the new norm We'd better prepare for the fact that things are only going to get worse. (The Verge)   + On the weird sensation of doomscrolling through a climate catastrophe you can literally see outside your window. (Vanity Fair)   + Poorly devised regulations in the US let firms pollute with abandon. (The Economist $)   + Which parts of the US are safest from climate change? (Quartz)  3 Google locked the Taliban out of official Afghan government email accounts We are living through truly bizarre times. (Reuters)   4 Apple is delaying its plan to scan iPhones for child abuse Security and privacy experts have warned it could lead to surveillance mission creep. (WP $)   + Apple is clearing a giant homeless camp on its property. (Vice)  5 GoDaddy has cut off Texas’ abortion ‘whistleblowing’ website It's an example of the increasingly active role hosting providers are playing. (The Verge)   + Bumble and Match have created a relief fund to help cover abortion costs in Texas. (Gizmodo)   + Lyft and Uber say they will pay drivers' legal fees if they're sued under the new law. (NPR)  6 Secure work is becoming rarer and rarer One in three US workers does gig work now. (Recode)   + Workers are increasingly being forced to submit to surveillance while working from home. (The Guardian)  7 Inside the fight for internet freedom in Russia This couldn't come at a more dangerous time for activists, as the Kremlin is increasingly unwilling to tolerate any dissent at all. (CNET)   8 Why ransomware hackers love public holidays It’s easier to sneak into networks without people noticing. (Wired $)   9 Automated hiring systems may be making labor shortages worse They're rejecting millions of perfectly good résumés. (WSJ $)   + It is mad to use an algorithm to hire someone. (FT $)   + Listen to our podcast on just this issue. (TR)  10 The weird world of NFT art collectors Visionaries, or fools? (Wired UK) Claim your end of summer offer today. 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. Quote of the day “I don’t know what’s real or not anymore. I’m terrified and confused. My parents told me I’d get blood clots, I’d die, be dead within five years, be sterile, microchipped, tracked by the government, controlled by the government etc.”  —A 16-year-old girl who escaped her parents (who are QAnon devotees) says she doesn't know whether to get vaccinated or not, CNBC reports. Top image credit: ALAMY, GETTY (BEZOS) Please send chatty ducks 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   Want to change how you receive these emails? You can *update your preferences or *unsubscribe from this list.  Subscription Information This message was sent to  Webmaster220 Bible Study Blog *the blog owner has deleted the hyperlink intentionally