The race to grow carbon-sucking kelp may be rushing ahead of the science

This AI could predict 10 years of scientific priorities—if we let it

Sponsored by Dassault Systèmes The Download Your daily dose of what's up in emerging technology The danger of climate hype 09.20.21 Good morning! It's Charlotte here, and I'm thrilled to be with you again. Let's get straight to it. Today we're looking at how the hype around carbon-sucking kelp is getting ahead of the evidence, and the potential for AI to help pick the next decade of scientific priorities for astronomers. The race to grow carbon-sucking kelp may be rushing ahead of the science   The world may need to remove billions of tons of carbon dioxide a year from the atmosphere by midcentury to prevent dangerous levels of warming. Meanwhile, a growing number of corporations are scouring the market for carbon credits that allow them to offset their emissions and claim progress toward the goal of carbon neutrality. All of that has spurred a growing number of companies, investors, and research groups to explore carbon removal approaches. Kelp has become an especially active area of inquiry and investment because there’s already an industry that cultivates it on a large scale—and the theoretical carbon removal potential is significant. Kelp forests continually shed their blades and fronds, which then sink to the bottom of the ocean, trapping carbon for millennia. It's estimated that seaweed may naturally sequester nearly 175 million tons of carbon around the world each year in this way. But scientists are still grappling with fundamental questions about this approach. How much kelp can we grow? What will it take to ensure that most of the seaweed sinks to the bottom of the ocean? And how much of the carbon will stay there long enough to really help the climate? The unknowns, however, haven’t prevented some ventures from rushing ahead. That’s worrying, as if the practice doesn’t sequester as much carbon as claimed, it could slow or overstate progress on climate change. Read the full story. —James Temple This AI could predict 10 years of scientific priorities—if we let it Planning ahead: Every 10 years, US astronomers have to make some tough decisions. Outlined in a plan called the Decadal Survey on Astronomy and Astrophysics, these decisions determine the next decade’s scientific priorities for the field. The seventh report, called Astro2020, is expected at the end of this month. Public proposals: Researchers who want their project to be considered must submit their proposals more than a year in advance. They’re all available to the public (there’s more than 500 of them this time) and cover topics ranging from exploring Jupiter’s moons to forging planetary defense strategies. A role for AI? One team of researchers wants to use artificial intelligence to make this process easier. They say their AI can help scientists make tough decisions about which proposals to prioritize. The idea is that by training an AI to spot research areas that are either growing or declining rapidly, the tool could make it easier for survey committees and panels to decide what should make the list. Read the full story. —Tatyana Woodall  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.)   + Native American corn can produce a dazzling array of colors. Thanks Laurel!   + Egg-based science experiments don't come much more fun than this.    + What scientists say vs what they mean.   + Nirvana's album "Nevermind", reimagined as if 12 other bands had also contributed. And if you like that, you might also enjoy this Rolling Stone interview with Dave Grohl.   + Book your tickets to visit Paris in 2024, as that's when the Notre Dame is scheduled to reopen (actually, knowing how major projects tend to go, maybe make it 2025 or 2026…)    + Cheese soufflé is delicious and not as tricky to make as you might think. (NYT $) Sponsor Message Join Our Scientific Communities and Discover the Age of Experience Join Dassault Systèmes at Science in the Age of Experience – a virtual science and technology event, September 28th, 2021. Join thought leaders and influencers from around the world to explore the newest dynamics in science. Learn how the age of experience allows us to create, test and iterate in a virtual world innovative solutions to our greatest challenges. Some of the most highly sought-after leaders in science and technology will join us – including our conference keynote, George Church, PhD., from the Wyss Institute at Harvard University. Join now. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Does it matter that covid vaccine immunity is waning? The vaccines are still holding up against severe disease and death. (Nature)   + Fauci is urging Americans to wait until they're eligible to get booster shots. (NYT $)  2 Natural gas prices are surging 📈 The knock-on effects for economies around the world could be profound. (WSJ $)   + The solution is more renewable energy, not less. (Quartz)  3 AI has an Islamophobia problem It's hard to generate text about Muslims from language models that doesn't involve violence or terrorism. (Vox)   4 How Israel remotely assassinated a top Iranian nuclear scientist Yes, it really was a killer robot: a souped-up, remote-controlled machine gun. (NYT $)   5 Apple and Google removed a Russian opposition voting app  After huge pressure from the authorities—though it's unclear which law the app was supposedly breaking. (WP $)   + Russia's elections have tested Big Tech's human rights policies. (NBC)   + And they've mostly capitulated under pressure. That should worry everyone. (Recode)  6 The huge potential of carbon-neutral steel Making steel accounts for 7% of our greenhouse gas emissions, and demand for it is only going up. (New Yorker $)   + How you can reduce your carbon footprint. (Wired UK)  7 How Zuckerberg's bid to vaccinate America was hobbled by… Facebook Yet again, the core design of the platform is the problem. (WSJ $)   + The problem with Facebook is Facebook. (The Guardian)  8 A new type of dark energy might explain why the universe is expanding so quickly If it existed (a big if) it would have been around straight after the Big Bang. (Nature)   9 Why it's so hard to hire anyone right now A free tip: if you want to attract more people, give them the option of working fully remotely. (Wired UK)   + The average American is doing a 10% longer workweek during the pandemic. (Axios)   10 How much water do you actually need to drink? 🚰 You basically just need to listen to your body and when it tells you it's thirsty. Who knew! (NYT $) EmTech MIT kicks off next week!  Don't miss this opportunity to 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 terrifying, like a pianist who loses their fingers.”  —Calice Becker, a top French perfumer, tells the New York Times about fears that covid-19 could derail careers in the highly competitive world of perfumery, where smell is a skill honed over many years. Top image credit: Getty Please send colorful corn 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? 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