The US is about to kickstart its controversial covid booster campaign

China's central bank has just declared all cryptocurrency transactions illegal

Sponsored by Dassault Systèmes The Download Your daily dose of what's up in emerging technology Boosters begin 09.24.21 Good morning! Today: the US covid booster shot campaign is about to begin—we explain how it'll work, and why it's controversial. I hope you have a great weekend, and that you'll consider encouraging colleagues and friends to sign up here to get The Download every day. The US is about to kickstart its controversial covid booster campaign   The news: The White House is set to kick off its booster shot campaign today, after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's director Dr Rochelle Walensky overruled her own agency's advisors in favor of recommending third doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for frontline workers. Who gets it: There are three groups of Americans now eligible for a booster shot: those aged 65 and older, some adults with underlying health conditions, and people at higher risk of exposure due to their jobs. The CDC's advisory panel had only recommended booster shots for the first two categories, but Walensky disagreed and added the third, justifying her decision by pointing to the fact it aligns with an FDA ruling released earlier this week. Disagreements: Booster shots have been controversial. While there's some evidence that post-vaccine immunity wanes over time, the vaccines seem just as effective as ever at keeping people alive and out of hospital. A group of top scientists published a review in The Lancet on Monday arguing that booster shots are unnecessary. Furthermore, they say, vaccine supplies could save more lives if they're used for unvaccinated people than as boosters for the vaccinated. Read the full story. 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.)   + These photos of Angela Merkel visiting a bird park are the best thing you'll see today.    + These vintage cocktail recipe books are just fabulous.   + How do you like your toast? Animated!   + These murals really play with your perception of dimensions.   + Everything about flamingos is distinctive. Even the way they eat.   + This website explaining the scale of the universe certainly puts a few things into perspective.   + There's a long tradition of US bands coming to the UK to make it big. You can keep The Killers, though.    + I would really love to hang out with Leni Sorensen. Especially if she's cooking. (NYT $)   + Make this coconut curry base, freeze it, and a ton of meals are within easy reach. 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 What it's like when your family becomes a covid cluster It’s way less stressful if everyone around you has been vaccinated. (New Yorker $)   + Your mask still protects you, even if no one else around you is wearing one. (NYT $)   + Researchers predict a steady decline in covid cases over the coming months. (NPR)   + Experts say covid will end up resembling the common cold by next spring. (Sky)  2 China's central bank has just declared all cryptocurrency transactions illegal It's the toughest measure yet in a growing crackdown. (CNBC)   3 Germany's strict laws haven't stopped a deluge of online hate speech  As they gear up for the September 26 election, women candidates have faced tons of abuse. (NYT $)   + How extremists use video games to spread hate. (BBC)    + Reddit still hasn't got to grips with its misinformation problem. (The Atlantic $)  4 The EU wants a universal charger for cell phones It's just a proposal for now—but it's one that's likely to be popular with consumers. (NPR)   5 The US Army is trying to make robots useful 🤖 Right now, that involves a lot of tinkering around with tree branches. (IEEE Spectrum)   + Tiny flying microchips could be used to study air pollution. (NPR)  6 NASA offered us a glimpse at the far-out future of space travel 🚀 Science fiction could help to shape reality, and not for the first time either. (Wired $)   + NASA is shaking up its bureaucracy to shoot for the moon. (Quartz)  7 The heavy toll of electronic monitoring Wearers are often essentially set up to fail. (NBC)   8 Why we medicalize societal problems Pop psychology is everywhere—but is it distracting us from the real causes of our woes? (New Statesman $)   9 Would you read a novel set entirely in Slack? 📖 Despite some initial skepticism, this might have just about convinced me. (New Yorker $)    10 Check out this mesmerizing map of undersea internet cables  Amazing to think we're all connected thanks to filaments the width of a human hair. (Vice) EmTech MIT kicks off next week! Don't miss this opportunity hear from some of the most brilliant minds in science and technology on global trends in biotech, cryptocurrencies, extended reality, AI, power, and more. Register now. Quote of the day "As long as you can make technology seem fresh and new and cool, you can avoid regulation." —Joan Donovan, research director of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University, tells the Washington Post what might really be behind Facebook's new obsession with the "metaverse".  Top image credit: Associated Press Please do not send The Killers 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