A biocomputer made from E. coli can solve a maze by sharing the work

3 space science questions that computing is helping to answer

Sponsored by Code42 The Download Your daily dose of what's up in emerging technology Computing with cells 11.09.21 Good morning! Today: a new study suggests that getting cells to work together could unlock new, exciting biocomputing applications. Also: how computing is helping to answer some of astronomy's biggest questions. Get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day. A biocomputer made from E. coli can solve a maze by sharing the work   ​​ E. coli thrives in our guts and has helped certain scientific advances—in DNA, biofuels, and Pfizer’s covid vaccine, to name but a few. Now this multi-talented bacterium has a new trick: it can solve a classic computational maze problem using distributed computing—dividing up the necessary calculations among different types of genetically engineered cells. The feat is a credit to synthetic biology, which aims to rig up biological circuitry much like electronic circuitry and to program cells as easily as computers. So far, synthetic biologists have struggled to harness biology’s design power. The maze experiment is part of what some researchers consider a promising direction in the field: rather than engineering a single type of cell to do all the work, they design multiple types of cells, each with different functions, to get the job done by working in concert. If this approach works at larger scales, it could unlock applications in everything from pharmaceuticals to agriculture to space travel. Read the full story. —Siobhan Roberts 3 space science questions that computing is helping to answer As space scientists collect more and more data, observatories around the world are finding new ways to apply supercomputing, cloud computing, and deep learning to make sense of it all.  These technologies are changing the way astronomers study space, and they’re being used to answer some of the biggest questions, such as: what happens when black holes collide? How has the night sky changed? And what did the early universe look like? Read the full story. —Tatyana Woodall This story is from the latest issue of MIT Technology Review, which is all about computing. Subscribe for just $50 a year in order to read the full thing! 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.)   + I found this essay on Texas fascinating.    + Led Zeppelin turns 50 this week. Read about how the band created its masterful fourth album.    + Celeste Barber is hilarious, while also making a very important point about how womanhood gets weaponized to sell us things.   + Does your dog tilt their head? If so, they may be a VERY CLEVER BOY (or girl.)   + How sushi arrived in America.   + I'll definitely be making some of these veggie recipes.   + Inside TikTok's weird pop scene. Join MIT Technology Review's Global Insights Panel (membership is free).  Take part in original research and gain valuable business insights into today’s most important technology trends. Join our Global Insights Panel. Sponsor Message Insider Risk Management: A Shift Driven by Zero Trust Many companies today are leveraging a Zero Trust security framework, but often ignore the value of data that employees can access and the Insider Risk that creates - particularly in today’s new hybrid-remote world. This Forrester research report explores Insider Risk Management trends. The research found that:  The shift to pursue a more holistic Insider Risk Management strategy is often a part of a proactive (rather than reactive) Zero Trust strategy Business leaders agree that a dedicated Insider Risk program would improve their security posture Access the report The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 How easily can vaccinated people spread covid? We still don't have a clear answer—but vaccines remain our best defense. (The Atlantic $)   + It seems like everyone has a cold at the moment. (NYT $)   + How people are navigating the return of touch. (The Guardian)   + The pandemic has seriously dented researchers' productivity. (Nature)   + Republicans are dying at far higher rates in the US. (NYT $)  2 Is COP26 going to deliver real change?  We won't know for months, if not years. (NYT $)   + The talks will fall short. Here are other ways to accelerate progress. (TR)  3 One of the biggest ransomware crackdowns ever is underway The US and EU announced seven arrests yesterday, all linked to the REvil gang. (NBC)   + Unlike other busts, this one might actually make an impact. (Wired $)  4 How Facebook is helping to foment a civil war in Ethiopia You can't moderate hate speech if you don't even understand it. (Vice)   5 Niantic wants to get in on the metaverse Pokémon Go’s maker probably has more experience of augmented reality than Facebook. (The Verge)   + Augmented reality is where the metaverse will happen (if it ever happens.) (Wired $)   + An 8-year-old's take on the metaverse. (NYT $)  6 What it's like to fight a megafire 🔥 As terrifying, traumatic and dangerous as you might imagine. (New Yorker $)   7 Why Big Tech is backing psychedelics It may shock you to learn that it's not purely out of the goodness of their hearts. (Wired $)   + What it's like to undergo MDMA therapy. (TR)  8 Think being a video game livestreamer is easy? Think again 🎮 It's pretty disastrous for your health—and the money generally isn't even that good. (WSJ $)   + The two best Tetris players in the world are brothers. (The Guardian)  9 It isn't emails that are the problem. It's us.  Let go of the need to respond to everything straight away. (Wired $)   10 Pinterest is ruining photo searches online There's a way to get signups, but hijacking search results ain't it. (Input) Quote of the day "This is the best thing that's ever happened to me." —Jill Chambers, a passenger on one of the first flights from the UK to the US yesterday, tells the BBC how it feels to be reunited with loved ones after a 20-month travel ban. Top image credit: ANDREA CHRONOPOULOS Please send sushi 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 Build your strategic defense again cybercriminals Join us virtually | November 16-17, 2021 Register now 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    Follow us: MIT Technology Review One Main Street Cambridge, MA 02142