What it will take to unleash the potential of geothermal power

Omicron is hitting the UK hard

Sponsored by Insight & HP The Download Your daily dose of what's up in emerging technology Untapped potential 12.10.21 Good morning! Today: experimental techniques might help us to finally tap more of the vast geothermal power that sits in the ground beneath our feet. Also: omicron cases are rising rapidly in the UK. Get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day. What it will take to unleash the potential of geothermal power   Untapped potential: There’s enough heat inside the earth to meet total global energy demand twice over. But harnessing it requires drilling deep underground and transforming that heat into a usable form of energy. That’s difficult and expensive, which is why geothermal power only makes up only about 0.3% of electricity generation worldwide, despite the fact it’s more consistent than virtually every other form of renewable energy. However, it’s now getting a boost, thanks to a $84 million Department of Energy project to build four demonstration plants. They’ll test enhanced geothermal systems, an experimental form of the technology. Exhausted supplies: The most accessible geothermal resources in the US have been tapped, and it’s hard to figure out how many more potential sites may be out there, and where they might be. Some researchers and startups are trying to expand into new places by pumping fluid into impermeable rock to force cracks open. This creates space where water is free to move around and heat up, producing the steam needed for power. Barriers: Despite geothermal’s vast potential, reaching these resources won’t be easy. The process has been shown to trigger earthquakes, and despite the injection of government cash, financing geothermal projects can also be a challenge. Read the full story. —Casey Crownhart 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.)   + Tilda Swinton as libraries: a Twitter thread.   + It’s truly incredible that Keith Richards is still alive.   + 21 firsts in 2021. (NYT $)   + Bravo to these men who took an icy dip to rescue a dog.    + I know it’s bad that Finland’s prime minister couldn’t be contacted by contact tracers, but I can’t help but adore the reason why.   + London’s Natural History Museum stuck a Christmas jumper on its resident T-Rex.   + A trio of adorable cat videos: head-banging cat, chattering cat, and business cat.   + An artist who uses sourdough bread as his canvas.   + A belated Happy Birthday to Judi Dench. Early Bird Savings are here (for a limited time).  MIT Technology Review's signature AI conference decision makers and leaders put AI to work for business. For a limited time, save 25% on your VIP hybrid or Online ticket. Register now. Sponsor Message Safeguard Your Endpoints With HP Wolf Security In 2020, devices connected to the internet experienced 1.5 attacks per minute globally. As companies continue to face an increase in cybersecurity risks, especially with remote work being more prevalent, there’s a greater need to defend endpoints from evolving cybercriminals. Learn how HP Wolf Security™, available from Insight, provides 24/7 monitoring, whitelisting and real-time alerts to empower hybrid work by shrinking the attack surface and enabling remote recovery. Learn more in the ebook The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Omicron is hitting the UK hard But rapidly rising cases aren't translating into hospitalizations—yet. (NYT $)   + The FDA has authorized Pfizer booster shots for 16 and 17-year-olds. (Axios)   + The WHO is concerned that rich countries will now hoard vaccines even more. (BBC)   + Here’s a snapshot of where vaccines are going. (NYT $)  2 We need to talk more about entrepreneurs’ mental health This is a conversation we all have a stake in, whether we realize it or not. (NEO.LIFE)   + Elon Musk’s latest wheeze? Philanthropy as trolling. (NYT $)   + He’s selling another $963 million of Tesla stock. (CNBC)  3 How social media kept a child sex-trafficking conspiracy in motion  Moral panics aren’t new but they’re now almost impossible to stop. (The Atlantic $)   + “Birds Aren’t Real” is Gen Z’s absurd, irreverent stab at combating conspiracy theories. (NYT $)  4 The cost of Amazon coming to your community Sure, it brings jobs. But it also brings traffic and pollution, among a host of other problems. (Consumer Reports)   5 What’s the internet doing to our ability to remember? 🤔 We’ve always relied on external sources to jog our memories—Google is just an extension of that. (NBC)   6 Can a global food crisis be avoided by making better leaves? 🍃 Photosynthesis has powered the planet for billions of years—now some researchers think it needs optimizing. (New Yorker $)   7 Virtual reality faces a harassment problem And it’s significantly harder to moderate than other sorts of platforms. (CNET)   + Meta is opening up access to its VR social platform Horizon Worlds. (The Verge)   + Zuckerberg thinks the metaverse is the next big thing in tech. Is it? (WSJ $)  8 Elizabeth Holmes was always in control She wanted to be liked—so she let others handle rebukes and difficult conversations. (The Verge)   9 White supremacists have earned a windfall from cryptocurrencies Perhaps it’s ideologically unsurprising. (NBC)   10 People are buying beautifully folded ham on Facebook Some people have more money than sense. (Wired $) Quote of the day “Can you see how this might play out? Rich nations will give the third and fourth dose and keep on boosting their population. They will do nothing to address global vaccine equity. New variants and waves will keep emerging. Pharma will keep making huge profits.” —Madhu Pai, an epidemiology professor at McGill University, tweets his response to Pfizer’s CEO’s prediction that further shots will be needed to combat omicron. Top image credit: GETTY Please send Finland’s prime minister 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 Becoming an AI-Driven Business Join us | March 29–30, 2022 For a limited time, get early bird savings when you register by December 31 Register now Want to change how you receive these emails? 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