# what (news sources) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 2 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover what. Page: Feed: --- ## [The Download: threats from space mirrors and credit for AI drugs](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/21/1142762/the-download-space-mirrors-threats-ai-designed-drugs-credit/) _2026-08-21 · Thomas Macaulay · MIT Technology Review_ This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. This company’s plans to deploy space mirrors could jeopardize the night sky for many A company that plans to beam sunlight from space to Earth on demand might unintentionally brighten the… ## [Mother tongue](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/21/1141726/mother-tongue-fiction/) _2026-08-21 · Jenny Williams · MIT Technology Review_ “Daddy?” Theo curled against my side in bed. “Where do words go when they die?” I’d orchestrated the bedtime routine flawlessly: bath (taken), teeth (brushed), potty (tinkled), books (two), song (one, poorly sung), and snuggle (his chin on my second rib). Now was the moment when our son’s eyelids were supposed to flutter gently closed,… ## [When AI designs a drug, who gets the credit?](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/21/1142627/when-ai-designs-a-drug-who-gets-the-credit/) _2026-08-21 · Antonio Regalado · MIT Technology Review_ When the biotech company Insilico Medicine used its computer models to propose a promising drug for pulmonary fibrosis, it enthusiastically claimed in a press release that the molecule had been “discovered by” its generative AI platform. Insilico leads a pack of companies using AI to rapidly come up with drug ideas humans might never think… ## [This company’s plans to deploy space mirrors could jeopardize the night sky for many](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/21/1142755/space-mirrors-night-sky/) _2026-08-21 · Jonathan O'Callaghan · MIT Technology Review_ A company that plans to beam sunlight from space to Earth on demand might unintentionally brighten the night sky for many more people than intended, according to a new study. Later this year, the US company Reflect Orbital plans to launch a test satellite called Eärendil-1 that will extend an 18-by-18-meter mirror in orbit. The… ## [Jonas Brothers at Madison Square Garden "The Burning Up Tour All Over Again" Set List (Night 1)](https://www.laughingplace.com/entertainment/jonas-brothers-at-madison-square-garden-2026-set-list/) _2026-08-20 · Kyle Burbank · Disney News |_ Tonight, fresh from being named Disney Legends, the Jonas Brothers took the stage at Madison Square Garden for the first of three shows. The Burning Up Tour All Over Again is a love letter to fans and proved to be a nostalgic throwback to the landmark tour for the band.... ## [Matt Damon Celebrates Daughter's Birthday at Disneyland Resort](https://www.laughingplace.com/disney-parks/matt-damon-at-dlr/) _2026-08-20 · Maxon Faber · Disney News |_ Academy Award winner Matt Damon got a head start at Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort, taking a family photo in front of the iconic Mickey pumpkin on Main Street. What’s Happening:Disneyland is one of the best places in the world to make family memories, and even some of the biggest... ## [Debates over AI consciousness are a trap](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/20/1142571/ai-consciousness-debate-trap/) _2026-08-20 · Rumman Chowdhury · MIT Technology Review_ “Runaway” AI, “rogue” agents, and “autonomous” actors—the current rhetoric would have you believe that AI agents are not only awake and aware, but angry at their creators. Prominent tech leaders such as Demis Hassabis, Dario Amodei, and Sam Altman push for regulation of these seemingly “superhuman” systems, while a separate faction, led by policy organizations… ## [Muppets Take Magic Kingdom: New Passholder Backgrounds Available Now](https://www.laughingplace.com/disney-parks/muppet-wdw-ap-mk-wallpapers/) _2026-08-20 · Maxon Faber · Disney News |_ Walt Disney World’s Annual Passholder page has shared some fun new Muppets backgrounds, perfect for bringing some Disney magic to your personal devices. What’s Happening:As The Muppets celebrate their first summer thrilling guests on Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Walt Disney World’s official Annual Passholder account is giving fans new ways... ## [Xfinity Diamond Members Can Redeem Free Tickets to Universal Orlando During Member Celebration](https://www.laughingplace.com/parks/xfinity-universal-orlando-free-tickets/) _2026-08-20 · Luke Manning · Disney News |_ Eligible Xfinity Members have the chance to redeem two free tickets to the Universal Orlando Resort.What's Happening:Today, Comcast's Xfinity launched their Xfinity Member Celebration, a 10-day event running through August 30 that gives members access to bonus rewards, exclusive experiences, sweepstakes and limited-time savings.All of Comcast NBCUniversal's portfolio of brands... ## [Longtime FX and Disney Executive Chuck Saftler to Depart After 32 Years](https://www.laughingplace.com/disney-business/chuck-saftler-leaving-disney/) _2026-08-20 · Maxon Faber · Disney News |_ After more than three decades helping shape FX and Disney’s television strategy, longtime acquisitions executive Chuck Saftler is preparing to leave The Walt Disney Company.What’s Happening:Deadline is exclusively reporting that longtime Disney and FX executive Chuck Saftler is leaving the company after 32 years, with his final day in the... ## [Non-Custodial Crypto Gateway (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/pk3fJPf0u3xe) _2026-08-20 · **Sponsored**_ Accept multi-chain crypto, automated fee handling, and trustless escrow with real-time settlement. ## [Disney Plans New Employee Stock Purchase Program for 2027](https://www.laughingplace.com/disney-business/disney-employee-stock-purchase-plan-2027/) _2026-08-20 · Luke Manning · Disney News |_ Disney is expanding its investment in employees with plans for a new Employee Stock Purchase Plan, offering another way for eligible employees to participate in the company’s long-term success.What's Happening:Disney is aiming to introduce an Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) later in 2027, giving eligible employees a new opportunity to... ## [New EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival Merch is Flashy and Functional](https://www.laughingplace.com/disney-parks/epcot-international-food-wine-festival-merchandise-loungefly/) _2026-08-20 · Dirk Libbey · Disney News |_ The 2026 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival is almost here, and while that means tons of food and drink to enjoy, the 30 year old festival doesn't slouch on the merch.What's Happening:A new Instagram post from Walt Disney World shows off a few of the items that will be... ## [The Ultimate Disney Merchandise: D23 Exclusives Found Throughout Disney's Hollywood Studios](https://www.laughingplace.com/disney-parks/d23-merch-dhs-wdw/) _2026-08-20 · Maxon Faber · Disney News |_ The magic of D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event has arrived at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, with several exclusive pieces of merchandise arriving at the Walt Disney World park. What’s Happening:One of the best parts of attending the bi-ennial D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event is getting to shop a selection... ## [New Disney Haunted Mansion | RSVLTS Collection Invites Happy Haunts Into Your Wardrobe](https://www.laughingplace.com/disney-merchandise/disney-haunted-mansion-rsvlts-collection/) _2026-08-20 · Reiley Selinger · Disney News |_ Just in time for the Halloween season, the spirits are beginning to materialize and are assembling for a haunting new collection from RSVLTS. The latest Disney’s Haunted Mansion | RSVLTS Collection brings the eerie elegance, playful ghosts and iconic imagery of the beloved Disney Parks attraction to a wide range... ## [Marvel’s Venom Origin Story Gets a New Perspective in "VENOM: POV"](https://www.laughingplace.com/disney-entertainment/venom-pov-marvel-limited-series/) _2026-08-20 · Reiley Selinger · Disney News |_ Venom is turning the pages back to the beginning, but this time, fans will experience one of Marvel’s most iconic origin stories through the eyes of the symbiote itself. The classic Amazing Spider-Man saga that introduced Venom is getting a fresh perspective in an upcoming limited series that promises to... ## [The Download: polycrisis support networks and a hydrogen gold rush](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/20/1142579/the-download-polycrisis-support-networks-underground-hydrogen-gold-rush/) _2026-08-20 · Thomas Macaulay · MIT Technology Review_ This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Support networks aim to help kids through the polycrisis Sometime in the late 2000s, six-year-old Pim Sullivan-Tailyour was sitting in the back of a car in Thailand when she saw a… ## [The next big thing in hydrogen could be underground](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/20/1142512/geologic-hydrogen-hunt/) _2026-08-20 · Casey Crownhart · MIT Technology Review_ There’s a hunt for new sources of hydrogen, and the gas (or at least the right conditions to make it) could be hiding beneath our feet. Hydrogen can be used as a fuel in everything from large trucks to planes to steelmaking. It’s often hailed as a climate solution because when burned, it produces water… ## [Unlocking hidden revenue streams with market models](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/20/1142070/unlocking-hidden-revenue-streams-with-market-models/) _2026-08-20 · MIT Technology Review Insights · MIT Technology Review_ Each day, an airline transports tens of thousands of passengers on hundreds of flights. Often these are not straightforward point-to-point routes, with passengers requiring multiple connections. The airline can consider potentially hundreds of variables to price each of these journeys: demand, season, time of day, current events, global markets, and competitor airline activity to name… ## [Support networks aim to help kids through the polycrisis](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/20/1141686/support-networks-help-kids-polycrisis/) _2026-08-20 · Sarah Scoles · MIT Technology Review_ Sometime in the late 2000s, Pim Sullivan-Tailyour was sitting in the back of a car, headed toward her great-grandmother’s tiny town in the south of Thailand. She watched big mountains pass by out the window. She was just six years old but was about to be hit by an adult-size realization. “They were just quarried… ## [The Download: AI’s self-improvement problem, and what’s driving the heat](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/19/1140195/the-download-ai-recursive-self-improvement-problem-heatwave-causes/) _2026-08-19 · Thomas Macaulay · MIT Technology Review_ This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. AI’s recursive self-improvement might not come so quickly after all The AI industry’s boldest promise right now is that AI will soon improve itself, with almost no need for human oversight.… ## [Prime Noise-Cancelling Picks (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/CdtCGJqw0F7h) _2026-08-19 · **Sponsored**_ Browse Prime-eligible, 4-star-and-up noise-cancelling earbuds with fast shipping and deals ## [Child-monitoring apps might need a reboot](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/19/1141623/child-monitoring-apps-need-reboot/) _2026-08-19 · Kelly Clancy · MIT Technology Review_ Pam Wisniewski’s digital adolescence showed her the best and the worst of the internet. At 14, she left an abusive home, where she’d been isolated in a fifth-wheel trailer at the end of a seven-­mile dirt road. She moved in with her older sister and taught herself to type on AOL Instant Messenger. Online, she… ## [The Download: how people really use AI, and Flock’s design choices](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/18/1142229/the-download-how-people-use-ai-flock-cameras-design/) _2026-08-18 · Thomas Macaulay · MIT Technology Review_ This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. We still don’t know how people are really using AI AI companies like Anthropic and OpenAI regularly publish reports on how people are using their products. But they only release the… ## [We still don’t know how people are really using AI](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/18/1142226/how-people-use-ai/) _2026-08-18 · Eileen Guo · MIT Technology Review_ AI companies like Anthropic and OpenAI regularly publish reports on how people are using products like Claude and ChatGPT, but they only release the data they want us to see, AI researchers say. “There is no independent source to corroborate it,” says Anka Reuel, a computer science PhD candidate at the Stanford Trustworthy AI Research… ## [The role of the astronaut is in flux](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/18/1141614/book-review-astronaut-role-in-flux/) _2026-08-18 · Becky Ferreira · MIT Technology Review_ When the four astronauts on board NASA’s Artemis II swung around the moon earlier this year, they set a new record for the farthest humans have ever ventured from Earth, surpassing the distance set by Apollo 13 in 1972 by some 4,000 miles. While no space mission can live up to the historic touchdown of… ## [AI’s recursive self-improvement might not come so quickly after all](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/18/1142188/ai-recursive-self-improvement/) _2026-08-18 · Michelle Kim · MIT Technology Review_ The AI industry’s boldest promise right now is that AI will soon improve itself, with almost no need for human oversight. LLMs can already write code, generate synthetic data for training, and optimize the computer chips they run on. Forecasts of explosive AI progress predict that what researchers call recursive self-improvement is on the horizon. … ## [What Flock’s defenders are missing](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/17/1142200/what-flocks-defenders-are-missing/) _2026-08-17 · James O'Donnell · MIT Technology Review_ This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here. Flock, the police-tech giant known for its network of some 120,000 automatic license plate readers around the US, announced some changes to its platform last Thursday. The updates are meant to prevent… ## [The Download: dead robot friends and the “censorship-industrial complex”](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/17/1142175/the-download-dead-robot-friends-censorship-industrial-complex/) _2026-08-17 · Thomas Macaulay · MIT Technology Review_ This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. What happens when a kid’s robot best friend dies? When Xander first met Moxie, she taught him how to calm down when he was anxious or mad. Six years later, she… ## [How much hydrogen awaits us underground?](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/17/1141560/how-much-hydrogen-awaits-underground/) _2026-08-17 · James Dinneen · MIT Technology Review_ In the 1990s, Barbara Sherwood Lollar descended into the Kidd Creek mine in northern Ontario, which cuts more than three kilometers into the ancient root of North America. There her team of geochemists found water that had been confined underground for more than a billion years. This ancient brine turned out to be a habitat… ## [What happens when a kid’s robot best friend dies?](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/17/1141568/moxie-when-kids-robot-best-friend-dies/) _2026-08-17 · Sara Harrison · MIT Technology Review_ When Xander first met Moxie, she taught him that when he was anxious, he could calm down by exhaling through his lips so that he buzzed like a bee. They practiced breathing like dragons to manage feeling mad and sniffing like bunnies to boost his energy. But in the six years they’ve known each other,… ## [The Download: Flock’s new rules, cloning’s future, and children’s cells](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/14/1142033/the-download-flock-new-rules-cloning-future/) _2026-08-14 · Thomas Macaulay · MIT Technology Review_ This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Flock is tightening its rules in response to a growing surveillance backlash The police-tech giant Flock is changing officers’ access to its nationwide network of license plate readers. The move comes… ## [Hire AI-Powered Freelancers Fast (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/q030YGcAEHJL) _2026-08-14 · **Sponsored**_ Browse and hire skilled professionals using AI tools — free to post, free to apply. ## [This scientist is helping build a missing map of childhood](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/14/1141354/deanne-taylor-gene-expression-children/) _2026-08-14 · Colleen de Bellefonds · MIT Technology Review_ In 2017, Deanne Taylor attended a presentation at the University of Pennsylvania, just a short walk from her office. A researcher was there to unveil the Human Cell Atlas, an ambitious project that aimed to map every cell in the human body. Taylor was floored, and then concerned. As details emerged, she discovered that the… ## [Job titles of the future: Space travel agent](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/14/1141431/job-titles-space-travel-agent-roman-chiporukha/) _2026-08-14 · Linda Childers · MIT Technology Review_ Roman Chiporukha has long turned wild travel dreams into reality. Over two decades as co-owner of the luxury lifestyle firm Roman & Erica, he has orchestrated everything from the construction of a client’s superyacht to vacations in the Bahamas at a location so private that guests must sign an NDA. The experiences earned him “the… ## [Cloning could be used to save species—or make human “organ sacks”](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/14/1141919/cloning-save-species-or-make-human-organ-sacks/) _2026-08-14 · Jessica Hamzelou · MIT Technology Review_ This week I spoke to scientists who have found a way to turn male mouse embryos female. They’ve developed a CRISPR-based approach to essentially cut out the Y chromosome. It allowed them to create female clones of male mice. That’s right: female animals that are genetically identical to males, except for the missing Y chromosome.… ## [Roundtables: Inside the “Censorship-Industrial Complex” Idea Shaping US Policy](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/13/1141399/roundtables-inside-the-censorship-industrial-complex-idea-shaping-us-policy/) _2026-08-13 · MIT Technology Review · MIT Technology Review_ Listen to the session or watch below The “censorship-industrial complex” is an idea that a network of government, tech, and research groups is collaborating to suppress conservative online speech. This was fodder for the right-wing information sphere for years—then it began making its way into US policy. Watch a conversation exploring how it started, where… ## [Building a practical path to post-quantum cryptography](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/13/1141041/building-a-practical-path-to-post-quantum-cryptography/) _2026-08-13 · Jesse Schrater · MIT Technology Review_ Quantum computing has alternated between breakthrough darling and overhyped promise in technology circles. Its powerful new capabilities come with a threat to break current cryptography, but for business leaders navigating the noise, the signal should be clear: post-quantum cryptography (PQC) is a manageable evolution, not a crisis. The mathematics behind today’s encrypted digital transactions… ## [Flock is tightening its rules in response to a growing surveillance backlash](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/13/1141904/flock-is-tightening-its-rules-in-response-to-a-growing-surveillance-backlash/) _2026-08-13 · James O'Donnell · MIT Technology Review_ The police-tech giant Flock is announcing today that it will change officers’ access to its nationwide network of license plate readers, in an apparent effort to quell a growing backlash and win back contracts lost amid concerns about mass surveillance and police abuse. Several changes aim directly at a problem that has made recent headlines:… ## [The Download: kids’ thoughts on AI, and female clones of male mice](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/13/1141896/the-download-kids-thoughts-on-ai-female-clones-male-mice/) _2026-08-13 · Thomas Macaulay · MIT Technology Review_ This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. How kids feel about AI, in their own words —Jen Swetzoff and Keeley McNamara, the founding editors of Anyway, an independent print magazine for tweens and teens When we set out… ## [What’s behind this summer’s heat, and why 2027 could be worse](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/13/1141788/summer-heat-el-nino/) _2026-08-13 · Casey Crownhart · MIT Technology Review_ This summer has been a scorcher for much of the Northern Hemisphere. June and July marked the hottest two-month stretch in Europe since record-keeping began. The contiguous US endured its hottest month on record in July. South Korea saw its highest-ever recorded temperature. The heat isn’t over yet, but some scientists are already looking ahead… ## [How kids feel about AI, in their own words](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/13/1141410/how-kids-feel-about-ai-own-words/) _2026-08-13 · Jen Swetzoff, Keeley McNamara · MIT Technology Review_ When we set out to talk to kids about artificial intelligence, we thought we knew what we’d hear. We expected some to tell us they were using it to cheat a little, the way Millennials and Gen Xers opened up CliffsNotes or programmed formulas into their TI-82s, and others to share inspiring ways they were…