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缓存内容：SKIP TO CONTENTMIT Technology ReviewSIGN INSUBSCRIBEMIT Technology ReviewSIGN INSUBSCRIBEFeatured StoryNewsPolicy22 hoursWhy the Chinese government is sparing AI from harsh regulations—for nowThe Chinese government may have been tough on consumer tech platforms, but its AI regulations are intentionally lax to keep the domestic industry growing.Must readsCulture1 weekWhy Threads is suddenly popular in TaiwanArtificial intelligence2 daysA conversation with Dragoș Tudorache, the politician behind the AI ActClimate change and energy6 daysWhy the lifetime of nuclear plants is getting longerArtificial intelligence2 weeksA conversation with OpenAI’s first artist in residenceCulture1 weekWhy Threads is suddenly popular in TaiwanArtificial intelligence2 daysA conversation with Dragoș Tudorache, the politician behind the AI ActClimate change and energy6 daysThe hard lessons of Harvard’s failed geoengineering experimentSpace7 daysThe race to fix space-weather forecasting before next big solar storm hitsCulture7 daysThreads is giving Taiwanese users a safe space to talk about politicsComputing1 weekHow ASML took over the chipmaking chessboardCollectionMost PopularPrevious slideNext slide1 / 10Artificial intelligenceLarge language models can do jaw-dropping things. But nobody knows exactly why.And that's a problem. Figuring it out is one of the biggest scientific puzzles of our time and a crucial step towards controlling more powerful future models.2 / 10Artificial intelligenceOpenAI teases an amazing new generative video model called SoraThe firm is sharing Sora with a small group of safety testers but the rest of us will have to wait to learn more.3 / 10Climate change and energyThe problem with plug-in hybrids? Their drivers.Plug-in hybrids are often sold as a transition to EVs, but new data from Europe shows we’re still underestimating the emissions they produce.4 / 10Artificial intelligenceGoogle DeepMind’s new generative model makes Super Mario–like games from scratchGenie learns how to control games by watching hours and hours of video. It could help train next-gen robots too.5 / 10CultureMeet the divers trying to figure out how deep humans can goFiguring out how the human body can withstand underwater pressure has been a problem for over a century, but a ragtag band of divers is experimenting with hydrogen to find out.6 / 10Artificial intelligenceWhat’s next for generative videoOpenAI's Sora has raised the bar for AI moviemaking. Here are four things to bear in mind as we wrap our heads around what's coming.7 / 10Artificial intelligenceThe AI Act is done. Here’s what will (and won’t) changeThe hard work starts now.8 / 10Biotechnology and healthHow scientists traced a mysterious covid case back to six toiletsWhen wastewater surveillance turns into a hunt for a single infected individual, the ethics get tricky.9 / 10Climate change and energyHarvard has halted its long-planned atmospheric geoengineering experimentThe decision follows years of controversy and the departure of one of the program’s key researchers.10 / 10Artificial intelligenceAn OpenAI spinoff has built an AI model that helps robots learn tasks like humansBut can it graduate from the lab to the warehouse floor?Today's NewsletterThe latest fromThe Checkup: Our weekly biotech and health emailSign up to get The Checkup weekly in your inbox.Enter your emailSIGN UP FOR FREEMORE NEWSLETTERSNew bird flu infections: Here’s what you need to knowA dairy worker in Texas tested positive for avian influenza this week. This new human case of bird flu—the second ever reported in the United States—isn’t cause for panic. The individual’s illness was mild—an eye infection—and they are already recovering. There’s still no evidence that the virus is spreading person to person. The person who became infected in Texas likely picked the virus up from infected cows or poultry on the farm where he works.But the rash of recent infections among livestock is unsettling. Last month, goats in Minnesota tested positive. And avian influenza has now been confirmed in dairy cows in Texas, Michigan, Kansas, New Mexico, and Idaho. In some of those cases, the virus appears to have spread between cows. This week, let’s take a look at what we know about this new outbreak and what people are doing to prepare for further spread. The strain of flu infecting dairy cows—H5N1—is a highly pathogenic avian influenza. Scientists have been watching these viruses closely since the 1990s because of their potential to spark a pandemic. In 1997, avian influenza sickened humans for the first time. Eighteen people in Hong Kong became infected, and six died. Small spillovers into mammals aren’t uncommon for these viruses, especially in recent years. Avian influenza has been reported in mink, skunks, raccoons, coyotes, seals, sea lions, and bears, to name a few. But having the virus in domesticated mammals that come into frequent contact with humans is new territory. “Exactly what happens when an avian flu virus replicates in a cow and potentially transmits from cow to cow, we actually don’t have any idea at all,” says Richard Webby, a virologist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital who studies avian influenza.Here’s the good news: even though the virus is infecting dairy cows (and now one dairy worker), “this is still very much a bird virus,” Webby says. Genetic sequencing by the USDA and the Centers for Disease Control suggests that these new infections are caused by a strain of flu that’s nearly identical to the virus circulating in wild birds. Few of the changes they did identify would allow it to spread more easily in mammals.The spread of bird flu in cows is worrisome, but not as worrisome as it would be if the infections were happening in pigs, which are an ideal mixing vessel for flu virus. Pigs are susceptible to swine flu, avian influenza, and human influenza. That’s how swine flu emerged back in 2009—multiple viruses infecting pigs swapped genes, eventually giving rise to a virus capable of human transmission. Mammalian infections with bird flu have mostly been one-offs, Webby says. A mammal gets infected by eating a dead bird or ingesting bird droppings, but the infection doesn’t spread. One notable exception occurred in 2022, when H5N1 popped up on a mink farm in Spain and quickly jumped from barn to barn. Scientists also suspect that in rare cases, the virus has spread among family members. Cow-to-cow transmission hasn’t been confirmed, but the fact that some cows became infected after the arrival of cows from affected herds suggests that it may be occurring. That transmission may not be via coughs and sneezes—the traditional way flu gets passed on. It could be indirect. “So an infected cow drinks from a trough of water and the next cow comes along and drinks from that same trough,” Webby says.How can we curb the spread among animals? That’s an ongoing debate. Vaccination is an option, at least for poultry. That’s common practice in China, Mexico, and a handful of other countries. Immunization doesn’t prevent infection, but it does reduce symptoms. That might curb the impact on flocks, but some experts are concerned that vaccinated flocks might allow the virus to spread undetected. Vaccination also would likely affect trade. Countries don’t want to import birds that might be infected. France decided to begin vaccinating ducks last year, and the USDA promptly announced it would restrict poultry imports from France and its trading partners. In the US, the current practice is to cull infected flocks. But there are signs that vaccination isn’t off the table. Last year the USDA began testing four vaccine candidates against the particular strain of H5N1 driving the current outbreak that has affected poultry across the globe. As a longer-term solution, researchers have also been working on creating genetically engineered animals that are resistant to bird flu. Last year, researchers created such chickens by using CRISPR to alter a single gene. For cattle, the current options to curb transmission are limited. Culling cattle would be a much harder sell because they’re so much more valuable than chickens. And cow vaccines for avian influenza don’t yet exist, although they would be relatively easy to produce. Bird flu has been on public health officials’ radar for more than two decades, and it has yet to make a jump into humans. “I do think that this particular virus has some fairly high hurdles to overcome to become a human-transmissible virus,” Webby says. But just because it hasn’t happened doesn’t mean it won’t: “We can be a little bit reassured that it’s not easy, but not assured that it can’t do it at all.”Luckily, even if the virus suddenly acquired the ability to spread in humans, it would be vastly easier to develop a vaccine than it was to create one for covid-19. A vaccine already exists against H5N1. Doses of that shot are sitting in the country’s national stockpile. “This is one case we’re a little luckier because it’s a pathogen that we know. We know what this is and what we have in the freezer, so to speak. We have a little bit of a leg up on at least getting started,” Paul Marks, the FDA’s top vaccine regulator, told a reporter at the World Vaccine Congress this week. It’s not clear how well those doses would work against the current strain of H5N1. But many companies are already working on improved vaccines. Moderna plans to test an mRNA vaccine against the H5N1 strain causing the current outbreak. mRNA technology has a major advantage over traditional production methods for influenza vaccines, which grow the virus in eggs. In the event of a bird flu pandemic, eggs could be in short supply. Even if enough eggs were available, it could take half a year to develop a vaccine. mRNA technology, however, could shorten that timeline dramatically. That’s good news. With avian influenza surging across the globe, there are more opportunities than ever before for the virus to hit on a combination of genes that gives it the ability to easily infect humans. Now read the rest of The CheckupRead more from MIT Technology Review’s archiveIn a previous issue of The Checkup, Jessica Hamzelou explained what it would take for bird flu to jump to humans and why we don’t need to panic. Not yet, anyway. Google Earth can help scientists visualize the movement of H5N1 and perhaps even improve our ability to predict where outbreaks might occur. Rachel Ross had the story. Dig deep into the archives and you’ll find that Tech Review has been asking if bird flu will jump to humans for nearly two decades. Emily Singer reported on efforts to answer this question in 2006.From around the webPerfusing donated organs with circulating blood after they’re removed from the body helps keep them viable for transplant and makes it possible to transplant donor organs that might previously have been rejected. The process is “changing every aspect of the organ transplant process, from the way surgeons operate, to the types of patients who can donate organs, to the outcomes for recipients.” (NYT)The country’s largest egg producer detected bird flu in its flocks and culled nearly 2 million birds. (Washington Post)AI-assisted drug discovery is all the rage. Now some companies are hoping AI can improve the likelihood of success in clinical trials: they’re training algorithms to identify subjects most likely to respond to a treatment or even using AI to create surrogate study participants. (Stat)The FDA has cleared the first prescription digital therapy for depression. The treatment, which is intended to be paired with medication, is an app that provides cognitive-emotional training and cognitive behavioral therapy lessons. (CNN)Related StoryHow gene editing could help curb the spread of bird flu The disease kills millions of birds each year, and it has recently started to spread among mammals too.A dairy worker in Texas tested positive for avian influenza this week. This new human case of bird flu—the second ever reported in the United States—isn’t cause for panic. The individual’s illness was mild—an eye infection—and they are already recovering. There’s still no evidence that the virus is spreading person to person. The person who became infected in Texas likely picked the virus up from infected cows or poultry on the farm where he works.But the rash of recent infections among livestock is unsettling. Last month, goats in Minnesota tested positive. And avian influenza has now been confirmed in dairy cows in Texas, Michigan, Kansas, New Mexico, and Idaho. In some of those cases, the virus appears to have spread between cows. This week, let’s take a look at what we know about this new outbreak and what people are doing to prepare for further spread. The strain of flu infecting dairy cows—H5N1—is a highly pathogenic avian influenza. Scientists have been watching these viruses closely since the 1990s because of their potential to spark a pandemic. In 1997, avian influenza sickened humans for the first time. Eighteen people in Hong Kong became infected, and six died. Small spillovers into mammals aren’t uncommon for these viruses, especially in recent years. Avian influenza has been reported in mink, skunks, raccoons, coyotes, seals, sea lions, and bears, to name a few. But having the virus in domesticated mammals that come into frequent contact with humans is new territory. “Exactly what happens when an avian flu virus replicates in a cow and potentially transmits from cow to cow, we actually don’t have any idea at all,” says Richard Webby, a virologist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital who studies avian influenza.Here’s the good news: even though the virus is infecting dairy cows (and now one dairy worker), “this is still very much a bird virus,” Webby says. Genetic sequencing by the USDA and the Centers for Disease Control suggests that these new infections are caused by a strain of flu that’s nearly identical to the virus circulating in wild birds. Few of the changes they did identify would allow it to spread more easily in mammals.The spread of bird flu in cows is worrisome, but not as worrisome as it would be if the infections were happening in pigs, which are an ideal mixing vessel for flu virus. Pigs are susceptible to swine flu, avian influenza, and human influenza. That’s how swine flu emerged back in 2009—multiple viruses infecting pigs swapped genes, eventually giving rise to a virus capable of human transmission. Mammalian infections with bird flu have mostly been one-offs, Webby says. A mammal gets infected by eating a dead bird or ingesting bird droppings, but the infection doesn’t spread. One notable exception occurred in 2022, when H5N1 popped up on a mink farm in Spain and quickly jumped from barn to barn. Scientists also suspect that in rare cases, the virus has spread among family members. Cow-to-cow transmission hasn’t been confirmed, but the fact that some cows became infected after the arrival of cows from affected herds suggests that it may be occurring. That transmission may not be via coughs and sneezes—the traditional way flu gets passed on. It could be indirect. “So an infected cow drinks from a trough of water and the next cow comes along and drinks from that same trough,” Webby says.How can we curb the spread among animals? That’s an ongoing debate. Vaccination is an option, at least for poultry. That’s common practice in China, Mexico, and a handful of other countries. Immunization doesn’t prevent infection, but it does reduce symptoms. That might curb the impact on flocks, but some experts are concerned that vaccinated flocks might allow the virus to spread undetected. Vaccination also would likely affect trade. Countries don’t want to import birds that might be infected. France decided to begin vaccinating ducks last year, and the USDA promptly announced it would restrict poultry imports from France and its trading partners. In the US, the current practice is to cull infected flocks. But there are signs that vaccination isn’t off the table. Last year the USDA began testing four vaccine candidates against the particular strain of H5N1 driving the current outbreak that has affected poultry across the globe. As a longer-term solution, researchers have also been working on creating genetically engineered animals that are resistant to bird flu. Last year, researchers created such chickens by using CRISPR to alter a single gene. For cattle, the current options to curb transmission are limited. Culling cattle would be a much harder sell because they’re so much more valuable than chickens. And cow vaccines for avian influenza don’t yet exist, although they would be relatively easy to produce. Bird flu has been on public health officials’ radar for more than two decades, and it has yet to make a jump into humans. “I do think that this particular virus has some fairly high hurdles to overcome to become a human-transmissible virus,” Webby says. But just because it hasn’t happened doesn’t mean it won’t: “We can be a little bit reassured that it’s not easy, but not assured that it can’t do it at all.”Luckily, even if the virus suddenly acquired the ability to spread in humans, it would be vastly easier to develop a vaccine than it was to create one for covid-19. A vaccine already exists against H5N1. Doses of that shot are sitting in the country’s national stockpile. “This is one case we’re a little luckier because it’s a pathogen that we know. We know what this is and what we have in the freezer, so to speak. We have a little bit of a leg up on at least getting started,” Paul Marks, the FDA’s top vaccine regulator, told a reporter at the World Vaccine Congress this week. It’s not clear how well those doses would work against the current strain of H5N1. But many companies are already working on improved vaccines. Moderna plans to test an mRNA vaccine against the H5N1 strain causing the current outbreak. mRNA technology has a major advantage over traditional production methods for influenza vaccines, which grow the virus in eggs. In the event of a bird flu pandemic, eggs could be in short supply. Even if enough eggs were available, it could take half a year to develop a vaccine. mRNA technology, however, could shorten that timeline dramatically. That’s good news. With avian influenza surging across the globe, there are more opportunities than ever before for the virus to hit on a combination of genes that gives it the ability to easily infect humans. Now read the rest of The CheckupRead more from MIT Technology Review’s archiveIn a previous issue of The Checkup, Jessica Hamzelou explained what it would take for bird flu to jump to humans and why we don’t need to panic. Not yet, anyway. Google Earth can help scientists visualize the movement of H5N1 and perhaps even improve our ability to predict where outbreaks might occur. Rachel Ross had the story. Dig deep into the archives and you’ll find that Tech Review has been asking if bird flu will jump to humans for nearly two decades. Emily Singer reported on efforts to answer this question in 2006.From around the webPerfusing donated organs with circulating blood after they’re removed from the body helps keep them viable for transplant and makes it possible to transplant donor organs that might previously have been rejected. The process is “changing every aspect of the organ transplant process, from the way surgeons operate, to the types of patients who can donate organs, to the outcomes for recipients.” (NYT)The country’s largest egg producer detected bird flu in its flocks and culled nearly 2 million birds. (Washington Post)AI-assisted drug discovery is all the rage. Now some companies are hoping AI can improve the likelihood of success in clinical trials: they’re training algorithms to identify subjects most likely to respond to a treatment or even using AI to create surrogate study participants. (Stat)The FDA has cleared the first prescription digital therapy for depression. The treatment, which is intended to be paired with medication, is an app that provides cognitive-emotional training and cognitive behavioral therapy lessons. (CNN)FeaturesLongreadCulture2 monthsMeet the divers trying to figure out how deep humans can goFiguring out how the human body can withstand underwater pressure has been a problem for over a century, but a ragtag band of divers is experimenting with hydrogen to find out.ComputingInside the hunt for new physics at the world’s largest particle colliderThe Large Hadron Collider hasn’t seen any new particles since the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012. Here’s what researchers are trying to do about it.Biotechnology and healthAn AI-driven “factory of drugs” claims to have hit a big milestoneArtificial intelligenceI used generative AI to turn my story into a comic—and you can tooSpaceThe search for extraterrestrial life is targeting Jupiter’s icy moon EuropaClimate change and energyWhy hydrogen is losing the race to power cleaner carsAdvertisementCollectionWhat's NextMIT Technology Review’s What’s Next series looks across industries, trends, and technologies to give you a first look at the future.Previous slideNext slide1 / 8Artificial intelligenceWhat’s next for generative videoOpenAI's Sora has raised the bar for AI moviemaking. Here are four things to bear in mind as we wrap our heads around what's coming.2 / 8Climate change and energyWhat’s next for offshore windNew projects and financial headwinds will make 2024 a bumpy year for the industry.3 / 8Artificial intelligenceWhat’s next for robotaxis in 2024In addition to restoring public trust, robotaxi companies need to prove that their business models can compete with Uber and taxis.4 / 8Artificial intelligenceWhat’s next for AI in 2024Our writers look at the four hot trends to watch out for this year5 / 8PolicyWhat’s next for AI regulation in 2024? The coming year is going to see the first sweeping AI laws enter into force, with global efforts to hold tech companies accountable. 6 / 8ComputingWhat’s next for the world’s fastest supercomputersScientists have begun running experiments on Frontier, the world’s first official exascale machine, while facilities worldwide build other machines to join the ranks.7 / 8PolicyWhat’s next for China’s digital currency?China’s government has struggled to find uses for e-CNY inside of China. Now, it's hoping to use it to challenge the US-dominated international financial system.8 / 8SpaceWhat’s next for the moonRobots—and then humans—are going back to the lunar surface. Here’s what they’ll be doing.MagazineOur new issue!March/April 2024The Hidden Worlds issueUsing technology to explore and expose hidden worlds, from enabling deeper dives into ocean depths to journeying to one of Jupiter’s orbiting bodies to pushing the boundaries of particle physics. Plus: wearables for wildlife, Wi-Fi sensing, and a reconsideration of Luddites.READ NOWMORE ISSUESCultureMeet the divers trying to figure out how deep humans can goFiguring out how the human body can withstand underwater pressure has been a problem for over a century, but a ragtag band of divers is experimenting with hydrogen to find out.ComputingInside the hunt for new physics at the world’s largest particle colliderSpaceThe search for extraterrestrial life is targeting Jupiter’s icy moon EuropaClimate change and energyHow tracking animal movement may save the planetSponsoredGenerative AI: Differentiating disruptors from the disruptedMany enterprises aiming to disrupt their industries with generative AI underestimate the requirements for effective deployment of the technology.In partnership withTelstra InternationalHighlightsCulture3 months10 Breakthrough Technologies 2024Every year, we look for promising technologies poised to have a real impact on the world. Here are the advances that we think matter most right now.Culture5 things we didn’t put on our 2024 list of 10 Breakthrough TechnologiesEvery year, we publish a new list of technologies we think matter most right now. Here’s what didn’t make the cut.Artificial intelligenceAI for everything: 10 Breakthrough Technologies 2024Biotechnology and healthThe first gene-editing treatment: 10 Breakthrough Technologies 2024Climate change and energyEnhanced geothermal systems: 10 Breakthrough Technologies 2024ComputingExascale computers: 10 Breakthrough Technologies 2024CollectionMIT NewsAll the latest from MIT News, the alumni magazine of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.Previous slideNext slide1 / 9Cover storyTackling long-haul diseasesLong-haul covid and chronic Lyme disease are surprisingly similar. MIT immunoengineer Mikki Tal is on the case.2 / 9Feature StoryDivine economicsFor Allison V. Thompkins, PhD ’11, economics and spirituality are complementary pursuits, shaped by an expansive understanding of disability.3 / 9Feature StoryI’m a beaver.You’re a beaver.We are beavers all.Amazing facts about MIT’s ingenious mascot.4 / 9From the presidentTapping into MIT’s strengthsThe Institute’s superpower is its ability to make the world better. We’re harnessing that now to improve both the world and MIT.5 / 977 Mass AveIlluminating the life of a cellBy tagging molecules in a cell with fluorescent labels that switch on and off, MIT engineers can study their interaction to learn more about how cells operate.6 / 9Alumni profileEngineering defense, with the help of butterfliesPhillip Daniel ’13, SM ’15, PhD ’227 / 977 Mass AveNew insights on political polarizationMedia might deepen partisan divides, but we should measure reading habits more carefully before drawing conclusions—and avoid assuming that our own thought processes are the only rational ones.8 / 977 Mass AveWhat’s blue to youAmazonian people whose language lacks separate words for blue and green began interpreting colors in a new way when they learned Spanish.9 / 9Cover storyHow Technology Review got its startTech Review has graced coffee tables of MIT alumni for 125 years. Here’s how it all began—and how the fledgling magazine helped rally alumni to oppose a merger with Harvard.AdvertisementThe Feed43,959 stories. 3,175 authors.125 years and counting.FILTER BY TOPICNEWEST TO OLDESTLatestPolicyWhy the Chinese government is sparing AI from harsh regulations—for nowThe Chinese government may have been tough on consumer tech platforms, but its AI regulations are intentionally lax to keep the domestic industry growing.SUBSCRIBE FOR FULL ACCESSArtificial intelligenceA conversation with Dragoș Tudorache, the politician behind the AI ActHere’s why he believes the landmark law he helped to shepherd through will change the AI sector for the better.Biotechnology and healthNew bird flu infections: Here’s what you need to knowNew cases in cows and a dairy worker in Texas highlight the need for vigilance and better strategies to protect animals and people.SponsoredTaking AI to the next level in manufacturingReducing data, talent, and organizational barriers to achieve scale.In partnership withMicrosoftSpaceHow to safely watch and photograph the total solar eclipseThe solar eclipse this Monday, April 8, will be visible to millions. Here’s how to make the most of your experience.Climate change and energyWhy the lifetime of nuclear plants is getting longerAn aging nuclear fleet can still help cut greenhouse gas emissions.You've seen 54 stories, or 0.12% of our archiveLOAD MORE STORIESSUBSCRIBE TO READ IT ALLThe latest iteration of a legacyFounded at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1899, MIT Technology Review is a world-renowned, independent media company whose insight, analysis, reviews, interviews and live events explain the newest technologies and their commercial, social and political impact.READ ABOUT OUR HISTORYAdvertise with MIT Technology ReviewElevate your brand to the forefront of conversation around emerging technologies that are radically transforming business. 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