Vaccine passports are likely to become a feature of everyday life as lockdowns are lifted across the world. But as “green passes” kick-start economies, what are the potential drawbacks? Read more of our coverage on coronavirus : https://econ.st/397Mkxq
Category Archives: Technology
Biotechnology: ‘Genome Sequencing – Unlocking The Covid Code’ (NY Times)
The advent of commercial genome sequencing has recently, and credibly, been compared to the invention of the microscope, a claim that led me to wonder whether this new, still relatively obscure technology, humming away in well-equipped labs around the world, would prove to be the most important innovation of the 21st century.


And unexpectedly, Covid-19 has proved to be the catalyst. “What the pandemic has done is accelerate the adoption of genomics into infectious disease by several years,” says deSouza, the Illumina chief executive. He also told me he believes that the pandemic has accelerated the adoption of genomics into society more broadly — suggesting that quietly, in the midst of chaos and a global catastrophe, the age of cheap, rapid sequencing has arrived.
Analysis: The Catastrophic Failures Of The Boeing 777 Aircraft Engines (Video)
A type of Pratt & Whitney engine on Boeing 777s has failed catastrophically three times in a three-year span. Federal investigators are trying to figure out why.
Analysis: Why China Is Dominating The U.S. In Electric Cars (Video)
The global electric vehicle market is heating up and China wants to dominate. The country has invested at least $60 billion to support the EV industry and it’s pushing an ambitious plan to transition to all electric or hybrid cars by 2035. Tesla entered the Chinese market in 2019 and has seen rapid growth.
China sold roughly one million more EVs than the U.S. in 2020. But there are signs the U.S. is getting more serious about going electric. President Joe Biden announced a goal to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 and investments in green infrastructure. Watch the video to find out how China came to dominate the market and whether it’s too late for the U.S. to catch up.
Analysis: ‘Tencent – China’s Most Valuable Company’
Mar.23 — In the space of two decades, Tencent Holdings Ltd. has become China’s most valuable company and Asia’s largest conglomerate. But with Chinese authorities stepping up scrutiny of the internet sector and cracking down on monopolies. it’s not clear if the WeChat owner will still have the same freedom to expand. Bloomberg Television’s David Ingles reports.
Analysis: ‘A New Space Race – USA Vs China Vs Russia’
In the skies above our heads, humanity’s titanic geopolitical superpowers are yet again duking it out for supremacy among the stars. Only this time, unlike the 1960s, there’s three of them. Or is there? It’s complicated. Join us today as we helmet up and examine the new space race unfolding right now between the US, China and Russia.
What you might call the oldschool or ‘classic’ space race started in the 1950s, peaked during the 60s, and petered out by the mid 70s. It was, to be sure, an unofficial race. Nobody waved a novelty green flag to set things off. But the two largest economic and technological powers of the day – the United States of America and the Soviet Union – fought bitterly to be the first to make meaningful headway into the cosmos.
Science Research: What Is The ‘Berkeley Lab’ (Video)
The Lawrence Lab? The Berkeley Lab? Lawrence Livermore Berkeley Lab? Luther Burbank Laboratory? Berkeley Countrywide Laboratory? Nope. Not quite. We’re Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, or Berkeley Lab for short. But we do understand the confusion — it’s hard to remember names, especially when so many sound alike! So we jammed 90 years of history into less than 3 minutes to help you get it right.
The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, commonly referred to as Berkeley Lab, is a United States national laboratory that conducts scientific research on behalf of the Department of Energy. Located in the hills of Berkeley, California, the lab overlooks the campus of the University of California, Berkeley.
Interview: ‘GENIUS MAKERS’ Author Cade Metz On Artificial Intelligence From A Human Perspective
How Cade got access to the stories behind some of the biggest advancements in AI, and the dynamic playing out between leaders at companies like Google, Microsoft, and Facebook.
Cade Metz is a New York Times reporter covering artificial intelligence, driverless cars, robotics, virtual reality, and other emerging areas. Previously, he was a senior staff writer with Wired magazine and the U.S. editor of The Register, one of Britain’s leading science and technology news sites. His first book, “Genius Makers”, tells the stories of the pioneers behind AI.
Topics discussed: 0:00 Sneak peek, intro 3:25 Who is “Genius Makers” for and about? 7:18 *Spoiler alert!* Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) 11:01 How the story continues after the book ends 17:31 Overinflated claims in AGI 23:12 Deep Mind, OpenAI, and AGI 29:02 Outsider perspectives 34:35 Early adopters of ML 38:34 Who gets credit for what? 42:45 Dealing with bias 46:38 Aligning technology with nee
Analysis: Is Texas Now The New California? (Video)
Tesla’s gigafactory and Apple’s second-largest campus aren’t the only big businesses coming to Texas. From Oracle to Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Elon Musk to Joe Rogan, Texas has lured an increasing number of big businesses and billionaires away from California since the pandemic began. While California’s population and job growth both slowed to a trickle, Texas added more residents than any other state in 2020. CNBC talks to those moving and longtime Texans about the reasons behind the trend and what it could mean for the future of the Lone Star State.
Electric Vehicles: Canoo Debuts 2023 Pickup Truck
Purpose-built pickup truck features powered workbenches, tool storage, a modular expandable bed and more.
Canoo debuted its fully-electric pickup truck during the Motor Press Guild’s Virtual Media Day (VMD) in partnership with Automobility LA. The production version of the pickup truck will open for preorders in Q2 2021, with deliveries beginning as early as 2023.