a complex biosphere in vivid color in an illustrative style inside a circle and outside all white with shadow, with suggestion of complex ferns and other vegetation; art by rogan brown

Thrilled that my first new short story in several years, "Constellations," about astronauts crashlanding on a distant planet, has been published by the @technologyreview.com. Acquiring editor Rachel Cortland. Art by Rogan Brown. Free link to avoid the paywall: ter.li/r3tbrsgr

Constellations is an exclusive new sci-fi story by Jeff VanderMeer, the author of the critically acclaimed, bestselling Southern Reach series.

Companies are playing word games with promising cancer treatments.

Is fake grass a bad idea? The AstroTurf wars are far from over. Around the country, heated debates are taking place over whether to install artificial turf, pitting neighbors against each other.

Should we keep carpeting the world in plastic? Check out my deep dive on synthetic turf for @technologyreview.com

www.technologyreview.com/2026/04/09/1...

In 2024, Americans installed 79 million square meters of synthetic turf —enough to carpet all of Manhattan and then some.

While the plastic-making industry insists that synthetic fields are safe if properly installed, lots of researchers think that isn’t so.

Mustafa Suleyman: AI development won’t hit a wall anytime soon—here’s why The compute explosion is the technological story of our time. And it is still only just beginning.

The CEO of Microsoft AI writes about the complex and fast-moving reality powering AI development.

This startup says its first fusion plant is five years away. Experts doubt it. Helion, backed by OpenAI's Sam Altman, has already lined up Microsoft as its first customer.

Periodic check-in: Helion has two years & one month left to deliver on its commercial fusion promise. ⌛

From 2023:

Desalination plants in the Middle East are increasingly vulnerable Conflict and extreme weather could threaten large desalination plants that supply water to the region.

In late March, President Donald Trump threatened the destruction of “possibly all desalinization plants” in Iran if the Strait of Hormuz was not reopened.

Here’s a look at what wartime threats to the critical infrastructure could mean for people in the region.

The one piece of data that could actually shed light on your job and AI “We need a Manhattan Project for this,” one economist says.

We don’t currently have this data across the economy. But we could.

AI is changing how small online sellers decide what to make Entrepreneurs based in the US are using tools like Alibaba’s Accio to compress weeks of product research and supplier hunting into a single chat.

Business owners and e-commerce experts told MIT Technology Review that AI tools are making sourcing more accessible and significantly shortening the time it takes to go from product idea to launch.

Four things we’d need to put data centers in space SpaceX wants to put up to a million data centers in orbit. There are a few technological hurdles standing in the way.

SpaceX wants to put up to a million data centers in orbit. There are a few technological hurdles standing in the way.

Fuel prices are soaring. Plastic could be next. The war’s economic effects are hitting all sorts of fossil-derived products.

The supply chain impacts from the war in Iran are starting to build up. Americans will likely feel the ripples.

The gig workers who are training humanoid robots at home People in Nigeria and India are strapping iPhones onto their heads and recording themselves doing chores.

People in Nigeria and India are strapping iPhones onto their heads and recording themselves doing chores.

Pitch deadline coming up!

AI benchmarks are broken. Here’s what we need instead. One-off tests don’t measure AI’s true impact. We’re better off shifting to more human-centered, context-specific methods.

One-off tests don’t measure AI’s true impact. We’re better off shifting to more human-centered, context-specific methods.

Inside the stealthy startup that pitched brainless human clones Need a backup body? We uncovered a radical proposal for “full body replacement.”

This is a wild scoop from my colleague @antonioregalado.bsky.social on the stealth startup looking into some incredibly ethically murky #biotech longevity solutions www.technologyreview.com/2026/03/30/1...

Inside the stealthy startup that pitched brainless human clones The ultimate plan to live forever is a brand new body.

I may overuse the word wild, but this one is truly wild: @antonioregalado.bsky.social gets the inside scoop on a stealthy startup's pitch to create brainless human clones that act as backup bodies.

The Pentagon’s culture war tactic against Anthropic has backfired Decisions to tweet first and lawyer later didn’t sit well with a federal judge, who last week halted the government’s punishment of the AI company.

Decisions to tweet first and lawyer later didn’t sit well with a federal judge, who last week halted the government’s punishment of the AI company.

There are more AI health tools than ever—but how well do they work? Specialized chatbots might make a difference for people with limited health-care access. Without more testing, we don't know if they’ll help or harm.

Specialized chatbots might make a difference for people with limited health-care access. Without more testing, we don't know if they’ll help or harm.

Inside the stealthy startup that pitched brainless human clones Need a backup body? We uncovered a radical proposal for “full body replacement.”

Incredible story to kick the week off here at @technologyreview.com

www.technologyreview.com/2026/03/30/1...

Inside the stealthy startup that pitched brainless human clones Need a backup body? We uncovered a radical proposal for “full body replacement.”

Need a backup body? We uncovered a radical proposal for “full body replacement.”

A woman’s uterus has been kept alive outside the body for the first time The team behind the feat plan to study uterine disorders and the early stages of pregnancy—and potentially grow a human fetus.

Scientists in Spain kept a donated human uterus alive for 24 hours using a machine that mimics the body's circulatory system, pumping modified blood through the organ.

Here’s why some people choose cryonics to store their bodies and brains after death Cryonic preservation is pricey and might never work. Some people think it’s worth it anyway.

Cryonic preservation is pricey and might never work. Some people think it’s worth it anyway.

The snow gods: How a couple of ski bums built the internet’s best weather app “We were just trying to create something that made us happy.”

Super disappointed/jealous I never thought to pitch this idea myself.

But don't miss this @rachellevinsf.bsky.social's interview with OpenSnow’s founder & Tahoe forecaster, Bryan Allegretto, on AI, avalanches and more.

The AI Hype Index: AI goes to war MIT Technology Review’s highly subjective take on the latest buzz about AI

See MIT Technology Review’s highly subjective take on the latest buzz about AI.

Are high gas prices good news for EVs? It’s complicated. Fossil fuel volatility can have ripple effects for all of us.

There are plenty of reasons that even the carless among us should be concerned about a sustained rise in fossil-fuel prices.

The snow gods: How a couple of ski bums built the internet’s best weather app “We were just trying to create something that made us happy.”

Skiers in the know follow OpenSnow and won’t bother heading to the mountains unless this small team of trusted weathered men tells them to.

Why this battery company is pivoting to AI SES AI is hoping for a new life after more than a decade in the battery manufacturing business.

SES AI is hoping for a new life after more than a decade in the battery manufacturing business.

This startup wants to change how mathematicians do math Axiom Math is giving away a powerful new AI tool. But it remains to be seen if it speeds up research as much as the company hopes.

Axiom Math is giving away a powerful new AI tool. But it remains to be seen if it speeds up research as much as the company hopes.

This scientist rewarmed and studied pieces of his friend’s cryopreserved brain A gerontologist wanted his preserved brain to be reanimated. Cryopreservation is more likely to be used on organs for transplantation.

This research could help provide a tool to neuroscientists looking for new ways to study the brain. And while human reanimation after cryopreservation may be the stuff of science fiction, using the technology to preserve organs for transplantation is within reach.