The World as You'll Know It
Newsletter / Issue No. 18
Sodium-ion batteries are having a moment. Will they sustain it?
A potential solution to humanity’s reliance on lithium-ion batteries may lie in one of the planet’s most abundant elements: sodium. But that might not be enough to make a new technology succeed.
Plus
A breakthrough in removing carbon from the air creates green hydrogen in the process. Excess power from home solar panels and EVs could help power the grid, saving billions. And AI is now being used to debunk conspiracy theories.
Technology / Podcast
A Podcast Series About What It Will Take to Replace Fossil Fuels with Clean Energy
Solar energy at an unknown scale. Reimagined nuclear power. Green steel. These are just some of the technologies needed for a carbon-free future. Can they deliver?
Artificial Intelligence / Feature
One Company's Decision to Put AI Into the Ground
What does it mean to adopt AI? For John Deere it meant hundreds of millions of dollars, a new corporate culture and forever changing the relationship between a farmer and the land.
By Gideon Lewis-Kraus
Artificial Intelligence / Timeline
Is AI Stuck? History Shows That It Wouldn't Be the First Time.
By Konstantin Kakaes
Artificial Intelligence / Timeline
Is AI Stuck? History Shows That It Wouldn't Be the First Time.
By Konstantin Kakaes
Robotics / Feature
Small, Flexible and Sometimes Weird. The Next Generation of Robots is Here.
By Clive Thompson
Robotics / Feature
Small, Flexible and Sometimes Weird. The Next Generation of Robots is Here.
By Clive Thompson
Robotics / Timeline
13 Milestones in the History of Robots
People have been making machines that replicate human abilities for centuries. These are the breakthroughs that got robots to where they are today. Photo: NMAH
By Clive Thompson
Robotics / Feature
Robots' final frontier? Taking care of us.
To understand how far robots are from replacing humans, just look at the everyday task of using a fork.
By Clive Thompson