The Download: a promising new fuel, and why our phones struggle with wildfires
New York–based startup Amogy thinks the key to solving this problem lies in harnessing ammonia—one of the world’s most widely shipped chemicals—to power electric tractors, trucks, and even ships.
Casey Crownhart, our climate reporter, visited its headquarters to hear more about the team’s big ideas. Read the full story.
This story is from The Spark, Casey’s weekly climate and energy newsletter. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday.
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The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 Our phones are failing to capture the reality of wildfires
Their sophisticated color correction algorithms mean it’s harder to take accurate photos. (Vice)
+ It’s been a terrifying week for New Yorkers. (New Yorker $)
+ But the situation is slowly improving. (NYT $)
+ These apps let you check the air quality where you live. (WSJ $)
2 DeSantis’s campaign shared deepfake images of Trump and Fauci
The line between reality and fiction is getting harder to discern. (NPR)
3 The dam collapse in Ukraine is an ecological disaster
Worst of all, some of the damage it’s caused may be permanent. (Wired $)
+ Satellite images lay bare the scale of the destruction. (NBC)
4 We need more data on AI’s carbon footprint
We could pay a high environmental price for the technology’s rapid growth. (The Guardian)
+ Why we need to do a better job of measuring AI’s carbon footprint. (MIT Technology Review)
+ Labor unions have a new enemy: AI. (WP $)
+ A detector can spot AI-written academic text. (The Register)
