The Robocalls Problem Is So Bad That the FCC Actually Did Something

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August 16, 2022

Dear Reader, Your phone is ringing, but you're not going to pick it up. That's because you know that the "person" on the other end is likely an automated caller trying to sell you something or scam you out of your money. These robocalls have become so ubiquitous that they drown out legitimate callers. Finally, government regulators are trying to do something about it—but will the new rules make a difference?

Sophie Bushwick, Associate Editor, Technology

Privacy The Robocalls Problem Is So Bad That the FCC Actually Did Something A cybersecurity expert explains how we might learn to trust our phones again By Sasha Warren

Climate Change Drones Bearing Parcels Deliver Big Carbon Savings Last-mile delivery by a small drone takes much less energy per package than delivery by diesel truck By Freda Kreier,Nature magazine

Aerospace The Biden Administration Must Designate Civilian Satellites Critical Infrastructure Nongovernment satellites are vulnerable to attack, and calling them critical infrastructure would make it easier for the U.S. to fight back By Dakota Cary

Renewable Energy How Much Will the Climate Bill Reduce Emissions? It Depends Emissions models can understate the difficulty of rapidly reducing carbon dioxide this decade By Benjamin Storrow,E&E News

Ecology De-extinction Company Aims to Resurrect the Tasmanian Tiger The scientists who want to bring back mammoths now hope to revive the marsupial carnivore thylacine By Kate Evans

Politics Nearly $53 Billion in Federal Funding Could Revive the U.S. Computer Chip Industry The CHIPS and Science Act aims to support domestic semiconductor production, new high-tech jobs and scientific research—even NASA By Sophie Bushwick

Climate Change Carbon-Reduction Plans Rely on Tech That Doesn't Exist Instead of scaling up renewable energy, researchers promote unproved ideas By Naomi Oreskes

Space Exploration A New Private Moon Race Kicks Off Soon Commercial spacecraft are vying to land on the lunar surface, but can they jump-start a new space economy? By Rebecca Boyle

FROM THE STORE Truth vs Lies How do we navigate the post-truth era, when there is no longer an expectation that politicians or pundits will be honest? In this eBook, we break down the science of deception so that we can protect ourselves against it. We look at human perception and how those perceptions are influenced using technology as well as provide interventions for combating bias and antiscience thinking. *Editor's Note: This Collector's Edition was published as Truth vs Lies. The eBook adaptation contains all of the articles, but some of the artwork has been removed to optimize viewing on tablet devices.

QUOTE OF THE DAY "Since the dawn of modern offices, workers have orchestrated their actions by watching the clock. Now, more and more, the clock is watching them." Jodi Kantor and Arya Sundaram, The New York Times

FROM THE ARCHIVE 50, 100 & 150 Years Ago: September 2022 Booster shots for smallpox, molten moonglow By Mark Fischetti | September 2022

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