Insights

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Ectogenesis: Could this be humanity’s next small step?

“Ectogenesis” was coined in 1923 by British scientist JBS Haldane, during a Cambridge University lecture involving exploratory fiction. Haldane predicted that, by 2074, only 30 percent of births would come from a human womb.

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The futures of the metaverse

The metaverse comprises a collection of virtual spaces that enable social connection. Hypothetically, it could become a unified world that transcends physical and digital borders.

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Me, myself and my avatar: Data ownership in virtual worlds

If you’re reading this, perhaps it’s no surprise to you that there is a commercial and strategic value to the data we generate all day, whether online or offline. In terms of the sheer volume of that potential, these are unprecedented times: 90 percent of existing data was generated in the last 2 years.

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The emotional era: Are technologies changing how we feel?

Don’t read the comments! So goes long-standing foundational advice for being online today. Still, it’s not easy to numb oneself to the discharge of intense emotions on the internet.

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The double-edged dissident darknet

Popular media narratives position the darknet as a shadow-space, where leery people exchange child pornography, or peddle drugs and weapons on websites that resemble eBay. But it is also a safe haven for journalists, researchers, political dissidents, and citizens seeking privacy … making Tor an accidental seismograph for measuring democratic corrosion.

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Life is a highway, let’s ride it all night: The digital economy’s transformation of van life

In #vanlife’s most current iteration, it’s not the open road that dictates the voyage; it's the digital economy behind the wheel.

Insight

The Glasgow Breakthroughs: Vertical farming

One sustainable technology, linked to agriculture, has attracted attention since the 1990s, and could benefit from a financial “push” from countries: Vertical farming. Growing food in vertical stacks and controlled environments was showcased during the Cop26, when Glasgow inaugurated its first such farm.