74 Things That Blew Our Minds in 2022
Where The Atlantic’s science, technology, and health reporters found wonder in a sometimes-sobering year
The End of the Silicon Valley Myth
The companies that define our digital lives have hit a wall.
Just How Badly Does Apple Need China?
The tech supply chain is growing more complex.
Elon Musk’s Text Messages Explain Everything
A disastrous year for the tech industry, captured for eternity in a billionaire’s private exchanges
To Grandmother’s TikTok We Go
Older influencers who share laundry hacks and old family recipes are helping Gen Z get through the holidays.
Money Will Kill ChatGPT’s Magic
Buzzy products like ChatGPT and DALL-E 2 will have to turn a profit eventually.
We Haven’t Seen the Worst of Fake News
Deepfakes still might be poised to corrupt the basic ways we process reality—or what’s left of it.
The Internet Is Kmart Now
Something becomes entrenched. Then it fades away.
How Tall Is Too Tall?
The rise and rise and rise of the supertall skyscraper
No One Wins in Elon Musk’s Battle With Journalists
The owner of Twitter and some of its most avid users are at war over the platform.
Why Doesn’t Every American Have a Robot Dog?
Fake puppies that could move and bark and dance were all the rage in the early 2000s. How is it possible that we live in a society that could fall out of love with such a thing?
Commercials Desperately Want You to Know They Know What They Are
What happens when advertising goes postmodern?
TikTok Told Me to Adopt a Pigeon
#PigeonTok is rebranding the unloved birds as pets, not pests.
Sam Bankman-Fried Got What He Wanted
The now-arrested crypto king had long said he wanted Washington to wise up about the industry. That’s finally happening.
The Dawn of Artificial Imagination
OpenAI says programs like DALL-E 2 will “democratize” art.
Is This the ‘Kitty Hawk Moment’ for Fusion Energy?
This week’s big news amounts to a symbolic achievement—and symbols matter.
Crypto Was Always Smoke and Mirrors
The fall of FTX shocked everyone. Except this guy.
Why the Age of American Progress Ended
Invention alone can’t change the world; what matters is what happens next.
Elon Musk Is a Far-Right Activist
One tweet says it all.
The Woman Who Made Online Dating Into a ‘Science’
Almost 20 years ago, Helen Fisher helped revolutionize dating. She has no regrets.
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