Rachel Courtland

@rcourt
1.5K Followers
293 Following
251 Posts

Editor at MIT Technology Review, science and technology journalist, forever physics nerd | She/her

I commission articles from writers, journalists, and experts. If you have a technology-related idea for a news story, feature, op-ed, or essay, check out our pitch guide: https://www.technologyreview.com/how-to-pitch-mit-technology-review/

#sciencewriters #sciencewriter #journalists #technology #tech #HistSTM #computing

MIT Technology Review pitch guidehttps://www.technologyreview.com/how-to-pitch-mit-technology-review/
Currently readingThis Time Tomorrow by Emma Cline
Rachel CourtlandJul 11, 2024

We have a great #longread for you all this week, on a seemingly simple but extraordinarily rich question: what is #AI?

https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/07/10/1094475/what-is-artificial-intelligence-ai-definitive-guide/

What is AI?

Everyone thinks they know, but no one can agree. And that’s a problem.

MIT Technology Review
Rachel CourtlandJul 8, 2024
Attn writers: MIT Technology Review is seeking pitches for an upcoming issue of the magazine. The theme is 🔭🔬Breakthroughs🧪🧬. See this LinkedIn post for more https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rcourtland_writingopportunity-activity-7216137356309848065-Su8d
Rachel Courtland on LinkedIn: #writingopportunity

#WritingOpportunity: MIT Technology Review is seeking pitches for an upcoming print issue. The theme is Breakthroughs. As always, the theme is a loose prompt.…

Rachel CourtlandMay 15, 2024

You may have seen the headlines about problematic #superconductivity and #QuantumComputing papers. Last week, science writer Sophia Chen traveled to Pittsburgh to watch the condensed matter physics community try to get a handle on the systemic issues behind such retractions.

https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/05/15/1092535/a-wave-of-retractions-is-shaking-physics/

A wave of retractions is shaking physics

Grappling with problematic papers and poorly documented data, researchers and journal editors gathered in Pittsburgh to hash out the best way forward.

MIT Technology Review
Rachel CourtlandMay 15, 2024
Adult learners of #cello - does it always feel like you're on the verge of tendinitis. I can't tell if I'm doing something wrong or am just old.
Rachel CourtlandMay 9, 2024

At least half a dozen companies in China are now making deepfakes of dead loved ones.

https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/05/07/1092116/deepfakes-dead-chinese-business-grief/

Deepfakes of your dead loved ones are a booming Chinese business

People are seeking help from AI-generated avatars to process their grief after a family member passes away.

MIT Technology Review
Rachel CourtlandMay 9, 2024
Ok so - LinkedIn, Threads, and Mastodon. I think that's my non-local social media list (Facebook and Reddit for neighborhood/community stuff).
Rachel CourtlandFeb 20, 2024

Can't believe it's been almost 12 years since the discovery of the Higgs boson was announced. @dangaristo has a great update on where the hunt for new particles stands now

https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/02/20/1088002/higgs-boson-physics-particle-collider-large-hadron-collider/

Inside the hunt for new physics at the world’s largest particle collider

The Large Hadron Collider hasn’t seen any new particles since the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012. Here’s what researchers are trying to do about it.

MIT Technology Review
Rachel CourtlandFeb 7, 2024

Can AI learn the way a baby does, with messy, limited data sets? A model trained on footage collected by this cutie suggests it can at least do some rudimentary matching of objects with the words we use for them. More-complex language acquisition is another matter.

https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/02/01/1087527/baby-ai-language-camera/

This baby with a head camera helped teach an AI how kids learn language

A neural network trained on the experiences of a single young child managed to learn one of the core components of language: how to match words to the objects they represent.

MIT Technology Review
Rachel CourtlandFeb 6, 2024

China has been trying to navigate significant restrictions on chip-making technology. Building "chiplets" could offer the country a way forward, @zeyi reports

https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/02/06/1087804/china-betting-on-chiplets-packaging/

Why China is betting big on chiplets

By connecting several less-advanced chips into one, Chinese companies could circumvent the sanctions set by the US government.

MIT Technology Review
Rachel CourtlandFeb 5, 2024

Injecting particles into the stratosphere to cool the planet might sound like science fiction. But two leading experts note it's actually feasible to get started in just five years, making the need to set guardrails that much more urgent.

https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/02/05/1087587/solar-geoengineering-could-start-soon-if-it-starts-small/

Solar geoengineering could start soon if it starts small

It's possible to start a subscale deployment in just a few years. The climate effects would be tiny, but the geopolitical impact could be significant.

MIT Technology Review