The Download: the increase in luxury vehicle theft, and combating antimicrobial resistance

Globally, unaware individuals are inadvertently entangled in a new and escalating form of organized crime: vehicle transport deception and larceny.

Scammers utilize phishing emails, bogus documents, and other methods to masquerade as legitimate transport firms, gaining contracts to deliver luxury automobiles. They reroute the shipment from its planned destination before employing a combination of technology, computing abilities, and traditional methods to obliterate evidence of the vehicle’s original ownership and registration. In certain instances, the vehicle has been resold or is abroad before the legitimate owner even becomes aware it’s gone.

The widespread issue of vehicle transport deception and theft has largely gone unnoticed, even as it has shaken the industry in recent years. MIT Technology Review has uncovered over a dozen incidents involving high-end automobiles, retrieved court documents, and engaged with law enforcement, brokers, drivers, and victims across various states to illustrate how transport fraud is causing chaos nationwide. Read the complete story.

—Craig Silverman

The researcher utilizing AI to seek out antibiotics almost everywhere

Antimicrobial resistance constitutes a significant challenge. Infections caused by bacteria, fungi, and viruses that have adapted to escape treatments are now tied to over 4 million deaths annually, and a recent study forecasts that this figure could exceed 8 million by 2050.

Bioengineer and computational biologist César de la Fuente has devised a strategy. His team at the University of Pennsylvania is training AI systems to probe genomes extensively for peptides possessing antibiotic characteristics. His ambition is to arrange these peptides—molecules composed of as many as 50 linked amino acids—into various formations, including some that have never been recorded in nature. The findings, he aspires, could protect the body against microbes that resist conventional treatments—and his pursuit has revealed promising leads in unexpected locations. Read the full narrative.

—Stephen Ornes

These articles are featured in the forthcoming print edition of MIT Technology Review magazine, which focuses on crime. If you haven’t yet, subscribe today to get future issues upon release. 

The essential reads

I’ve scoured the internet to bring you today’s most engaging/critical/alarming/captivating stories concerning technology.

1 The Pentagon is nearing a complete severance of business relations with Anthropic
This action would compel anyone wishing to engage with the US military to end their association with Anthropic as well. (Axios)
+ Claude was utilized in the US operation to apprehend the former Venezuelan President. (WSJ $)
+ Generative AI is learning to act as a spy for the US armed forces. (MIT Technology Review)

2 RFK Jr is focusing on baby formula
However, advocacy groups express concern over the scientific foundation of the administration’s reform proposals. (WSJ $)

3 Germany is moving closer to a ban on social media for minors under 16
In a bid to foster safer digital environments for young internet users. (Bloomberg $)
+ The country’s center-left government aligns with their conservative coalition partners. (Reuters)

4 Innovative hackers are retaliating against ICE
The maker community is fighting back through laser-cutting and 3D-printing. (Wired $)
+ ICE has formed hundreds of agreements with local law enforcement. (NBC News)

5 Consulting firms have created thousands of AI agents
It’s now crucial to determine if they can truly deliver results. (Insider $)
+ Avoid letting the excitement around AI agents outpace reality. (MIT Technology Review)

6 Restaurant employees are tired of being video-recorded 👓
Meta’s smart glasses make filming more covert than ever. (NYT $)

7 The Arctic’s waterways are turning vivid orange
But it is climate change, not mining, that is responsible. (FT $)
+ What will transpire now that the EPA can no longer combat climate change? (Undark)
+ Scientists are observing Earth’s permafrost thawing from space. (MIT Technology Review)

8 NASA allowed AI to autonomously operate its Mars Perseverance rover
It moved 456 meters over two days without human interference. (IEEE Spectrum)
+ That’s… not particularly fast. (Semafor)
+ Slow-moving food delivery bots are facing backlash in the US. (Economist $)

9 This device can convert images into smells
Choose your pictures wisely, is my advice.(Fast Company $)

10 One of the largest creators on YouTube is now a thriving director 
Mark Fischbach financed, produced, and released his film in theaters entirely on his own. (The Atlantic $)

Quote of the day

“My recommendation to them would be to adapt to the situation.”

—Jeremy Newmark, head of a British council near Potters Bar, expressed pointed comments toward locals opposing plans for a large AI data center to be built nearby, Wired reports.

One last thing

The investigation into how our bodies respond to extreme temperatures

Climate change is subjecting at-risk populations to temperatures that surpass their capacities. In 2023, around 47,000 heat-related fatalities are estimated to have occurred in Europe. Analysts predict that climate change might result in an additional 2.3 million heat fatalities in Europe this century. This heightens the urgency for uncovering the mysteries of how bodies function under extreme conditions.

While we generally understand thermoregulation, the science of maintaining body temperature is filled with gaps. Researchers worldwide are reevaluating criteria regarding when extremes shift from discomfort to danger. Their discoveries may reshape our understanding of temperature limits—and strategies for survival in an altered environment. Read the complete narrative.

—Max G.Levy

We can still enjoy nice things

A space for comfort, enjoyment, and distraction to brighten your day. (Have any suggestions? Send me a message or send them my way.)

+ I can assure you’ve never encountered a diner like the Niemeyer Sphere.
+ How New Yorkers continue to celebrate amidst freezing conditions.
+ The settings of Love Story, the new series depicting the lives of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, are a ‘90s fantasy.
+ Ever wondered why some individuals perceive specific colors differently? Now you’ll find out.