Anyone with more money than they know what they have to do is finally trying to cure aging. Google founder Larry Page tried it. Jeff Bezos tried it. Tech billionaires Larry Ellison and Peter Thiel tried it. Now, the oil-rich kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which has the same amount as all of them, is going to try it.
The Saudi royal family has set up a non-profit called the Hevolution Foundation that plans to spend up to $1 billion a year of its oil assets to investigate the biology of aging and find how to prolong the number of years people live well. Health.
The huge sum, which limits US spending on aging research, could make the Bay Area state the largest single funder of researchers trying to understand the underlying causes of aging. – and how it can be slowed down with medication. But American research institutions weighing whether to take Saudi money will be forced to confront the specter of the country’s human rights record. Read full story.
—Antonio Regalado
Things to read
I’ve scoured the internet to find you today’s most interesting/important/scary/fascinating stories about tech.
1 The global energy market is changing dramatically
The dual concerns of climate change and the war in Ukraine are forcing governments to be much more active. (Foreign Policy $)
+ Biden is significantly strengthening measures to support solar panel production. (Reuters $)
2 Axon has halted plans to build a mission-equipped drone
After nine members of its ethics board resigned over a proposed plan to install drones in schools to prevent future mass shootings. (WP $)
3 Ways The CIA Was Hacked
And why does it miss the obvious red flags of the most likely candidate. (New Yorkers $)
4 Why robots overwhelm humans in factories in Korea
Afraid of violating the new occupational safety law, companies are cutting their workforce. (The rest of the world)
+ A new generation of AI-powered robots is taking over warehouses. (MIT . Technology Review)
Bitcoin’s 5 founding principles that have not stood the test of time
The myth of a decentralized network is largely just that – a myth. (NYT $)
+ White hat hackers are stopping crypto criminals by stealing their targets first. (Motherboard)
+ Law enforcement crime units are also getting better at seizing stolen cryptocurrency sales. (NBC)
6 Dating Apps Are Overwhelming Teens
Many users are too young – but platforms don’t stop them from joining. (Atlantic $)
+ Forget dating apps: Here’s how the newest matchmakers out there help you find love. (MIT . Technology Review)
7 non-addictive apps and games in development
This seems to be a new, healthier direction for Silicon Valley. (Bloomberg $)
8 Why life after chronic pain is so confusing
Once you no longer experience it, determining your identity is very difficult. (Slate $)
+ The THC component of cannabis may be better than CBD at relieving chronic pain. (Insiders)
+ Much work is underway to relieve pain without opioids. (MIT . Technology Review)
9 Tech whistleblowers are mostly women
It’s symbolic of the tech industry’s broader issues with gender equality. (Fast company)
+ She risked everything to expose Facebook. Now she is telling her story. (MIT . Technology Review)
10 Millennials Are Boring
It’s not just because they can’t afford to do anything fun. (New Statesman $)
Quote of the day
