The New Yorker: Science & Technology.

"Why you can't sleep, the real energy crises, keep kids safe on social media."

Views expressed in this science and technology update are those of the reporters and correspondents.  Accessed on 25 January 2025, 1458 UTC.

Content and Source:  https://www.newyorker.com

Please check link or scroll down to read your selections.  Thanks for joining us today.

Russ Roberts (https://hawaiisciencejournal.blogspot.com).

 

View in browser | Update your preferences

In today’s newsletter, you are getting sleepy, and then: • Bill McKibben on the real energy emergency • How should we keep kids safe from social media • Big Tech’s lurch to the right What an Insomniac Knows What’s really going on when you can’t power down? By Adam Gopnik Illustration by Gérard DuBois “Are you awake?” So runs the perpetual 3 A.M. question of the sleepless to the seemingly slumbering partner. “No!” the partner replies, turning over and away, indicating both the fact of being awake and the state of being still asleep, unavailable for conscious activities. The insistent insomniac, desperate for a chat, usually sighs, accepts the verdict, and slumps back into sleeplessness. (Carrying on with the conversation is a path toward divorce, not the desired diversion.) The exchange, muttered by countless couples in countless beds, reminds us that sleep is not a neat off-and-on switch but a fully human and fiendishly manifold activity: social, complex, and governed by as many psychological intricacies as any other natural act. We can be asleep and still sense that something is stirring around us, or be awake and still say “No!” and mean it. Keep reading Bill McKibben Donald Trump Invents an Energy Emergency Photograph by Mario Tama / Getty Earlier this week, Donald Trump used one of his executive-order signing sessions to declare a “national energy emergency.” But there is no such thing, Bill McKibben writes. “Our leader has declared a fake emergency about energy, so that we can do more of something—drilling for oil and gas—that causes the actual emergency.” Read the story » Climate Change Dept. Comment Climate Whiplash and Fire Come to L.A. Climate change has brought both fiercer rains and deeper droughts, leaving the city with brush like kindling—and the phenomenon is on the rise worldwide. By Elizabeth Kolbert If you know someone who would enjoy Science & Technology, please share it. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up. Annals of Technology  Fault Lines The Big Tech Takeover of American Politics Social media is no longer just a tool for politicians to get out their message; politicians now have to shape themselves into optimized vessels for social media. By Jay Caspian Kang  A Critic at Large What if the Attention Crisis Is All a Distraction? From the pianoforte to the smartphone, each wave of tech has sparked fears of brain rot. But the problem isn’t our ability to focus—it’s what we’re focussing on. By Daniel Immerwahr  Infinite Scroll Is Social Media More Like Cigarettes or Junk Food? Lawmakers attempting to regulate children’s access to social media must decide whether bans or warning labels are the optimal route for keeping kids safe. By Cal Newport Cartoon by Christopher Weyant P.S. The President has pledged that U.S. astronauts will plant an American flag on Mars. But what for? Adam Mann explores whether the planet should be treated as a natural resource or a national park. ☄️

Thanks for reading. Let us know your thoughts about today’s edition. Plus, browse more newsletters. You’re receiving this e-mail because you signed up for the Science & Technology newsletter from The New Yorker. Manage your preferences | View our Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2025. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.