#136 - Mosquitos Delivering Vaccines, Robotics Revolutions, and Joining the Impact Labs Team!
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In the News
Scientists are using mosquitos to deliver vaccines. Researchers in the UK have introduced a genetically modified version of the plasmodium that causes malaria into mosquitos who then infect humans with a weakened format of the disease, thereby effectively immunizing them. This is super cool from a technological perspective, and given that over a quarter billion people are infected with malaria every year, the results of this strategy could be life-saving for millions.
The WHO’s most recent TB report shows that deaths across Africa have fallen by a dramatic 42% since 2015. That’s incredible progress in less than a decade.
Bloomberg predicts that we may reach peak emissions in 2024, largely thanks to meteoric clean energy leaps in China.
Also in China, a new report shows how the country has expanded access to safe drinking water in 20 years, from 45% of its population in 2000 to 91% in 2020.
Also also in China, their new X-ray synchrotron is slated to start exploring the inner atomic structures of proteins in late December.
Opportunities
Applications for the Impact Fellowship have closed and final decisions will be sent shortly to those who have applied. We were so enormously impressed by the quality and quantity of applicants this year - there is clearly such a huge appetite for programs at the intersection of technology and social good, and seeing the rigor and optimism of everyone who applied fills us with hope for the future!
Crucially, as we ramp up our 2025 planning, we are looking for additional volunteers to join the Impact Labs team! Volunteering is a great way to explore the inner workings of the tech + social impact landscape, and if you’re passionate about building community in this space, we want your voice and vision added to ours! Tell us about yourself using this form!
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation is a research institute working in the area of global health statistics and impact evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle. They’re looking for a project officer, in their Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors department.
“Epoch AI is a non-profit research institute dedicated to understanding the trajectory and societal impact of artificial intelligence. Our mission is to empower policymakers, researchers, and the public with clear, data-backed insights into AI's implications so they can make informed decisions.” They’re looking for a front-end software engineer to join their team.
ProVeg aims to reduce the global consumption of animals via public outreach and collaborations with policymakers and the food industry, and they’re looking for a program manager for their China branch. “The [manager] for ProVeg China will work closely with the Managing Director, Asia, to initiate and deliver meaningful campaigns through thoughtful planning and budgeting, with the support of the international team. In addition, the role will include developing reports and governance processes.”
What We’re Watching
This New Yorker article talks about the revolution in robotics thanks to computer vision + unsupervised learning.
Archaeologists have unearthed a sample of writing that pushes our best guess of when alphabets were invented back by 500 years to 2400 BCE.
Removing dams is good for salmon.
Have you seen the FB meme page “Did Silicon Valley Reinvent the Bus Again?” - well take a look at Uber’s new plan for India!
Quotes We Love
“There's nothing truly good or bad but thinking makes it so.”
- William Shakespeare (in Hamlet)
That’s all for now! See you in your inbox in another two weeks! ❤️