Technology

Illustration of a destroyed library.

Saving Ukraine’s cultural heritage with a click

Since the beginning of Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has been bombing uniquely Ukrainian cultural sites. Preservationists are using "photogrammetry" — the act of deriving precise measurements from taking overlapping photos and rendering them in three dimensions. Dina Temple-Raston, the host of "Click Here," was recently in Ukraine and met those working to preserve the country's heritage — on their phones.

Saving Ukraine’s cultural heritage with a click
illustration of a drone

Exclusive: Inside Ukraine’s secret drone factories

Exclusive: Inside Ukraine’s secret drone factories
cows in the wild

Rewilding in Spain brings back ancient bovine

Rewilding in Spain brings back ancient bovine
Cast members perform during a rehearsal of the opera "Monkey: A Kung Fu Puppet Parable" at the Emerson Paramount Center in Boston, Sept. 20, 2023.

A modern take on an ancient Chinese folk tale

A modern take on an ancient Chinese folk tale
Illustration by Megan J. Goff.

Tracking atrocities in Sudan: 'The world has become significantly less anonymous for war criminals'

Tracking atrocities in Sudan: 'The world has become significantly less anonymous for war criminals'
Akureyri is one of the few places in Iceland with forest.

This small Icelandic city thinks big about going green

The small town of Akureyri, in Iceland, has set itself a big goal: to become the world’s first carbon-neutral city by 2030. It hopes that going green can serve as a model for other places.

This small Icelandic city thinks big about going green
illustration

Exclusive: Inside an American hunt forward operation in Ukraine

In an interview with Recorded Future News’ podcast "Click Here," Hartman says the cooperation between the US and foreign partners like Ukraine has become important in the effort to deter Russia’s cyber operations.

Exclusive: Inside an American hunt forward operation in Ukraine
man sits at a computer monitor

Young Russian game designers find a new home in Serbia

About a dozen Russian game developers have wound up in the quiet city of Subotica, on the border of Serbia and Hungary, to start over after fleeing Russia. Some left after facing arrest for aiding Ukraine, while others wanted to avoid getting drafted.

Young Russian game designers find a new home in Serbia
cars on streets

90% of the cars on Ghana's roads are imported used cars. Many are polluting or unsafe.

US consumers have plenty of reasons to snap up electric vehicles. They are helping the US meet its climate goals, and new owners may qualify for a tax credit. But some of their old cars end up on roads across Africa. These vehicles provide vital transportation in poor countries, but they also cause pollution and are unsafe.

90% of the cars on Ghana's roads are imported used cars. Many are polluting or unsafe.
Black, blue and grey illustration of man looking over small figures

The hacker Bassterlord in his own words: Portrait of an access broker as a young man

He started off doing simple phishing attacks. But the Russian, who is known as Bassterlord, soon graduated to planting ransomware in emails, holding companies' data hostage. And he quickly became one of the best. In her exclusive interview with the hacker, Dina Temple-Raston of the "Click Here" podcast delves into the ransomware underworld.

The hacker Bassterlord in his own words: Portrait of an access broker as a young man
In this Jan. 20, 2017, file photo, residents walk through the destruction of the once rebel-held Salaheddine neighborhood in the eastern Aleppo, Syria. 

Rebel reliance: Part II

Critical State, a foreign policy newsletter by Inkstick Media, takes a deep dive this week into a unique method of augmenting human-labeled destruction in satellite imagery with machine learning, providing footage that lends insight into patterns of urban warfare and civilian relief.

Rebel reliance: Part II
woman at computer

‘Out of reach’: Over 40 academic editors leave global publishing company they say overcharged to publish their work

​​​​​​University professors and researchers depend on getting published. So it was considered a bold move when the editors of two prestigious brain journals resigned en masse this month after the publisher refused to lower the fees it charges academics to publish their work.

‘Out of reach’: Over 40 academic editors leave global publishing company they say overcharged to publish their work
US Air Force fighter aircraft F-35 performs aerobatic maneuvers on the second day of the Aero India 2023 at Yelahanka air base in Bengaluru, India, Feb. 14, 2023.

Military spending around the world reached record highs last year, new data shows

New research shows that military spending grew for an eighth consecutive year in 2022 to an all-time high of $2,240 billion. Europe saw a sharp increase over the war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, China has expanded its reach, while the US wants to maintain its military superiority as the world's largest military.

Military spending around the world reached record highs last year, new data shows
scientists on lake

Geologists edge closer to defining the Anthropocene

The Anthropocene Working Group is voting on a so-called Golden Spike, a sedimentary layer somewhere on Earth that best exemplifies the global impact of humans on planet Earth. It's the last, big task in formally defining the Anthropocene, which is being proposed as a new age in geologic time.

Geologists edge closer to defining the Anthropocene
Colleagues gather at a cafeteria in the offices of Picsart, in Yerevan, Armenia.

Russia's war turns Armenia into a booming tech sector

Thousands of Russian tech workers have fled to Armenia, helping the country’s tech sector double in size and fueling dramatic economic growth over the last year.

Russia's war turns Armenia into a booming tech sector