The Download: Earth’s rumblings, and AI for strikes on Iran

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.

Listen to Earth’s rumbling, secret soundtrack

The boom of a calving glacier. The crackling rumble of a wildfire. The roar of a surging storm front. They’re the noises of the living Earth, but as loud as all these things are, they emit even more acoustic energy below the threshold of human hearing, at frequencies of 20 hertz or lower.  

These “infrasounds” have such long wavelengths that they can travel around the globe as churning emanations of distant events. But humans have never been able to hear them. Until now. Read our story and check the sounds out for yourself.

—Monique Brouillette

This story is from the latest March/April issue of our print magazine, all about crime. Subscribe today to get full access. You’ll also receive an in-depth digital AI report and an exclusive e-book on how to understand AI’s reckoning.

MIT Technology Review Narrated: The curious case of the disappearing Lamborghinis  

A new wave of theft is rocking the luxury car industry—mixing high tech with old-school chop-shop techniques to snag vehicles while they’re in transport. 

It’s remained under the radar, even as it’s rocked the industry over the past two years. MIT Technology Review identified more than a dozen cases involving high-end vehicles, obtained court records, and spoke to law enforcement, brokers, drivers, and victims in multiple states to reveal how transport fraud is wreaking havoc across the country.

This is our latest story to be turned into a MIT Technology Review Narrated podcast, which we’re publishing each week on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Just navigate to MIT Technology Review Narrated on either platform, and follow us to get all our new content as it’s released.

The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 How Anthropic’s AI tool Claude is being used for US strikes on Iran
It’s helping to identify targets and prioritize them—for now. (WP $)
+ We should all be alarmed by the White House turning on Anthropic. (The Atlantic $)
+ OpenAI is pursuing a contract with NATO. (Reuters)

2 Iran’s Shahed drones give it a major advantage
They’re cheap and easy to manufacture, but very expensive to intercept. (CNBC)
+ The US is manufacturing copies of the drone to use against Iran. (New Scientist $)
+ Israel’s plot to kill Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was years in the making. (FT $)

3 Data center politics are getting an early test in North Carolina
One of the candidates is calling for a 10-year national moratorium on building them. (The Guardian)
+ But it’s not just data centers that are driving people’s electricity bills up. (Inside Climate News)
+ Data centers are amazing. Everyone hates them. (MIT Technology Review)
+ Never mind space—why not just build them into floating offshore wind turbines? (IEEE Spectrum)

4 LLMs can unmask pseudonymous users 
At a speed and scale far beyond what even skilled human investigators can manage. (Ars Technica)
+ It’s also very easy to persuade them to fabricate scientific papers. (Nature $)

5 TikTok has ruled out end-to-end encryption, citing user safety
It’s a stance that sets it apart from almost all rival social media services. (BBC)
+ The strategy will please parents, police—and hackers. (Cybernews)
+ TikTok is experiencing Oracle-related server issues, again. (Gizmodo)

6 Why is SpaceX going public?
One thing seems certain: it’s not for the reasons Musk’s claiming. (The Verge $)
+ Two companies have just unveiled plans to build lunar harvesters. (Ars Technica)

7 NASA’s scheduled its next attempt to launch the Artemis II moon rocket 
On April Fool’s Day, of all days. Good luck! (Space)

8 What it’s like to live with a brain implant for years 
For 65-year-old Rodney Gorham, who can no longer walk, talk, or move his hands, it’s been a real lifeline. (Wired $)
+ This patient’s Neuralink brain implant is getting a boost from generative AI. (MIT Technology Review)

9 Pokémon Pokopia is getting rave reviews
It apparently mixes Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley, with a hint of Minecraft-style building. (BBC)

10. Hollywood is scouring YouTube for its next horror hits 
Movie studios want to bring the threat from the platform in-house. (The New Yorker $)
+ One YouTuber’s self-financed horror flick opened at 4,000 theatres. (Variety)

Quote of the day

“I think it just looked opportunistic and sloppy.”

—OpenAI CEO Sam Altman comments on X about his decision to rush in to work with the US Department of War after its talks with Anthropic fell apart. 

One More Thing

Crypto millionaires are pouring money into Central America to build their own cities

El Salvador’s Conchagua Volcano, home to a lush ecotourism retreat amid its sun-dappled forest, is set to host a glittering new Bitcoin City, according to the country’s president.

While some politicians and residents believe in crypto’s potential to jump-start the economy, others see history repeating itself. They also question who these projects are really for, and whether the countries serving as test beds will truly benefit. Read the full story.

—Laurie Clarke

We can still have nice things

A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet ’em at me.)

+ Art is everywhere in Los Angeles: you just need to know what you’re looking for.
+ Survivor has been running for 50 seasons. How is that even possible?!
+ MP3 players are cool again. I don’t make the rules.
+ Be careful out there—you never know when you’re going to come across a Homer Simpson AI cover song.