Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, May 15th 2023
Posted: 15th May 2023
May 15, 2023
Lithium mining by brine well water evaporation in Chile´s Atacama salt pan. (Photo: Oton Barros (DSR/OBT/INPE)/Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0)
CLIMATE CHANGE
The high cost of extraction in the Lithium TriangleLithium extraction in Chile has depleted water levels in a region already suffering from a climate change-induced megadrought, reports Grist data fellow Tushar Khurana. Read more.
DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES
Is the US prepared for another pandemic?On Thursday, the public health emergency for COVID-19 in the United States ended. Although deaths from the virus have been steadily dropping this year, the country and the world remain vulnerable, says Bulletin biosecurity editor Matt Field. Read more.
DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES
The AI arms race with China is fueled by politics and businessCommercial competition, politics, and public opinion are driving AI development in the United States—and unnecessarily escalating the AI arms race with China, argues Harvard researcher Will Henshall. Read more.
Listen to the Doomsday Clock playlist
From Pink Floyd to The Who to Iron Maiden, the Bulletin’s Doomsday Clock playlist features songs by musicians that mention the Clock or were inspired by it. Listen to our Spotify playlist, and let us know who else we’re missing!
CLIMATE CHANGE
Interview with Susan Solomon: The healing of the ozone hole
Perhaps the best example of successfully managing a climate change “near-miss” is the 1989 Montreal Protocol that banned chlorofluorocarbons—which demonstrates the power of science and international cooperation to resolve a common environmental problem. Read more.
DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES
The future of technology: Lessons from China—and the US
The technological competition between the US and China has been portrayed as a simplistic battle between democracy and authoritarianism. Three experts from Human Rights Watch write that the reality is that people everywhere are all living in a digital world, where surveillance is ubiquitous and accountability for human rights abuses more challenging. Read more.
DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES
Is AI the atomic bomb of the 21st century?As was the case at the dawn of the nuclear age, we all have a role to play in demanding governance of this new technology, write Rachel Bronson, Bulletin president and CEO, and Will Johnson, CEO of the Harris Poll in this Newsweekopinion piece. Read more.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“What will it take the save the world’s rivers? Experts say we need only look to the Vjosa River in Albania for a model of conservation.”
— Stefan Lovgren, journalist, “How a wild river became a national park—and sparked a movement” National Geographic
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