5 things we didn’t put on our 2024 list of 10 Breakthrough Technologies

We haven’t at all times been proper (RIP, Baxter), however we’ve typically been early to identify vital areas of progress (we put natural-language processing on our very first list in 2001; at present this know-how underpins giant language fashions and generative AI instruments like ChatGPT).  

Yearly, our reporters and editors nominate applied sciences that they assume deserve a spot, and we spend weeks debating which of them ought to make the reduce. Listed here are a number of the applied sciences we didn’t choose this time—and why we’ve left them off, for now. 

New medicine for Alzheimer’s illness

Alzmeiher’s sufferers have lengthy lacked therapy choices. A number of new medicine have now been proved to gradual cognitive decline, albeit modestly, by clearing out dangerous plaques within the mind. In July, the FDA approved Leqembi by Eisai and Biogen, and Eli Lilly’s donanemab might quickly be subsequent. However the medicine include critical unwanted effects, together with mind swelling and bleeding, which will be deadly in some instances. Plus, they’re arduous to manage—sufferers obtain doses by way of an IV and should obtain common MRIs to verify for mind swelling. These drawbacks gave us pause. 

Sustainable aviation gasoline

Different jet fuels constituted of cooking oil, leftover animal fat, or agricultural waste might cut back emissions from flying. They’ve been in growth for years, and scientists are making regular progress, with several recent demonstration flights. However manufacturing and use might want to ramp up considerably for these fuels to make a significant local weather impression. Whereas they do look promising, there wasn’t a key second or “breakthrough” that merited a spot for sustainable aviation fuels on this yr’s listing.  

Photo voltaic geoengineering

One strategy to counteract international warming may very well be to launch particles into the stratosphere that mirror the solar’s power and funky the planet. That concept is extremely controversial throughout the scientific neighborhood, however a couple of researchers and corporations have begun exploring whether or not it’s attainable by launching a sequence of small-scale high-flying checks. One such launch prompted Mexico to ban solar geoengineering experiments earlier this yr. It’s probably not clear the place geoengineering will go from right here or whether or not these early efforts will stall out. Amid that uncertainty, we determined to carry off for now.