The news: Last month, Stanfords Sewer Coronavirus Alert Network, or SCAN, added monkeypox to the suite of viruses it checks wastewater for daily. Since then, the virus has been detected in 10 of the 11 sewer systems that SCAN tests, including those in Sacramento, Palo Alto, and several other cities in Californias Bay Area.

Why it matters: The World Health Organization declared the spread of monkeypox a global health emergency over the weekend, following weeks of indecision over whether the situation was severe enough to be considered an international threat. While the US has recorded 2,891 confirmed cases of the virus as of 22 July, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, SCANs wastewater analysis methods could reveal higher case numbers, much more swiftly.

How it works: SCANs researchers are using the data to estimate the actual number of people with monkeypox in the communities they monitor by modeling how wastewater data and monkeypox cases from the past month correlate. This estimate, which can be updated daily, would be a much faster way to track community spread than waiting for symptomatic patients to go to a doctor and get tested, and help to catch infections much earlier. Read the full story.

Read next:Homophobic misinformation is making it harder to contain the spread of monkeypox. Read the full story.

Hana Kiros

The must-reads

Ive combed the internet to find you todays most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 China has its native tech tycoons in a chokeholdCompanies that promised to disrupt the status quo have ended up katowing to power. (The Guardian)+ Its working on a system to help Chinese firms comply with US rules. (FT $)+ How Chinas biggest online influencers fell from their thrones. (MIT Technology Review)

2 Joe Bidens semiconductor bill is making unlikely political alliesBernie Sanders and Republicans claim the legislation would simply line the pockets of the already-wealthy. (ABC)+ Meanwhile,China is forging ahead making its own chips. (WSJ $)

3 South Carolina has outlawed websites explaining how to get an abortionThe chilling legislation could set a precedent for conservative states. (WP $)+ Abortion surveillance could trigger a refugee crisis across the US. (Fast Company $)+ Big Tech remains silent on questions about data privacy in a post-Roe US. (MIT Technology Review)

4 Parisian internet cables were sabotaged in a mysterious attackThree months on, we still dont know why. (Wired $)

5 Europe isnt built to withstand extreme heatBut what used to be considered freak weather events are becoming scarily common. (Slate)+ Do these heat waves mean climate change is happening faster than expected? (MIT Technology Review)

6 Google is selling advanced surveillance AI to IsraelWhich would give its government even greater power over its people. (The Intercept)+Why business is booming for military AI startups. (MIT Technology Review)

7 Erotica has been outsourced to the gig economyBut while it helps budding writers to find an audience, readers fear their favorite steamy authors are being exploited. (Rest of World)

8 We shouldnt forget about Hubble The James Webb Space Telescope may have been making headlines recently, but Hubble still has an important role to play. (CNET)+ Why Hubble is unlike any other satellite in history. (MIT Technology Review)+ The Wentian module is on its way to the Tiangong space station. (The Verge)+ NASA-branded clothing is everywhere, because we all want to be astronauts. (CNN)

9 Influencers dont want followers any morethey want communitiesCreating groups of like-minded members breaks down the boundaries between creator and fan. (WP $)+ Instagrams meme creators are fed up with being deplatformed. (Buzzfeed)+ Its also getting even harder to make a living on TikTok these days. (The Information $)

10 Dont mess with this chess-playing robot Or you may come away with a broken finger. (The Guardian)

Quote of the day

Youve always had people who sell snake oil. But they had to go door to door, and now with social media they can sit at home and be amplified to every corner of the world.

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The Download: monkeypox detection in wastewater, and Chinas tycoon control - MIT Technology Review