“It’s a shock, thinking that just an hour earlier I’d been in my room and everything… and now, th...

—18-year-old Raphael Fohanno tells Reuters his reaction to wildfires destroying his parents’ house in the French town of Biscarrosse. Some of the 750 reports published by the OTA during its 23-year history. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE VIA PRINCETON UNIVERSITY Congress used to evaluate emerging technologies. Let’s do it again. The US Office of Technology Assessment, an independent office created by Congress in the early 1970s, produced some 750 reports during its 23-year history, assessing technologies as varied as electronic surveillance, genetic engineering, and remote sensing from outer space.

The office functioned like a debunking arm. It sussed out the snake oil. Its reports saw through the alluring gleam of overhyped technologies. Since its unceremonious defunding in 1995, perennial calls have gone out: Rouse the office from the dead! Read our story about why, with advances in robotics, big data, and AI systems, these calls have taken on a new level of urgency.

A place for comfort, fun, and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line. ) + Fencing on roller skates is the self-defense you didn’t know you needed. + Meet Pumpkin, a chubby cat that’s in no mood to lose weight.

+ Discover what the animals near you are probably doing right now at Nature This Week. + Woodworker extraordinaire Matt Thompson has installed a model railroad that runs along his fence.