The download: What the future holds for today's babies and how the brain can be replaced

Drones have been a critical technology for military, hobbyists and first responders for more than a decade. No longer just small quadcopters with inadequate battery life, drones are supporting search and rescue missions, changing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and delivering time-critical packages of medical supplies. And billions of dollars are being invested in building the next generation of fully autonomous systems.

These developments raise a number of questions: Are drones safe enough to be flown in densely populated residential areas and cities? Is it an invasion of people's privacy when police fly drones overhead at an event or demonstration? Who decides what level of drone autonomy is acceptable in a war zone?

These questions are no longer hypothetical. Advances in drone technology and sensors, falling prices, and looser regulations are making drones cheaper, faster, and more capable than ever before. Here's a look at four of the biggest changes coming to drone technology in the near future.

—James O’Donnell

This story is from MIT Technology Review's What's Next series, which examines industries, trends, and technologies to give you a first look at the future. You can read the rest here Here.

We get older in our forties and sixties, but this doesn't necessarily mean our well-being has to decline drastically.

—Jessica Hamzelou

You may feel like you're going slowly and gradually downhill, but at the molecular level, according to researchers at Stanford University, you're likely being hit by two waves of change. The first comes in your 40s. Yuck.