The Download: introducing this year's 10 Breakthrough Technologies

It's easy to be cynical about technology these days. Many of the "disruptions" of the last 15 years were more about coddling a certain set of young, moneyed San Franciscans than improving the world. Yet you can be sympathetic to the techlash and still fully buy into the idea that technology can be good. We really can build tools that make this planet healthier, more livable, more equitable, and just all-around better. And some people are doing just that, pushing progress forward across a number of fundamental, potentially world-changing technologies. These are exactly the technologies we aim to spotlight in our annual 10 Breakthrough Technologies list.