This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.
Inside the stealthy startup that pitched brainless human clones
After operating in secrecy for years, R3 Bio, a California-based startup, suddenly revealed last week that it had raised money to create nonsentient monkey “organ sacks” as an alternative to animal testing. But there is more to the story. And R3 doesn’t want that story told.
MIT Technology Review discovered that founder John Schloendorn also pitched a startling, ethically charged vision: “brainless clones” that serve as backup human bodies. Find out all the details on the radical proposal.
—Antonio Regalado
A woman’s uterus has been kept alive outside the body for the first time
Ten months ago, reproductive health researchers placed a freshly donated human uterus inside a new device they call “Mother.” They connected the organ to the machine’s plastic veins and arteries and pumped in modified human blood.
The device kept the uterus alive for a day, a new feat that could lead to longer-term maintenance of wombs outside the body. Future versions of the technology could shine new light on pregnancies—and potentially even grow a human fetus. Read the full story.
—Jessica Hamzelou
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 AI data centers can significantly warm up surrounding areas
The “heat islands” may already affect 340 million people. (New Scientist)
+ Mistral has raised $830M to build Nvidia-powered AI centers in Europe. (FT $)
+ But nobody wants a data center in their backyard. (MIT Technology Review)
2 Elon Musk reportedly joined Trump’s call with Modi about the Iran War
It remains unclear what Musk was doing during the conversation. (NYT $)
+ India has disputed the report. (Independent)
+ The war poses a grave threat to the EV market. (Rest of World)
3 Eli Lilly has struck a deal to bring AI-developed drugs to the market
It’s secured a $2.75 billion drug collaboration with Insilico Medicine. (Reuters $)
+ A I-designed compounds can kill drug-resistant bacteria. (MIT Technology Review)
4 More and more countries are curbing children’s social media access
Austria is the latest to pursue a ban. (Engadget)
+ Indonesia has rolled out the first one in Southeast Asia. (DW)
+ UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he will also “have to act.” (Guardian)
5 Tech stocks just had their worst week in nearly a year
Thanks to a combination of the Iran war and legal disputes. (CNBC)
+ Tech insiders are split over the AI bubble. (MIT Technology Review)
6 Meta is launching new smart glasses for prescription wearers
It plans to debut them next week. (Bloomberg $)
7 Taiwan is probing 11 Chinese firms for illegal poaching of tech talent
Its semiconductors are entangled in the tensions with Beijing. (Reuters)
8 Bluesky has built an AI app for customizing social media feeds
It uses Anthropic’s Claude. (TechCrunch)
9 A psychologist is making music with his brain implant
He believes enjoyment is a prerequisite for BCI success. (Wired $)
10 The world’s smallest QR code could store data for centuries
It’s smaller than bacteria. (Science Daily)
Quote of the day
“We should be thinking about protecting young people in the digital world as opposed to protecting them from the digital world.”
—YouTube CEO Neal Mohan gives the New York Times his take on the debate around children’s safety online.
One More Thing
AI’s growth needs the right interface
You’d have to be pudding-brained to believe that chatbots are the best way to use computers. The real opportunity is a system built atop the visual interfaces we already know, but navigated through a natural mix of voice and touch.
Crucially, this won’t just be a computer that we can use. It’ll be one we can break and remake to suit whatever uses we want. Instead of merely consuming technology like the gelatinous humans in Wall-E, we should be able to architect it to suit our own ends
This idea is already lurching to life. Read the full story to find out how.
—Cliff Kuang
We can still have nice things
A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line.)
+ These floating designs will elevate your perspective on architecture.
+ Uğur Gallenkuş’s portraits of two worlds in one image beautifully build bridges.
+ This is the anti-Karen that the world needs right now.
+ If only we could all find a love as pure as this kitty clinging to its favorite toy.
from MIT Technology Review https://ift.tt/rwBikcz
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