The Download: aging clocks, and repairing the internet
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.
How aging clocks can help us understand why we age—and if we can reverse it
Wrinkles and gray hairs aside, it can be difficult to know how well—or poorly—someone’s body is truly aging. A person who develops age-related diseases earlier in life, or has other biological changes associated with aging, might be considered “biologically older” than a similar-age person who doesn’t have those changes. Some 80-year-olds will be weak and frail, while others are fit and active.
Over the past decade, scientists have been uncovering new methods of looking at the hidden ways our bodies are aging. And what they’ve found is changing our understanding of aging itself. Read the full story.
—Jessica Hamzelou
Can we repair the internet?
From addictive algorithms to exploitative apps, data mining to misinformation, the internet today can be a hazardous place. New books by three influential figures—the intellect behind “net neutrality,” a former Meta executive, and the web’s own inventor—propose radical approaches to fixing it. But are these luminaries the right people for the job? Read the full story.
—Nathan Smith
Both these stories are from our forthcoming print issue, which is all about the body. If you haven’t already, subscribe now to receive future issues once they land. Plus, you’ll also receive a free digital report on nuclear power.
2025 climate tech companies to watch: Cyclic Materials and its rare earth recycling tech
Rare earth magnets are essential for clean energy, but only a tiny fraction of the metals inside them are ever recycled. Cyclic Materials aims to change that by opening one of the largest rare earth magnet recycling operations outside of China next year.
By collecting a wide range of devices and recycling multiple metals, the company seeks to overcome the economic challenges that have long held back such efforts. Read the full story.
—Maddie Stone
Cyclic Materials is one of our 10 climate tech companies to watch—our annual list of some of the most promising climate tech firms on the planet. Check out the rest of the list here.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 California’s AI safety bill has been signed into law
It holds AI companies legally accountable if their chatbots fail to protect users. (TechCrunch)
+ It also requires chatbots to remind young users that they’re not human. (The Verge)
+ Gavin Newsom also green-lit measures for social media warning labels. (The Hill)
2 Satellites are leaking unencrypted data
Including civilian text messages, plus military and law enforcement communications. (Wired $)
+ It’s getting mighty crowded up there too. (Space)
3 Defense startups are reviving manufacturing in quiet US towns
The weapons of the future are being built in Delaware, Michigan and Ohio. (NYT $)
+ Phase two of military AI has arrived. (MIT Technology Review)
4 Europe is worried about becoming an AI “colony”
The bloc is too dependent on US tech, experts fear. (FT $)
+ The US is locked in a bind with China. (Rest of World)
5 Vast chunks of human knowledge are missing from the web
And AI is poised to make the problem even worse. (Aeon)
+ How AI and Wikipedia have sent vulnerable languages into a doom spiral. (MIT Technology Review)
6 How mega batteries are unlocking an energy revolution
Vast battery units are helping to shore up grids and extend the use of clean power. (FT $)
+ This startup wants to use the Earth as a massive battery. (MIT Technology Review)
7 A new chemical detection technique reveals what’s making wildlife ill
It’s a small step toward a healthier future for all animals—including humans. (Knowable Magazine)
+ We’re inhaling, eating, and drinking toxic chemicals. Now we need to figure out how they’re affecting us. (MIT Technology Review)
8 The world is growing more food crops than ever before
But hunger still hasn’t been eradicated. (Vox)
+ Africa fights rising hunger by looking to foods of the past. (MIT Technology Review)
9 Google is starting to hide sponsored search results
Only after you’ve seen them first. (The Verge)
+ Is Google playing catchup on search with OpenAI? (MIT Technology Review)
10 Indonesia’s film industry is embracing AI
To the detriment of artists and storyboarders. (Rest of World)
Quote of the day
“It is attempting to solve a problem that wasn’t a problem before AI showed up, or before big tech showed up.”
—Greg Loudon, a certified beer judge and brewery sales manager, tells 404 Media why he’s so unimpressed by a prominent competition using AI to judge the quality of beer.
One more thing
The lucky break behind the first CRISPR treatment
The world’s first commercial gene-editing treatment is set to start changing the lives of people with sickle-cell disease. It’s called Casgevy, and it was approved in November 2022 in the UK.
The treatment, which will be sold in the US by Vertex Pharmaceuticals, employs CRISPR, which can be easily programmed by scientists to cut DNA at precise locations they choose.
But where do you aim CRISPR, and how did the researchers know what DNA to change? That’s the lesser-known story of the sickle-cell breakthrough. Read more about it.
—Antonio Regalado
