The Download: aging clocks, and repairing the internet

This is today’s download version, Our weekday newsletter providing a daily dose of what’s happening in the world of technology.

How vintage clocks can help us understand why we age, and whether we can reverse it

Wrinkles and gray hair aside, it can be difficult to know how old or weak someone’s body is. A person who develops age-related diseases early in life, or has other biological changes associated with aging, may be considered “biologically older” than someone of the same age who does not have these changes. Some 80-year-olds will be frail and frail, while others are fit and active.

Over the past decade, scientists have discovered new ways to look at the hidden ways our bodies age. What they found is changing our understanding of aging itself. Read the full story.

—Jessica Hamzilo

Can we fix the internet?

From addictive algorithms to exploitative apps, from data mining to misinformation, today’s internet can be a dangerous place. New books by three influential figures — the thinker behind “net neutrality, a former Meta executive, and the inventor of the Web — propose radical approaches to fixing it. But are these stars the right people for the job? Read the full story.

—Nathan Smith

Both stories are taken from the upcoming print issue, which is about the body. If you haven’t done so already, Subscribe now To receive future releases as soon as they drop. In addition, you will also receive a free digital report on nuclear energy.

2025 Climate Technology Companies to Watch: Cyclical Materials and Rare Earth Recycling Technology

Rare earth magnets are essential for clean energy, but only a small portion of the metals inside them are recycled. Cyclic Materials aims to change that by opening one of the largest rare earth magnet recycling operations outside 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 hampered these efforts. Read the full story.

— Maddie Stone

Cyclic Materials is one of the 10 Climate Tech Companies to Watch – our annual list of some of the most promising climate tech companies on the planet. Check out the rest of the list here.

What to read

I’ve combed the internet to find today’s most interesting/important/scary/cool stories about technology.

1 California’s AI safety bill has been signed into law
It holds AI companies legally liable if their chatbots fail to protect users. (Techcrunch)
+ It also requires chatbots to remind young users that they are not human. (edge)
+ Gavin Newsom also gave the green light to social media warning label measures. (hill)

2 Satellites leak unencrypted data
Including civilian text messaging, as well as military and law enforcement communications. ($wired)
+ It’s getting very crowded there too. (space)

3 defense startups are reviving manufacturing in sleepy American cities
Future weapons are being manufactured in Delaware, Michigan and Ohio. ($New York Times)
+ The second stage of military artificial intelligence has arrived. (MIT Technology Review)

4 Europe is worried about becoming a “colony” of artificial intelligence
Experts fear that the bloc is too dependent on American technology. ($foot)
+ The United States is stuck in an impasse with China. (rest of the world)

5 huge pieces of human knowledge missing from the internet
Artificial intelligence is expected to exacerbate the problem. (Eternity)
+ How AI and Wikipedia sent weak languages ​​into a death spiral (MIT Technology Review)

6 How massive batteries are sparking an energy revolution
Large battery modules help support grids and expand the use of clean energy. ($foot)
+ This startup wants to use the Earth as a huge battery. (MIT Technology Review)

7 New chemical detection technology reveals what makes wildlife sick
It’s a small step towards a healthier future for all animals, including humans. (Knowledge Magazine)
+ We inhale, eat and drink toxic chemicals. Now we need to know how it affects us. (MIT Technology Review)

8 The world is growing more food crops than ever before
But hunger has not yet been eliminated. (Fox)
+ Africa fights rising hunger by looking to the foods of the past. (MIT Technology Review)

9 Google has begun hiding sponsored search results
Only after I saw them first. (edge)
+ Is Google playing catch-up in search with OpenAI? (MIT Technology Review)

10 Indonesia’s film industry is embracing artificial intelligence
At the expense of artists and comics. (rest of the world)

Quote of the day

“It’s trying to solve a problem that wasn’t a problem before AI came along, or before big technology came along.”

—Greg Loudon, a certified beer judge and brewery sales manager, tells 404 Media why he’s not a fan of a high-profile competition that uses artificial intelligence to judge beer quality.

Another thing

The lucky break behind the first CRISPR treatment

The world’s first commercial gene-editing therapy is set to begin 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 by Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the US, uses CRISPR, which scientists can easily program to cut DNA at specific locations of their choice.

But where is CRISPR aimed, and how did the researchers know what DNA to change? This is the lesser-known story of sickle cell breakthrough. Read more about it.

—Antonio Regalado

We can still have nice things

A place of rest, fun and distraction to brighten your day. (Do you have any ideas? Send me a line or I slammed them in my face.)

+ Why you should consider adopting a “coffee name.”
+ Where does your favorite Star Wars character rank on this final list? (Number one is correct.)
+Steve McQueen, you will always be great.
+ A compelling case for adopting an ethical diet.

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2025-10-14 12:10:00