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.
Weight-loss drugs show signs of slowing biological aging, say drugmakers
Popular weight-loss drugs may do more than help people shed pounds. They might also slow the aging process.
Drugmakers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk say patients taking their GLP-1 drugs age less quickly, according to molecular “aging clocks” that track changes in DNA or levels of key proteins.
The findings add to speculation that GLP-1 drugs could be acting on basic causes of aging and might be true longevity treatments. But how much can we read into these results?
Read the full story on what the new findings reveal about GLP-1 drugs and aging.
—Antonio Regalado
10 Climate Tech Companies to Watch: Energy Dome and its carbon dioxide batteries
Energy Dome is one of MIT Technology Review’s10 Climate Tech Companies to Watch 2026, available exclusively to subscribers.
Solar and wind are among the cheapest and quickest ways to add electricity to the grid. But they’re subject to variations in weather patterns, so supplies can be intermittent. Energy Dome has an unusual solution: massive batteries that use compressed carbon dioxide to store energy for when the grid needs it.
Compressing gas to store energy isn’t new. Utilities have used compressed air in underground caverns to hang on to reserves for decades. But Energy Dome’s approach doesn’t require any specific geology to work, so it could be more easily scaled to help grids around the world.
Here’s how the company is using carbon dioxide to store renewable energy.
—Casey Crownhart
Subscribers can now access the full 10 Climate Tech Companies to Watch, spanning everything from mobile flood barriers and electric buses to next-generation nuclear reactors.
MIT Technology Review Narrated: Don’t be fooled—LLMs don’t reason
—Thore Graepel, a core member of DeepMind’s AlphaGo team
Ten years ago, I watched a program I helped build stun the world by beating Go champion Lee Sedol. AlphaGo won after making a move so strange that some commentators thought it was a programming glitch. It was AlphaGo’s powers of reasoning that made this creative choice—and these are powers that today’s AI lacks.
This is why I recently left my position at Google DeepMind. I believe we need a fresh approach to machine reasoning, one that draws on AlphaGo’s architecture.
This is our latest story to become an MIT Technology Review Narrated podcast, which we publish each week on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Just navigate to MIT Technology Review Narrated on either platform, and follow us to get all our new content as it’s released.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 OpenAI has released 377 new math findings, further rattling the field
They span number theory, algebra, geometry, and physics. (NYT $)
+ They came from testing an unreleased OpenAI model. (Verge)
+ And cost far less than its previous math breakthroughs. (SciAm)
+ OpenAI also published a lengthy defense of its approach. (Gizmodo)
+ AI has put mathematics at a crossroads. (MIT Technology Review)
2 Mistral says its new open-weight model is the best outside China
Mistral Large 4 is a 1-trillion-parameter model. (Reuters $)
+ Also known as le Chonk, its weights will arrive on October 27. (CNBC)
+ French president Macron described it as “a third way in AI.” (TechCrunch)
3 Finland has ordered Google to halt a record data center project
The order follows concerns over environmental impacts. (Guardian)
+ The €13 billion project is Google’s largest-ever European investment. (BBC)
+ But no one wants a data center in their backyard. (MIT Technology Review)
4 The EU plans to tax Big Tech through a new corporate levy
The levy would apply to companies earning more than €100 million. (FT $)
+ Tesla is pushing the EU toward “Full Self-Driving” approval. (Reuters $)
5 Anduril’s $2.9 billion Navy submarine deal has sparked ethics concerns
Co-founder Palmer Luckey recently joined a new Pentagon project. (CNBC)
+ Anduril is also making smart glasses for warfare. (MIT Technology Review)
6 Apple is partnering with LG on a smart lock, thermostat, and doorbell
Apple’s new smart-home hub is expected to launch next week. (Bloomberg $)
+ The companies are also co-developing security cameras. (TechCrunch)
7 The creator of a space-particle observatory has won the physics Nobel
Francis Halzen used Antarctic ice to detect elusive neutrinos. (New Scientist $)
8 Drones are being used to make rain on demand
They seed clouds with silver iodide to encourage precipitation. (BBC)
+ A startup claims it can stop lightning. (MIT Technology Review)
9 A new hydrogel could enable shape-shifting smart devices
The material can evolve alongside living tissue. (SCMP)
10 You probably aren’t going to get the plague
Experts say the risk to the public remains very low. (Wired $)
Quote of the day
“I have ‘NI’—natural intelligence. I’m good with that.”
—Mike Tyran, a 66-year-old nurse and tech upgrade holdout, tells The Atlantic why he won’t swap his old gadgets for the latest AI-powered devices.
One more thing
Future AI chips could be built on glass
Human-made glass is thousands of years old. But it’s now poised to find its way into the AI chips used in the world’s newest and largest data centers.
This year, a South Korean company called Absolics will start producing special glass panels that make next-generation computing hardware more powerful and efficient. Other companies, including Intel, are also pushing forward in this area.
If all goes well, the technology could reduce the energy demands of chips in AI data centers—and even consumer laptops and mobile devices. Read the full story.
—Jeremy Hsu
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.)
+ Swiss boffins have turned train tracks into solar power plants.
+ Here’s an intriguing explanation of why you can see a clear image through a window.
+ A teen with a rare genetic disorder has walked for the first time after receiving an experimental medicine.
+ Stunning shots of guillemots, penguins, and a protective tawny frogmouth contended for prizes at the Bird Photographer of the Year competition.
