The Download: faking blood and the future of batteries

This is today’s edition of The Download our weekday newsletter that offers a day-to-day dosage of what’s going on the planet of innovation.

The United States armed force’s race to make phony blood

In February 2007, a United States military helicopter bring blood to a field health center was shot down in Iraq, eliminating all 7 team members. The objective was a pointer of the dangers of carrying blood, which has a restricted service life and is frequently in brief supply.

Now, a $73 million DARPA effort intends to produce shelf-stable variations of plasma, platelets, and red cell. The concept is to establish dried blood items that can be kept for extended periods and released rapidly on the battleground.

The task intends to have actually bags of dried blood items released in the field by 2029. Getting it all done will be hard, and scientists still have significant concerns about the security and efficiency of artificial options.

Discover how the military intend to make blood last longer.

— Andrew Rosenblum

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10 Climate Tech Companies to Watch: WeLion New Energy and its semi-solid-state batteries

WeLion New Energy is among MIT Technology Review’s10 Climate Tech Companies to Watch 2026readily available solely to customers

WeLion New Energy is on a mission to make much safer, much better batteries. The Chinese business’s liquid-solid hybrid cells intend to load more power into electrical vehicles, boats and drones, possibly enhancing security and offering higher energy density than lithium-ion batteries.

In 2023, WeLion launched a battery pack with EV-maker Nio that used a variety of over 1,000 kilometers. Now, the business is establishing batteries with even greater energy density. Scaling up production and contending on expense stay significant obstacles.

I’ve combed the web to discover you today’s most fun/important/scary/ interesting stories about innovation.

1 The FBI has actually jailed an OpenAI engineer implicated of sleuthing
A Saudi nationwide is implicated of planting a concealed recording gadget. (Guardian
+ The camera-and-microphone tool offers online for $13.99. (Gizmodo
+ It was supposedly found plugged into a television’s USB port. (Verge
+ He apparently utilized chatbots to prepare the concealed recording. (Wired $)
+ OpenAI states its AI designs assisted determine the staff member. (Reuters $)

2 Ukrainian drones have actually struck Russia’s biggest information centre
Sberbank declares its systems and services were not interrupted. (Reuters $)
+ Ukraine’s information center strikes have actually tossed Russia into chaos. (FEET $)
+ But they have not stopped Russian bot farms from trolling. (Verge
+ Europe has a drone-filled vision for future wars. (MIT Technology Review)

3 Weight-loss drugs are being fine-tuned to deal with brain conditions
New GLP-1 trials are targeting dependency and anxiety. (Nature
+ But we’re still finding out their negative effects. (MIT Technology Review)

4 Tesla robotaxis have actually been implicated of speeding in school zones
United States regulators are examining the claims. (Verge
+ Tesla’s security functions prevented a federal tracking effort. (404 Media

5 United States defense start-ups are turning to Taiwan to develop China-free drones
A minimum of 13 joint arrangements have actually been signed given that 2025. (WSJ $)
+ Taiwan’s “silicon guard” might be damaging. (MIT Technology Review)

6 A dry run exposed the threats of a solar geoengineering arms race
Individuals feuded over guidelines for dimming the sun. (Wired $)
+ Geoengineering likewise deals with useful obstacles. (MIT Technology Review)

7 AI business Character.ai has actually declared insolvency
It’s been implicated of taking material and damaging kids. (CNBC
+ Disney has actually used $20 million for its chatbot tech. (Ars Technica
+ Its filings expose typical concerns with AI service designs. (404 Media

8 Apple has a brand-new smart-home lineup constructed around a revamped Siri
HomeView sets a 7-inch screen with face acknowledgment. (Guardian
+ While the Home Collection includes cams, locks, and thermostats. (Wired $)
+ Siri AI powers the experience, however still requires to show its smarts. (WSJ $)

9 Scientists have actually recognized a brand-new dinosaur in a century-old fossil
Invictibellatrix amberina might be Europe’s very first megaraptoran. (New Scientist $)

10 SpaceX’s most current launch illuminated the skies with a “area jellyfish”
Rocket exhaust broadened into arms high in the environment. (WP $)

Quote of the day

“It resembles a thumb on the scale that we have not truly ever seen.”

— Danielle Citron, a University of Virginia law teacher, informs The Washington Post that Elon Musk’s capability to enhance conspiracy theories on X might provide false information an extraordinary impact in the midterms.

Another thing

Is the Pentagon permitted to surveil Americans with AI?

The continuous public fight in between the Department of Defense and the AI business Anthropic has raised a deep and still unanswered concern: Does the law in fact enable the United States federal government to carry out mass monitoring on Americans?

Remarkably, the response is not uncomplicated. More than a years after Edward Snowden exposed the NSA’s collection of bulk metadata from the phones of Americans, the United States is still browsing a space in between what normal individuals believe and what the law enables.