The Download: faking blood and the future of batteries

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. The US military’s race to make fake blood In February 2007, a US military helicopter carrying blood to a field hospital was shot down in Iraq, killing all seven crew members. The mission was a reminder of the risks of transporting blood, which has a limited shelf life and is often in short supply. Now, a $73 million DARPA effort aims to create shelf-stable versions of plasma, platelets, and red blood cells. The idea is to develop dried blood products that can be stored for long periods and deployed quickly on the battlefield. The project aims to have bags of dried blood products deployed in the field by 2029. But getting it all done will be tough, and researchers still have major questions about the safety and effectiveness of synthetic alternatives. Discover how the military hopes to make blood last longer. —Andrew Rosenblum This story is from the next issue of our print magazine. Subscribe now to get your hands on a copy as soon as it lands on Wednesday, October 21! 10 Climate Tech Companies to Watch: WeLion New Energy and its semi-solid-state batteries WeLion New Energy is one of MIT Technology Review’s10 Climate Tech Companies to Watch 2026, available exclusively to subscribers. WeLion New Energy is on a quest to make safer, better batteries. The Chinese company’s liquid-solid hybrid cells aim to pack more power into electric cars, boats and drones, potentially improving safety and offering greater energy density than lithium-ion batteries. In 2023, WeLion released a battery pack with EV-maker Nio that offered a range of over 1,000 kilometers. Now, the company is developing batteries with even higher energy density. But scaling up production and competing on cost remain major challenges. Explore WeLion’s push to make safer, higher-capacity batteries. —You Xiaoying Subscribers can now access the full 10 Climate Tech Companies to Watch, spanning everything from geothermal power plants to carbon dioxide batteries. MIT Technology Review Narrated: 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? 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 The FBI has arrested an OpenAI engineer accused of snooping A Saudi national is accused of planting a covert recording device. (Guardian) + The camera-and-microphone tool sells online for $13.99. (Gizmodo) + It was allegedly discovered plugged into a TV’s USB port. (Verge) + He reportedly used chatbots to plan the covert recording. (Wired $) + OpenAI says its AI models helped identify the employee. (Reuters $) 2 Ukrainian drones have hit Russia’s largest data centre But Sberbank claims its systems and services were not disrupted. (Reuters $) + Ukraine’s data center strikes have thrown Russia into turmoil. (FT $) + But they haven’t 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 tweaked to treat brain disorders New GLP-1 trials are targeting addiction and depression. (Nature) + But we’re still figuring out their side effects. (MIT Technology Review) 4 Tesla robotaxis have been accused of speeding in school zones US regulators are reviewing the claims. (Verge) + Tesla’s security features thwarted a federal tracking attempt. (404 Media) 5 US defense startups are turning to Taiwan to build China-free drones At least 13 joint agreements have been signed since 2025. (WSJ $) + Taiwan’s “silicon shield” could be weakening. (MIT Technology Review) 6 A war game exposed the risks of a solar geoengineering arms race Participants feuded over rules for dimming the sun. (Wired $) + Geoengineering also faces practical challenges. (MIT Technology Review) 7 AI company Character.ai has filed for bankruptcy It’s been accused of stealing content and harming kids. (CNBC) + Disney has offered $20 million for its chatbot tech. (Ars Technica) + Its filings expose common issues with AI business models. (404 Media) 8 Apple has a new smart-home lineup built around a revamped Siri HomeView pairs a 7-inch screen with face recognition. (Guardian + While the Home Collection adds cameras, locks, and thermostats. (Wired $) + Siri AI powers the experience, but still needs to prove its smarts. (WSJ $) 9 Scientists have identified a new dinosaur in a century-old fossil Invictibellatrix amberina may be Europe’s first megaraptoran. (New Scientist $) 10 SpaceX’s latest launch lit up the skies with a “space jellyfish” Rocket exhaust expanded into tentacles high in the atmosphere. (WP $) Quote of the day “It is like a thumb on the scale that we haven’t really ever seen.” —Danielle Citron, a University of Virginia law professor, tells The Washington Post that Elon Musk’s ability to amplify conspiracy theories on X could give misinformation an unprecedented influence in the midterms. One more thing Is the Pentagon allowed to surveil Americans with AI? The ongoing public feud between the Department of Defense and the AI company Anthropic has raised a deep and still unanswered question: Does the law actually allow the US government to conduct mass surveillance on Americans? Surprisingly, the answer is not straightforward. More than a decade after Edward Snowden exposed the NSA’s collection of bulk metadata from the phones of Americans, the US is still navigating a gap between what ordinary people think and what the law allows. Today, the legal complexity has a new edge: AI is supercharging surveillance—and our laws haven’t caught up. Here’s how the Pentagon’s use of AI has exposed legal gray areas. —Michelle Kim 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.) + Pygmy raccoons have taught each other to make toys out of paper and sand. + See how chocolate goes from a strange-looking cacao pod to Hershey’s Kisses. + Stowaway invites you to take the window seat on any plane flying over you right now. + A new photography project depicts an attractive architectural response to rising sea levels: designer floating homes.