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.
Introducing: our 35 Innovators Under 35 list for 2025
The world is full of extraordinary young people brimming with ideas for how to crack tough problems. Every year, we recognize 35 such individuals from around the world—all of whom are under the age of 35.
These scientists, inventors, and entrepreneurs are working to help mitigate climate change, accelerate scientific progress, and alleviate human suffering from disease. Some are launching companies while others are hard at work in academic labs. They were selected from hundreds of nominees by expert judges and our newsroom staff.
Get to know them all—including our 2025 Innovator of the Year—in these profiles.
Why basic science deserves our boldest investment
—Julia R. Greer is a materials scientist at the California Institute of Technology, a judge for MIT Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35 and a former honoree (in 2008).
A modern chip the size of a human fingernail contains tens of billions of silicon transistors, each measured in nanometers—smaller than many viruses. These tiny switches form the infrastructure behind nearly every digital device in use today.
Much of the fundamental understanding that moved transistor technology forward came from federally funded university research. But that funding is under increasing pressure, thanks to deep budget cuts proposed by the White House.
These losses have forced some universities to freeze graduate student admissions, cancel internships, and scale back summer research opportunities—making it harder for young people to pursue scientific and engineering careers.
In an age dominated by short-term metrics and rapid returns, it can be difficult to justify research whose applications may not materialize for decades. But those are precisely the kinds of efforts we must support if we want to secure our technological future. Read the full story.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 The US is considering annual chip supply permits in China
For South Korean companies Samsung and SK Hynix, specifically. (Bloomberg $)
+ US lawmakers still hold power over chips in China. (CNN)
2 America has recorded its first case of screwworm in over 50 years
And the warming climate is making it easier for the flies to thrive. (Vox)
+ Experts fear an approaching public health emergency. (The Guardian)
3 Drone warfare is dominating Ukraine’s frontline
Amid relentless assaults, overhead and land drones are being put to work. (The Guardian)
+ How cutting-edge drones forced land-locked tanks to evolve. (NYT $)
+ On the ground in Ukraine’s largest Starlink repair shop. (MIT Technology Review)
4 OpenAI is working out why chatbots hallucinate so much
Examining a model’s incentives provides some clues. (Insider $)
+ Models’ tendency to confidently present falsehoods as fact is a big problem. (TechCrunch)
+ Why does AI hallucinate? (MIT Technology Review)
5 How one man is connecting Silicon Valley to the Middle East’s AI boom
If you want to build a data center, Zachary Cefaratti is your man. (FT $)
+ The data center boom in the desert. (MIT Technology Review)
6 The first OpenAI-backed movie is coming to theaters next year
The animated Critterz is hoping for a Cannes Film Festival debut. (WSJ $)
+ A Disney director tried—and failed—to use an AI Hans Zimmer to create a soundtrack. (MIT Technology Review)
7 Who wants to live forever?
These billionaires are confident their cash will pave the way to longer lives. (WSJ $)
+ Putin says organ transplants could grant immortality. Not quite. (MIT Technology Review)
8 Tesla isn’t focused on selling cars any more
The company’s latest Master Plan is all about humanoid robots. (The Atlantic $)
+ The board is willing to offer Musk a $1 trillion pay package if he delivers. (Wired $)
+ Uber is gearing up to test driverless cars in Germany. (The Verge)
+ China’s EV giants are betting big on humanoid robots. (MIT Technology Review)
9 Do aliens go on holiday?
Scientists wonder whether tourism could be a potential drive for them to visit us. (New Yorker $)
+ How these two UFO hunters became go-to experts on America’s “mystery drone” invasion. (MIT Technology Review)
10 Vodafone’s new TikTok influencer isn’t real
It’s yet another example of AI avatars being used in ads. (The Verge)
+ Synthesia’s AI clones are more expressive than ever. Soon they’ll be able to talk back. (MIT Technology Review)
Quote of the day
“Silicon Valley totally effed up in overhyping LLMs.”
—Palantir CEO Alex Karp criticizes those who fueled the AI hype around large language models, Semafor reports.
One more thing
Puerto Rico’s power struggles
On the southeastern coast of Puerto Rico lies the country’s only coal-fired power station, flanked by a mountain of toxic ash. The plant, owned by the utility giant AES, has long plagued this part of Puerto Rico with air and water pollution.
Before the coal plant opened Guayama had on average just over 103 cancer cases per year. In 2003, the year after the plant opened, the number of cancer cases in the municipality surged by 50%, to 167.
In 2022, the most recent year with available data, cases hit a new high of 209. The question is: How did it get this bad? Read the full story.
—Alexander C. Kaufman
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 or skeet ’em at me.)
+ What’s up with tennis players’ strange serving rituals?
+ If constant scrolling is turning your hands into gnarled claws, this stretch should help.
+ How to land a genuine bargain on Facebook Marketplace.
+ This photographer tracks down people who featured in pictures decades before, and persuades them to recreate their poses. Heartwarming stuff ❤️
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Rhiannon Williams