{"id":883797,"date":"2026-01-09T23:11:46","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T05:11:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/09\/the-download-mimicking-pregnancys-first-moments-in-a-lab-and-ai-parameters-explained\/"},"modified":"2026-01-09T23:11:46","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T05:11:46","slug":"the-download-mimicking-pregnancys-first-moments-in-a-lab-and-ai-parameters-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/09\/the-download-mimicking-pregnancys-first-moments-in-a-lab-and-ai-parameters-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"The Download: mimicking pregnancy\u2019s first moments in a lab, and AI parameters explained"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This is today’s edition of\u00a0The Download<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.<\/em><\/p>\n

Researchers are getting organoids pregnant with human embryos<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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At first glance, it looks like the start of a human pregnancy: A ball-shaped embryo presses into the lining of the uterus then grips tight, burrowing in as the first tendrils of a future placenta appear. This is implantation\u2014the moment that pregnancy officially begins.<\/p>\n

Only none of it is happening inside a body. These images were captured in a Beijing laboratory, inside a microfluidic chip, as scientists watched the scene unfold.<\/p>\n

In three recent papers published by Cell Press, scientists report what they call the most accurate efforts yet to mimic the first moments of pregnancy in the lab. They\u2019ve taken human embryos from IVF centers and let these merge with \u201corganoids\u201d made of endometrial cells, which form the lining of the uterus. Read our story about their work, and what might come next<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014Antonio Regalado<\/em><\/p>\n

LLMs contain a LOT of parameters. But what\u2019s a parameter?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A large language model\u2019s parameters are often said to be the dials and levers that control how it behaves. Think of a planet-size pinball machine that sends its balls pinging from one end to the other via billions of paddles and bumpers set just so. Tweak those settings and the balls will behave in a different way.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

OpenAI\u2019s GPT-3, released in 2020, had 175 billion parameters. Google DeepMind\u2019s latest LLM, Gemini 3, may have at least a trillion\u2014some think it\u2019s probably more like 7 trillion\u2014but the company isn\u2019t saying. (With competition now fierce, AI firms no longer share information about how their models are built.)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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But the basics of what parameters are and how they make LLMs do the remarkable things that they do are the same across different models. Ever wondered what makes an LLM really tick\u2014what\u2019s behind the colorful pinball-machine metaphors? Let\u2019s dive in<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014Will Douglas Heaven<\/em><\/p>\n

What new legal challenges mean for the future of US offshore wind<\/strong><\/p>\n

For offshore wind power in the US, the new year is bringing new legal battles.<\/p>\n

On December 22, the Trump administration announced it would pause the leases of five wind farms currently under construction off the US East Coast. Developers were ordered to stop work immediately.<\/p>\n

The cited reason? Concerns that turbines can cause radar interference. But that\u2019s a known issue, and developers have worked with the government to deal with it for years.<\/p>\n

Companies have been quick to file lawsuits, and the court battles could begin as soon as this week. Here\u2019s what the latest kerfuffle might mean<\/a> for the US\u2019s struggling offshore wind industry.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u2014Casey Crownhart<\/em><\/p>\n

This story is from The Spark, our weekly newsletter that explains the tech that could combat the climate crisis. <\/strong>Sign up<\/strong><\/a> to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The must-reads<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve combed the internet to find you today\u2019s most fun\/important\/scary\/fascinating stories about technology.<\/em><\/p>\n

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1<\/strong> Google and Character.AI have agreed to settle a lawsuit over a teenager\u2019s death<\/strong>
It\u2019s one of five lawsuits the companies have settled linked to young people\u2019s deaths this week. (NYT<\/a> $)
+ AI companions are the final stage of digital addiction, and lawmakers are taking aim.<\/em> (MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

2 The Trump administration\u2019s chief output is online trolling<\/strong>
Witness the Maduro memes. (The Atlantic<\/a> $)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

3 OpenAI has created a new ChatGPT Health feature\u00a0<\/strong>
It\u2019s dedicated to analyzing medical results and answering health queries. (Axios<\/a>)
+ AI chatbots fail to give adequate advice for most questions relating to women\u2019s health.<\/em> (New Scientist <\/em><\/a>$)
+ AI companies have stopped warning you that their chatbots aren\u2019t doctors.<\/em> (MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

4 Meta\u2019s acquisition of Manus is being probed by China<\/strong>
Holding up the purchase gives it another bargaining chip in its dealings with the US. (CNBC<\/a>)
+ What happened when we put Manus to the test. <\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

5 China is building humanoid robot training centers<\/p>\n

<\/strong>
To address a major shortage of the data needed to make them more competent. (Rest of World<\/a>)
+ The robot race is fueling a fight for training data. <\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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6 AI still isn\u2019t close to automating our jobs<\/strong>
The technology just fundamentally isn\u2019t good enough yet\u2014for now. (WP<\/a> $)<\/p>\n

7 Weight regain seems to happen within two years of quitting the jabs<\/strong>
That\u2019s the conclusion of a review of more than 40 studies. But dig into the details, and it\u2019s not all bad news. (New Scientist<\/a> $)<\/p>\n

8 This Silicon Valley community is betting on algorithms to find love<\/p>\n

<\/strong>
Which feels like a bit of a fool\u2019s errand. (NYT<\/a> $)<\/p>\n

9 Hearing aids are about to get really good<\/p>\n

<\/strong>
You can\u2014of course\u2014thank advances in AI. (IEEE Spectrum<\/a>)<\/p>\n

10 The first 100% AI-generated movie will hit our screen within three years<\/strong>
That\u2019s according to Roku\u2019s founder Anthony Wood. (Variety<\/a> $)
+ How do AI models generate videos? <\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Quote of the day<\/strong><\/p>\n

“I’ve seen the video. Don’t believe this propaganda machine. ”\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014Minnesota\u2019s governor Tim Walz responds on X<\/a> to Homeland Security\u2019s claim that ICE\u2019s shooting of a woman in Minneapolis was justified.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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One more thing<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/figure>\n
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Inside the strange limbo facing millions of IVF embryos<\/strong>Millions of embryos created through IVF sit frozen in time, stored in cryopreservation tanks around the world. The number is only growing thanks to advances in technology, the rising popularity of IVF, and improvements in its success rates.<\/p>\n

At a basic level, an embryo is simply a tiny ball of a hundred or so cells. But unlike other types of body tissue, it holds the potential for life. Many argue that this endows embryos with a special moral status, one that requires special protections.<\/p>\n

The problem is that no one can really agree on what that status is. So while these embryos persist in suspended animation, patients, clinicians, embryologists, and legislators must grapple with the essential question of what we should do with them. What do these embryos mean to us? Who should be responsible for them? Read the full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2014Jessica Hamzelou<\/em><\/p>\n

We can still have nice things<\/strong><\/p>\n

A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? <\/em>Drop me a line<\/em><\/a> or <\/em>skeet ’em at me<\/em><\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n

+ I love hearing about musicians\u2019 favorite songs<\/a> \ud83c\udfb6
+ Here are some top tips for making the most of travelling on your own<\/a>.
+ Check out just some of the excellent-sounding new books<\/a> due for publication this year.
+ I could play this spherical version of Snake<\/a> forever (thanks Rachel!) <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>
\n Rhiannon Williams<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is today’s edition of\u00a0The Download ,\u00a0our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Researchers are getting organoids pregnant with human embryos At first glance, it looks like the start of a human pregnancy: A ball-shaped embryo presses into the lining of the uterus then grips<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":883798,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24097,27531,46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-883797","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-download","category-mimicking","category-technology"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/883797","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=883797"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/883797\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/883798"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=883797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=883797"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=883797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}