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.
How decades-old frozen embryos are changing the shape of families
This week we welcomed a record-breaking baby to the world. Thaddeus Daniel Pierce, who arrived over the weekend, developed from an embryo that was frozen in storage for 30 and a half years. You could call him the world’s oldest baby.
His parents, Lindsey and Tim Pierce, were themselves only young children when that embryo was created, all the way back in 1994. Linda Archerd, who donated the embryo, described the experience as “surreal.”
Stories like this also highlight how reproductive technologies are shaping families. But while baby Thaddeus is a record-breaker, plenty of other babies have been born from embryos that have been frozen for significant spells of time. Read the full story.
—Jessica Hamzelou
This article first appeared in The Checkup, MIT Technology Review’s weekly biotech newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Thursday, and read articles like this first, sign up here.
If you’re interested in reading more about fertility tech, why not check out:
+ Earlier this month, researchers announced babies had been born from a trial of three-person IVF. The long-awaited results suggest that the approach can reduce the risk of mitochondrial disease—but not everyone is convinced.
+ Frozen embryos are filling storage banks around the world. It’s a struggle to know what to do with them.
+ Read about how a mobile lab is bringing IVF to rural communities in South Africa.
+ Why family-friendly policies and gender equality might be more helpful than IVF technology when it comes to averting the looming fertility crisis.
+ The first babies conceived with a sperm-injecting robot have been born. Meet the startups trying to engineer a desktop fertility machine.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 Donald Trump has announced new tariffs across the world
They will affect virtually every nation—some more favorably than others. (CNN)
+ The new rates range widely from 10% to 41%. (NYT $)
+ The African country Lesotho had declared a tariff-induced state of emergency. (WSJ $)
2 Palantir has signed a $10 billion deal with the US Army
It’s the latest in a string of lucrative agreements with federal agencies. (WP $)
3 Tech giants are raking in cash
But we still don’t know how useful a lot of the AI they’re currently building will prove to be. (FT $)
+ It’s a boon for investors, but not necessarily for employees. (WSJ $)
+ It’s unclear whose approach will result in sustainable profits. (Semafor)
4 Neuralink is planning its first trial in the UK
To join the current five patients using its brain implant. (Reuters)
+ This patient’s Neuralink brain implant gets a boost from generative AI. (MIT Technology Review)
5 US states are working to preserve access to lifesaving vaccines
Despite the shifting federal recommendations. (Wired $)
+ The FDA plans to limit access to covid vaccines. Here’s why that’s not all bad. (MIT Technology Review)
6 Vast online groups in China are sharing explicit photos of women
Non-consensual images are being passed around hundreds of thousands of men. (The Guardian)
7 Reddit wants to be a search engine
In response to the AI-ification of other platforms. (The Verge)
+ AI means the end of internet search as we’ve known it. (MIT Technology Review)
8 Why airships could be a viable internet satellite alternative
It could result in less space junk, for one. (IEEE Spectrum)
+ Welcome to the big blimp boom. (MIT Technology Review)
9 Trust in AI coding tools is falling
The majority of devs use them, but they aren’t always reliable. (Ars Technica)
+ What is vibe coding, exactly? (MIT Technology Review)
10 Weight-loss drugs could help to slow down aging
New trials suggest recipients can become biologically younger. (New Scientist $)
+ Aging hits us in our 40s and 60s. But well-being doesn’t have to fall off a cliff. (MIT Technology Review)
Quote of the day
“We look forward to joining Matt on his private island next year.”
—Kiana Ehsani, CEO of AI agent startup Vercept, jokes about the departure of fellow co-founder Matt Deitke to join Meta’s superintelligence team for a cool $250 million, the New York Times reports.
How ChatGPT will revolutionize the economy
There’s a gold rush underway to make money from generative AI models like ChatGPT. You can practically hear the shrieks from corner offices around the world: “What is our ChatGPT play? How do we make money off this?”
But while companies and executives want to cash in, the likely impact of generative AI on workers and the economy on the whole is far less obvious.
Will ChatGPT make the already troubling income and wealth inequality in the US and many other countries even worse, or could it in fact provide a much-needed boost to productivity? Read the full story.
—David Rotman
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.)
+ Yikes—a gigantic stick insect has been discovered in (where else?) Australia.
+ This X account shares random, mundane objects each day
+ If you love a good skyscraper, these are the cities where you’re most likely to encounter them.
+ Yum, ancient Pompeii honey 