The Download: faking blood and the future of batteries

The Download: faking blood and the future of batteries | MIT Technology Review

The Download

The Download: faking blood and the future of batteries

Plus: The FBI has arrested an OpenAI engineer accused of snooping.

By

• Thomas Macaulay archive page

October 14, 2026

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’s 10 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 FBI逮捕了一名被指控窃听的OpenAI工程师。一名沙特国民被指控安装隐蔽录音设备。( Guardian ) + 该摄像头和麦克风工具在线售价13.99美元。( Gizmodo ) + 据称该设备被插入电视的USB端口。( Verge ) + 据报道他使用聊天机器人策划隐蔽录音。( Wired $) + OpenAI表示其AI模型帮助识别了该员工。( Reuters $)

2 乌克兰无人机袭击了俄罗斯最大的数据中心 但Sberbank声称其系统和服务未受影响。( Reuters $) + 乌克兰对数据中心的打击使俄罗斯陷入混乱。( FT $) + 但并未阻止俄罗斯网络水军继续发帖。( Verge ) + 欧洲对未来的战争设想充满无人机。( MIT Technology Review )

3 减肥药物正在被调整以治疗脑部疾病 新的GLP-1试验针对成瘾和抑郁症。( Nature ) + 但我们仍在研究其副作用。( MIT Technology Review )

4 特斯拉自动驾驶出租车被指控在学校区域超速 美国监管机构正在审查相关指控。( Verge ) + 特斯拉的安全功能挫败了联邦追踪尝试。( 404 Media )

5 美国国防初创公司转向台湾制造无中国组件的无人机 自2025年以来已签署至少13项合作协议。( WSJ $) + 台湾的“硅盾”可能正在减弱。( MIT Technology Review )

6 一场战争游戏揭示了太阳地球工程军备竞赛的风险 参与者就降低太阳亮度的规则发生争执。( Wired $) + 地球工程还面临实际挑战。( MIT Technology Review )

7 AI公司Character.ai已申请破产 被指控盗用内容并伤害儿童。( CNBC ) + 迪士尼为其聊天机器人技术提供2000万美元报价。( Ars Technica ) + 其破产文件揭示了AI商业模式的常见问题。( 404 Media )

8 苹果推出全新智能家居产品线 重新设计的Siri HomeView将7英寸屏幕与人脸识别结合。( Guardian ) + Home Collection系列新增摄像头、锁具和恒温器。( Wired $) + Siri AI驱动体验，但仍需证明其智能性。( WSJ $)

9 科学家在百年化石中发现新恐龙 Invictibellatrix amberina可能是欧洲首个巨爪龙。( New Scientist $)

10 SpaceX最新发射在天空中形成“太空水母” 火箭尾气在高空膨胀成触手。( WP $)

每日金句

“这就像我们从未真正见过的压秤手指。”

——弗吉尼亚大学法学院教授Danielle Citron向《华盛顿邮报》表示，埃隆·马斯克在X平台上放大阴谋论的能力可能使虚假信息在中期选举中产生前所未有的影响力。

另外一提

#### 五角大楼被允许用AI监控美国人吗？

国防部与AI公司Anthropic之间的公开争执引发了一个深层且尚未解答的问题：法律是否真的允许美国政府对美国人进行大规模监控？

令人惊讶的是，答案并不明确。自爱德华·斯诺登揭露美国国家安全局从美国手机中收集批量元数据以来，十多年过去了，美国仍在普通民众认知与法律允许之间徘徊。

如今，法律复杂性有了新的维度：AI正在加速监控——而我们的法律尚未跟上。以下是五角大楼使用AI暴露法律灰色地带的方式。

—Michelle Kim

我们依然可以拥有美好的事物

一个提供舒适、乐趣和消遣的地方，让您的日子更加明亮。（有任何想法吗？给我发个消息吧。）

+ 矮狐猴互相教彼此用纸和沙子制作玩具。+ 看看可可豆如何从奇特的可可果变成好时之吻巧克力。+ Stowaway邀请您现在就坐上任何飞越您头顶的飞机的靠窗座位。+ 一个新摄影项目描绘了应对海平面上升的迷人建筑方案：设计师打造的漂浮住宅。

深度解析

最新动态

最新动态：为什么AI的最新突破和担忧可能更多是炒作而非现实

此外：22个国家呼吁成立一个新的全球机构来监管AI。

最新动态：AI的自我改进问题及其引发的争议

此外：出于安全考虑，OpenAI暂停了部分模型研发工作。

最新动态：深入OpenAI遭遇Hugging Face黑客攻击事件，以及一款新电动汽车在美国市场亮相

此外：Meta将支付高达180亿美元以解决一项具有里程碑意义的儿童安全案件。

最新动态：减肥药物延缓衰老与二氧化碳电池

此外：OpenAI发布了377项新的数学研究成果，进一步引发学界震动。

保持联系

插画由Rose Wong创作

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