The Download: mice with part-human brains and climate tech innovators
MIT Technology Review's 'The Download' newsletter covers two main topics: Stanford's research on creating mice with part-human brains to study neurological conditions, and the publication's list of 35 Innovators Under 35, highlighting nine individuals focused on climate and energy solutions.
Why it matters
The brain research pushes ethical boundaries while offering potential breakthroughs for understanding and treating neurological disorders. The featured climate tech innovations are crucial for developing sustainable solutions to global warming and energy challenges.
Plus: US and Chinese experts have proposed nuclear-style AI safeguards.
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.
Multiple cameras tracked a mouse as it wandered around a small arena. A computer charted its position and speed, leaving Pong-like traces on a monitor. The reason to watch this rodent so carefully? Nearly half its brain volume had been replaced with human cells.
A team at Stanford has revealed the effort to mix brain tissues of distant species this week. They previously showed that human brain organoids could survive, and even function, after being injected into the heads of baby rodents. Now, they’ve taken things a step further by genetically modifying mice so their brains don’t fully develop in the first place.
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