The Download: climate tech companies to watch and AI’s discovery problem

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.

Coming soon: our 2026 list of Climate Tech Companies to Watch

With the planet nearing 1.5 °C of warming, climate policies being unraveled, and Big Tech backpedaling on its climate ambitions, it can be tempting to give in to climate doom and defeatism. But despite the headwinds, the world has still made incredible progress. That’s why MIT Technology Review publishes its annual list of Climate Tech Companies to Watch.

Once a year, we compile a list of 10 companies that we believe have done the most, or have the best chance, to make a real dent in emissions or improve public safety and health. We’ve now finalized our 2026 list and will publish it on October 6.

It features companies making strides in energy storage, nuclear power, transportation and other areas despite today’s regressive climate politics. We hope you’ll enjoy the package and perhaps come away feeling a bit more hopeful about our climate’s future. Here’s what to expect.

—James Temple

Subscribe to receive full access to this year’s list, and keep reading The Download to be among the first to see it.

When can we say AI made a scientific discovery?

Last week, Anthropic announced that its new molecular biology lab had made its first discovery: its AI agents had flagged a previously uncatalogued pattern surrounding an enzyme, a pattern “reminiscent” of what led to the gene-editing technology CRISPR. But the claims angered biologists.

Some questioned whether merely finding the pattern amounted to a discovery at all. Another said his team had already discovered the same pattern, raising questions about whether Anthropic’s system had learned from his conversations with Claude.

It’s a reminder that what’s novel for AI may be routine, unsurprising or simply not that consequential to a biologist. And the grand claims could make real progress harder to recognize.

Find out why AI companies may be setting the wrong bar for scientific discovery.

—James O’Donnell

This story is from The Algorithm, our weekly AI newsletter. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Monday.

The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 OpenAI has scrapped a new AI model over safety concerns
The company said GPT-6.1 Astra “didn’t quite meet the bar.” (BBC)
+ It’s also apologised for a “new kind of cyber incident” in Australia. (Guardian)
+ Anthropic’s IPO filing warns that AI could threaten humanity. (FT $)
+ As the safety fears spiral, Trump is selling an AI “golden age.” (WP $)
+ He’s meeting more AI leaders at the White House today. (Reuters $)
+ Could AI really kill us all? (MIT Technology Review)

2 SpaceX’s Starship rocket has reached orbit for the first time
It also deployed new Starlink satellites in the test flight. (AP)
+ But the flight was cut short after an engine failure. (Axios)
+ We’re putting more stuff into space than ever. (MIT Technology Review)

3 The FBI told staff it assumes hackers have stolen data from every employee
An internal memo tells staff to prepare for potential attacks. (Gizmodo)
+ But the hackers say they won’t publish the stolen data. (404 Media)

4 Florida has asked a court to block OpenAI from developing new models
The state wants independent safety guardrails for new AI. (Politico)
+ It also aims to ban ChatGPT from acting like a person. (Verge)
+ While Rep. Khanna has proposed banning self-improving AI. (CNBC)

5 Meta’s AI agent invited a stranger to a user’s home without permission
Muse shared the address while negotiating a Marketplace sale. (Guardian)
+ Who’s liable when AI agents go rogue? (MIT Technology Review)

6 Old hearts appear to get younger after transplantation
The finding could expand the pool of available donor organs. (Nature)
+ But young organs may not be a fountain of youth. (MIT Technology Review)

7 Trump has finalized a rule to make cars less fuel-efficient
The new rules sharply weaken Biden-era fuel economy standards. (Verge)

8 Mathematicians have cracked a 55-year-old problem using randomness
The solution completes a proof proposed in 1971. (Quanta)

9 Space lasers are about to beam power between two spacecraft
Star Catcher will test the technology in orbit this week. (Wired $)

10 A tiny moon of Saturn could host alien life and be detected from space
Scientists found evidence that its ocean could support microbial life. (404 Media)

Quote of the day

“We may sound like children whose feelings are hurt, sure, but in our game, reputation is all that matters.”

—The ShinyHunters hacking group tells The New York Times that they targeted the FBI to retaliate against an advisory warning about their activities.

One more thing

A plan to make drugs in orbit is going commercial

A startup called Varda Space Industries is betting that the future of pharmaceuticals lies in orbit. The company has signed a deal with United Therapeutics to test whether drugs crystallize differently in microgravity, potentially creating improved versions with new properties.

The idea sounds futuristic, but falling launch costs and reusable rockets are making space-based manufacturing seem increasingly plausible. Varda says the partnership could mark an important step toward building products in orbit for use back on Earth.

Discover how space could become the next frontier for drug development.

—Antonio Regalado

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.)

+ A professor has turned her childhood Double Dutch idea into a real machine.
+ These 11 beautiful underwater wildlife photos capture the wonder of life beneath the oceans.
+ See Earth from a rocket’s-eye view as this camera rides all the way from launch to a precision landing.
+ A re-released 2000 BBC exhibition offers a fascinating glimpse at how people imagined the internet’s future.