The Download: Anthropic launches Claude Science, and California’s carbon manure math

Anthropic launched Claude Science, a flagship product for scientific research with tools for computational biology and drug development, signaling a major push into AI for science. Meanwhile, California's program paying cattle farmers to convert manure methane into natural gas faces criticism for locking in more warming due to flawed carbon offset math.

The Download: Anthropic launches Claude Science, and California’s carbon manure math Plus: The US has lifted restrictions on Anthropic’s Mythos and Fable models. This is today's edition of The Download https://forms.technologyreview.com/newsletters/briefing-the-download/? ga=2.179569122.736533416.1649661040-405833893.1649413289 , our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology. Claude Science is Anthropic’s newest flagship product At an event for pharmaceutical executives, biotech founders, and researchers yesterday, Anthropic announced Claude Science, a major new product intended to support scientific research like Claude Code supports software engineering. Like Claude Code, Claude Science can autonomously carry out meaningful work from concise, high-level instructions, with tools for computational biology and drug development. The launch signals that Anthropic is doubling down on AI for science, and the company will also use the product in its own research into drugs for rare, neglected diseases. Discover why Anthropic is betting big on AI for scientific research https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/06/30/1139987/claude-science-is-anthropics-newest-flagship-product/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C . —Grace Huckins Why California’s carbon manure math doesn’t add up Something stinks in California’s climate policies. Years ago, the state set up a system that pays cattle farmers to turn the methane emitted from cattle manure into natural gas. It's become wildly popular because the subsidies are extremely lucrative. But research suggests the program exposes the shortcomings of carbon offsetting and trading schemes. Instead of forcing industries to directly cut their pollution or pay for it as a cost of doing business, legislators have opted for incentives that swap climate responsibilities between parties and regions. The system could ultimately lock in more warming. Read the full story on California's dubious carbon calculations https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/07/02/1139981/why-californias-carbon-manure-math-doesnt-add-up/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C . —James Temple This story is from The Spark, our weekly climate tech newsletter. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday. Watch now: longevity’s next frontier—“reprogramming” your body Billions of dollars are pouring into efforts to reverse aging as scientists investigate ways to return cells to a younger state. But how close are these experimental treatments? And are they likely to work? At a recent virtual Roundtables event, MIT Technology Review explored the answers with science editor Mary Beth Griggs and senior biotechnology reporter Jessica Hamzelou. Subscribers can now watch the full recording of the fascinating discussion https://www.technologyreview.com/supertopic/roundtables/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C . MIT Technology Review Narrated: the search for dark matter has been blown wide open For decades, physicists have hunted for weakly interacting massive particles WIMPs , a leading candidate for dark matter. But their search has run into a new problem: neutrinos. These tiny particles from the sun and other stars can create a “neutrino fog” that drowns out any signal of dark matter. Hitting the neutrino fog does not, however, mean an end to the search. Researchers just have to shift the focus of their hunt. They’re now casting a much wider net https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/06/18/1138755/search-for-dark-matter-blown-wide-open/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C . New proposals include quantum sensors, liquid-helium detectors, and even searches in Jupiter’s atmosphere. —Dan Garisto This is our latest story to be turned into 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 The US has lifted restrictions on Anthropic’s Mythos and Fable models Anthropic said it would begin restoring access today. NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/30/technology/us-lifts-restrictions-anthropic.html $ + The US had imposed controls over security concerns. Bloomberg https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-06-30/us-government-lifts-restrictions-on-anthropic-s-fable-5-model $ + It lifted the restrictions after lengthy talks with Anthropic. BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdr42623e1do + But the crackdown has already opened doors for Chinese AI rivals. CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/30/white-house-ai-china-crackdown.html 2 The most detailed survey of the universe ever is now underway It’s using the largest digital camera on Earth. New Scientist https://www.newscientist.com/article/2532167-the-most-detailed-survey-of-the-universe-ever-conducted-starts-now/ $ + The project is based at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile. NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/30/science/rubin-telescope.html $ + It aims to transform our view of the cosmos. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/01/01/1108643/vera-c-rubin-observatory-telescope-cosmos-universe-space-digital-camera/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C 3 Tech talent is fleeing the US due to H1-B visa chaos They’re eyeing relocation to Canada, the UK, or the Gulf. Rest of World https://restofworld.org/2026/us-tech-immigration-bottleneck-h1b-talent-drain/ + While China is poaching AI talent from the US. CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/05/china-may-move-toward-us-path-on-ai-as-firms-poach-employees.html + Visa rules are also affecting young scientists. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/09/08/1123166/trumps-policy-early-career-scientists/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C 4 Trump raked in more than $1 billion from crypto businesses in 2025 He reported $635 million in royalties from a Trump meme coin. BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgmv98ez3zo + The rest largely came from his World Liberty Financial venture. The Hill https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5948701-trump-crypto-venture-profits/ 5 The UN warns that the rapid spread of AI may worsen global inequality It’s proposed a shared framework for responsible AI development. Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jul/01/un-report-ai-inequality 6 Companies are making LLMs talk like a caveman to curb AI spending A senior OpenAI employee contributed to the “caveman” project. 404 Media https://www.404media.co/companies-are-making-claude-and-codex-talk-like-cavemen-to-stop-ais-soaring-costs/ 7 Babies are born with the neural foundations for math Brain recordings have identified the mechanisms. New Scientist https://www.newscientist.com/article/2532352-babies-are-born-with-the-neural-foundations-for-maths/ $ 8 An independent studio has bought the OpenAI movie Amazon dropped Neon has purchased “Artificial,” which focuses on Sam Altman. NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/30/business/media/openai-movie-artificial-neon-amazon.html $ + Amazon had dumped it after investing in OpenAI. Gizmodo https://gizmodo.com/neon-rescues-sam-altman-movie-after-amazon-drops-it-2000779859 + The depiction of Altman is reportedly unsympathetic. Variety https://variety.com/2026/film/global/luca-guadagnino-sam-altman-movie-artificial-dropped-amazon-1236785830/ 9 AI has re-created Gene Wilder’s voice for a new “Willy Wonka” series Wilder’s wife said his estate is “delighted” with the new show. NBC News https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/gene-wilder-ai-voice-netflix-willy-wonka-competiton-show-rcna352440 + Netflix partnered with AI company ElevenLabs on the project. The Verge https://www.theverge.com/streaming/959684/netflix-wonka-golden-ticket-gene-wilder 10 NASA aims to send a spare Mars rover—and soccer ball—to the moon The nuclear-powered “Promise” may help establish a lunar base. NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/30/science/nasa-moon-base-research.html $ Quote of the day “Caveman save you token, save you money.” —The GitHub repository for the “caveman” plugin https://github.com/juliusbrussee/caveman explains how the project curbs AI spending by turning verbose LLM outputs into concise text. One More Thing AI is dreaming up drugs that no one has ever seen. Now we’ve got to see if they work. AI is dreaming up drugs that no one has ever seen. Now we’ve got to see if they work. On average, it takes more than 10 years and billions of dollars to develop a new drug. A growing number of startups are betting that AI can make the process faster and cheaper. By predicting how potential drugs might behave in the body and discarding dead-end compounds before they leave the computer, machine-learning models can cut down on the need for painstaking lab work. Yet it is still early days for AI drug discovery. A lot of AI companies are making claims they can’t back up—and the technology is not a panacea. But the technology is beginning to move from promise to practice. —Will Douglas Heaven 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 . + Explore the surprisingly diverse world of regional dartboards from across the UK https://darts501.com/Dartboards Other.html?utm source=chatgpt.com . + Judge a book’s beauty by its cover with this collection of the best designs of the last decade https://lithub.com/the-best-book-covers-of-the-last-decade/?utm source=chatgpt.com . + This John Wick parody with almost no dialogue https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3 KuEc0qP7s&utm source=chatgpt.com understands what audiences really came for. + Focus your mind or unwind with over 80 custom albums of ambient instrumental electronic music on Caught In Joy https://www.youtube.com/@CaughtInJoy/videos . Deep Dive The Download The Download: the future of chipmaking and Anthropic’s government clash Plus: Meta is pausing an AI training program that tracks workers’ keystrokes. The Download: AI hacking beyond Mythos, and chatbots’ impact on our brains Plus: Anthropic has called for a global slowdown in AI development. The Download: keeping up with AI, and the future of IVF Plus: NASA unveiled plans for three uncrewed missions to the Moon this year. The Download: a reality check for geoengineering and the science of interoception Plus: SpaceX is now valued higher than Amazon. Stay connected Get the latest updates from MIT Technology Review Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.