The Download: biotech’s future and cheaper, cleaner steel

Anthropic said it identified and blocked five potential plots to use its AI to build biological weapons, along with six cases of AI being used to write software for conventional weapons, according to a New York Times report. The disclosure also covered government use of Anthropic's Claude for surveillance and Russia-linked hackers using the model to automate attacks on Ukraine. Separately, MIT Technology Review's 2026 35 Innovators Under 35 list honored nine biotech researchers, including work on a reprogramming therapy that reverses vision loss and a personalized gene-editing treatment for a baby with a rare genetic disorder, while Hertha Metals founder Laureen Meroueh said her single-step furnace that swaps coal for natural gas cuts steelmaking emissions by at least half and costs by 25%.

The Download: biotech’s future and cheaper, cleaner steel Plus: Anthropic says it has blocked potential plots to build biological weapons. 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. Meet the under-35s shaping the future of biotech Every year, MIT Technology Review puts together our 35 Innovators Under 35 https://www.technologyreview.com/supertopic/2026-mit-technology-reviews-innovators-under-35/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C , a list of some of the brightest and best young minds working across science and technology. This year’s honorees include nine people transforming biotech, whose work spans everything from lifesaving innovations to groundbreaking longevity tech. Their innovations include a “reprogramming” therapy that reverses vision loss, tiny brain electrodes inspired by Japanese art, and a personalized gene-editing treatment for a baby with a rare genetic disorder. There are even efforts to design new viruses with generative AI, which hopefully will produce new drugs or soak up pollution. Get to know the biotech innovators behind these breakthroughs https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/09/11/1143834/meet-the-under-35s-shaping-the-future-of-biotech/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C . —Jessica Hamzelou This story is from The Checkup, our weekly biotech newsletter. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Thursday. Biotechnology is one of four categories in our 35 Innovators Under 35 list for 2026, featuring young people worldwide doing groundbreaking work in science and technology. Meet the rest of them here , or explore the full list across the AI, computing and robotics, biotechnology, and climate and energy categories. This founder is making cheaper, cleaner steel The steel industry isn’t exactly known for innovation. Very little has changed about purifying iron ore since the process was invented and commercialized in the 1850s. But Laureen Meroueh, founder of Hertha Metals, has an idea that could change that. Meroueh may have found a way to clean up steelmaking without driving up the price. Her new furnace turns iron ore into refined liquid steel in a single step and swaps coal for natural gas. Together, those changes slash emissions by at least half, she says, and cut costs by 25% compared with steelmaking as usual. Here’s how she plans to make steel cleaner without making it more expensive https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/09/08/1142094/laureen-meroueh-makes-cheaper-cleaner-steel/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C . —Bridget Reed Morawski Laureen Meroueh is one of the climate change and energy honorees on our 35 Innovators Under 35 list . The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Anthropic says it has blocked potential plots to build biological weapons The company identified five such cases. NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/10/us/politics/anthropic-ai-biological-weapons.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share $ + And six cases of using AI to build software for conventional weapons BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2zrrpkx20o + Governments are also using Claude for surveillance. Axios https://www.axios.com/2026/09/10/anthropic-claude-government-surveillance-threats + While Russia-linked hackers used it to automate attacks on Ukraine. Quartz https://qz.com/anthropic-claude-biological-weapons-surveillance-misuse-091026 + The threats were revealed in a new Anthropic report. Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/sep/10/anthropic-report-details-ai-misuse + Bill Gates says AI needs new guardrails . MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/26/1142946/bill-gates-ai-danger-threshold/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C 2 California has banned addictive social media features for under-16s The law prohibits infinite scroll and autoplay. Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/sep/10/gavin-newsom-social-media-bill + It also introduces new rules for AI and companion chatbots. Reuters https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/california-enacts-new-curbs-social-media-children-2026-09-11/ $ + It’s the first law of its kind in the US. NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/10/technology/californias-governor-gavin-newsom-online-child-safety-bills.html $ + Social media encourages the worst AI boosterism . MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/12/23/1130393/how-social-media-encourages-the-worst-of-ai-boosterism/?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 Two AI researchers have left Anthropic and Google over safety risks They left a day after Jacob Coxon’s viral departure from Anthropic. NBC News https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/two-ai-researchers-leave-anthropic-google-safety-concerns-rcna597086 + Elon Musk called their concerns a “setup” and a “psyop.” Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/sep/10/anthropic-researchers-warn-ai-musk + AI fears are pushing Congress toward tougher regulation. WSJ https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/congress-is-suddenly-waking-up-to-the-ai-doomsday-threat-b40ab25a?mod=rss Technology $ 4 Sam Altman is pitching OpenAI’s cyber defenses to power companies The meetings followed reports of AI attacks on critical systems. Politico https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/10/sam-altman-pitches-utilities-on-ai-grid-defense-01070425 $ + Altman also told staff that OpenAI is open to slowing down AI. Bloomberg https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-09-11/openai-is-open-to-slowing-cutting-edge-ai-ceo-sam-altman-tells-staff $ 5 After years of fighting AI, music labels are starting to embrace it Universal is partnering with ElevenLabs on an AI remix platform. Gizmodo https://gizmodo.com/the-record-labels-are-done-fighting-ai-now-they-want-a-cut-2000809977 + AI is complicating definitions of creativity . MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/04/16/1114433/ai-artificial-intelligence-music-diffusion-creativity-songs-writer/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C 6 Chinese drugmakers are challenging US dominance in weight-loss drugs They’re developing hundreds of GLP-1 treatments for global markets. WSJ https://www.wsj.com/health/pharma/the-race-for-the-next-big-weight-loss-drug-is-onand-china-wants-in-62ced9c6?mod=rss Technology $ 7 Electric air taxis have begun official test flights in Texas They’re the first flights under the White House’s new pilot program. Verge https://www.theverge.com/transportation/993341/evtol-air-taxi-aviation-eipp-texas 8 Chinese drones are helping to rescue survivors of Nepal's floods They’re delivering food and airlifting bodies from flood-hit areas. Ars Technica https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/09/drones-deliver-food-and-remove-bodies-after-nepals-flood-disaster/ 9 NASA and IBM have built an AI model to map the moon It could help locate ice and identify safer landing sites. Register https://www.theregister.com/ai-and-ml/2026/09/10/nasa-and-ibm-open-source-lunar-mapping-tools/5295633 10 One man is on a quest to digitally preserve America’s public restrooms His Restroom Archive is a museum-style repository of 3D scans. 404 Media https://www.404media.co/the-man-on-a-quest-to-digitally-preserve-americas-public-restrooms/ Quote of the day “ I didn't ask Facebook to build a profile of my family—I posted a video of me singing in the car with my kids.” —Kalie Roberts, a travel content creator, says in an Instagram reel https://www.instagram.com/reels/Dcy8LU3S7DF/ that Meta AI used years of Facebook posts to piece together her children’s identities and pinpoint where her family lives. One more thing Chinese tech workers are starting to train their AI doubles—and pushing back In April, a GitHub project called Colleague Skill struck a nerve by claiming to “distill” a worker’s skills and personality—and replicate them with an AI agent. Though the project was a spoof, it prompted a wave of soul-searching among otherwise enthusiastic early adopters. A number of tech workers told MIT Technology Review that their bosses are already encouraging them to document their workflows for automation via tools like OpenClaw. Many now fear that they are being flattened into code and losing their professional identity. In response, some are fighting back with tools designed to sabotage the automation process. Read the full story on their battle with clone workers https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/04/20/1136149/chinese-tech-workers-ai-colleagues/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C . —Caiwei Chen 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 . + Worried about Flock cameras? These guys designed a car https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znaA091 8-M to fool them. + Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera has captured a galactic merger’s dazzling final phase https://esawebb.org/images/potm2608a/ . + An exquisitely preserved 66-million-year-old bird feather https://www.newscientist.com/article/2588673-exquisite-66-million-year-old-bird-feather-preserved-in-dinosaur-dropping/?utm campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm content=home&utm medium=RSS&utm source=NSNS was found in a fossilised dinosaur dropping. + A plucky preservationist travelled 1,700 miles and made 52 calls from a rare phone box https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0l5xnenek7o to keep it in service. Deep Dive The Download The Download: Claude’s inner workings, and the future of world models Plus: New York has become the first state to enact a data center moratorium. The Download: AI’s self-improvement problem, and what’s driving the heat Plus: OpenAI has paused some model work over safety concerns. The Download: Google’s AI shake-up and Meta’s rogue model Plus: Meta has become the latest firm to say its AI hacked another company. The Download: the next big thing in LLMs and how AI academic research is shifting Plus: Nvidia has secured $500 billion from Wall Street for AI infrastructure. Stay connected Get the latest updates from MIT Technology Review Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.