The Download: cutting AC emissions, and nature’s drug designer

Anthropic shut down access to its top AI models Fable 5 and Mythos 5 after a US directive barred foreigners from using them, with the company disabling access globally due to inability to filter users in real time. The move follows talks between Amazon's CEO and US officials, sparking calls from cybersecurity experts to end the ban.

The Download: cutting AC emissions, and nature’s drug designer Plus: Anthropic has shut down access to its top models after a US directive. 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. These new solid-state ACs promise a cool future. Scientists aren’t so sure. After three years of record-breaking heat and another scorcher underway, air-conditioning isn’t going anywhere. That’s good for our health, but bad for the planet: it already accounts for 7% of global electricity use and 3% of greenhouse-gas emissions. Feeling the heat, scientists and startups are hoping to amp up solid-state cooling. These systems move heat through conductive materials, which could cool spaces and surfaces with fewer messy side effects. The catch is whether it can match the efficiency of traditional AC. Find out how the unconventional coolers aim to dial down AC emissions https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/06/15/1138552/solid-state-acs-promise-cool-future/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C . —Sara Kiley Watson This story is from the next edition of our magazine, which is all about engineering. Subscribe now to get a copy when it lands Job titles of the future: nature’s drug designer In 2018, after nearly two decades working in Big Pharma, chemist Tim Cernak was ready to put his skills to a new use. As a lifelong nature lover, he had become concerned that animals are often treated with human pharmaceuticals that can be harmful or even lethal. He decided to address this with a new approach: “conservation chemistry.” Using AI tools and robots, he’s now rapidly designing and testing drugs for animals. Here’s what it takes to treat nature’s patients https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/06/11/1138502/job-titles-natures-drug-designer-tim-cernak/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C . —Anna Gibbs The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Anthropic has shut down access to its top models after a US directive The US barred foreigners from using Fable 5 and Mythos 5 on Friday. NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/12/technology/anthropic-mythos-fable5-blocked.html $ + Anthropic disabled access globally as it can’t filter users in real time. BBC http://bbc.com/news/articles/c932g3v3e13o + Talks with Amazon’s CEO apparently prompted the ban. WSJ https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/amazon-ceos-talks-with-u-s-officials-triggered-crackdown-on-anthropic-models-dcc90578?mod=tech lead pos3 $ + Cybersecurity experts have called for the ban to end. Axios + But the White House’s war against Anthropic has previously backfired. + But the White House’s war against Anthropic has previously backfired. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/03/30/1134881/the-pentagons-culture-war-tactic-against-anthropic-has-backfired/?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 The UK is banning social media for under-16s Details are scant, but the measure is due to take effect in early 2027. The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/jun/15/social-media-ban-uk-under-16-starmer + The ban covers Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X. BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ceqdny4l3jdo + Many countries are curbing children's social media access. Reuters https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/australia-europe-countries-move-curb-childrens-social-media-access-2026-06-15/ $ 3 New space data suggests black holes formed before galaxies It could resolve cosmology’s chicken-and-egg dilemma. New Scientist https://www.newscientist.com/article/2530220-we-may-have-finally-solved-cosmologys-chicken-or-the-egg-problem/?utm campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm source=NSNS&utm medium=RSS&utm content=home $ + Odd tricks have formed a massive black hole. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/04/22/1114340/odd-new-tricks-from-a-massive-black-hole/?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 Skepticism around AI layoffs is increasing There are growing doubts that AI is really the culprit. TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/15/the-ai-layoff-wave-is-becoming-a-powder-keg/ + We need a reality check on AI jobs hysteria. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/05/26/1137855/a-reality-check-on-the-ai-jobs-hysteria/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C 5 A coalition of states has opened an investigation into OpenAI Over matters including user data, child safety and advertising. NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/13/technology/states-investigating-openai.html $ 6 Tesla has been accused of misleading regulators over “full self-driving” By exaggerating its safety statistics. Reuters https://www.reuters.com/world/tesla-presented-misleading-full-self-driving-safety-data-european-regulators-2026-06-15/ $ 7 NASA’s “quiet supersonic” plane has hit critical new milestones The X-59 reached 924 mph and 55,000 feet. Scientific American https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasas-experimental-quiet-supersonic-plane-passes-another-critical-milestone/ + Which are essential for flying over populated areas. Engadget https://www.engadget.com/2193925/nasa-x-59-reaches-speed-and-altitude-milestones-ahead-of-first-quiet-supersonic-flights/ + It’s designed to take the boom out of supersonic travel. BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20230324-how-x-planes-may-solve-the-sonic-boom-problem 8 Deepfakes are getting harder to spot—and weirder—in the midterms Thanks to improvements in free AI tools. WSJ https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/ai-deepfakes-are-getting-weirder-and-harder-to-spot-in-the-midterms-88b4f7ad?mod=tech feat1 ai pos2 $ 9 AI is revealing the secret lives of animals By tracing their movements, landmarks, and social practices. Nature https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01887-w 10 Where did Earth get its oceans? Maybe it made them itself. Scientists now suspect that Earth’s waters are homegrown. Quanta https://www.quantamagazine.org/where-did-earth-get-its-oceans-maybe-it-made-them-itself-20260612/ Quote of the day “This action has taken the best models away from defenders, created market uncertainty, and risked America’s AI leadership without any real risk to justify it.” —Cybersecurity leaders urge the Trump administration to reverse restrictions on Anthropic's most advanced AI models in an open letter https://freefable.org/ . One More Thing How scientists want to make you young again How scientists want to make you young again A little over 15 years ago, scientists at Kyoto University made a remarkable discovery. When they added just four proteins to a skin cell and waited about two weeks, some of the cells underwent an unexpected and astounding transformation: they became young again. Now, after more than a decade of developing this cellular reprogramming, biotech companies and research labs have tantalising hints that the process could be the gateway to an unprecedented new technology for human age reversal. Read the full story on their efforts to “reprogram” aging bodies back to youth https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/10/25/1061644/how-to-be-young-again/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C . —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 . + Evolutionary biologists may have figured out why the T-Rex had such tiny arms https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/why-meat-eating-dinosaurs-like-t-rex-evolved-tiny-arms . + This beautifully sustainable bento box design is engineered to eliminate single-use takeout waste https://www.instagram.com/p/DY2t7YsSvos/ . + Search across 5.8 million museum artworks spanning from 3000 BC to today at The Last Museum https://lastmuseum.com/ . + Here’s a sharp cosmic snapshot of Thor’s Helmet, an interstellar gas bubble sitting 15,000 light-years away https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ . Deep Dive The Download The Download: DeepSeek’s latest AI breakthrough, and the race to build world models Plus: China has blocked Meta’s $2 billion acquisition of AI startup Manus. The Download: introducing the 10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now Plus: An unauthorized group has reportedly accessed Anthropic’s Mythos. 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: supercharged scams and studying AI healthcare Plus: DeepSeek has unveiled its long-awaited new AI model. Stay connected Get the latest updates from MIT Technology Review Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.