The Download: perimenopause misinformation and China’s latest AI leap

A Chinese startup, Moonshot AI, released the world's largest open AI model, narrowing the AI gap with the US and causing AI and semiconductor stocks to slide. The model competes with Anthropic and OpenAI systems, as China bets big on open-source AI and Xi Jinping pitches the country as an AI partner to the developing world.

The Download: perimenopause misinformation and China’s latest AI leap Plus: China's AI gap with the US may have just narrowed. 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. There’s a lot of hype around perimenopause. Don’t buy it. Perimenopause used to be considered taboo, but not anymore. Thanks at least in part to TV doctors and social media influencers, conversations about the sometimes years-long period before menopause are now more open than ever. But the conversation is increasingly shaped by misinformation. Despite what some marketers will claim, there is no test for perimenopause. That doesn’t mean women should have to put up with symptoms, but treatment suggestions often lack scientific evidence. And not all the symptoms women experience in midlife can be blamed on hormones. Read the full story on the hype and misinformation surrounding perimenopause https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/07/17/1140608/theres-a-lot-of-hype-around-perimenopause-dont-buy-it/?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 article is from The Spark, our weekly climate tech newsletter. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 China's AI gap with the US may have just narrowed A Chinese startup has released the world's largest open AI model. Reuters https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-moonshot-unveils-worlds-largest-open-ai-model-closing-us-rivals-2026-07-17/ $ + It competes with some Anthropic and OpenAI models. Gizmodo https://gizmodo.com/china-just-dropped-another-bomb-on-americas-frontier-ai-companies-2000786670 + The model’s launch sent AI and semiconductor stocks sliding. Bloomberg https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-17/china-s-powerful-new-moonshot-ai-model-closes-gap-with-us-rivals $ + Chinese Nvidia alternatives are also gaining traction. SCMP https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3360908/chinese-nvidia-alternatives-project-massive-sales-ai-chip-demand-surges?utm source=feedly feed + Xi Jinping pitched China as an AI partner to the developing world. CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/17/x-china-ai-summit-risks-security.html + The country is betting big on open-source. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/04/21/1135658/china-open-source-models-ai-artificial-intelligence/?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 Trump Media is selling instant access to “market-moving' social posts It’s developed a new way to monetize the president’s posts. Quartz https://qz.com/trump-media-truth-social-api-wall-street-traders-071626 + And Trump could profit directly from selling access to his statements. BBC https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c79gw4lj89eo + Kalshi says it caught Trump’s teleprompter operator insider trading . Verge https://www.theverge.com/news/966676/trump-teleprompter-operator-kalshi-bets-mention-markets-investigation 3 Astronomers have found an atmosphere on a nearby Earth-like planet It’s the first potentially habitable world known to host an atmosphere. NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/16/science/astronomy-exoplanet-atmosphere.html $ + Making it a top contender in the search for aliens. 404 Media https://www.404media.co/scientists-discover-planet-has-everything-to-host-earth-like-life-in-breakthrough/ + But you need to know how to spot one. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/04/21/1135057/how-to-spot-an-alien/?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 A brain implant has restored feeling in a paralysed hand The recipient can now feed himself and drink from a cup. Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jul/16/neural-bypass-brain-implant-paralysed-man-feed-himself-drink-from-cup + Movement continued when the stimulation was turned off. New Scientist https://www.newscientist.com/article/2580028-neurostimulation-restores-feeling-in-paralysed-hand-for-months-after/?utm campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm content=home&utm medium=RSS&utm source=NSNS $ + China has approved a world-first brain chip. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/06/01/1138133/china-world-first-brain-chip/?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 The EU has told Google to share search data and open up AI on Android It will be forced to share data with competing search providers. Ars Technica https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/07/its-official-eu-will-force-google-to-share-search-data-and-open-up-ai-on-android/ + And open Android phones to rivals’ AI bots. WP https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/07/16/europe-tells-google-it-must-open-android-phones-rivals-ai-bots/ $ 6 Period trackers are hiding privacy problems New research uncovers how they’re sharing users’ health data. BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20260715-how-period-trackers-share-womens-private-details 7 The Tesla driver in a fatal Texas crash overrode FSD, investigators say He bypassed the tech by pressing the gas pedal to 100%. Verge https://www.theverge.com/transportation/966563/tesla-texas-crash-ntsb-investigation 8 A new stealth drone spins so fast that it disappears Though its creators admit it can still be easily heard. New Scientist https://www.newscientist.com/article/2579564-stealth-drone-spins-so-fast-that-it-disappears/?utm campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm content=home&utm medium=RSS&utm source=NSNS $ 9 A space-station study suggests why astronauts’ bodies waste away Microgravity disrupts mitochondria, reducing protein production. Nature https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-02089-0 10 “Adversarial clothing” that confuses facial recognition is all the rage Privacy could be the next big trend. Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2026/jul/17/adversarial-clothing-are-garments-designed-to-confuse-facial-recognition-systems-about-to-go-mainstream Quote of the day “Xi's message is clear: China is not going to follow anyone on both AI technology and standards. Instead, China is going to lead the world in both aspects.” —George Chen, chair in digital practice at The Asia Group consultancy, gives Reuters https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/chinas-xi-promotes-chinas-commitment-ai-access-speech-shanghai-conference-2026-07-17/ his take on Xi Jinping’s speech at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference WAIC in Shanghai. One More Thing How poop could feed the planet How poop could feed the planet A new industrial facility in suburban Seattle is giving off a whiff of futuristic technology. It can safely treat fecal waste from people and livestock while recycling nutrients that are crucial for agriculture but in increasingly short supply across the nation’s farmlands. It’s among a range of systems reframing feces, urine, and their ingredients as invaluable natural resources to reuse instead of waste products to burn or bury. Several companies are now showing how to safely scale up the transformation with energy-efficient technologies. Find out how human waste is being transfomed into agricultural solutions https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/01/03/1108658/poop-feces-agriculture-varcor-biowaste/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C . —Bryn Nelson 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 . + Soccer icons have received the Ghanaian movie poster treatment https://www.creativereview.co.uk/fantasy-football-exhibition-dead-prey-gallery-a-store-like-94-oof/ . + A captivating cosmic construction project is July’s Picture of the Month https://esawebb.org/images/potm2606a/ from the James Webb Space Telescope. + Sir David Attenborough recently turned 100. Here’s everything he’s ever worked on https://attenborough-100.vercel.app/ , all in one place. + “Desire paths” are the trails made by people walking contrary to defined routes. This video https://www.instagram.com/reels/DZf4ofxv494/ explains what they mean about psychology and design. Deep Dive The Download The Download: Claude’s inner workings and OpenAI’s “super app” Plus: OpenAI has unveiled its long-awaited "super app." 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: 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.