The Download: testing six tech promises and biotech’s blind spots

This is the latest edition of The Download newsletter, which provides daily updates on the latest developments in the world of technology. In this issue, six big tech promises are put under the microscope, with progress reports on potentially transformative technologies such as exercise in a pill, nuclear-powered spaceships, and more.

Experts discuss the challenges holding these ideas back and their current status. The biotech segment highlights how it remains difficult to see everything, as demonstrated by the documentary You Can See Everything about disgraced biotech CEO Elizabeth Holmes. This raises concerns about the way science is covered and the ease of falling for appealing narratives.

The Checkup newsletter, which focuses on biotech, invites readers to vote on their preferred topic for upcoming Roundtables, which can be either how to maintain cognitive function for a longer time or the feasibility of putting a city on the moon. Other notable stories include Warhound's plan to genetically enhance military dogs and clone them for detection and protection purposes, Elon Musk's statement on Ukraine's Starlink access, the PHP flaw experts say is harder to exploit than anticipated, Moderna and Merck's mRNA cancer vaccine reducing melanoma patients' risk of recurrence by 42%, the first human patient receiving a prime editing technique, Google's virtual power plant rewarding users for adjusting energy usage, Dutch spies allegedly hacking Jared Kushner's iPhone, the potential of fossil fuels to halt the next ice age, and scientists recreating solar flares to understand solar corona's mystery.