The Download: China’s energy throwback, and choosing between love and immortality

This is today's variation of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a regular dose of what's going connected successful the satellite of technology.

A long-abandoned US atomic exertion is making a comeback successful China

China has erstwhile again bushed everyone other to a cleanable vigor milestone—its caller atomic reactor is reportedly 1 of the archetypal to usage thorium alternatively of uranium arsenic a substance and the archetypal of its benignant that tin beryllium refueled portion it’s running.

It’s an absorbing (if decidedly experimental) improvement retired of a state that’s edging toward becoming the satellite person successful atomic energy. China has present surpassed France successful presumption of generation, though not capacity; it inactive lags down the US successful some categories. But 1 recurring taxable successful media sum astir the reactor struck me, due to the fact that it’s truthful familiar: This exertion was invented decades ago, and past abandoned.

And this 1 probe reactor successful China moving with an alternate substance says a batch astir this infinitesimal for atomic vigor technology: Many groups are looking into the past for technologies, with a caller appetite for gathering them. Read the afloat story.

—Casey Crownhart

This nonfiction is from The Spark, MIT Technology Review’s play clime newsletter. To person it successful your inbox each Wednesday, sign up here.

Love oregon immortality: A abbreviated story

In this abbreviated fabrication communicative from the latest variation of our people magazine, writer Alexandra Chang imagines what mightiness hap to a couple’s narration erstwhile 1 idiosyncratic wants to unrecorded beingness to the fullest, portion different wants to unrecorded forever. Read the afloat story and if you aren’t already a subscriber, sign up now to get the adjacent variation of the people magazine.

The must-reads

I’ve combed the net to find you today’s astir fun/important/scary/fascinating stories astir technology.

1 RFK Jr wants to alteration however caller vaccines are tested
Medical experts are acrophobic the displacement volition curtail entree to the jabs. (WP $)
+ He has besides overseen the closure of a long-running diabetes study. (New Yorker $)
+ America’s nationalist wellness situation is worsening. (The Atlantic $)

2 Sam Altman’s biometric World task has launched successful the US
It's been dogged by privateness and information concerns successful different countries. (FT $)
+ It bills its Orb devices arsenic almighty identity-verification tools. (Bloomberg $)
+ In fact, it’s partnering with Match Group to verify users are who they accidental they are. (Wired $)
+ How the institution recruited its archetypal fractional a cardinal trial users. (MIT Technology Review)

3 Tesla was reportedly looking for a caller CEO 
A unsmooth fewer months allegedly pushed the steadfast to hunt for Elon Musk’s successor. (WSJ $)
+ But the institution was speedy to contradict the report. (The Guardian)
+ Meanwhile, Musk has insisted he’ll proceed moving connected DOGE. (Semafor)

4 A justice has ordered Apple to loosen its grip connected the App Store
The ruling spells the extremity of a five-year antitrust case. (NYT $)
+ As a result, Fortnite volition instrumentality to the US iOS App Store. (Variety $)

5 Climate alteration is worsening our oculus health
Common oculus disorders are linked with vigor and higher UV exposure. (Knowable Magazine)

6 Instagram’s AI chatbots are claiming to beryllium licensed therapists
And volition happily marque up qualifications. (404 Media)
+ But the archetypal proceedings of generative AI therapy shows it mightiness assistance with depression. (MIT Technology Review)

7 US cause overdoses are yet declining
But the Trump medication threatens to undo that progress. (Vox)
+ How the national authorities is tracking changes successful the proviso of thoroughfare drugs. (MIT Technology Review)

8 Young Brazilians imagination of becoming societal media stars
But TikTok is being investigated for monetizing them erstwhile they don’t person the close to work. (Rest of World)
+ Meet the wannabe kidfluencers struggling for stardom. (MIT Technology Review)

9 Duolingo has launched 148 AI-powered connection courses
Just days aft announcing its plans to regenerate quality workers. (TechCrunch)

10 The BBC created a deepfake of Agatha Christie
49 years aft her death, the transgression writer is teaching online penning classes. (The Verge)
+ An AI startup made a hyperrealistic deepfake of maine that’s truthful bully it’s scary. (MIT Technology Review)

Quote of the day

“The sacrifice to probe is immense.” 

—Gigi Kwik Gronvall, a elder student astatine the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, explains the consequences of the Trump administration’s determination to unit a wellness section focused connected studying deadly infectious diseases to cease operating to Wired.

One much thing

—James Temple

We tin inactive person bully things

A spot for comfort, amusive and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got immoderate ideas? Drop maine a line oregon skeet 'em astatine me.)

+ The oldest pistillate successful the world, 115-year aged Ethel May Caterham, is the past known surviving taxable of Edward VII.
+ Great quality for axolotl lovers: a captive-bred radical of the small amphibians tin thrive successful the wild.
+ Thor Pedersen spent astir a decennary travelling the satellite without flying.
+ The 5th yearly European Gull Screeching Championship did not disappoint.