October 16, 2026

The Download: failed social media bans, and extending pets’ lives

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Kids are outsmarting social media bans. That’s not a problem we need to solve.   —Michal Luria, Aliya Bhatia, and Danah Boyd Social media bans are stacking up. In July, France joined…

Technology

This implant can restore sight for patients with macular degeneration

October 16, 2026
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) affects more than 5 million people around the world. And until now, no treatment could restore their vision. The Prima system, which was approved in Europe in July and is awaiting FDA clearance in the US, changes that. It combines a retinal implant with camera-­equipped eyeglasses to improve sight in patients…

Can’t bear to say goodbye to your pet? Biotech’s got you covered.

October 16, 2026
I don’t remember much about Peppy, my first and only pet cat. I can conjure the sensation of stroking her while she purred, recall how she used to get stuck in trees (just like in cartoons!), and chuckle about the time she pooed in my baby sister’s cot. That’s about it. What I do vividly…

Kids are outsmarting social media bans. That’s not a problem we need to solve.

October 16, 2026
Social media bans are stacking up. In July, France joined Australia in restricting minors from accessing social media—barring children under 15 from major platforms, before the ban was blocked by the country’s top court on human rights grounds. The UK aims to forbid kids under 16 from accessing Facebook, TikTok, and other platforms in early…

The Download: reviving frozen pig kidneys and boosting nuclear power

October 15, 2026
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Pig kidneys that were “frozen” for a year have been brought back to life Pig kidneys that were cooled to -150 °C and stored in a freezer for months have been…

How much more can nuclear power plants give?

October 15, 2026
In this age of rising electricity demand, people are trying to squeeze every last bit of power out of every power plant possible. Over the past few weeks, there’s been big news about nuclear power plants trying to do just that. Constellation, the largest nuclear operator in the US, announced plans to add nearly a…

Six wild ideas for perpetuating your mind

October 15, 2026
Have you ever thought about what makes you you? Science assures us it has everything to do with the three-pound organ between our ears, with its billions of neurons and trillions of delicate connections. But it’s a lot trickier to explain why we have a sense of self-awareness or to pin down precisely where that…

Pig kidneys that were “frozen” for a year have been brought back to life

October 15, 2026
Pig kidneys that were cooled to -150 °C and stored in a freezer for months have been successfully rewarmed and shown to work again for the first time, say scientists. They hope to replicate the findings with human organs. The kidneys—which are similar in size to human ones—were left in a glass-like state, in one…