July 25, 2025

The Download: saving the US climate programs, and America’s AI protections are under threat

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. How nonprofits and academia are stepping up to salvage US climate programs Nonprofits are trying to preserve a US effort to modernize greenhouse-gas measurements, amid growing fears that the Trump administration’s dismantling of…

Simply Homes nabs $22M, leverages AI to tackle affordable housing crisis

December 7, 2023

The United States has long had an affordable housing crisis, but it’s been exacerbated as of late by a surge in mortgage interest rates and low inventory. The problem is especially acute for lower-income families. One Portland, Maine-based startup is out to help address the problem by buying single-family homes in blighted neighborhoods, renovating them […]

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Block releases Bitkey hardware wallet to 95 countries… kinda

December 7, 2023

Jack Dorsey’s Block (the company formerly known as Square) announced today that it is releasing its hardware Bitcoin wallet, Bitkey, in 95 countries. However, users can only pre-order the device at the moment with shipping starting in early 2024. The company hasn’t specified the price of the product yet. Block’s pitch to Bitcoin holders is […]

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The lucky break behind the first CRISPR treatment

December 7, 2023
The world’s first commercial gene-editing treatment is set to start changing the lives of people with sickle-cell disease. It’s called Casgevy, and it was approved last month in the UK. US approval is pending this week.  The treatment, which will be sold in the US by Vertex Pharmaceuticals, employs CRISPR, the Nobel-winning molecular scissors that have…

The Download: Google’s Gemini is here, and Sundar Pichai talks AI

December 7, 2023
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. Google DeepMind’s new Gemini model looks amazing—but could signal peak AI hype Hype about Gemini, Google DeepMind’s long-rumored response to OpenAI’s GPT-4, has been building for months. Now, the company has finally revealed…