Curated from MIT Technology Review — Here’s what matters right now:
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. 4 technologies that didn’t make our 2026 breakthroughs list If you’re a longtime reader, you probably know that our newsroom selects 10 breakthroughs every year that we think will define the future . This group exercise is mostly fun and always engrossing, with plenty of lively discussion along the way, but at times it can also be quite difficult. The 2026 list will come out on January 12—so stay tuned. In the meantime, we wanted to share some of the technologies from this year’s reject pile, as a window into our decision-making process. These four technologies won’t be on our 2026 list of breakthroughs, but all were closely considered, and we think they’re worth knowing about. Read the full story to learn what they are . MIT Technology Review Narrated: The quest to find out how our bodies react to extreme temperatures Scientists hope to prevent deaths from climate change, but heat and cold are more complicated than we thought. Researchers around the world are revising rules about when extremes veer from uncomfortable to deadly. Their findings change how we should think about the limits of hot and cold—and how to survive in a new world. This is our latest story to be turned into a MIT Technology Review Narrated podcast, which we’re publishing each week on Spotify and Apple Podcasts . Just navigate to MIT Technology Review Narrated on either platform, and follow us to get all our new content as it’s released. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 A CDC panel voted to recommend delaying the hepatitis B vaccine for babies Overturning a 30-year policy that has contributed to a huge decline in the virus. ( STAT ) + Why childhood vaccines are a public health success story. ( MIT Technology Review ) 2 Critical climate risks are growing across the Arab region Drought is the most immediate problem countries are having to grapple with. ( Ars Technica ) + Why Tehran is running out of water. ( Wired $) 3 Netflix is buying Warner Bros for $83 billion If approved, it’ll be one of the most significant mergers in Hollywood history. ( NBC ) + Trump says the deal “could be a problem” due to Netflix’s already huge market share . ( BBC ) 4 The EU is fining X $140 million For failing to comply with its new Digital Services Act. ( NPR ) + Elon Musk is now calling for the entire EU to be abolished. ( CNBC ) + X also hit back by deleting the European Commission’s account. ( Engadget ) 5 AI slop is ruining Reddit Moderators are getting tired of fighting the rising tide of nonsense. ( Wired $) + How AI and Wikipedia have sent vulnerable languages into a doom spiral. ( MIT Technol
Next step: Stay ahead with trusted tech. See our store for scanners, detectors, and privacy-first accessories.
Original reporting: MIT Technology Review