{"id":19383,"date":"2026-03-11T13:06:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T13:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/11\/the-download-pokemon-go-train-world-models-us-china-race-find-aliens\/"},"modified":"2026-03-11T13:06:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T13:06:00","slug":"the-download-pokemon-go-train-world-models-us-china-race-find-aliens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/11\/the-download-pokemon-go-train-world-models-us-china-race-find-aliens\/","title":{"rendered":"The Download: Pok\u00e9mon Go to train world models, and the US-China race to find aliens"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

This is today\u2019s edition of <\/em>The Download<\/em><\/a>, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what\u2019s going on in the world of technology.<\/em><\/p>\n

How Pok\u00e9mon Go is giving delivery robots an inch-perfect view of the world<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>\n

Pok\u00e9mon Go was the world\u2019s first augmented-reality megahit. Released in 2016 by Niantic, the AR twist on the juggernaut Pok\u00e9mon franchise fast became a global phenomenon. \u201c500 million people installed that app in 60 days,\u201d says Brian McClendon, CTO at Niantic Spatial, an AI company that Niantic spun out last year.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now Niantic Spatial is using that vast trove of crowdsourced data to build a kind of world model\u2014a buzzy\u00a0new technology\u00a0that grounds the smarts of LLMs in real environments. The firm wants to use it to help robots navigate more precisely.\u00a0Read the full story<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014Will Douglas Heaven<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

MIT Technology Review Narrated:\u00a0America\u00a0was\u00a0winning the race to find Martian life. Then China jumped in.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>\n

In July 2024, after more than three years on Mars, the Perseverance rover came across a peculiar rocky outcrop. Instead of the usual crystals or sedimentary layers, this one had spots. Those specks were the best hint yet of alien life.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

NASA began a new mission to bring the rocks back to Earth to study. But now,\u00a0just\u00a0over a year and a half later, the project is on life support. As a result, those oh-so-promising rocks may be stuck out there forever.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This also means that, in the race to find evidence of alien life,\u00a0America\u00a0has effectively ceded its pole position to its greatest geopolitical rival: China. The superpower is moving full steam ahead with its own version of NASA\u2019s mission.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014Robin George Andrews<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

This is our latest\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>story<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0to be turned into an MIT Technology Review Narrated podcast, which\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0publishing each week on\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Spotify<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Apple Podcasts<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0Just\u00a0navigate to MIT Technology Review Narrated on either platform,\u00a0and\u00a0follow us to get all our\u00a0new content\u00a0as\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0released.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

The must-reads<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve\u00a0combed the internet to find you today\u2019s most fun\/important\/scary\/fascinating stories about technology.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

1\u00a0Viral\u00a0AI fakes of the Iran war are flooding X<\/strong>\u00a0
And Grok is\u00a0failing to flag\u00a0them. (Wired<\/a>\u00a0$)\u00a0
+ The conflict could wreak havoc on data\u00a0centers\u00a0and electricity costs.<\/em>\u00a0(The Verge<\/a>)\u00a0\u00a0
+ Pro-Iran bots are weaponizing posts about Epstein.<\/em>\u00a0(Gizmodo<\/a>)\u00a0\u00a0
+ AI is turning the Iran conflict into a show.\u00a0<\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n

2 Anthropic fears the loss of billions due to the Pentagon\u2019s blacklisting\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0
That\u2019s what the company has told a judge as it seeks to block its designation as a supply-chain risk. (Bloomberg<\/a>\u00a0$)\u00a0
+ Microsoft has backed the company in its legal fight with the Pentagon.<\/em>\u00a0(FT<\/a>\u00a0$)\u00a0
+ OpenAI\u2019s \u201ccompromise\u201d with the DoD dealt a big blow to Anthropic.\u00a0<\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)\u00a0
\u00a0
3 Meta has bought a social network\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0exclusively for bots<\/strong>\u00a0
Moltbook is a Reddit-like site where AI agents interact with each other. (NYT<\/a>\u00a0$)\u00a0
+ The platform\u00a0is\u00a0 AI\u00a0theater.<\/em>\u00a0(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)\u00a0\u00a0
\u00a0
4 Ukraine is eagerly offering the US its\u00a0expertise\u00a0and tech to counter Iranian drones<\/strong>\u00a0
Kyiv has sent drones and UAV specialists to military bases in Jordan. (WSJ<\/a>\u00a0$)\u00a0
+ A radio-obsessed civilian is shaping Ukraine\u2019s drone\u00a0defense.<\/em>\u00a0(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)\u00a0
\u00a0
5<\/strong>\u00a0OnlyFans \u201cchatters\u201d are earning $2 per hour to impersonate models<\/strong>\u00a0
A worker in the Philippines described the job as \u201cheartbreaking\u201d and \u201cicky.\u201d (BBC<\/a>)\u00a0
\u00a0
6 The DHS has removed officials who objected to \u201cillegal\u201d orders about surveillance tech<\/strong>\u00a0
The officers had refused to mislabel records about the technologies\u00a0in order to\u00a0block their release. (Wired<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n

7 This startup is building data\u00a0centers\u00a0run on brain cells\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0
The \u201cbiological data\u00a0centers\u201d are coming to Melbourne and Singapore. (New Scientist<\/a>\u00a0$)\u00a0<\/p>\n

8 Anduril is expanding into space\u00a0defense<\/strong>\u00a0
The company is buying\u00a0ExoAnalytic, which specializes in missile\u00a0defense\u00a0tracking. (Reuters<\/a>)\u00a0
+ We saw a demo of an AI system powering Anduril\u2019s vision for war.<\/em>\u00a0(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)\u00a0
\u00a0
9 Big\u00a0tech\u00a0has a new big idea: AI compute as compensation<\/strong>\u00a0
Silicon Valley is pitching it as a job\u00a0perk.\u00a0(Business Insider<\/a>)\u00a0
\u00a0
10 Wordle\u2019s creator is back with a new game<\/strong>\u00a0
It\u2019s inspired by cryptic crosswords. (The New Yorker<\/a>\u00a0$)\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Quote of the day<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou come for the Epstein content, and you stay for the propaganda.\u201d\u00a0<\/h2>\n

\u2014Bret Schafer, an expert on information manipulation, tells\u00a0the Washington Post<\/a>\u00a0how pro-Iran networks are gaining traction with posts about Epstein.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One More Thing<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h4>\n
\n
\"white<\/p>\n
MEREDITH MIOTKE | PHOTO: NASA\/JPL-CALTECH\/MSSS<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The quest to figure out farming on Mars\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

If ever a blade of grass grew on Mars, those days are over. But could they begin again? What would it take to grow plants to feed future astronauts on Mars?\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

To grow food there, we\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0just\u00a0drop seeds in the ground and add water. We will need to create a layer of soil that can support life. And to do that, we first\u00a0have to\u00a0get rid of the red planet\u2019s toxic salts.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Researchers recently discovered a potential solution\u2014and the early signs are promising.\u00a0Read the full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We can still have\u00a0nice things<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas?\u00a0<\/em>Drop me a line<\/em><\/a>)<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

+ Finally, a rebellion arises against mint\u2019s tyranny over our teeth:\u00a0Peanut Butter Cup toothpaste<\/a>.\u00a0
+\u00a0DIY decorators rejoice! The\u00a0humble paint tray<\/a>\u00a0has received an ingeniously simple renovation.\u00a0
+\u00a0Saudi surgeons have\u00a0successfully separated<\/a>\u00a0two conjoined twins.\u00a0
+\u00a0If\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0looking for real innovation, check out\u00a0British Pie Week\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0beef rendang, jerk chicken, and double-size pasties.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is today\u2019s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[226],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technology"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19383","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19383"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19383\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}