{"id":22460,"date":"2026-05-07T12:21:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T12:21:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/07\/the-download-ivf-tech-balcony-solar\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T12:21:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T12:21:12","slug":"the-download-ivf-tech-balcony-solar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/07\/the-download-ivf-tech-balcony-solar\/","title":{"rendered":"The Download: the tech reshaping IVF and the rise of balcony solar"},"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

What\u2019s next for IVF<\/strong><\/h3>\n

IVF has brought millions of babies into the world over the last four decades. But the process can still be slow, painful, and expensive\u2014and far from guaranteed to work. Now, a wave of new technologies aims to change that.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Researchers are using AI to identify promising sperm and embryos, developing robotic systems that could automate parts of the IVF process, and even exploring controversial genetic editing techniques designed to prevent inherited disease.<\/p>\n

The technologies could make IVF more effective and accessible. But they\u2019re also raising difficult ethical questions about how far reproductive medicine should go.<\/p>\n

Find out what\u2019s next for IVF<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014Jessica Hamzelou<\/em><\/p>\n

This story is from MIT Technology Review\u2019s What\u2019s Next series, which looks across industries, trends, and technologies to give you a first look at the future. You can read the rest of them here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The balcony solar boom is coming to the US<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Dozens of US states are considering legislation to allow people to install plug-in solar systems, often called balcony solar. These small arrays require little to no setup and could help cut emissions and power bills.<\/p>\n

Proponents say the systems could make solar power more accessible, but some experts caution that there are safety concerns.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read the full story on balcony solar\u2019s potentially massive impact in the US<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014Casey Crownhart<\/em><\/p>\n

This <\/strong>article<\/strong><\/a> is from The Spark, our weekly climate newsletter. <\/strong>Sign up<\/strong><\/a> to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Resistance: 10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Resistance against AI\u2019s proliferation is growing. People from all walks of life are speaking out against rising electricity bills from data centers, disappearing jobs, chatbots\u2019 impact on teen mental health, the military\u2019s use of AI, and copyright infringement\u2014among other concerns.\u00a0<\/p>\n

People want to have a say in how the technology transforms their future. And they\u2019re starting to create small cracks in AI labs\u2019 vision for the future. Find out how<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014Michelle Kim<\/em><\/p>\n

Resistance<\/strong><\/a> is on our list of the <\/strong>10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now<\/strong><\/a>, MIT Technology Review\u2019s guide to what\u2019s really worth your attention in the buzzy world of AI.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

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

1 After years of insults, Anthropic and SpaceX have teamed up
<\/strong>Anthropic will tap SpaceX\u2019s GPUs to meet surging demand. (Axios<\/a>)
+ While SpaceX gets a marquee customer for its AI ambitions. <\/em>(Wired<\/a> $)
+ Anthropic says the deal will double Claude Code\u2019s rate limits.<\/em> (Ars Technica<\/a>)
+It\u2019s also exploring building compute capacity in space.<\/em> (CNBC<\/a>)
+ Musk previously called Anthropic \u201cevil\u201d and \u201cmisanthropic.\u201d<\/em> (Gizmodo<\/a>)<\/p>\n

2 Ex-OpenAI leaders say Sam Altman sowed \u201cchaos\u201d and distrust
<\/strong>Former CTO Mira Murati said she couldn\u2019t trust his words. (The Verge<\/a>)
+ He also bypassed OpenAI\u2019s safety board before a model release.<\/em> (Gizmodo<\/a>)
+ And pitted leaders against one another.<\/em> (Forbes<\/a>)
+ But Elon Musk still tried to recruit Altman to lead a Tesla AI lab.<\/em> (FT<\/a> $)
+ Here\u2019s why Musk and Altman are in court.<\/em> (MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

3 China\u2019s humanoid robots are fueling its next export boom
<\/strong>Morgan Stanley says Beijing has taken an early lead in the sector. (Bloomberg<\/a> $)
+ Gig workers are training humanoids at home.<\/em> (MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

4 SpaceX\u2019s IPO plans will give Elon Musk \u201cvirtually unchecked\u201d authority
<\/strong>And erode typical shareholder protections. (Reuters<\/a> $)
+ Activists and pension funds are pushing back against the IPO.<\/em> (Wired<\/a> $)
+ While SpaceX is shifting focus from Falcon 9 to Starship.<\/em> (Ars Technica<\/a>)<\/p>\n

5 Google DeepMind will use the MMORPG Eve Online for AI model testing
<\/strong>It\u2019s also bought a stake in the game\u2019s maker. (Ars Technica<\/a>)
+ DeepMind also recently built a new video-game-playing agent.<\/em> (MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

6 The US risks isolating its automakers by banning a Chinese EV standard
<\/strong>It\u2019s prohibiting software that\u2019s dominating global EV markets. (Rest of World<\/a>)<\/p>\n

7 Elon Musk\u2019s proposed Texas chip factory could cost $119 billion
<\/strong>It would manufacture chips for Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI. (CNBC<\/a>)
+ Future AI chips could be built on glass. <\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

8 Why the \u201cattention-span crisis\u201d is misunderstood
<\/strong>Technology may be exhausting attention rather than shortening it. (Atlantic<\/a> $)<\/p>\n

9 Scientists are getting closer to explaining what causes lightning<\/strong>
New tools are revealing unexpected physics inside thunderstorms. (Quanta<\/a>)<\/p>\n

10 Kids have found an age verification loophole: fake mustaches
<\/strong>Resourceful children are foiling blocks on adult websites. (TechCrunch<\/a>)<\/p>\n

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

\u201cMy concern was about Sam saying one thing to one person and completely the opposite to another person.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u2014Mira Murati, the former CTO of OpenAI, testifies \u200cin court that CEO Sam Altman was deceptive, Reuters reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One More Thing<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/p>\n
ALAMY<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n


A brief, weird history of brainwashing<\/strong><\/h4>\n

During the Cold War, the US prepared for a psychic war with the Soviet Union and China by spending millions of dollars on research into manipulating the human brain.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The science never exactly panned out, but residual beliefs fostered by this bizarre conflict continue to play a role in ideological and scientific debates to this day. And now, new technologies are altering how we think about mind control.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This is how the race for mind control changed America forever<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014Annalee Newitz<\/em><\/p>\n

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

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

+ Listen to the 10 bird songs of spring<\/a> in this lovely compilation of American species.
+ Good Samaritans saved a 29-foot whale<\/a> that had wandered too far into a river.
+ Explore the intersection of human emotion and machine learning<\/a> in this look at AI\u2019s influence on art.
+ Break down the walls between streaming services<\/a> and manage all your digital music in one place with this app.<\/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-22460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technology"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22460","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=22460"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22460\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}