The Download: The fossil fuel elephant in the room, and better tests for endometriosis | MIT Technology Review

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By Rhiannon Williamsarchive pageNovember 27, 2025 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. This year’s UN climate talks avoided fossil fuels, again Over the past few weeks in Belem, Brazil, attendees of this year’s UN climate talks dealt with oppressive heat and flooding, and at one point a literal fire broke out, delaying negotiations. The symbolism was almost too much to bear. While many, including the president of Brazil, framed this year’s conference as one of action, the talks ended with a watered-down agreement. The final draft doesn’t even include the phrase “fossil fuels.”
As emissions and global temperatures reach record highs again this year, I’m left wondering: Why is it so hard to formally acknowledge what’s causing the problem?—Casey Crownhart This article is from The Spark, MIT Technology Review’s weekly climate newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here.
New noninvasive endometriosis tests are on the rise Endometriosis inflicts debilitating pain and heavy bleeding on more than 11% of reproductive-­age women in the United States. Diagnosis takes nearly 10 years on average, partly because half the cases don’t show up on scans, and surgery is required to obtain tissue samples. But a new generation of noninvasive tests are emerging that could help accelerate diagnosis and improve management of this poorly understood condition. Read the full story. —Colleen de Bellefonds This story is from the last print issue of MIT Technology Review magazine, which is full of fascinating stories about the body. If you haven’t already, subscribe now to receive future issues once they land. The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 OpenAI claims a teenager circumvented its safety features before ending his lifeIt says ChatGPT directed Adam Raine to seek help more than 100 times. (TechCrunch)+ OpenAI is strongly refuting the idea it’s liable for the 16-year old’s death. (NBC News)+ The looming crackdown on AI companionship. (MIT Technology Review) 2 The CDC’s new deputy director prefers natural immunity to vaccinesAnd he wasn’t even the worst choice among those considered for the role. (Ars Technica)+ Meet Jim O’Neill, the longevity enthusiast who is now RFK Jr.’s right-hand man. (MIT Technology Review) 3 An MIT study says AI could already replace 12% of the US workforceResearchers drew that conclusion after simulating a digital twin of the US labor market. (CNBC)+ Separate research suggests it could replace 3 million jobs in the UK, too. (The Guardian)+ AI usage looks unlikely to keep climbing. (Economist $) 4 An Italian defense group has created an AI-powered air shield systemIt claims the system allows defenders to generate dome-style missile shields. (FT $)+ Why Trump’s “golden dome” missile defense idea is another ripped straight from the movies. (MIT Technology Review)5 The EU is considering a ban on social media for under-16sFollowing in Australia’s footsteps, whose own ban comes into power next month. (Politico)+ The European Parliament wants parents to decide on access. (The Guardian)6 Why do so many astronauts keep getting stuck in space?America, Russia and now China have had to contend with this situation. (WP $)+ A rescue craft for three stranded Chinese astronauts has successfully reached them. (The Register) 7 Uploading pictures of your hotel room could help trafficking victimsA new app uses computer vision to determine where pictures of generic-looking rooms were taken. (IEEE Spectrum) 8 This browser tool turns back the clock to a pre-AI slop webBack to the golden age of pre-November 30 2022. (404 Media)+ The White House’s slop posts are shockingly bad. (NY Mag $)+ Animated neo-Nazi propaganda is freely available on X. (The Atlantic $) 9 Grok’s “epic roasts” are as tragic as you’d expectTest it out at parties at your own peril. (Wired $)10 Startup founders dread explaining their jobs at Thanksgiving 🍗Yes Grandma, I work with computers. (Insider $)
Quote of the day
“AI cannot ever replace the unique gift that you are to the world.” —Pope Leo XIV warns students about the dangers of over-relying on AI, New York Magazine reports. One more thing Why we should thank pigeons for our AI breakthroughsPeople looking for precursors to artificial intelligence often point to science fiction or thought experiments like the Turing test. But an equally important, if surprising and less appreciated, forerunner is American psychologist B.F. Skinner’s research with pigeons in the middle of the 20th century.Skinner believed that association—learning, through trial and error, to link an action with a punishment or reward—was the building block of every behavior, not just in pigeons but in all living organisms, including human beings.His “behaviorist” theories fell out of favor in the 1960s but were taken up by computer scientists who eventually provided the foundation for many of the leading AI tools. Read the full story. —Ben Crair
We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet 'em at me.) + I hope you had a happy, err, Green Wednesday if you partook this year.+ Here how to help an endangered species from the comfort of your own home.+ Polly wants to FaceTime—now! 📱🦜(thanks Alice!)+ I need Macaulay Culkin’s idea for another Home Alone sequel to get greenlit, stat. by Rhiannon WilliamsShareShare story on linkedinShare story on facebookShare story on emailPopularWe’re learning more about what vitamin D does to our bodiesJessica HamzelouHow AGI became the most consequential conspiracy theory of our timeWill Douglas HeavenOpenAI’s new LLM exposes the secrets of how AI really worksWill Douglas HeavenMeet the man building a starter kit for civilizationTiffany NgDeep DiveThe DownloadThe Download: the AGI myth, and US/China AI competitionPlus: China is considering cutting its native data centers a deal
By Rhiannon Williamsarchive pageThe Download: Big Tech’s carbon removals plans, and the next wave of nuclear reactorsPlus: ChatGPT is getting erotic
By Rhiannon Williamsarchive page Introducing: the body issuePlus: OpenAI's AI-powered web browser is coming
By Rhiannon Williamsarchive pageThe Download: how to fix a tractor, and living among conspiracy theoristsPlus: DOGE is no more
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The Download: Fossil Fuel Elephant and Endometriosis Tests | MIT Technology Review

This edition of The Download, presented by MIT Technology Review, grapples with pressing technological and societal concerns, highlighting both immediate crises and longer-term trends. The core narrative revolves around the stark reality of climate inaction, the burgeoning field of non-invasive endometriosis diagnostics, and the broader implications of artificial intelligence.

One of the most immediate concerns underscored within the article is the frustrating lack of formal acknowledgement regarding the root causes of global warming. The 2025 UN climate talks, as exemplified by President Brazil’s framing, reveal a continued failure to directly address fossil fuels, a critical oversight given the escalating emissions and temperature records. The article implies a systemic resistance to confronting the fundamental driver of the climate crisis.

Simultaneously, a significant advancement in medical diagnostics emerges with the rise of non-invasive tests for endometriosis. This chronic condition, affecting approximately 11% of reproductive-age women, is notoriously difficult to diagnose. The average diagnostic timeline stretches nearly a decade, due to the frequent absence of visible markers on standard scans and the necessity of surgical tissue samples for definitive confirmation. The emergence of novel non-invasive tests promises to accelerate the diagnostic process, leading to earlier intervention and potentially improved management strategies.

However, this shift in medical diagnostics is interwoven with broader anxieties surrounding the rapid development and deployment of artificial intelligence. The article touches upon several related developments, starting with OpenAI’s forceful denial of liability in a tragic teenager’s death, linked to the use of ChatGPT. This immediately raises questions about the ethical responsibilities and regulatory oversight of increasingly sophisticated AI systems. Concerns extend beyond individual tragedies to encompass a potential “crackdown” on AI companionship technologies.

Further exploring the pervasive influence of AI, the article highlights a CDC deputy director’s preference for natural immunity to vaccines, reflecting a wider trend of skepticism towards conventional medical approaches. Simultaneously, research indicates that AI could automate a significant percentage of the U.S. workforce, predicting the displacement of around 12% of jobs. This prospect is compounded by existing forecasts for job losses in the UK, and signals a concerning trend for the future of work.

The article then shifts to a more historical perspective, acknowledging the critical role of B.F. Skinner’s research on pigeons in shaping the foundations of artificial intelligence. Skinner’s “behaviorist” theories, focused on learning through association and reward/punishment, provided the conceptual framework for early AI development. This research, seemingly forgotten for decades, unexpectedly resurfaces as a key precursor to modern AI systems.

Finally, The Download incorporates a collection of shorter, related stories, including an Italian defense group’s development of an AI-powered air shield system, a debate concerning China’s consideration of cutting its native data centers, and ongoing efforts to address the challenges of astronauts stranded in space. Moreover, it touches upon a startling trend of AI-generated, often inappropriate, content proliferating online, from neo-Nazi propaganda to erotic material produced by advanced language models, demanding more robust regulatory measures.

The collection of shorter pieces—including the focus on the potential impact of vitamin D, the implications of AGI and US/China AI competition, and the challenges of a world increasingly reliant on AI— paints a picture of a rapidly evolving technological landscape fraught with both opportunity and significant risk. The underlying theme is a call for careful consideration and proactive management of these technologies, especially in the face of pressing global challenges like climate change and economic disruption.