The Download: our 35 Innovators Under 35 this year

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. What will the next generation of science and technology look like? Our latest Innovators Under 35 list offers a glimpse.

Every year, we recognize 35 people from around the world who are doing groundbreaking scientific work and building clever technical fixes for sticky problems. By finding the top young innovators globally and learning what they’re focused on, we aim to give readers a sense of the advances to expect in the years to come. This year’s honorees were selected from 550 nominations, with 44 expert judges helping our editors evaluate the finalists.

Each works in one of four categories: biotechnology, AI, computing and robotics, and climate and energy—and has already made clear progress toward their goals. Meet our 35 Innovators Under 35 shaping the future of science and technology. Counting the creatures around us is critical for conservation, but it’s often a laborious, costly process that still leaves gaps.

Environmental DNA, or eDNA, offers a promising alternative by analyzing genetic material shed by living things. Recently, spiderwebs have emerged as an eDNA goldmine, as they trap material from their arachnid creators, their prey, and bio-detritus like saliva and pollen from nearby plants and animals. Studies found no passive tool matched spiderwebs’ ability to ID vertebrates.

Find out how spiderwebs are unlocking better ways to measure nature. This story is from our latest print magazine, which is all about kids. Subscribe now to receive every issue as soon as it lands.

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 How a blacklisted Chinese company kept buying Nvidia’s best AI chipsIts US subsidiary shipped them to firms serving China from elsewhere. (NYT $)+ Belgium has arrested a man accused of stealing chip tech for China. (WSJ $)+ IBM’s new chip tech could extend Moore’s Law. (MIT Technology Review) 2 Mistral has raised a European record of $3.5 billion It’s the biggest equity round for a private European tech firm. (CNBC)+ Mistral is betting on open models while US rivals keep theirs closed. ( $)+ It’s also shifting strategy to focus more on AI infrastructure. (NYT $)+ But its pivot to data centers and services has drawn criticism. (Le Monde) 3 Anthropic formalized proof of Fermat’s last theorem in just 11 daysClaude produced a computer-verified 13-million-line proof. (Nature)+ AI is starting to discover new mathematics. (MIT Technology Review) 4 Europe's biggest carriers are in talks to build a Starlink rivalThe consortium would create a satellite-to-mobile venture. (Bloomberg $)+ It includes Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Vodafone, and Telefonica. ( $) 5 Tech companies are exploring Patagonia for giant AI data centersDue to its cool temperatures, abundant energy, and new reforms. ( $)+ AI data centers are learning to flex their power use. (MIT Technology Review) 6 Australia plans to let users switch off social media algorithmsA proposed law would impose penalties on platforms that refuse. (BBC)+ Social media is distorting AI progress. (MIT Technology Review) 7 A laser experiment could finally reveal the quantum vacuumIt aims to expose the hidden structure of a vacuum. (New Scientist $) 8 Spacecraft are getting a new type of armorNew lightweight materials could protect satellites from debris. (Economist $) 9 NASA's "quiet supersonic" jet is set for acoustic testing this yearThe tests will determine whether it produces a sonic thump, not boom. (Gizmodo) 10 The largest-ever map of space has arrived—and you can play with itThe 5.6-trillion-pixel map covers about three-quarters of the sky. (Wired $) —Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) tells NBC’s “Meet the Press" that the AI industry has work to do to rebuild momentum among voters. AI’s integration into our lives is the most significant shift in online life in more than a decade.