Research & Development news

The Download: threats from space mirrors and credit for AI drugs

21-08-2026 14:10 via technologyreview.com

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 company’s plans to deploy space mirrors could jeopardize the night sky for manyA company that plans to beam sunlight from space to Earth on demand might unintentionally brighten the night sky for many more people than intended, according to a new study.Later this year, Reflect Orbital plans to launch a test satellite that will extend an

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When AI designs a drug, who gets the credit?

21-08-2026 11:00 via technologyreview.com

When the biotech company Insilico Medicine used its computer models to propose a promising drug for pulmonary fibrosis, it enthusiastically claimed in a press release that the molecule had been “discovered by” its generative AI platform.Insilico leads a pack of companies using AI to rapidly come up with drug ideas humans might never think of, potentially speeding the race to new cures. AI models are now able to generate atomic designs for drugs almost as easily as ChatGPT can write

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This company’s plans to deploy space mirrors could jeopardize the night sky for many

21-08-2026 11:00 via technologyreview.com

A company that plans to beam sunlight from space to Earth on demand might unintentionally brighten the night sky for many more people than intended, according to a new study.Later this year, the US company Reflect Orbital plans to launch a test satellite called Eärendil-1 that will extend an 18-by-18-meter mirror in orbit. The goal is to test the feasibility of the company’s plans to launch up to 50,000 larger satellites, measuring 54 by 54 meters, and reflect sunlight to Earth on de

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Mother tongue

21-08-2026 11:00 via technologyreview.com

“Daddy?” Theo curled against my side in bed. “Where do words go when they die?”I’d orchestrated the bedtime routine flawlessly: bath (taken), teeth (brushed), potty (tinkled), books (two), song (one, poorly sung), and snuggle (his chin on my second rib). Now was the moment when our son’s eyelids were supposed to flutter gently closed, his breath sighing into a slower rhythm. Like clockwork; like magic. You remember how easy it was, don’t you? All those n

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How landscape gardening is being electrified

21-08-2026 01:12 via bbc.co.uk

The switch to quieter electric equipment is not going as fast as some would like.

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