That is at this time’s version ofΒ The Obtain,Β our weekday e-newsletter that gives a every day dose of what’s occurring on the earth of expertise.
What we nonetheless donβt find out about weight-loss medication
Weight-loss medication have been again within the information this week. First, we heard that Eli Lilly, the corporate behind Mounjaro and Zepbound, turned the primary healthcare firm on the earth to attain a trillion-dollar valuation.
However we additionally discovered that, disappointingly, GLP-1 medication donβt appear to assist individuals with Alzheimerβs illness. And that individuals who cease taking the medication once they turn out to be pregnant can expertise probably harmful ranges of weight achieve. On high of that, some researchers fear that individuals are utilizing the medication postpartum to lose being pregnant weight with out understanding potential dangers.
All of this information ought to function a reminder that thereβs quite a bit we nonetheless donβt find out about these medication. So letβs have a look at the enduring questions surrounding GLP-1 agonist medication.
βJessica Hamzelou
This text first appeared in The Checkup, MIT Expertise Assessmentβs weekly biotech e-newsletter. To obtain it in your inbox each Thursday, and browse articles like this primary, enroll right here.
Should youβre considering weight reduction medication and the way they have an effect on us, check out:
+ GLP-1 agonists like Wegovy, Ozempic, and Mounjaro would possibly profit coronary heart and mind well beingβhowever analysis suggests they may additionally trigger being pregnant issues and hurt some customers. Learn the total story.
+ Weβve by no means understood how starvation works. That is perhaps about to alter. Learn the total story.
+ Weight-loss injections have taken over the web. However what does this imply for individuals IRL?
+ This vibrating weight-loss capsule appears to workβin pigs. Learn the total story.
What we find out about how AI is affecting the economic system
There’s quite a bit at stake on the subject of understanding how AI is altering the economic system proper now. Ought to we be pessimistic? Optimistic? Or is the state of affairs too nuanced for that?
Hopefully, we will level you in the direction of some solutions. Mat Honan, our editor in chief, will maintain a particular subscriber-only Roundtables dialog with our editor at massive David Rotman, and Richard Waters, Monetary Occasions columnist, exploring what’s occurring throughout completely different markets. Register right here to affix us at 1pm ET on Tuesday December 9.
The occasion is a part of the Monetary Occasions and MIT Expertise Assessment βThe State of AIβ partnership, exploring the worldwide impression of synthetic intelligence. Over the previous month, weβve been working discussions between our journalistsβenroll right here to obtain future editions each Monday.
The must-reads
Iβve combed the web to seek out you at this timeβs most enjoyable/vital/scary/fascinating tales about expertise.
1 Tech billionaires are gearing as much as struggle AI regulationΒ
By amassing multi-million greenback struggle chests forward of the 2026 US midterm elections. (WSJ $)
+ Donald Trumpβs βManhattan Challengeβ for AI is actually formidable. (The Data $)
2 The EU needs to carry social media platforms answerable for monetary scams
New guidelines will power tech corporations to compensate banks in the event that they fail to take away reported scams. (Politico)
3 China is anxious a couple of humanoid robotic bubble
As a result of greater than 150 firms there are constructing very comparable machines. (Bloomberg $)
+ It might study some classes from the present AI bubble. (CNN)+ Why the humanoid workforce is working late. (MIT Expertise Assessment)
4 A Myanmar rip-off compound was blown up
However its residents will merely discover new bases for his or her operations. (NYT $)
+ Consultants suspect the destruction might have been for present. (Wired $)
+ Inside a romance rip-off compoundβand the way individuals get tricked into being there. (MIT Expertise Assessment)
5 Navies internationally are investing in submarine dronesΒ
They price a fraction of what it takes to run a standard manned sub. (The Guardian)
+ How underwater drones might form a possible Taiwan-China battle. (MIT Expertise Assessment)
6 What to anticipate from Chinaβs seemingly unstoppable innovation drive
Its extraordinarily permissive regulators play an enormous function. (Economist $)
+ Is China about to win the AI race? (MIT Expertise Assessment)
7 The UK is waging a struggle on VPNs
Good luck making an attempt to steer individuals to cease utilizing them. (The Verge)
8 Weβre studying extra about Jeff Bezosβ mysterious clock challenge
Heβs backed the Clock of the Lengthy Now for yearsβand development is amping up. (FT $)
+ How ageing clocks will help us perceive why we ageβand if we will reverse it. (MIT Expertise Assessment)
9 Have we lastly seen the primary hints of darkish matter?
These researchers appear to assume so. (New Scientist $)
10 A useful robotic helps archaeologists reconstruct Pompeii
Reassembling historical frescos is fiddly and time-consuming, however much less so for those whoβre a dextrous machine. (Reuters)
Quote of the day
βWe do failβ¦ quite a bit.β
βProtection firm Anduril explains its move-fast-and-break-things ethos to the Wall Road Journal in response to experiences its techniques have been marred by points in Ukraine.
Yet another factor
The way to construct a greater AI benchmark
Itβs not simple being certainly one of Silicon Valleyβs favourite benchmarks.
SWE-Bench (pronounced βswee benchβ) launched in November 2024 as a option to consider an AI mannequinβs coding talent. It has since rapidly turn out to be some of the well-liked checks in AI. A SWE-Bench rating has turn out to be a mainstay of main mannequin releases from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Googleβand out of doors of basis fashions, the fine-tuners at AI corporations are in fixed competitors to see who can rise above the pack.
Regardless of all of the fervor, this isnβt precisely a truthful evaluation of which mannequin is βhigher.β Entrants have begun to recreation the systemβwhich is pushing many others to wonder if thereβs a greater option to truly measure AI achievement. Learn the total story.
βRussell Brandom
We are able to nonetheless have good issues
A spot for consolation, enjoyable and distraction to brighten up your day. (Received any concepts? Drop me a line or skeet ’em at me.)
+ Aww, these sharks look like enjoying with pool toys.
+ Unusual issues are occurring over on Easter Island (even weirder than you may think about) 
+ Very coolβarchaeologists have uncovered a Roman tomb thatβs been sealed shut for 1,700 years.
+ This Japanese mass media collage is making my eyes swim, in a great way.
