The Download: perimenopause misinformation and China’s latest AI leap

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.

Perimenopause used to be considered taboo, but not anymore. Thanks at least in part to TV doctors and social media influencers, conversations about the sometimes years-long period before menopause are now more open than ever. But the conversation is increasingly shaped by misinformation.

Despite what some marketers will claim, there is no test for perimenopause. That doesn’t mean women should have to put up with symptoms, but treatment suggestions often lack scientific evidence. And not all the symptoms women experience in midlife can be blamed on hormones.

Read the full story on the hype and misinformation surrounding perimenopause .

This article is from The Spark, our weekly climate tech newsletter. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday.

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 China’s AI gap with the US may have just narrowed A Chinese startup has released the world’s largest open AI model. ( Reuters $) + It competes with some Anthropic and OpenAI models. ( Gizmodo ) + The model’s launch sent AI and semiconductor stocks sliding. ( Bloomberg $) + Chinese Nvidia alternatives are also gaining traction. ( SCMP ) + Xi Jinping pitched China as an AI partner to the developing world. ( CNBC ) + The country is betting big on open-source. ( MIT Technology Review ) 2 Trump Media is selling instant access to “market-moving’ social posts It’s developed a new way to monetize the president’s posts. ( Quartz ) + And Trump could profit directly from selling access to his statements. ( BBC ) + Kalshi says it caught Trump’s teleprompter operator insider trading  . ( Verge ) 3 Astronomers have found an atmosphere on a nearby Earth-like planet It’s the first potentially habitable world known to host an atmosphere. ( NYT $) + Making it a top contender in the search for aliens. ( 404 Media ) + But you need to know how to spot one. ( MIT Technology Review ) 4 A brain implant has restored feeling in a paralysed hand The recipient can now feed himself and drink from a cup. ( Guardian ) + Movement continued when the stimulation was turned off. ( New Scientist $) + China has approved a world-first brain chip. ( MIT Technology Review ) 5 The EU has told Google to share search data and open up AI on Android It will be forced to share data with competing search providers. ( Ars Technica ) + And open Android phones to rivals’ AI bots. ( WP $) 6 Period trackers are hiding privacy problems New research uncovers how they’re sharing users’ health data. ( BBC ) 7 The Tesla driver in a fatal Texas crash overrode FSD, investigators say He bypassed the tech by pressing the gas pedal to 100%. ( Verge ) 8 A new stealth drone spins so fast that it disappears Though its creators admit it can still be easily heard. ( New Scientist $) 9 A space-station study suggests why astronauts’ bodies waste away Microgravity disrupts mitochondria, reducing protein production. ( Nature ) 10 “Adversarial clothing” that confuses facial recognition is all the rage Privacy could be the next big trend. ( Guardian )