The Download: Unlocking Lithium and Controlling Ebola

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. A new method for extracting lithium could significantly cut costs and emissions associated with one of the world's most important materials for electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage. The technique uses a weak acid to dissolve silicate minerals, freeing not only lithium but also other useful materials, including alumina and silica.

'At scale, we believe this will be the lowest-cost way of sourcing lithium in the world,' says Yet-Ming Chiang, an MIT professor who co-authored a study of the process published yesterday in Science. Startup Rock Zero is already working to commercialize the research. Meanwhile, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a recent outbreak of the Bundibugyo virus, one of the causes of Ebola, has raised alarms.

Four health-care workers died from the unknown illness within four days, prompting tests in Kinshasa to reveal the culprit. The situation is bleaker for several reasons, including the disease itself, available treatments, and the local environment. Pope Leo XIV's new encyclical on artificial intelligence includes a statement that warrants serious attention from technologists and policymakers: 'Technology is never neutral.' Magnifica Humanitas is a call to act with courage and solidarity as AI transforms human life, framing the choice ahead as one between the Tower of Babel and the rebuilding of our common humanity.

It warns that corporations alone cannot set the direction of such a transformation. With governments slow to regulate AI, institutional investors are stepping into the gap. In tech news, Anthropic is now valued higher than OpenAI, with a $9.65 billion valuation after a new funding round.

A Blue Origin rocket has exploded in a setback to NASA's Moon plans, with New Glenn bursting into flames during testing on a Florida launchpad. Additionally, adversaries are tracking US troop locations via mobile phone data, and Anthropic plans a broad rollout of Mythos AI in the coming weeks. The James Webb Space Telescope has transformed astronomy since it began full operations in 2022, delivering nonstop discoveries from distant galaxies to new planetary atmospheres.

'We're cracking open an entirely new window on the universe,' says NASA scientist Heidi Hammel.