The morning after Elon Musk’s 2022 acquisition of Twitter (now X), reporters encountered two men with boxes outside the company’s headquarters. One introduced himself as recently laid-off Twitter engineer “Rahul Ligma.” His real name is Rahul Sonwalkar but the prank went viral. While he never worked for X, he is actually very much a techy. […]
Read more Doctors say they constructed a bespoke gene-editing treatment in less than seven months and used it to treat a baby with a deadly metabolic condition.
The rapid-fire attempt to rewrite the child’s DNA marks the first time gene editing has been tailored to treat a single individual, according to a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The baby who was treated, Kyle “KJ” Muldoon Jr., suffers from a rare metabolic condition caused by a particularly unusual gene misspelling.
Researchers say their attempt to correct the error demonstrates the high level of precision new types of gene editors offer.
“I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that this is the future of medicine,” says Kiran Musunuru, an expert in gene editing at the University of Pennsylvania whose team designed the drug. “My hope is that someday no rare disease patients will die prematurely from misspellings in their genes, because we’ll be able to correct them.”
The project also highlights what some experts are calling a growing crisis in gene-editing technology. That’s because even though the technology could cure thousands of genetic conditions, most are so rare that companies could never recoup the costs of developing a treatment for them.
In KJ’s case, the treatment was programmed to correct a single letter of DNA in his cells.
“In reality, this drug will probably never be used again,” says Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas, a physician at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia who treats metabolic diseases in children and who led the overall effort to treat the child.
That effort involved more than 45 scientists and doctors as well as pro bono assistance from several biotechnology companies. Musunuru says he cannot estimate how much it had cost in time and effort.
Eventually, he says, the cost of custom gene-editing treatments might be similar to that of liver transplants, which is around $800,000, not including lifelong medical care and drugs.
The researchers used a new version of CRISPR technology, called base editing, that can replace a single letter of DNA at a specific location.
Previous versions of CRISPR have generally been used to delete genes, not rewrite them to restore their function.
The researchers say they were looking for a patient to treat when they learned about KJ. After he was born in August, a doctor noted that the infant was lethargic. Tests found he had a metabolic disorder that leads to the buildup of ammonia, a condition that’s frequently fatal without a liver transplant.
In KJ’s case, gene sequencing showed that the cause was a misspelled letter in the gene CPS1 that stopped it from making a vital enzyme.
The researchers approached KJ’s parents, Nicole and Kyle Muldoon, with the idea of using gene editing to try to correct their baby’s DNA. After they agreed, a race ensued to design the editing drug, test it in animals, and get permission from the US Food and Drug Administration to treat KJ in a one-off experiment.
The team says the boy, who hasn’t turned one yet, received three doses of the gene-editing treatment, of gradually increasing strength. They can’t yet determine exactly how well the gene editor worked because they don’t want to take a liver biopsy, which would be needed to check if KJ’s genes have really been corrected.
But Ahrens-Nicklas says that because the child is “growing and thriving,” she thinks the editing has been at least partly successful and that he may now have “a milder form of this horrific disease.”
“He’s received three doses of the therapy without any complications, and is showing some early signs of benefit,” she says. “It’s really important to say that it’s still very early, so we will need to continue to watch KJ closely to fully understand the full effects of this therapy.”
The case suggests a future in which parents will take sick children to a clinic where their DNA will be sequenced, and then they will rapidly receive individualized treatments. Currently, this would only work for liver diseases, for which it’s easier to deliver gene-editing instructions, but eventually it might also become a possible approach for treating brain diseases and conditions like muscular dystrophy.
The experiment is drawing attention to a gap between what gene editing can do and what treatments are likely to become available to people who need them.
So far, biotechnology companies testing gene editing are working only on fairly common gene conditions, like sickle cell disease, leaving hundreds of ultra-rare conditions aside. One-off treatments, like the one helping KJ, are too expensive to create and get approved without some way to recoup the costs.
The apparent success in treating KJ, however, is making it even more urgent to figure out a way forward. Researchers acknowledge that they don’t yet know how to scale up personalized treatment, although Musunuru says initial steps to standardize the process are underway at his university and in Europe.
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.
The first US hub for experimental medical treatments is coming
The news: A bill that allows clinics to sell unproven treatments has been passed in Montana. Under the legislation, doctors can apply for a license to open an experimental treatment clinic and recommend and sell therapies not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to their patients.
Why it matters: Once it’s signed by the governor, the law will be the most expansive in the country in allowing access to drugs that have not been fully tested. The bill allows for any drug produced in the state to be sold in it, providing it has been through phase I clinical trials—but these trials do not determine if the drug is effective.
The big picture: The bill was drafted and lobbied for by people interested in extending human lifespans. And these longevity enthusiasts are hoping Montana will serve as a test bed for opening up access to experimental drugs. Read the full story.
—Jessica Hamzelou
Google DeepMind’s new AI agent cracks real-world problems better than humans can
Google DeepMind has once again used large language models to discover new solutions to long-standing problems in math and computer science. This time the firm has shown that its approach can not only tackle unsolved theoretical puzzles, but improve a range of important real-world processes as well.
The new tool, called AlphaEvolve, uses large language models (LLMs) to produce code for a wide range of different tasks. LLMs are known to be hit and miss at coding. The twist here is that AlphaEvolve scores each of Gemini’s suggestions, throwing out the bad and tweaking the good, in an iterative process, until it has produced the best algorithm it can. In many cases, the results are more efficient or more accurate than the best existing (human-written) solutions.Read the full story.
—Will Douglas Heaven
Research cuts are threatening crucial climate data
—Casey Crownhart
Over the last few weeks, there’s been an explosion of news about proposed budget cuts to science in the US. Researchers and civil servants are sounding the alarm that those cuts mean we might lose key data that helps us understand our world and how climate change is affecting it.
Long-running US government programs that monitor the snowpack across the West are among those being threatened by cuts across the US federal government, as my colleague James Temple’s new story explores. Also potentially in trouble: carbon dioxide measurements in Hawaii, hurricane forecasting tools, and a database that tracks the economic impact of natural disasters.
It’s all got me thinking: What do we lose when data is in danger? Read the full story.
This article is from The Spark, MIT Technology Review’s weekly climate newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 Donald Trump doesn’t want Apple building iPhones in India
The US President claims Apple will be upping their US production as a result. (Bloomberg $)
+ He also said that India was willing to “literally charge us no tariffs.” (WSJ $)
2 Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot ranted about white genocide
In response to completely unrelated queries. (FT $)
+ It’s not the first time Grok has shared questionable responses. (Bloomberg $)
+ Grok told users it was instructed to accept white genocide as real. (The Guardian)
3 RFK Jr doesn’t think we should take his medical advice
Which begs the question: why is he US Health and Human Services secretary? (NY Mag $)
+ Kennedy said his opinions on vaccines are irrelevant. (NYT $)
+ He defended his decision to downsize the health department amid protests. (The Guardian)
4 GM’s new EV battery can power a truck for more than 400 miles
Its lithium manganese-rich cells use cheaper minerals than lithium-ion ones. (Fast Company $)
+ Tariffs are bad news for batteries. (MIT Technology Review)
5 Anthropic has been accused of using AI-generated evidence in a legal case
A lawyer for Universal Music Group claimed an expert cited a source that didn’t exist. (Reuters)
+ A judge in another case reportedly caught fake AI citations, too. (Ars Technica)
+ AI companies are finally being forced to cough up for training data. (MIT Technology Review)
6 AI won’t put human radiologists out of a job any time soon
The technology is helpful, but is unable to do everything trained human experts can. (NYT $)
+ Why it’s so hard to use AI to diagnose cancer. (MIT Technology Review)
7 The US Defense Department wants faster aircraft and missiles
And startups are more than willing to answer the call. (WP $)
+ Phase two of military AI has arrived. (MIT Technology Review)
8 SpaceX has successfully tested its Starship rocket 
Clearing a major hurdle ahead of its planned launch later this month. (Wired $)
9 YouTube will start inserting ads into videos’ crucial moments
Wow, that doesn’t sound annoying at all. (TechCrunch)
10 Apple’s Vision Pro headset is a pain in the neck
And early adopters are regretting shelling out $3,500 apiece. (WSJ $)
+ Maybe the ability to scroll using their eyes will change their minds. (Bloomberg $)
Quote of the day
“To say a professor is ‘some kind of monster’ for using AI to generate slides “is, to me, ridiculous.”
—Paul Shovlin, a professor at Ohio University, reacts to student backlash against professors using AI to create teaching materials, the New York Times reports.
One more thing
Who gets to decide who receives experimental medical treatments?
There has been a trend toward lowering the bar for new medicines, and it is becoming easier for people to access treatments that might not help them—and could even harm them. Anecdotes appear to be overpowering evidence in decisions on drug approval. As a result, we’re ending up with some drugs that don’t work.
We urgently need to question how these decisions are made. Who should have access to experimental therapies? And who should get to decide? Such questions are especially pressing considering how quickly biotechnology is advancing. We’re not just improving on existing classes of treatments—we’re creating entirely new ones. Read the full story.
—Jessica Hamzelou
We can still have nice things
A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet ’em at me.)
+ Food nostalgia is the best nostalgia, and this Bluesky account of discontinued foods doesn’t disappoint.
+ Don’t even think of calling your newborn baby King if you live in New Zealand.
+ Actor Jeremy Strong just loves a bucket hat.
+ Watch out Swiss drivers—a duck has been caught speeding 
Over the last few months, and especially the last few weeks, there’s been an explosion of news about proposed budget cuts to science in the US. One trend I’ve noticed: Researchers and civil servants are sounding the alarm that those cuts mean we might lose key data that helps us understand our world and how climate change is affecting it.
My colleague James Temple has a new story out today about researchers who are attempting to measure the temperature of mountain snowpack across the western US. Snow that melts in the spring is a major water source across the region, and monitoring the temperature far below the top layer of snow could help scientists more accurately predict how fast water will flow down the mountains, allowing farmers, businesses, and residents to plan accordingly.
But long-running government programs that monitor the snowpack across the West are among those being threatened by cuts across the US federal government. Also potentially in trouble: carbon dioxide measurements in Hawaii, hurricane forecasting tools, and a database that tracks the economic impact of natural disasters. It’s all got me thinking: What do we lose when data is in danger?
Take for example the work at Mauna Loa Observatory, which sits on the northern side of the world’s largest active volcano. In this Hawaii facility, researchers have been measuring the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere since 1958.
The resulting graph, called the Keeling Curve (after Charles David Keeling, the scientist who kicked off the effort) is a pillar of climate research. It shows that carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas warming the planet, has increased in the atmosphere from around 313 parts per million in 1958 to over 420 parts per million today.
Proposed cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) jeopardize the Keeling Curve’s future. As Ralph Keeling (current steward of the curve and Keeling’s son) put it in a new piece for Wired, “If successful, this loss will be a nightmare scenario for climate science, not just in the United States, but the world.”
This story has echoes across the climate world right now. A lab at Princeton that produces what some consider the top-of-the-line climate models used to make hurricane forecasts could be in trouble because of NOAA budget cuts. And last week, NOAA announced it would no longer track the economic impact of the biggest natural disasters in the US.
Some of the largest-scale climate efforts will feel the effects of these cuts, and as James’s new story shows, they could also seep into all sorts of specialized fields. Even seemingly niche work can have a huge impact not just on research, but on people.
The frozen reservoir of the Sierra snowpack provides about a third of California’s groundwater, as well as the majority used by towns and cities in northwest Nevada. Researchers there are hoping to help officials better forecast the timing of potential water supplies across the region.
This story brought to mind my visit to El Paso, Texas, a few years ago. I spoke with farmers there who rely on water coming down the Rio Grande, alongside dwindling groundwater, to support their crops. There, water comes down from the mountains in Colorado and New Mexico in the spring and is held in the Elephant Butte Reservoir. One farmer I met showed me pages and pages of notes of reservoir records, which he had meticulously copied by hand. Those crinkled pages were a clear sign: Publicly available data was crucial to his work.
The endeavor of scientific research, particularly when it involves patiently gathering data, isn’t always exciting. Its importance is often overlooked. But as cuts continue, we’re keeping a lookout, because losing data could harm our ability to track, address, and adapt to our changing climate.
This article is from The Spark, MIT Technology Review’s weekly climate newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here.
Thinking of changing things up? Some key considerations to keep in mind.
Improved video upload options on X.
Some interesting developments from Meta HQ.
Some new mental health support elements for TikTok.
The latest ad updates from YouTube.
European law enforcement in January arrested 17 suspects of a “mafia crypto bank” who are said to have laundered over 21 million euros ($23.5 million) in crypto for criminal entities in China and the Middle East.
The money laundering services were allegedly carried out on behalf of other criminal networks engaged in migrant smuggling and drug trafficking, Europol said in a May 14 statement.
Spanish authorities said the criminal organization ran a secret informal money transfer system called hawala and was often compensated in crypto.
A total of 17 individuals were arrested — 15 in Spain, one in Austria and one in Belgium — while 4.5 million euros ($5 million) worth of items were seized, including cash, crypto, 18 vehicles, four shotguns and several electronic devices.
Of the 4.5 million euros, 183,000 euros ($205,000) came as crypto. Another 421,000 euros ($471,000) in cash was seized from 77 bank accounts tied to the criminal organization, which one Spanish news outlet described as a “mafia crypto bank.”
Luxury bags, watches and even cigars worth 876,000 euros ($980,000) were also seized, Spanish officials said.
The arrests and asset seizures took place in January 2025, across Spain, Austria and Belgium, Europol said. More than 250 officers were involved, Spanish authorities added.
Most of those arrested have already been detained
Of the 17 arrested, 15 have already been imprisoned as alleged perpetrators of the crimes linked to the organization.
Most of those arrested were of Chinese and Syrian nationality, targeting clients in China and the Arabic-speaking criminal world.
Related: Crypto exchange CEO’s daughter fights off brazen kidnappers in Paris
The criminal organization tried to cover up its money laundering activities by operating a remittance business, and even advertised those services on social media.
The investigation was led by a court in Almería, Spain, which supported Europol’s efforts to coordinate Spanish and Belgian officials to dismantle the criminal organization.
Blockchain forensics firm Chainalysis estimates that illicit crypto transactions totaled $51.3 billion in 2024, marking an 11.3% year-on-year increase.
Magazine: Japanese porn star’s coin red flags, Alibaba-linked L2 runs at 100K TPS