The Download: brainless human clones and the first uterus kept alive outside a body | MIT Technology Review

Plus: AI data centers can significantly warm up surrounding areas. 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. Inside the stealthy startup that pitched brainless human clones  After operating in secrecy for years, R3 Bio, a California-based startup, suddenly revealed last week that it had raised money to create nonsentient monkey “organ sacks” as an alternative to animal testing. But there is more to the story. And R3 doesn’t want that story told.  MIT Technology Review discovered that founder John Schloendorn also pitched a startling, ethically charged vision: “brainless clones” that serve as backup human bodies. Find out all the details on the radical proposal.  —Antonio Regalado  A woman’s uterus has been kept alive outside the body for the first time  Ten months ago, reproductive health researchers placed a freshly donated human uterus inside a new device they call “Mother.” They connected the organ to the machine’s plastic veins and arteries and pumped in modified human blood.  The device kept the uterus alive for a day, a new feat that could lead to longer-term maintenance of wombs outside the body. Future versions of the technology could shine new light on pregnancies—and potentially even grow a human fetus. Read the full story.  —Jessica Hamzelou  The must-reads  I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.  1 ...