The Download: a new hunt for dark matter and Kenya’s case for going solar

Jun 18, 2026 20 approx.3min MIT Technology Review

Dark Matter Solar Energy Kenya Physics Frontier Clean Energy

The Download: a new hunt for dark matter and Kenya’s case for going solar

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 search for dark matter has been blown wide open

For decades, physicists have hunted for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), a leading candidate for dark matter. But their search has run into a new problem: neutrinos.

These tiny particles from the sun and other stars can create a “neutrino fog” that drowns out any signal of dark matter. Hitting the neutrino fog does not, however, mean an end to the search. Researchers just have to shift the focus of their hunt.

They’re now casting a much wider net. New proposals include quantum sensors, liquid-helium detectors, and even searches in Jupiter’s atmosphere.

Find out how the search for dark matter has entered entirely new territory.

—Dan Garisto

This story is from the next edition of our magazine, which is all about engineering. Subscribe now to get a copy when it lands!

Entrepreneurs in Nairobi are making the case for going solar

Shops with diesel-powered grain mills are common in Nairobi. Milcah Wanjiru’s is different: it runs on either solar energy or the grid.

About a quarter of Kenya’s population still lacks centralized electricity, and off-grid solar is being promoted as a route to universal access by 2030. In Wanjiru’s case, it cuts operating costs and can improve profits once the upfront investment is recovered.

Read the full story on the rise of solar milling systems across Kenya and beyond.

—Geoffrey Kamadi

Geoengineering still faces major practical challenges

—Casey Crownhart

Solar geoengineering is often portrayed as a sort of emergency brake. Something along the lines of "Pull in case of climate emergency to scatter light-reflecting particles to bounce sunlight out of the atmosphere and cool the planet."

But it might be less like a simple brake the more like a complicated, entirely unsolved puzzle. My colleague James Temple dug into these engineering challenges in his latest feature story. My biggest takeaway? This all looks a lot harder than I thought.

Read the full piece to find out why.

This article is from The Spark, our weekly newsletter giving you the inside track on all things climate. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday.

The must-reads

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

1 The Pentagon says it used Grok in strikes on Iran
Its AI chief said it helped fire over 2,000 munitions. (Le Monde)
+ He spoke in defense of xAI in a data center pollution lawsuit. (NYT $)
+ Officials claim the company is essential to national security. (AP News)
+ Conversational AI has entered the war room. (MIT Technology Review)

2 Apple will raise prices due to the memory chip shortage
Tim Cook said price increases are “unavoidable.” (WSJ $)
+ AI’s demand for data centers has led to dwindling supplies. (Reuters $)
+ iPhone prices could rise by $200 or more. (WSJ $)

3 Strikes beyond battlefields are pumping demand for counter-drone tech
The market for airport and infrastructure defenses is booming. (Reuters $)
+ Worried by China, Taiwan is teaching its citizens to fly drones. (Guardian)
+ Europe has a drone-filled vision for future war. (MIT Technology Review)

4 Anthropic and DeepMind’s CEOs have called for a US-led AI coalition
They want the alliance to shape AI rules and standards. (CNBC)
+ Anthropic’s CEO told G7 leaders to “resist the temptation to splinter.” (FT $)

5 American developers are turning to cheaper Chinese AI
They say DeepSeek is good enough for a fraction of the cost. (Rest of World)
+ What’s next for Chinese open-source AI? (MIT Technology Review)

6 Two-thirds of Americans think AI is advancing too quickly
Pew Research found increasing use but negative views. (The Verge)
+ AI is sprinting, and we’re struggling to keep up. (MIT Technology Review)

7 Elon Musk’s next move may be a megamerger of SpaceX and Tesla
Shareholders might object, but there’s little they could do. (NYT $)

8 White House aims for Anthropic to block jailbreaks may be impossible
Security experts say it simply isn't technically feasible. (Wired $)

9 Ancient DNA is rewriting the history of plague
Genomic data suggests it emerged thousands of years earlier. (Economist $)

10 AI image generator Midjourney is shifting to full-body ultrasound scans
It also plans to build a spa in San Francisco. (The Verge)

Quote of the day

“We had a great meeting with AI.”

—President Trump says negotiations with Anthropic over restoring access to the company’s latest AI models are going well, the Wall Street Journal reports.

One More Thing

GETTY IMAGES

Why can’t tech fix its gender problem?

Women remain grossly underrepresented in the technology industry. At the core of the problem is money: tech has generated enormous personal fortunes, and most of that wealth has gone to men.

White and Asian men manage 93% of venture dollars. In 2021, only 2% of venture capital funding went to startups founded solely by women.

The lack of investor and founder diversity doesn’t only determine who gets rich. It also shapes the kinds of problems technology companies set out to solve.

Discover why tech’s gender problem has proved so hard to fix—and why a new generation of activists believes change is finally possible.

—Margaret O’Mara

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.)

+ Meet one of the world’s most wonderfully weird animals: the aardwolf.
+ Escape into this dreamy, minimalist photo collection about the Pacific surf.
+ Admire the casual football skills of this Venetian gondolier executing a stylish backheel while on the job.
+ Explore an interactive prehistoric globe simulation and browse an endless timeline at The Dinosaur Database.