The Download: mice with two dads, and Meta’s fact-checking challenges

MIT Technology Review Narrated: Is this the end of animal testing?

Animal studies are notoriously bad at identifying human treatments. Around 95% of the drugs developed through animal research fail in people. But until recently there was no other option.

Now organs on chips may offer a truly viable alternative. They look remarkably prosaic: flexible polymer rectangles about the size of a thumb drive. In reality they’re triumphs of bioengineering, intricate constructions furrowed with tiny channels that are lined with living human tissues. And as they continue to be refined, they could solve one of the biggest problems in medicine today.

This is our latest story to be turned into a MIT Technology Review Narrated podcast, which 
we’re publishing each week on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Just navigate to MIT Technology Review Narrated on either platform, and follow us to get all our new content as it’s released.

The must-reads

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

1 DeepSeek has AI investors spooked
They’re worried they’ve wasted their money after the Chinese startup proved that powerful models can be created on a shoestring. (NYT $)
+ Its success has also shed light on how little we know about AI’s power demands. (FT $)
+ DeepSeek’s rapid rise is great news for China’s AI strategy. (WP $)
+ How a top Chinese AI model overcame US sanctions. (MIT Technology Review)

2 OpenAI has accused DeepSeek of using its AI models to train R1 
Just hours after Sam Altman claimed it was invigorating to have a new competitor. (FT $)
+ DeepSeek has been telling some people that it’s made by Microsoft. (Fast Company $)
+ Italy is investigating how the firm handles personal data in relation to GDPR. (TechCrunch)