Popular weight-loss medications could be doing more than trimming waistlines. According to new claims from drugmakers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, people taking their GLP-1 drugs appear to show signs of slower biological aging when assessed with so-called molecular “aging clocks”—tests that infer aging rates from shifts in DNA markers or from levels of certain proteins in the body.
The results are likely to intensify an already-busy debate about whether GLP-1 drugs might influence the fundamental processes that drive aging, potentially positioning these treatments as more than metabolic medicines—as possible tools for longevity. Still, the key question remains how much confidence to place in clock-based readouts and what, exactly, the observed changes mean for long-term health and lifespan. The new data add intrigue, but they don’t settle whether GLP-1 therapies truly modify aging itself or simply improve factors that correlate with healthier aging.
In the energy world, one of MIT Technology Review’s 10 Climate Tech Companies to Watch 2026 is betting on a striking approach to a familiar problem: keeping electricity available when the wind calms or the sun sets. Solar and wind power are now among the cheapest and fastest options for adding new generation to the grid, but their output rises and falls with the weather. Energy Dome aims to smooth those swings with large-scale storage systems built around compressed carbon dioxide.
Storing energy by compressing a gas isn’t unprecedented. For decades, some utilities have relied on compressed-air energy storage, often using underground caverns as natural reservoirs. Energy Dome’s twist is that its CO₂-based system does not depend on special geological formations, which could make it easier to deploy in more places—and, if it performs as hoped, to scale across grids worldwide as renewables become a larger share of electricity supply. Subscribers can read more about the company’s CO₂ storage strategy and explore the full list of climate-focused firms, spanning innovations from mobile flood barriers and electric buses to advanced nuclear reactor designs.
The newsletter also spotlights a reflection from Thore Graepel, a core contributor to DeepMind’s AlphaGo effort. Graepel recalls the shockwaves from AlphaGo’s 2016 victory over Go champion Lee Sedol, including a move so unexpected that some observers initially suspected a bug. In his view, that moment showcased a kind of reasoning and creativity that today’s AI systems still don’t reliably reproduce. Graepel says that belief helped drive his decision to leave Google DeepMind, arguing that progress will require new strategies for machine reasoning that borrow from AlphaGo’s underlying approach. The piece is also available as an episode of MIT Technology Review Narrated on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Rounding out the day’s technology headlines: OpenAI has reported 377 new mathematical findings across areas including number theory, algebra, geometry, and physics, generated while evaluating an unreleased model—work that, by some accounts, cost substantially less than earlier AI-assisted math results. France’s Mistral has also announced an open-weight model, Mistral Large 4, described as a 1-trillion-parameter system; its weights are expected on October 27. Meanwhile, Finland has directed Google to stop a major data center project amid environmental concerns; the proposed €13 billion build would be the company’s largest investment in Europe. The European Union is weighing a new corporate levy that would apply to firms earning more than €100 million, and Anduril’s $2.9 billion US Navy submarine contract is drawing scrutiny over ethics and defense-industry influence. Finally, Apple is reported to be working with LG on smart-home devices including a lock, thermostat, and doorbell, as anticipation builds for a broader home-hub push.
Why it matters
If GLP-1 drugs genuinely reduce biological aging rates, their implications could extend well beyond obesity and diabetes care—potentially reshaping how medicine targets chronic disease and longevity. Grid-scale storage that avoids location-specific geology, such as Energy Dome’s CO₂ approach, could help more regions rely on variable renewables without sacrificing reliability. Meanwhile, the AI developments—spanning math discovery, model releases, and debates over reasoning—signal rapid advances that may soon influence research, regulation, and public trust.