Perimenopause misinformation is rife — there is no test to diagnose it

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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.

There’s a lot of hype around perimenopause. Don’t buy it.

Perimenopause used to be considered taboo, but not anymore. Thanks at least in part to TV doctors and social media influencers, conversations about the sometimes years-long period before menopause are now more open than ever. But the conversation is increasingly shaped by misinformation.

Despite what some marketers will claim, there is no test for perimenopause. That doesn’t mean women should have to put up with symptoms, but treatment suggestions often lack scientific evidence. And not all the symptoms women experience in midlife can be blamed on hormones.

Read the full story on the hype and misinformation surrounding perimenopause .

—Jessica Hamzelou

This article is from The Spark, our weekly climate tech newsletter. 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 China’s AI gap with the US may have just narrowed

A Chinese startup has released the world’s largest open AI model. ( Reuters $)

+ It competes with some Anthropic and OpenAI models. ( Gizmodo )

+ The model’s launch sent AI and semiconductor stocks sliding. ( Bloomberg $)

+ Chinese Nvidia alternatives are also gaining traction. ( SCMP )

+ Xi Jinping pitched China as an AI partner to the developing world. ( CNBC )

+ The country is betting big on open-source. ( MIT Technology Review )

2 Trump Media is selling instant access to “market-moving’ social posts

It’s developed a new way to monetize the president’s posts. ( Quartz )

+ And Trump could profit directly from selling access to his statements. ( BBC )

+ Kalshi says it caught Trump’s teleprompter operator insider trading  . ( Verge )

3 Astronomers have found an atmosphere on a nearby Earth-like planet

It’s the first potentially habitable world known to host an atmosphere. ( NYT $)

+ Making it a top contender in the search for aliens. ( 404 Media )

+ But you need to know how to spot one. ( MIT Technology Review )

4 A brain implant has restored feeling in a paralysed hand

The recipient can now feed himself and drink from a cup. ( Guardian )

+ Movement continued when the stimulation was turned off. ( New Scientist $)

+ China has approved a world-first brain chip. ( MIT Technology Review )

5 The EU has told Google to share search data and open up AI on Android

It will be forced to share data with competing search providers. ( Ars Technica )

+ And open Android phones to rivals’ AI bots. ( WP $)

6 Period trackers are hiding privacy problems

New research uncovers how they’re sharing users’ health data. ( BBC )

7 The Tesla driver in a fatal Texas crash overrode FSD, investigators say

He bypassed the tech by pressing the gas pedal to 100%. ( Verge )

8 A new stealth drone spins so fast that it disappears

Though its creators admit it can still be easily heard. ( New Scientist $)

9 A space-station study suggests why astronauts’ bodies waste away

Microgravity disrupts mitochondria, reducing protein production. ( Nature )

10 “Adversarial clothing” that confuses facial recognition is all the rage

Privacy could be the next big trend. ( Guardian )

Quote of the day

“Xi’s message is clear: China is not going to follow anyone on both AI technology and ​standards. Instead, China is going ⁠ to lead the world in both aspects.”

—George Chen, chair in digital practice at The Asia Group consultancy, gives Reuters his take on Xi Jinping’s speech at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai.

One More Thing

BRYN NELSON

How poop could feed the planet

A new industrial facility in suburban Seattle is giving off a whiff of futuristic technology. It can safely treat fecal waste from people and livestock while recycling nutrients that are crucial for agriculture but in increasingly short supply across the nation’s farmlands.

It’s among a range of systems reframing feces, urine, and their ingredients as invaluable natural resources to reuse instead of waste products to burn or bury. Several companies are now showing how to safely scale up the transformation with energy-efficient technologies.

Find out how human waste is being transfomed into agricultural solutions .

—Bryn Nelson

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 .)

+ Soccer icons have received the Ghanaian movie poster treatment .

+ A captivating cosmic construction project is July’s Picture of the Month from the James Webb Space Telescope.

+ Sir David Attenborough recently turned 100. Here’s everything he’s ever worked on , all in one place.

+ “Desire paths” are the trails made by people walking contrary to defined routes. This video explains what they mean about psychology and design.