DARPA Aims to Deploy Shelf-Stable Blood Products by 2029

In February 2007, a U.S. military helicopter carrying blood to a field hospital was shot down in Iraq, killing all seven crew members, a reminder of the risks of transporting blood. The DARPA project is seeking dried blood products that can be stored for long periods and deployed quickly. But the work will be difficult, and researchers still have major questions about the safety and effectiveness of synthetic alternatives, MIT Technology Review said.

WeLion New Energy, one of MIT Technology Review's 10 Climate Tech Companies to Watch 2026, is developing liquid-solid hybrid cells intended to pack more power into electric cars, boats and drones. The Chinese company says the batteries could improve safety and offer greater energy density than lithium-ion batteries. In 2023, WeLion released a battery pack with EV-maker Nio that offered a range of more than 1,000 kilometers. It is now developing batteries with even higher energy density, though scaling up production and competing on cost remain major challenges.

Drugmakers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk say patients taking their GLP-1 drugs age less quickly, according to molecular 'aging clocks' that track changes in DNA or levels of key proteins, MIT Technology Review reported. The findings add to speculation that GLP-1 drugs could be acting on basic causes of aging and might be true longevity treatments. MIT Technology Review said it remains unclear how much can be read into the results.

Other developments cited in the newsletter include the FBI's arrest of an OpenAI engineer accused of snooping. A Saudi national is accused of planting a covert recording device that sells online for $13.99 and was allegedly discovered plugged into a TV's USB port, according to the Guardian, Gizmodo and the Verge. The person reportedly used chatbots to plan the covert recording, Wired reported, while OpenAI said its AI models helped identify the employee, according to Reuters.

Ukrainian drones hit Russia's largest data centre, though Sberbank claimed its systems and services were not disrupted, Reuters reported. U.S. regulators are reviewing claims that Tesla robotaxis sped in school zones, according to the Verge. At least 13 joint agreements have been signed since 2025 for U.S. defense startups to build China-free drones in Taiwan, the Wall Street Journal reported. New GLP-1 trials are targeting addiction and depression, Nature reported, and a war game exposed the risks of a solar geoengineering arms race, according to Wired. Character.ai filed for bankruptcy after being accused of stealing content and harming kids, CNBC reported, and Disney has offered $20 million for its chatbot tech, Ars Technica reported.

Editor's Summary DARPA is funding a $73 million effort to develop shelf-stable dried blood products for battlefield use by 2029, though safety and effectiveness questions remain. WeLion New Energy is advancing liquid-solid hybrid batteries with higher energy density while facing production and cost challenges. Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk say GLP-1 drugs may slow biological aging, but the significance of the findings is still uncertain.