The Download: helping cancer survivors to give birth, and cleaning up Bangladesh’s garment industry

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.

An experimental surgery is helping cancer survivors give birth

An experimental surgical procedure that’s helping people have babies after they’ve had  treatment for bowel or rectal cancer.

Radiation and chemo can have pretty damaging side effects that mess up the uterus and ovaries. Surgeons are pioneering a potential solution: simply stitch those organs out of the way during cancer treatment. Once the treatment has finished, they can put the uterus—along with the ovaries and fallopian tubes—back into place.

It seems to work! Last week, a team in Switzerland shared news that a baby boy had been born after his mother had the procedure. Baby Lucien was the fifth baby to be born after the surgery and the first in Europe, and since then at least three others have been born. Read the full story.

—Jessica Hamzelou

This article first appeared in The Checkup, MIT Technology Review’s weekly biotech newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Thursday, and read articles like this first, sign up here. 

Bangladesh’s garment-making industry is getting greener

Pollution from textile production—dyes, chemicals, and heavy metals—is common in the waters of the Buriganga River as it runs through Dhaka, Bangladesh. It’s among many harms posed by a garment sector that was once synonymous with tragedy: In 2013, the eight-story Rana Plaza factory building collapsed, killing 1,134 people and injuring some 2,500 others. 

But things are starting to change. In recent years the country has become a leader in “frugal” factories that use a combination of resource-efficient technologies to cut waste, conserve water, and build resilience against climate impacts and global supply disruptions. 

The hundreds of factories along the Buriganga’s banks and elsewhere in Bangladesh are starting to stitch together a new story, woven from greener threads. Read the full story.

—Zakir Hossain Chowdhury

This story is from the most recent print issue of MIT Technology Review magazine, which shines a light on the exciting innovations happening right now. If you haven’t already, subscribe now to receive future issues once they land.

The must-reads

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

1 ICE used a private jet to deport Palestinian men to Tel Aviv 
The luxury aircraft belongs to Donald Trump’s business partner Gil Dezer. (The Guardian)
+ Trump is mentioned thousands of times in the latest Epstein files. (NY Mag $)

2 How Jeffrey Epstein kept investing in Silicon Valley
He continued to plough millions of dollars into tech ventures despite spending 13 months in jail. (NYT $)
+ The range of Epstein’s social network was staggering. (FT $)
+ Why was a picture of the Mona Lisa redacted in the Epstein files? (404 Media)

3 The risks posed by taking statins are lower than we realised
The drugs don’t cause most of the side effects they’re blamed for. (STAT)
+ Statins are a common scapegoat on social media. (Bloomberg $)

4 Russia is weaponizing the bitter winter weather
It’s focused on attacking Ukraine’s power grid. (New Yorker $)
+ How the grid can ride out winter storms. (MIT Technology Review)

5 China has a major spy-cam porn problem
Hotel guests are being livestreamed having sex to an online audience without their knowledge. (BBC)

6 Geopolitical gamblers are betting on the likelihood of war
And prediction markets are happily taking their money. (Rest of World)

7 Oyster farmers aren’t signing up to programs to ease water pollution
The once-promising projects appear to be fizzling out. (Undark)
+ The humble sea creature could hold the key to restoring coastal waters. Developers hate it. (MIT Technology Review)

8 Your next payrise could be approved by AI
Maybe your human bosses aren’t the ones you need to impress any more. (WP $)

9 The FDA has approved a brain stimulation device for treating depression
It’s paving the way for a non-invasive, drug-free treatment for Americans. (IEEE Spectrum)
+ Here’s how personalized brain stimulation could treat depression. (MIT Technology Review)

10 Cinema-goers have had enough of AI
Movies focused on rogue AI are flopping at the box office. (Wired $)
+ Meanwhile, Republicans are taking aim at “woke” Netflix. (The Verge)

Quote of the day

“I’m all for removing illegals, but snatching dudes off lawn mowers in Cali and leaving the truck and equipment just sitting there? Definitely not working smarter.” 

—A web user in a forum for current and former ICE and border protection officers complains about the agency’s current direction, Wired reports.

One more thing

Is this the electric grid of the future?

Lincoln Electric System, a publicly owned utility in Nebraska, is used to weathering severe blizzards. But what will happen soon—not only at Lincoln Electric but for all electric utilities—is a challenge of a different order.

Utilities must keep the lights on in the face of more extreme and more frequent storms and fires, growing risks of cyberattacks and physical disruptions, and a wildly uncertain policy and regulatory landscape. They must keep prices low amid inflationary costs. And they must adapt to an epochal change in how the grid works, as the industry attempts to transition from power generated with fossil fuels to power generated from renewable sources like solar and wind.

The electric grid is bracing for a near future characterized by disruption. And, in many ways, Lincoln Electric is an ideal lens through which to examine what’s coming. Read the full story.

—Andrew Blum

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 or skeet ’em at me.)

+ Glamour puss alert—NYC’s bodega cats are gracing the hallowed pages of Vogue.
+ Ancient Europe was host to mysterious hidden tunnels. But why?
+ If you’re enjoying the new season of Industry, you’ll love this interview with the one and only Ken Leung.
+ The giant elephant shrew is the true star of Philly Zoo.