This is todays edition ofThe Download,our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of whats going on in the world of technology.Exosomes are touted as a trendy cure-all. We dont know if they work.Theres a trendy new cure-all in townyou might have seen ads pop up on social media or read rave reviews in beauty magazines.Exosomes are being touted as a miraculous treatment for hair loss, aging skin, acne, eczema, pain conditions, long covid, and even neurological diseases like Parkinsons and Alzheimers. Thats, of course, if you can afford the price tagwhich can stretch to thousands of dollars.But theres a big problem with these big promises: We dont fully understand how exosomes workor what they even really are. Read our story.Jessica HamzelouAI will add to the e-waste problem. Heres what we can do about it.The news: Generative AI could add up to 5 million metric tons of e-waste in total by 2030, according to a new study. Thats a relatively small fraction of the current global total of over 60 million metric tons of e-waste each year. However, its still a significant part of a growing problem.Under the hood: The primary contributor is high-performance computing hardware thats used in data centers and server farms. That equipment is full of valuable metals and hazardous materials, and its being replaced at a rapid rate as AI companies race to adopt the most cutting-edge hardware to power their models.What can be done: Expanding hardwares lifespan is one of the most significant ways to cut down on e-waste. Refurbishing and reusing components can also play a significant role, as can designing hardware in ways that makes it easier to recycle and upgrade. Read the full story.Casey CrownhartMilitaries are great testing grounds for AI tech, says Palmer LuckeyWar is a catalyst for technological change, and the last couple of years have been marred by high-profile conflicts around the world. Geopolitical tensions are still rising now.Silicon Valley players are poised to benefit. One of them is Palmer Luckey, the founder of the virtual-reality headset company Oculus, which he sold to Facebook for $2 billion. After Luckeys highly public ousting from Meta, he founded Anduril, which focuses on drones, cruise missiles, and other AI-enhanced technologies for the US Department of Defense. The company is now valued at $14 billion. We interviewed Luckey about his new project: headsets for the military.But the use of AI for the military is a controversial topic, with a long and bitter history that stretches from Project Maven to killer robots. Read the full story.Melissa HeikkilThis story is from The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter all about the latest in AI. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Monday.The must-readsIve combed the internet to find you todays most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.1 Strava is leaking the location of foreign leadersTheir bodyguards runs are revealing more than they ought to. (Le Monde)+Its shockingly easy to buy sensitive data about US military personnel.(MIT Technology Review)2 A man who used AI to make child sexual abuse images has been jailedHis 18-year sentence is the first of its kind in the UK. (FT$)3 Heres what Trump plans to do if he wins a second termThe 900-page Project 2025 document provides plenty of hints. (The Verge)+It would be hard for him to roll back the Green New Dealbut not impossible.(Axios)+Russia, China and Iran are interfering in the election.(NYT$)+But cybercriminals may pose an even greater threat.(Wired$)4 Apple Intelligence is hereBut it seems its still kinda dumb. (WP$)+Meta is reportedly building its own AI search engine.(The Information$)+ The trouble is, AI chatbots make stuff up. And its not a fully fixable problem. (MIT Technology Review)5 Medium is drowning in AI slopAlmost half of the posts on there now are probably AI-generated. (Wired$)6 What steampunk can teach tech todayWere too keen on removing frictionpeople still like fiddling with dials and gears. (New Yorker$)+Prosthetics designers are coming up with new ways to augment our bodies.(MIT Technology Review)7 This is what wargaming looks like nowMilitaries around the world use software called Command PE built by a tiny British game publisher. (WSJ$)8 Tiktoks founder has become Chinas richest manZhang Yimings wealth has almost doubled in the last year, to $49 billion. (BBC)+How China takes extreme measures to keep teens off TikTok.(MIT Technology Review)9 How complex life started to flourishYou can thank eukaryotes, a type of cell that emerged about 3 billion years ago. (Quanta$)10 Oregon Trail is being turned into an action-comedy movieWith musical numbers. Yes, seriously. (Hollywood Reporter)Quote of the dayI thought it would conquer the world.Tim Walz, the Democratic nominee for vice president, spoke for us all (well, for me anyway), when he waxed lyrical about the 1999 Sega Dreamcast video game console on a Twitch stream last weekend, the Washington Post reports.The big storyMeet the radio-obsessed civilian shaping Ukraines drone defenseEMRE AYLAKSeptember 2024Drones have come to define the brutal conflict in Ukraine that has now dragged on for more than two and a half years. And most rely on radio communicationsa technology that Serhii Flash Beskrestnov has obsessed over since childhood.While Flash is now a civilian, the former officer has still taken it upon himself to inform his countrys defense in all matters related to radio. He studies Russian transmissions and tries to learn about the problems facing troops.In this race for survivalas each side constantly tries to best the other, only to start all over again when the other inevitably catches upUkrainian soldiers need to develop creative solutions, and fast. As Ukraines wartime radio guru, Flash may just be one of their best hopes for doing that.Read the full story.Charlie MetcalfeWe can still have nice thingsA place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet em at me.)+ Timothe Chalamet turned up at his own look-alike contest in New York last weekend. Spoiler alert: he didnt win.+ Learn these basic rules to make veg-based meals delicious.+ Theres something very special about ancient trees.+ Do you tend to please everyone but yourself? Heres how to stop. (NYT $)