The Download: the CDC’s vaccine chaos

Every year, MIT Technology Review selects one individual whose work we admire to recognize as Innovator of the Year. For 2025, we chose Sneha Goenka, who designed the computations behind the world’s fastest whole-genome sequencing method.

Thanks to her work, physicians can now sequence a patient’s genome and diagnose a genetic condition in less than eight hours—an achievement that could transform medical care.

Register here to join an exclusive subscriber-only Roundtable conversation with Goenka, Leilani Battle, assistant professor at the University of Washington, and our editor in chief Mat Honan at 1pm ET next Tuesday September 23.

The must-reads

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

1 The CDC voted against giving some children a combined vaccine
If accepted, the agency will stop recommending the MMRV vaccine for children under 4. (CNN)
+ Its vote on hepatitis B vaccines for newborns is expected today too. (The Atlantic $)
+ RFK JR’s allies are closing ranks around him. (Politico)

2 Russia is using Charlie Kirk’s murder to sow division in the US
It's using the momentum to push pro-Kremlin narratives and divide Americans. (WP $)
+ The complicated phenomenon of political violence. (Vox)
+ We don’t know what being ‘terminally online’ means any more. (Wired $)

3 Nvidia will invest $5 billion in Intel
The partnership allows Intel to develop custom CPUs to work with Nvidia’s chips. (WSJ $)
+ It’s a much-needed financial shot in the arm for Intel. (WP $)
+ It’s also great news for Intel’s Asian suppliers. (Bloomberg $)

4 Medical AI tools downplay symptoms in women and ethnic minorities
Experts fear that LLM-powered tools could lead to worse health outcomes. (FT $)
+ Artificial intelligence is infiltrating health care. We shouldn’t let it make all the decisions. (MIT Technology Review)