The Download: 15 Climate Tech Companies to Watch

1 The death toll from Hurricane Helene is rising
Rescue and recovery teams are searching for hundreds of missing people. (WP $)
+ Entire towns have been swept away. (Vox)
+ EV owners in North Carolina are using their cars to power their homes. (The Atlantic $)
+ It’s looking like things could get even worse, too. (Slate $)

2 AI lab assistants are on the horizon
Google DeepMind and BioNTech are building research models to aid scientists. (FT $)
+ Meanwhile, OpenAI is making it easier to build its voice assistants. (Reuters)
+ Amazon has been working on a new internal chatbot, apparently. (Insider $)

3 The FTC has been permitted to proceed with its case against Amazon
Amazon has been fighting to have the landmark antitrust case dismissed. (WP $)

4 The Kremlin ordered cyberattacks on NATO allies
The UK, US, and Australia have sanctioned the hackers, known as Evil Corp. (Bloomberg $)

5 Inside Google’s plan to regain its smart glasses crown
It’s lagging behind in the AI stakes, when its rivals are surging ahead. (The Information $)
+ The coolest thing about smart glasses is not the AR. It’s the AI. (MIT Technology Review)

6 Our genetic databases don’t reflect humanity’s diversity
Particularly across Latin America. (Undark Magazine)
+ This new genome map tries to capture all human genetic variation. (MIT Technology Review)

7 Apple is desperate for workers in Vietnam
It’s offering them bonuses and gift incentives to join its manufacturing team. (Rest of World)

8 Take a peek at the future of dentistry 🦷🪥
Including tooth-regenerating drugs and tiny bots to clean your mouth.(WSJ $)