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.

How a new extraction process could unlock the world’s lithium

A new method for extracting lithium could cut costs and emissions from one of the world’s most important materials for EVs and energy storage. 

The technique uses a weak acid to dissolve silicate minerals. That frees not only the lithium but also other useful materials, including alumina and silica. 

“At scale, we believe this will be the lowest-cost way of sourcing lithium in the world,” says Yet-Ming Chiang, an MIT professor who co-authored a study of the process published yesterday in Science. 

Startup Rock Zero is already working to commercialize the research. Read the full story on a new way to unlock the world’s lithium.

—Casey Crownhart

The deadly Ebola outbreak is proving difficult to control

The alert was raised on May 5. Four health-care workers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo had died from an unknown illness within four days. Tests in Kinshasa revealed the culprit: the Bundibugyo virus, one of the causes of Ebola.

A couple of weeks ago, an outbreak of hantavirus erupted aboard a cruise ship. Three people died, but the outbreak was kept under control. The picture for Ebola is bleaker for several reasons, including the disease itself, the available treatments, and the local environment.

Find out why the outbreak is causing alarm.

—Jessica Hamzelou

This story is from The Spark, our weekly newsletter giving you the inside track on all things biotech. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Thursday.

How the Pope’s Magnifica Humanitas offers a template for individuals to meet the AI moment

——Father Séamus Finn, a leader in faith-based and socially responsible investing with the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, and Sister Susan Francois, assistant congregation leader and treasurer of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace

Pope Leo XIV’s new encyclical on artificial intelligence includes a statement that warrants serious attention from technologists and policymakers: “Technology is never neutral.” 

Magnifica Humanitas is a call to act with courage and solidarity as AI transforms human life, framing the choice ahead as one between the Tower of Babel and the rebuilding of our common humanity. It warns that corporations alone cannot set the direction of such a transformation.

With governments slow to regulate AI, institutional investors are stepping into the gap. Here’s how they can build a better future.

The must-reads

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

Quote of the day

“What Peter Thiel is doing is terrible. His settling in Argentina is even worse.”

—Elisa Lilita Carrió, an Argentine politician, writes on X that Peter Thiel’s relocation to her country has angered her even more than his leadership of Palantir.

One More Thing

NASA, ESA, CSA, STSCI, WEBB ERO PRODUCTION TEAM

How the James Webb Space Telescope broke the universe

When the James Webb Space Telescope began full operations in 2022, astronomers were in awe of the flood of data that arrived.

“Every hour we were looking at a galaxy or an exoplanet or star formation,” says NASA scientist Heidi Hammel. “It was like a firehose.”

Since then, JWST has delivered nonstop discoveries, from distant galaxies to new planetary atmospheres. “We’re cracking open an entirely new window on the universe,” says Hammel. 

Discover how JWST has transformed astronomy.

—Jonathan O'Callaghan

We can still have nice things

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