The Download: plastic’s problem with fuel prices, and SpaceX’s blockbuster IPO

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.

Fuel prices are soaring. Plastic could be next.

As the war in Iran continues, one of the most visible global economic ripple effects has been fossil-fuel prices.But looking ahead, further consequencescould be looming for plastics.

Plastics are made from petrochemicals, and the supply chain impacts from the conflict are starting to build up. Americans willlikely feelthe ripples.

Read the full story to grasp the unpredictable impacts.

-Casey Crownhart

Thisstoryis from The Spark, our weekly climate newsletter.Sign upto get it in your inbox every Wednesday.

The must-reads

I'vecombed the internet to find you today's most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 SpaceX has filed for an IPO
It's set to be the largest ever, targeting a $1.75 trillion valuation. (NYT$)
+ Which would make Elon Musk the world's first trillionaire.(Al Jazeera)
+ But the IPO could hinge on the success of Moon missions.(LA Times$)
+ And the conflicts of interest are staggering.(The Next Web)
+ Meanwhile, rivals are rising to challenge SpaceX.(MIT Technology Review)

2 Artemis II is on its way to the Moon
NASA successfully launched the four astronauts on its rocket yesterday. (Axios)
+ The lunar plans could violate international law.(The Verge)
+ But the potential scientific advances are tremendous.(Nature)
+ Check out our roundtable on the next era of space exploration.(MIT Technology Review)

3 Iran has struck Amazon's cloud business in Bahrain again
It promised to hit US companies only yesterday. (FT$)
+ Other targets include Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Nvidia.(CNBC)
+ AWS datacentersin Bahrain were also hit last month.(Reuters$)

4 OpenAI was secretly behind a child safety campaign group
It pushed for age verification requirements for AI. (The San Francisco Standard$)
+ OpenAI had backed the legislation as a compromise measure.(WSJ$)
+ Coincidentally, Sam Altman heads a companyprovidingage verification.(Engadget)

5 Anthropic is scrambling to limit the Claude Code leak
It'strying to remove 8,000 copies of the exposed code from GitHub. (Gizmodo)
+ Anexecutive blamedthe leak on process errors."(Bloomberg$)
+Here'swhat it reveals aboutAnthropic'splans.(Ars Technica)
+ AI is making online crimes easier-and it could get much worse.(MIT Technology Review)

6 A new Russian super-app" aims to emulate China's WeChat
And give the Kremlin new surveillance powers. (WSJ$)

7 America's AI boom is leaving the rest of the world behind
Andit'sconcentrating power and wealth in a handful of companies. (Rest of World)

8 Chinese chipmakers have claimednearly halfthe country's market
Nvidia's lead is shrinking rapidly. (Reuters$)

9 The first quantum computer to break encryption is imminent
New research reveals how it could happen. (New Scientist)

10 The world's oldest tortoise has been embroiled in a cryptoscam
Reports that Jonathan died at just 194 years old are thankfully false. (Guardian)

Quote of the day

Starlink is the only reason this valuation is defensible."

-ShayBoloor, chief market strategist atFuturumEquities, tellsReuterswhy SpaceX has such high hopes for its IPO.

One More Thing

These companies are creating food out of thin air

Dried cells-it'swhat'sfor dinner. At leastthat'swhat a new crop of biotech startups, armed with carbon-guzzling bacteria and plenty of capital, are hoping to convince us.

Their claims sound too good to be true: they say they can make food out of thin air. But that's exactly how certain soil-dwelling bacteria work.

Startups are replicating the process to turn abundant carbon dioxide into nutritious air protein." They believe it could dramatically lower farming emissions-and even disrupt agriculture altogether.Read the full story.

-Claire L. Evans

We can still havenice things

A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas?Drop me a line.)

+ Need more Artemis II in your life?This sitetakes you inside the flight.
+ Here's a fascinating lookat the recording errors that improved songs.
+ Good news: the elusive Nightjar birdis making a comeback.
+ Finally, a master chef has baked clam chowder donuts.