The Download: preserving the Arctic permafrost, and playful AI agents

Plus: Catch up on our conversation with a creator of AI-designed viruses.

October 19, 2026

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.

Inside the quest to combat Arctic fires and save the planet’s frozen carbon

—James Temple

In July 2021, a wildfire burned through a forest on the University of Alaska, Fairbanks campus, stripping away the moss and organic-rich soil insulating the permafrost…