Sequoia Backs $200 Million Bet on Gene-Edited War Dogs

The $200 million is already in the bank.

Warhound, a startup founded by Palmer Luckey, has raised the funds to genetically enhance dogs for military service. The company stated on October 23, 2026, that its canines will be engineered to detect explosives and assist in protecting troops. Sequoia Capital is among the investors providing the capital. Colossal Biosciences is reportedly assisting with the cloning and gene-editing processes required for the project.

This initiative sits alongside other major developments in biotechnology announced on the same day. Moderna and Merck reported that their mRNA cancer vaccine reduced deaths by 42 percent. The vaccine also lowered the risk of recurrence for patients with melanoma. In a separate clinical milestone, researchers confirmed that a gene-editing tool known as prime editing has reached its first human patient. This technique rewrites DNA in liver cells.

Cybersecurity experts are assessing a new set of flaws in PHP. While the vulnerabilities knocked websites offline globally, no successful attacks have been recorded yet. Analysts describe the flaws as harder to exploit than initial fears suggested. Officials urged website operators to apply patches immediately. However, one report noted that publicly disclosed fixes can provide a roadmap for hackers. Software developer Ian Landsman praised volunteer Ondřej Surý for his patching work. Landsman wrote on X that if anything happens to Surý, "Everyone is screwed."

Space and energy sectors also saw news on October 23. Donald Trump said Elon Musk had restored Ukraine's access to Starlink. President Volodymyr Zelensky countered that Starlink speeds remained capped. The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had asked Musk to lift those speed limits. In the energy sector, Google will pay customers to free up power for its data centers through a virtual power plant. This program rewards people for adjusting their energy use. A separate report stated that Google illegally felled 250,000 trees in Finland for a data center.

Climate scientists suggested that fossil fuels may have averted the next ice age. Modern warming appears to be reversing 2,000 years of ice growth. Researchers also reported recreating solar flares to explain the temperature of the Sun's corona. In a media development, a Vanity Fair report claimed Dutch spies hacked Jared Kushner's iPhone and found financial links to foreign officials. The Wall Street Journal also published a road trip feature in America's cheapest electric vehicle. The report found that charging infrastructure has improved, making the journey manageable despite sparse coverage.

MIT Technology Review has published its Impossible issue. The publication assesses progress on six technologies long described as imminent. These include decoding pets' vocalizations and removing forever chemicals from the environment. Other topics are faster travel to Mars, exercise in a pill, and nuclear-powered spaceships. The publication stated that it asked experts what is holding each technology back. Reporter Jessica Hamzelou, writing after a screening of the documentary You Can See Everything about Elizabeth Holmes, reflected on the limits of science journalism. She said the film left her unsettled and reminded her how easily an appealing narrative can persuade.