Science Technology
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OpenAI strikes deal with Pentagon
Perspective:
Victoria Steel
President Donald Trump said Friday that he was banning federal agencies from using the services of AI company Anthropic. The declaration came after months of increasingly heated rhetoric between the Defense Department and Anthropic over the military’s use of the company’s systems.
US plans online portal to bypass content bans in Europe and elsewhere
Perspective:
Wilma Smithers
The U.S. State Department is developing an online portal that will enable people in Europe and elsewhere to see content banned by their governments including alleged hate speech and terrorist propaganda, a move Washington views as a way to counter censorship, three sources familiar with the plan said. The site will be
FDA reverses surprise rejection of Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine
Perspective:
Kaia Flux
The Food and Drug Administration has reversed its shocking refusal to consider Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine for approval. The refusal was revealed last week in a sharply worded press release from Moderna. Subsequent reporting found that the decision was made by political appointee Vinay Prasad. The Trump administration’s unqualified appointees are creating chaos across historically serious agencies.
China showcases new Moon ship and reusable rocket in one extraordinary test
Perspective:
Dr. Rowan Hale
China’s space program, striving to land astronauts on the Moon by 2030, carried out a test flight of a new reusable booster and crew capsule late Tuesday (US time), and the results were spectacular.
The demonstration “marks a significant breakthrough in the development of China’s manned lunar exploration program,”
Sex in space is finally happening, moving from theory to urgent reality
Perspective:
Dr. Rowan Hale
As spaceflight shifts from rare government missions to something closer to routine travel and work, one awkward question is getting harder to ignore: what happens to human reproductive health away from Earth? A new report argues this isn’t sci-fi anymore – it’s “urgently practical,” especially as more people spend more and more time in space.
French offices of Elon Musk’s X platform raided by Paris cybercrime unit
Perspective:
Dr. Rowan Hale
French police raided the Paris offices of Elon Musk’s X Tuesday and summoned the tech billionaire for questioning as part of a widening probe into the social media company and its AI chatbot Grok.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX acquires xAI, merging his two most ambitious companies
Perspective:
Kaia Flux
SpaceX has acquired xAI, the company announced on Monday, merging two of Elon Musk’s most ambitious companies into the most valuable private company in the world. “This marks not just the next chapter, but the next book in SpaceX and xAI’s mission,” Musk said in a statement on SpaceX’s website.
Bluetooth Vulnerabilities Highlight Growing Geopolitical Tensions
Perspective:
Dr. Rowan Hale
The Danish intelligence service has warned to disable Bluetooth due to security flaws, exacerbated by tensions with the United States over Greenland. This situation highlights the broader implications of using communication technologies amid international mistrust.
NASA has $700 million to spend on a Mars spacecraft
Perspective:
Kaia Flux
A consequential debate that has been simmering behind closed doors at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC, must soon come to a head. It concerns the selection of the next spacecraft the agency will fly to Mars, and it could set the tone for the next decade of exploration of the red planet.
Couple have sex in MRI machine for wild experiment and one thing baffles scientists
Perspective:
Dr. Rowan Hale
After scientists studied a number of people having sex in an MRI scanner there's one thing that has left them stumped about the human body - providing them with useful insights
Ben Horowitz says AI will be bigger than the internet — and bubble fears miss what's really happening
Perspective:
Dr. Rowan Hale
Andreessen Horowitz cofounder Ben Horowitz said AI's surge isn't just hype, saying that record demand and adoption explain soaring valuations.
Meta names former Trump adviser Dina Powell McCormick as president and vice chairman
Perspective:
Kaia Flux
Meta has appointed Dina Powell McCormick, a former adviser to President Trump and a seasoned finance executive, as its new president and vice chairman. Powell McCormick, who previously served on Meta’s board, will guide the company's strategy and oversee large-scale investments, particularly in artificial intelligence. Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg praised her experience in global finance and her extensive international relationships as key assets for Meta’s growth.