{"id":828822,"date":"2025-02-22T02:11:48","date_gmt":"2025-02-22T08:11:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/22\/the-download-dismantling-us-science-leadership-and-reproductive-care-cuts\/"},"modified":"2025-02-22T02:11:48","modified_gmt":"2025-02-22T08:11:48","slug":"the-download-dismantling-us-science-leadership-and-reproductive-care-cuts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/22\/the-download-dismantling-us-science-leadership-and-reproductive-care-cuts\/","title":{"rendered":"The Download: dismantling US science leadership, and reproductive care cuts"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Plus: The US\u2019s AI Safety Institute is being gutted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n

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This is today’s edition of\u00a0The Download<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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The foundations of America\u2019s prosperity are being dismantled<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Ever since World War II, the US has been the global leader in science and technology\u2014and benefited immensely from it. Research fuels American innovation and the economy in turn. Scientists around the world want to study in the US and collaborate with American scientists to produce more of that research.\u00a0<\/p>\n

These international collaborations play a critical role in American soft power and diplomacy. The products Americans can buy, the drugs they have access to, the diseases they\u2019re at risk of catching\u2014are all directly related to the strength of American research and its connections to the world\u2019s scientists.<\/p>\n

That scientific leadership is now being dismantled, according to more than 10 federal workers who spoke to MIT Technology Review, as the Trump administration slashes personnel, programs, and agencies. And it could lead to long-lasting, perhaps irreparable damage to everything from the quality of health care to the public\u2019s access to next-generation technologies. Read the full story<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014Karen Hao<\/em><\/p>\n

8,000 pregnant women may die in just 90 days because of US aid cuts<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A barrage of actions by the new Trump administration is hitting reproductive care hard for people around the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On January 20, his first day in office, Trump ordered a \u201c90-day pause in United States foreign development assistance<\/a>\u201d for such programs to be assessed. By January 24, a \u201cstop work\u201d memo issued by the State Department brought US-funded aid programs around the world to a halt<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Recent estimates suggest that more than 8,000 women will die<\/a> from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth over the next 90 days if the funding is not reinstated. Read our story to get up to date on what\u2019s happened<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u2014Jessica Hamzelou<\/em><\/p>\n

This story is from The Checkup, our weekly newsletter all about what\u2019s going on in health and biotech. Sign up<\/a> to receive it in your inbox every Thursday.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Doctors and patients are calling for more telehealth. Where is it?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Doctors in the US are generally allowed to practice medicine only where they have a license. It\u2019s a situation that has led to a nonsensical norm: A woman with a rare cancer boarding an airplane, at the risk of her chemotherapy-weakened immune system, to see a specialist thousands of miles away, for example, or a baby with a rare disease who\u2019s repeatedly shuttled between Arizona and Massachusetts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The use of telehealth has grown since the pandemic, but there are still significant challenges to it being an option for more people. Read our story to learn what they are, and how they might be overcome<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014Isabel Ruehl<\/em><\/p>\n

This story is from the next edition of our print magazine, which is all about relationships. Subscribe now<\/a> to read it and get a copy of the magazine when it lands on February 26!<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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The must-reads<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve combed the internet to find you today\u2019s most fun\/important\/scary\/fascinating stories about technology.<\/em><\/p>\n

1 The US\u2019s AI Safety Institute is being gutted\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
As part of mass firings at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. (Wired<\/a> $)
+ NIH grants are still frozen, despite lawsuits challenging Trump\u2019s actions. <\/em>(Nature<\/a>)
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2 OpenAI says ChatGPT has over 400 million users<\/strong>
That must make it one of the most popular tech products ever launched. (CNBC<\/a>)
+ AI is making Silicon Valley startups leaner<\/em>. (NYT<\/a> $)
+ AI took two days to crack a superbug problem scientists have been working on for years. <\/em>(BBC<\/a>)
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3 Ukraine claims it rigged Russian drone pilot goggles with explosives<\/strong>
Much like Mossad\u2019s exploding pagers operation. (FT<\/a> $)
+ Russia is secretly sabotaging Europe\u2019s undersea cables. <\/em>(BBC<\/a>)
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4 Trump\u2019s FTC chief has launched an inquiry into Big Tech \u2018censorship\u2019<\/strong>
So much for all that cosying up at the inauguration. (Bloomberg<\/a> $)
+ Meanwhile, Elon Musk says he\u2019s going to \u2018fix\u2019 Community Notes on X so it agrees with him<\/em>. (Gizmodo<\/a>)
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5 Figure unveiled new AI software for household robots<\/strong>
And, best of all, you can instruct it with your voice. (TechCrunch<\/a>)
+ Why everyone\u2019s excited about household robots again.<\/em> (MIT Technology Review<\/a>)\u00a0
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6 We still don\u2019t know which animal sparked covid-19<\/strong>
But suspicions are starting to alight on racoon dogs. (Nature<\/a>)
+ Meet the scientist at the center of the covid lab leak controversy.<\/em> (MIT Technology Review<\/a>)
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7 How should we feel about chatbots of dead people?<\/strong>
They\u2019re a lot less scary if you think of them as a means for remembrance, rather than companions. (Aeon<\/a>)
+ Technology that lets us \u201cspeak\u201d to our dead relatives has arrived. Are we ready?<\/em> (MIT Technology Review<\/a>)
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8 In-office work is at the highest level since the pandemic\u00a0<\/strong>
Lots of workers are heading back in now, whether they like it or not. (WP<\/a> $)
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9 How to fight back against scam texts<\/strong>
Do not click that link! (Vox<\/a>)
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10 Amazon has acquired the James Bond franchise\u00a0<\/strong>
The name\u2019s Bezos. Jeffrey Bezos. (The Guardian<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Quote of the day<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat a lie. And from someone who complains about lack of honesty from the mainstream media.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014Danish astronaut Andreas \u201cAndy\u201d Mogensen criticizes Elon Musk\u2019s claim that former president Joe Biden intentionally abandoned two American astronauts aboard the International Space Station, the Guardian<\/a> reports.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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The big story<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bright LEDs could spell the end of dark skies<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"A<\/p>\n

ADAM SCHMID\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n


<\/strong>August 2022<\/strong><\/p>\n

Scientists have known for years that light pollution is growing and can harm both humans and wildlife. In people, increased exposure to light at night disrupts sleep cycles and has been linked to cancer and cardiovascular disease, while wildlife suffers from interruption to their reproductive patterns, and increased danger.<\/p>\n

Astronomers, policymakers, and lighting professionals are all working to find ways to reduce light pollution. Many of them advocate installing light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, in outdoor fixtures such as city streetlights, mainly for their ability to direct light to a targeted area.<\/p>\n

But the high initial investment and durability of modern LEDs mean cities need to get the transition right the first time or potentially face decades of consequences. Read the full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014Shel Evergreen<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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We can still have nice things<\/strong><\/p>\n

A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? <\/em>Drop me a line<\/em><\/a> or <\/em>skeet ’em at me<\/em><\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n

+ I thoroughly enjoyed this food critic\u2019s mic-dropping final\u00a0column<\/a>.
+ The simplest cocktails are often the\u00a0best<\/a>.\u00a0
+ Check out\u00a0Pikaswaps<\/a>: fun filters, boosted with generative AI.\u00a0
+ Sometimes I really miss\u00a0Scottish Twitter<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>
\n Charlotte Jee<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Plus: The US\u2019s AI Safety Institute is being gutted. This is today’s edition of\u00a0The Download ,\u00a0our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. The foundations of America\u2019s prosperity are being dismantled Ever since World War II, the US has been the global leader in science and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":828823,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24218,24097,46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-828822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dismantling","category-download","category-technology"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/828822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=828822"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/828822\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/828823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=828822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=828822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=828822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}