The Download: dismantling US science leadership, and reproductive care cuts

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.

The foundations of America’s prosperity are being dismantled

Ever since World War II, the US has been the global leader in science and technology—and 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. 

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’re at risk of catching—are all directly related to the strength of American research and its connections to the world’s scientists.

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’s access to next-generation technologies. Read the full story. 

—Karen Hao

8,000 pregnant women may die in just 90 days because of US aid cuts

A barrage of actions by the new Trump administration is hitting reproductive care hard for people around the world. 

On January 20, his first day in office, Trump ordered a “90-day pause in United States foreign development assistance” for such programs to be assessed. By January 24, a “stop work” memo issued by the State Department brought US-funded aid programs around the world to a halt.  

Recent estimates suggest that more than 8,000 women will die 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’s happened. 

—Jessica Hamzelou

This story is from The Checkup, our weekly newsletter all about what’s going on in health and biotech. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Thursday.

Doctors and patients are calling for more telehealth. Where is it?

Doctors in the US are generally allowed to practice medicine only where they have a license. It’s 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’s repeatedly shuttled between Arizona and Massachusetts. 

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.  

—Isabel Ruehl

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

The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

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

Quote of the day

“What a lie. And from someone who complains about lack of honesty from the mainstream media.”

—Danish astronaut Andreas “Andy” Mogensen criticizes Elon Musk’s claim that former president Joe Biden intentionally abandoned two American astronauts aboard the International Space Station, the Guardian reports.

The big story

Bright LEDs could spell the end of dark skies

August 2022

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.

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.

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.

—Shel Evergreen

We can still have nice things

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

+ I thoroughly enjoyed this food critic’s mic-dropping final column.
+ The simplest cocktails are often the best. 
+ Check out Pikaswaps: fun filters, boosted with generative AI. 
+ Sometimes I really miss Scottish Twitter.