IVF, BuzzFeed, Nvidia, & Computer Chips In Your Brain
February 22, 2024
Hello, readers – happy Thursday! Today, we’re talking about I.V.F., a U.N. food convoy, a U.K. missile, fallout from Navalny’s death, BuzzFeed’s layoffs, Nvidia’s huge earnings, and Neuralink.
Here’s some good news: the White House announced that it is dedicating $5.8 billion in federal funds for water infrastructure projects across the country to help improve access to clean water. Also, Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart this week. This makes her the first woman to top both the Hot Country Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts, and the first Black woman to top Billboard’s Country chart.
“The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.” – Socrates
Futility Of Fertility Treatments
Last night, the University of Alabama at Birmingham health system (which includes the state’s largest hospital) announced in a statement it would be pausing any in vitro fertilization (I.V.F.) procedures in the wake of Alabama’s Supreme Court decision that frozen embryos should be considered children. They will continue performing egg retrievals from women seeking fertility treatment, the statement said, but it will not take any of the next steps in the process.
The ruling, handed down five days ago, stemmed from appeals cases brought by couples whose embryos were destroyed in 2020 when a hospital patient dropped them on the floor. Alabama’s Constitution says parents can sue over the wrongful death of a minor child, including “unborn children” and with no exception for “extrauterine children.”
“We are saddened that this will impact our patients’ attempt to have a baby through I.V.F.,” a statement from the health system said, “but we must evaluate the potential that our patients and our physicians could be prosecuted criminally or face punitive damages for following the standard of care for I.V.F. treatments.”
The Gunners Hit The Rye
Analysis from the U.N. and CNN have concluded that Israeli forces fired at a U.N. food convoy on February 5. The convoy of trucks was carrying food supplies to central Gaza. Correspondence between the U.N. and the IDF had confirmed the convoy’s path before it began moving through Gaza, and the trucks were waiting at an IDF holding point when Israeli forces opened fire.
Juliette Touma, global director of communications for UNRWA, said, “Gaza has become very fast one of the most dangerous places to be an aid worker in. It is an extremely complex environment to operate in. Quite often our teams are forced to deliver humanitarian assistance under fire.”
“It’s really difficult to see how this could be a legal attack,” said Janina Dill, co-director at Oxford University’s Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict. “At a minimum it would look like a very serious violation of international humanitarian law. Whether it’s also criminal then depends on questions of intent, which is something that needs to be established in a court of law.” Luckily, no aid workers were directly harmed by the Israeli attack, though the absence of the convoy’s supplies will likely be felt by the people served by the UNRWA.
Not Yet Resting In Peace
- Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died in a penal colony on February 16, triggering a wave of condemnation against Moscow from Western governments and opposition parties. Officials say they’re planning to hold Navalny’s body for two weeks in order to run “tests” on it, while his mother and wife are calling on the state to release his body for burial – his wife, Yulia Navalnaya, has accused the Kremlin of murdering her husband and holding the body to cover up the assassination.
- Besides loudly criticizing Russia for Navalny’s death, Western states have begun taking material steps to punish the Kremlin for the alleged assassination. Many countries have promised to impose sanctions on officials in Moscow, and the U.K. has already sanctioned senior officials at the Arctic penal colony where the opposition leader died after coming back from a walk. “It’s clear that the Russian authorities saw Navalny as a threat and they tried repeatedly to silence him,” said David Cameron, the U.K.’s Foreign Secretary. “FSB operatives poisoned him with novichok in 2020, they imprisoned him for peaceful political activities, and they sent him to an Arctic penal colony.”
Failing To Even Fire Blanks
- For the second time in just eight years, a U.K. nuclear missile has failed its test launch. According to a statement made by a U.K. Ministry of Defense spokesperson on Wednesday, a test of a Trident 2 ballistic missile off the coast of Florida in late January resulted in a failure – though the spokesperson said that the failure was due to a one-off “anomaly” and “therefore there are no implications for the reliability of the wider Trident missile systems and stockpile.”
- A source told the media that the missile launch test was fired off by the nuclear-powered submarine HMS Vanguard using a dummy warhead instead of a real nuke. Apparently, the Trident missile and its dummy warhead were successfully fired off into the air, but the missile’s first-stage boosters failed to ignite, leading to the missile’s quick trip to a watery grave.
Additional World News
- US government lawyers deny charges against Julian Assange politically motivated (Guardian)
- Pakistan’s major parties formally announce ruling coalition that keeps Imran Khan shut out (CNN)
- Iran accuses Israel of sabotage attack that saw explosions strike natural gas pipeline (AP)
- Police fire tear gas on Indian farmers marching to capital, government offers talks (Reuters)
- Poland concerned by pro-Putin slogans at farmers’ protests (ABC)
Middle East News
- Israeli war cabinet member Gantz says ‘promising early signs’ on new hostage deal (Reuters)
- CNN talks to one of few doctors remaining at Nasser hospital (CNN)
- Israel says Brazil’s president unwelcome until he apologizes for comparing Gaza war to Holocaust (AP)
- UN experts demand investigation into claims Israeli forces killed, raped and sexually assaulted Palestinian women and girls (CNN)
BuzzFeed Is Starved For Cash
- BuzzFeed sold Complex yesterday before announcing it will lay off 16% of its staff, less than a year after it shut down its news operation and laid off dozens of employees. Complex went to Ntwrk for $108.6 million, a significant discount from the $294 million spent to acquire them. BuzzFeed said the layoffs will save $23 million per year.
- BuzzFeed still owns HuffPost and First We Feast, which produces “Hot Ones,” and said the money from Complex’s sale will be used to pay down some debts. CEO Jonah Peretti said that offloading Complex will “enable an exciting next stage for our company.” Employees that are being laid off will be notified next week.
Process These Earnings
- While the journalists who cover the AI revolution seem to be an endangered species, AI continues to be a boon to bottom lines. Nvidia, which makes the chips powering most of our favorite AI technology, released its quarterly earnings yesterday and things are looking good for the Magnificent Seven stock.
- Nvidia’s valuation has jumped over 40% just since the beginning of the year, reaching $1.7 trillion and making it one of the most valuable public companies in the world. Nvidia reported that its fourth quarter revenue more than tripled from a year earlier to $22.1 billion, while profit jumped almost ninefold to $12.3 billion.
- Some experts had predicted a selloff would hit after the company revealed its share prices, but shares increased 9% in after-hours trading. Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s co-founder and chief executive, doesn’t predict things will slow down any time soon. “Demand is surging worldwide across companies, industries, and nations,” he said.
Additional USA Reads
- How did hair become part of school dress codes? Some students see vestiges of racism (AP)
- Harvard condemns antisemitic image circulated by pro-Palestinian groups on campus (CNN)
- What We Know About the Death of Nonbinary Teen Nex Benedict (Vice)
- At townhall Trump says that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is on his vice presidential shortlist (USA Today)
- Axios interview: Illinois gov. adds $500 million to quantum computing quest (Axios)
- Ex-CNN anchor John Avlon announces Congress run to defeat ‘Maga minions’ (Guardian)
My Life Goal Is To Have A Computer In My Brain Too, Elon
- Elon Musk says his brain implant company Neuralink’s first human patient seems to be doing just fine. According to the billionaire, the anonymous test subject can, well, move a computer cursor around with their brain. But only in certain directions. “We’re trying to get as many button presses as possible from thinking,” said Musk at a Twitter Spaces event. “So that’s what we’re currently working on is: can you get left mouse, right mouse, mouse down, mouse up… We want to have more than just two buttons.”
- “Progress is good, and the patient seems to have made a full recovery, with no ill effects that we are aware of. Patient is able to move a mouse around the screen by just thinking,” he said of the patient’s health. Last month, a proprietary Neuralink robot placed the chip into a region of the patient’s brain that controls the intention to move. Musk has stated that, down the line, Neuralink’s technology will allow humans to control computers without lifting a finger – though it sounds like that future is very far off.
Additional Reads
- Stanley tumbler ‘quenchers’ maker is being sued over lead claims (NBC)
- Why AI might be rejecting your resume (CNN)
- Wyze breach: About 13,000 home security customers were shown someone else’s home (CNN)
- In Cincinnati, redevelopment can mean artwork — and people — disappear (NPR)
- Major Labels $1 Billion Decision Against Cox Communications Overturned (Variety)
- Teamsters union strikes Molson Coors as it prepares to walk out at Anheuser-Busch next week (CNN)