Feb 22 A 2nd Alabama IVF provider pauses parts of its program after court ruling on frozen embryos By Kim Chandler, Associated Press Alabama Fertility Services said in a statement Thursday that has "made the impossibly difficult decision to hold new IVF treatments due to the legal risk to our clinic and our embryologists. Continue reading
Feb 21 Watch 6:03 The potentially dangerous implications of an AI tool creating extremely realistic video By William Brangham, Karina Cuevas The realism of AI-generated video is one of the more remarkable, and potentially scary, developments we’ve seen so far with the technology. Oren Etzioni studies artificial intelligence and is the founder of truemedia.org, an organization that fights against AI-based disinformation. Continue watching
Feb 21 How do whales sing? Scientists point to a specialized voice box that other animals don’t have By Maria Cheng, Associated Press A newly published study says whales have a specialized voice box that isn't seen in other animals. The study was too tiny to be definitive, but experts say the discovery will direct future research into how whales communicate. Continue reading
Feb 21 Alabama lawmakers advance legislation to define man and woman based on reproductive anatomy By Kim Chandler, Associated Press Supporters say it gives necessary guidance to the courts in interpreting existing laws. Opponents say it would further erode the rights of transgender people in Alabama. Continue reading
Feb 21 Alabama hospital puts pause on IVF in wake of ruling saying frozen embryos are children By Kim Chandler, Associated Press The University of Alabama Birmingham said in a statement Wednesday that its UAB Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility has paused the treatments "as it evaluates the Alabama Supreme Court's decision."… Continue reading
Feb 20 Alabama Supreme Court rules frozen embryos can be considered ‘children’ under state law By Kim Chandler, Associated Press Justices issued the ruling Friday in a pair of wrongful death cases brought by couples who had frozen embryos destroyed in an accident at a fertility clinic. Continue reading
Feb 19 Quasar with black hole at its center may be brightest object in the universe, astronomers say By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press This distant quasar shines 500 trillion times brighter than our sun, and its black hole is more than 17 billion times more immense than our sun. Continue reading
Feb 17 Watch 6:12 How a new space race could be harming the Earth’s atmosphere By John Yang, Harry Zahn According to data from the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, 2023 was a record year for launching satellites, probes, landers and more into space. But scientists worry those plumes of exhaust trailing behind rockets could be scattering harmful… Continue watching
Feb 17 Japan successfully sends new H3 rocket into orbit in key test after last year’s failed debut By Mari Yamaguchi, Associated Press Japan's flagship H3 rocket reached orbit and released two small observation satellites in a key second test following a failed debut launch last year, buoying hope for the country in the global space race. Continue reading
Feb 16 Tech giants sign voluntary accord to combat election deepfakes generated with AI By Matt O'Brien, Ali Swenson, Associated Press The accord is largely symbolic, but targets increasingly realistic AI-generated images, audio and video "that deceptively fake or alter the appearance, voice, or actions of political candidates, election officials, and other key stakeholders in a democratic election.”… Continue reading