Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s recent appointments to the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) have sparked concern among autism advocates, as the new panel includes individuals who support controversial theories linking autism to vaccines, according to Wired. Simultaneously, the AI coding wars are heating up with OpenAI and Anthropic releasing new models and preparing for competing Super Bowl advertisements, as reported by VentureBeat. In other news, an experimental surgical procedure is helping cancer survivors give birth, with the first European birth resulting from the procedure announced last week, according to MIT Technology Review.
Kennedy's new IACC lineup, announced last week, is composed of friends, associates, and former colleagues who believe in the vaccine-autism link, Wired reported. The IACC is responsible for recommending autism research funding and providing guidance on services for the autism community. Autism advocates worry that the new panel could lead to the mainstreaming of dangerous, pseudoscientific treatments.
In the tech world, OpenAI launched GPT-5.3-Codex, its most advanced coding agent to date, coinciding with Anthropic's unveiling of Claude Opus 4.6, VentureBeat noted. This synchronized release marks the beginning of the AI coding wars, a battle to capture the enterprise software development market. The two companies are also set to air competing Super Bowl advertisements, adding to the already tense rivalry. Executives from both companies have been publicly exchanging criticisms regarding business models, access, and corporate ethics.
On the medical front, an experimental surgical procedure is helping cancer survivors have babies. The procedure involves temporarily moving the uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes out of the way during cancer treatment to protect them from radiation and chemotherapy damage, as detailed by MIT Technology Review. After treatment, the organs are repositioned. Last week, a baby boy named Lucien was born in Switzerland, the fifth baby born after the surgery and the first in Europe, according to Daniela Huber, the gyno-oncologist who performed the operation.
In other news, athletes preparing for the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics and Paralympics, running from February 6 to 22, will need high-quality sleep to perform at their best, according to Wired.
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