The World Health Organization (WHO) condemned a US-funded vaccine trial in Guinea-Bissau, Africa, as unethical on Friday, citing concerns about withholding a safe and potentially lifesaving hepatitis B vaccine from some newborns. The trial, which has drawn widespread criticism from health experts, is inconsistent with established ethical and scientific principles, according to the WHO.
The WHO's formal statement, released on Friday, detailed several reasons why the trial was deemed harmful and of low quality. The trial's funding was announced in the Federal Register in December, sparking immediate condemnation from health experts. The Artemis II mission, which remains on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida after missing a launch window earlier this month, is preparing for a second countdown rehearsal as soon as next week to confirm whether technicians have resolved a hydrogen fuel leak that cut short a practice countdown run February 2.
Meanwhile, at Elon Musk's AI company xAI, at least 11 engineers and two co-founders reportedly left the company, following the announcement that Musk's SpaceX is acquiring xAI. According to a former employee who spoke to The Verge, some employees are leaving due to the company's disregard for safety, particularly concerning the Grok chatbot. Musk himself suggested the departures were part of an effort to organize xAI more effectively.
In other tech news, Jenny Wang, founder of Alta, is expanding her fashion tech company. Alta, which allows users to create digital closets and try on clothes with virtual avatars, raised $11 million last year. The company's technology is similar to that seen in the movie "Clueless."
In a different vein, a pop-up dating café in midtown hosted dates with AI companions. One participant, Victoria Song, went on four dates with AI companions, including one named Phoebe Callas.
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