Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk delivered a solemn address at the Munich Security Conference, emphasizing the importance of upholding values in the face of adversity, while the World Health Organization condemned a US-funded vaccine trial as unethical. Meanwhile, computer science enrollment saw a decline at University of California campuses, and a venture capitalist is focusing on overlooked founders. Finally, the concept of "nothing" and its potential in quantum mechanics was explored.
At the annual Security Conference in Munich, Tusk, speaking on the occasion of the Ewald von Kleist Prize awarded to the Ukrainian people, stated, "Those who think that everything can be bought should also remember that, according to this philosophy, everyone can be sold." He highlighted the importance of recognizing the heroic defense of sovereignty and freedom by Ukraine against the Russian invasion.
The World Health Organization (WHO) released a formal statement criticizing a US-funded vaccine trial for newborns in Guinea-Bissau, Africa, as unethical. According to the WHO, the trial would withhold a safe and potentially lifesaving vaccine against hepatitis B from some newborns. The WHO concluded that the trial was inconsistent with established ethical and scientific principles, citing several reasons for its harmful and low-quality nature. The trial has faced widespread condemnation from health experts since the US funding was announced in December.
In the realm of education, computer science enrollment at University of California campuses experienced a downturn this fall. System-wide, enrollment fell 6% this year, following a 3% decline in 2024, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. This trend occurred even as overall college enrollment nationally climbed 2%, according to January data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. The exception was UC San Diego, the only UC campus that added a dedicated AI major this fall.
In the venture capital landscape, Stacy Brown-Philpot, former TaskRabbit CEO, is focusing on overlooked founders. Brown-Philpot launched Cherryrock Capital a year ago, aiming to address the gap in access to capital for underinvested entrepreneurs building software companies at the growth stage. "When I left TaskRabbit, I took some time off to figure out what was next and saw this gap in the market, which was access to capital, particularly for underinvested entrepreneurs," Brown-Philpot told TechCrunch.
Finally, a recent article in Quanta Magazine explored the concept of "nothing" in quantum mechanics. The article discussed the idea of emptying a box completely, removing all visible and invisible material. According to quantum mechanics, the box would still be filled with energy, known as ground-state energy or zero-point energy. This energy comes in two forms, one associated with fields like the electromagnetic field.
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