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Supreme Court to Decide Fate of Access to Abortion Pill Mifepristone

Today, the US Supreme Court is set to deliberate on whether to impose restrictions on the abortion medication mifepristone, which was used in about 60% of US abortion cases last year. This follows a 2023 lower court decision that aimed to end the distribution of the drug through mail and telemedicine and proposed limiting its application to the first seven weeks of pregnancy. The Supreme Court's ruling is anticipated in June after these restrictions were temporarily paused in April.

Mifepristone is administered orally within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy to inhibit progesterone production, a vital hormone in pregnancy development. This is followed by taking four misoprostol tablets between 24 and 48 hours later to complete the process. The lawsuit contends that the Food and Drug Administration did not conduct sufficient safety evaluations of mifepristone when it was approved in 2000. Nevertheless, the FDA cites a mortality rate of five per 1 million mifepristone users, which is less than that associated with the widespread antibiotic penicillin.

The backdrop of this case is the 2022 Supreme Court decision that revoked federal abortion protections, leading to an uptick in abortion procedures across the country despite comprehensive bans in 14 states.

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Apple, Meta, and Google targeted by EU in DMA non-compliance investigations

Today, the European Commission disclosed the initiation of five investigative processes to evaluate whether Apple, Google, and Meta align with the Digital Markets Act's (DMA) new antitrust regulations. "Our preliminary view is that the commitments proposed by these companies may not be sufficient to address our concerns under the DMA," stated EU antitrust head Margrethe Vestager. The investigations aim to affirm that European digital markets remain open and competitive.

The focus areas for these inquiries include examining the restrictions Apple and Google place on directing users within their app stores and assessing if Google favors its services in search results. Additionally, the Commission will scrutinize the choice of web browsers Apple offers on iOS and Meta's advertising consent practices. The European Commission intends to finalize these investigations within the upcoming year.

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Engineering household robots to have a little common sense

Robots are evolving from gadgets to versatile helpers capable of managing intricate chores around the house, from cleaning messes to preparing meals. A prevalent method for teaching these domestic robots involves having them replicate actions demonstrated by humans, learning through a process akin to imitation.

While robots excel at imitating, their performance can falter without precise instructions for every potential obstacle or variation, often necessitating a reset to commence their tasks anew.

To enhance robotic adaptability, engineers at MIT are working on integrating a sense of practical reasoning into robots, enabling them to navigate unexpected deviations from their programmed courses. They're developing a technique that merges robotic motion data with the expansive "common sense knowledge" encapsulated within large language models (LLMs).

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