US lawmakers want the DOJ to investigate Apple
Several US lawmakers have written to Justice Department seeking an investigation into Apple’s attempts to disable messaging app Beeper Mini. Beeper Mini has been trying to provide an iMessage-compatible Android app, however, Apple has also been trying to disable it. The lawmakers have also asked DOJ to investigate Apple for “potentially anticompetitive conduct”.
The past 100 years have shaped science
Google DeepMind has said that the new version of its AI tool ‘AlphaFold’ will be released next year. Researchers had used it to predict the 3D shapes of proteins with high accuracy. They added that the tool will be releasing a new version of AlphaFold on December 9. The new version will be available through Google’s app for iOS and Android.
If the company finds that its app store is illegal, it will be required to pay $700 million
Google announced that it will contribute $650 million into a settlement fund to settle an antitrust lawsuit by several states against it. It will also pay $70 million to the states to settle the case. It has also agreed not to let developers link to their own websites to give customers discounted rates on Play Store.
Apple has stopped selling the Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2
Apple has said it’ll “take all measures to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in the US as soon as possible”. This comes after the US International Trade Commission (ITC) barred imports of Apple’s watches over a patent dispute with Masimo. The ruling banned imports of the smartwatches over Masimo’s use of e- EKG feature for its blood pressure monitoring.
The Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 won’t be sold anymore
Apple has said that it will “continue to take all measures” to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in US as soon as possible. This comes after President Joe Biden ordered a 60-day delay in the import of Apple Watches until he reviews the US International Trade Commission’s (ITC) order banning Apple from selling its smartwatches in the US.
Hydrogen has a footprint on the water
A 1-megawatt pilot platform operated offshore for five months this year using desalinated seawater and a 10-megawatt platform is planned for Belgian waters in 2026. Sydney Water said it’s research confirmation the viability of hydrogen production from its treated water. Water for producing hydrogen by electrolysis must be 9 litres of H2O and treated to remove minerals that would gum up the works.
The company lay off a quarter of it’s work force
GM has formed an Employee Advisory Committee on Cruise’s Absence of Test Beds, as Ordered by the California Highway Safety Act (CLEP 2012), to review the company’s safety practices. The committee will advise Cruise on what it needs to do to improve its practices. This comes as Cruise fired 11 executives and suspended operations after a pedestrian was seriously injured in a crash.
Now comes the waiting after the EU Artificial Intelligence Act was passed
The European Union has passed a law that will require AI firms to report the use of copyrighted data. It will apply to companies working at the value chain, including open-source developers, researchers, and small companies. It is also unclear how AI firms should treat copyrighted material as part of model training data, beyond stating that developers should follow existing copyright laws.
India has a year in science
India’s electricity demand is expected to increase by 10% per year between 2021 and 2022, according to a report by the Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. Coal and oil have fueled India’s economic growth over the past two decades. Coal-fired power plants provide nearly 50% of India’s energy supply.
It will be more difficult to misuse the autopilot because of the huge recall
The US safety agency NHTSA has said that it has dispatched investigators to 35 Tesla crashes since 2016 in which the agency suspect the vehicles were running on an automated system. “In certain circumstances when Autosteer is engaged, the prominence and scope of the feature’s controls may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse,” NHTSA said.