Health
• NASA is conducting its first controlled medical evacuation from the ISS, bringing home four Crew‑11 astronauts aboard SpaceX’s Dragon Endeavour after a crew member developed a serious, but stable, medical condition that cannot be fully diagnosed in orbit.
• The identity of the ill astronaut is being kept confidential; the issue is unrelated to the cancelled Jan. 8 spacewalk or pre‑breathing procedures, and NASA’s chief health officer described it as a “serious” microgravity‑related medical problem.
• Crew‑11 members Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, Japan’s Kimya Yui, and Russia’s Oleg Platonov will return within days, while American astronaut Chris Williams will remain on the station until Crew‑12 launches, possibly mid‑February.
• The return will follow a standard “expedited” deorbit schedule with normal splash‑down recovery and standby medical support, rather than an emergency deorbit.
Australia
• Labor’s under‑16 social‑media ban, which began on 10 December 2025, is already being flouted, with many teenage accounts still active a month later.
• Shadow communications minister Melissa McIntosh said age‑verification tools are easily bypassed and youths are moving to unregulated platforms such as Yope and Lemon8.
• McIntosh warned the ban could harm mental health, noting no additional funding for youth services or regional support was provided.
• The eSafety Commissioner acknowledged early circumvention but said enforcement will target systemic failures, while Communications Minister Anika Wells stressed ongoing platform responsibility.
Startups/ Innovation
• Amazon acquired AI wearables startup Bee and is folding its $50 always‑listening wrist‑or‑clip device into the Alexa ecosystem after the eight‑person team joined in September.
• The device records and transcribes user activity, creates to‑do lists and daily mood insights, runs up to a week on a single charge, and has no display or camera.
• New features include voice‑note capture and an “actions” function that links to Gmail and calendar to draft emails or schedule meetings, making the assistant more proactive.
• Amazon stresses strict privacy, audio is processed in real‑time and never stored, and hints at a future redesign as an Alexa‑branded product.
Wearable devices/Apps
• Researchers at Glasgow Caledonian University have created an AI‑powered headset that can forecast epileptic seizures minutes in advance.
• The device analyses combined EEG and ECG signals, achieving up to 95 % prediction accuracy after being trained on thousands of hours of recordings.
• Prototypes are lightweight, wireless and designed to be as discreet as a cap, with plans to adapt the hardware for children and commercial use.
• Regulatory clearance is still required, so the headset is expected to become widely available only after several years of medical‑device approval.