Mmm yummy microchips. Editor’s note: mentions of assault

Happening in the World: Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva has been given a four-year ban from competition for doping. This reversal comes after she was found that she had “no fault or negligence” for failing a 2022 drug test for a gold medal that she won at age 15. The World Anti-Doping Agency fought against that claim at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, although Valieva’s medal has not been stripped. The Russian government has criticized the decision as politicized, with the Russian Olympic Committee saying that “In effect war has been declared on Russian sport.” (BBC)

Happening in the US: Elon Musk claimed that Neuralink has implanted a wireless brain chip in a human, with the goal of connecting human brains to computers to fight neurological disorders. Several other companies have made similar strides, including the École Polytechnique Fédérale in Lausanne, which allowed a paralyzed man to walk by thinking. Musk has said that the patient is doing well and that promising brain activity has been detected, but these claims have not been independently verified. Neuralink has been criticized in the past for its animal testing that led to the deaths of more than 1,500 pigs, sheep, and monkeys. (BBC)

Happening in NYC: Assaults on the Subway reached a 27-year high in 2023, a NYPD report found. The data showed that about 1.5 assaults occurred per day, for a total of 570. Overall subway crime, including murders, rapes, and robberies, decreased 2.6% from 2022. Since ridership is 30% down after the pandemic, fewer regular riders decreased the safety of the subway system. (Gothamist)

Happening in Our Community: As part of the Columbia Climate School’s Signature Speakers Series, Dr. Stephanie Pinceti will be giving a talk on “cities, how they impact resources far and near such as water sources and ecosystems, and how those resources are used in cities, where, by whom, and to do what.” The event will take place at the Forum at Columbia University from 5 to 7 pm, with the program for the first hour and a reception to follow. You can reserve your seat or register virtually here.

Header via ERP Today