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something when prompted. While legislators are almost exclusively focused on ChatGPT, we must go further to regulate all forms of AI algorithms.

To do this, Massachusetts should establish a new independent agency to regulate technological platforms. The current regulatory framework is far too narrow, and the state legislature is far too clunky and lacking in expertise to successfully regulate AI. A new agency made up of experts will be savvy enough to make recommendations to the legislature and the governor, while also having the appropriate rulemaking ability. While the structure of this agency can and should be debated, the importance of such an agency cannot be understated.

AI technology may explode over the next few years, or it may not. We cannot possibly predict the future, but that is why an independent agency is critically important. Twenty years ago, cell phones were little more than devices that could send and receive messages and calls, but today, they’re pocket-sized supercomputers with enough processing power to send someone to the moon.

No other state is better positioned to address this issue than Massachusetts. It is high time that Massachusetts reclaims its mantel as a “city on a hill,” so Beacon Hill must act when Capitol Hill cannot.

bite- size s cience: First Indigenous woman in space inspires future generations

by Taylor Escudero Contributing Writer

On Oct. 5, 2022, Nicole Mann became the first Native American woman to launch into space. Born in Petaluma, Calif., Mann is a member of the Wailacki of the Round Valley Indian Tribes. Her astronaut career began at the United States Naval Academy where she studied mechanical engineering and went on to earn a master’s degree from Stanford University. In 2013, Mann was selected for NASA’s 21st astronaut class, where she underwent extensive training in International Space Station Systems, robotics, spacewalks and much more. Last fall, Mann launched from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center in the Dragon Endurance Spacecraft as SpaceX’s first woman commander. This endeavor took her and her crew to the International Space Station, where, on Jan. 20, 2023, Mann became the first Indigenous woman to venture out on a spacewalk to prep the ISS for more solar panels.

Mann hopes her extraordinary accomplishments will encourage today’s young scientists to follow their scientific ambitions with perseverance and tenacity.

“These young women, maybe Natives, maybe people from different backgrounds that realize that they have these opportunities and [that] potentially these barriers that used to be there are starting to be broken down,” she said in an interview with NPR. “And so hopefully that will inspire that younger generation.”

bite- size s cience: New Fda proposal eases blood donation restrictions for gay and bisexual men

by Khushi Jain Contributing Writer

Donating blood — it’s a simple act that can save a life, or several. Yet, current Food and Drug Administration regulations require that gay and bisexual men only donate blood under the condition that they have not engaged in sexual intercourse with another man for the past three months. This restriction, a product of the 1980s AIDS crisis, precedes the widespread research and education regarding the AIDS and HIV now available. This outdated policy has drastically reduced the amount of possible blood donors across the United States, along with the number of possible lives that could be saved.

In January, a series of new draft recommendations released by the FDA proposed a shift from time-based restrictions to alternative donor defer- ral policies using gender-inclusive, individualized questions to reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted HIV. This is a groundbreaking step in the right direction, as these proposals not only aim to foster inclusivity but also address a need for more blood. The United States has been experiencing its worst blood shortage in over a decade, and there are people desperately in need of transfusions to survive.

The FDA has also implemented rules stating that those who are currently on medication to prevent HIV or those who have recently had sex in exchange for money or drugs would be subject to the three-month deferral period. This restriction is in an effort to protect the quality of blood in the United States, regardless of sexual or gender orientation. Still, this new proposal would have a significant impact on the shortages in blood supply in the United States. Projected statistics show that if the blood donor bans were lifted for gay and bisexual men, the annual blood supply would expand by 345,400–615,300 pints of blood.

The FDA is expected to make their final decision following a 60-day public comment period. Many argue that this new proposal, more than 40 years in the making for LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations and other public health institutions, does not go far enough. Some believe that these restrictions still promote an unnecessary stigma against those taking PrEP medication to prevent HIV and that the blood supply shortage does not stem from HIV-infected blood but rather a lack of donors in the first place. After all, the blood-supply crisis in the United States isn’t about the quality of the blood — it’s the fact that there simply isn’t enough of it.