Science & Technology — July 8, 2026

Meta's Muse Image draws privacy backlash. The first image model from Meta's Superintelligence Labs powers Instagram, WhatsApp, and ad tools, and can pull other users into AI photos. Users are pushing back over privacy. (<a href="https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/07/meta-rolls-out-muse-a-new-ai-image-generator/">More</a>)

According to TechCrunch, the complaints center on how the tool uses people's photos: because it can render other Instagram users into generated images, a person can appear in an AI photo they did not make or request. The model is also the debut release from the company's Superintelligence Labs, and its deployment spans consumer messaging as well as advertising products, extending the reach of the feature beyond a single app.

TechCrunch · Read more →

Weight loss pill beats oral Ozempic in trial. The once-daily pill orforglipron produced greater weight loss and better blood sugar control than oral semaglutide in a major clinical trial. (<a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260707054111.htm">More</a>)

The result positions orforglipron as a potential needle-free option for patients, since it is taken once daily by mouth rather than by injection. Notably, the trial measured it directly against oral semaglutide, the leading pill form of the drug sold as Ozempic in injectable form, and found orforglipron outperformed it on both weight reduction and blood sugar control, the two primary measures for this drug class.

Science Daily · Read more →

First nuclear-powered commercial satellite reaches orbit. A spacecraft aboard SpaceX's Transporter-17 rideshare mission became the first commercially designed and operated satellite to use nuclear energy in orbit. (<a href="https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-just-launched-the-1st-ever-nuclear-powered-commercial-satellite">More</a>)

The distinction lies in who built and runs the spacecraft: nuclear energy has been used in orbit before, but this is the first time a satellite designed and operated by a commercial entity has done so, according to Space.com. The satellite reached space as one of many payloads on Transporter-17, part of SpaceX's rideshare program that carries multiple small spacecraft on a single Falcon 9 launch.

Space.com · Read more →

Supreme Court lets Texas enforce app store law. Justices left in place a Fifth Circuit ruling allowing Texas to enforce its app store age-verification law while legal challenges continue. (<a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/supreme-court-lets-texas-enforce-age-verification-law-on-app-stores/">More</a>)

The order is not a final ruling on the law's constitutionality; it leaves intact a Fifth Circuit decision permitting enforcement while the underlying legal challenges proceed. Major technology companies opposing the measure have characterized it as a "censorship regime," according to Ars Technica. The law requires age verification for app store users, and its fate will now turn on the continuing litigation in the lower courts.

Ars Technica · Read more →