Know What's Happening in Science
Know What's Happening in Science
Spike D614 Reversions Detected in Delta and Omicron BA.2 Variants
Researchers from the University of Tsukuba and the Institute of Science Tokyo identified nonrandom reversions of the SARS‑CoV‑2 spike protein from the dominant G614 back to the ancestral D614. The reversions are concentrated in delta and omicron BA.2 lineages and show distinct temporal spikes and geographic clustering.
A team at Canada’s Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) unveiled a Talbot‑array‑based method that isolates quantum photon signals from heavy optical background, raising the coincidence‑to‑accidental ratio from 2.2 to 21.3. The breakthrough promises more robust quantum communication and sensing in noisy environments.
A brain freeze, or ice‑cream headache, occurs when cold rapidly cools the roof of the mouth, causing blood vessels to constrict then dilate. This vascular shock activates sensory neurons linked to the trigeminal nerve, which misinterprets the signal as pain...
As a medical school professor, I teach that autophagy -- the body's cellular recycling system -- is one of the most powerful defenses against aging and disease. Now the first-ever human clinical trial proves a fasting mimicking diet activates it. Cedars-Sinai and...
On April 2, 1845 French physicists Hippolyte Fizeau and Léon Foucault captured the first daguerreotype of the Sun, a breakthrough that followed earlier lunar photographs and the 1837 invention of the daguerreotype. Commissioned by the French Academy of Sciences, they...
With Artemis II blasting off to the Moon, here's a look at the different fuels used to get rockets off of the ground in this edition of #PeriodicGraphics in C&EN: https://cen.acs.org/physical-chemistry/astrochemistry/Periodic-Graphics-Fuels-space-travel/100/i43
The EMBL‑EMBO AI and Biology symposium in March 2026 highlighted a paradigm shift: artificial intelligence is moving from pattern‑matching to uncovering causal mechanisms in life sciences. Researchers showcased interpretable deep‑learning models for RNA splicing, probed AlphaFold2’s confidence, and revealed hidden...
The Fraunhofer IPA‑led ‘Difference’ project targets the low recyclability of Cell‑to‑Pack (CTP) battery designs, which replace traditional modules with directly integrated cells. By focusing on robot‑assisted, laser‑based disassembly, the consortium aims to separate adhesives, foams and metals efficiently. The initiative,...
Aviation is rapidly embracing sustainable materials as regulators and airlines push for lower emissions. Advanced composites now make up more than half of the structure in modern jets such as the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350, delivering 15‑20% fuel savings...
Literally every stat of the Artemis mission is mind blowing, because WHAT DO YOU MEAN they travel speeds of 28,000km/h. That’s incredible and terrifying #artemis #nasa #moon
NASA launched Artemis II on April 1, sending four astronauts on a ten‑day lunar flyby to test deep‑space systems, marking the first crewed mission beyond low‑Earth orbit since Apollo 17. The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing a challenge to a Trump‑era executive order...
As a medical school professor, I teach students that Alzheimer's has many risk factors. But this one is invisible -- and almost nobody talks about it. A massive study of 27.8 million Medicare beneficiaries just found that fine particle air pollution...
A new protein‑crosslinking method incorporates modified bovine serum albumin (BSA) into hydrogel networks, delivering ultra‑stretchable, strongly adhesive, and conductive gels. Dual physical‑chemical bonds and the protein’s spring‑like secondary structures dramatically improve mechanical strength and energy dissipation. The abundant functional groups...
Artemis II launched on April 1, 2026, marking NASA’s first crewed Moon flight since 1972 and testing systems for future lunar missions. Each Orion spacesuit now carries a Benchmade 916SBK‑ORG Triage, a folding rescue tool originally built for first responders. The knife’s large grip,...
Epia Neuro, a San Francisco startup, unveiled a brain‑computer interface paired with a motorized glove to restore hand function in stroke patients. The disk‑shaped implant sits under the skull, captures neural intent from undamaged brain regions, and translates it via...
Biocytogen and China’s Sihuan Pharmaceutical have signed a strategic partnership to co‑develop novel antibody therapeutics across several disease areas, including obesity. The deal merges Biocytogen’s fully human antibody discovery platform—featuring target‑humanized mouse models, in‑vivo efficacy systems, and an AI‑driven sequence...
Researchers at Xi’an Jiaotong University have unveiled a fiber‑based double‑slit plasmonic probe that uses linearly polarized light and Fabry–Pérot energy recycling to achieve broadband nanofocusing. The device delivers a six‑fold electric‑field enhancement and resolves a 28.6 nm slit, essentially matching atomic...
David Sinclair's lab just reversed infertility in mice that had been infertile for 6 months. They took 16-month-old mice, the equivalent of a woman well past menopause, and made them produce offspring again. The belief has always been that mammals run out...
At the ACC 2026 meeting, a Bayesian network meta‑analysis of 2,803 overweight and obese adults showed that the fixed‑dose combination CagriSema outperformed its components, cagrilintide and semaglutide 2.4 mg, across all efficacy measures. CagriSema delivered the greatest absolute and percent weight...
A new JAMA Network Open study of 2,157 Swedish seniors found that higher consumption of unprocessed meat was linked to a lower risk of dementia, but only among individuals carrying the APOE 3/4 or APOE 4/4 genotypes. Participants eating about 30 ounces of...
A new arXiv study warns that transformer‑based large language models suffer systematic reasoning failures, losing track of critical information during multi‑step tasks. The paper shows that self‑attention and next‑token prediction, while powerful for language generation, do not guarantee logical consistency....
A University of Pennsylvania analysis of more than 246,000 IVF cycles found that Black women experience a live‑birth rate of about 45%, compared with roughly 60% for white women. Despite responding slightly better to ovarian‑stimulation drugs and producing high‑quality embryos,...
Gastrointestinal symptoms after sport-related concussions 🧠💥 This new study conducted a survey of 106 athletes who retrospectively self-reported… 💥 Concussion history 😮💨 GI symptoms 💩 Bowel function Here is what they found ⬇️ 📝 90.6% reported ≥1 GI symptom post-concussion …with greater severity observed for appetite loss,...
There has been extensive discussion about how many qubits are required for a fault-tolerant #quantumcomputer capable of demonstrating quantum utility. However, we should not overlook the fact that, for now, available quantum computers are not fully error-corrected. How far can...
Researchers at National Taiwan University have created a dual‑component chitosan hydrogel (CGB) that combines gallol‑ and boronic‑acid functional groups to form reversible covalent bonds. The material can be extruded through a 160 µm nozzle and stacked up to 60 layers while...
1/@BeamTx announced the publication of clinical data from its Phase 1/2 BEACON clinical trial evaluating risto-cel - formerly known as $BEAM-101 for the treatment of sickle cell disease (SCD). The data was presented at #ASH25 🧵👇 & was published in...
In the unique moment in history, three crews are in space, including two on Earth-orbiting space stations and, for the first time, one simultaneously heading to the vicinity of the Moon. But things are not good on Earth, so only...
British chemist Luke Howard first documented urban heat islands in 1818, noting London was 1.57 °F warmer than surrounding countryside. Modern measurements show city cores can be 5 °F to 9 °F hotter, with extreme cases exceeding 26 °F. The article argues that the...
From last night: after some troubleshooting, the Artemis 2 crew is go to, ah, go. https://t.co/ckl9ScopAj
Thanks CU Boulder for hosting the National Academy of Engineering last week. I had a great time and enjoyed sharing a vision of the future of Space with AI, Autonomy, and Quantum. (Nice shots Jesse Petersen, University of Colorado) https://t.co/2AyzXK4fn5
Researchers at the University of Southern California reported that a month of guided mindfulness meditation via a mobile app accelerated visual processing and eye‑movement initiation in young, middle‑aged and older adults. The peer‑reviewed eNeuro paper highlights a measurable cognitive gain...
While on the far side of the Moon, the orbit of the Orion capsule will just happen to align with the Sun and the Moon, treating the Artemis astronauts to a total eclipse. The Sun's corona will be visible. Should...
.@SpaceX @Starlink tells @FCC it was forced to perform 30 collision-avoidance maneuvers after @Amazonleo's Feb 12 launch w/ @Arianespace because sats were released at 480 km, 50-90 km higher than authorized, and did not warn other operators beforehand.
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University reported that nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) and nicotinamide riboside (NR) can help pancreatic cancer cells survive standard chemotherapy, raising safety concerns for patients and the biohacking community that widely uses these supplements.
All things considered the Artemis II mission seems to be going splendidly. Big moment for today comes this afternoon with the go/no go decision to burn Orion’s engines for the Moon.
1st of 440 @Eutelsat OneWeb sats built by @AirbusSpace launch this yr on @SpaceX; the balance 2027-31 on @MaiaSpaceOff , debuting 2027. @defis_eu #Iris2 LEO constellation's 264 sats, likely from Airbus & @aerospacelab_ , to be interleaved somehow w/...
Researchers identified the orphan nuclear receptor NR0B2 (also known as SHP) as a protective factor in cartilage, with its expression markedly reduced in osteoarthritic tissue. In male mice, global or chondrocyte‑specific deletion of Nr0b2 worsened pain and joint damage after...
The country acts as Europe’s battery, but it doesn’t have enough charge after below-normal snowfall. https://t.co/nyKjJBBsEB
Young plasma transfer enhances antioxidant defense and preserves structural integrity in aged lung tissue https://t.co/v1lR1EyCKv https://t.co/ZYJu1qNsDl
Indian fertilizer giant IFFCO reported an 8% rise in profit before tax for FY 26, with earnings reaching roughly ₹4,106 crore (about $495 million), surpassing its FY 22‑23 record. The cooperative announced a plan to replace 10% of India’s conventional urea and DAP consumption...
NASA’s Artemis II mission successfully completed a 10‑day lunar flyby, carrying four astronauts and the program’s first deep‑space toilet. The crew overcame a malfunction in the new waste‑management system, marking a key step toward sustained human presence on the Moon.
Scientists have cured type 1 diabetes in mice by creating a blended, or chimeric, immune system that tolerates transplanted insulin‑producing cells without lifelong immunosuppression. The protocol combines donor bone‑marrow stem cells, islet cells, low‑dose radiation, antibodies and the drug baricitinib, allowing...
At the 2026 Revitalize summit, Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Saranya Wyles highlighted mitochondrial health as the primary driver of skin regeneration, explaining that mitochondria act as the skin’s energy battery. Declining mitochondrial function—exacerbated by age, UV exposure, pollution, and poor sleep—manifests...
A New Episode of Beyond the Lens is now LIVE ⚡️ 113. Ami Vitale: National Geographic Explorer At Large On Przewalski’s Horses, Jane Goodall’s Legacy, And Finding Hope In The Face Of Extinction Listen on Apple...
Dutch research institute TNO, together with thin‑film specialist ASAT, unveiled what it calls the world’s first perovskite solar roof tile. The flexible perovskite module delivers 13.8% efficiency on foil and 12.4% after being bonded to a curved composite tile. TNO...
Researchers at Trinity College Dublin, in partnership with the University of Bath and EPFL, have created a chip‑scale light source that generates ultra‑stable optical frequency combs using microresonators. The device produces a new hyperparametric soliton pulse, allowing multiple precise wavelengths...
A new commentary in the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, led by Brazilian researcher Irineu Loturco, challenges the traditional one‑rep max (1RM) as the primary metric for strength training. The authors argue that 1RM testing is inaccurate, time‑consuming,...
A randomized pilot study in Kraków gave 72 preschoolers chewable tablets containing 20 mg of heat‑inactivated Lactobacillus salivarius HM‑6 Paradens for two weeks. Children receiving the postbiotic showed a marked drop in Streptococcus mutans and a rise in beneficial Lactobacillus spp.,...
Clinicians: UCL and Drug Science invite you to contribute to a controlled exploration of MDMA’s psychological effects. Eligible participants will undergo two medically supervised sessions at UCL. This work aims to build a psychoanalytically grounded model of its therapeutic action....
Neoen will build France’s largest battery, helping to store rising solar and wind generation and ease strain on the country’s grid https://t.co/KGRixCIBSj
Muscle fascicle lengths seem to dissipate more quickly than muscle CSA during detraining, but require less stimulus for maintenance. Learn more in this week's free Patreon article. https://t.co/OaAsXRoqu9
