Know What's Happening in Science
Know What's Happening in Science
High‑altitude hypoxia curbs blood‑sugar spikes in mice
A mouse study found that low‑oxygen (hypoxic) conditions cause red blood cells to absorb far more glucose and convert it into a molecule that eases oxygen release, acting as a glucose sink. Mice exposed to 8% oxygen showed markedly smaller blood‑sugar spikes after glucose injections, and the effect persisted after they returned to normal air.
International researchers have chemically analyzed two incense vessels from Pompeii, marking the first scientific test of ritual residues at the site. The samples revealed charred oak and laurel, typical of offerings to Jupiter and Apollo, as well as frankincense from the Arabian‑Indian region and grape‑derived compounds suggesting wine or vinegar. These results demonstrate Pompeii’s extensive trade networks and provide concrete evidence of its ancient “smellscape.” The study, published in Antiquity, advances the emerging field of sensory archaeology.
Weebit Nano Ltd., a ReRAM-based technology company that we launched in 2016, uses an oxide memory that we developed in our lab in 2010. Weebit’s ReRAM is projected as a preferred AI-based electronic memory. Many thanks to Coby Hanoch and...
A phase IIa trial published in Nature Medicine found that a single intravenous dose of dimethyltryptamine (DMT), paired with structured psychotherapy, produced a rapid and sustained reduction in major depressive disorder symptoms. Participants receiving 21.5 mg of DMT showed an average...
The Dutch Research Council (NWO) has granted $4.7 million to three consortia to accelerate cultivated meat and precision‑fermentation technologies. The Up‑Cell project at TU Delft will engineer scalable animal cell lines, while Maastricht‑led MeatUp focuses on whole‑cut meat alternatives using seaweed‑based...
The Mars Climate Orbiter, a $125 million NASA mission launched in 1998, was lost in September 1999 when it descended far too low over Mars. The failure was traced to a simple unit‑conversion mistake: Lockheed Martin’s navigation software used Imperial units instead of...
As a medical school professor, this is one of the most paradigm-shifting findings I've seen this year. Weill Cornell researchers discovered that a single bacterial gene in your gut determines whether the amino acid asparagine fuels tumor growth or supercharges your...
University of Miami researchers Alberto Magaraggia and Nico Cappelluti say LIGO’s latest signal, S251112cm, shows a collision involving a black hole lighter than the Sun – a hallmark of a primordial black hole. If confirmed, it would be the first...
Researchers have demonstrated that a simple musical intervention during surgery can markedly lower patients' blood pressure, heart rate, and postoperative pain, underscoring the powerful heart‑brain connection. The findings suggest everyday practices that align cardiac and neural rhythms could become a...
Mayo Clinic and Wayne State scientists report that post‑menopausal women who combined tirzepatide with hormone therapy lost 35% more body weight than those on tirzepatide alone. The retrospective analysis of 120 women showed an average 19.2% loss versus 14%, prompting...
Researchers analyzing data from more than 5,000 adults in ten countries report that having children has no measurable effect on overall happiness or life satisfaction, and it even lowers relationship satisfaction. At the same time, a separate survey highlights a...
Researchers used transcranial ultrasound to stimulate the amygdala during a fear‑conditioning experiment, finding that participants learned fear more slowly and extinguished it faster. The breakthrough suggests a drug‑free tool for anxiety, PTSD and self‑mastery.
D‑Wave Quantum secured a $20 million system sale to Florida Atlantic University and an €10 million ($11.5 million) deal in Italy, outpacing Rigetti Computing’s $8.4 million India sale. While Rigetti’s superconducting approach promises broader market potential, D‑Wave’s healthier balance sheet and manufacturing partnerships make...
Starcloud announced a $170 million financing round that lifts its valuation to $1.1 billion, making it the fastest Y Combinator graduate to reach unicorn status. The capital, led by Benchmark and EQT Ventures, will fund next‑generation satellites and expand manufacturing as the company...
What if you could dive a kilometer underwater, gaze into the abyss, and unravel the ocean's mysteries? Deep Rover made it possible. https://spectrum.ieee.org/deep-sea-submersible?share_id=9311646
Natera’s Signatera circulating‑tumor DNA test was shown in a prospective Clinical Cancer Research study to identify older women (≥70) with early‑stage ER⁺/HER2‑ breast cancer who can safely forgo surgery and remain progression‑free on primary endocrine therapy. Baseline MRD‑negative patients (68%...
Effective 2 April 2026, Chile became an Associate Member State of CERN, following ratification of the 2025 Associate Member Agreement and accession to CERN’s privileges and immunities protocol. The new status grants Chile representation on the CERN Council, Finance Committee and Scientific...
As a medical school professor, I can now say this with certainty: three workouts per week is the minimum dose to reverse biological aging. A massive new meta-analysis of 146 clinical trials from the University of Birmingham found that exercise improved...
AIAA’s ASCEND 2026 will convene May 19‑21 at the Washington Hilton, drawing roughly 2,000 space professionals to the nation’s capital. The three‑day event features more than 200 speakers from NASA, the FAA, Lockheed Martin, Blue Origin, academia and government, highlighting...
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has selected UT Austin professor Maruthi Akella to deliver the 2026 von Kármán Lecture in Astronautics. His talk, “Opinion Dynamics, Learning, Trust, and Control of Autonomous Space Systems,” will be held on May 20 during...
Eisai/Biogen’s Leqembi and Eli Lilly’s Kisunla are the only FDA‑approved disease‑modifying Alzheimer’s therapies, but they follow opposite treatment models—continuous dosing versus a finite course after amyloid clearance. Four‑year data presented at AD/PD 2026 showed Leqembi delayed disease progression by roughly 9.8 months, with...
NASA has appointed Carlos Garcia‑Galan as the program executive overseeing its accelerated plan to build a lunar surface base. He outlined a shift in the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program toward tighter NASA‑commercial collaboration and a two‑phase Lunar Terrain...
As a medical school professor, I've long suspected that Alzheimer's disease is metabolic at its core. Now we have clinical proof. A Wake Forest trial tested empagliflozin -- a common diabetes drug -- in NON-DIABETIC Alzheimer's patients for the first time. The...
Chinese astronomers used the MESA stellar‑evolution code to model ATLAS J1138‑5139, an ultra‑compact double white dwarf 1,800 light‑years away with a 27.86‑minute orbit. Their calculations show the low‑mass helium companion will transfer mass, evolve into an AM CVn system within roughly 6.3 million...
Researchers at Kyoto University and RIKEN discovered that the RNA‑binding protein DHX29 monitors synonymous codon usage, flagging mRNAs rich in non‑optimal codons for suppression. Using CRISPR screens and cryo‑electron microscopy, they showed DHX29 binds 80S ribosomes and recruits the GIGYF2·4EHP...
A new study in npj Sustainable Agriculture shows that centuries of selective breeding have reshaped winter wheat’s water‑use patterns across Europe. Modern cultivars exhibit higher water‑use efficiency by reducing stomatal conductance and modifying root systems, without sacrificing yield. The research...
A recent blog post revives 1990s‑era warnings about a self‑styled "GenRich" elite seeking to embed synthetic genes in a privileged minority of Americans. The author argues that advances in artificial intelligence will turbo‑charge the search for human‑enhancement strategies, potentially creating...
PepGen reported that its Phase 2 trial of an oligonucleotide therapy for a rare genetic nerve‑muscle disorder failed to meet its primary efficacy endpoints. The data showed no statistically significant improvement in muscle strength across the cohort, and one participant experienced...
Researchers led by Wu, Lei and Wang have shown that O‑GlcNAcylation of the metabolic enzyme UGDH reshapes its activity, steering UDP‑glucuronic acid production and downstream glycan synthesis. This post‑translational modification links nutrient‑sensing pathways to immune cell adhesion, migration, and signaling,...
A new climate model predicts that by 2100, rising temperatures and stagnant air will push daily air‑quality indices into the unhealthy range across most major cities. The study links higher ozone formation, increased wild‑fire smoke, and intensified particulate emissions to...
Charles Bennett and Gilles Brassard have been awarded the 2026 ACM A.M. Turing Award for inventing quantum cryptography, specifically the BB84 quantum key distribution protocol. Bruce Schneier, while applauding the scientific breakthrough, reiterates his long‑standing view that the technology offers...
Alltrna, a biotech startup focused on transfer RNA (tRNA) therapeutics, has secured regulatory clearance to launch its first human clinical trial. The trial will evaluate a novel tRNA‑based drug designed to correct protein synthesis errors that underlie a range of...
Enveda Biosciences released its first clinical readout for an investigational atopic dermatitis therapy, showing efficacy comparable to AbbVie's Dupixent. The Phase 1 trial met its primary endpoints, demonstrating significant skin clearance and a safety profile similar to existing biologics. The...
Rutgers researchers unveiled VitalID, a software biometric that authenticates XR users via skull‑borne vibrations from breathing and heartbeat. The method captures unique vibration patterns with headset motion sensors, eliminating passwords, PINs, and iris scans. In trials with 52 participants across...
Researchers at Institute of Science Tokyo unveiled a carbon‑nanotube nanofilm electrode only 70‑320 nm thick that can be pierced by leaf trichomes while remaining transparent and water‑resistant. The device maintains stable electrical contact for weeks, and in some tests stayed functional...
Researchers in Japan demonstrated that tens of thousands of pico‑satellites can operate as a single, distributed phased‑array antenna for direct‑to‑smartphone communication. By wirelessly synchronizing each tiny satellite to a reference signal, the system eliminates bulky cabling and costly large‑satellite platforms....
Researchers have leveraged conventional papermaking lines to produce a hygroscopic sheet infused with lithium chloride and polypyrrole‑chloride, creating a sorbent that captures water from air and releases it using solar heat. The material powers a lightweight, continuously rotating crawler that...
Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana‑Champaign have engineered the first artificial charged domain wall (CDW) in a two‑dimensional ferroelectric material by stacking oppositely polarized α‑In₂Se₃ layers. The interface becomes a highly conductive channel with resistance orders of magnitude lower...
Researchers conducted an eight‑week, double‑blind pilot trial with 44 pre‑pubertal boys, comparing daily fermented milk protein, regular milk protein, and placebo drinks each delivering 12 g protein per 200 ml. The fermented milk group showed modest but significant improvements in 10‑meter sprint...
Japanese researchers have created a quantum‑optical system that uses the orbital angular momentum (OAM) of photons to solve the Competitive Multi‑Armed Bandit (CMAB) problem. By encoding each player’s preferences in OAM states and tuning photon phases, the setup guarantees conflict‑free...
Omega-3 for recovery in sports - meta-analysis 🐟 This new meta-analysis compiled data from 41 studies (over 1800 participants) to establish the effects of omega-3 supplementation of inflammation and recovery after exercise-induced stress 📚 Here is what they found ⬇️ Omega-3 supplementation significantly...
A metabolic safety valve for reductive stress "...Pan et al. rewire this circuit with a bifunctional enzyme that uncouples NAD⁺ regeneration from lipogenesis, restoring redox homeostasis under respiratory stress..." https://t.co/EChxGHwyXU https://t.co/LYIZNylLrr
Researchers from the CARDIA study introduced a novel index that quantifies neighborhood social determinants influencing cardiovascular disease risk. The index blends socioeconomic status, healthcare access, environmental exposures, social cohesion, and crime metrics using principal component analysis and machine‑learning weighting. Geographic...
‘Assault on climate action’: Penn experts denounce greenhouse gas finding repeal | Article by Danna Cai in the @DailyPenn: https://t.co/b9Dwk47MkZ
Scientists Marius Lemm and Carla Rubiliani have delivered a streamlined proof of Lieb‑Robinson bounds for Bose‑Hubbard Hamiltonians, demonstrating that information propagation is limited by a polynomial function t^{d+ε}, where d is the lattice dimension. Their approach leverages adiabatic space‑time localization...
DEScycle is commercializing a salt‑based iono‑metallurgy platform that uses deep eutectic solvents (DES) and electrocatalysts to dissolve and recover metals from e‑scrap at low temperature. The pilot process delivers over 99% recovery in under 15 minutes, dramatically cutting leach time...
China aims to conduct about 140 orbital launches in 2026, a 52% jump from 2025’s record 92 missions. The surge is driven by expanding launch infrastructure at sites such as Jiuquan, Hainan’s commercial pads, and Haiyang, as well as rapid...
A team at Kyushu University in Japan has demonstrated a solar cell that converts 130% of incoming sunlight into electricity using a spin‑flip emitter, a result that exceeds the traditional 100% thermodynamic ceiling. The breakthrough, published in the Journal of...
Two peer‑reviewed studies released this week reshape how depression is treated. Psychologists found that describing depression as a functional signal, not a brain defect, improves patients' expectations and reduces perceived chronicity. Meanwhile, Japanese neuroscientists identified the enzyme NOX‑1 as an...
