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.
The Exploration Company (TEC) has signed a five‑year renewable agreement to license LEAP 71’s Noyron RP Large Computation Model for its next‑generation rocket engine development. Noyron RP encodes physics, engineering logic, and production constraints to autonomously generate engine component geometries from abstract performance targets. TEC will integrate the model into its computational engineering workflow for projects such as the Nyx reusable capsule and the high‑thrust Typhoon full‑flow staged‑combustion engine. The partnership builds on a collaboration that began in 2023 and aims to broaden design space and speed up test cycles.
Scientists at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases have engineered a dual‑action antibody that simultaneously targets two stages of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) entry. The single‑molecule treatment protected animals even when given after exposure and neutralized...
Lace, a Norway‑based chipmaking equipment startup backed by Microsoft, closed a $40 million Series A round to accelerate its helium‑atom‑beam lithography platform. The funding targets a test system that could enable sub‑10 nm features, a step beyond current extreme‑ultraviolet (EUV) tools.
Interstellar comet 3I/Atlas, discovered by the Atlas telescope, traversed the inner solar system and is now exiting toward Jupiter’s orbit. NASA’s spectral analysis showed a tail rich in carbon dioxide, with water ice, CO, and trace cyanide and nickel—characteristics indistinguishable...
Celosia Therapeutics has dosed the first participant in its Phase 1b KOANEWA trial of CTx1000, a gene‑editing medicine that clears pathological TDP‑43 protein in ALS patients. The open‑label study, run at Macquarie University Hospital, marks the first human test of...
Viz.ai and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals have teamed up to launch an AI‑driven care pathway targeting cardiac amyloidosis, a frequently underdiagnosed heart disease. The solution embeds the FDA‑cleared Us2.ai echocardiography algorithm and generative AI into hospital IT systems to automatically detect subtle...
Astronomers have confirmed a second newborn solar system around the star WISPIT 2, located about 437 light‑years from Earth. Using the Very Large Telescope, they imaged two massive gas‑giant planets, one roughly ten times the size of Jupiter, and identified a...
The second #quantumtechnologies session at the #GCConference focused on experimental quantum optical implementations of quantum communication concepts. Eleni Diamanti opened the session with an inspiring talk on the Paris-based efforts toward quantum networks. She was followed by Matheus Ribeiro-Sen, who spoke...
Quotient Therapeutics and Merck have signed a multi‑year collaboration to use Quotient’s somatic genomics platform for discovering new drug targets in inflammatory bowel disease. The agreement provides Quotient with $20 million upfront and includes milestone payments that could lift the total...
BioTechniques’ Q1 2026 editorial roundup spotlights three impactful studies. An optimized Southern blot protocol from Merck enhances resolution of transgene insertions in high‑copy CHO cell lines, simplifying bioprocess validation. Researchers in Germany refined a DNA microarray to type 96 vancomycin‑resistant...
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced on the Lex Fridman podcast that humanity has already reached artificial general intelligence, citing recent advances in large language models and the OpenClaw platform. He later qualified his claim, acknowledging that the probability of 100,000...
Researchers at UNIST and partner institutions identified microRNA‑93 as a central driver of metabolic‑associated fatty liver disease (MASLD) and demonstrated that vitamin B3 (niacin) can suppress this molecule, restoring SIRT1 activity and reducing liver fat in mice. The study, published in...
Radiopharmaceutical clinical trials are becoming a high‑velocity segment in 2026, but they remain vulnerable to three predictable bottlenecks: isotope supply chain fragility, imaging variability, and regulatory pathway selection. Axcellant, a boutique CRO with an integrated imaging core lab, demonstrates that...
Researchers at Ulm University and Friedrich‑Schiller‑Universität Jena have created a water‑soluble redox copolymer that functions as a molecular solar battery, achieving over 80% charging efficiency and storing energy for several days. The stored electrons can be released on demand as...
A pilot study of thirty adult women with ADHD who take amphetamine‑based stimulants found that symptom severity and negative mood spike during the menstrual phase, while mid‑follicular days show milder symptoms. Daily medication dosages remained unchanged across the cycle, indicating...
Artis BioSolutions, a San Diego‑based advanced therapies firm, has launched a synthetic DNA manufacturing hub in Boston using Syngoi Technologies' proprietary enzymatic platform. The new site complements its GMP manufacturing facility in Watertown, creating a bi‑continental network with an existing...
Recent research highlights glycidol, a genotoxic carcinogen generated when vegetable oils are refined for frying, as a hidden risk in fried foods. Average daily exposure in the U.S. may exceed 50 micrograms, far above the estimated safe level of less...
Neuroprotective effects of ketone monoester supplementation 🧠 This new study recruited 354 US military service members engaging in airborne training 🪖 Participants consumed either… 1️⃣ Ketone monoester 2️⃣ Placebo …before and during Improved Swing Landing Trainer (ISLT) training 🪂 Cognitive, balance, blood-based biomarkers were assessed 🔍 Results...
Researchers at the University of Victoria and the University of Minnesota used high‑resolution 3D simulations on cutting‑edge supercomputers to pinpoint stellar rotation as the missing mechanism that transports deep‑interior material to the surface of red giant stars. The simulations show...
Recent research published in Antiquity reexamines the damage to statues of Egypt’s 18th‑dynasty queen Hatshepsut, suggesting the destruction was not solely ordered by her successor Thutmose III. The study, led by doctoral candidate Jun Yi Wong, analyzed decades of excavation notes and photographs,...
British Army veteran Jon Noble has spent 100 days with Neuralink’s N1 brain‑computer interface implanted in his motor cortex, allowing him to play World of Warcraft using only thought. The implant translates neural activity into digital commands, letting him navigate...
A new analysis of roughly 222,000 participants from the Women’s Health Initiative and the All of Us Research Program shows that higher dietary intake of several B‑complex vitamins—particularly B1, B2, B3, B6 and folate—correlates with up to a 20 percent lower...
We had a great start to the #quantumtechnologies theme at the #GCConference, with two sessions. Christian Gogolin delivered an inspiring and insightful keynote on the use of quantum computers in quantum chemistry. This was followed by three eminent researchers who explored...
A new United Nations report reveals that freshwater fish populations have plummeted 81 percent over the past 50 years, endangering hundreds of species that feed millions of people. The decline is driven by warming waters, pollution, dam construction and intensive fishing, with...
Researchers at the University of Brighton and the University of Strathclyde have created a fully 3D‑printed electrochemical sensor that detects the heart‑attack biomarker cardiac troponin I at 7.4 pg/mL in undiluted human serum. The electrodes, printed on a desktop FlashForge Creator Pro 2 using...
The CMS Collaboration announced a five‑sigma observation of a top‑antitop bound state, toponium, at the Moriond 2026 conference. By analyzing events where one top decays leptonically and the other hadronically, researchers measured unusually low relative velocities, a hallmark of binding....
New Scientist published a feature on a wave of fine‑grained experimental questions that aim to map subjective experience, arguing they could finally crack the hard problem of consciousness. The story cites a consciousness detector test, large‑scale similarity ratings, and leading...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a 7.2‑milligram version of Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide weight‑loss drug Wegovy, dubbed Wegovy HD. Clinical data showed participants lost roughly 19% of body weight, about 47 pounds on average, compared with 16% on the...
A study of more than one million Swedish fathers published in JAMA Network Open reveals a 30% increase in diagnosed depression and stress‑related disorders one year after their child’s birth. Researchers say the delayed surge points to a blind spot...
Gubra and AbbVie announced that participants in a Phase 1 multiple‑ascending‑dose study of ABBV-295 lost between 7.8% and 9.8% of their body weight after roughly three months. The amylin analog was well tolerated, positioning it as a potential new class of...
Effect of Prebiotic Supplementation With and Without Physiotherapy on Pain and Pain Sensitivity in People with Knee Osteoarthritis "Inulin and PSE each produced meaningful pain reductions. Only inulin improved pain sensitivity and grip strength, the latter paralleled by increased GLP-1, and...
Researchers introduced a carbon‑coated NiFe alloy (NiFe@NC) that uses a thin carbon shell to electronically reconfigure the catalyst surface, facilitating CO desorption and suppressing hydrogen evolution. Density‑functional theory and in‑situ spectroscopy confirm the electronic reconstruction and protective role of the...
TerraPower became the first company to win a Nuclear Regulatory Commission permit to build a full‑scale commercial advanced reactor, allowing construction to start at its Wyoming site. CEO Bill Levesque credited a White House‑driven acceleration of NRC reviews for the...
NASA’s experimental X‑59 quiet‑supersonic jet ended its second test flight after nine minutes when a cockpit warning forced an immediate return to Edwards Air Force Base. The early landing, while safe, delays the program’s plan to expand the flight envelope...
Rise Nano Optics Ltd. announced that its SPECTRAGUARD™ nano‑optic lens has been classified by the U.S. FDA as a Class I exempt medical device, the first regulatory approval for a nanophotonic vision‑protection product. The clearance unlocks U.S. import and commercial...
In this episode, Dr. Sean Prager and PhD candidate Teresa Aguar‑Cortero discuss the unpredictable pest pressures facing lentil growers in the Western Canadian prairies, focusing on aphids, Lygus bugs, and grasshoppers and how their differing feeding habits affect crop damage....
China launched its Smart Dragon‑3 rocket from an offshore platform near Haiyang, Shandong, sending the CentiSpace‑02 satellite cluster into orbit. The mission, conducted by Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, represents the first sea‑based launch for the Smart Dragon series and signals...
A new analysis of the 2022‑2023 National Survey of Children’s Health, covering 65,652 U.S. youths, finds that chronic medical conditions are the strongest predictor of childhood depression, outpacing poverty or parental divorce. Each additional medical health risk nearly doubles the...
Gilead Sciences signed a definitive agreement to acquire privately held Ouro Medicines for $1.675 billion in cash up front and up to $500 million in milestone payments, targeting the experimental T‑cell‑engaging antibody OM336. The deal, valued at up to $2.18 billion, gives Gilead...
Researchers have quantified that Australia’s flying foxes generate between $195 million and $673 million annually by facilitating the growth of over 91 million trees, primarily eucalypts. Historically deemed pests and even eradicated with napalm, these large fruit bats now appear essential to the...
Stephanie Lo has been appointed Protein Function Content Team Leader at EMBL‑EBI, overseeing the curation of protein function data for UniProt. She brings experience from leading the Global Pneumococcal Sequencing project at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, where she linked bacterial...
Researchers examined how microstructural variations affect fatigue performance in laminated braided composites by fabricating thick‑ply and thin‑ply laminates with identical overall thickness. Quasi‑static and high‑cycle tension tests, coupled with macro‑ and microscopic analysis, revealed that thick‑ply configurations initiate damage at...
Researchers introduced the K‑R excitation‑regulation framework, an ODE‑based system that extracts Critical Slowing‑Down (CSD) indicators from rolling earthquake magnitude windows. Applying it to USGS catalogs in Japan (14,501 events) and Chile (9,150 events) revealed a consistent pre‑seismic CSD₅₀ suppression of...
It’s not often that a theory about aging feels this transformative. I recently came across research suggesting that aging may not be permanent damage — but a loss of biological information inside our cells. Think of it like a scratched CD. The data...
NASA's day-long meeting, starting at 9:00 am ET this morning (Mar 24), is "Ignition: NASA's Plan for the Moon." https://t.co/JDGO8sMTFt
#mmMRD healthcare social media hashtag [Nov 21, 2020] Minimal/measurable residual disease (MRD) in multiple myeloma. Submitted by @bdermanmd to @symplur @healthhashtags https://t.co/grkkiox2yh #mmsm No longer available at Symplur https://t.co/WmKH0fcB4p
NASA: All attempts to deploy 1 of 2 Progress MS-33 Kurs rendezvous antenna did not succeed, so the docking will be switched to manual mode as first planned yesterday... Progress MS-33 is now tracked by an ISS camera: https://t.co/P6h1cwOAXH...
Expecting major news today across a broad range of programs at NASA. Event here at NASA HQ starts at 9 am ET. https://t.co/MGTEqhfgfV
Holding your spouse’s hand while anticipating an electric shock can reduce the brain’s threat response. A stranger’s hand showed a smaller, more limited effect, but only a spouse’s hand also reduced how unpleasant it felt. PMID: 17201784 https://t.co/tulIhvmzQI
