The Hollow Promise of Protection
A Singapore study led by Wee et al. examined thousands of cancer patients who were fully vaccinated with mRNA COVID‑19 shots. Despite high vaccination rates, most participants contracted COVID‑19 and developed long‑COVID symptoms such as fatigue, dyspnea, and cognitive impairment. The research found that vaccination did not lower either the incidence of infection or the duration of long‑COVID in this vulnerable cohort. These results question the protective expectations placed on vaccines for immunocompromised populations.
New Study Says I Was Wrong About NMN and NR?
A recent small crossover study suggested nicotinamide riboside (NR) raised blood NAD 2.3‑fold more than nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), but a larger Nature Metabolism trial with 65 participants found both precursors increased NAD similarly. Mechanistic work shows oral NR and NMN...
New Study Says I Was Wrong About NMN and NR?
Recent human trials have shown that nicotinamide riboside (NR) and nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) raise circulating NAD levels to a similar extent, contradicting a small Bergen study that suggested NR was superior. Both compounds appear to be metabolized largely by gut...
New Study Says I Was Wrong About NMN and NR?
Recent human trials have reignited the NR‑vs‑NMN debate, with a small six‑person crossover study suggesting NR raises blood NAD 2.3‑fold more than NMN, while a larger 65‑participant Nature Metabolism trial found no meaningful difference between the two. Both studies, however,...
Canagliflozin - Another Top Longevity Drug
Canagliflozin and other SGLT‑2 inhibitors are gaining attention as potential longevity agents due to their ability to cut cardiovascular events, renal decline, and COPD exacerbations in patients with type‑2 diabetes. Recent meta‑analyses show reduced emergency‑room visits and lower mortality among...
The Exploration Company Completes Nyx Test Model Pressure Tests
The Exploration Company announced on 31 March that it has completed pressure testing of the Nyx Structural Test Model’s pressurised compartment, confirming the structure behaves as expected. The test article, built by France’s CNIM Systèmes Industriels and delivered in mid‑February,...
The Restorative Promise of Agroecology: Farming for Sovereignty and Resilience in Malawi – Part II
Agroecology offers sustainable, climate‑resilient solutions for Malawi’s food insecurity, delivering soil health, biodiversity and gender‑inclusive benefits. In contrast, the country’s agricultural policy is dominated by corporate‑driven Green Revolution initiatives—AGRA, NAFSN, and multinational seed and fertilizer firms—backed by over $1 billion in...
The Artemis II Launch: A Global Milestone and a Mirror for China’s Ambitions
In early April 2026 NASA launched Artemis II, its most powerful rocket carrying four astronauts on a ten‑day lunar orbit mission, the first crewed Moon flight since 1972. The flight serves as a critical test for the Orion capsule, the Space...
‘Tech Bro Hype’ Vs. Serious Science: The Inside Story on Colossal’s Attempt to Create a Real-Life Jurassic Park
Colossal Biosciences announced that it has produced three gene‑edited pups it calls dire wolves, marking its first high‑profile claim of de‑extinction. The Dallas‑based firm says a woolly mammoth will follow within two years, with a dodo later on, using ancient...
An Opinionated Take on NEJM Highlights for Q1 of 2026
The first quarter of 2026 NEJM featured several disruptive studies, including a Canadian‑Australian dialysis trial where fish‑oil supplementation halved myocardial infarctions and cut strokes by two‑thirds. Merck’s oral PCSK9 inhibitor enlicitide achieved a 57% LDL reduction, positioning it for a...
SpaceX Raptor Engine Test Seems to Have an Explosion
SpaceX performed a static‑fire test of its next‑generation Raptor methane engine at the McGregor, Texas test site, and a bright fireball suggested an explosion during the run. The incident was captured on video and appears to be an engine failure,...
Artemis Moon Mission Sets Record; Trump Sets Tuesday 8PM Deadline For Iran
NASA’s Artemis II crew set a new distance record, reaching roughly 252,760 miles from Earth during a lunar flyby and confirming Orion’s performance ahead of a planned 2028 Moon landing. The astronauts will splash down near San Diego on April 10 after...
STOMP
The term “microplastic” entered mainstream science after a 2004 *Science* paper, but plastic production has surged to over 9 billion tons since 1950, half of it after 2004. New studies show 43 trillion particles deposited annually on Swiss snow and a 50 %...
Race-Day Nerves Are Costing You More Than You Think (Science Says So)
A 2021 study in the Pakistan Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences found that both cognitive and somatic pre‑race anxiety directly impair endurance performance. Athletes with heightened anxiety show elevated heart rates, premature pacing, and poorer decision‑making during critical race...
Citi Research Explores Quantum Innovation for National Security and Infrastructure
Citi Research is spotlighting quantum technologies as a strategic asset for national security and critical infrastructure. In a recent podcast, Infleqtion CEO Matthew Kinsella said quantum computing is closing the gap to practical use, while quantum sensing already delivers superior...
Academic Clinical Trials for Rapamycin to Answer Questions on Dosing for Anti-Aging Use
Researchers at UT Health San Antonio have launched a multi‑phase academic clinical trial to evaluate rapamycin’s biological effects in older adults. The program begins with a younger‑cohort benchmark study, then seeks the optimal dose that restores immune and metabolic markers...
On Artemis and Starshot
Artemis’ recent launch reignited the excitement of returning humans to deep space, showcasing NASA’s powerful yet expensive Space Launch System (SLS). The mission underscores the urgency of developing more affordable, reusable launch solutions for a sustained lunar presence and eventual...
Study Suggests Moderate Coffee and Tea May Be Tied to Lower Lung Cancer Risk
A UK Biobank analysis of 276,209 adults found that drinking one to three cups of coffee or tea daily was linked to a 20‑33% lower risk of lung cancer, while consuming four or more cups showed no clear benefit. The...
Fire From Below
The Slow Mo Guys filmed a gas grill mounted upside‑down, letting viewers watch a burning flame from below. This unconventional perspective blocks the usual upward buoyancy, forcing hot gases to escape around the grill’s edges. The resulting footage shows surprisingly laminar flame...
Never Give Up! Every Ton of Carbon We Can Cut Still Matters
The article argues that despite the United States exiting international climate talks and most nations missing Paris targets, every ton of carbon dioxide avoided still matters. It explains that each additional ton produces roughly the same amount of warming, but...
Glaukos to Present Multiple Scientific Abstracts at the 2026 American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) Annual Meeting
Glaukos Corporation will present a slate of scientific abstracts at the 2026 American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) meeting in Washington, D.C., and will exhibit at booth #407. The company is also sponsoring an educational symposium on Epioxa™,...
Bausch + Lomb Announces New Scientific Data, Educational Events at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Annual Meeting
Bausch + Lomb announced it will present 45 scientific papers and posters at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) annual meeting in Washington, D.C., from April 9‑13, 2026. The sessions will feature data on its ELIOS minimally‑invasive...
From Noncovalent Fragment to (Non)covalent Leads Against PLPro
Researchers at Vanderbilt have leveraged a protein‑observed NMR fragment screen to revive interest in SARS‑CoV‑2 papain‑like protease (PLPro), an essential viral enzyme with few existing inhibitors. From 13,824 fragments, 77 hits were confirmed, leading to a non‑covalent series that progressed...
Quemliclustat
Quemliclustat (AB680) is a highly potent (5 pM) selective CD73 inhibitor that completed a Phase I trial in healthy volunteers, demonstrating a pharmacokinetic profile suitable for biweekly intravenous dosing. Early clinical data showed promising activity, prompting a successful Phase II study in pancreatic...
Industry-Funded Study of the Week: Kimchi
A May 2026 study in Bioresource Technology found that lactic‑acid bacteria isolated from kimchi can bind nanoplastic particles in the intestines of germ‑free mice, more than doubling the amount of plastic expelled in feces. The research was financially supported by...
How a Hidden Genetic Mutation Creates a Severe Pediatric Anesthesia Risk
A rare mitochondrial DNA point mutation (mtND4 m.11232T>C) has been linked to catastrophic neurologic injury in children exposed to the volatile anesthetic sevoflurane. The mutation, maternally inherited and prevalent among people of Venezuelan ancestry, was identified after decades of isolated...
Module 3, Section 2: Quality Not Quantity
The article emphasizes a shift in high‑throughput screening toward curated, high‑quality compound libraries rather than sheer volume. It cites literature on global pharmacological mapping that shows enhanced hit relevance when nonspecific inhibitors are minimized. Phenotypic versus target‑based discovery is highlighted...
Carnegie Mellon Launches New Effort To Advance AI-Driven Astronomy
Carnegie Mellon University launched the Keystone Astronomy & AI (KAAI) Visiting Fellows Program, funded by the Simons Foundation, to fuse artificial intelligence, statistics, and astrophysics. The initiative will host six month‑long postdoctoral fellows each year for three years, pairing them...
The Dangerous Trap of “One-Drug Cancer Cures”
Recent commentary warns against the allure of one‑drug cancer cures, arguing that such reductionist approaches echo past failures in oncology. While repurposed agents like ivermectin and fenbendazole demonstrate laboratory activity, the author cites severe side effects, including a patient death,...
A Review Focused on Exerkines in Extracellular Vesicles Generated by Muscle Tissue
A new review examines how muscle‑derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) act as carriers of exercise‑induced exerkines, linking physical activity to systemic health benefits. It details the molecular cargo—proteins, lipids, and non‑coding RNAs—that modulates muscle stem‑cell activation, combats sarcopenia, and influences distant...
Physical Activity Correlates With a Sizable Difference to Late Life Mortality
A 15‑year emulated trial of 11,169 Australian women found that consistently meeting WHO guidelines of at least 150 minutes of moderate‑to‑vigorous activity per week cut all‑cause mortality risk by half, equating to a 5.2‑percentage‑point absolute reduction. The study also observed...
Avio Delays SMILE Launch After Component Production Issue Identified
Avio has postponed the European Space Agency’s SMILE mission, originally slated for 9 May, after a supplier flagged a technical issue on a subsystem component during production. The launch would have been the first Vega C flight managed directly by Avio...
Shining a Blue Light on an Overlooked Posttranslational Modification
Rice University chemist Zachary Ball unveiled a photochemical technique that selectively tags the often‑overlooked post‑translational modification pyroglutamate. By irradiating a protein mixture with 350‑400 nm blue light, a nickel‑based catalyst binds to the pyroglutamate ring and attaches a reporter tag. The method...
Climate Cracks Are Spreading — and Even the System Knows It Can’t Hold
A wave of suppressed UK reports—from intelligence agencies, the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, and Defra—warn that ecosystems are on a “pathway to collapse,” food security could fail by 2030, and nature loss may cost twice the 2008 financial crash....
#386 – Aging Clocks—What They Measure, How They Work, and Their Clinical and Real-World Relevance
Aging clocks, built on DNA‑methylation patterns, aim to quantify biological age as a shortcut for long‑term health outcomes. Researchers view them as surrogate endpoints that could compress 20‑year anti‑aging trials into months, helping evaluate drugs or lifestyle interventions. However, the...
AI Can Now Generate Academic Papers that Pass Peer Review. What Are the Risks?
Tokyo start‑up Sakana.ai unveiled “The AI scientist,” an autonomous system that drafts machine‑learning papers for as little as $15 each. In a recent trial, three AI‑generated manuscripts were submitted to a top‑tier conference workshop; two were rejected while one met...
Quantum Zeitgeist Weekly Digest
The weekly Quantum Zeitgeist Digest highlights a surge of breakthroughs aimed at scaling fault‑tolerant quantum computers. QuEra released Tsim, a GPU‑accelerated simulator that handles circuits with over 80 physical qubits, while IBM and the University of Sydney unveiled an error‑correction...
Making Babies with a Computerized Sperm Storage Site
Fairfax Cryobank, a leading sperm storage provider, operates a detailed online donor catalog where clients can select vials based on extensive personal profiles. The article critiques these profiles for highlighting non‑heritable traits such as humor and appearance, which may mislead...
Beyond the Pump: The 500-Year-Old Mystery Inside Your Chest
Leonardo da Vinci’s 16th‑century sketches hinted that blood moves through the heart in spiraling vortices, a concept only confirmed by modern MRI in 2013. A recent Nature paper used AI to examine 25,000 scans, revealing that the heart’s inner trabecular fibers...
Emerald Catalyst: Matcha’s Science-Backed Power Against Cancer
Recent independent studies highlight matcha's catechin EGCG as a potent anti‑cancer agent, capable of inducing apoptosis and disrupting tumor metabolism. Laboratory work shows EGCG downregulates mTOR and AKT pathways while protecting healthy cells from oxidative stress. Clinical observations link high...
Weekly Reads: 1st FDA-Approved CIRM Supported Therapy, Asymmetric Histone Inheritance, Stem Cell Retraction
The FDA has granted approval to KRESLADI, a gene‑editing therapy from Rocket Pharmaceuticals that treats severe leukocyte adhesion deficiency‑I (LAD‑I) in children without a matching bone‑marrow donor. This marks the first FDA‑approved product directly funded by California’s Institute for Regenerative...
Dr. Vinay Prasad Said He Would Deliver New COVID Vaccine RCTs. He Failed and Should STFU.
Pfizer and BioNTech announced they are halting a U.S. phase‑III trial of their updated COVID‑19 vaccine aimed at adults 50‑64 because enrollment fell far short of the planned 25,000‑30,000 participants. The companies said the decision was unrelated to safety or...
The African Great Lakes: Ancient Waters That Shape Modern Africa
The African Great Lakes, a chain of ten lakes across East and Central Africa, hold about a quarter of the world’s unfrozen freshwater and were formed by tectonic rifting millions of years ago, except for Lake Victoria which formed in...
Fore! Chemicals on the Course.
A recent UCLA Health study links the re‑approved pesticide chlorpyrifos to a dramatically higher risk of Parkinson’s disease, finding a 2.5‑fold increase for residents near sprayed areas. The research also shows that living within one mile of a golf course...
Déjà Vu All Over Again: The White House's Diminished Vision for Science in FY 2027
On April 3, the White House released its FY 2027 budget request, calling for deep cuts across the federal science enterprise. The proposal trims NIH by roughly $6 billion, NASA by $5.6 billion—including a $3.4 billion slash to its science directorate—and NSF by $4.6 billion,...
Data, Gaps, Change: This Week's Regeneration in the Headlines
This week’s headlines illustrate a surge in data‑driven tools and regenerative practices, yet persistent structural gaps limit their scaling. AI has digitized over one million bee specimens, turning static collections into dynamic research assets, while a German farm demonstrates that...
'Perfectly Symmetrical' 2D Perovskites Boost Energy Transport
Rice University researchers have engineered a multilayered two‑dimensional perovskite that approaches perfect crystal symmetry, enabling exciton transport beyond 2 µm at room temperature. The material’s distortion‑free lattice eliminates energy traps, delivering an order‑of‑magnitude improvement over earlier perovskites and matching the performance...
Electrons in Moire Crystals Explore Higher-Dimensional Quantum Worlds
Physicists at MIT have demonstrated a scalable chemical‑synthesis method to grow bulk “moiré crystals” that contain high‑quality moiré superlattices. In these crystals electrons display quantum tunneling that mimics motion through a synthetic fourth dimension, effectively simulating four‑dimensional quantum materials. The...
What If Ten Habits Could Slow Every Way Your Body Ages?
In 2023 researchers refined the twelve hallmarks of aging, creating a framework that links daily actions to measurable biological processes. A recent article ranks ten simple habits by how many hallmarks they influence, asserting that the top four—waist‑line monitoring, fermented...
University of Maryland and Los Alamos National Laboratory Enhance Quantum Phase Estimation with Tapering Functions
Researchers at the University of Maryland and Los Alamos National Laboratory introduced tapered quantum phase estimation (tQPE), a method that reshapes the initial ancilla state using discrete prolate spheroidal sequences. By optimizing these starting conditions, tQPE lifts the baseline success...