Biocomputing: The Race for Energy Efficiency, Storage Capacity, and Machine Sentience
Biocomputing splits into molecular DNA storage and neural organoid intelligence, each targeting niche roles in the computing stack. DNA can store up to 17 exabytes per gram but still costs roughly $800 million per terabyte, positioning it as a high‑density, deep‑archive alternative to magnetic tape. Neural organoids offer adaptive computation but struggle with reproducibility, ethical oversight, and energy demands, lagging behind neuromorphic chips like Intel’s Loihi 2. Funding from US and international agencies signals growing interest despite the technologies’ early‑stage status.
Methylmercury May Harm Metabolism Beyond Its Known Neurological Effects
A new pre‑clinical study shows methylmercury can bind to specific apolipoprotein E (ApoE) isoforms, with ApoE2 and ApoE3 exhibiting stronger affinity than ApoE4. Using computer modelling and ApoE‑knockout mice, researchers found that methylmercury exposure triggers higher cholesterol, liver injury markers, oxidative...
Space Is Becoming Climate Infrastructure, And China Knows It
China is transforming space into a sovereign, multi‑layered infrastructure, rapidly expanding launch capacity, navigation, communications and Earth‑observation constellations. In 2025 it reported 92 launches, a 35% rise, and plans continued crewed missions, reusable rockets and satellite internet. The United States...
Blood Test May Improve Early Tuberculosis Detection Among Household Contacts
A prospective study of more than 2,000 household contacts in Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Mozambique evaluated the Cepheid Xpert MTB‑HR blood test, a three‑gene host‑response assay, for early tuberculosis detection. The assay demonstrated good accuracy in identifying active TB and showed...
Researchers Create Detailed Map of Smell Receptors in Mouse Nose
Harvard researchers mapped 5.5 million olfactory neurons from over 300 mice, revealing that smell‑receptor neurons are arranged in precise horizontal stripes from the top to the bottom of the nose. This spatial organization mirrors analogous odor maps in the olfactory bulb,...
Neurons for Seeing and Imagining
A study in Science recorded 714 neurons in the ventral temporal cortex of 16 epilepsy patients. Researchers found 456 category‑selective cells, with 80% encoding objects along low‑dimensional axes derived from deep neural networks. This axis‑based code enabled reconstruction of viewed...
Physiological Age and Homeostatic Dysregulation Following Child Maltreatment in Youth
Researchers examined 461 children aged 8‑13 to determine how child maltreatment influences two pediatric biological‑age measures: the Klemera‑Doubal Method (KDM) physiological age and homeostatic dysregulation (HD). While overall maltreatment did not shift KDM age, it modestly increased HD, indicating greater...
World-Leading Climate Centre Takes Trump Administration to Court
The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) sued the National Science Foundation (NSF) in March to halt the Trump administration’s plan to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder. The administration, via the NSF, seeks to transfer...
Screening for Photoreceptor Survival
Researchers used human retinal organoids to screen compounds that affect cone survival under glucose starvation. They identified two kinase inhibitors, CS‑KI‑1 and CS‑KI‑2, targeting CK1 and MAPK11, that protected cones and rods in vitro and in a mouse model of...
A Couple of Couplings
Landemard et al. used high‑density electrophysiology and functional ultrasound to map neurovascular coupling across the mouse brain. They found that bulk neural activity is a poor predictor of blood‑volume changes, prompting analysis of specific neuronal subpopulations. Both whisking‑related excited and inhibited...
The Choreography of Cerebral Vasculature Development
A new study published in Cell provides the first comprehensive map of post‑natal cerebral vascular development in mice. By integrating multimodal imaging and transcriptomics, the researchers delineated three sequential phases: an initial uniform vessel spread driven by Vegfa, a regional...
Elevated Consumption of Soy and Legumes Associated with Reduced Risk of Hypertension
A new meta‑analysis of 12 prospective cohorts covering over 150,000 people finds that high consumption of legumes and soy foods is linked to substantially lower hypertension risk. Participants eating large amounts of legumes experienced a 16% risk reduction, while soy...
AI Tool Unifies Fragmented Cell Maps Into Spatial Atlases Across Tissues
A new AI-driven framework called SpaMosaic unifies fragmented spatial multi‑omics datasets by aligning RNA, protein, chromatin accessibility and histone‑modification layers across batches and technologies. The tool combines contrastive learning with graph neural networks, outperforming existing integration methods on mouse brain...
Children in Low-Income Countries Face Nearly Six Times Greater Risk of Death Following Emergency Surgery
A new global health study reveals that children undergoing emergency surgery in low‑income countries face a mortality risk nearly six times higher than peers in high‑income nations. The analysis, based on data from more than 200,000 pediatric cases across 50...
Dirty Mind? Study Suggests Gut Movement May Flush Excess Material From Our Brains
Penn State researchers discovered that the brain’s subtle forward motion during walking is driven by abdominal muscle contractions, transmitted via the vertebral venous plexus. High‑resolution imaging and pressure sensors on mice showed the brain shifts milliseconds before each step, confirming...
How Sunburn Inspired a New Way to Store Energy
Researchers at UC Santa Barbara, led by chemistry professor Grace Han, have demonstrated a molecular solar‑thermal (MOST) energy‑storage system that achieves an unprecedented 1.65 MJ kg⁻¹ energy density—about 1.6 times that of the best lithium‑ion batteries. The system uses DNA‑inspired molecules that twist when...
Macrophages Use Cell Volume Changes to Sense Danger and Amplify Inflammation
Researchers at the University of Manchester found that loss of the volume‑regulated anion channel (VRAC) prevents macrophages from correcting swelling under hypo‑osmotic stress, triggering type I interferon signaling and amplifying inflammation. The swelling reprograms gene expression toward antiviral and pro‑inflammatory pathways....
Australian Quantum Technology to Support National Defence Strategy
Australia’s QuantX Labs has launched TEMPO, a quantum clock that delivers up to ten times the precision of conventional GNSS timing systems, now operating in orbit. The technology promises more resilient communications, accurate navigation and robust satellite‑ground synchronization, especially when...
Spermidine Halts Liver Fibrosis by Cell Signal Remodeling
Researchers have demonstrated that spermidine, a naturally occurring polyamine, can halt the progression of liver fibrosis by reprogramming cellular signaling pathways. In mouse models, spermidine treatment reduced collagen deposition and restored normal liver architecture within eight weeks. The study identified...
Rocket Lab Announces Five-Launch Neutron Deal as It Continues Aiming for Late 2026 Debut
Rocket Lab announced a block sale of five Neutron and three Electron launches to an undisclosed customer, marking its largest contract to date and surpassing the prior $190 million Haste sub‑orbital deal. The company reported a $2.2 billion backlog, with launch services...
High Cognitive Scores Might Predict Depressive Relapse
A new BMJ Mental Health study of 1,800 UK Biobank participants shows that, contrary to long‑standing assumptions, higher cognitive performance predicts a greater risk of depressive relapse in people with a history of major depressive disorder. Thirty‑three percent of the...
Two Mechanisms Vie to Deliver First Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy Drug
The article is BioCentury’s cookie policy, outlining five cookie categories—strictly necessary, functional, marketing, advertising, and analytics—and describing their purposes for site operation, personalization, outreach, and data collection. It explains how each type works, the data it handles, and the impact...
Eating Eggs Could Cut Alzheimer’s Risk by 27%
Researchers at Loma Linda University analyzed data from about 40,000 older adults over a 15‑year span and found that eating at least one egg per day was linked to a 27% lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Even modest consumption—1‑3 eggs...
Fermilab Marks Major Milestone for World-Leading DUNE Experiment
Fermilab and the Sanford Underground Research Facility celebrated the start of moving 10 million pounds of steel beams underground to build DUNE’s far‑detector structures. The steel, an in‑kind donation from CERN, marks the first time the European lab has contributed infrastructure...
Astellas Touts Data From Early Test of Stem Cell-Derived Eye Therapy
Astellas Pharma announced early-stage data from its stem cell‑derived retinal therapy, aimed at treating age‑related macular degeneration (AMD). In a small cohort receiving the highest dose, patients showed statistically significant gains in best‑corrected visual acuity and no serious safety signals....
A Bizarre 'Decapitated' Asteroid Likely Made the Moon's Largest Impact Crater. NASA's Artemis Astronauts May Land Near the Proof
A new study using high‑resolution 3‑D simulations argues that the Moon’s South Pole–Aitken basin was formed by a 260‑km differentiated asteroid that was ‘decapitated’ on impact, leaving its iron core to carve the basin’s tapered shape. The shallow, north‑to‑south impact would...
These Whales Are Screaming in the Strait of Gibraltar
A 2025 study in the Journal of Experimental Biology examined whether the critically endangered long‑finned pilot whales in the Strait of Gibraltar exhibit the Lombard effect amid intense ship noise. Researchers attached suction‑cup recorders to 23 whales, gathering 1,432 calls...
US Air Force Sets Its Sights On Space Solar Power
The U.S. Air Force has awarded its first contract to startup Overview Energy to demonstrate space‑solar technology that beams power from geosynchronous orbit to Earth. Overview, which raised $20 million from investors, plans to launch satellites in 2028 and deliver megawatt‑scale...
Novel Nanoparticle Therapy Using Manganese Could Improve Cancer Treatment
Researchers at the University of Michigan and MD Anderson have engineered a manganese‑based nanoparticle named CRYSTAL that activates the cGAS‑STING immune pathway without provoking systemic inflammation. Preclinical studies across several tumor models, including advanced triple‑negative breast cancer, demonstrated robust, sustained...
Ultrasound Waves Rupture COVID-19 and Flu Viruses without Damaging Cells
Researchers at the University of São Paulo have shown that high‑frequency ultrasound waves (3–20 MHz) can rupture the envelopes of SARS‑CoV‑2 and H1N1 viruses while leaving human cells unharmed. The effect, termed acoustic resonance, exploits the spherical geometry of enveloped viruses,...
Garlic Compound May Hold Clue to Slowing Muscle Aging
Japanese researchers identified S‑1‑propenyl‑L‑cysteine (S1PC), a compound in aged garlic extract, as a potent activator of the LKB1 enzyme that boosts eNAMPT secretion and NAD+ production. In aged mice, long‑term S1PC supplementation lowered frailty scores, increased muscle force, and restored...
Cancer Warning Labels on Alcohol May Motivate People to Drink Less, Study Says
A Stanford-led study tested eight new alcohol warning labels that explicitly cite cancer, liver disease, dementia and hypertension. Over 1,000 weekly drinkers viewed the labels, and all outperformed the generic 1989 warning in teaching new health risks and boosting motivation...
Ultrahigh-Energy Cosmic Messengers May Carry Ultraheavy Secrets
Physicists at Penn State and collaborators have published calculations suggesting that the most energetic cosmic rays may be atomic nuclei heavier than iron. Their simulations show ultraheavy nuclei lose energy more slowly during intergalactic travel, allowing particles like the 2021...
G-Link CAR-T Delivery Platform Showcased at ASGCT
Vyriad unveiled its G‑Link CAR‑T delivery platform at the ASGCT meeting, showcasing a modular protein adapter that repurposes existing lentiviral vectors for in‑vivo use. The technology promises to cut development timelines by eliminating extensive vector redesign and to boost transduction...
US Tech Official Calls for ‘Transformational’ Use of AI in Scientific Discovery
White House Chief Technology Officer Ethan Klein urged a "transformational" rollout of agentic AI to accelerate scientific discovery, emphasizing tighter integration from data collection through prototyping and scale‑up. A Market Connections survey shows 53% of federal agencies are already exploring...
NASA Welcomes Paraguay as 67th Artemis Accords Signatory
On May 7, 2026, Paraguay signed the Artemis Accords in Asunción, becoming the 67th nation to endorse the framework governing peaceful, transparent space exploration. The agreement aligns Paraguay’s emerging space program, which recently launched GuaraníSat‑1 and plans a GuaraníSat‑2 launch...
Polygenic Risk Score Predicts Eight Cardiovascular Conditions
A new polygenic risk score (PRS) predicts eight cardiovascular conditions, including coronary artery disease and atrial fibrillation, with odds ratios as high as 41.0. The assay, orderable from a blood or saliva sample, was validated in 53,306 participants and demonstrated...
Quantum Metallurgy: Electron Crystals Deform and Melt
University of Michigan researchers demonstrated that charge density waves—electron crystals—can deform and melt within a two‑dimensional sheet of tantalum sulfide. By heating the metal to roughly 568 °F and probing it with electron diffraction, the team observed the gradual smearing of...
Exposure Duration Determines ARDS in Nitrobenzene Poisoning
A recent case report compared two chemical workers exposed to high‑concentration nitrobenzene. The worker who received complete decontamination within three minutes recovered without acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) or renal injury, while the worker who remained in contaminated clothing for...
Early Postoperative Inflammatory Markers Predict Major Complications After Rectal Cancer Surgery
A prospective cohort of 98 rectal cancer patients measured CRP and NLR at 24 and 48 hours after surgery. Elevated CRP at 48 hours strongly predicted major complications, while NLR showed no significant predictive value. Open surgery was linked to...
The BioPharm Brief: Breakthrough Signals in Cancer, Duchenne, and RNA Medicine
Aptevo Therapeutics reported an 87% clinical benefit rate and 81% remission in its Phase 1b AML RAINIER study, combining mipletamig with venetoclax and azacitidine. Entrada Therapeutics disclosed positive Phase 1/2 data for ENTR‑601‑44, showing functional gains and increased dystrophin in Duchenne patients...
Untreated Sleep Apnea Linked to Physical Brain Changes in Alzheimer’s Disease
A new study of 757 participants from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative finds that untreated sleep‑disordered breathing (SDB) is associated with distinct brain changes depending on disease stage. In cognitively normal or mildly impaired individuals, SDB correlates with lower amyloid‑beta...
Focused Helium Ions Create Ferroelectric Regions in Aluminum Nitride for Lower-Power Chips
Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have demonstrated that a tightly focused helium‑ion beam can write ferroelectric regions directly into aluminum nitride (AlN). The ion‑induced defects enable polarization switching with roughly 40% less energy and a stronger piezoresponse. Because AlN...
BBC Inside Science
Donald Trump’s NASA administrator, Jared Isaacman, publicly called for Pluto to be restored as the solar system’s ninth planet, reigniting a debate that began when the International Astronomical Union demoted it in 2006. Host Tom Whipple and astronomer Chris Lintott...
Most Bird Wings Aren’t Optimized for Flight
Researchers at the University of Bristol built a theoretical morphospace of every conceivable bird wing shape and simulated performance across flight modes. By comparing real‑world measurements of over 200 species, they found most birds occupy the middle to low end...
A Standardized Postoperative Recovery Atlas Reduces Early Anxiety After Female Genital Cosmetic Surgery: A Prospective Study
A prospective study of 132 women undergoing labiaplasty evaluated a standardized postoperative recovery atlas. Patients receiving the atlas alongside routine education reported significantly lower anxiety at one week and higher recovery experience scores at one month compared with controls. Both...
Quality of Life and Associated Factors Among Cancer Patients Receiving Palliative Care in Western Uganda: A Cross-Sectional Study
The cross‑sectional study of 204 cancer patients in Western Uganda receiving palliative care found overall low quality of life, with a mean global MVQOLI‑15R score of 3.47 out of 5. Symptom burden was the poorest domain, followed by interpersonal and...
Performance Comparison of QAOA Mixers for Ternary Portfolio Optimization
The study applies the Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA) to a ternary portfolio optimization problem that includes holding, not holding, and short‑selling states. Researchers compare the standard QAOA mixer with several XY‑based mixers—XY Ring, XY Parity Ring, XY Full, and...
Gene Therapy Restores Walking After Paralysis
Researchers at the University Hospital Cologne used a designer cytokine, hyper‑interleukin‑6 (hIL‑6), delivered via an AAV2 viral vector into the motor cortex of mice with spinal‑cord contusions. The protein traveled transneuronally to brainstem serotonergic neurons, prompting intact fibers to sprout...
Starting Hard Tasks Isn't Laziness – It's Your Brain Pumping the Brakes
Researchers at Kyoto University identified a neural "motivation brake" linking the ventral striatum and ventral pallidum that suppresses initiation of effortful, aversive tasks. In macaque experiments, disabling this pathway eliminated resistance to high‑effort actions, showing that task hesitancy is driven...