Lifeboat Foundation

Effective immunity hinges on the ability to sense infection and cellular transformation. In humans, there is a specialized molecule on the surface of cells termed MR1 allows sensing of certain small molecule metabolites derived from cellular and microbial sources; however, the breadth of metabolite sensing is unclear.

Published in PNAS, researchers at the Monash University Biomedicine Discovery Institute have identified a form of vitamin B6 bound to MR1 as a means of engaging tumor-reactive immune cells. The work involved an international collaborative team co-led by researchers from the University of Melbourne.

According to Dr. Illing, “Our findings suggest that vitamin B6 molecules displayed by MR1 represent a means for the immune system to detect altered cellular metabolism/metabolite levels, that may distinguish cancer cells,” she said.

Over the past few years, some researchers have been working on alternative energy storage systems that leverage the principles of quantum mechanics. These systems, known as quantum batteries, could be more efficient and compact than conventional battery technologies, while also achieving faster charging times.

In a recent paper published in Physical Review Letters, a research group at University of Genova introduced a new spin quantum battery, a battery that leverages the spin degrees of freedom of particles to store and release energy. This battery is charged in a unique and advantageous way, without the need for an external field.

“Quantum many-body theory and non-equilibrium physics are traditional topics in the quantum condensed matter theory group led by Maura Sassetti at University of Genova,” Dario Ferraro, senior author of the paper, told Phys.org.

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy, already approved for certain blood cancers, is generating excitement in early tests against autoimmune diseases. Designed to wipe out a whole class of immune cells, the treatment holds promise but comes with potentially serious risks.

The hypertension drug rilmenidine has been shown to slow down aging in worms, an effect that in humans could hypothetically help us live longer and keep us healthier in our latter years.

Previous research has shown rilmenidine mimics the effects of caloric restriction on a cellular level. Reducing available energy while maintaining nutrition within the body has been shown to extend lifespans in several animal models.

Whether this translates to human biology, or is a potential risk to our health, is a topic of ongoing debate. Finding ways to achieve the same benefits without the costs of extreme calorie cutting could lead to new ways to improve health in old age.

Cheng-Yen Yang, Hsiang-Wei Huang, Wenhao Chai, Zhongyu Jiang, Jenq-Neng Hwang University of Washington 2024 https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.

A tool that can…

Official repository of Adapting Segment Anything Model for Zero-Shot Visual Tracking with Motion-Aware Memory’ — yangchris11/samurai.

Scientists now use a new mathematical model to reveal the geometry of photons, previously elusive.

A groundbreaking study from the University of Birmingham has revealed the shape of a photon and its interaction with quantum emitters.

As physicists continue their struggle to find and explain the origin of dark matter, the approximately 80% of the matter in the universe that we can’t see and so far haven’t been able to detect, researchers have now proposed a model where it is produced before the Big Bang.

Their idea is that dark matter would be produced during a infinitesimally short inflationary phase when the size of the universe quickly expanded exponentially. The new model was published in Physical Review Letters by three scientists from Texas in the US.

An intriguing idea among cosmologists is that dark matter was produced through its interaction with a thermal bath of some species, and its abundance is created by “freeze-out” or “freeze-in.” In the freeze-out scenario, dark matter is in chemical equilibrium with the bath at the earliest times—the concentration of each does not change with time.

By one major metric, artificial general intelligence is much closer than you think.

Memory, a fundamental aspect of human cognition and consciousness, is multifaceted and extends beyond traditional conceptualizations of mental recall. This review article explores memory through various lenses, including brain-based, body-based, and cellular mechanisms. At its core, memory involves the encoding, storage, and retrieval of information. Advances in neuroscience reveal that synaptic changes and molecular modifications, particularly in the hippocampus, are crucial for memory consolidation. Additionally, body memory, or somatic memory, highlights how sensory experiences and traumatic events are stored and influence behavior, underscoring the role of implicit memory. Multiple studies have demonstrated that memories can be encoded and stored in cells. Evidence suggests that these memories can then be transferred between individuals through organ transplantation.