Lifeboat News: The Blog – Safeguarding Humanity

Get the latest international news and world events from around the world.

Apr 26
2026

Dying stars are devouring giant planets, astronomers discover

A new study suggests that aging stars may be wiping out the giant planets that orbit closest to them. The research, led by astronomers at UCL (University College London) and the University of Warwick, provides fresh evidence that these planets can be pulled inward and destroyed as their host stars evolve.

Stars like our Sun eventually run out of hydrogen fuel. When that happens, they begin to cool and expand, entering a phase known as a red giant. Scientists estimate that the Sun will reach this stage in about five billion years.

The new findings, published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, are based on observations of nearly half a million stars that have recently entered this “post-main sequence” phase of their life cycle.

Apr 25
2026

The long-lived immune system of centenarians

What is unique about the immune system of people who live to extreme old age? Here the authors describe that centenarians may achieve such longevity through several mechanisms, including limiting the pathological effects of inflammageing and immunosenescence, preservation of immune surveillance, sustained gut microbial diversity and maintenance of intestinal barrier integrity.

Apr 25
2026

‘Eventually, it becomes you’: Inventors of new ‘living’ knee replacement describe why this tech is desperately needed and how it works

Live Science spoke with the developers of a living knee implant that could help more patients in need of knee replacements get them.

Apr 25
2026

DNA Can Be Built in a Way We’ve Never Seen Before, Study Finds

Scientists have just discovered an entirely new way that DNA can be synthesized.

The business of constructing DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid, to give it its full name) usually requires a template that builder proteins called enzymes can work from.

But now, a team from Stanford University has found that a type of enzyme known as a polymerase can work without a blueprint. Its shape itself acts as a mold that new DNA can be synthesized from, with no external reference materials required.

Apr 25
2026

24,000-year-old Frozen ‘Zombie Worm’ Thawed by Scientists — Then it Shockingly Started Reproducing

It thawed out — and then it multiplied.

Scientists successfully revived a “zombie worm” that had been frozen for 24,000 years, revealing new insight into how life survives in the most unforgiving environments over extended periods of time.

According to a study published in the scientific journal Current Biology, researchers found that the microscopic organism — identified as a rotifer — is a small, multicellular animal commonly found in freshwater environments that is known for its unusual durability, FOX News reported.

Apr 25
2026

Quantum Signatures of Proper Time in Optical Ion Clocks

A new theoretical paper shows that trapped-ion optical clocks could directly probe subtle effects at the intersection of quantum mechanics and general relativity — including the superposition of proper times and entanglement induced by time dilation.

By leveraging the extreme precision of these clocks, researchers demonstrated an experimental route to exploring phenomena that go beyond what current atomic clocks can access, even as today’s devices already account for relativistic time dilation.

Three-Year Patient-Reported Outcomes From Bimekizumab for Plaque Psoriasis: The BE RADIANT Randomized Clinical Trial With Open-Label Extension

In a phase 3b randomized clinical trial with open-label extension, bimekizumab demonstrated rapid and sustained improvement in patient-reported outcomes and clinical measures for individuals with moderate to severe PlaquePsoriasis.

By week 4 and through 3 years, a majority of patients reported no itching, skin pain, or scaling, and achieved Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) scores reflecting minimal or no impact on daily life.

Patients switching from secukinumab to bimekizumab at 1 year experienced improvements in perceived symptoms and quality of life comparable to those continuously treated with bimekizumab.

This randomized clinical trial with an open-label extension assesses patient-reported and clinical outcomes among patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis treated with bimekizumab.

Apr 25
2026

Application of the Theory of Constraints to Radiology

Radiology throughput isn’t about doing more; it’s about fixing the bottleneck. Apply the Theory of Constraints to the imaging workflow to identify true rate-limiters and target high-impact process improvements in a resource-strained environment.

Applying the theory of constraints to the radiology workflow allows identification of constraints for more targeted and higher-yield process improvement projects to increase system throughput.

Apr 25
2026

Clinical Utility of Deep Learning–based Multiple Arterial Phase MRI in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) diagnosis relies heavily on well‑timed arterial phase MRI, yet single arterial phase scans often miss the optimal late arterial phase, especially with hepatobiliary contrast agents that are prone to motion artifacts and narrow timing windows. These limitations can compromise image quality and reduce detection of key features such as arterial phase hyperenhancement.

In a study recently published in Radiology: Imaging Cancer, researchers led by Kai Liu, BS, Zhongshan Hospital at Fudan University in Shanghai, compared conventional single phase imaging with an ultrafast, deep learning-based multiphase MRI technique, which can rapidly acquire six high-resolution arterial phases in a single breath hold.

In a cohort of 236 participants, the deep learning–based multiphase MRI technique markedly improved late arterial capture, boosted overall image quality and enhanced detection of lesions and HCC for both extracellular and hepatobiliary agents. The method achieved a late arterial capture rate of 98% (vs. 81% to 85% with single phase imaging) and showed strong performance in identifying small tumors.

“These findings support the potential of deep learning-based multiphase arterial MRI to streamline HCC diagnosis,” the authors conclude.

Read the full article, “Clinical Utility of Deep Learning–based Multiple Arterial Phase MRI in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.”

Apr 25
2026

Microfluidic device tracks cell ‘squishiness’ faster and more reliably than standard methods

Researchers from Brown University and their collaborators have developed a new way to measure the properties of cells—an important development, they say, because accurate measurements of changes in cell elasticity can be used to better understand diseases, diagnose patient symptoms and provide more accurate prognoses.

For example, cancer cells from tumors typically soften as they become more dangerous and likely to spread, while blood diseases like malaria and sickle cell can cause red blood cells to stiffen. Mechanical changes on a cellular level are also seen in neurodegenerative, cardiovascular and chronic inflammatory illnesses.

As detailed in a study in the journal Lab on a Chip, the researchers developed what they call a “mechanophenotyping cytometer”—a microfluidic device designed to measure a cell’s physical size and squishiness, known as its mechanical phenotype.