A first-of-its-kind smart sensor developed at Berkeley Lab performs AI tricks to identify targets while it captures spectral images
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Resident Evil 4 PC: Is New DRM Impacting Game Performance?
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Bennu asteroid reveals new origins for life’s amino acids
“Our results flip the script on how we have typically thought amino acids formed in asteroids,” said Dr. Allison Baczynski.
Did the ingredients for life as we know it exist in the early solar system? This is what a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences hopes to address as a team of researchers investigated new evidence for how amino acids, the known building blocks of life, ended up in the asteroid Bennu, which is estimated to have formed during the early days of the solar system billions of years ago. This study has the potential to help scientists better understand the early solar system, how life might have formed on Earth, and potentially elsewhere.
For the study, the researchers analyzed samples of asteroid Bennu that were retrieved and returned to Earth by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission in September 2023. The goal of the study was to ascertain the origins of the amino acids that had previously been identified in Bennu samples, which could help scientists gain insights into the origins of life in the early solar system. To accomplish this, the researchers used novel methods for measuring the amount of amino acids while comparing these findings to the carbonaceous meteorite Murchison.
In the end, the researchers discovered that glycine, one of the simplest amino acid molecules, with Bennu was formed in early ices in the early solar system while the glycine found in Murchison was formed in a protoplanetary body, which formed later in the history of the solar system. Additionally, the researchers found that certain aspects of the protein-building amino acid, glutamic acid, found in the Bennu samples, experienced significant changes during its formation and evolution.
Why Earth-like worlds might be rare
Dr. Craig Walton: “This makes searching for life on other planets a lot more specific. We should look for solar systems with stars that resemble our own Sun.”
How common are Earth-like worlds beyond our solar system? This is what a recent study published in Nature Astronomy hopes to address as an international team of scientists unveiled new evidence that Earth-like worlds might be rarer than previously thought. This study has the potential to help scientists better understand the formation and evolution of Earth-like worlds and what this could mean for finding life beyond Earth.
For the study, the researchers used a series of computer models to simulate the formation of the interiors of potential Earth-like worlds, specifically focusing on planetary interior formation. This is because the researchers note how nitrogen and phosphorus are essential for the formation of habitable worlds, and the planetary mantle, the layer just beneath the planetary crust, is where they are formed and exist.
In the end, the researchers found that the right amount of oxygen needs to be present within the mantle for nitrogen and phosphorus to form. They note while Earth has these conditions, worlds with less oxygen in their mantle could limit the ability of nitrogen and phosphorus to form, resulting in non-habitable worlds.
Engineering chimeric antigen receptor CD4 T cells for Alzheimer’s disease
Recent advancements in immunotherapy have led to the first successful application of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy in treating neurodegenerative diseases, specifically Alzheimer’s disease. In a study conducted by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and the Weizmann Institute of Science, T-cells were genetically engineered to recognize and target toxic beta-amyloid plaques. When tested on mouse models, three injections of these modified cells resulted in a significant reduction of protein aggregates within just ten days of the final administration. Beyond plaque clearance, the treatment successfully mitigated neuroinflammation, as evidenced by decreased microglial and astrocytic activity. These findings demonstrate the potential of CAR-T technology to rapidly clear pathological protein deposits and restore nervous tissue function, offering a promising new frontier for the treatment of Alzheimer’s and other proteinopathies.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the prevailing cause of age-associated dementia worldwide. Current standard of care relies on antibody-based immunotherapy. However, antibody-based approaches carry risks for patients, and their effects on cognition are marginal. Increasing evidence suggests that T cells contribute to AD onset and progression. Unlike the cytotoxic effects of CD8+ cells, CD4+ T cells capable of regulating inflammation show promise in reducing pathology and improving cognitive outcomes in mouse models of AD and in aging. Here, we sought to exploit the beneficial properties of CD4+ T cells while circumventing the need for TCR and peptide-MHC antigen discovery, thereby providing a potential universal therapeutic approach. To achieve this, we engineered CD4+ T cells with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) targeting fibrillar forms of aggregated amyloid-β. Our findings demonstrate that optimized CAR-T cells can alter amyloid deposition in the dura and reduce parenchymal pathology in the brain. Furthermore, we observed that CAR-T treatment promotes the expansion and recruitment of endogenous CD4+ T cells into the brain parenchyma and leptomeninges. In summary, we established the feasibility of amyloid plaque-specific CAR-T cells as a potential therapeutic avenue for AD. These findings highlight the potential of CD4+ CAR-T therapy not only to modify amyloid pathology but also to reshape the immune landscape of the CNS, paving the way for future development of cellular immunotherapies for neurodegenerative disease.
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; CAR T cells; T cell; chimeric antigen receptors; neurodegeneration.
New laser “comb” can enable rapid identification of chemicals with extreme precision
Researchers demonstrated a broadband infrared frequency comb that can operate stably, efficiently, and accurately without the need for bulky external components. The device could be utilized in a remote sensor or portable mass spectrometer that can track and monitor multiple chemicals in real-time for extended periods.
A giant tortoise, extinct for over a century, has reappeared alive after several failed expeditions, reviving a historic plan to save the species, a symbol of evolution
Genetic sleuthing has now confirmed that she belongs to the Fernandina Island Galápagos giant tortoise, Chelonoidis phantasticus, a lineage thought lost since a lone male was collected in 1906.
Only two individuals of this lineage have ever been found, the museum specimen from the early twentieth century and Fernanda. To make sure she was not a stray tortoise washed in from another island, researchers sequenced her entire genome and compared it with DNA extracted from the century-old male and from all other living Galápagos tortoise species.
The analyses showed that Fernanda and the museum male form their own distinct branch, separate from the rest of the archipelago’s giants.
Chinese Researchers Clear Hurdles For Long-Distance Quantum Networks
A Chinese research team has reported a pair of advances that could remove two of the biggest technical barriers to building large-scale quantum communication networks, including the generation of ultra-secure encryption keys over 11 kilometers of optical fiber and the validation of the approach at distances up to 100 kilometers, according to China Daily, a state-associated news service.
Researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China said they have demonstrated, for the first time, a scalable core component of a quantum repeater — a long-sought technology needed to extend quantum communication across long distances — while also setting new records for ultra-secure quantum key distribution over fiber networks.
The findings were published in Nature and Science, underscoring their significance within the international research community. Noted Chinese physicist Pan Jianwei led the work.
