Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
Toggle light / dark theme

Blog – Page 7

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

Log in for authorized contributors

Debilitating tropical virus can spread in cool weather, posing a greater health risk than previously thought

Chikungunya virus, a debilitating tropical disease caused by infected mosquito bites, poses a greater health threat in Europe than previously thought because it can be spread when air temperatures are as low as 13°C. Researchers at the UK Center for Ecology & Hydrology investigated the ability of the Asian tiger mosquito to spread the virus, which is rarely fatal but can cause long-term chronic joint pain.

They drew up a map showing the extent of the risk of chikungunya for 10 km-square areas across Europe including the U.K. The risk map shows the threat of virus transmission may last several months of the year in warmer parts of the continent where the tiger mosquito is already established. The research is published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface.

There were record numbers of local outbreaks of chikungunya in France and Italy in 2025, and the tiger mosquito has also been responsible for increasing numbers of cases of dengue fever in these countries in recent years. This mosquito species is only occasionally detected in south-east England and is not yet established, so the current risk of local transmission in the U.K. remains very low.

Personalization features can make LLMs more agreeable, potentially creating a virtual echo chamber

Many of the latest large language models (LLMs) are designed to remember details from past conversations or store user profiles, enabling these models to personalize responses. But researchers from MIT and Penn State University found that, over long conversations, such personalization features often increase the likelihood an LLM will become overly agreeable or begin mirroring the individual’s point of view.

This phenomenon, known as sycophancy, can prevent a model from telling a user they are wrong, eroding the accuracy of the LLM’s responses. In addition, LLMs that mirror someone’s political beliefs or worldview can foster misinformation and distort a user’s perception of reality.

Unlike many past sycophancy studies that evaluate prompts in a lab setting without context, the MIT researchers collected two weeks of conversation data from humans who interacted with a real LLM during their daily lives. They studied two settings: agreeableness in personal advice and mirroring of user beliefs in political explanations.

The enigma of reflex eating epilepsy: A cohort study of 50 patients with insights from multimodal evaluation

“EE is a disabling form of reflex epilepsy with heterogeneous clinical, EEG and neuroimaging features, which are not necessarily substrate-specific. Findings from our study point to the presence of a wide epileptogenic network prominently involving perisylvian regions. Treatment outcomes in drug-refractory EE remain suboptimal, and further studies are needed for a better understanding and management of this complex entity.”

Read this original article from Epileptic Disorders at doi.org/10.1002/epd2.70132.

Objectives To evaluate the clinical, electroencephalographic (EEG), neuroimaging characteristics, and treatment outcomes of patients diagnosed with eating epilepsy (EE). Methods This retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary care epilepsy referral center in India. Patients diagnosed with EE between 2002 and 2025, with at least one EEG and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) available for review, were consecutively included. Clinical data and multimodal evaluation findings including video EEG, brain MRI, positron emission tomography-MRI (PET-MRI), and magnetoencephalography (MEG) were systematically collected using a structured proforma. Seizure outcomes and treatment strategies were subsequently analyzed.

Ancient mind-body practice proven to lower blood pressure in clinical trial

A traditional Chinese mind-body practice that combines slow, structured movement, deep breathing and meditative focus lowered blood pressure as effectively as brisk walking in a large randomized clinical trial published in JACC. Blood pressure reductions were seen after three months and sustained for one year.

High blood pressure is one of the leading preventable risk factors for heart disease. Clinical guidelines recommend regular physical activity, yet long-term adherence to exercise programs is challenging for many people, particularly when routines require equipment, dedicated space, gym memberships or ongoing supervision.

Baduanjin is a widely practiced, standardized eight-movement sequence that integrates aerobic, isometric, flexibility and mind–body components. Practiced for centuries and commonly performed in community settings across China, the routine typically takes 10–15 minutes and requires no equipment and only minimal initial instruction, allowing it to be performed in a wide range of settings. Because it is low-to moderate-intensity, it is considered safe and accessible for many adults.

Identifying the Axillary Substructure at Risk for Lymphedema in Operable Patients With Breast Cancer Receiving Regional Nodal Irradiation

New in practicalRO.

Axillary substructures may contribute to the development of breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL). This study aimed to compare dose-volume parameters of various substructures to identify high-risk regions associated with BCRL and to evaluate the clinical applicability of these findings.

Mapping protein production in brain cells yields new insights for brain disease

The brain’s ability to do everything from forming memories to coordinating movement relies on its cells producing the right proteins at the right time. But directly measuring this protein production, known as translation, across different types of brain cells has been a challenge.

Now, scientists at University of California School of Medicine, Scripps Research and their colleagues have developed a technology that reveals which proteins are generated by individual brain cells. The team used their method—called Ribo-STAMP—to create the first maps of protein production across nearly 20,000 individual cells in the mouse hippocampus, a brain region essential for learning and memory.

The study was published in Nature.

Lipid droplet-induced T cell death sustains autoimmune tissue inflammation

Kumar et al. identify a metabolically controlled trait of CD4+ T cells in autoimmune disease. Exposed to fatty acids in rheumatoid joints, they form lipid droplets containing pore-forming gasdermin D and its activator zDHHC5. These droplets induce plasma membrane lysis, resulting in the leakage of intracellular contents and tissue inflammation.

Record-breaking photons at telecom wavelengths

A team of researchers from the University of Stuttgart and the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg led by Prof. Stefanie Barz (University of Stuttgart) has demonstrated a source of single photons that combines on-demand operation with record-high photon quality in the telecommunications C-band—a key step toward scalable photonic quantum computation and quantum communication. “The lack of a high-quality on-demand C-band photon source has been a major problem in quantum optics laboratories for over a decade—our new technology now removes this obstacle,” says Prof. Stefanie Barz.

The key: Identical photons on demand In everyday life, distinguishing features may often be desirable. Few want to be exactly like everyone else. When it comes to quantum technologies, however, complete indistinguishability is the name of the game. Quantum particles such as photons that are identical in all their properties can interfere with each other—much as in noise-canceling headphones, where sound waves that are precisely inverted copies of the incoming noise cancel out the background.

When identical photons are made to act in synchrony, then the probability that certain measurement outcomes occur can be either boosted or decreased. Such quantum effects give rise to powerful new phenomena that lie at the heart of emerging technologies such as quantum computing and quantum networking. For these technologies to become feasible, high-quality interference between photons is essential.

Gut-derived metabolite hippuric acid ‘turns up’ immune inflammation, study finds

Scientists at The Wistar Institute have identified a previously overlooked mediator in the body’s response to life-threatening infections: hippuric acid, a metabolite produced when gut bacteria break down polyphenols from berries, tea, and other plant-based foods. The research reveals that this molecule acts as an immune-system amplifier, boosting the body’s inflammatory defenses during early infection but elevating them to deadly levels when infections progress to sepsis.

Published in Cell Reports, the study demonstrates that elevated hippuric acid levels correlate with increased mortality in sepsis patients, while also uncovering the molecular mechanisms by which this metabolite modifies immune responses. The findings could lead to new approaches for managing severe infections and, potentially, for treating pancreatic cancer.

“Hippuric acid is a metabolite that has historically been seen as a benign byproduct of metabolism and is therefore understudied,” said Rahul S. Shinde, D.V.M., Ph.D., assistant professor in the Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program at the Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center at The Wistar Institute and senior author of the study. “This paper identifies that it’s not just a passive byproduct. It has bioactive potential to influence the immune system.”

The Hume Band Might Be the Smartest Wearable for Stress + Recovery Yet

The Hume Band is quickly becoming one of the most interesting smart wearables in the longevity and performance space.

It tracks stress using HRV and other physiological signals distinguishing between productive stress (like training) and chronic stress (like anxiety). On top of that, it monitors the full suite of vitals: heart rate, SpO₂, respiratory rate, skin temperature, strain, and recovery.

The best part? It actually makes the data usable, instead of overwhelming.

If you want to try the Hume Band, use my link to save money and support the channel.

SAVE 20% on HUME BAND with this link and USE CODE: LSN20 https://humehealth.com/pages/hume-band?bg_ref=o89scHYZhn&utm…o89scHYZhn

/* */