Help Joao Pedro Magalhaes raise money to support University of Birmingham
Get the latest international news and world events from around the world.
Overcoming ovarian cancer’s resistance to immunotherapy
Cells in our immune system are best known for providing security against external invaders such as bacteria and viruses. These immune cells also guard against internal threats, including cancerous tumors. Different forms of cancer cells and tumors have their own tricks for avoiding detection by the body’s security system altogether or otherwise sabotaging any attempts to muster an immune response. In the case of the most common and difficult-to-treat form of ovarian cancer, this ability to suppress the immune system also makes the cancer resistant to treatments known as immunotherapies that seek to supercharge immune cells.
“Even if you boost the capability of immune cells, a treatment will have limited success if the cells struggle to recognize and react to the tumor,” said David Schlaepfer, Ph.D., a professor in the department of OBGYN and Reproductive Sciences at the University of California San Diego Moores Cancer Center.
Alibaba’s Qwen 3
QWEN 3.5 running on iPhone Pro in airplane mode. Full large language model running onan edge device with no network connectivity.
5 is now running fully on device on an iPhone 17 Pro, and that’s a big deal.
Despite its compact size, Qwen 3.5 reportedly outperforms models up to four times larger. It shows strong multimodal capability, meaning it can interpret and reason over images as well as text. It also includes a reasoning toggle, letting users switch between faster responses and deeper step by step thinking depending on the task.
The demo uses a 2B parameter model quantized to 6 bit precision, optimized with MLX for Apple Silicon. That combination allows advanced AI to run locally, without relying on cloud servers.
If this scales, it signals a shift toward powerful, private, on device AI that doesn’t need a data center to compete.
Cannabis Extracts Significantly Reduce Myofascial Pain
“These findings indicate the clinical potential of cannabinoids as a promising therapeutic alternative for managing TMD…” [ https://www.labroots.com/trending/cannabis-sciences/30277/ca…ial-pain-2](https://www.labroots.com/trending/cannabis-sciences/30277/ca…ial-pain-2)
Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD) consists of a myriad of conditions causing jaw pain and dysfunction and the muscles controlling jaw movement. One type of pain is myofascial pain, which is associated with deep, aching muscle pain around the jaw, often resulting in later neck and shoulder pain. Traditional treatments include self-care like eating soft foods and over-the-counter anti-inflammatories. But how can Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD) be used to relieve myofascial pain in patients suffering from TMD?
Now, a team of researchers from Brazil might be one step closer to better understanding the role of cannabis in treating myofascial pain. For their study, which was recently published in the journal Clinics, the team investigated how a combination of THC and CBD drug therapy could be used to not only decrease myofascial pain while also enabling TMD patients to regain jaw function. Over a 90-day period, 20 adults suffering from myofascial pain due to TMD were given gradual increases of THC and CBD starting from 2mg and eventually 10mg near the end of the trial.
The goal of the study was to ascertain the role of THC and CBD on treating myofascial pain and improving jaw movement and function. In the end, the researchers found that not only did the participants report an approximate 90 percent reduction in pain, but they were able to open their jaws approximately 4 mm wider than before the THC/CBD treatment.
Chimps’ love for crystals could help us understand our own ancestors’ fascination with these stones
Crystals have repeatedly been found at archaeological sites alongside Homo remains. Evidence shows that hominins have been collecting these stones for as long as 780,000 years. Yet, we know that our ancestors did not use them as weapons, tools, or even jewelry. So why did they collect them at all?
Now, in a new study appearing in Frontiers in Psychology, scientists in Spain have investigated which characteristics of crystals may have made them so fascinating to our ancestors. They designed experiments with chimpanzees—one of the two great ape species most closely related to modern humans—to identify the physical properties of crystals that may have attracted early hominins.
“We show that enculturated chimpanzees can distinguish crystals from other stones,” said lead author Prof. Juan Manuel García-Ruiz, an Ikerbasque Research Professor of crystallography at the Donostia International Physics Center in San Sebastián. “We were pleasantly surprised by how strong and seemingly natural the chimpanzees’ attraction to crystals was. This suggests that sensitivity to such objects may have deep evolutionary roots.”
Ancient Greece’s most famous oracle was just high on gas fumes
For centuries, people traveled to Delphi in southern Greece hoping for a glimpse of their future. There, at the temple of the god Apollo, a priestess was said to enter a trance and issue prophecies in the voice of Apollo himself. Everyday people, kings, even Alexander the Great traveled for miles to hear the priestess’s input on important decisions, from personal finance to matters of state.
Known as the Pythia or the Oracle of Delphi, the priestess wasn’t believed to be a psychic. Ancient writers like Plutarch, who served as a priest at Delphi in the first and second centuries, described her as a vessel for a power that came from the Earth.
According to Plutarch’s account, the temple of Delphi was constructed around a natural spring, where the water and fissures in the rock produced a sweet-smelling gas called pneuma. On designated days a few times per year, the chosen priestess sat amidst the pneuma on a tripod stool and inhaled enough to enter her trance. This was an exhausting ordeal for the woman. She might cry out, become hysterical, or collapse.
CERN tests quantum microwire detectors for next-generation colliders
Fermilab and CERN unveil upgraded quantum sensors to enhance particle detection for future collider experiments.
Beyond amyloid plaques: AI reveals hidden chemical changes across the Alzheimer’s brain
Scientists at Rice University have produced the first full, dye-free molecular atlas of an Alzheimer’s brain. By combining laser-based imaging with machine learning, they uncovered chemical changes that spread unevenly across the brain and extend beyond amyloid plaques. Key memory regions showed major shifts in cholesterol and energy-related molecules. The findings hint that Alzheimer’s is a whole-brain metabolic disruption—not just a protein problem.