How would this work? The Sun blasts out radiation all the time. Radiation that strikes a large, shiny, sail-like structure would push on it, much as the wind pushes on a sailboat. Although the push would be very gentle, it would be constant. Over time, the spacecraft would be going very, very fast, using no fuel at all!
You may have heard of the “solar wind.” Solar wind is made of particles blasted out from the Sun. Solar sails do not “catch the solar wind.” Instead, solar sails use the force of the light itself. This force is much stronger than the force from the solar wind.
Dr. Trevor Martin, Ph.D. — Co-Founder & CEO, Mammoth Biosciences
Most of us think of medicine as something we take every day — a statin, a blood pressure pill, or perhaps a monthly injection. But what if those lifelong treatments eventually become obsolete? What if one carefully targeted gene edit could dramatically reduce your risk of heart disease for decades?
Dr. Trevor Martin, Ph.D. is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Mammoth Biosciences (https://mammoth.bio/), a pioneering biotechnology company developing next-generation CRISPR genome editing technologies for potentially curative medicines. He co-founded the company in 2017 alongside Nobel Prize-winning CRISPR pioneer Dr. Jennifer Doudna and an interdisciplinary team of leading scientists with the goal of building more precise, versatile, and clinically practical gene editing systems.
Dr. Martin earned his undergraduate degree in Molecular Biology with honors from Princeton University before completing a Ph.D. in Genetics and Statistics at Stanford University, where his research focused on quantitative genetics, genomics, and computational biology. His scientific background in statistics and genetics has shaped Mammoth’s unique approach to developing smaller CRISPR enzymes capable of reaching tissues and diseases that have been difficult to target with first-generation technologies.
Under Dr. Martin’s leadership, Mammoth has grown into one of the world’s leading CRISPR companies, raising more than $465 million, achieving a valuation exceeding $1 billion, and establishing strategic collaborations with companies including Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Bayer, and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.
Dr. Jessica Dymond, Ph.D. — Vice President of Technology, In-Q-Tel.
The same technologies that could transform medicine, agriculture, and manufacturing could also reshape global security. Understanding the future of biotechnology requires scientists who can bridge discovery, engineering, and responsibility.
Today on Progress, Potential, and Possibilities, we’re joined by a true pioneer at the nexus of biotechnology and national security. Dr. Jessica Dymond, Ph.D is the Vice President of Technology at In-Q-Tel (https://www.iqt.org/), a not-for-profit venture fund that invests in companies advancing the strategic priorities of U.S. Intelligence Community, where she provides technical and strategic leadership to accelerate emerging biotechnologies that address some of the most critical challenges to national and global security.
Before In-Q-Tel, Dr. Dymond served as Chief Scientist for Physical and Life Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, where she led an interdisciplinary portfolio spanning biological sensing, genomic surveillance, microbiome engineering, and synthetic biology. She founded the Lab’s Biological Sciences group and spearheaded initiatives to anticipate, assess, and mitigate emerging biological threats while strengthening global health security.
Formally trained as a synthetic biologist, Dr. Dymond earned her Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, completed a postdoctoral fellowship in functional genomics at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and has contributed to groundbreaking research, including the design of synthetic yeast genomes and combinatorial genomic diversity. She also serves on the editorial board of Synthetic Biology from Oxford University Press.
The imaging team of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover has taken advantage of clear skies on the red planet to capture one of the sharpest panoramas of its mission so far. Visible in the mosaic, which was stitched together from 96 images taken at a location the science team calls “Falbreen,” are a rock that appears to lie on top of a sand ripple, a boundary line between two geologic units, and hills as distant as 40 miles (65 kilometers) away. The enhanced-color version shows the Martian sky to be remarkably clear and deceptively blue, while in the natural-color version, it’s reddish.
“Our bold push for human space exploration will send astronauts back to the moon,” said Sean Duffy, acting NASA administrator. “Stunning vistas like that of Falbreen, captured by our Perseverance rover, are just a glimpse of what we’ll soon witness with our own eyes. NASA’s groundbreaking missions, starting with Artemis, will propel our unstoppable journey to take human space exploration to the Martian surface. NASA is continuing to get bolder and stronger.”
The rover’s Mastcam-Z instrument captured the images on May 26, 2025, the 1,516th Martian day, or sol, of Perseverance’s mission, which began in February 2021 on the floor of Jezero Crater. Perseverance reached the top of the crater rim late last year.
New Northwestern Medicine research published in Nature Communications suggests that a metabolite produced by gut bacteria when they digest dietary fiber can leave a lasting molecular imprint on intestinal cells, promoting immune tolerance and protecting against inflammatory bowel disease-like conditions long after exposure ends.
Yingzi Cong, Ph.D., the Stanley Gradowski Professor of Gastroenterology and a professor of Microbiology-Immunology and Pathology, was the senior and co-corresponding author of the study.
Marcus’ legacy lives on, and his philanthropic foundation now nods to one of his original passions: medicine.
https://marcusfoundation.org/” href=“https://marcusfoundation.org/”>The Marcus Foundation, established in 1989 by Bernie and his wife, Billi, donated $28.7 million to Dr. Chuck Murry, director of the University of Southern California’s Stem Cell Center, to advance clinical trials of stem cell-based therapies to regenerate damaged tissue after a heart attack.
“Murry and his team have advanced gene-edited cellular therapy to the point that the time is right to support cells as living medicine in this new form of treatment,” Jonathan Simons, chief science officer of The Marcus Foundation, said in a statement.
Jaw-dropping patient videos and miraculous testimonials ignited a frenzy in China over a technique that aims to improve drainage from the brain. Now it is entering trials worldwide.
Machine Party, a recently released collection of brutal party games from developers GDeavid and Mike Klubnika, the creator of Buckshot Roulette and s.p.l.i.t., received an update, with version 2.0 introducing couch co-op.
The developers also announced that the game has sold over 1 million copies, thanking the community for their support.
Machine Party can now be played on a TV, allowing players to gather with controllers and enjoy the game together on the big screen. To access couch co-op, players need to connect up to four controllers, navigate to Local in the menu, and select either Original, Custom, or Arcade; once in the lobby screen, users can press any button on one of the controllers to join. The developers noted that one player can also use keyboard and mouse, so for a group of four, only three controllers would be needed.
