Blocking the kinase BRAF reduces nociceptive transmission in spinal cord after injury.
Get the latest international news and world events from around the world.
How much the immune system sees may shape how well we fight infections
Why does the same infection cause only mild symptoms in one person but more serious disease in another? A new study led by the HUN-REN BRC Szeged Momentum Systems Immunology Research Group, together with several international collaborators, suggests that part of the answer lies in how broadly the immune system can present fragments of pathogens to its own immune cells.
Defense against infections does not begin with the immune system attacking the pathogen. The immune system first has to recognize what it is facing. At the center of this recognition process are HLA class II molecules. These molecules present small protein fragments, called peptides, to immune cells. This step is essential for activating helper T cells, which in turn support B cells in producing targeted antibodies.
However, not all HLA-II molecules present the same range of peptides. These molecules have exceptional genetic variability. Consequently, it is likely that two individuals carry different variants. Some variants can bind and present a broad diversity of pathogen-derived peptides, while others are more selective. This property is known as HLA-II peptide-binding promiscuity, or more simply, peptide-binding diversity.
Reverse the progression of Alzheimer’s disease through NanoERASERbased adult neuroregeneration
Neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease outpaces the brain’s ability to regenerate neurons. Wang et al. develop a Nano-ERASER platform that delivers anti-PTBP1 antibodies into astrocytes, enabling proteasome-mediated PTBP1 degradation and activating neuronal reprogramming. This nanotechnology-based Trim-Away system induces functional neurogenesis in vitro, in human brain organoids, and in AD mouse brains, thereby improving learning and memory. The study introduces a regenerative therapeutic paradigm in which biomaterials and endogenous glia collaborate to rebuild neural circuits in Alzheimer’s disease.
Columbia engineers built a pigmentfree polymer coating filled with microscopic air pores; under Arizona desert sun, the coated surface stayed about 6°C below ambient air
As temperatures rise during hot weather, keeping buildings and other structures cool can require large amounts of energy. Air conditioners are a common way to deal with the heat, but they consume electricity and need access to cooling systems and, in some cases, coolants that can affect the environment.
ABB And NVIDIA’s 99% SimtoReal Accuracy Claim: What The Number Leaves Out
ABB and NVIDIA are embedding Omniverse simulation libraries into RobotStudio under the name HyperReality, claiming up to 99% sim-to-real accuracy, 80% faster setup, 40% lower costs, and 50% faster time-to-market. Foxconn is piloting the system for consumer electronics assembly. The number is real and independently attributable, but it describes one company’s controlled pilot, not a guarantee that transfers to messier industrial environments.
Sim-to-real accuracy just got its most specific headline number yet, and the company behind it has a real customer already running it. ABB is integrating NVIDIA’s Omniverse simulation libraries into its RobotStudio platform under the name HyperReality, targeting sim-to-real accuracy of up to 99%, according to a March 2026 report on the partnership. The companies also claim setup and commissioning time can drop by up to 80%, costs by up to 40%, and time-to-market by 50%, with a full release planned for the second half of 2026.
Unlike many simulation vendor claims that cite no production deployment, this one has a specific, named early adopter. Foxconn is already piloting HyperReality for consumer electronics assembly, training its robots on synthetic data across multiple production scenarios before deploying them to real lines, according to the same report. Foxconn’s Chief Digital Officer, Dr. Zhe Shi, said the level of accuracy and fidelity now possible in simulation and digital twins wasn’t achievable before this collaboration. That’s a meaningfully different evidentiary standard than an unverified sim-to-real accuracy claim sitting in a press release with no customer attached.
Deep brain stimulation shows potential to improve communication after traumatic brain injury
Deep brain stimulation, or DBS, may help improve speech and swallowing problems caused by traumatic brain injury (TBI), according to a new University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine study published in Nature Communications.
The proof-of-concept study found that low-frequency electrical stimulation of the motor thalamus, a deep brain region connected to the motor cortex, improved control of facial and tongue muscles involved in speaking and swallowing. The findings suggest that DBS may be able to strengthen remaining communication pathways between the brain and muscles after TBI, with the potential to improve and partially restore a person’s ability to communicate verbally.
The study, led by Elvira Pirondini, Ph.D., assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Pitt’s Rehab Neural Engineering Laboratory, and Jorge A. Gonzalez-Martinez, M.D., Ph.D., professor of neurological surgery at Pitt, builds on the group’s previous work using neuromodulation to improve arm and hand movement after brain injury.