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Role of tumor microenvironment in nasopharyngeal carcinoma progression uncovered

A study led by clinician-scientists and researchers at the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) has found that the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) plays a critical role in the progression of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) commonly known as nose cancer. These insights are paving the way for precision oncology approaches, some of which are currently used in clinical trials at NCCS. The findings are published in Cell Reports Medicine.

NPC is a type of head and that originates in the nasopharynx—the passageway behind the nose. It is prevalent in Southeast Asia, Southern China and North Africa and occurs more frequently in men. In Singapore, NPC is the 10th leading cause of cancer death in men and is the third most common cancer in men aged 30 to 49.

Due to the anatomy of the nasopharynx, NPC often spreads insidiously and is typically diagnosed at a locoregionally advanced stage, where cancer has spread within the head but not to distant parts of the body.

Researchers launch open-source robotic exoskeleton to help people walk

Imagine a future in which people with disabilities can walk on their own, thanks to robotic legs. A new project from Northern Arizona University is accelerating that future with an open-source robotic exoskeleton.

Right now, developing these complex electromechanical systems is expensive and time-consuming, which likely stops a lot of research before it ever starts. But that may soon change: Years of research from NAU associate professor Zach Lerner’s Biomechatronics Lab has led to the first comprehensive open-source exoskeleton framework, made freely available to anyone worldwide. It will help overcome several huge obstacles for potential exoskeleton developers and researchers.

An effective exoskeleton must be biomechanically beneficial to the person wearing it, which means that developing them requires extensive trial, error and adaptation to specific use cases.

Robots are transforming warehouse automation and ending back-breaking truck loading

The last stronghold of human labor in warehouses – the grueling job of loading and unloading trucks – is rapidly giving way to a new generation of intelligent robots. For decades, logistics companies have struggled to automate this physically demanding and injury-prone work, which often leaves workers battered by heavy lifting and extreme temperatures. Now, breakthroughs in robotics, artificial intelligence, and sensor technology are transforming how goods move in and out of trailers, promising not only greater efficiency but also a fundamental shift in warehouse operations.

At the heart of this revolution is a suite of sophisticated machines from companies like Ambi Robotics, Boston Dynamics, Dexterity AI, and Fox Robotics. Each brings a distinct technical approach to the challenge, as described by The Wall Street Journal.

Ambi Robotics, for example, has developed AmbiStack, a robotic system designed to automate the complex process of stacking items onto pallets or into containers. AmbiStack employs a four-axis gantry robot equipped with advanced cameras and machine vision powered by AI foundation models. This system can analyze, track, and pick each item from a conveyor, performing real-time quality control checks.

Living Planet Symposium opens in Vienna

ESA’s Living Planet Symposium, one of the world’s leading Earth observation conferences, opened today in Vienna.

More than 6,500 participants from almost 120 countries signed up to attend the event. With more than 4,200 scientific presentations and posters, the symposium provides a forum and meeting point for scientists, academics and space industry representatives, as well as students and citizens.

The event takes place every three years and this year the focus is ‘from observation to climate action and sustainability for Earth’

Scientists develop new technique for capturing ultra-intense laser pulses in a single shot

Scientists at the University of Oxford have unveiled a pioneering method for capturing the full structure of ultra-intense laser pulses in a single measurement. The breakthrough, published in close collaboration with Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich and the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics, could revolutionize our ability to control light-matter interactions.

This would have transformative applications in many areas, including research into new forms of physics and realizing the extreme intensities required for fusion energy research. The results have been published in Nature Photonics.

Ultra-intense lasers can accelerate electrons to near-light speeds within a single oscillation (or ‘wave cycle’) of the , making them a powerful tool for studying extreme physics. However, their rapid fluctuations and complex structure make real-time measurements of their properties challenging.

New passivation strategy improves scalability and efficiency of perovskite solar cells

Solar cells, devices that can convert sunlight into electrical energy, are becoming increasingly widespread, with many households and industries worldwide now relying on them as a source of electricity. While crystalline silicon-based photovoltaics and other widely available solar cells perform relatively well, manufacturing them can be expensive, and they do not perform well in low-light or other unfavorable conditions.

UChicago scientists invent breakthrough device to detect airborne signs of disease

If you’ve ever sat waiting at the doctor’s office to give a blood sample, you might have wished there was a way to find the same information without needles.

But for all the medical breakthroughs of the 20th century, the best way to detect molecules has remained through liquids, such as blood. New research from the University of Chicago, however, could someday put a pause on pinpricks. A group of scientists announced they have created a small, portable device that can collect and detect airborne molecules—a breakthrough that holds promise for many areas of medicine and public health.

The researchers envision the device, nicknamed ABLE, could detect airborne viruses or bacteria in hospital or public spaces, improve neonatal care or allow people with diabetes to read glucose levels from their breath. The entire device is just four by eight inches across.

Portable tech captures molecules in breath to aid medical care from diabetes to at-risk newborn development.