Almost 1,000 species of marine animals are impacted by ocean pollution. Read over 100 of the latest facts and statistics for 2025 here.
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Research brings hope for new treatments for spinal muscular atrophy, autism
Ancient bacteria that have evolved to become integral to our cells—converting nutrients from food into energy—may also contribute to neurologic disorders, such as spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and autism, according to research in the lab of Yongchao Ma, Ph.D., from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.
Called mitochondria, these mysterious parts of the cell have even retained their own DNA. Traditionally they are known as the “powerhouse of the cell.”
In recent years, however, mitochondria have been recognized as regulating many functions, including gene expression and how cells communicate. Dr. Ma’s research focuses on how dysregulation by mitochondria may lead to motor neuron degeneration in SMA or improper neuron connections in autism.
Scientists advance efforts to create ‘virtual cell lab’ as testing ground for future research with live cells
Using mathematical analysis of patterns of human and animal cell behavior, scientists say they have developed a computer program that mimics the behavior of such cells in any part of the body. Led by investigators at Indiana University, Johns Hopkins Medicine, the University of Maryland School of Medicine and Oregon Health & Science University, the new work was designed to advance ways of testing and predicting biological processes, drug responses and other cell dynamics before undertaking more costly experiments with live cells.
With further work on the program, the researchers say it could eventually serve as a “digital twin” for testing any drug’s effect on cancer or other conditions, gene environment interactions during brain development, or any number of dynamic cellular molecular processes in people where such studies are not possible.
The new study and examples of cell simulations are described online July 25 in the journal Cell.
Cryonics in Space, Cryostasis Repair Science & Revival Ethics
Cryonics in space, cryostasis repair science, and revival ethics and planning are converging in 2025 to shape a bold new vision for life extension and post-biological freedom.
Join us Thursday, July 31 at 6 PM EST for a virtual service featuring two of cryonics’ leading voices:
Rudy Hoffman – Immortality Through Innovation.
Rudy opens with the visionary idea of cryonics in space and shares how today’s planning tools—annuity structures, revival trusts, and insurance-backed systems—support long-term access to biostasis. He ends with a powerful call to preserve freedom in the era of revival governance.
Alex Crouch – The Bridges to Reanimation.
Founder of Revival Research Group, Alex outlines the six bridges of cryostasis repair science, covering nanotech repair, AI orchestration, simulation, and bioprinting. His roadmap aims to make revival a transparent, collaborative goal.
Opening remarks by Neal Vanderee, officiator of the Church of Perpetual Life, connecting science, spirit, and future readiness.
Schedule:
Physicists identify antiferromagnet with high heat-to-electricity conversion efficiency
RIKEN physicists have found a magnetic material that converts heat into electricity with high efficiency, making it promising for use in energy-harvesting devices. The work is published in the journal Nature Communications.
Photos you take on your smartphone are saved as a series of zeros and ones in a ferromagnetic material —magnetic materials that resemble iron in that their magnetic moments all point in the same direction.
Ferromagnets are easy to manipulate, making it easy to save data. However, because their magnetic moments are all aligned, they generate strong magnetic fields, and so it is not possible to cram a lot of them into a small space.
