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What is quantum gravity? Scientists think it could explain the beginning of our universe

“General relativity works extraordinarily well in many settings, but when we run it back to the Big Bang, and apply it to the inside of black holes, it predicts a singularity: a moment where density, curvature and temperature formally become infinite. That is usually a sign that the theory is being pushed beyond where it can be trusted,” Afshordi told Space.com. “In other words, general relativity is likely incomplete for describing the very first moments of the universe, when quantum effects should also matter.”

Afshordi explained that in the standard picture of the Big Bang, scientists usually start with Einstein’s theory of gravity, then add extra ingredients to explain the earliest moments of the universe, most notably a hypothetical “inflation field” to account for the initial rapid expansion of the cosmos.”

NAD-dependent redox control enables endothelial quiescence and vascular stabilization during angiogenesis

Zhao et al. reveal a critical metabolic event in the transition of endothelial cells from proliferation into quiescence. This process requires robust NAMPT-mediated NAD metabolism to suppress H2O2 emanated from reprogramming mitochondria. Failure of this metabolic checkpoint impairs vascular stabilization during angiogenesis, offering novel opportunities for the treatment of hypervascular diseases.

‘Poor man’s Majoranas’ can be used as quantum spin probes

A Majorana fermion is a particle that would be identical to its antiparticle. Such an object has not yet been found. However, certain solid materials exhibit analogous behavior as if Majorana fermions were present through collective excitations of the system called quasiparticles.

In addition to generating interest in basic science as key components for understanding the material world, Majorana fermions have primarily been studied due to their potential technological applications in areas such as fault-tolerant quantum computing.

The main theoretical model used in this study is the Kitaev wire. It is a one-dimensional superconducting chain formed by electrons or collective excitations. Under certain conditions, it generates an isolated Majorana fermion at each end without altering the total energy of the system.

Study investigates how the brain maintains consciousness during physiological failure

Near-death experiences continue to challenge the scientific understanding of consciousness: how can vivid and structured reports be explained at moments of extreme physiological failure? This is the central question addressed by neuroscientist Charlotte Martial, who will take part in the 15th “Behind and Beyond the Brain” Symposium, organised by the Bial Foundation.

A researcher at the University of Liège, Belgium, Charlotte Martial studies states of consciousness under conditions of unresponsiveness, such as cardiac arrest or general anesthesia. In her presentation, she will introduce the most recent neuroscientific models that seek to explain these experiences, integrating neurobiological data with subjective descriptions.

Her research suggests that near-death experiences may correspond to natural mental states, potentially serving an adaptive function in extreme situations, contributing to how the brain copes with threat or collapse.

Woman With 3 Autoimmune Diseases Enters Remission After Immune ‘Reset’

A patient with three different autoimmune diseases has entered complete remission after undergoing an experimental treatment that effectively reset her immune system.

The 47-year-old woman in Germany previously required daily blood transfusions to manage her conditions, two of which affected her blood cells.

She was given Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR-) T cell therapy, which involves extracting a sample of immune cells, ‘supercharging’ them against a specific target, and returning them to the body.

A drug discovery bottleneck? How cheaper reagents could speed branched molecule synthesis

When chemists design drug candidates, shape matters enormously. Many active pharmaceutical ingredients contain branched carbon structures—points where the molecular chain forks in a specific direction—that are critical to whether a molecule will bind to its biological target and whether it will be safe. The challenge is that the branched building blocks used to create these structures are not very abundant or commercially available. Now, scientists at Scripps Research have devised a new approach to building these branched molecular structures found in many medicines and materials: one that could make the early stages of drug discovery faster and more efficient.

The method, published in Science, overcomes a stubborn technical obstacle that has limited chemists’ ability to assemble complex molecules from simple, inexpensive starting materials.

“This work solves a selectivity problem that challenged us for years,” says Ryan Shenvi, professor at Scripps Research and senior author of the study. “We’ve now laid the groundwork to access iteratively branching materials that occur in metabolites, fragrances and drugs.”

A Billionaire-Backed Startup Wants to Grow ‘Organ Sacks’ to Replace Animal Testing

As the Trump administration phases out the use of animal experimentation across the federal government, a biotech startup has a bold idea for an alternative to animal testing: nonsentient “organ sacks.”

Bay Area-based R3 Bio has been quietly pitching the idea to investors and in industry publications as a way to replace lab animals without the ethical issues that come with living organisms. That’s because these structures would contain all of the typical organs—except a brain, rendering them unable to think or feel pain. The company’s long-term goal, cofounder Alice Gilman says, is to make human versions that could be used as a source of tissues and organs for people who need them.

For Immortal Dragons, a Singapore-based longevity fund that’s invested in R3, the idea of replacement is a core strategy for human longevity. “We think replacement is probably better than repair when it comes to treating diseases or regulating the aging process in the human body,” says CEO Boyang Wang. “If we can create a nonsentient, headless bodyoid for a human being, that will be a great source of organs.”

The depths of Neptune and Uranus may be ‘superionic’

The interiors of ice giant planets like Uranus and Neptune could be home to a previously unknown state of matter, according to new computational simulations by Carnegie’s Cong Liu and Ronald Cohen. Their work, published in Nature Communications, predicts that a quasi-one-dimensional superionic state of carbon hydride exists under the extreme pressures and temperatures found deep inside these outer solar system bodies.

More than 6,000 exoplanets have been discovered. As this number grows, astronomers, planetary scientists, and Earth scientists are crossing disciplinary boundaries—combining observation, experimentation, and theory—to define and probe the factors that help us understand the dynamic processes that shape them, including the generation of magnetic fields.

As such, interest has grown in understanding the processes that are occurring deep beneath the surfaces of planets and moons in our own solar system, which can inform our understanding of planetary dynamics, and even planetary habitability in more-distant neighborhoods.

Netta Engelhardt: Puzzles in the Black Hole Interior: Past, Present and Future (April 22, 2026)

In this Presidential Lecture, Netta Engelhardt will (metaphorically!) dive straight into the black hole interior to explain the origin of this puzzle and its significance in modern physics. The lecture will then turn to the recent revolution in physicists’ understanding of the black hole information paradox and the current state of the resolution. She will conclude with a discussion of where these new insights may lead, what questions remain outstanding and how this may all fit into the universe at large.

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