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NASA announces Voyager 1’s stunning new discovery at the outer limits of our solar system

Voyager 1, launched in 1977, has been journeying through space for over four decades, now more than 14.9 billion miles away from Earth. Recently, this legendary probe made headlines once again by crossing an invisible border that separates our solar system from the vast expanse of interstellar space. What it discovered there has left scientists astounded—a “wall of fire” where temperatures soar to an unimaginable 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you have an old remote control at home, you’re sitting on a treasure: here’s how and why to reuse it

Since its launch, Voyager 1 has sent back breathtaking images of Jupiter, Saturn, and their moons. But its most daring journey began when it left the familiar territory of the planets behind and headed toward what is known as the heliopause. This is the vast boundary where the sun’s influence fades and the realm of interstellar space begins.

Research teases apart competing transcription organization models

Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have reconciled two closely related but contentious mechanisms underlying transcription, the process of converting genetic information in DNA into messenger RNA. Phase separation has been proposed as a driving force in transcription due to its ability to selectively concentrate proteins and DNA in discrete droplets.

Sphingosine simultaneously inhibits nuclear import and activates PP2A by binding importins and PPP2R1A

Mechanism of sphingosine mediated tumor suppression.

Both sphingosine and ceramide suppress tumor growth, but the molecular details of this regulation are currently unclear.

Sphingosine-like compounds bind to their target proteins and trigger structural changes that activate PP2A (the protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) scaffold (PPP2R1A)) and inhibit the importins (KPNB1, TNPO1, IPO7, IPO5).

Together, these actions disable proteins that drive cancer initiation and progression (e.g., YAP, JUN, MYC, the androgen receptor, hnRNPA1, NF-κB, and ribosomal proteins) by triggering their proteasomal degradation and/or inhibiting their nuclear import.

Together, these pathways elicit more robust effects than activating PP2A or inhibiting importins individually.

The effect of endogenous sphingosine on these oncoproteins is limited by its metabolic conversion into ceramide or sphingosine-1-phosphate. https://sciencemission.com/Sphingosine-simultaneously-inhibits

A new quantum dot photoreductant uses 99% less light energy for organic reactions

Chemists at the School of Science of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have recently made significant progress in photocatalysis by unveiling a “super” photoreductant, marking a major advancement in organic synthesis.

Quantum dots (QDs) hold great promise as photocatalysts for promoting photoredox chemistry. However, their application in photocatalytic organic transformations has lagged behind that of small molecule photosensitizers due to the limited understanding of their photophysics.

While various studies have explored the generation of hot electrons from QDs as a strategy to enhance photoreduction efficiencies, achieving effective hot-electron generation under has posed a significant challenge.

AI helps discover optimal new material for removing radioactive iodine contamination

Managing radioactive waste is one of the core challenges in the use of nuclear energy. In particular, radioactive iodine poses serious environmental and health risks due to its long half-life (15.7 million years in the case of I-129), high mobility, and toxicity to living organisms.

A Korean research team has successfully used artificial intelligence to discover a new material that can remove iodine for nuclear environmental remediation. The team plans to push forward with commercialization through various industry–academia collaborations, from iodine-adsorbing powders to contaminated water treatment filters.

Professor Ho Jin Ryu’s research team from the Department of Nuclear and Quantum Engineering, in collaboration with Dr. Juhwan Noh of the Digital Chemistry Research Center at the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, developed a technique using AI to discover new materials that effectively remove contaminants. Their research is published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials.

Involvement of the Superior Cerebellar Peduncles in GAA-FGF14 Ataxia

This study found that involvement of the superior cerebellar peduncles is frequent in patients with GAA-FGF14 ataxia (SCA27B)

ObjectivesGAA-FGF14 ataxia (SCA27B) is a recently reported late-onset ataxia caused by a GAA repeat expansion in intron 1 of the FGF14 gene. After the clinical observation of superior cerebellar peduncle (SCP) involvement in some affected patients, we sought to verify the prevalence of this finding in our cohort and 4 additional independent cohorts of patients with SCA27B.

“How to build conscious machines” by Michael Timothy Bennett

This is a ~1 hour talk by Michael Timothy Bennett (https://michaeltimothybennett.com/) on his ideas around computation and consciousness.

Direct link to the thesis preprint: https://osf.io/preprints/thesiscommons/wehmg_v1?view_only=

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@michaeltimothybennett.
X: https://twitter.com/MiTiBennett

Senate Votes to Allow State A.I. Laws, a Blow to Tech Companies

There are no federal laws regulating A.I. but states have enacted dozens of laws that strengthen consumer privacy, ban A.I.-generated child sexual abuse material and outlaw deepfake videos of political candidates. All but a handful of states have some laws regulating artificial intelligence in place. It is an area of deep interest: All 50 have introduced bills in the past year tied to the issue.

The Senate’s provision, introduced in the Senate by Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, sparked intense criticism by state attorneys general, child safety groups and consumer advocates who warned the amendment would give A.I. companies a clear runway to develop unproven and potentially dangerous technologies.