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AI tool improves DNA-DNA predictions

Researchers have demonstrated a novel AI model that can predict which DNA molecules bind with which other DNA molecules. Providing a more thorough understanding of these hypercomplex binding relationships has utility in applications ranging from biomedical diagnostic tools to DNA computing.

“We often think about binding as a very simple relationship – Molecule A binds to Molecule B,” says the co-corresponding author of the study. “But in biological systems, it’s far from simple. Molecule A may bind to dozens of other molecules, to varying degrees.

Capturing that hypercomplexity is a significant challenge, but it is critical if we want to better understand natural genetic systems, says the author. And capturing that hypercomplexity is also critical if we want to develop tools that make full use of biomolecules, such as diagnostic tools that are sensitive to genetic differences or DNA computing systems that rely on DNA to store and retrieve data.

New model improves short- and long-term disease risk prediction

Researchers developed ALADYNOULLI, a Bayesian generative model that combines longitudinal health records, age, and polygenic risk to identify reproducible disease signatures across more than 683,000 participants. In UK Biobank testing, the framework achieved stronger short- and long-term risk discrimination than established clinical scores while revealing disease subgroups and genetic associations.

This sugar-coated therapy boosted survival against deadly brain cancer by 50% in mice

A new experimental treatment may have found a way to outsmart glioblastoma’s toughest defense: the blood-brain barrier. Researchers used sugar-coated nanoparticles to ferry genetic instructions that restore a key tumor-suppressing protein directly into brain cancer cells. In mouse studies, the therapy increased median survival by 50% while shrinking tumors without noticeable damage to other organs.

Listening to ‘ringing’ black holes unlocks future gravitational-wave astronomy

Listening to the “ringing” produced by black holes after they collide and merge could allow scientists to test Einstein’s theory of general relativity under the most extreme conditions in the universe while unlocking the secrets of these mysterious objects.

Leading a major international review with the Institute of Physics, astrophysicists at the University of Birmingham, Johns Hopkins University and Instituto Superior Técnico of Lisbon show how black hole “spectroscopy” is rapidly evolving from a theoretical concept into a powerful experimental science. The work is published in the journal Classical and Quantum Gravity.

During the “ringdown” phase following a collision and merger, a newly formed black hole emits characteristic gravitational-wave vibrations known as “quasinormal modes.” By measuring these frequencies, scientists can determine the black hole’s mass and how fast it is spinning, as well as investigate whether Einstein’s theory is correct.

Study finds choice of team car could decide the Tour de France

Elite athletes competing in the Tour de France could gain more than eight seconds in the individual time trial depending solely on the type of team car following them, a new study has revealed.

The research, the third in a pioneering series by the world’s leading experts on cycling aerodynamics, shows that a car driving behind a cyclist gives the rider a measurable aerodynamic push and that the size and shape of that car could be the difference between winning and losing.

Led by Heriot-Watt University in Scotland, in partnership with Ansys, part of Synopsys, the study comes ahead of the Tour de France individual time trial on Tuesday, July 21, a 26.1 km (16.2-mile) stage from Évian-les-Bains to Thonon-les-Bains.

In search of life beyond our solar system: Atmosphere detected on a habitable-zone rocky world

In a major milestone in the search for life on other planets, astronomers have detected, for the first time, an atmosphere surrounding an Earth-like, rocky planet orbiting within the habitable zone of another star. The finding provides the strongest evidence yet that worlds with conditions similar to Earth in composition and temperature, with the potential to support life, could exist beyond our solar system.

“An atmosphere is essential for a planet to support life as we know it,” said lead author Collin Cherubim, who recently earned his Ph.D. in Earth and Planetary Sciences from Harvard University.

“This is the first time anyone has found an atmosphere on a rocky planet in the habitable zone of another star.”

Brain-inspired nanopore device uses current-induced heating for memory operations

Some researchers are leaning into biology for inspiration in computing. In particular, neuromorphic computing offers a brain-inspired approach to hardware that replaces traditional binary processing with systems that function more like neurons and synapses. Now, a new study, published in Nature Communications, describes an innovative design for a fluidic memristor that uses its own self-heating mechanism to induce a history-dependent memory effect.

So far, most memristor (memory resistor) devices have used solid materials with electrons or holes functioning as charge carriers. But fluidic memristors instead take advantage of the movement of ions in liquids, which more closely mimics biological signaling, like that which occurs in the brain. However, existing fluidic memristors can be difficult to fabricate and offer a limited range of memory behaviors. The authors of the new study came up with a way to overcome some of these limitations by using temperature fluctuations while also making the device more “brain-like.”

They write, The exploration of additional memristive mechanisms may be beneficial. In conventional integrated circuits, localized heating is generally regarded as an unnecessary and even harmful side effect. However, in biological neural systems, thermal signals are closely linked to essential life processes. They significantly affect neuronal functions, including ion channel activation, action potential conduction speed, and firing patterns.

Quantum teleportation could reduce photon loss in long-distance communications

Quantum technologies, which leverage the principles of quantum mechanics, have been found to outperform their classical counterparts on specific tasks. Among other things, past studies have highlighted the potential of quantum systems that can enable long-distance communication, using photons (i.e., particles of light) to carry quantum information.

Despite their promise, quantum communication systems are often prone to photon loss, the scattering, absorption or disappearance of traveling photons. This photon loss becomes increasingly pronounced as transmission distances increase.

One proposed approach for reducing photon loss relies on a process known as quantum teleportation. This process entails the transfer of a quantum state from one particle to another without moving the particle to a different location, via a phenomenon known as quantum entanglement.

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