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Are biometric authentication measures no longer safe? Biometric authentication expert says deepfake videos and camera injection attacks are changing the game.

Biometrics authentication is getting more and more popular due to it being fast, easy, and smooth for the user, but Stuart Wells, CTO at biometrics authentication company Jumio, thinks this may be risky.

The article titled “Evaluation of OVX836: A Promising Universal Influenza Vaccine Candidate” published in The Lancet presents a comprehensive assessment of OVX836, a novel influenza vaccine candidate targeting the nucleoprotein of influenza A virus. Authored by a team of researchers led by IL-R at CEVAC Clinical Unit and Laboratory, the study aims to investigate the safety, immunogenicity, and potential efficacy of OVX836 at different doses, shedding light on its potential as a universal influenza vaccine.

Influenza remains a significant global health concern, with seasonal epidemics and occasional pandemics causing substantial morbidity and mortality. Current influenza vaccines primarily focus on the viral surface protein hemagglutinin, but their efficacy is limited by antigenic variation and the emergence of new strains. Current vaccines are developed for the season based on what strains were prominent in the last season. Additionally, vaccine efficacies can vary from season to season. OVX836 takes a different approach by targeting the highly conserved nucleoprotein, which plays a crucial role in the influenza virus life cycle.

OVX836 elicited a robust immune response, characterized by significant increases in nucleoprotein-specific CD4 and CD8 T-cell responses, as well as the production of anti-nucleoprotein IgG antibodies. The magnitude of these immune responses displayed a dose-dependent relationship, with higher doses of OVX836 leading to stronger immune reactions. Of particular interest was the induction of a CD8 T-cell response, a rare achievement for influenza vaccines and a crucial component of comprehensive immune protection.

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After over a decade of observations of pulsars, astronomers could finally tease out the gravitational wave background of the Universe, the combined signal from merging supermassive black holes. But it was just the general presence of mergers, not specific events. A new paper proposes that the same pulsars could next be used to detect the gravitational waves from individual merging supermassive black holes. The more nearby pulsars astronomers can find, the more accurate their measurements will become.

“A major highlight of the work is our approach to achieve longevity: using computers to simulate the natural aging system and guide the design and rational engineering of the system to extend lifespan,” Hao told Motherboard. “This is the first time this computationally-guided engineering-based approach has been used in aging research. Our model simulations actually predicted that an oscillator can double the lifespan of the cell, but we were happily surprised that it actually did in experiments.”

The study is part of a growing corpus of mind-boggling research that may ultimately stave off some of the unpleasant byproducts of aging until later in life, while boosting life expectancy in humans overall. Though countless hurdles have to be cleared before these treatments become a reality, Hao thinks his team’s approach could eventually be applied to humans.

“I don’t see why it cannot be applied to more complex organisms,” Hao said. “If it is to be introduced to humans, then it will be a certain form of gene therapy. Of course it is still a long way ahead and the major concerns are on ethics and safety.”

Researchers at the University of Rochester have successfully exported a longevity gene from naked mole rats to mice – a transfer that resulted in both improved health and an extension of the mouse’s lifespan [1].

Longevity. Technology: Naked mole rats, which are known for their long lifespans and exceptional resistance to age-related diseases, have been a focus of longevity research for some time. By introducing a specific gene responsible for improved cellular repair and protection into mice, the Rochester researchers have created promising opportunities to better understand the mechanisms behind aging and potentially increase human lifespan.

“Our study provides a proof of principle that unique longevity mechanisms that evolved in long-lived mammalian species can be exported to improve the lifespans of other mammals,” says Vera Gorbunova, the Doris Johns Cherry Professor of biology and medicine at Rochester [2].