The Edinburgh startup’s Litavis chip unifies imaging, timing, and histogramming on a single device.
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NASA’s SpaceX CRS-35 mission to launch health research
NASA experiments focused on human and plant health and drug-resistant organisms will travel to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX’s 35th Commercial Resupply Services mission for the agency from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, advancing research that benefits life on Earth and future exploration.
This research supports astronaut health during long-duration missions through four investigations from the agency’s Biological and Physical Sciences division, including 3D models of the human brain, a crop disease study, a faster way to assess astronaut health and an analysis of antibiotic-resistant bacteria aboard the space station.
NASA Names Astronaut Christina Koch Acting Deputy Chief Engineer
NASA engineer and astronaut Christina Koch will serve as the agency’s acting deputy chief engineer beginning on Sunday, Nov. 1, following the retirement of Katherine Van Hooser, who will conclude more than 35 years of distinguished service to the agency on Wednesday, Oct. 21.
In her new role, Koch will help lead NASA’s engineering community, supporting technical oversight, mission readiness, and engineering excellence across the agency’s programs and projects. With this appointment, Koch will transition to management astronaut status and will no longer be eligible for future spaceflight assignments.
“Christina has seen NASA engineering from both sides of the equation: developing complex systems on the ground and trusting them with her life in space,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “After spending nearly a year living and working aboard the International Space Station and helping lead America back around the Moon on Artemis II this year, she brings an extraordinary combination of technical expertise, operational experience, and judgment to this role. I am excited to see the impact she will have across NASA as we return Americans to the lunar surface, build the Moon Base, get underway on nuclear power in space, and develop the capabilities that will ultimately take us on to Mars.”
Planetary systems reveal two distinct families tied to their host stars
Analyzing a sample of 300 of the best-characterized planetary systems among the more than 1,000 known in the Milky Way, an international research team led by the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) has discovered that the multiplanet systems identified so far belong to two distinct “families.”
The study, published in Nature Astronomy, demonstrates for the first time a true “genetic link” between the host star and its planets that shapes the birth, dynamical evolution and future stability of the entire planetary system.
Two Tiny Magnetic Robots Could Replace Open-Heart Surgery, Study Says
The milirobot system uses two cooperating robots, which are the size of a pencil tip, to deliver antibiotics directly to the heart. Researchers have successfully tested the robots in simulated blood flow and real pig heart tissue, demonstrating they can accurately dock, deliver medication over three hours and be safely retrieved.
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Robots the size of a pencil tip could soon deliver antibiotics directly into infected heart tissue.
Study Demonstrates Inconsistent Use of Clinically Indicated Molecular Profiling Technique
Molecular profiling can aid in diagnosing cancer or predicting an individual’s risk of developing cancer. After obtaining a specimen from a patient, such as blood or tissue, we can use molecular profiling techniques in a laboratory to evaluate the genes or molecules present in a biological sample.
A recent study published in The Journal of Clinical Oncology: Oncology Practice highlights gaps in molecular profiling among Medicaid patients and presents strategies to reduce inconsistencies in care. The retrospective study focuses on molecular profiling for patients with the estrogen receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (ER+/HER2-) subtype of breast cancer. Using data on Medicaid beneficiaries in Ohio, the researchers assessed what factors influenced decisions about which patients underwent molecular profiling.
The researchers obtained data from the Ohio Cancer Incidence Surveillance System and from Medicaid claims data. All patients considered in the analysis had localized or regional-stage ER+/HER2-breast cancer that was diagnosed between 2016 and 2020.
Cannabinoid modulation of central amygdala population dynamics during threat investigation
Neural mechanisms underlying cannabinoids’ anxiogenic effects are not fully understood. Here authors show that cannabinoids dose-dependently increased spontaneous activity of central amygdala (CeA) neurons expressing somatostatin (SOM), altered CeA activity patterns during threat processing, and enhanced defensive behavior. Ex vivo studies in brain slices further showed that cannabinoids reduce inhibitory input from neighboring neurons, releasing a “brake” on SOM activity.
Partial Vision Restored in Some Blind Patients With New Experimental Treatment
Night vision often fades first, followed by a narrowing of peripheral vision. In retinitis pigmentosa, this progressive loss can eventually lead to blindness.
An experimental treatment has now helped some patients recover limited visual abilities.
The approach combines a gene injection with special goggles. In a small trial involving 10 people with profound vision loss in both eyes, some participants became better able to detect objects, locate them, and reach toward them while using the device.
