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Haptoglobin phenotypes and structural variants associate with post-exertional malaise and cognitive dysfunction in myalgic encephalomyelitis

Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) is a chronic, multisystem illness characterized by post-exertional malaise (PEM) and cognitive dysfunction, yet the molecular mechanisms driving these hallmark symptoms remain unclear. This study investigated haptoglobin (Hp) as a potential biomarker of PEM severity and cognitive impairment in ME, with a focus on Hp phenotypes and structural proteoforms.

A longitudinal case–control study was conducted in 140 ME patients and 44 matched sedentary healthy controls. In the discovery phase, global plasma proteomic profiling was performed in 61 ME patients and 20 controls before and after a standardized, non-invasive stress protocol in order to induce PEM. Associations between Hp levels, phenotype, and cognitive performance were assessed. In the validation phase, plasma Hp concentrations and proteoform composition were analyzed in an independent cohort of 89 ME patients and 24 controls using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

ME patients demonstrated a significant reduction in Hp levels following post-exertional stress. Lower baseline Hp concentrations were associated with impaired cognitive performance. Hp phenotypes were differentially associated with symptom burden, with the Hp2-1 phenotype enriched in ME and linked to greater PEM severity and cognitive deficits compared to Hp1-1 and Hp2-2. HPLC analysis revealed altered Hp proteoform profiles in the Hp2-1 subgroup, including increased high-mass tetrameric and pentameric forms and shorter retention times indicative of structural changes. In contrast, the Hp1-1 phenotype was associated with milder symptoms and greater cognitive resilience.

Nearby super-Earth emerges as a top target in the search for life

Researchers have pinpointed a super-Earth in the habitable zone of a nearby M-dwarf star only 18 light-years away. Sophisticated instruments detected the planet’s gentle tug on its star, hinting at a rocky world that could hold liquid water. Future mega-telescopes may be able to directly image it—something impossible today.

This microbe turns into a cannibalistic ‘Hulk’

A newly discovered microbe is like a mini version of the Hulk.

Euplotes gigatrox is a single-celled protist that resembles an insect. It grazes on bacteria and other tiny microbes. Sometimes a small number of the protists balloon into “supergiants” more than twice their regular size. The huge cells cannibalize their smaller, genetically identical brethren. The triggers for the change aren’t entirely clear, but it tends to happen when there is plenty of food, researchers reported May 14 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Quantum computer simulates hadronization, reproducing string breaking with 104 qubits

By remotely accessing an IBM quantum computer, a research scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has successfully simulated a key process in particle physics: hadronization. Although based on a simplified model of quantum mechanics, the project lays the groundwork for how physicists can leverage the power of quantum computers to make large scientific calculations beyond the capabilities of classical supercomputers. The research is published in the journal Physical Review D.

Hadronization occurs when two or more quarks—the subatomic building blocks of matter—bind together through the strong nuclear force to form composite particles called hadrons. The most familiar examples of hadrons are protons and neutrons, which form the nuclei of atoms. So, having a better understanding of the hadronization process means having a better understanding of the structure of matter, and—in turn—the universe.

Physical experiments have not been able to reveal every step of the process, however. Researchers at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN accelerate protons to near light speeds, guide them into collisions and study the resulting debris of quarks and antiquarks. But these particles can only be indirectly measured before they immediately undergo hadronization—hence the need for computer simulations to fill in the gaps of these scientific observations.

Physicists demonstrate Hong–Ou–Mandel interference with more than 10 atoms

In a new study published in Nature Physics, researchers have demonstrated the Hong–Ou–Mandel (HOM) effect with up to 12 indistinguishable neutral atoms—an effect that has been predominantly observed in photonic systems.

The Hong–Ou–Mandel effect is a quantum phenomenon rooted in particle indistinguishability. When two identical bosons meet at a 50:50 beam splitter, they always exit together through the same output port. In other words, they “bunch up.” A single particle at each output is never found, even though that is the statistically expected outcome if the beam splitter were simply distributing particles at random.

First observed with pairs of photons in 1987, the HOM effect has since become central to quantum information and quantum metrology. For two particles, the physics is well established. However, extending it to many particles is a different challenge.

Becoming Einstein in virtual reality may help reduce age bias at work

Imagine technology that could let you walk in someone else’s shoes, changing not just your perspective, but your deepest, most automatic biases. For years, researchers have explored virtual reality’s potential to foster empathy and reduce prejudice, but the question remained: Could it truly shift ingrained attitudes, such as ageism?

A new virtual reality experiment put this to the test, with surprising results. Young men who “became” Albert Einstein in a simulation emerged with significantly less hidden bias against older people and automatically linked old age to fewer negative traits. This finding hints that VR could become a radical new tool to fight age prejudice, though the trial also revealed some unexpected side effects that underscore the complexity of human perception. The work is published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.

Cosmic eruption caught in the act by submillimeter array’s new fastest response system

On Jan. 26, 2026, the Submillimeter Array (SMA) on Maunakea crossed an important threshold for time-domain astronomy. For the first time, scientists from the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA) demonstrated a new rapid-response capability at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, zooming in on a gamma-ray burst (GRB) within minutes of its discovery and capturing the earliest observations of such an event ever made at these frequencies. The successful demonstration is published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

GRBs are the brightest explosions in the universe—brief but staggeringly immense flashes produced by jets launched in the collapse of massive stars or the merger of compact objects like neutron stars. Their initial burst is followed by a glow that X-ray and optical telescopes have long been able to chase within seconds or minutes of the event, but millimeter-wave telescopes have historically lagged behind in observing it.

That changed in January of this year, when the SMA rapidly responded to an automated alert from NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, which detected a flash of gamma rays. The sequence played out almost entirely without human intervention. Within 90 seconds, the on-duty operator had been alerted. Within four minutes, the telescope was moving to start observations.

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