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The expression of genes has to be carefully regulated in cells; active genes give cells their identity and ability to function. Epigenetic features are just one way that cells control gene expression, and they do so without altering the sequence of genes. These may involve chemical groups like methyl tags that adorn DNA, or structural characteristics that relate to proteins that organize DNA. But scientists have also been learning about how epigenetics affect RNA. New findings on a balancing act in epigenetics, which works on DNA and RNA, have been reported in Cell.

When genes are expressed, they are transcribed into messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules. The cell can then translate those mRNA molecules into proteins, which carry out a variety of functions. Scientists have identified an epigenetic mechanism that seems to balance gene expression. One facet of the mechanism can promote the transcription and organization of genes, while the other causes mRNA transcripts to lose stability, and can adjust how those transcripts are used. This work has shown that DNA and RNA epigenetics may be more closely linked than known.

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A recent study from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine has provided fresh insight into the potential benefits of time-restricted feeding in managing these circadian disruptions.

This approach, which involves eating within a specific daily window, could offer a novel way to address Alzheimer’s symptoms and possibly alter the course of the disease itself. The findings challenge traditional perspectives on the disorder, shifting attention to the importance of daily eating habits.

The circadian rhythm functions as the body’s internal biological clock, regulating numerous physiological processes, including the sleep-wake cycle. Disruptions to this rhythm are particularly common among Alzheimer’s patients, with recent estimates suggesting that up to 80% experience these disturbances. These disruptions not only interfere with sleep but also contribute to increased cognitive impairment, particularly during nighttime hours.

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Summary: Scientists have discovered that neural stem cells (NSCs) receive constant feedback from their daughter cells, influencing whether they remain dormant or activate to form new neurons and glia. This parent-child relationship helps regulate brain regeneration and repair.

The study also reveals that calcium signaling plays a key role in how NSCs decode multiple signals from their environment. If NSCs produce only a few daughter cells, they activate; if they produce many, they stay dormant.

These findings challenge previous assumptions that NSCs function independently and open new avenues for treating neurodevelopmental disorders. Future research will explore how these processes change in aging and disease.

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Another rising player is Windsurf, an AI coding assistant introduced by Codeium. Windsurf takes a different route by positioning itself as the “first agent-powered IDE” focused on keeping developers in flow. While Copilot extends existing workflows and Cursor offers an all-in-one editor, Windsurf emphasizes versatility and enterprise readiness. It can act as a plugin across multiple development environments, from traditional IDEs to lightweight editors, ensuring teams can adopt it without overhauling their toolchains.

The AI coding assistant landscape is evolving quickly, and it’s clear this is just the beginning. GitHub Copilot’s head start and deep integration into the developer ecosystem give it a strong position. Still, the energetic rise of competitors like Cursor and Windsurf shows that there is ample room for innovation.

The code genie is out of the bottle, and it is now up to CXOs and technology strategists to integrate these powerful new assistants into their innovation roadmap.

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Scientists in Japan have now developed a groundbreaking spintronic device that allows for electrical control of magnetic states, drastically reducing power consumption. This breakthrough could revolutionize AI hardware by making chips far more energy-efficient, mirroring the way neural networks function.

Spintronic Devices: A Game-Changer for AI Hardware

AI is rapidly transforming industries, but as these technologies evolve, so does their demand for power. To sustain further advancements, AI chips must become more energy efficient.

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Cellular organization is central to tissue function and homeostasis, influencing development, disease progression, and therapeutic outcomes. The emergence of spatial omics technologies, including spatial transcriptomics and proteomics, has enabled the integration of molecular and histological features within tissues. Analyzing these multimodal data presents unique challenges, including variable resolutions, imperfect tissue alignment, and limited or variable spatial coverage. To address these issues, we introduce CORAL, a probabilistic deep generative model that leverages graph attention mechanisms to learn expressive, integrated representations of multimodal spatial omics data. CORAL deconvolves low-resolution spatial data into high-resolution single-cell profiles and detects functional spatial domains. It also characterizes cell-cell interactions and elucidates disease-relevant spatial features. Validated on synthetic data and experimental datasets, including Stero-CITE-seq data from mouse thymus, and paired CODEX and Visium data from hepatocellular carcinoma, CORAL demonstrates robustness and versatility. In hepatocellular carcinoma, CORAL uncovered key immune cell subsets that drive the failure of response to immunotherapy, highlighting its potential to advance spatial single-cell analyses and accelerate translational research.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

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What kinds of strange life forms might exist on exoplanets? Invest in your mind with Imprint. Go to https://imprintapp.com/V101-Fans to get a 7-day free trial and get 20% off an annual membership.

Scientists are uncovering bizarre exoplanets that challenge everything we know about habitability. From super-Earths with crushing gravity to tidally locked planets with scorching hot and frozen hemispheres, these extreme worlds could give rise to lifeforms unlike anything on Earth. In this video, we explore the scientific possibilities of extraterrestrial life—how gravity, atmosphere, and star types could shape truly alien evolution. Could we find snake-like creatures on high-gravity worlds, black-leaved plants around red dwarf stars, or ocean-dwelling bioluminescent life on Europa-like moons? The possibilities are endless, and the science is fascinating!

Writers credit:
Today’s script comes from the brilliant astronomy author: Colin Stuart.
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