Lifeboat Foundation

Tumors find different ways to avoid immune cell detection and proliferate in their environment. Antitumor immune cells will initially recognize and target the growing tumor; however, different mutations and adaptive mechanisms allow the cancer to persist. For example, it is well documented that tumors secrete different proteins to suppress immune cell activity. In other words, these proteins prevent healthy immune cells from properly functioning. Researchers focus on different aspects of immune cell suppression to allow cancer-targeting cells, known as T cells, to appropriately recognize and stop tumor growth. Previously, it was discovered that lactic acid is generated and secreted by the tumor cells and aids in their progression. Specifically, lactic acid suppresses T cells and prevents immune cells from reaching the tumor. Lactic acid generates a low pH level in the tumor microenvironment that makes it difficult for immune cells to properly function. Lactic acid fermentation or production was also found to limit therapeutic efficacy and elicit cancer drug resistance.

The limitation of cancer immunotherapy is due to the dysregulated metabolism or energy uptake generated by lactic acid. Immune cells switch “off” their antitumor activity, which allows cancers to progress. The study of these different metabolic processes is difficult because of a cell’s ability to change nutrient breakdown instantly. Therefore, scientists have trouble isolating cells in their natural state without disrupting the cell’s metabolic integrity. Although metabolism is difficult to study, scientists are working to understand more about lactic acid and its effect on immune cells. In this context, researchers hope to develop stronger immunotherapies that elicit a robust and durable antitumor response.

A recent study in Nature Immunology, by Dr. Greg Delgoffe and others, discovered that tumor-infiltrating T cells in the tumor microenvironment uptake lactic acid through a specific membrane transporter that reduces their function. Delgoffe is a professor in the Department of Immunology at the University of Pittsburgh and a member of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. His work focuses on T cell metabolism in the tumor microenvironment and how physicians can leverage these processes to overcome therapeutic limitations.

A research team reports in the journal Angewandte Chemie that gamma radiation can transform methane into a diverse range of products at room temperature, including hydrocarbons, oxygenated molecules, and amino acids. This reaction likely plays a significant role in the formation of complex organic molecules in the universe—and may even contribute to the origins of life. Additionally, it presents new opportunities for industrially converting methane into high-value products under mild conditions.

With these research results, the team led by Weixin Huang at the University of Science and Technology of China (Hefei) has contributed to our fundamental understanding of the early development of molecules in the universe.

“Gamma rays, high-energy photons commonly existing in cosmic rays and unstable isotope decay, provide external energy to drive chemical reactions of simple molecules in the icy mantles of interstellar dust and ice grains,” states Huang. “This can result in more complex organic molecules, presumably starting from methane (CH₄), which is widely present throughout the interstellar medium.”

Following a signing ceremony Wednesday in Denmark’s capital city, Copenhagen, NASA embraced Denmark as the 48th nation to commit to the safe and responsible exploration of space that benefits humanity.

“We welcome Denmark’s signing of the Artemis Accords today,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Denmark, as a founding member of the European Space Agency (ESA), has contributed to space exploration for decades, including collaborating with NASA on Mars exploration. Denmark’s signing of the Artemis Accords will further international cooperation and the peaceful exploration of space.”

Christina Egelund, minister of higher education and science, signed the Artemis Accords on behalf of Denmark. Alan Leventhal, U.S. ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark also participated in the ceremony, and Nelson contributed recorded remarks.

Method could probe whether a key tenet of quantum mechanics applies to gravity, which has so far resisted quantum theory.

By tapping into the enigmatic theory of how neurons transmit signals, scientists have proven they can one day build computer chips with near-zero electrical resistance.

Your Social Security number is essential for finding employment, filing taxes and applying for credit. It can also be a nightmare to recover if thieves get a hold of your SSN and use it to apply for jobs, open accounts in your name and steal your tax refund.

Blocking electronic access to your SSN may feel extreme — it’s certainly inconvenient. But if you’ve been a victim of identity theft or your personal identifiable information was compromised in a recent data breach, like the hacks of Change Healthcare or National Public Data, where hundreds of millions of people were impacted, locking your SSN may protect you from future harm.

Blocking access or “locking” your SSN will make it extremely difficult for an identity thief to use your SSN for malicious actions. This, coupled with a credit freeze, can help stop identity thieves in their tracks.

If you’ve recently scrolled through Instagram, you’ve probably noticed it: users posting AI-generated images of their lives or chuckling over a brutal feed roast by ChatGPT. What started as an innocent prompt – “Ask ChatGPT to draw what your life looks like based on what it knows about you” – has gone viral, inviting friends, followers, and even ChatGPT itself to get a peek into our most personal details. It’s fun, often eerily accurate, and, yes, a little unnerving.

The trend that started it all

A while ago, Instagram’s “Add Yours” sticker spurred the popular trend “Ask ChatGPT to roast your feed in one paragraph.” What followed were thousands of users clamouring to see the AI’s take on their profiles. ChatGPT didn’t disappoint – delivering razor-sharp observations on everything from overused vacation spots to the endless brunch photos and quirky captions, blending humour with a dash of truth. The playful roasting felt oddly familiar, almost like a best friend’s inside joke.

A Yale-led team has found the strongest evidence yet of a novel type of superconducting material, a fundamental science breakthrough that may open the door to coaxing superconductivity—the flow of electric current without a loss of energy—in a new way.

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Toronto have developed a new k-mer sketching metagenomic profiler, called sylph, that allows scientists to analyze genomic data more quickly and precisely than other profilers.