Huang et al. identify the mechanosensitive channel PIEZO1 as a plant immune hub that decodes insect-feeding-derived mechanical forces and Ca2+-activated defense responses. They characterize a self-amplifying immune circuit and identify that Bsp9, an evolutionarily conserved insect salivary effector, subverts this pathway. This work provides a framework for engineering plant disease resistance.
The metabolites associated with type 2 diabetes were also found to be genetically linked to clinical traits and tissue types that are relevant to the disease. Furthermore, the team developed a unique signature of 44 metabolites that improved prediction of future risk of type 2 diabetes. ScienceMission sciencenewshighlights.
Diabetes, a metabolic disease, is on the rise worldwide, and over 90 percent of cases are type 2 diabetes, where the body does not effectively respond to insulin. Researchers identified metabolites (small molecules found in blood generated through metabolism associated with risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future and revealed genetic and lifestyle factors that may influence these metabolites. They also developed a metabolomic signature that predicts future risk of type 2 diabetes beyond traditional risk factors. Their results are published in Nature Medicine.
In this study, researchers tracked 23,634 individuals with diverse ethnic backgrounds across 10 prospective cohorts with up to 26 years of follow-up. These individuals were initially free of type 2 diabetes. The team analyzed 469 metabolites in blood samples, as well as genetic, diet, and lifestyle data, to see how they relate to risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Of the metabolites examined, 235 were found to be associated with a higher or lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, 67 of which were new discoveries.
“Interestingly, we found that diet and lifestyle factors may have a stronger influence on metabolites linked to type 2 diabetes than on metabolites not associated with the disease,” said first and co-corresponding author. “This is especially true for obesity, physical activity, and intake of certain foods and beverages such as red meat, vegetables, sugary drinks, and coffee or tea. Increasing evidence suggests that these dietary and lifestyle factors are associated with greater or lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Our study revealed that specific metabolites may act as potential mediators, linking these factors with type 2 diabetes risk.”
On a foggy morning off the coast of Finland, the sea looks perfectly ordinary. A few fishing boats, a cargo ship on the horizon, the low hum of engines and gulls complaining overhead. Yet under that flat grey surface, survey vessels are tracing invisible lines, mapping the seabed for something that sounds like science fiction: a high‑speed train that will dive under the Baltic and emerge on another continent.
On deck, an engineer in a neon jacket points to the radar screen like someone tracing the outline of a new city. He talks about boring through rock, laying tracks where only fish and submarines have passed. His words hang in the cold air.
Soon, a train will cross here faster than most people cross a city.
Project Genie lets you generate new worlds 60 seconds at a time, but only if you pay for AI Ultra.
Quantum smartphone chip.
IDQ’s QRNG chip is available in six models, depending on size, performance, power consumption and certifications, in order to fit various industry-specific needs. All IDQ QRNG chips have received NIST Entropy Source Validation (ESV) certification on the independently and identically distributed (IID) entropy estimation track SP 800-90B.
ID Quantique is the first company to achieve an ESV certificate with a quantum entropy source and IID estimation track. Such randomness provides the most trusted random keys for encryption. Since October 2022 it has been mandatory for cryptographic modules aiming for FIPS 140–3 certification to have an ESV validated entropy source. This ESV IID Certificate #63 will also facilitate IDQ’s customers who integrate IDQ’s Chips into their own devices to go through the NIST’s Cryptographic Module Validation Program (CMVP).
New cadets. New era. Infinite possibilities. Catch a new episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy every Thursday starting Jan. 15th on Paramount+.
Can quantum tunneling occur at macroscopic scales? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice sit down with John Martinis, UCSB physicist and 2025 Nobel Prize winner in Physics, to explore superconductivity, quantum tunneling, and what this means for the future of quantum computing.
What exactly is macroscopic quantum tunneling, and why did it take decades for its importance to be recognized? We’ve had electrical circuits forever, so what did Martinis discover that no one else saw? If quantum mechanics usually governs tiny particles, why does a superconducting circuit obey the same rules? And what does superconductivity really mean at a quantum level?
How can a system cross an energy barrier it doesn’t have the energy to overcome? What is actually tunneling in a superconducting wire, and what does it mean to tunnel out of superconductivity? We break down Josephson Junctions, Cooper pairs, and other superconducting lingo. Does tunneling happen instantly, or does it take time? And what does that say about wavefunction collapse and our assumptions about instantaneous quantum effects?
Learn what a qubit is and why macroscopic quantum effects are important for quantum computing. Why don’t quantum computers instantly break all encryption? How close are we to that reality, and what replaces today’s cryptography when it happens? Is quantum supremacy a scientific milestone, a geopolitical signal, or both? Plus, we take cosmic queries from our audience: should quantum computing be regulated like nuclear energy? Will qubits ever be stable enough for everyday use? Will quantum computers live in your pocket or on the dark side of the Moon? Can quantum computing supercharge AI, accelerate discovery, or even simulate reality itself? And finally: if we live in a simulation, would it have to be quantum all the way down?
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