Ariel discusses the history and current realities of uranium mining on tribal lands.
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Researchers discover spontaneous chirality in conjugated polymers
Chirality, a property where structures have a distinct left- or right-handedness, allows natural semiconductors to move charge and convert energy with high efficiency by controlling electron spin and the angular momentum of light. A new study has revealed that many conjugated polymers, long considered structurally neutral, can spontaneously twist into chiral shapes. This surprising behavior, overlooked for decades, could pave the way for development of a new class of energy-efficient electronics inspired by nature.
Cyber defense innovation could significantly boost 5G network security
A framework for building tighter security into 5G wireless communications has been created by a Ph.D. student working with the University of Portsmouth’s Artificial Intelligence and Data Center.
With its greater network capacity and ability to rapidly transmit huge amounts of information from one device to another, 5G is a critical component of intelligent systems and services—including those for health care and financial services.
However, the dynamic nature of 5G networks, the high volumes of data shared and the ever changing types of information transmitted means that these networks are extremely vulnerable to cyber threats and increasing risks of attack.
Physical exercise can ‘train’ the immune system
In addition to strengthening the muscles, lungs, and heart, regular physical exercise also strengthens the immune system. This finding comes from a study of older adults with a history of endurance training, which involves prolonged physical activity such as long-distance running, cycling, swimming, rowing, and walking.
An international team of researchers analyzed the defense cells of these individuals and found that “natural killer” cells, which patrol the body against viruses and diseased cells, were more adaptable, less inflammatory, and metabolically more efficient.
The research, published in the journal Scientific Reports, investigated natural killer (NK) cells. NK cells are a type of white blood cell (lymphocyte) that can destroy infected and diseased cells, including cancer cells. They are at the forefront of the immune system because they detect and fight viruses and other pathogens. The researchers analyzed the cells of nine individuals with an average age of 64, divided into two groups: untrained and trained in endurance exercise.
‘Milestone’: Google AI reveals new method to make cancer treatable
In a major leap for cancer research, Google DeepMind and Yale University have unveiled an artificial intelligence system capable of uncovering new biological insights directly validated in living cells.
Announced on October 15, the new foundation model, C2S-Scale 27B, represents one of the largest and most sophisticated AI systems ever developed to study cellular behavior.
Built on Google’s Gemma family of models, it has generated a groundbreaking hypothesis about how cancer cells interact with the immune system—one that could reshape how future therapies are designed.
A skeleton and a shell? Ancient fossil finally finds home on the tree of life
Skeleton season may be just around the corner, but the skeleton age dawned with the early Cambrian Period, about 538 million to 506 million years ago.
In this time span, most major animal groups independently evolved methods to build mineral skeletons or shells, usually in one of two ways: They either built up mineral tissues using organic scaffolding, like how we grow our bones and teeth, or they gathered materials from their environment and “glued” them together in a protective coating.
Then they stuck with that technique for the next 540 million-plus years. One notable exception can be found in the fossilized remains of Salterella, a tiny creature that thrived in the early Cambrian and is so common in rocks from that time that paleontologists use it as an index fossil to orient themselves in time.
