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Avatars for Astronaut Health to Fly on NASA’s Artemis II

NASA announced a trailblazing experiment that aims to take personalized medicine to new heights. The experiment is part of a strategic plan to gather valuable scientific data during the Artemis II mission, enabling NASA to “know before we go” back to the lunar surface and on to Mars.

The AVATAR (A Virtual Astronaut Tissue Analog Response) investigation will use organ-on-a-chip devices, or organ chips, to study the effects of deep space radiation and microgravity on human health. The chips will contain cells from Artemis II astronauts and fly side-by-side with crew on their approximately 10-day journey around the Moon. This research, combined with other studies on the health and performance of Artemis II astronauts, will give NASA insight into how to best protect astronauts as exploration expands to the surface of the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

“America’s Most Powerful Laser Obliterates All Records”: University of Michigan’s ZEUS Facility Unleashes 2-Petawatt Death Beam That Simulates Zettawatt-Scale Destruction

In a remarkable leap for high-power laser technology, the University of Michigan’s ZEUS facility has achieved a significant milestone. Funded by the National

Visualizing Transporter Structure Creates Platform for Antidepressant Drug Design

Researchers at Oregon Health and Sciences University’s Vollum Institute have revealed the molecular structure of the serotonin transporter (SERT), providing new insight into the mechanism of antidepressant action of two widely prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) commonly used to treat depression. In their Nature paper, authors Jonathan Coleman, Evan Green, and Eric Gouaux describe their use of X-ray crystallography to capture images of human SERT structures. They collected data at the Beamline 5.0.2 in the Berkeley Center for Structural Biology and used the Phenix software suite to build models and refine the structures. The resulting structures show antidepressants citalopram and paroxetine lock SERT in an outward-open conformation, directly blocking serotonin binding.

Advanced Membrane Science and Technology for Water and Wastewater Treatment

The pressing need for clean and affordable drinking water is intensifying as global populations rise and pollutants increasingly compromise available water sources. Traditional methods of water purification, while effective, are often insufficient to address the complex array of contaminants now present in water, including microorganisms, organic compounds, and heavy metals. Over the past four decades, significant breakthroughs in water and wastewater treatment have been achieved through the application of nanotechnology, particularly in the development of nanomaterials and nanomembranes. These science and technology advancements have revolutionized membrane-based water and wastewater treatment, offering new levels of efficiency and precision in removing a wide range of pollutants.

This Collection aims to advance our understanding of membrane-based water and wastewater treatment, underlining the challenges and opportunities within this rapidly evolving field, e.g., the limitations of conventional ultrafiltration and microfiltration membrane systems, such as their reduced effectiveness in removing certain trace organic compounds (TrOCs) and the persistent issues of membrane fouling and salinity build-up. The Collection seeks to explore innovative solutions, e.g., high-retention membrane bioreactors (HR-MBRs) and advanced pre-treatment options like advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), which have the potential to significantly improve the effectiveness and sustainability of water and wastewater treatment processes.

Moreover, the Collection emphasizes the importance of developing sustainable materials, such as biopolymers, which can replace traditional synthetic polymers in membrane fabrication. While these materials offer eco-friendly alternatives with unique adsorption properties, their performance can vary based on source and processing methods, presenting challenges in terms of durability and scalability. The Collection also aims to showcase advancements in PVDF-based membranes, which are gaining popularity due to their superior mechanical and chemical properties, and to examine the integration of these materials in innovative membrane technologies, e.g., membrane distillation (MD) and hybrid systems.

New laser technique reveals nearly 20 previously hidden states of matter

In 2023, physicist Xiaodong Xu at the University of Washington —working with researchers from Cornell and Shanghai Jiao Tong University —found that twisting atom-thin layers of molybdenum ditelluride into a special pattern called a moiré lattice could produce the fractional quantum anomalous Hall effect without magnets. This was a huge leap, because magnets can disrupt superconducting materials used in quantum technology.

Xu’s team discovered two such magnet-free fractional states. That alone was remarkable. But Zhu and his colleagues suspected there were more waiting to be found. The secret lies in the moiré pattern. When the layers are slightly rotated relative to each other, they form a honeycomb-like grid at the atomic scale.

This structure changes the way electrons move, encouraging them to team up in unusual ways that create fractional charges. In other words, the twist turns the material into a playground for exotic quantum phases.

New Ultrasound Helmet Reaches Deep Inside The Brain Without Surgery

Deep-brain structures like the basal ganglia or the thalamus wield major influence on our behavior. If something goes awry, dysregulation in the deep brain may trigger neurological conditions like Parkinson’s disease or depression.

Despite the clear importance of these structures, our knowledge about them remains limited by their location, making them difficult to study and treat.

In a new study, researchers unveil a device that might offer an alternative to invasive procedures. Featuring a novel ultrasound helmet, it not only modulates deep-brain circuits without surgery, but reportedly can do so with unrivaled precision.

Sam Altman’s longevity startup is testing a pill for a younger brain

I’ve just hopped on a video call with the CEO of Retro Biosciences, the Sam Altman-backed longevity company, when I mention it’s quite hot.

Joe Betts-LaCroix takes my passing comment as a cue to muse on the wonders of air conditioning, and how energy and heat were once synonymous — until they weren’t.

As a multi-hyphenate scientist, entrepreneur, and once-inventor of the world’s smallest computer, Betts-LaCroix is excited by paradigm change.

At the helm of what is essentially Altman’s playground for experimenting with pushing the limits of the human lifespan, Betts-LaCroix is hoping to engineer the same shift that air conditioning brought to hot summer days for your brain and body. Ideally, one day, decouple aging from decline and disease.

The experimental memory pill works by clearing out “gunk in the cells” linked to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, Betts-LaCroix said. If the pill works, it will restart stalled autophagy processes in the body, cleaning up damage, “especially in the brain cells,” he said.

In contrast, other new Alzheimer’s drugs, like Eisai’s Leqembi and Eli Lilly’s Kisunla, slow down cognitive decline by flushing out sticky amyloid plaques that are a hallmark of the disease.

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