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Researchers at the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG), Germany, have developed a new method that makes it possible for the first time to image the three-dimensional shape of proteins with a conventional microscope. Combined with artificial intelligence, One-step Nanoscale Expansion (ONE) microscopy enables the detection of structural changes in damaged or toxic proteins in human samples. Diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, which are based on protein misfolding, could thus be detected and treated at an early stage.

ONE microscopy was named one of the “seven technologies to watch in 2024” by the journal Nature and was recently published in the renowned journal Nature Biotechnology (“One-step nanoscale expansion microscopy reveals individual protein shapes”).

Artistic impression of the first protein structure of the GABAA receptor solved by ONE microscopy. (Image: Shaib/Rizzoli, umg/mbexc)

Medical Countermeasures For Exotic Viral Diseases — Dr. Jay Hooper, Ph.D. — Chief, Molecular Virology Branch, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases — USAMRIID.


Dr. Jay Hooper, Ph.D is Chief, Molecular Virology Branch, at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID — https://usamriid.health.mil/) where his research is aimed at the discovery and development of medical countermeasures targeting exotic viral diseases of military importance including hemorrhagic fever caused by hantaviruses, arenaviruses, filoviruses (e.g., Ebola virus), and diseases caused by poxviruses (e.g., smallpox and monkeypox).

Dr. Hooper’s discoveries include one of the world’s most potent monoclonal antibodies targeting smallpox (7D11), and the first practical lethal disease animal model for a hantavirus (Andes virus in Syrian hamsters).

We often contemplate cyborgs, people enhanced by machines, but what would a civilization built upon cybernetics be like?

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Researchers highlight LXRβ as a potential target for treating depression, anxiety, and autism. While promising, further studies are needed to confirm its effectiveness in humans.

In a state-of-the-art Bench to Bedside review published in the journal Brain Medicine (Genomic Press), Dr. Xiaoyu Song from the University of Houston and Professor Jan-Åke Gustafsson from Sweden’s Karolinska Institute explore the therapeutic potential of liver X receptor beta (LXRβ) in treating depression and anxiety. Their comprehensive analysis represents a major advancement in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying mental health disorders, with the potential to transform future treatment approaches.

LXRβ, a nuclear receptor initially known for its role in cholesterol metabolism and inflammation, is now emerging as a crucial player in neuroscience and psychiatry. The review synthesizes recent breakthroughs in understanding LXRβ’s regulation and function in behaviors relevant to depression and anxiety, derived from studies using animal models that capture specific features of these disorders.

XRISM is transforming our understanding of supermassive black holes and their galactic neighborhoods, providing high-resolution X-ray spectra that reveal complex structures like twisted accretion disks.

This groundbreaking international space mission, a collaboration between JAXA, NASA, and ESA, is only beginning to unveil the intricate details of black holes and their impact on galaxy formation, with early data already confirming long-held hypotheses.

Initial data from an international space mission is confirming decades of hypotheses about the galactic environments surrounding supermassive black holes. Yet, even more thrilling is the satellite behind this data—the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM)—is just getting started providing such unparalleled insights.

Quantum computers and quantum communication are groundbreaking technologies that enable faster and more secure data processing and transmission compared to traditional computers. In quantum computers, qubits serve as the fundamental units of information, functioning as the quantum mechanical equivalent of bits in classical computing.

Where, for example, laser pulses in a glass fiber transport information from A to B in classical digital communication, quantum mechanics uses individual photons. In principle, this makes it impossible to intercept the transmitted data. Qubits that are optically addressable (can be controlled or read out with light) are suitable for storing the photons’ information and processing it in quantum computers. The qubits can store and process quantum states, and absorb and emit them in the form of photons.

High-speed free-space data transmission could improve connectivity for space missions.

Researchers at ETH Zurich have achieved record-breaking data transmission speeds using plasmonic modulators, promising advancements in space communication and potential global high-speed internet access. With speeds potentially reaching 1.4 Tbit/s, this technology could change how the world connects.

Scientists have achieved data rates as high as 424Gbit/s across a 53-km (33-mile) turbulent free-space optical link using plasmonic modulators—devices that use special light waves called surface plasmon polaritons to control and modify optical signals. This new research establishes the foundation for high-speed optical communication links that transmit data through open air or space.

NASAs Europa Clipper, the largest spacecraft designed for a planetary mission, was recently moved to the SpaceX hangar at Launch Complex 39A in anticipation of its launch.

The spacecraft, encapsulated within payload fairings for protection, is set to be mounted on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.

Launch preparation at kennedy space center.