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Different types of cancer have unique molecular “fingerprints” which are detectable in early stages of the disease and can be picked up with near-perfect accuracy by small, portable scanners in just a few hours, according to a study published today in the journal Molecular Cell.

The discovery by researchers at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona sets the foundation for creating new, non-invasive diagnostic tests that detect different types of cancer faster and earlier than currently possible.

The study centers around the ribosome, the protein factories of a cell. For decades, ribosomes were thought to have the same blueprint across the human body. However, researchers discovered a hidden layer of complexity—tiny chemical modifications which vary between different tissues, developmental stages, and disease.

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Summary: New research suggests that certain nutrients may lower iron buildup in the brain, a factor linked to cognitive decline in aging. Excess non-heme iron, which accumulates over time, contributes to oxidative stress and can impair memory and executive function.

Over three years, participants with higher intake of antioxidants, vitamins, and iron-chelating nutrients showed less brain iron accumulation and better cognitive performance. These findings highlight the potential of diets like the Mediterranean or DASH to support brain health and combat age-related cognitive decline.

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While an official launch date has yet to be confirmed, reports suggest that SpaceX is targeting January 11, 2025, for the next flight. This date was mentioned in an email from NASA to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), indicating plans to deploy an observation aircraft for the event.

Starship, which consists of two reusable stages € the Super Heavy booster and the upper stage known as Starship € stands approximately 400 feet tall when fully assembled, making it the largest rocket ever built.

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The company has unveiled plans for a new data center in Richland Parish, Louisiana, marking a significant expansion of its global infrastructure. The $10 billion investment will be Meta’s largest data center to date, spanning a massive 4 million square feet. This state-of-the-art facility will be a crucial component in the company’s ongoing efforts to support the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Meta did not disclose an estimated completion or operational date for this facility.

The new Richland Parish data center will create over 500 full-time operational jobs, providing a substantial boost to the local economy. During peak construction, the project is expected to employ more than 5,000 workers.

Meta’s decision to build in Richland Parish was driven by several factors, including the region’s robust infrastructure, reliable energy grid, and business-friendly environment. The company also cited the strong support from local community partners, which played a critical role in facilitating the development of the data center.

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Science & Technology

Soukaina Filali Boubrahimi and Shah Muhammad Hamdi lead NSF-funded research to craft a comprehensive solar flare catalog of images and data, along with data-driven, machine learning models poised to deploy in an operational environment.

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A research team from the Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine has discovered a promising way to slow the progression of heart failure in mice. They fed mice a diet rich in the soybean protein, β-conglycinin (β-CG), which can support heart health by influencing gut bacteria. Their analysis revealed that the soybean protein rich diet increased the production of the short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the intestine that play a role in protecting the heart. Their findings were published in Clinical Nutrition.

Many people with heart problems try to eat a nutritious diet to reduce their risk of disease. As part of a healthy diet, soybeans have long been recognized for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Based on this, the researchers suspected that proteins in soy may help prevent heart damage.

Dr. Nozomi Furukawa and colleagues fed the soy-derived protein β-CG to mice prone to heart failure and investigated its effects on the heart. The mice showed improved heart function, less muscle thickening, and reduced scarring of the heart tissue, common problems associated with the progression of heart disease.

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NASA’s Curiosity rover is preparing for the next leg of its journey, a months-long trek to a formation called the boxwork, a set of weblike patterns on Mars’s surface that stretches for miles. It will soon leave behind Gediz Vallis channel, an area wrapped in mystery. How the channel formed so late during a transition to a drier climate is one big question for the science team. Another mystery is the field of white sulfur stones the rover discovered over the summer.

Curiosity imaged the stones, along with features from inside the channel, in a 360-degree panorama before driving up to the western edge of the channel at the end of September.

The rover is searching for evidence that ancient Mars had the right ingredients to support microbial life, if any formed billions of years ago, when the Red Planet held lakes and rivers. Located in the foothills of Mount Sharp, a 3-mile-tall (5-kilometer-tall) mountain, Gediz Vallis channel may help tell a related story: what the area was like as water was disappearing on Mars. Although older layers on the mountain had already formed in a dry climate, the channel suggests that water occasionally coursed through the area as the climate was changing.

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