David Baker’s lab at the University of Washington is announcing two major leaps in the field of AI-powered protein design.
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3D printing researchers develop fast-curing, environmentally-friendly concrete substitute
Researchers at Oregon State University have developed a quick-setting, environmentally friendly alternative to concrete they hope can one day be used to rapidly 3D print homes and infrastructure.
Also known as additive manufacturing, 3D printing is already being used to help solve construction challenges such as the global housing crisis that’s emerged as Earth’s population approaches 8.5 billion.
But cement, the binding agent in concrete, accounts for about 8% of the planet’s carbon dioxide emissions, and concrete’s curing time—which can be multiple days—and required structural supports can inhibit progress on construction projects.
Tesla Optimus running test sets new lab record
Tesla has released a new clip of its Optimus humanoid robot running inside a lab. The video comes from the official Optimus account on X and Elon Musk shared it with his followers soon after. The robot jogs past other units in the background and keeps a steady pace on the lab floor.
Also, The team said that they had set a new personal record in the lab. Musk also stressed the internal record had been broken, which puts fresh attention on how far the project has moved in a short time.
Just set a new PR in the lab pic.twitter.com/8kJ2om7uV7 — Tesla Optimus (@Tesla_Optimus) December 2, 2025
Abstract: 1 Institut de Neurociències, and
1 Institut de Neurociències, and.
2Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona Spain.
3Institute of Neuroscience, CSIC-UMH, Alicante, Spain.
4Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group, Vall d’Hebron Research Institute-Network Center for Biomedical Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Barcelona, Spain.
Organisms are musicians not machines
The living cell, once thought to be a precise molecular factory, is turning out to be more like an improvising jazz ensemble. The old dogma—one gene, one protein, one function—has collapsed. Molecular biologist Ewa Grzybowska argues that recent discoveries show that proteins can switch folds, shift shapes, or even remain gloriously unstructured, improvising their roles as they go. Genes are not blueprints but texts, open to continuous interpretation by cells. Life, it turns out, is not built like a machine but is instead fluid, improvisational, and brimming with creative possibility.
1. The old paradigms in biology
When Watson and Crick decoded DNA in 1953 and the mechanism of protein-making was discovered, we obtained an extraordinary tool to explain the inner workings of life. The basic principle of making one protein from one DNA template (gene) with the assistance of one messenger RNA (mRNA) and several well-defined amino-acid-transporting RNAs (tRNAs) was so successful that it has been enshrined in millions of textbooks and not questioned for a long time.
How the brain protects itself from Alzheimer’s disease
High levels of calcium are toxic to cells and contribute to loss of neurons in Alzheimer’s disease. A new study published in JCI Insight identifies a mechanism through which the young brain protects itself against high calcium levels, and it could help scientists learn how to protect the brain from this devastating neurodegenerative condition.
Glyoxalase 1 (GLO1) is a protein that plays an essential role in getting rid of toxic byproducts in cells. In the study, Yale School of Medicine (YSM) researchers discovered elevated GLO1 levels in the brains of animals with excessive levels of cellular calcium, finding that the brain increased GLO1 expression as a protective mechanism to mitigate the effects of the calcium dysregulation.
However, with advancing age, GLO1 activity declined, the researchers found, which may make the brain less resilient to neurodegeneration. The study could inform the development of therapeutics that target GLO1 and prevent neurodegeneration.
Cracking the code of Parkinson’s: How supercomputers are pointing to new treatments
More than 1 million Americans live with tremors, slowed movement and speech changes caused by Parkinson’s disease—a degenerative and currently incurable condition, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation and the Mayo Clinic. Beyond the emotional toll on patients and families, the disease also exerts a heavy financial burden. In California alone, researchers estimate that Parkinson’s costs the state more than 6 billion dollars in health care expenses and lost productivity.
Scientists have long sought to understand the deeper brain mechanisms driving Parkinson’s symptoms. One long-standing puzzle involved an unusual surge of brain activity known as beta waves—electrical oscillations around 15 Hertz observed in patients’ motor control centers. Now, thanks to supercomputing resources provided by the U.S. National Science Foundation’s ACCESS program, researchers may have finally discovered what causes these waves to spike.
Using ACCESS allocations on the Expanse system at the San Diego Supercomputer Center—part of UC San Diego’s new School of Computing, Information, and Data Sciences—researchers with the Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network modeled how specific brain cells malfunction in Parkinson’s disease. Their findings could pave the way for more targeted treatments.