Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
Toggle light / dark theme

Blog – Page 81

Get the latest international news and world events from around the world.

Log in for authorized contributors

Hybrid Crystal-Glass Materials from Meteorites Transform Heat Control

Crystals and glasses have opposite heat-conduction properties, which play a pivotal role in a variety of technologies. These range from the miniaturization and efficiency of electronic devices to waste-heat recovery systems, as well as the lifespan of thermal shields for aerospace applications.

The problem of optimizing the performance and durability of materials used in these different applications essentially boils down to fundamentally understanding how their chemical composition and atomic structure (e.g., crystalline, glassy, nanostructured) determine their capability to conduct heat. Michele Simoncelli, assistant professor of applied physics and applied mathematics at Columbia Engineering, tackles this problem from first principles — i.e., in Aristotle’s words, in terms of “the first basis from which a thing is known” — starting from the fundamental equations of quantum mechanics and leveraging machine-learning techniques to solve them with quantitative accuracy.

In research published on July 11 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Simoncelli and his collaborators Nicola Marzari from the Swiss Federal Technology Institute of Lausanne and Francesco Mauri from Sapienza University of Rome predicted the existence of a material with hybrid crystal-glass thermal properties, and a team of experimentalists led by Etienne Balan, Daniele Fournier, and Massimiliano Marangolo from the Sorbonne University in Paris confirmed it with measurements.

A new method to measure ultrafast relaxation processes in single molecules

Quantum stochastic rectification is a process observed in some physical systems, which entails the conversion of random quantum fluctuations (i.e., quantum noise) and a small oscillating signal, such as a weak alternating current or AC voltage, into a steady output (e.g., a direct current, or DC). This quantum effect has been previously reported in magnetic tunnel junctions that are driven by both quantum mechanics and randomness (i.e., stochastic processes).

Researchers at the University of California–Irvine recently showed that the quantum stochastic rectification observed in individual molecules can be leveraged to study their intrinsic relaxation dynamics. Their approach, outlined in a paper published in Physical Review Letters, could inform the future study of molecular dynamics and advance the measurement of rapid processes that take place in single molecules at the atomic scale.

“A few years ago, I served on a Ph.D. Advancement committee and the graduate student discussed his thesis research involving in nm-scale magnetic tunnel junctions,” Wilson Ho, senior author of the paper, told Phys.org. “The signal in his experiment was affected by the thermal noise and showed a transition when the driving frequency was varied.

Virtual reality nature scenes ease pain sensitivity, especially with strong sense of presence

Immersing in virtual reality (VR) nature scenes helped relieve symptoms that are often seen in people living with long-term pain, with those who felt more present experiencing the strongest effects.

A new study led by the University of Exeter, published in the journal Pain, tested the impact of immersive 360-degree nature films delivered using VR compared with 2D video images in reducing the experience of pain, finding VR almost twice as effective.

The paper is titled “Immersion in nature through attenuates the development and spread of mechanical secondary hyperalgesia: a role for insulo-thalamic effective connectivity.”

Deep-sea fish confirmed as a significant source of ocean carbonate

A new study offers the first direct evidence that deep-dwelling mesopelagic fish, which account for up to 94% of global fish biomass, excrete carbonate minerals at rates comparable to shallow-water species. The findings validate previous global models suggesting that marine fish are major contributors to biogenic carbonate production in the ocean.

Scientists at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science studied the blackbelly rosefish (Helicolenus dactylopterus), a deep-sea species living at depths of 350–430 meters (1,148–1,410 feet), to determine whether it forms and excretes intestinal carbonate—known as ichthyocarbonate. This physiological process, common among marine fish, helps maintain internal salt and water balance in saline environments and plays a critical role in marine carbon cycling.

The study, titled “Osmoregulation by the gastro-intestinal tract of at depth—implications for the global carbon cycle,” was published on July 15, 2025 in the Journal of Experimental Biology.

Researchers identify genetic marker that could guide brain cancer treatment

University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center researchers have discovered a genetic biomarker that could help identify patients with glioblastoma most likely to benefit from the cancer drug bevacizumab.

The study, published in JCO Precision Oncology, found that brain tumors from patients treated with bevacizumab who lived longer were more likely to have a genetic change called CDK4 amplification. This suggests that testing for the could help oncologists identify patients most likely to respond well to bevacizumab treatment.

“The findings could help oncologists make more informed treatment decisions for , potentially sparing those unlikely to benefit from unnecessary side effects while ensuring those who might respond get access to the drug,” said John Villano, M.D., Ph.D., the study’s lead author and professor in the UK College of Medicine.

Key genes controlling brain tumor spread identified

The researchers identified three key factors involved in controlling the invasion routes. The gene ANXA1 was linked to invasion along blood vessels while HOPX and RFX4 was associated with diffuse infiltration in the brain. To evaluate the role of the genes, the researchers tested to knock them out in preclinical models, which resulted in a shift in the tumor’s invasion pattern. In several cases, the survival of the experimental animals was also prolonged.

The researchers also discovered proteins encoded by the identified genes in tissue samples from patients. In addition, they found that the presence of the ANXA1 and RFX4 correlated with poor survival. This indicates that these proteins could have a value as prognostic biomarkers.

An international research team has identified new mechanisms behind how the aggressive brain tumor glioblastoma spreads in the brain. Targeting the identified connection between the tumor invasion routes and the tumor cell states could be a potential new treatment strategy.

Glioblastoma is the most common and most lethal primary brain cancer in adults, known for its capacity to spread locally in the brain rather than forming distant metastases. The locally infiltrating cells are largely out of reach for current therapies and it is therefore crucial to determine how the spread in the brain is controlled.

In the current study, which was recently published in the journal Nature Communications, the researchers found that some tumor cells choose to grow along blood vessels in the brain whereas others spread diffusely in the brain tissue. This choice is controlled by the tumor cell states.

Revolution in medicine: A molecule produced by gut bacteria causes atherosclerosis, responsible for millions of deaths

The Argentine microbiologist Federico Rey and Indian pathologist Vaibhav Vemuganti applaud the “exciting opportunities” that the new study opens for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. In a commentary also published Wednesday in Nature, the two experts emphasize that exposure to imidazole propionate worsens plaque formation in the arteries of mice. “This effect occurs independently of changes in cholesterol levels, a surprising result given the central role of cholesterol in the development of atherosclerosis,” note the two specialists, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “This discovery offers an interesting clue about a possible new factor involved in the origin of atherosclerosis. This is very relevant because, although lowering cholesterol — through drugs called statins, for example — can effectively reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, a considerable proportion of people still experience adverse cardiovascular events, such as myocardial infarctions or strokes,” they warn. The CNIC itself said in a statement that the new study “could revolutionize” the diagnosis and treatment of atherosclerosis.

Sancho stresses that the work has been made possible thanks to the collaboration of thousands of volunteer employees of Banco Santander in Madrid, but also thanks to grants of €1 million from the “la Caixa” Foundation, €150,000 from the European Research Council and €100,000 from the State Research Agency.

The discovery of the decisive effect of imidazole propionate on atherosclerosis takes place against a backdrop in which the scientific community is revealing the unknown role of intestinal microbes in some human diseases. The biotechnologist Cayetano Pleguezuelos and his colleagues at the Hubrecht Institute (The Netherlands) demonstrated in February 2020 that a strain of the bacterium Escherichia coli produces a toxic molecule, called colibactin, which damages the DNA of human cells and causes malignant tumors.

/* */