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Mars’ Gravity Helps Shape Earth’s Ice Age Cycles

“I knew Mars had some effect on Earth, but I assumed it was tiny,” said Dr. Stephen Kane.

How does Mars influence Earth’s climate cycles? This is what a recent study published in the Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific hopes to address as a trio of researchers from the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia investigated how the gravitational interactions between Earth and Mars help alter the former’s climate evolution. This study has the potential to help scientists better understand how external processes influence planetary habitability and what this could mean for finding life beyond Earth.

For the study, the researchers used a series of computer models to simulate Earth Milankovitch cycles, which are changes in Earth’s eccentricity (orbit shape), obliquity (axial tilt), and precession (axial wobble) over hundreds of thousands of years. Specifically, the researchers aspired to ascertain how gravitational interactions with Mars could influence these cycles, including climate evolution like ice ages.

In the end, the researchers found that Mars not only influences Earth’s orbital patterns and behavior, but that the solar system’s architecture influences each other’s orbital patterns, and this could have implications for searching for Earth-like exoplanets. This comes despite Mars being approximately half the size of Earth.

Pentagon bought device through undercover operation some investigators suspect is linked to Havana Syndrome

The Defense Department has spent more than a year testing a device purchased in an undercover operation that some investigators think could be the cause of a series of mysterious ailments impacting spies, diplomats and troops that are colloquially known as Havana Syndrome, according to four sources briefed on the matter.

Elon Musk Gets Huge New Partnership

Questions to inspire discussion.

🤖 Q: How will the US military become an AI-first warfighting force?

A: The Department of War will implement continuous experimentation, conduct quarterly force-on-force combat labs, and deploy AI coordinated swarms across all domains from Pentagon back offices to tactical front lines, building on the military AI lead established during President Trump’s first term.

🎯 Q: What defines responsible AI for military applications?

A: The Department of War defines responsible AI as objectively truthful and mission-relevant capabilities employed securely within laws governing military activities, focusing on factually accurate models without ideological constraints limiting lawful military applications.

Talent Acquisition and Workforce.

Continue reading “Elon Musk Gets Huge New Partnership” | >

Complement C4d Informs the Differential Diagnosis of Inflammatory Demyelinating CNS Diseases

C4d is a sensitive marker for identifying antibody-related lesion pathology, enabling differentiation of idiopathic inflammatory demyelinating diseases in tissues and distinguishing both seropositive and seronegative NMOSD from multiple sclerosis in CSF.

Background and Objectives.

Lifespan‐Extending Endogenous Metabolites

Endogenous metabolites are small molecules produced by an organism’s own metabolism. They encompass a wide range of molecules, such as amino acids, lipids, nucleotides, and sugars, which are pivotal for cellular function and organismal health (Baker and Rutter 2023). Beyond serving as biosynthetic precursors and energy substrates, many metabolites also function as dynamic modulators of signaling and gene regulatory networks by engaging in protein–metabolite interactions, allosteric regulation, and by serving as substrates for chromatin and other post-translational modifications (Boon et al. 2020 ; Hornisch and Piazza 2025). Metabolites can function as extracellular signals activating G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), such as free fatty acid receptors for fatty acids, GPR81 for lactate, SUCNR1 for succinate, and TGR5 for bile acids (Tonack et al. 2013). These GPCRs are expressed in gut, adipose tissue, endocrine glands, and immune cells, linking nutrient and metabolite levels to diverse physiological responses (Tonack et al. 2013). Other metabolites serve as enzyme cofactors or epigenetic regulators. For example, methyl donors like betaine provide methyl groups for DNA and histone methylation and also act as osmolytes to protect cells under stress (Lever and Slow 2010). Some metabolites even form specialized structural assemblies. For instance, guanine crystals can form structural color in feline eyes and contribute to enhanced night vision (Aizen et al. 2018).

Perturbations of endogenous metabolite levels or fluxes have been linked to genomic instability, metabolic dysfunction, and age-related diseases, motivating study of metabolites as both biomarkers and functional modulators of aging (Adav and Wang 2021 ; Tomar and Erber 2023 ; Xiao et al. 2025). Metabolomic studies reveal characteristic metabolite changes in diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) (Panyard et al. 2022), suggesting that metabolites not only reflect organismal state but also can actively influence aging pathways. In subsequent sections, we will examine specific endogenous metabolites implicated in longevity regulation.

Atypical intraductal proliferation in prostate biopsy — a diagnostic grey zone with clinical implications

Atypical intraductal proliferation is a prostate biopsy finding with morphological features intermediate between high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia and intraductal carcinoma. This Review discusses histopathological features, molecular characteristics and clinical outcomes associated with AIP, and highlights the clinical implications of AIP, primarily due to the frequent association of AIP with clinically significant prostate cancer.

Disrupting HDAC1 condensates in glioblastoma could help to overcome drug resistance

Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most common and aggressive primary brain tumors in adults, carrying an extremely poor prognosis and a median overall survival typically less than two years. Temozolomide (TMZ) is currently the only chemotherapeutic agent widely used in clinical practice. However, around 90% of cases experience tumor recurrence due to acquired resistance. How to overcome TMZ resistance remains a challenge.

In a study published in Nature Chemical Biology, Dr. Dong Peng’s team from the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and collaborators from Sun Yat-sen University have discovered that TMZ treatment induces the formation of HDAC1-CTCF condensates in GBM cells. The team identified the small-molecule compound resminostat as a therapeutic agent capable of targeting these condensates.

Through three-dimensional (3D) super-resolution imaging independently developed by Dr. Dong’s team, the researchers observed a significant reduction in chromatin accessibility in TMZ-resistant GBM cells. The team characterized their 3D genomic structural features, and revealed that the decreased chromatin accessibility in resistant cells is primarily attributed to TMZ-induced formation of HDAC1-CTCF condensates, which accumulate on chromatin and restrict local accessibility.

Scientists demonstrate low-cost, high-quality lenses for super-resolution microscopy

Researchers have shown that consumer-grade 3D printers and low-cost materials can be used to produce multi-element optical components that enable super-resolution imaging, with each lens costing less than $1 to produce. The new fabrication approach is poised to broaden access to fully customizable optical parts and could enable completely new types of imaging tools.

“We created optical parts that enable imaging of life’s smallest building blocks at a remarkable level of detail,” said lead author Jay Christopher from the University of Strathclyde in the UK. “This approach opens the possibility for customized imaging systems and unlocks imaging scenarios that are traditionally either impossible or need costly glass manufacturing services.”

In the journal Biomedical Optics Express, the researchers describe their lens design and manufacturing processes, which combine 3D printing, silicone molding and a UV curable clear resin. They used lenslets fabricated with their technique to create a multifocal structured illumination microscope that imaged microtubules in a cell’s cytoskeleton with a resolution of around 150 nm.

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