NASA’s newest and largest flying laboratory is being prepped at NASA Langley.
Link: https://www.wavy.com/video/nasa-langl…
————
Get updates on local news, weather, sports and more impacting Hampton Roads and Northeastern North Carolina. Follow WAVY TV 10 on our website and social channels.
Scientists have discovered that a potential new drug can reverse severe fatty liver disease in animal models by restoring gut health and blocking harmful substances from reaching the liver. The breakthrough could pave the way for new treatments for liver disease and potentially other serious conditions, including cardiovascular disease.
Prof. Moreira argues that reason cannot generate intrinsic value; it merely operates on existing human needs and emotional commitments. While reason can expose contradictions, refine desires, and structure society, it cannot logically compel anyone to care about existence, honesty, or reciprocity. True human value begins with felt needs—most fundamentally, the recognition of the “Other” and their inner life. Ultimately, reason and need must work together to build a pluralistic society where individuals can coexist without needing universal agreement on what makes life meaningful.
Researchers from the University Hospital of Bonn and the University of Bonn have succeeded in dramatically rejuvenating human cells in a test tube. To do so, they directly reprogrammed red blood cell precursors into stem cells from which neurons can be derived. During this process, the molecular clocks that indicate a cell’s age were reset. For example, blood cells from an 80-year-old were transformed into stem cells with a molecular age of less than 20 years. Since this rejuvenation process occurred very slowly, it is well-suited for a more detailed investigation of the underlying mechanisms. The results have been published in the journal Aging Cell.
Study: Aging Cell Abstract Protracted Fate Acquisition and Epigenetic De-Aging During Induced Neural Stem C https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acel.70751ell Conversion of Human Blood Cells.
The human body contains hundreds of different cell types. They all originate from the fertilized egg and therefore share the same genetic makeup. However, in the course of their development, they were committed to a specific fate: a skin cell cannot naturally become a liver cell, nor can a blood cell become a nerve cell.
Today, however, it is possible to reverse this determination in the laboratory. For example, nerve tissue can be grown from a skin cell, which may one day be used to treat neurodegenerative diseases. To achieve this reprogramming, researchers use a cocktail of various transcription factors. These factors cause the cell to read different genetic instructions and thus embark on a different developmental path.
Molecular clocks are reset dramatically
“Using this method, we have directly converted red blood cell precursors into neural stem cells,” explains Prof. Dr. Oliver Brüstle, director of the Institute of Reconstructive Neurobiology at the University Hospital of Bonn. In previous studies, the Bonn researchers had already shown that nerve cells produced in this way form connections with existing neurons after transplantation into the brains of mice.
Astronomers using China’s FAST radio telescope have discovered a compact cloud of hydrogen with no visible stars or galaxy around it. This could be one of the strongest candidates yet for an isolated “dark galaxy,” containing nearly 500,000 times the sun’s mass in neutral hydrogen. The discovery paper was posted to the arXiv preprint server on Sept. 24.
In the lambda cold dark matter (ΛCDM) model, structure forms hierarchically: small dark matter halos form first and then merge to build larger halos and galaxies. The model also predicts that some low-mass halos never form stars at all.
Several processes can suppress star formation at low mass. One is that, after cosmic reionization, the halo’s gas is heated by the ultraviolet (UV) background (the diffuse radiation from quasars and galaxies) and so never becomes cold and dense enough to form stars. Such starless, gas-bearing halos are predicted to exist and are called reionization-limited H I clouds (RELHICs) or “dark galaxies.”
Led by Great Bay University professor Xu Disheng, the researchers worked with Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Laboratory’s Shusheng-S2 model. Across seven rounds of reasoning, the model explored multiple routes and generated detailed arguments. Researchers identified promising ideas, rejected dead ends and guided the next round of exploration.
A separate Peking University team translated the paper’s four main theorems into computer-checkable form. The proofs passed Lean, a system that checks mathematical reasoning step by step. Experts also confirmed that the formal statements matched those in the paper.
The research has been posted as a preprint on arXiv, and the verification code is publicly available, allowing others to examine the work.
The rapidly changing cyber threat landscape requires organizations to move beyond reactive stances and adopt proactive, risk-first strategies combining people, processes, and technology. Recent high-impact intrusions reveal systemic weaknesses in supply chains and third-party risk. Meanwhile, emerging AI and quantum computing technologies are fundamentally altering attacker economics, speed, and protection durability. Leaders must immediately prioritize post-quantum cryptography migration, invest in AI-enabled detection, and govern AI systems responsibly.