Recommendable!
Thursday, January 22, 2026
Trump Launches New Gaza "Board of Peace" at Davos After Mocking Allies with Palki Sharma
We will find out how successful this Board of Peace is!
Syria's New Government and Kurdish Forces Sign Deal After Deadly Clashes with Palki Sharma
Good news! Why not give the Kurdish people some autonomy?
Davos Reality Check: Pollution Hurts Indian Economy More Than Tariffs with Palki Sharma
Serious stuff! When will India clean up?
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin to Launch Satellite Network to Rival Elon Musk's Starlink with Palki Sharma
Good news! Competition is good, more competition is better!
TimeVault, a genetically encoded system that records and stores transcriptomes within living mammalian cells
Amazing stuff!
"By converting a natural cell component called a vault into an mRNA time capsule, researchers have identified — and blocked — some of the mysterious gene activity that allows cancer cells to resist targeted drugs. These capsules, named ‘TimeVaults’, can grab onto a small amount of mRNA and store it for more than a week. Analyzing the contents of these capsules revealed some of the genetic drivers behind drug-resistant lung cancer cells known as persistors. When some overly active genes inside these cancer cells were inhibited, drugs became more effective against them."
"... To turn vaults into time capsules, Chen’s team engineered a vault protein in such a way that it recognizes and links to a molecular hallmark of mRNA molecules, thereby capturing the mRNA inside the vault. The production of this protein — the equivalent of hitting the ‘record’ button — is triggered by treating cells with a drug and stopped by withdrawing the drug.
With these modifications, the TimeVaults captured a small fraction of all of the mRNA molecules produced by a human cell line throughout a 24-hour period, and stored them for at least a week, ... The researchers found no sign that cells with TimeVaults behaved differently from regular vaults because of their cargo, nor that the barrel-shaped structures changed shape or size once filled ..."
From the abstract:
"Understanding how cells make decisions over time requires the ability to link past molecular states to future phenotypic outcomes.
We present TimeVault, a genetically encoded system that records and stores transcriptomes within living mammalian cells for future readout.
TimeVault leverages engineered vault particles that capture mRNA through poly(A) binding protein. We demonstrate that the transcriptome stored by TimeVaults is stable in living cells for over 7 days.
TimeVault enables high-fidelity transcriptome-wide recording with minimal cellular perturbation, capturing transient stress responses and revealing gene expression changes underlying drug-naive persister states in lung cancer cells that evade EGFR inhibition.
By linking past and present cellular states, TimeVault provides a powerful tool for decoding how cells respond to stress, make fate decisions, and resist therapy."
A ‘time capsule’ for cells stores the secret experiences of their past "Scientists have transformed enigmatic cell structures, called vaults, into storage units for messenger RNA molecules." (no public access)
A genetically encoded device for transcriptome storage in mammalian cells (no public access)
Blue Origin's satellite internet network TeraWave will move data at 6 Tbps
Amazing stuff!
"Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin has just announced a satellite internet network called TeraWave, which will be capable of offering data speeds up to 6 Tbps, and geared toward enterprise, data center, and government customers.
The TeraWave constellation will use a mix of 5,280 satellites in low-Earth orbit and 128 in medium-Earth orbit, and Blue Origin plans to deploy the first ones in late 2027. It’s not immediately clear how long Blue Origin expects it will take to build out the whole network.
The low-Earth orbit satellites Blue Origin is building will use RF connectivity and have a max data transfer speed of 144 Gbps, while the medium-Earth variety will use an optical link that can achieve the much higher 6 Tbps speed. For reference, SpaceX’s Starlink currently maxes out at 400 Mbps — though it plans to launch upgraded satellites that will offer 1 Gbps data transfer in the future. ..."
"Blue Origin today announced TeraWave, a satellite communications network designed to deliver symmetrical data speeds of up to 6 Tbps anywhere on Earth. This network will service tens of thousands of enterprise, data center, and government users who require reliable connectivity for critical operations.
The TeraWave architecture consists of 5,408 optically interconnected satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) and medium Earth orbit (MEO). This multi-orbit design enables ultra-high-throughput links between global hubs and distributed, multigigabit user connections, particularly in remote, rural, and suburban areas where diverse fiber paths are costly, technically infeasible, or slow to deploy. TeraWave enterprise-grade user and gateway terminals can be rapidly deployed worldwide and interface with existing high-capacity infrastructure, providing additional route diversity and strengthening overall network resilience. ..."
Blue Origin Introduces TeraWave, a 6 Tbps Space-Based Network for Global Connectivity (original news release) "Purpose-built to serve enterprise-grade customers"
Cancer cells use mitochondria stolen from immune cells to evade immune system
Amazing stuff! Cancer is history (soon)!
"Cancer cells use mitochondria stolen from immune cells to escape detection and spread. Researchers found that when cancer cells take on these mitochondria in mice, it both weakens the immune cells and triggers a molecular pathway in the cancer cells that help them fly under the immune system’s radar and invade lymph nodes. This beneficial molecular pathway was activated even when researchers disrupted the mitochondria’s ability to produce the energy-carrying molecule ATP. The findings could explain how cancer cells survive in lymph nodes, which are packed with immune cells that should be able to kill them."
From the highlights and abstract:
"Highlights
• Cancer cells hijack mitochondria from many immune cells
• Mitochondria loss by immune cells impairs innate and adaptive anti-tumor immunity
• Fusion of hijacked and endogenous cancer cell mitochondria triggers cGAS STING activation
• cGAS-STING activation promotes lymph node metastasis through type I interferon signaling
Summary
Although the immune system is a significant barrier to tumor growth and spread, established tumors evade immune attack and frequently colonize immune populated areas such as the lymph node. The mechanisms by which cancer cells subvert the tumor-immune microenvironment to favor spread to the lymph node remain incompletely understood.
Here, we show that, as a common attribute, tumor cells hijack mitochondria from a wide array of immune cells. Mitochondria loss by immune cells decreases antigen-presentation and co-stimulatory machinery, as well as reducing the activation and cytotoxic capacity of natural killer (NK) and CD8 T cells.
In cancer cells, the exogenous mitochondria fuse with endogenous mitochondria networks, leak mtDNA into the cytosol, and stimulate cGAS/STING, activating type I interferon-mediated immune evasion programs.
Blocking mitochondrial transfer machinery—including cGAS, STING, or type I interferon—reduced cancer metastasis to the lymph node. These findings suggest that cancer cells leverage mitochondria hijacking to weaken anti-tumor immunosurveillance and use the acquired mitochondria to fuel the immunological requirements of lymph node colonization."
Cancer might evade immune defences by stealing mitochondria "Hijacking the energy-producing organelles from immune cells seems to help tumours in mice to infiltrate lymph nodes." (no public access)
Graphical abstract
Bavisant identified as a therapeutic candidate for multiple sclerosis via drug repurposing
Good news!
From the editor's summary and abstract:
"Editor’s summary
Drug repurposing could allow fast and cost-effective identification of neuroprotective and remyelination therapies for multiple sclerosis. Gacem et al. performed in silico screening to find potential candidates in a library of 1500 repurposed drugs. These drug candidates were tested in cell models to identify compounds with low toxicity profiles and potential for remyelination. The therapeutic potential of one lead compound, the histamine receptor H3 antagonist bavisant, was validated by proof-of-principle experiments in several mouse models of demyelination. These findings suggest that the presented screening pipeline could be valuable to identify additional repurposed compounds with potential remyelinating and neuroprotective properties. ...
Abstract
Current treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) are insufficient to delay the neurodegenerative process that is the main cause of disability progression in patients with MS. Therapeutics aimed at supporting myelin regeneration and neuroprotection are thus a major unmet medical need for the progressive forms of MS.
To address this, we developed a strategy combining in silico screening of more than 1500 repurposed compounds with a validation pipeline of models, encompassing rodent and human in vitro assays as well as mouse models of demyelination/remyelination.
From the initial library, 273 drugs were prioritized in silico on the basis of the predicted effects on myelination and neuroprotection, and among them, 160 were potentially nontoxic.
We identified 32 molecules that exerted a promyelinating and a neuroprotective action on rodent and human oligodendroglia and neurons. Our data identified classes of compounds with potentially distinct mechanisms of action that may foster remyelination and neuroprotection.
The therapeutic activity of one selected drug, the histamine receptor H3 antagonist bavisant, was further validated in mouse models of demyelination and axonal injury reproducing some key pathological features occurring in MS.
Our in vivo studies demonstrated that bavisant promoted remyelination and neuroprotection when administered to LPC-treated, cuprizone-fed, or MOG-induced EAE mice, as well as in a human oligodendroglia chimeric mouse model of demyelination/remyelination.
These findings provide proof-of-concept validation for bavisant as a candidate for neuroprotective clinical trials in MS."
Inhaled nitric oxide treats multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas pneumonia
Good news!
From the editor's summary and abstract:
"Editor’s summary
The global crisis of antimicrobial resistance urgently requires new therapeutic approaches.
Inhaled high-dose nitric oxide (NO) has potential antimicrobial activity against bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
In this study, Yu et al. first developed a swine model of Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia and demonstrated that inhalation of 300 ppm of NO effectively reduced bacterial burden and improved lung function. The authors then showed that this inhaled high-dose NO was safe both in healthy individuals and in two patients in the intensive care unit with P. aeruginosa pneumonia. There were no adverse outcomes during 6 years of follow-up in another group of patients who received high-dose NO. ...
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance in respiratory infections is an escalating global concern that requires innovative antimicrobial approaches.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common multidrug-resistant pathogen and a major cause of hospital-acquired pneumonia. Accumulating evidence suggests that, at high doses, inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) acts as a potent antimicrobial agent. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of iNO at 300 parts per million (iNO300) as a treatment for P. aeruginosa infection.
In vitro, P. aeruginosa exhibited a dose-dependent reduction when exposed to an NO donor. In a mechanically ventilated swine model of P. aeruginosa pneumonia, intermittent iNO300 therapy resulted in a two-log reduction in bacterial burden, improved oxygenation and lung compliance, and reduced histopathological lung injury.
A phase 1 clinical trial in 10 healthy individuals confirmed the safety of intermittent iNO300 therapy with no adverse events.
In two critically ill patients with multidrug-resistant bacteria, who were in the intensive care unit, iNO300 was well tolerated, demonstrating clinical feasibility. Long-term follow-up of patients exposed to high-dose iNO for more than 6 years revealed no adverse outcomes.
Our findings establish iNO300 as a promising antimicrobial agent against P. aeruginosa pneumonia, warranting further clinical evaluation."
Danish veterans of US wars say they feel betrayed by Greenland threats
Bad news!
"Denmark has been a stalwart ally to America. Forty-four Danish troops were killed in Afghanistan, the highest per capita death toll among coalition forces."
"... Denmark’s prime minster has said it would mean the end of NATO.
For Danish veterans, it feels profoundly personal.
A NATO member since 1949, Denmark has been a stalwart ally to America. Forty-four Danish soldiers were killed in Afghanistan, the highest per capita death toll among coalition forces. Eight more died in Iraq. ..."
The U.S. Has formally Left the WHO today
Good news! Maybe a reorganisation etc. is not a bad idea! Bravo President Trump for shaking things up!
Are other countries stepping up?
"The U.S. formally leaves the WHO today, completing a yearlong withdrawal process begun on President Trump’s first day in office in 2025, and leaving a budgetary crisis and ruptured global health security in its wake, reports Reuters.
Global fallout: The loss of the U.S.—once the WHO’s largest donor—has led the agency to make deep budget cuts and plan layoffs for nearly a quarter of its staff. ..."
Cursor’s hundreds of concurrent AI agents build working web browser in one week
Amazing stuff!
"Cursor tested hundreds of concurrent AI agents working on complex software projects for weeks at a time, generating over 1 million lines of code. The company found that a hierarchical structure with specialized planner and worker agents outperformed flat coordination models.
Planners continuously explore codebases and create tasks, while workers focus solely on completing assigned work without coordinating with each other.
The system built a web browser from scratch in one week with 1,000 files, migrated Cursor’s own codebase from Solid to React over three weeks with 266,000 additions and 193,000 deletions, and optimized video rendering code that shipped to production.
GPT-5.2 models proved more effective than GPT-5.1-Codex for extended autonomous work, maintaining focus and avoiding drift better than Opus 4.5, which tends to take shortcuts.
The company says prompt engineering matters more than infrastructure, and the optimal coordination structure falls between completely flat and rigidly hierarchical systems. (Cursor)"
The U.S. is strangling an illicit network of more than 1,400 dark fleet tankers moving crude oil for Venezuela, Russia, and Iran
So many?
"More than 1,400 so-called dark fleet ships have moved sanctioned oil for years. WSJ explains how tankers carrying Venezuelan, Russian and Iranian oil evade detection and how the Trump administration has created a playbook for a global crackdown on these vessels."
New wound spray stops bleeding in one second
Good news!
"Researchers have developed a spray-on powder that turns into a wound-conforming gel when it comes in contact with blood. The breakthrough has the possibility of dramatically improving wound care in combat and other life-threatening situations. ...
Seeking a solution to treating such injuries, researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), one of whom is an Army Major, developed a powder that reacts with cations (particles with a positive electrical charge) like calcium in blood to turn into a gel state in just one second, sealing even deep and irregular wounds instantly.
The substance is made from three natural ingredients: alginate, a substance extracted from brown seaweed; gellan gum, a natural thickener made from bacteria through fermentation; and chitosan, a powder made from the exoskeletons of crustaceans and insects as well as from fungal cell walls. ..."
"... Accordingly, the research team developed a next-generation hemostatic agent in powder form that can be freely applied even to deep, large, and irregular wounds. They have secured versatility to respond to various types of wounds with a single powder. ..."
From the abstract:
"Rapid and effective bleeding control remains a clinical priority, particularly for deep or irregular wounds where conventional dressings are inadequate.
Here, an ionically responsive, powder-based hemostatic system (AGCL) composed of alginate, gellan gum, chitosan, and a glutaraldehyde crosslinker is presented. Upon contact with calcium ions in blood, AGCL rapidly forms an adhesive hydrogel network within ≈1 s, enabling ultrafast gelation and a high blood uptake ratio (≈725%).
The powder exhibits strong bioadhesion (>40 kPa), excellent sealing under mixed-mode loading, and robust storage stability for up to 24 months under ambient conditions. In vitro assays confirm minimal hemolysis (<3%), high cytocompatibility, and greater than 99% antibacterial efficacy.
In various bleeding models, AGCL significantly reduced blood loss and time to hemostasis compared to TachoSil, a clinical benchmark.
Furthermore, AGCL accelerated re-epithelialization, angiogenesis, and collagen deposition in murine skin and liver wound models, supporting high-quality tissue regeneration without systemic toxicity.
These results demonstrate that AGCL integrates rapid coagulation, strong adhesion, long-term biostability, and regenerative capacity in a single platform.
Its powder format offers distinct advantages in versatility, ease of application, and storability, making it a promising candidate for next-generation topical hemostats in trauma care, surgery, and emergency medicine."
Hemostasis in 1 Second... Boosting Survival Rates for Soldiers (original news release)
Fig. 1 Fabrication and characterization of AGCL powder-type hemostatic material.
Wednesday, January 21, 2026
No bull: This Austrian cow has learned to use tools
No wonder cow milk tastes so good! 😊
"About a decade ago, a baker in a small mountainous village in southern Austria noticed his cow doing something unusual. When Veronika had an itch, she would grab a stick in her mouth and use it to scratch her body. Over the years, the brown bovid’s technique improved. She could pick up objects as large as a broom or rake and move them around with her prehensile tongue, changing their length and orientation to ensure the best possible scratch.
The behavior isn’t just a clever trick: It’s the first documented case of tool use in cattle, scientists report today in Current Biology. And, it turns out, one of Veronika’s skills has only been seen in humans and chimpanzees. ..."
From the abstract:
"Imagine the tools a cow would make. This idea, humorously illustrated in Gary Larson’s Far Side cartoon, captures a widespread assumption: cows are neither problem-solvers nor tool users.
In science, as in culture, livestock species are often cognitively underestimated 😊, reinforced by their utilitarian role and persistent mind-denial biases associated with meat consumption.
Despite over 10,000 years of domestication, research on cattle cognition remains scarce and confined to applied contexts such as productivity and welfare.
Tool use, while rarely observed, offers a stringent test of cognitive flexibility. Defined as the manipulation of an external object to achieve a goal via a mechanical interface, tooling ranges from species-typical routines to innovative, problem-specific acts.
We report here our experimental demonstration of flexible egocentric tooling in a pet cow (Bos taurus), Veronika, who uses a deck brush to self-scratch. Across randomized trials, she preferred the bristled end but switched to the stick end when targeting softer lower-body areas. This adaptive deployment of tool features reveals multi-purpose tool use not previously reported in non-primate mammals. Our findings broaden the taxonomic scope of flexible tool use and invite a reassessment of livestock cognition."
A genetically encoded device for transcriptome storage in mammalian cells
Amazing stuff!
"... Vaults — so named because early researchers likened them to vaulted cathedral ceilings — are enigmatic structures naturally occurring inside cells. Although smaller than the membrane-enclosed organelles such as the nucleus or mitochondria, vaults are the largest particles made by human cells and among the most abundant, with about 10,000 in most cells and up to 100,000 in some immune cells.
First discovered 40 years ago, their function remains unknown. Vaguely resembling footballs or hand grenades, vaults are mostly hollow — meaning they could be engineered to store other molecules. Better yet, they do not trigger an immune response because they already exist within cells. ...
The system uses poly(A) binding proteins, which naturally bind to mRNA and are widely employed to produce transcripts of gene activity. With bioengineering, researchers attached these proteins to others that naturally form vaults. When the vault takes shape and closes up, the transcript information becomes enclosed within. ...
The vaults act like protective containers and shield the RNA from normal degradation by enzymes.
In experiments, the researchers found that the TimeVaults extended RNA preservation more than sevenfold — from a half-life of about 17 hours in the cell cytoplasm to 132 hours inside the vaults.
This information is even inherited by daughter cells. When cells divide, the vaults are divided between the offspring cells.
Next, researchers used chemical techniques to dissolve the vaults and assemble transcriptome snapshots of past activity, which can be compared with other snapshots taken later. ..."
From the abstract:
"Understanding how cells make decisions over time requires the ability to link past molecular states to future phenotypic outcomes. We present TimeVault, a genetically encoded system that records and stores transcriptomes within living mammalian cells for future readout.
TimeVault leverages engineered vault particles that capture mRNA through poly(A) binding protein. We demonstrate that the transcriptome stored by TimeVaults is stable in living cells for over 7 days.
TimeVault enables high-fidelity transcriptome-wide recording with minimal cellular perturbation, capturing transient stress responses and revealing gene expression changes underlying drug-naive persister states in lung cancer cells that evade EGFR inhibition. By linking past and present cellular states, TimeVault provides a powerful tool for decoding how cells respond to stress, make fate decisions, and resist therapy."
A genetically encoded device for transcriptome storage in mammalian cells (no public access)
Polar weather on Jupiter and Saturn hints at the planets’ interior details
Amazing stuff!
"Over the years, passing spacecraft have observed mystifying weather patterns at the poles of Jupiter and Saturn. The two planets host very different types of polar vortices, which are huge atmospheric whirlpools that rotate over a planet’s polar region. On Saturn, a single massive polar vortex appears to cap the north pole in a curiously hexagonal shape, while on Jupiter, a central polar vortex is surrounded by eight smaller vortices, like a pan of swirling cinnamon rolls.
Given that both planets are similar in many ways — they are roughly the same size and made from the same gaseous elements — the stark difference in their polar weather patterns has been a longstanding mystery.
Now, MIT scientists have identified a possible explanation for how the two different systems may have evolved. Their findings could help scientists understand not only the planets’ surface weather patterns, but also what might lie beneath the clouds, deep within their interiors. ...
After comparing simulations, the team found that vortex patterns, and whether a planet develops one or multiple polar vortices, comes down to one main property: the “softness” of a vortex’s base, which is related to the interior composition.
The scientists liken an individual vortex to a whirling cylinder spinning through a planet’s many atmospheric layers. When the base of this swirling cylinder is made of softer, lighter materials, any vortex that evolves can only grow so large. The final pattern can then allow for multiple smaller vortices, similar to those on Jupiter. In contrast, if a vortex’s base is made of harder, denser stuff, it can grow much larger and subsequently engulf other vortices to form one single, massive vortex, akin to the monster cyclone on Saturn. ..."
From the significance and abstract:
"Significance
One intriguing difference between the two largest planets in the solar system is their polar vortex structures: Jupiter hosts multiple vortices at its poles, while Saturn exhibits a single polar vortex.
By systematically surveying the parameter space of a 2D quasi-geostrophic system, we demonstrate that 4 different polar vortex patterns may arise, depending on two key nondimensional numbers and the initial conditions. Analytical criteria predicting the 4 possible patterns are provided. Utilizing the observed vortex patterns, we further obtain constraints on Saturn’s vortex depth and stratification.
Abstract
The distinct polar vortex dynamics observed on Jupiter and Saturn may provide insights into their interiors. In this study, we examine how the number and structure of polar vortices vary with forcing strength, dissipation rate, and interior stratification using a 1.5-layer quasi-geostrophic model. This simplified setup enables a broad exploration of the parameter space, revealing that vortex characteristics are determined by the sequence in which three key length scales—the deformation radius , the zonostrophic scale , and the dissipative scale —are encountered as energy cascades from small to large scales.
Four distinct vortex patterns are identified, including a vortex crystal resembling Jupiter’s polar vortices and a single-vortex state akin to that of Saturn. The conditions under which these patterns emerge provide constraints on the stratification of Jupiter and Saturn."
Polar vortex dynamics on gas giants: Insights from 2D energy cascades (no public access)
Jupiter
Saturn
300 t Traglast, 600 Jahre alt: Größte Kogge der Welt im Öresund entdeckt
Sehr eindrucksvoll!
"... Meeresarchäologen haben im Öresund das bislang größte Exemplar einer mittelalterlichen Kogge entdeckt. Das Schiff mit dem Namen „Svælget 2“ stammt aus dem Jahr 1410 und markiert einen Wendepunkt in der maritimen Logistik. Mit einer Ladekapazität von 300 t ermöglichte dieser Schiffstyp erstmals den effizienten Transport von Massengütern. Der Fund liefert zudem erstmals archäologische Beweise für charakteristische Konstruktionsmerkmale wie die Bug- und Heckkastelle."
Seit über 600 Jahren lag die Svælget 2 am Grund des Öresund, nun haben Taucher sie eher zufällig entdeckt.
Spectacular northern aurora lights as far south as New Mexico
Amazing stuff!
"A severe geomagnetic storm sparked northern lights as far south as New Mexico after a coronal mass ejection from the sun struck Earth on Jan. 19."
Severe G4 geomagnetic storm sparks jaw-dropping northern lights worldwide "A fast CME slammed into Earth on Jan. 19, unleashing hours of intense auroral activity and lighting up skies far beyond the poles."
Northern lights above Portsall, France.
Northern lights captured from Deming, New Mexico, on Jan. 19
Immune cells prepare for pregnancy
Amazing stuff!
"In mammals, networks of immune cells within the uterus help to ensure tolerance to embryos, allowing implantation and a successful pregnancy. Foyle et al. examined how seminal fluid from male mice influenced the composition of T cells within the uterus in female mice. CD4+ and CD8+ T cells accumulated in the endometrium after mating; however, γδ T cells, a distinctive type of T cell with characteristics of both innate and adaptive immune cells, increased in abundance the most.
Consistent with their bolstered numbers, these γδ T cells had indications of elevated activation and proliferation. Therefore, seminal plasma, rather than sperm, is critical for stimulating these changes to uterine γδ T cells."
From the abstract:
"Seminal fluid elicits an immune response in the uterine mucosa after mating that impacts embryo implantation and pregnancy, but the underlying molecular and cellular events are unclear.
In this study, we report RNA sequencing to analyze the uterine response to seminal fluid after mating. Females exposed to seminal fluid of intact males exhibited gene expression changes on D3.5 post-coitum (pc) just prior to embryo implantation, compared to females mated with males surgically rendered seminal plasma deficient.
Functional enrichment analysis revealed genes related to T cell activation amongst those with the largest fold-changes. Using flow cytometry we then showed profound changes in uterine T cell abundance and phenotype regulated by seminal fluid contact. While CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were elevated by seminal fluid, the most conspicuous change was in CD4-CD8- T cells expressing γδ T cell receptors (TCR).
Mating with intact males caused a 8.3-fold increase in γδ T cell abundance compared to estrous virgin females, and a 22.4-fold increase in the proportion of γδ T cells expressing proliferation marker Ki67. Vγ6+ cells were the most abundant subpopulation in the uterus, followed by Vγ4+ and Vγ1+ T cells, and all three were similarly expanded after mating.
Seminal plasma was critical for γδ T cell accumulation and activation in the endometrium, and similar changes occurred in uterine-draining lymph nodes but not spleen. These findings identify γδ T cells as prominent in the immune response to seminal fluid and imply key roles in uterine immune regulation and reproductive success."
Seminal fluid expands the uterine gamma/delta T cell pool during early pregnancy in mice (open access)
Fig. 1 Effect of prior seminal fluid contact on the uterine endometrial transcriptome at implantation.
Morocco, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Bahrain accept Trump's invite to join Gaza Board of Peace
Quite impressive! Meanwhile also Israel, Kosovo and Pakistan announced to join.
As many as 25 or more countries have signed on.
Tuesday, January 20, 2026
India Ships Pinaka Rockets to Armenia in Major Defence Boost with Palki Sharma
India is becoming a major arms exporter!
Ukraine Defense Ministry: ‘Make the War Unbearable setting a 50,000 Lethal Losses-a-Month Goal for Russia
Wow!
When will the lethargic, apathetic Russian Slav(e)s/Serfs finally get rid of their last tsar, the megalomaniac, warmonger and war criminal Putin the Terrible! He is an ugly remnant of the Cold War and a former KGB agent. He is a wannabe Stalin. Please Russian people make the world a better, more peaceful place again! How many more young Russian men will be killed or maimed before you act!
"... Speaking during an off-the-record meeting with journalists, Fedorov said that Ukrainian Defense Forces eliminated about 35,000 Russian troops last month, with all losses confirmed by video evidence. ..."
Ukraine Deploys First Hydrogen-Powered Combat Drone
Amazing stuff!
"Ukraine has, for the first time, sent into combat a hybrid drone powered by hydrogen fuel. According to the builder Skyeton, a variant of its Raybird was deployed for full-scale combat duty with the Ukrainian Armed Forces in an active war zone.
Hydrogen-powered drones aren't exactly new. They've been around for almost 20 years, though previous examples were mainly technology demonstrators and experimental prototypes. Usually, these were intended as long-endurance, high-altitude craft, though an Israeli-US system called Heven AeroTech Z1 is intended for front-line missions, but this has yet to be deployed. ...
The hybrid system means that craft is quieter compared to a four-stroke engine and has a negligible heat signature, though its altitude is limited to 18,000 ft (5,500 m). ..."
The Raybird is the first hydrogen drone sent into combat
Scientists develop molecules that may treat Crohn’s disease and other chronic inflammatory disorders
Good news!
"Highlights
- Scientists developed small molecules that target a protective gene variant strongly associated with inflammatory bowel disease.
- The compounds reduced both inflammatory signaling in human immune cells and inflammation in a mouse model.
- This human genetics-to-therapeutics pipeline can be applied to other diseases and challenging drug targets.
...
But a lucky few individuals are far less likely to develop IBD because they have a rare variant of a gene called CARD9. This protective gene variant prevents the long-term digestive tract inflammation that can cause tissue damage and lead to disease.
Now, researchers ... have developed small-molecule drug candidates that mimic the effects of this rare gene variant and could potentially treat Crohn’s and other inflammatory bowel diseases. ..."
From the abstract:
"Highlights
• A Crohn’s-disease-protective CARD9 variant guided inhibitor discovery strategy
• DNA-encoded library and structural studies revealed a ligandable pocket in CARD9
• Benzodiazepine inhibitors block CARD9-dependent NF-κB activation and cytokine release
• Compounds dampen inflammation in dendritic cells and in a humanized mouse model
Summary
Human genetic association studies highlight key genes involved in disease pathology, yet targets identified by these analyses often fall outside the traditional definitions of druggability.
A rare truncated variant of the scaffold protein CARD9 is linked with protection from Crohn’s disease, prompting us to pursue the development of inhibitors that might similarly modulate innate inflammatory responses.
Using a phased approach, we first identified a ligandable site on CARD9 using a structurally diverse DNA-encoded library and defined this site in detail through X-ray crystallography.
Building upon this, a subsequent ligand displacement screen identified additional molecules that uniquely engage CARD9 and prevent its assembly into scaffolds needed to nucleate a signalosome for downstream nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) induction.
These inhibitors suppressed inflammatory cytokine production in dendritic cells and a humanized CARD9 mouse model. Collectively, this study illustrates a strategy for leveraging protective human genetic variants and chemical biology to tackle challenging targets for dampening inflammation."
Human genetics guides the discovery of CARD9 inhibitors with anti-inflammatory activity (no public access)
Graphical abstract
Spektakulärer Sparkassen Einbruch von Gelsenkirchen am 27.12.2025: Täter immer noch nicht gefasst!
Der Bankraub ist nun mehr als drei Wochen her!
Immer noch kein Erfolg bei den polizeilichen Ermittlungen?
Hinweis: Ich verfolge dieses Ereignis nicht im Detail.
Anyons may be at the root of surprising quantum experiments and a new form of superconductivity
Amazing stuff!
"In the past year, two separate experiments in two different materials captured the same confounding scenario: the coexistence of superconductivity and magnetism. Scientists had assumed that these two quantum states are mutually exclusive; the presence of one should inherently destroy the other. ...
proposes that under certain conditions, a magnetic material’s electrons could splinter into fractions of themselves to form quasiparticles known as “anyons.” In certain fractions, the quasiparticles should flow together without friction, similar to how regular electrons can pair up to flow in conventional superconductors. ...
introduce an entirely new form of superconductivity — one that persists in the presence of magnetism and involves a supercurrent of exotic anyons rather than everyday electrons. ...
For decades, it was thought that superconductivity and magnetism should not co-exist; superconductivity is a delicate state, and any magnetic field can easily sever the bonds between Cooper pairs. But earlier this year, two separate experiments proved otherwise. In the first experiment, ... discovered superconductivity and magnetism in rhombohedral graphene — a synthesized material made from four or five graphene layers. ...
Shortly after, a second team reported similar dual states in the semiconducting crystal molybdenium ditelluride (MoTe2). Interestingly, the conditions in which MoTe2 becomes superconductive happen to be the same conditions in which the material exhibits an exotic “fractional quantum anomalous Hall effect,” or FQAH — a phenomenon in which any electron passing through the material should split into fractions of itself. These fractional quasiparticles are known as “anyons.” ...
Their work revealed that superconducting anyons can emerge at certain electron densities. What’s more, they found that when superconducting anyons first emerge, they do so in a totally new pattern of swirling supercurrents that spontaneously appear in random locations throughout the material. This behavior is distinct from conventional superconductors and is an exotic state that experimentalists can look for as a way to confirm the team’s theory. If their theory is correct, it would introduce a new form of superconductivity, through the quantum interactions of anyons. ..."
From the abstract:
"Motivated by the experimental discovery of the fractional quantum anomalous Hall effect, we develop a theory of doping-induced transitions out of the = 2/3 lattice Jain state in the presence of quenched disorder.
We show that disorder strongly affects the evolution into the conducting phases described in our previous work. The delocalization of charge 2/3 anyons leads to a chiral superconductor through a direct second-order transition for a smooth random potential with long-wavelength modulations. The longitudinal resistance has a universal peak at the associated quantum critical point.
Close to the transition, we show that the superconducting ground state is an “Anomalous Vortex Glass” stabilized in the absence of an external magnetic field. For short-wavelength disorder, this transition generically splits into three distinct ones with intermediate insulating topological phases.
If instead, the charge 1/3 anyon delocalizes, then at low doping the resulting phase is a Reentrant Integer Quantum Hall state with xy = h/e 2 .
At higher doping this undergoes a second transition to a Fermi liquid metal. We show that this framework provides a plausible explanation for the complex phase diagram recently observed in twisted MoTe2 near = 2/3 and discuss future experiments that can test our theory in more detail."
Anyon delocalization transitions out of a disordered fractional quantum anomalous Hall insulator (no public access)
China's top solar panel makers warn of record $5bn loss despite anti-price war bid
Bad news!
"China's top solar panel makers have forecast losses of up to 38.4 billion yuan ($5.5 billion) for 2025 due to overcapacity and rising raw material prices, underscoring the uphill battle to rein in excessive price competition under the country's "anti-involution" campaign. ..."
Laser Weapons Are Finally Real: The Iron Beam Era of Israel
Recommendable!
"... Israel's Iron Beam began life in 1996 as a joint US/Israel project. Originally conceived as a chemical deuterium fluoride laser, it swapped over to solid-state, electrically-powered, ytterbium-doped lasers when it moved to Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
In 2024, recent conflicts resulted in the system being fast tracked for combat duty to intercept hostile drones and missiles and now it has been officially integrated into Israel's armed forces as the innermost layer of the air defenses tasked with intercepting short-range threats, including rockets and mortars. ...
Currently, there are about 17 tactical lasers that are operational, combat-cleared, field tested, or under development. With the advantages of a weapon that can engage targets at the speed of light, has an infinite ammo magazine, and costs the famous "dollar-a-shot" to operate, there's a lot of incentive to bring these online.
It's an incentive that's so great that the Royal Navy has pushed its schedule forward to field its Dragonfire laser to 2027 and others are likely also to see the fast track in the near future. In the short term, these systems will be used to counter drones as well as rockets, mortars, and other close-in aerial threats. ..."
The Iron Beam Laser
When Gulf Allies Saudi Arabia and UAE Fall Out over Yemen
Bad news! Recommendable! How far will the dispute go?
"The new year opened with a question mark over Gulf stability as tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE erupted into an open dispute over Yemen with the potential to reshape the regional order. Even if the two Gulf powers reconcile, the damage from their public feud will undermine trust and affect countries that rely on them ...
Weeks of simmering tensions came to a head on December 30 when Saudi Arabia bombed what it described as an arms shipment from the Emirates bound for separatists in Yemen. ...
A complex history of rivalries and rapprochements underpins the UAE-Saudi relationship. ..."
Osteuropa auf der Überholspur in der Vermögensbildung der Haushalte in Europa
"... Eine Erhebung der Deutschen Bundesbank zu den Vermögensbeständen europäischer Haushalte zeigt, dass die Deutschen von allen Seiten, insbesondere aus dem Osten, zunehmend auf hintere Plätze verwiesen werden.
Die jüngste Bundesbankerhebung weist Zahlen aus, die etwa ein Jahr alt sind und sich seitdem in Deutschland angesichts von Rezession und anhaltender Inflation eher verschlechtert haben dürften. In den Referenzstaaten hingegen zeigen die Daten weiterhin eine positive Tendenz. Zu Beginn des Jahres 2024 lag der Medianvermögenswert eines typischen deutschen Haushalts bei rund 103.000 Euro. ...
Die Deutschen bilden ihr Vermögen mit einer im internationalen Vergleich niedrigen Quote an Wohneigentum und setzen zudem nur in sehr geringem Maße auf das zwar volatile, aber langfristig sehr dynamische Aktiensparen. Stattdessen wird Kapital vielfach bei Banken geparkt, die es in konservative und in den vergangenen Jahren real verlustreiche Anleiheportfolios und Tagesgeldkonten lenken. Die Folge ist eine gehemmte Kapitalbildung privater Haushalte.
Diese steht zusätzlich im Kreuzfeuer der Politik. Die Selbstdeklaration der Bundesrepublik als großzügiges globales Sozialamt, maßgeblich geprägt seit der Migrationspolitik Angela Merkels, hat die ohnehin massiven Umverteilungstendenzen dramatisch beschleunigt. Gerade die Leistungsträger der mittleren und unteren Einkommensschichten geraten zunehmend unter Druck. Steigende Sozialabgaben, hohe Steuerlasten und die Erosionsmaschine der grünen Transformation mit explodierenden Energiepreisen wirken direkt vermögensvernichtend. ...
Politischer Realismus im Osten
In Osteuropa hingegen herrscht politischer Realismus. Dieser spiegelt die Grundstimmung in den tonangebenden Staaten Polen und Ungarn wider, die sich auch innerhalb der Visegrád-Gruppe in Brüssel zunehmend Gehör verschaffen. Dort blickt man aus einer woke-linken Globalistenperspektive mit Unverständnis auf die national-konservativen Einstellungen der Osteuropäer. Diese machen jedoch immer deutlicher, dass sie in der Zukunft ihren Einfluss verstärkt geltend machen werden.
Dass sich der Medianvermögenswert der Haushalte in Teilen Südeuropas, wie im Falle Italiens, teilweise deutlich über dem der Deutschen befindet – mit rund 161.000 Euro –, ist eine ernüchternde Bestandsaufnahme. In Polen liegt der Medianwert inzwischen bei über 70.000 Euro, mit stark steigender Tendenz. Auch Ungarn holt rasch auf. Deutschland hingegen stagniert. ..."
New state of matter discovered in a quantum material
Amazing stuff, however under extreme conditions! How esoteric is this research?
"At TU Wien, researchers have discovered a state in a quantum material that had previously been considered impossible. The definition of topological states should be generalized. ...
Even more modern approaches are based on this particle picture—such as the concept of topological states, whose discovery was honored with the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2016. However, there are materials in which the particle picture completely breaks down ... In such cases, it no longer makes sense to think of electrons as small particles with a well-defined position or a unique velocity.
Now, a research team at TU Wien has shown that such materials can nevertheless exhibit topological properties—even though these have so far been explained using particle-like behavior. This demonstrates that topological states are more general than previously thought: two seemingly contradictory concepts turn out to be compatible. ...
the charge carriers [electrons] lose their particle-like character. This seems to happen in the material composed of cerium, ruthenium and tin (CeRu₄Sn₆), which has now been investigated at TU Wien at extremely low temperatures. “Near absolute zero, it exhibits a specific type of quantum-critical behavior,” ... “The material fluctuates between two different states, as if it cannot decide which one it wants to adopt. In this fluctuating regime, the quasiparticle picture is thought to lose its meaning.” ..."
From the abstract:
"The electronic topology of a material is generally described by its Bloch states and the associated band structure, and can be altered by electron–electron interactions.
In metallic systems, the interactions are usually treated through the concept of quasiparticles. Here we investigate what happens if no well-defined quasiparticles are present and show that a topological semimetal phase can emerge from the material’s quantum critical state.
Using the non-centrosymmetric heavy-fermion compound CeRu4Sn6, which is intrinsically quantum critical, we show that the topological phase exhibits a dome structure as a function of the magnetic field and pressure.
To understand these results, we study a Weyl–Kondo semimetal model at a Kondo destruction quantum critical point. Indeed, it exhibits features in the spectral function that can define topological crossings beyond the quasiparticle picture. Our results outline the importance of the interplay of quantum critical fluctuations and symmetry to search for other emergent topological phases."
Quantum Physics: New State of Matter Discovered (original news release) "At TU Wien, researchers have discovered a state in a quantum material that had previously been considered impossible. The definition of topological states should be generalized."
Emergent topological semimetal from quantum criticality (open access)
Fig. 5: Kondo destruction quantum criticality nucleating a Weyl–Kondo semimetal.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announces 10K criminal illegal immigrant arrests and investigations of $19B fraud in Minnesota
Serious stuff! What is going on in Minnesota?
"... “We have arrested over 10,000 criminal illegal aliens who were killing Americans, hurting children and reigning terror in Minneapolis because Tim Walz and Jacob Frey refuse to protect their own people and instead protect criminals.”
The figure includes about 3,000 “criminal illegal aliens” arrested by federal authorities in just the last six weeks, the secretary said. ...
“There is MASSIVE Fraud in Minneapolis, at least $19 billion and that’s just the tip of iceberg,” Noem asserted in the same post. “Our Homeland Security Investigators are on the ground in Minneapolis conducting wide scale investigations to get justice for the American people who have been robbed blind.” ..."
Monday, January 19, 2026
Beyond the classroom in Japan: Kids finding their place in society
Recommendable! "In Japan, hundreds of thousands of students find it hard to attend school, while families and teachers often struggle to bring them back. An NPO offers work experience that helps kids reconnect with society and build their confidence."
Iran protests: What we know about the varying death tolls
What a horror! At least 3,000 and up to 20,000 protesters killed! Apparently, confirmation and counting does not keep up! Some of the figures are outdated!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)