Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Will the quantum superposition of time soon be tested in a laboratory?

Amazing stuff! Food for thought! Can time run simultaneously faster and slower?

"Trapped ions are versatile platforms used for quantum computing and ultra-precise timekeeping. New results now show that combining these capabilities can reveal a deeper layer of physical reality: quantum superpositions of the passage of time. ...

Few concepts in physics are as familiar, yet as enigmatic, as time.
In Einstein’s theory of relativity, time is not absolute: its passage depends on motion and gravity.
But when combined with quantum physics, this relativistic form of time becomes even more counterintuitive. According to quantum theory, the flow of time itself may exist in a genuine quantum superposition, ticking faster and slower at the same time. ...

Now, a new paper titled Quantum signatures of proper time in optical ion clocks, published on April 20, 2026 in Physical Review Letters ... shows that this striking possibility may soon be tested in the laboratory. ...

In this work, a team ... explores quantum aspects of the flow of time and how they can be accessed with atomic clocks. Their results suggest that the same quantum technologies being developed for next-generation clocks and quantum computers may soon probe something far more fundamental: When a clock’s motion obeys quantum mechanics, its movement can exist in superposition, and with it the recorded passage of time itself.
This is analogous to Schrödinger’s famous thought experiment, where the counterintuitive nature of quantum superposition is illustrated by a cat being both alive and dead; here it is the passage of time itself that is in superposition, like a cat that is both young and old at once. ..."

From the abstract:
"Optical clocks based on atoms and ions probe relativistic effects with unprecedented sensitivity.
They resolve time dilation due to atom motion or different positions in the gravitational potential through frequency shifts. However, all measurements of time dilation so far can be explained effectively as the result of dynamics with respect to a classical proper time parameter.
Here we show that atomic clocks can probe effects where a classical description of the proper time dynamics is insufficient as superpositions of proper time emerge.
We apply a Hamiltonian formalism to derive time dilation effects in harmonically trapped clock atoms and show how second-order Doppler shifts due to the vacuum energy, squeezing, and quantum corrections to the dynamics arise.
We also demonstrate that time-dilation-induced entanglement between motion and clock evolution can become observable in state-of-the-art clocks when the motion of the atoms is strongly squeezed, realizing proper time interferometry.
Our results show that experiments with trapped ion clocks are within reach of probing relativistic evolution of clocks for which a quantum description of proper time becomes necessary."

Scientists at Stevens Institute of Technology Reveal That Time Can Go Quantum in Ion Clock Experiments "Physicists show that atomic clocks can probe time ticking both faster and slower simultaneously, revealing how time itself unfolds in quantum superposition"

Credits: Einstein trifft Quantenphysik: Wenn Zeit gleichzeitig schneller und langsamer läuft "Physiker testen ein radikales Szenario: Zeit könnte gleichzeitig schneller und langsamer vergehen. Atomuhren machen es prüfbar."


Illustration of classical, semiclassical, and quantum proper time dynamics of a trapped-ion atomic clock that we consider. 



Illustration of time-dilation-induced entanglement between clock and motional degrees of freedom, and how it can be observed using trapped atomic clocks with squeezing of motional states. The protocol proceeds from left to right.
The top row shows the motional states in a phase-space representation, where a squeezed state is prepared which then evolves at different frequencies in superposition, depending on the internal clock states.
The bottom row shows the same sequence from the perspective of the clock degrees of freedom represented on a Bloch sphere, where a Ramsey sequence results in a superposition of different time evolutions of the clocks due to the different motional energies.
The entanglement between motion and clock (last column) causes a reduction in visibility of the clock ... which can be measured with current state-of-the-art ion clock systems.


Researchers have imaged every single cell in the body of a newborn mouse

Amazing stuff! 

"Researchers have imaged every single cell in the body of a newborn mouse, using a custom fluorescence microscope, high-speed cameras and an atlas of the mouse body onto which they mapped data. 

“Since Robert Hooke first described cells in 1665, more than 360 years have passed,” ... “Yet no one had directly visualized all cells in mammalian organs or in the whole body of a newborn mammal at single-cell resolution.” They also mapped responses to drug toxicity at a single-cell scale."

Nature Briefing: Translational Research

Establishing whole-body cellomics (partially behind paywall)





Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is coming back into vogue among drug developers

Good news!

"Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) could be on the brink of a renaissance among drug developers.

For decades, other techniques that assess the structure of drugs — such as X-ray crystallography and, more recently, cryo-electron microscopy — have overshadowed NMR because of its complexity and slowness.

But over the past five years, a suite of contract research organizations (which manage research for drug companies) have been founded with the aim of bringing NMR back into the limelight as the technology improves, to help drug discovery.

Meanwhile, NMR has been used to uncover a completely new conformational state in a group of proteins strongly linked with cancer progression. The newly discovered ‘invisible fold’ in kinases could help make kinase inhibitors more selective. “Conformational dynamics in drug discovery are critical and underappreciated,” ..." 

Nature Briefing: Translational Research

NMR-as-you-go for drug hunters (no public access) "Craving speed and convenience, biopharma companies turn to providers with NMR know-how."

Autonomous, chinese made humanoid Robot beats human world record at Beijing half-marathon

Amazing stuff!

"The winning runner at a Beijing half-marathon for humanoid robots finished the race today in 50 minutes and 26 seconds — significantly faster than the human world record of 57 minutes recently set by Jacob Kiplimo. ...

this year’s winner was built by Chinese smartphone maker Honor.  ... the 50:26 robot was autonomous and won due to weighted scoring. ...

About 40% of participating robots competed autonomously, while the remaining 60% were remote controlled ..."

Robots beat human records at Beijing half-marathon | TechCrunch

Humanoid robot sprints to victory in Beijing, beating human half-marathon record "A humanoid robot has won a half-marathon race for robots in Beijing, running faster than the human record"






Higher Oil prices? China mysteriously reduced warplane activity near Taiwan over the past three weeks

Good news! 😊 Maybe a welcome relief for Taiwan!

" Could it be high fuel prices, or a desire to avoid upsetting U.S. President Donald Trump? What about China’s annual political confab in early March? Analysts have offered different explanations for a recent trend: a net reduction in daily Chinese fighter plane activity near Taiwan over the past three weeks. ..."

Oil prices, fear of Trump? China mysteriously reduced warplane activity near Taiwan

Female Teacher’s Aide Charged with Sexual Conduct with Student, 15, Sent Him Her Positive Pregnancy Test

Another Me Too event!

Teacher’s Aide Charged with Sexual Conduct with Student, 15, Sent Him Her Positive Pregnancy Test "An Arizona school aide is scheduled for a hearing this week on charges she had a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old student during which she sent him her positive pregnancy test and discussed how they could force a “miscarriage." ..."

Leftist Southern Poverty Law Center Was indicted as a Funder of White Supremacist Groups

What a mutually beneficial symbioses! What a nice arrangement!

If confirmed, this is pretty bad! What do some political, activist NGOs do?

I have little doubt that these allegations could turn out to be true!

"US officials have announced fraud charges against the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a civil rights group that tracks extremist organisations and played a prominent role in confronting the Ku Klux Klan (KKK).

In a news conference on Tuesday, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche accused the non-profit of secretly funding the very groups that it says it opposes, through paying informants who infiltrated them - including within the KKK.

An indictment charges the SPLC with six counts of wire fraud, four counts of bank fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. ..."

Southern Poverty Law Center Was the Largest Funder of White Supremacist Groups | Frontpage Mag "The SPLC had been financing what it claimed to be fighting"

Disclaimer

Since end of February, I  am blogging from behind the Great Firewall of China.

My Internet service in China is very spotty. Thus, I am not able to blog as usual.

Russia, Turkey And Other countries Engage with African Autocrats

Recommendable! What are Russia and others up to?

Caveat: I did not read the entire, long article!

Us Competes With Russia And Others As It Engages African Autocrats: Africa File Special Edition | Critical Threats


Figure 5. Russia Pursues Mediterranean Sea to Atlantic Ocean Corridor


Figure 6. Madagascar Moves Closer to Russia


Figure 8. United Arab Emirate backed Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Regional Smuggling Supply Lines


Tuesday, April 21, 2026

Trump expedites review of psychedelics to treat mental health disorders funded with $50 million

Good news! A nation of junkies by executive order? Just kidding!

We ought to find better cures than administering psychedelic drugs!

"President Trump has signed an executive order to make certain psychedelic drugs more available to treat mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety. He directed $50 million in federal funds to make them more accessible, and ordered the Food and Drug Administration to fast track a review of such drugs as psilocybin and ibogaine.

"Can I have some, please?" Trump joked to a laughing audience in the Oval Office. ..."

Trump expedites review of psychedelics to treat mental health disorders : NPR




Designing better weapons to fight prostate cancer based on distinct tissue niches

Good news! Cancer is history (soon)!

"... A new study in the journal Immunity reveals that the prostate has its own defense force and unlocks key insights into how this army of cells, known as tissue-resident memory CD8 T cells, or Trm cells, works.

“We found that different types of T cells live in different areas, or neighborhoods, within the tissue, and where they live determines how they behave,” ..."

From the highlights and abstract:
"Highlights
• Long-lived prostate Trm cells protect against reinfection
• The prostate Trm population is heterogeneous in mice and humans
• IL-15, IL-7, and TGFβ differentially regulate prostate Trm cell subsets
Distinct prostate cytokine and chemokine niches define Trm cell heterogeneity

Summary
The prostate is an important exocrine organ, a barrier tissue of the male reproductive system, and a common site of malignancy, yet CD8+ T cells in the prostate remain largely uncharacterized.
Here, we show that a protective, heterogeneous pool of long-lived, tissue-resident memory CD8+ T (Trm) cells forms in the prostate following acute infection in mice.
Characterization of prostate Trm cell differentiation over time, combined with functional interrogation of TGFβ, IL-7, and IL-15 signaling, revealed niche-dependent phenotypic and functional diversity arising from distinct prostate stromal and glandular epithelial niches in both mice and humans
For instance, the Trm-promoting cytokines IL-15 and TGFβ were highest in the prostate epithelium, where CD8+ T cells were most persistent, cytotoxic, and enriched for the Trm molecular program.
In sum, we provide a spatial framework for prostate Trm cell differentiation, charting the discrete tissue regions that influence T cell fate through dynamic regulation of localized signals."

Designing better weapons to fight prostate cancer - Allen Institute "New study unlocks key insights that could help develop next-generation immunotherapies"



Graphical abstract




Ten different animal species feast on bats in a Ugandan cave offering clues to how deadly viruses spread

Serious stuff!

"When researchers in Uganda set up camera traps to monitor African leopards (Panthera pardus pardus) and spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) in a national park last year, they had no idea that they would record so much more than just those animals. Several of the traps, placed outside a cave known to host Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus), caught on video a multitude of creatures feasting on the winged mammals. The bats are known carriers of Marburg virus, which can transfer into humans and cause a fatal haemorrhagic fever, so the footage offers real-time insight into how disease can spread.

Scientists know that bats can transmit viruses to humans either directly, or through an intermediate animal, from forensic detective work and other studies. The team in Uganda thinks this is the first time that potential intermediate animals have been caught on camera in a known hotspot for Marburg virus, which is in the same family as Ebola virus. ..."

‘Bat feast’ animal videos at African cave offer clues to how deadly viruses spread (partially behind paywall) "Researchers filmed 10 species eating or scavenging bats at known Marburg-virus hotspot — and caught hundreds of humans visiting."

Der Weg in den Ökosozialismus: Top-Ökonom Lars Feld kritisiert wachsenden Subventionsstaat

Sehr empfehlenswert! Der Klimawahn tobt in der Bananenrepublik D!

Lars Feld beschreibt die seit Jahrzehnten wohlbekannten liberalen Argument warum zu großer Staat (Leviathan, Hayek's Weg zur Knechtschaft) schädlich für die Freiheit und Marktwirtschaft ist.

"Welche Rolle soll in unserer Ökonomie der Staat einnehmen? Ist es seine Aufgabe, neben der Garantie äußerer und innerer Sicherheit sowie der Rechtspflege überhaupt in der Ökonomie zu intervenieren? Mit Blick auf die gegebene Realität des wuchernden Staatsapparats müssen wir konstatieren: Seit 2015 hat er auf allen Ebenen versagt [seit der schrecklichen SED Kanzlerin Merkel] ...

Der Freiburger Ökonom Lars Feld warnte am Wochenende im Interview mit dem Tagesspiegel vor dieser Entwicklung. Feld rechnete vor, dass im laufenden Jahr etwa 7 Prozent des Bruttoinlandsprodukts, also 321 Milliarden Euro an Subventionen, Beihilfen und anderen Marktmanipulationen durch den Staat verteilt werden. Ein nicht endender Strom an Fördermitteln – böswillige Zungen würden sagen: Schmiergeld – ergießt sich über das Land. Viele reiben sich die Hände. Diejenigen, denen bewusst ist, dass sie für das Freibier aufkommen müssen, reagieren mit zunehmender Apathie.

Es ist ein Staat im Staate entstanden, ein gigantischer parasitärer Körper, der dem produktiven Teil der Gesellschaft die Mittel entzieht, um den wachsenden Teil der in Abhängigkeit gebrachten Subventionsjäger und Staatsangestellten ein sorgloses Einkommen zu garantieren. So schafft man sich politische Mehrheiten, stürzt aber gleichzeitig die Ökonomie in den Abgrund.
7.000 Euro pro Arbeitnehmer beträgt der Subventionsberg im Jahr, rechnet Feld vor, bei inzwischen 5,5 Millionen Beschäftigten im öffentlichen Dienst und einer Staatsquote von weit über 50 Prozent.

Der kafkaeske Staatsapparat hat längst ein Eigenleben entwickelt – er ist zu einer gefräßigen Maschine degeneriert, die das Wallensteinsche Motto auf den Punkt bringt: „Der Staat nährt den Staat“. Es wird keine Reformen mehr geben, bis dieses Gebilde nicht unter seinem eigenen Gewicht kollabiert. Zu viele Individuen, Firmen, Strukturen, NGOs, Medien besitzen einen vitalen Anreiz, diese Umverteilungsstruktur zu verteidigen. Feld hat recht, wenn er sagt: „Subventionen setzen falsche Signale und führen zu ökonomischer Erstarrung“. ..."

Top-Ökonom kritisiert wachsenden Subventionsstaat "Der Umbau der deutschen Industrie in eine zentral geplante Transformationswirtschaft verbrennt das Zukunftspotenzial unserer Gesellschaft. Der Freiburger Ökonom Lars Feld zählt zu den wenigen Wissenschaftlern, die den entgrenzten Subventionsrausch des Staates noch zu durchschauen vermögen."


Lars Feld, Director des Walter Eucken Instituts







Bundeskanzler Merz sieht gesetzliche Rente nur noch als "Basisabsicherung". Wirklich!

Schlechte Nachrichten! Was fuer ein Betrug durch den Staat! Ungeheuerlich!

Dann wird es Zeit die gesetzliche Rentenversicherung (staatliche Zwangsversicherung) abzuschaffen! Lasst die Bürger für sich selbst sorgen im Alter!

"... Beim Jahresempfang des Bundesverbands deutscher Banken in Berlin formuliert Friedrich Merz die neue Leitlinie für die Altersvorsorge in Deutschland: Die gesetzliche Rentenversicherung werde künftig nur noch „Basisabsicherung“ leisten und den Lebensstandard nicht mehr sichern. Wer einzahlt, kann nicht mehr davon ausgehen, eine Leistung zu erhalten, die sich an seiner eigenen Erwerbsbiografie orientiert. Die Verbindung zwischen Einzahlung und Anspruch ist aufgehoben. ..."

Und es ist weg: Merz sieht gesetzliche Rente nur noch zur "Basisabsicherung" "Und es ist weg: Das Geld und die Beiträge der Bürger sind ausgegeben, verteilt, verschwendet, verbraucht. Friedrich Merz erklärt die gesetzliche Rente faktisch für gescheitert. Für Millionen Beitragszahler bleibt die Finanzierung eines maroden Systems, das sie selbst nicht mehr absichert. Selbst in der kanzlerergebenen CDU wächst der Widerstand."

English for trippers: A receipt for a recipe

Recite it!

Iranian-backed Iraqi militias conducted up to half of the roughly 1,000 drone attacks targeting Saudi Arabia

Bad news! What to do about that?

"... Iranian-backed Iraqi militias conducted up to half of the roughly 1,000 drone attacks targeting Saudi Arabia during the war, according to unnamed sources speaking to the Wall Street Journal on April 21. CTP-ISW previously assessed that it very unlikely that Iranian-backed Iraqi militias would conduct drone attacks against regional states if the Iranian regime opposed such attacks, which suggests that Iran has not ordered its militia partners to cease attacking regional state. ..."

Iran Update Evening Special Report, April 21, 2026

Australia gets new military leaders, including first female army chief

Good news! Bravo!

This is old news, but I was not able to blog about it earlier thanks to the Great Firewall of China.

Australia gets new military leaders, including first female army chief "Lieutenant General Susan Coyle will take up her new appointment in July"


Lieutenant General Susan Coyle



Japan loosens arms exports rules in major shift

Good news! Bravo! More signs that Japan is giving up it's strict pacifism since 1945 under the new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi!

Margaret Thatcher is smiling!

"... “In an increasingly severe security environment, no single country can now protect its own peace and security alone, and partner countries that support each other in terms of defense equipment are necessary,” Takaichi wrote on her X account today. “Meeting such needs and carrying out transfers of defense equipment will contribute to enhancing the defense capabilities of these countries and, ultimately, to preventing the outbreak of conflicts, thereby contributing to Japan’s security.”

Today’s announcement by the Cabinet Secretariat means Japan will now be able to export lethal equipment to 17 countries that it has signed defense equipment and technology transfer agreements with, including the US, United Kingdom, Australia, and India. ..."

Japan loosens arms exports rules in major shift "Tokyo's shift clears the way for arms exports to partners and allies."

Trump’s madman diplomacy isn’t working on Iran. Really!

The author (CATO Institute analyst Benjamin Giltner) presents another version of Trump Derangement Syndrome! The author appears to be a lunatic!

What have all the tame US Presidents since 1979 (except President Reagan) achieved versus the fanatic, suicidal, terrorism sponsoring theocratic dictatorship in Iran? Not very much!

President Trump may turn out to end this regime and become the most consequential US President since 1979

Caveat: I did not read the entire article.

"... Why didn’t the president’s maximalist threats work? Indeed, his bombastic form of diplomacy appears to have undermined the prospects for peace between the United States and Iran. To understand why Trump has failed to change Iran’s behavior, it is necessary to examine his approach to diplomacy. ..."

Trump’s madman diplomacy isn’t working on Iran


Benjamin Giltner


US forces intercepted ‘gift from China’ to Iran, President Trump says

Bade news! Serious stuff! Will the Iran war expand to other countries?

US forces intercepted ‘gift from China’ to Iran, Donald Trump says (behind paywall) "US president says Beijing had sent something ‘that wasn’t very nice’ and he thought he had an ‘understanding’ with Xi Jinping"

Monday, April 20, 2026

When the once prestigious AAAS again promotes demagoguery and fallacies

Bad news! What a shame and pseudoscience by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)!

Because of the global reduction in air pollution, now we have to reflect the "sun's radiation back to space"? What a nonsense!

"Global warming [???] is bad news for polar bears, seals, and walruses; the Arctic sheets of seasonal sea ice they frequent have been on the decline for decades.
An ambitious idea seeks to intervene: sea ice thickening [???], where engineers drill through the ice and pump up ocean water to freeze on top in an attempt to delay summertime melting. If successful, the extra ice would also make the poles brighter, reflecting more of the sun’s radiation back to space [???] and lessening a dangerous climate feedback loop.

Like all geoengineering ideas, it’s controversial. But field trials have begun, and the first results are out: while pumping thickens ice, those gains don’t stick around. ..."

"A simple idea [??] underpins an audacious intervention to augment Arctic sea ice and slow the climate feedback loop accelerating its disappearance. Drill holes through a floe, pump seawater onto its surface, and let the cold do the rest. The first results from two field tests show the technique can thicken the ice. But they also show those gains don’t last. ..."

ScienceAdviser

Artificially engineered sea ice grows—but tests are too small to combat melting "First Arctic trials show pumped seawater can bulk up ice, but results aren’t lasting—and may not scale"

UN-Skandal: Deutschland nominiert Irans Terrorregime für Gremium zu Menschen- und Frauenrechten mit

Unglaublich, falls bestätigt! Ein Fall von wenn man den Bock zum Gärtner macht?

Wie blöd oder unbedarft ist der gegenwärtige Bundeskanzler der Bananenrepublik D ?

UN-Skandal: Deutschland nominiert Irans Terrorregime für Gremium zu Menschen- und Frauenrechten mit "Deutschland hat das mörderische Terrorregime des Iran im UN-Wirtschafts- und Sozialrat mit für ein Gremium nominiert, das über Menschen- und Frauenrechte berät. Auf dem Höhepunkt des anschließenden Shitstorms versucht sich das Auswärtige Amt nun aus dieser skandalösen Verantwortung herauszureden."

CDU Fraktionsvorsitzender Spahn gesteht: „Im Moment verwalten wir weitestgehend den Niedergang“

Schlagzeile des Tages aus der Bananenrepublik D!

Lebenslange Berufspolitiker wie Spahn sind oft nicht die hellsten!

Spahns herausgerutschtes Geständnis: „Im Moment verwalten wir weitestgehend den Niedergang“ "„Im Moment verwalten wir weitestgehend den Niedergang.“ Was Jens Spahn (CDU) bei Caren Miosga ausspricht, ist kein Lapsus, sondern Selbstentlarvung: Der Staat betreibt den Abstieg des Landes als Dauerprojekt. Dabei wird der Niedergang der Regierungsparteien wenigstens gleich mitverwaltet."


Jens Spahn


Parteipolitik im Regierungsamt: Klingbeil reist als Finanzminister zu sozialistischem Weltkongress in Barcelona – mit Merz’ voller Zustimmung

Neues aus der Bananenrepublik D!

Der Bundesfinanzminister hatte wohl nichts wichtigeres zu tun!

"Als Bundesfinanzminister reist Lars Klingbeil auf Steuerzahlerkosten zu linken Weltkongressen nach Barcelona und ruft dort zum sozialistischen Klassenkampf sowie zum globalen Kampf gegen Rechts – mit voller Rückendeckung von Friedrich Merz. Das Wohlwollen des Kanzlers mit der V. Internationale. ..."

Parteipolitik im Regierungsamt: Klingbeil reist als Finanzminister zu Sozialistentreff – mit Merz’ Zustimmung




France, Germany Propose ‘Symbolic’ EU Membership Path for Ukraine Without Voting Rights

Good news! About time!

"France and Germany are proposing a “symbolic” form of European Union integration for Ukraine that would grant limited benefits before full membership, according to a report by the Financial Times published on Monday, April 20.

The plan would allow Ukraine to participate in EU meetings but without voting rights and without immediate access to key parts of the bloc’s budget, including agricultural subsidies and regional funding.

Germany is advocating for an “associate membership” model, while France has suggested a similar concept described as “integrated state status,” both of which would delay full financial and political integration until Ukraine completes the standard accession process. ..."

France, Germany Propose ‘Symbolic’ EU Membership Path for Ukraine Without Voting Rights "Paris and Berlin are pushing a staged approach that would delay full access to EU funds and decision-making power."

Ukraine Signs 10-Year Defense Export Deals With 3 Middle East Countries

Good news!

"Ukraine has signed 10-year defense export agreements with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, as Kyiv expands cooperation with Middle Eastern countries on drone warfare and integrated air defense systems. ..."

Ukraine Signs 10-Year Defense Export Deals With 3 Middle East Countries "The agreements come as Middle Eastern countries face growing drone threats following recent escalations in the region, including large-scale strikes involving low-cost UAVs."


This handout picture released by Qatar’s Amiri Diwan shows Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani receiving Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky at Lusail Palace in Doha on March 28, 2026.
The sheikh & the comedian! 😊


Discovery could lead to new therapies for blood disorders

Good news!

"... investigators have revealed the detailed workings of a cell membrane protein that has essential roles in all animals. The discovery could lead to new therapeutic strategies for blood coagulation disorders, cancers and other conditions in which the protein, called a TMEM16 scramblase, works abnormally.

Scramblases operate within cell membranes, where they alter or “scramble” the normal layered arrangement of lipid molecules – an essential step in many biological processes. The scramblase TMEM16F also works as an ion channel, allowing small, charged molecules such as potassium or chloride ions through the membrane. ...

the researchers at last attained this goal by embedding the protein in liposomes – tiny lipid capsules – which allowed them to image its active and inactive structures at near-atomic-scale resolution. ...

TMEM16F’s rearrangement of cell membrane lipids enables platelet cells to clump together to make blood coagulate, and a mutation affecting the scramblase underlies Scott syndrome, a hemophilia-like bleeding disorder.
The protein is also involved in the formation of the placenta in pregnancy, bone development and immune functions; and it is exploited or suppressed in various cancers and infections. ..."

From the abstract:
"The ubiquitous transmembrane protein 16F (TMEM16F) Ca2+-activated channel and scramblase catalyzes phosphatidylserine externalization to enable blood coagulation, membrane fusion and brain immune surveillance.
Despite its importance, the molecular mechanisms underlying TMEM16F activation remain poorly understood.
Here, we obtained high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy structures of TMEM16F active in liposomes. In high-activity conditions, TMEM16F adopts two conformations, the canonical Ca2+-bound closed state and one where the upward rotation of the cytosolic domain leads to an X-shaped groove that forms a transmembrane pore and locally thins the membrane.
Using mutagenesis, functional assays and molecular dynamics simulations, we show that the X-shaped groove is active and mediates nonselective ion flux and lipid scrambling through distinct pathways; ions move within the protein-delimited pore, whereas lipids skirt the X-shaped groove.
Our findings provide a complete picture of TMEM16F Ca2+-dependent gating and demonstrate that imaging membrane proteins in a native-like environment can allow capturing otherwise inaccessible active states."

Discovery could lead to new therapies for blood disorders | Cornell Chronicle



Fig. 1: Structure of purified TMEM16F reconstituted in liposomes.


Fig. 5: Activation of TMEM16F.


Xi Jinping says Strait of Hormuz should be open in call to Saudi Crown Prince

Headline of the day!

Nice indirect order/intervention aimed at Iran to stop messing with the Strait of Hormuz! Bravo!

Xi Jinping says Strait of Hormuz should be open in call to Saudi Crown Prince

Sunday, April 19, 2026

On Momentum Further Constrains Sharpness at the Edge of Stochastic Stability

This could be an interesting, but narrowly focused, new paper by Tomaso Poggio and his team!

Caveat: I have not read the paper (40 pages total) yet.

From the abstract:
"Recent work suggests that (stochastic) gradient descent self-organizes near an instability boundary, shaping both optimization and the solutions found.
Momentum and mini-batch gradients are widely used in practical deep learning optimization, but it remains unclear whether they operate in a comparable regime of instability.
We demonstrate that SGD with momentum exhibits an Edge of Stochastic Stability (EoSS)-like regime with batch-size-dependent behavior that cannot be explained by a single momentum-adjusted stability threshold.
Batch Sharpness (the expected directional mini-batch curvature) stabilizes in two distinct regimes:
at small batch sizes it converges to a lower plateau , reflecting amplification of stochastic fluctuations by momentum and favoring flatter regions than vanilla SGD; at large batch sizes it converges to a higher plateau , where momentum recovers its classical stabilizing effect and favors sharper regions consistent with full-batch dynamics.
We further show that this aligns with linear stability thresholds and discuss the implications for hyperparameter tuning and coupling."

[2604.14108] Momentum Further Constrains Sharpness at the Edge of Stochastic Stability

Born in Germany only 16 years after World War II ended

My whole life I wondered what was World War II, the Spanish Civil War and Caudillo Francisco Franco, fascist Italy and Benito Mussolini, the supremacist and warmongering Japanese Empire all about?

The leftist poet Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) coined the phrase "An die Nachgeborenen" (To Those Born After) in 1939, which became "Die Last der Nachgeborenen" (The burden of those born after WWII) and the motto "Nie wieder" (never again). I sure can relate to this. It was probably my late father, a poet himself, who introduced me to Bertolt Brecht.

One of my late father's favorite poems, which he introduced me to and which I still remember, was written by the Romanian poet Paul Celan (1920-70, a Holocaust survivor) titled Todesfuge (published in 1948). The language of this poem is strange and amazing "„Schwarze Milch der Frühe wir trinken sie abends/wir trinken sie mittags und morgens wir trinken sie nachts/wir trinken und trinken/wir schaufeln ein Grab in den Lüften da liegt man nicht eng“ (the opening verses of this poem).

Why the Holocaust? Why the antisemitism? Therefore, I support Israel and Jews whenever I can! I strongly oppose Antisemitism all the time and in all its forms. All my life I made it my habit to learn more about the modern Israel and Ancient Judea and the intervening time period, the relationship between Arabs and Jews, the Levant and so on. Modern Israel (since 1948) is probably one of the most diverse and exciting countries in the world except perhaps for India. The history of Jews and Judaism is so fascinating (David & Goliath, Masada, Maccabee, King Solomon, Samson and Delilah and so much more). One of my late parents e.g. would teach me at a young age the meaning of the Judgement of King Solomon.

I was born in Frankfurt am Main and I grew up in the Westend district of the city.

From my late mother and my late father I was told a number of horrible stories about their and other children's war time experiences. My mother was about 6 years old when WWII ended, my father was about 12 years old. One of the stories, I remember was that my late father as a young boy once found a soldier's boot with a torn off leg still showing. What do e.g. the Ukrainian children go through since the Russo-Ukrainian War started in 2022?

When I was a child some of my German neighbors may have been Nazis and were possibly involved in atrocities against Jews. My late father pointed out several times that he suspected some of our German neighbors and other Germans were possibly perpetrators.

It was an open secret that some of the German perpetrators got away and were living among us. My paternal uncle had a typical German soldier tattoo (Waffen SS? I forgot where on the body (arm?) and what kind of tattoo it exactly was), which he was always hiding. Also, I do not remember whether and how he served in the German military etc. However, neither my late father nor I suspected he was involved in atrocities given e.g. what he told my father about his service in World War II and given his generally friendly and kind personality.

The Westend  Synagogue (see photo below) was located very near where I grew up. It was kind of sad to see that this large synagogue appeared to be in constant lockdown and it was always  fortified. This synagogue was not easily accessible to the public for security reasons.

While in high school, I had a Jewish high school buddy. We spent a lot of time together. He was not very athletic and looked perhaps a little bookish with his glasses, but he was a great guy. I also visited him several times at home and got to know his Jewish mother and father. They both were very nice! This family was not orthodox Jewish, but typical Jewish symbols were displayed in their home. If I remember correctly, his father was in the philately business, which is perhaps not so unusual for a Jew. In my youth, I was also a collector of stamps and coins from all over the world.

Then there was the Jewish leader Ignatz Bubis. He was often decried as a real estate speculator in Frankfurt (antisemitism?). However, he was also an active member of the Freie Demokratische Partei (FDP) in Frankfurt. My late father and I were active members as well of the FDP that is how I got to know Mr. Bubis.

As an older teenager I had the great opportunity to travel to Vienna in Austria for a summer vacation with a Jewish youth organisation from Frankfurt. It was a great experience and I had a great time. Here I was together with a group very nice people, mostly young Jews. I think, I had a crush on one of the very young Jewish women. It was there in the Viennese area that I discovered my lifelong love for real hazelnut spread. Unfortunately, I do not remember anymore how I was able to join this group and what the name of this group was. I believe, I have to thank my late father for this great experience.

The city of Frankfurt was heavily bombed during World War II due to the location of e.g. important companies of the chemical industry. Much of the city was in rubble. E.g. the opera house (die Alte Oper) in the center of Frankfurt was hallowed out, basically only the outer walls and some lower level structures in the interior were still standing. Many times I passed by these ruins, one day I even climbed into the ruins out of curiosity. The ruins of the opera house were left as a war memorial and reminder until it was rebuilt beginning in 1976  and reopened in 1981. The reconstruction was quite controversial at the time.

During my youth, there were numerous reports of unexploded ordnance, mostly WWII bombs discovered in the inner city of Frankfurt. Even at my neighborhood high school, which I had attended, there was a large bomb discovered in the corner of the school yard during some construction work. Me and a buddy of mine climbed on a close by, one story high car garage roof to watch the disposal team to take care of this bomb. Dangerous adventures.

The headquarters of the US Army V Corps was located until 1995 in the former IG Farben Hochhaus in the largest inner city park (Grüneburgpark) not far from where I grew up. Thus, I encountered many US soldiers during my childhood and beyond. It never crossed my mind that the American soldiers were an occupation force (as suggested by some Germans). Actually by frequently visiting two US military gyms (one was the V Corps main gym, the other was the 97th General Hospital gym) for several years, I learnt how to play basketball from black American soldiers. It was a very friendly, older black American gym attendant, who allowed/tolerated me to play basketball at the V corps gym. In the beginning, he jokingly reminded me not to wear those typical German skimpy shorts, but instead more American like trunks so his white American supervisor (an Irish guy who peeped on topless, sunbathing young German women while jogging in the Grüneburgpark during lunch break) would not complain. I have spent many weekends and evenings there to play ball. I enjoyed the contemporary soul, rap & funk music blasted across the gym or inside the barracks. Plus, I learnt some cool dance moves and I became a big fan of Soul Train hosted by Don Cornelius. I had a lot of fun with the mostly black American soldiers some of whom I came to know quite well. Sometimes we would also go out to discos together on Saturday evenings, I sometimes visited them in their barracks, or I joined barbecue parties with them etc. One of the older black American soldiers and basketball player also invited me over to his home for dinner with his wife and two children. I had a very good time. A few black American soldiers pointed out to me that I was naturally high, which I understood to be a compliment (no one had ever before told me that or ever since). I am not a churchgoer (other than as a tourist), but during this time I was somehow invited to attend a black American church service at a US military church near the small town of Hanau (not far from my home town Frankfurt). For me, the journey started from Frankfurt on a bus filled with black American churchgoers heading for this church. The church service with all the Gospel singing, expressions of joy and faith and so on was an incredible, mind blowing experience. Last, but not least, I have also witnessed a few cases of open, reverse racism of some black Americans against white Americans. Sometimes black Americans would call each other nigger, but a white American better not dare to say it.


Westend Synagogue in Frankfurt am Main (Source)



Iranian commander tells Iraqi Islamist terrorists to attack US and Israel

Bad news! The hydra of fanatic and suicidal Islamist terrorism sponsored by Iran is not yet slain!

"A statement released by Iranian-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah on April 18 appears to confirm that IRGC Quds Force Commander Brigadier General Esmail Ghaani discussed preparations for renewed conflict with the United States and Israel during his meetings with Iraqi militia leaders in Baghdad on April 18. Ghaani may have specifically discussed enhancing coordination between Iraqi militias and other Axis of Resistance groups against the United States, Israel, and the Gulf states in the event of renewed conflict."

Iran Update Evening Special Report, April 19, 2026 | Critical Threats

Norway Approves Driverless bus to operate on regular public routes without a safety driver

Good news!

"“The Norwegian Public Roads Administration has granted authorization to transport operators Vy and Kolumbus to operate an autonomous bus on regular public routes without a safety driver.

The deployment involves the Karsan e-ATAK platform equipped with autonomous driving software supplied by ADASTEC and supported by the xFlow fleet management system developed by Applied Autonomy, according to a press note by Applied Autonomy.

The milestone represents a transition from supervised autonomous operations to fully driverless service within a controlled public transport environment. The vehicle is integrated into Stavanger’s public transport network since 2024, following deployment’s kickoff in 2022. ..."

Norway Approves Driverless Karsan e-Atak Operation Without Driver - Human Progress






The Netherlands Vehicle Authority has become the first European regulator to approve Tesla’s supervised self-driving software

Good news! Dutch cyclists are not afraid of autonomous vehicles! 😊

"The Netherlands Vehicle Authority has become the first European regulator to approve Tesla’s supervised self-driving software, commenting that “Proper use of this driver assistance system makes a positive contribution to road safety.” Seems especially notable coming from the world’s foremost cycling nation."

"... RDW [Dutch vehicle authority] said in a statement on Friday, adding that it would also submit an application for the technology to be used throughout the EU.”"

Doomslayer: Progress Roundup

Tesla Supervised Self-Driving Software Gets Dutch Okay


Thanks to Starlink Argentina has now more than 2 million additional Internet users

Good news!

"In Argentina, where such a [government Internet] ban was recently lifted, two million people have connected to Starlink, many of whom live in remote areas of the country."

"“When Javier Milei became president of Argentina in December 2023, one his first measures as part of a package of wide-ranging deregulations was to open up the economy to satellite internet. ..."

Doomslayer: Progress Roundup

Starlink Connects Millions of People in Argentina

Argentina Graph of the Day: Starlink Connects Millions of People




Organ donations have surged in the United States, partly thanks to improved harvesting methods

Good news!

"Organ donations have surged in the United States, partly thanks to improved harvesting methods.

Until recently, most organs came from donors who were brain dead but kept on life support, with their circulatory systems still functioning.

Over the past decade, however, advances in organ preservation and recovery have made it increasingly feasible to recover organs after circulatory death [DCD], when the heart has stopped and preservation becomes far more difficult.

A recent study finds that in 2000, just 2 percent of donors fell into this category;
by 2025, that had risen to 49 percent, with the number of such donors rising from 118 to 8,129."

"... Recent innovations have facilitated recovery from medically complex DCD donors.
Normothermic regional perfusion, in which perfusion is restored in situ to limited organs after circulatory death, contributed to the rise in recovery of DCD organs since its use began increasing in 2019.
The regulatory approval of normothermic machine perfusion for livers (2021) contributed to the subsequent acceleration of DCD liver recovery, and normothermic machine perfusion enabled the advent of DCD heart transplantation in 2019.” "

"... By contrast, donation after circulatory death involves donors who do not meet criteria for brain death and who cannot be kept alive without life support machines. In these cases, if the family chooses to stop life support, it is then given the option to do so in an operating room instead of the intensive care unit.
If the patient dies within a set time after support is removed, organs can be recovered and used for transplantation, preserving the opportunity to donate according to the wishes of the family and the patient. ...
"

From the abstract:
"Organ transplant improves survival and quality of life, but transplant access is limited by organ shortages.
Transplants in the US predominantly use deceased donor organs, including 75% and 94% of kidney and liver transplants, respectively, and all lung, heart, and pancreas transplants from 2018 to 2025. Improving transplant access therefore relies on expanding the deceased donor pool, including by increasing donation after circulatory death (DCD), in which organs are recovered from donors with irreversible loss of circulatory function.
Factors limiting DCD use include a higher risk of organ dysfunction compared with donation after brain death organs and the increased complexity of DCD organ recovery, which is not possible if the time between life support withdrawal and circulatory death is prolonged. Despite these limitations, the severe organ shortage combined with technological innovations that enhance DCD organ function have increased interest in DCD organ transplant by transplant programs and organ procurement organizations (OPOs), the federal contractors responsible for coordinating US organ recovery and allocation. This study aimed to describe secular trends in DCD donation."

Doomslayer: Progress Roundup

DCD Organ Donations Surge in the US

More Organ Donations Now Come from People Who Die After Their Heart Stops Beating (original news release) "As the Donor Pool Grows & More Lifesaving Transplants Become Possible, Public Education Is More Important Than Ever"

Changes in Organ Donation After Circulatory Death in the United States (open access)


DCD = donation after circulatory death, DBD = donation after brain death



Two-minute EV charging coming to Israel thanks to Chinese BYD

Good news!

"In the next few months, Chinese car manufacturers will raise the competitive threshold a further notch in the electric vehicle segment in Israel, through supercharger technology that makes it possible to charge a battery fully within a few minutes. Leading the charge is BYD, which has announced a global rollout of the technology under the brand name "Flash".

The venture has two sides to it. The first is the construction of public chargers with a charging rate of 1.5 megawatts, almost ten times the average rate of existing fast charging stations in Israel and three times faster than the current maximum rate of Tesla’s new fast chargers set up in Israel.

The second component is a series of new and rehashed electric and plug-in hybrid car models equipped with second generation batteries. These models are designed to support Flash charging, without overheating or other side-effects, over a long lifetime. ..."

Two-minute EV charging coming to Israel - Globes "New technology from BYD enables hundreds of kilometers of range to be added to an electric car in less time than it takes to fill up with gasoline."

AWS extends Ichilov AI medical collaboration for hospital to become cloud based

Good news!

"The new agreement is a continuation of a collaboration between the parties, in which Ichilov transferred all of its computer systems to the cloud, becoming one of the world’s first hospitals to do so."

AWS extends Ichilov AI medical collaboration - Globes "The new agreement is a continuation of a collaboration between the parties, in which Ichilov transferred all of its computer systems to the cloud, becoming one of the world’s first hospitals to do so."

Saturday, April 18, 2026

The Ancient Weapons Active in Your Immune System Today

Recommendable!

Caveat: I did not read the entire, long article!

"... In recent years researchers have come upon a surprising finding: Some of the machinery that bacteria use to defend against phages exists, almost unchanged, in our own cells. According to dozens of discoveries made over the past decade, the rules of engagement between cells and viruses were written billions of years ago and still largely define how our innate immune system, the first responder to infection, defends us against viruses and bacteria today. ...

Two recent waves of discovery broke this field open.
First, in 2018, researchers reported a variety of novel bacterial defense systems against viruses(opens a new tab), which now number in the hundreds.
The second wave, starting around 2019, showed that some of these bacterial mechanisms exist in plant and animal cells, including our own — and that they still work the same way they did in those distant ancestors. ...

These and other discoveries that followed reveal an unexplored landscape of human innate immunity — one that could lead to new medical treatments and biotechnological tools ...

A few years later, ... team observed that big constellations of immune genes, including restriction-modification enzymes and CRISPR arrays, tended to cluster together in the same region of bacterial genomes. He and other labs observed that genes of unknown function within these “defense islands” or “genomic islands” could potentially represent novel anti-phage mechanisms. ...

In 2018, his team showed that many of the unknown genes in these defense islands did, in fact, function as a variety of anti-phage defense systems. ..."

The Ancient Weapons Active in Your Immune System Today | Quanta Magazine "Dozens of new discoveries reveal that defenses evolved by bacteria and viruses billions of years ago still define our own innate immune system."




Remarkably, the core machinery of the STING protein (top, protein diagrams) has remained structurally preserved across diverse organisms, although the underlying gene sequence differs widely. Some parts of the protein (bottom, dashed outline) have changed over billions of years.


A nasal spray reversed brain aging and inflammation in just two doses

Good news! This could be a breakthrough!

"A nasal spray reversed brain aging and inflammation in just two doses, restoring memory and cognitive sharpness, in a Texas A&M study of mice that researchers say could reshape treatment for dementia."

"Summary: For decades, “neuroinflammaging”, the slow-burning inflammation that causes brain fog and memory decline, was considered an unavoidable part of getting older. However, a landmark study suggests the clock can be turned back.

Researchers developed a non-invasive nasal spray that uses microscopic “delivery parcels” to travel directly into the brain. With just two doses, the therapy dramatically reduced chronic inflammation, recharged cellular “power plants” (mitochondria), and restored memory and cognitive sharpness in aging models.

Key Facts

  • Rapid & Lasting Results: Significant cognitive improvements were observed within weeks and, remarkably, persisted for months after only two doses.
  • Universal Efficacy: Unlike many medical studies that show varying results by sex, this therapy proved equally effective in both males and females.
  • Behavioral Recovery: Treated models showed a restored ability to recognize familiar objects and adapt to changes in their environment—key indicators of a healthy, functioning memory center.
..."

From the abstract:
"Neuroinflammaging, a moderate, chronic, and sterile inflammation in the hippocampus, contributes to age-related cognitive decline.
Neuroinflammaging comprises the activation of the nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich repeat family, and pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasomes, and the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway that triggers type 1 interferon (IFN-1) signalling.
Studies have shown that extracellular vesicles from human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neural stem cells (hiPSC-NSC-EVs) contain therapeutic miRNAs that can alleviate neuroinflammation.
Therefore, this study examined the effects of late middle-aged (18-month-old) male and female C57BL6/J mice receiving two intranasal doses of hiPSC-NSC-EVs on neuroinflammaging in the hippocampus at 20.5 months of age. Compared with animals receiving vehicle treatment, the hippocampus of animals receiving hiPSC-NSC-EVs exhibited reductions in astrocyte hypertrophy, microglial clusters, and oxidative stress, along with elevated expression of antioxidant proteins and genes that maintain mitochondrial respiratory chain integrity.
Moreover, hiPSC-NSC-EVs therapy decreased the levels of various proteins involved in the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, p38/mitogen-activated protein kinase, cGAS-STING-IFN-1, and Janus kinase and signal transducer and activator of transcription signalling pathways.
Furthermore, in vitro assays using genetically engineered RAW cells and hiPSC-NSC-EVs, with or without targeted depletion of specific miRNAs, demonstrated that miRNA-30e-3p and miRNA-181a-5p, both present in hiPSC-NSC-EVs, can significantly inhibit the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and the STING pathway, respectively. Additionally, single-cell RNA sequencing conducted 7 days post-treatment revealed that hiPSC-NSC-EVs induce widespread transcriptomic changes in microglia, including increased expression of numerous genes that enhance oxidative phosphorylation and reduced expression of abundant genes that drive multiple proinflammatory signalling pathways.
These changes mediated by hiPSC-NSC-EVs were also associated with improved cognitive and memory function.
Thus, intranasal hiPSC-NSC-EVs therapy in late middle age can effectively diminish proinflammatory microglial transcriptome and signalling cascades that drive neuroinflammaging in the hippocampus, contributing to better brain function in old age."

Wednesday, April 15, 2026 - Join The Flyover


Scientists reverse brain aging, with a nasal spray (original news release) "New therapy is turning back the clock in aging brains, healing inflammation, restoring memory and reshaping the future of brain age-related therapies."



Fig. 2 Intranasal administration of extracellular vesicles from human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neural stem cells (hiPSC-NSC-EVs) to late middle-aged mice reduced hypertrophy of astrocytes and microglial clusters.