Electric car sales topped 20 million or almost one in four new cars globally in 2025

I suppose good news! However, keep in mind the heavy government subsidies in many countries for EVs!

"Approximately 71 million gas-powered, pure internal combustion engine (ICE) and standard hybrid cars were sold globally in 2025.Total global auto sales reached roughly 91.7 million units. Meanwhile, electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrids reached an all-time high of about 20.7 million units, making up roughly 22.6% to 25% of the global market." (Google)

"One in four new cars sold worldwide was electric in 2025

The electric car market reached new highs in 2025, growing by 20% from 2024 to exceed 20 million sales ... The sales share of electric cars in the overall car market increased to 25%. This marked the fifth consecutive year in which annual electric car sales increased by about 3.5 million, a trend that began in 2021 after the Covid‑19 pandemic. As a result, about 5% of the global car stock is now electrified ...

Close to 55% of new cars sold in China were electric in 2025

More than 13 million electric cars were sold in China in 2025, maintaining its position as the world’s largest electric car market, accounting for six out of ten electric cars sold globally. ...

In 2025, government [subsidies] accounted for ... 7% of total spending on electric cars globally, compared to over 12% in 201910. Despite lower per-vehicle support, growth in electric car sales globally resulted in public finance increasing in absolute terms in 2025, to reach about USD 60 billion – a roughly 20% rise from the previous year. ..."

Trends in electric cars – Global EV Outlook 2026 – Analysis - IEA

Global electric car sales, 2020-2026

A new approach to cancer vaccination yields more powerful T cells to fight multiple different cancers

Good news! Cancer is history (soon)!

"... have developed a new way to amplify the T-cell response to mRNA vaccines — an advance that could lead to much more powerful cancer vaccines and stronger protection against infectious diseases.

Most vaccines generate both antibodies and T cells that can target the vaccine antigen by activating antigen-presenting cells, such as dendritic cells. 

In this study, the researchers boosted the T-cell response with a new type of vaccine adjuvant (a material that can help stimulate the immune system). The new adjuvant consists of mRNA molecules encoding genes that turn on immune signaling pathways and promote a supercharged T-cell response. 

In studies in mice, this mRNA-encoded adjuvant enabled the immune system to completely eradicate most tumors, either on its own or delivered along with a tumor antigen. ..."

From the abstract:

"Although immunotherapy has benefited a subset of persons with cancer, its broader efficacy remains limited, primarily because of an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment characterized by insufficient numbers of functional tumor-specific T cells, antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes.

Here we engineer immune cells in the tumor microenvironment using lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) to deliver immune-remodeling mRNAs (IR-mRNAs) encoding NF-κB-inducing kinase or interferon regulatory factor 8.

These IR-mRNAs activate APCs in tumors, significantly increasing activated type 1 conventional dendritic cells, immunostimulatory cytokines and priming antitumor CD8+ T cells.

IR-mRNAs encapsulated in LNPs elicited durable antitumor responses in multiple syngeneic mouse tumor models through both intratumoral and intravenous delivery.

Coadministration of IR-mRNA and ovalbumin mRNA elicited a ~10-fold increase in antigen-specific CD8+ T cell responses, sustained long-term memory and effectively prevented tumor growth in vaccinated mice.

Additionally, coadministration of IR-mRNA and hemagglutinin mRNA enhanced the humoral response ~5-fold and the cellular response ~15-fold, underscoring their potential as adjuvants for boosting adaptive immunity."

A new approach to cancer vaccination yields more powerful T cells | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology "Using immune-remodeling mRNA molecules, researchers generated T cells that can slow tumor growth and, in some cases, eradicate tumors."

Immune-remodeling mRNAs expressing IRF8 or NIK generate durable antitumor immunity in multiple cancer models (no public access)

Inside the cerebellum, unique neurons predict the timing of future events

Amazing stuff!

"... Their findings ... suggest that the probability distributions of temporal events are learned by circuits in the cerebellum. They also show that statistical information about the expected timing of future events is encoded by large, unique neurons in the cerebellum, called Purkinje cells. ...

carried out experiments involving adult mice, which were trained to expect a specific event (i.e., a puff of air on one of their eyes) at specific times after seeing a flash of light.

They specifically looked at how expectations about future air puffs were represented in the cerebellum, a structure at the back of the brain that plays a role in coordination, motor learning, balance and posture. ...

While the mice were completing the eyeblink conditioning task, ... also recorded the activity of a type of cell in the cerebellum, called Purkinje cells. Interestingly, they found that these cells changed their activity patterns over time, as the mice learned new timing statistics (i.e., how long after the bright light the eye puff took place). ..."

From the abstract:

"The brain must infer the state of the external world despite the inherent uncertainty of its sensory inputs and internal processes. Under conditions of heightened uncertainty, it increasingly relies on prior knowledge, derived from accumulated experience with the regularities and statistical structures of the environment. This principle has been formalized by Bayesian inference theories, which are supported by substantial evidence from both behavioral and neuroscience studies.

However, direct evidence for the existence of prior knowledge in the brain, and for the encoding of environmental statistics by neural circuits, remains limited.

Here we show that cerebellar circuits learn the prior probability distribution of temporal variables during eyeblink conditioning in mice and encode these representations in Purkinje cell simple and complex spike signaling.

We further demonstrate that Purkinje cells are involved in eliciting predictive motor behaviors, such as the conditioned eyeblink response, that also reflect the statistics of the experimentally imposed prior distribution of the stimulus. Computational modeling of these results indicates the juxtaposition of counteracting long-term plasticity mechanisms by which cerebellar Purkinje cells could acquire prior knowledge that is shaped by the statistics of different probability distributions.

Our results suggest that the cerebellar circuitry may be uniquely poised to learn the probability of events in the world and internalize these as prior knowledge. These findings advance understanding of how neural computations could implement Bayesian inference."

Inside the cerebellum, unique neurons predict the timing of future events

Neural circuits encode prior knowledge of temporal statistics (open access)

Fig. 1: Prior probability distributions shape predictive eyeblink traces.

Fig. 2: Cerebellar cortical activity encodes temporal statistics of prior distributions.

The mental cost of skipping meals

Amazing stuff!

"... Research, however, shows that these habits are far from being harmless. A recent large-scale study tracked the eating habits of more than 20,000 Korean adults, focusing on how regularly they ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner—including skipped and late-night meals.

The researchers found that people with irregular eating patterns were 1.55 times more likely to experience depression compared to those who were regular with their main-meal routines. This connection was stronger for men, smokers and late-night eaters. ..."

From the highlights and abstract:

"Highlights

• Nationwide sample of 21,568 Korean adults from KNHANES 2014–2022.

• Irregular meal consumption frequency linked to higher odds of depressive symptoms.

• Dietary diversity buffered, while breakfast skipping exacerbated the risk.

• Stronger associations observed in men, smokers, and late-night eaters.

• Meal pattern regularity identified as a modifiable nutritional target for prevention.

Abstract

Background

Irregular main-meal consumption frequency may disrupt metabolic and behavioral regulation, factors increasingly linked to affective disorders. However, evidence from nationally representative populations is limited.

Methods

We analyzed data from 21,568 adults in the 2014–2022 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the PHQ-9. Multivariable logistic regression and restricted cubic spline analyses were conducted, adjusting for sociodemographic, lifestyle, and nutritional factors. Moderation and subgroup analyses examined dietary diversity, breakfast skipping, and lifestyle variables.

Results

Irregular main-meal consumption frequency was associated with higher odds of depressive symptoms (adjusted OR for highest vs. lowest irregularity = 1.55, 95% CI 1.42–1.69, p < 0.001).

The association was strongest in those with the lowest dietary diversity, while greater variety buffered adverse effects. Frequent breakfast skipping heightened susceptibility. No higher-order interactions were observed. Subgroup analyses showed stronger associations in men, smokers, and late-night eaters, though these require cautious interpretation.

Limitations

Cross-sectional design, self-reported diet, and unmeasured confounders (stress, medication, sleep) may limit causal inference.

Conclusions

Irregular main-meal consumption frequency was associated with depressive symptoms, moderated by dietary diversity and breakfast habits, highlighting meal pattern regularity as a modifiable nutritional target for prevention."

The mental cost of skipping meals may run higher than most people realize

Irregular meal frequency and depressive symptoms: Moderating roles of dietary diversity and breakfast skipping

The FPGA Chip became an IEEE Milestone

Good news! First developed in the 1980s.

"Many of the world’s most advanced electronic systems—including Internet routers, wireless base stations, medical imaging scanners, and some artificial intelligence tools—depend on field-programmable gate arrays. Computer chips with internal hardware circuits, the FPGAs can be reconfigured after manufacturing.

On 12 March, an IEEE Milestone plaque recognizing the first FPGA was dedicated at the Advanced Micro Devices campus in San Jose, Calif., the former Xilinx headquarters and the birthplace of the technology. ...

The FPGA architecture originated in the mid-1980s at Xilinx, a Silicon Valley company founded in 1984. The invention is widely credited to Freeman, a Xilinx cofounder and the startup’s CTO. He envisioned a chip with circuitry that could be configured after fabrication rather than fixed permanently during creation. ..."

The FPGA Chip Is an IEEE Milestone - IEEE Spectrum

On AutoResearch AI: Towards AI-Powered Research Automation for Scientific Discovery

The future of scientific research? A paper by Jianfeng Gao & Caiming Xiong and their team. 

From the abstract:

"Scientific research is being reshaped by AI systems that move beyond isolated assistance toward longer-horizon workflows spanning literature grounding, hypothesis generation, experimentation, validation, reporting, and revision.

This shift marks a transition from task-level AI for science to workflow-level research automation.

Yet current systems remain fragmented, differing in autonomy, domain scope, execution environment, validation mechanism, and human oversight, while still struggling with evidence preservation, reproducibility, weak-direction rejection, provenance tracking, cross-domain robustness, and accountable scientific closure. This survey examines these developments through

AutoResearch, defined as the developmental spectrum of AI-powered scientific workflow automation. 

Within it, Vibe Research denotes the human-steered region of prompt-based assistance and human-verified execution, whereas emerging AI-led systems coordinate larger portions of the discovery loop without achieving robust autonomy.

We analyze how research systems redistribute control, evidence, execution, validation, and accountability across workflows and organize the field around five workflow conditions: literature and research grounding; hypothesis formation and planning; experimentation and tool use; feedback, validation, and review; and reporting and knowledge communication.

We further synthesize AI scientist systems, mixed-initiative co-research frameworks, benchmarks, domain deployments, and open-source infrastructures.

Finally, we propose five evaluation dimensions--novelty, validity, impact, reliability, and provenance--and show that AutoResearch autonomy is domain-conditioned, being more credible in structured, executable, and rapidly verifiable settings but limited in embodied, delayed, heterogeneous, ethical, or institutionally accountable contexts."

[2605.23204] AutoResearch AI: Towards AI-Powered Research Automation for Scientific Discovery

Ancient Chinese anesthetic reveals Ming dynasty's sophisticated medicine

Amazing stuff!

"Microscopic analysis of residues on surgical scissors and tweezers from a 1348–1411 CE tomb in Jiangyin, China, finds the first evidence for the controlled application of a highly toxic chemical as anesthetic, highlighting the sophisticated medicine of the Ming dynasty. ...

However, conventional techniques are difficult to apply to ancient Chinese medical residues, which are rarely preserved and often fail to meet minimum sample requirements for identification. ...

To tackle this, archaeologists used a novel, non-destructive microscopic technique to analyze residues on a pair of surgical scissors and tweezers from the tomb of early Ming dynasty physician Xia Quan. ...

The researchers found evidence for residue of aconitine: an alkaloid derived from the plant Aconitum. Also known as wolfsbane or monkshood, Aconitum is extremely toxic.

This toxicity was recognized and several methods to mitigate it had been developed by the time of the Ming dynasty, from vinegar-boiling to detoxifying with mung beans. The resulting powder acted as an anesthetic, enabling pain-free surgery. ..."

From the abstract:

"The analysis of archaeological trace residues is offering expanding insights into various aspects of human (pre)history, including developments in medical knowledge.

Here, the authors present results from the analysis of two medical instruments (scissors and tweezers) found in a Ming Dynasty (c. 1368–1644 CE) tomb in Jiangyin, China. While the form and composition of the instruments themselves indicate developed understandings of tool production and use, novel application of stimulated Raman scattering microscopy reveals probable traces of aconitine, likely providing direct evidence for the use of this highly toxic substance, possibly administered as a topical anaesthetic, in ancient Chinese surgery."

Ancient anesthetic reveals Ming China's sophisticated medicine

Surgical anaesthesia in Ming China: scientific analysis of aconitine residues on medical instruments (open access)

Fig. 1 The sampled instruments and the residues analysed on each one. 

English for trippers: Lips joined at the hips

Is this like hip hop! Or like conjoined twins?

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.

A severed piece of sea cucumber lives on

Amazing stuff!

"... In a new study, researchers documented the continued viability of amputated tissue from a sea cucumber for over three years in natural seawater. It’s the first known report of the long-term survival — and continued growth — of discarded tissue outside of a highly controlled, sterilized environment. ...

Since the mid-20th century, scientists have made significant breakthroughs with “immortal” cell lines, like the famous HeLa cells, that can be grown in a lab and proliferate indefinitely for long-term research.

In earlier studies, though, tissue cultures have only been maintained under “axenic” conditions that are tightly controlled, rigorously maintained, and lack any bacteria or other organisms. Even then, they have not demonstrated signs of actual healing and growth, nor retained the ability to independently move.

Many echinoderms, the phylum that includes sea cucumbers, are known to display impressive regeneration capacity and negligible cell aging. Lost tissue, though, was always assumed to eventually decay or die. ... the researchers noticed that some discarded tissue from a tube foot of a sea cucumber hadn’t decayed after a number of weeks. In fact, it seemed to be growing. ..."

From the abstract:

"Senescence and immortality are central biological paradigms. While regenerative capabilities in Deuterostomia are known, the fate of lost and discarded tissues has been presumed terminal.

Here, we demonstrate that explanted epidermal, connective, neural, and muscle tissue from the sea cucumber Psolus fabricii (Holothuroidea: Echinodermata) healed and continued to grow in natural, nonaxenic seawater without supplementation for more than 3 years.

In experimental trials, these explants, termed LiPfe (living immortal P. fabricii explants) displayed immune activity, cell cycling, tissue reorganization, and absorption of dissolved amino acids, underscoring their active living state. Comparative experiments conducted on explanted tissues from related species demonstrated no equivalent tissue survival, highlighting the unique properties of P. fabricii, which do not have parallels in the current literature.

Our findings challenge conventional perceptions of tissue immortality and present a new class of experimental model, free from ethical concerns, with substantial implications for regenerative biology, biomedical research, and tissue engineering."

A severed piece of sea cucumber refused to die, and what happened next could transform medicine

Scientists Find Groundbreaking Potential for Tissue Regrowth and Immortality in the Ocean (original news release)

Natural tissue immortality: Indefinite survival of sea cucumber explants (open access)

Fig. 1. Outline of questions, processes, and analyses that helped develop the initial framework of this study.

Urine test could help detect lung cancer years before symptoms occur

Good news! Cancer is history (soon)!

"... The researchers created an injectable sensor that interacts with proteins released by senescent cells. When these proteins are present, the sensor triggers the release of a detectable compound that appears in urine – signalling the earliest biological signs of therapy resistance and lung cancer development. ..."

From the abstract:

"Cellular senescence is a hallmark of age-related disorders, including cancer, in which senescence contributes to tumor progression and treatment resistance. Targeting senescent cells therapeutically requires noninvasive methods to longitudinally monitor senescence burden.

Here, we present an injectable nanoprobe for noninvasive detection of therapy-induced senescence in lung cancer and pulmonary fibrosis via urine testing. Using human biopsy samples, clinical transcriptomic datasets and mouse models, we identify matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) as a specific biomarker of senescence in lung cancer and bleomycin-induced fibrosis.

We develop ALBANC, a nanoprobe composed of human serum albumin linked to gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) through MMP-7-cleavable peptide linkers. MMP-7-mediated cleavage releases AuNCs that are renally excreted, enabling rapid and sensitive colorimetric urine detection via a nanoparticle growth-based assay, enabling longitudinal tracking of cisplatin-induced senescence and senolysis in mouse lung tumors and fibrosis.

This approach offers a noninvasive and sensitive precision tool for monitoring senescence burden in lung cancer."

Urine test could help detect lung cancer years before symptoms occur | University of Cambridge "Cambridge scientists hunting tell-tale killer ‘zombie’ cells that signal early lung cancer have developed a world-first urine test that could transform diagnosis and survival for thousands of patients."

Urinary detection of therapy-induced senescence and fibrosis using an injectable albumin-based nanoprobe (open access)

Fig. 2: Preparation of ALBANC nanoprobe and its colorimetric detection assays.

Fig. 5: Urinary detection of chemotherapy-induced senescence in lung cancer.

English for trippers: Scrap not scrape

Scraping for scrap metal? Don't beat the crap out of it!

A Day on Earth Is Getting Longer as the Planet’s Rotation Slows. Really!

When the Wall Street Journal publishes a popular science article! When obsessions interfere with rational thinking!

I would argue this tiny number could well be within the range of a measurement error! Plus, these are not measurements, but computer modeling results. Junk science?

"The Number ~1.33 The milliseconds added to day length per century over the past two decades, according to a new study. As temperatures warm, ice in the Arctic, Greenland and Antarctica melts, and the resulting rise in sea levels slows down Earth’s rotation. A change of milliseconds seems insignificant, but it can cause problems for clocks, GPS and navigation apps, and satellites."

"Climate change is lengthening our days because rising sea levels slow Earth's rotation. Researchers from the University of Vienna and ETH Zurich now show that the current increase in day length — 1.33 milliseconds per century [???]— is unprecedented in the past 3.6 million years [???]. The team reconstructed ancient day-length fluctuations using the fossil remains of single-celled marine organisms known as benthic foraminifera. The study has just been published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth. ..."

From the abstract:

"Understanding the history of Earth rotation variations and its connection to mantle dynamics is one of the most important problems is global geophysics. However, our knowledge of these variations—in particular those induced by climate on geological timescales—is limited due to both modeling deficiencies and the scarcity of paleoclimate data.

In order to advance our understanding of this problem, here we first develop a new probabilistic deep learning methodology called Physics-Informed Diffusion Model (PIDM). We then use PIDM in conjunction with the recently available paleoclimate data—specifically, sea level variations since the Late Pliocene—to precisely reconstruct the history of climate-induced changes in the Earth's rotation rate (i.e., Length of Day variations: 

LOD). We reconcile LOD inferred from various climate models and paleoclimate proxies (i.e., geological records such as fossil benthic foraminifera and coral reefs). Based on our reconstructions of LOD, we unravel

(a) large-amplitude fluctuations due to Quaternary ice ages, surpassing the magnitude of the currently known processes including those of atmosphere, land hydrology, and core,

(b) a previously unrecognized secular trend due to changes in the Earth's oblateness caused by the outset of Northern Hemispheric ice sheets, and

(c) the almost unprecedented rate [???] of increase in the length of day caused by century climate change."

Wall Street Journal What's news

A Day on Earth Is Getting Longer as the Planet’s Rotation Slows - WSJ "A change of milliseconds seems insignificant, but it can cause problems for our clocks, GPS and navigation apps, and satellites"

Climate change slows Earth's spin: Day lengthening unprecedented in 3.6 million years (original news release from March 2026) "Comparing fossil archives with modern measurements – Today's increase in day length stands out clearly in climate history"

Climate-Induced Length of Day Variations Since the Late Pliocene

The UAE’s secret role in the war involved dozens of strikes on Iran

Wow! What are the other Arab countries waiting for?

"the U.A.E. was more involved in the Iran war than previously known"

"The attacks were conducted in coordination with the U.S. and Israel and went on for weeks—a deeper involvement than was previously known. It’s further evidence of the U.A.E.’s growing willingness to protect what it sees as its strategic interests, setting it apart from some of its neighbors, which have taken a far more cautious approach to the threat from Iran."

Wall Street Journal What's news

How bean plants use chemicals to attract wasps for help when hungry caterpillars attack

Amazing stuff!

"... The plant sends out a chemical distress signal that summons predatory wasps to its aid. ..."

"... When caterpillars chomp the leaves of bean plants, these plants release gases that lure predatory wasps. The wasps prey on the caterpillars, saving the plants from further destruction. ...

This result helps explain a previous study by this team that first identified the biochemical pathway behind this defense mechanism. These results also showcase how the tiny actions of a single protein can affect the behavior of wasps and caterpillars, and in turn, protect the health of the plant. ..."

From the abstract:

"Plants deploy direct and indirect defenses in response to insect herbivory. The specific antiherbivore responses involve cell surface immune receptors that recognize herbivore-associated molecular patterns (HAMPs), yet the ecological relevance of this molecular interplay in natural settings remains unexplored.

Here, we demonstrate with laboratory and field experimentation in Mexico that the inceptin receptor (INR) in the leaves of common bean orchestrates a tritrophic interaction upon recognition of inceptin, a HAMP in caterpillar oral secretions. Near-isogenic lines with a naturally occurring null mutation in INR revealed that inceptin recognition does not only amplify the wound response but activates an herbivore-specific immune pathway to trigger the emission of a distinctive volatile blend that recruits predatory wasps to effectively remove caterpillars from the plants.

These findings provide a definitive molecular-to-ecological link, revealing how a single immune receptor mediates ecologically relevant plant-insect-predator interactions in nature."

How bean plants call on wasps for help when hungry caterpillars attack

How bean plants sense very hungry caterpillars and call for backup (original news release)

A plant immune receptor mediates tritrophic interactions by linking caterpillar detection to predator recruitment (open access)

Unprecedented view inside live stem cells reveals aging process and loss of regenerative capacity

Amazing stuff!

"Scientists have developed a powerful new technique that allows them to observe how individual cells manufacture proteins during aging, offering an unprecedented glimpse into the hidden molecular activity of stem cells in living tissue. ...

What scientists saw was the intricate choreography within stem cells and how those molecular dance steps slow and change with age. The team of Swiss scientists has concluded that the process of aging reshapes how skin stem cells manufacture proteins. ..."

From the highlights and abstract:

"Highlights

• In vivo single-cell ribosome profiling monitors tissue-wide translational landscapes

• RNase I-generated footprints reveal robust triplet periodicity in vivo

• Tissue-wide mapping of translational efficiencies across epidermal cell types

• Aging drives selective translational induction of AP-1 subunits in stem cells

Summary

Somatic stem cells are characterized by their low overall protein-synthesis rates, a feature implicated in driving their stemness. However, how aging reshapes the translational landscape of stem cells remains poorly understood.

Here, we present an in vivo single-cell ribosome profiling strategy to monitor tissue-wide translational landscapes of the epidermis during aging.

By implementing ribosomal elongation-inhibited cell isolation and switching to RNase I, we expand the applicability of single-cell ribosome profiling to in vivo systems and facilitate the evaluation of triplet periodicity, a hallmark of high-quality data.

Leveraging this strategy, we document the in vivo translational landscapes of the major epidermal cell types, outline cell-type-specific translational efficiencies, and identify a pronounced translational reprogramming of AP-1 subunits specifically in aged epidermal stem cells. Our study illustrates the power of in vivo single-cell ribosome profiling to map cell-type-specific translational programs and offers a scalable strategy for tissue-wide interrogation of translational landscapes."

Unprecedented view inside live stem cells reveals aging process and loss of regenerative capacity

In vivo single-cell ribosome profiling reveals cell-type-specific translational programs during aging (open access)

Graphical abstract

Schizophrenia linked to body’s most prevalent white blood cell

Good news!

"In brief

• Stanford researchers discovered that neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, can produce the schizophrenia-associated protein C4A.
• This finding links the increased neutrophil count seen in schizophrenia patients to the disease’s underlying mechanisms.
• The research could lead to novel diagnostic methods and treatments by targeting neutrophil activity and protein production in schizophrenia.

The most common white blood cells in your body – immune cells called neutrophils – can make a protein nobody knew they were making ... That unexpected sighting joins a growing list of hints tying schizophrenia, a disorder of the brain, to events occurring elsewhere in our bodies. ...

Current treatments for schizophrenia are palliatives, Kalinowski said. They don’t stop disease progression or restore motivation or cognitive sharpness. ..."

From the significance and abstract:

"Significance

The number of C4A gene copies is associated with the risk of schizophrenia in genome-wide association studies of individuals with European ancestry.

Higher C4A gene expression is associated with higher levels of synaptic pruning in the brain.

We found that neutrophils from people with schizophrenia show C4 protein amounts that are positively correlated with the number of C4A gene copies.

Neutrophils may gain access to the central nervous system, during some critical periods in the development of schizophrenia. The role of neutrophils both outside the brain in the peripheral circulation and within the brain invites further exploration, potentially leading to new therapeutics.

Abstract

The lack of highly effective disease-modifying treatments for schizophrenia necessitates exploration of novel aspects of its pathophysiology, including attention to innate immune mechanisms outside the brain. 

C4 protein activation, associated with the complement cascade of innate immunity, associates with symptoms and predicts outcomes in schizophrenia. However, C4 protein activation does not coincide with expected changes to other proteins in the complement cascade, suggesting another source of C4 protein activation.

Studying a combination of fresh whole blood from 10 anonymous donors and a large set of publicly available microarray data, we show that C4 protein is found and expressed primarily in neutrophils and monocytes.

Then, we compared the correlation between C4 protein in neutrophils, classical monocytes, plasma, and the number of C4A gene copies. We determined the number of C4A genes using digital droplet PCR, C4 protein in neutrophils (15 patients/21 controls) and plasma (30 patients/38 controls) using Western blotting, and classical monocytes (30 patients/38 controls) using flow cytometry.

We found a large positive correlation between the number of C4A gene copies and the amount of C4 protein only in neutrophils and only in the schizophrenia group (Spearman’s rho = 0.63, 95% BCa CI: 0.12 to 0.89, P = 0.012).

Our results indicate a convergence of innate immunity mechanisms associated with schizophrenia. The involvement of innate immunity deserves further attention to determine whether it could be a target for therapy in schizophrenia."

Schizophrenia linked to body’s most prevalent white blood cell | Stanford Report

Peripheral complement C4 protein in schizophrenia: Association with gene copy number and immune cell subtypes (open access)

Fig. 2 Neutrophil C4 protein is positively correlated with the number of C4A gene copies in SZ.

In der Schweiz wird immer öfter mit Psychedelika behandelt

Gute Nachrichten!

Wirken die Psychedelika dauerhaft oder müssen die Psychedelika ständig eingenommen werden über Jahre etc.?

"... Stand der Forschung: Nach einem Hype in den 1960er Jahren wurde die Forschung an Psychedelika aufgrund des amerikanischen «War on Drugs» komplett eingestellt und erst in den 2000er Jahren wieder aufgegriffen. Heute gehört die Schweiz zu den Vorreitern in der Forschung.

• In Ausnahmefällen erlaubt: In der Schweiz können Patienten seit 2014 eine Bewilligung für die Therapie mit Psychedelika bekommen. In Deutschland ist 2025 eine ähnliche Regelung in Kraft getreten. Bedingung: Andere Therapien blieben erfolglos.
• Das zeigen Studien: Vor kurzem wurden die Ergebnisse einer der bisher grössten Studien publiziert. Die Forscher untersuchten 144 Probanden. Wer Psychedelika erhielt, war sechs Wochen später signifikant weniger depressiv als die Probanden in der Kontrollgruppe.
• Mehr als nur Depressionen: Es gibt Hinweise darauf, dass Psychedelika auch gegen Sucht, posttraumatische Belastungsstörung und Ängste am Lebensende wirken können.

..."

Glücklicher dank Psychedelika

US Department of Defense wants nearly $30 billion for a new AI Arsenal in FY 2025

Signs of our times! Let robots do the combat!

"The Defense Department is requesting close to $30 billion in fiscal 2027 to purchase and enable next-generation AI supercomputers and modernize the military’s computing infrastructure to power them. According to recently published budget documents, the Pentagon aims to build out its portfolio of highly secure data centers, and ultimately centralize and scale supercomputing assets across the joint force through its new “AI Arsenal initiative.” ... to integrate commercial AI models into battle management and warfare operations, threat detection and analyses, supply chain logistics and more.  ..."

DOD wants nearly $30 billion for a new AI Arsenal | FedScoop

The Journey of a Female Ukrainian Combat Medic

Women in arms! Bravo! An angel in disguise!

"Marina once imagined a very different future for herself. After years spent studying and working toward a medical career in Poland, she expected her life to remain abroad.

Instead, the war pulled her back to Ukraine.

Today, under the call sign “Bandana,” the 29-year-old evacuation medic serves with the Black Cossacks near eastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv, helping wounded soldiers survive in a war increasingly shaped by drones, distance and constant uncertainty. ..."

‘You No Longer Belong to Yourself Here’
– Journey of a Female Ukrainian Combat Medic "A woman who once planned her future abroad returned to Ukraine and joined the army. Today, as an evacuation medic, “Bandana” helps keep wounded soldiers alive."

Marina, known by the call sign “Bandana,” serves as an evacuation medic with the Black Cossacks near the grey zone east of Kharkiv, April 2026

Quantifying racial inequality in transit access across New York City | PNAS Nexus. Really!

What a ridiculous if not a junk study! Why did PNAS publish this ideology and propaganda?

The New York city subway, opened in 1904, is one of the oldest subway systems in the US.

What about other public transportation in NYC like busses?

Look at the rather small percentage differences in the abstract! This study is a bad joke!

Caveat: I did not read the study!

From the abstract:

"Urban transit networks are crucial for sustainable cities, yet their uneven distribution often results in unequal access to urban resources.

Prior studies primarily focused on accessibility within transit networks while overlooking its implications for residents’ behaviors and the historical and political roots of inequality [???].

Using door-to-door transit information and over 66 million mobility records, we examine racial disparities in New York City’s transit accessibility and their impact on mobility behaviors. We find that ethnic minorities have 4.9% lower neighborhood accessibility, 15.7% less job accessibility, and 14.9% poorer access to essential facilities compared to the white population.

These disparities exacerbate residential segregation [???] by 26.9% and confine minorities to limited mobility, higher unemployment risks, and longer travel to essential services.

Importantly, inequalities persist even after accounting for socioeconomic covariates, housing values, and residential sorting, pointing to the enduring influence of wealth, political power, and discriminatory planning legacies. Simulations indicate that enhancing transit infrastructure in minority block groups could reduce these gaps by up to 49.8%. Our findings highlight the critical need to integrate equity, affordability, and inclusiveness into the design of future sustainable transit systems."

Quantifying racial inequality in transit access across New York City | PNAS Nexus | Oxford Academic

Oberverwaltungsgericht: Saarbrücken muss neu wählen – AfD-Ausschluss war rechtswidrig

Peinlich! Typisch Bananenrepublik D! Das war der zweite, rechtswidrige Versuch im Saarland eines Ausschlusses der AfD von einer Wahl in den letzten zwei Jahren.

"... Besonders bemerkenswert: Es ist nicht der erste solche Fall im Saarland. Bereits bei der Wahl zur Regionalversammlung im Regionalverband Saarbrücken war die AfD 2024 nicht zugelassen worden. Auch dort entschied die Verwaltungsgerichtsbarkeit später, dass die Wahl wiederholt werden muss. ..."

Oberverwaltungsgericht: Saarbrücken muss neu wählen – AfD-Ausschluss war rechtswidrig "Saarbrücken muss den Stadtrat neu wählen: Die AfD wurde zu Unrecht ausgeschlossen. Das hat das Oberverwaltungsgericht des Saarlandes entschieden. Demokratie gilt eben nicht nur für den Regierenden genehme Parteien."

Anthropic is valued at $965 billion

Wow!

"The highest valued U.S. company is Nvidia, with a market capitalization of roughly $5.2  trillion." according to Google search.

"Anthropic’s valuation, as it closed a funding round. The AI startup rocketed past OpenAI as the two race ahead to expected IPOs this year. Anthropic is on track next month to hit $50 billion in “annualized revenue”—a metric startups use that employs short-term sales to forecast a yearly figure. That figure grew 80-fold in the first quarter."

Street Journal What's news

Reformdebatte: Wer keine Kinder hat, sollte weniger Rente bekommen. Wirklich!

Wieder mal eine dumme, sehr einfältige Idee!

Haben z.B. nicht kinderlose Steuerzahler Eltern mit Kindern reichlich subventioniert über Jahrzehnte?

Reformdebatte: Wer keine Kinder hat, sollte weniger Rente bekommen | FAZ (behind paywall) "Jahrhundertelang war Nachwuchs die einzige Altersvorsorge. Heute untergräbt der Kindermangel das System – und trotzdem bekommen Eltern häufig weniger Rente als Kinderlose. Das muss sich ändern."

Ferry connecting Taiwan with Japan's Ishigaki island set for maiden voyage

Good news! It is stunning how geographically close some of Japanese islands are to Taiwan. It is a Japanese island chain that stretches almost from mainland Japan all the way to Taiwan.

Get on board if you can! 😊

Ferry connecting Taiwan with Japan's Ishigaki set for maiden voyage - Nikkei Asia "Service expected to buoy high tourist flows, strengthen ties in tense region"

Source

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The Pope at the steering wheel of the latest Ferrari sports car

This must be an American Pope! 😊 What was the point of his demonstration?

Source

„Mein Austritt aus der AfD“: CDU verschickt vorformulierte Austritts-Schreiben an alle AfD Bundestagsabgeordneten

Bizarr und grotesk, aber typisch für eine Bananenrepublik wie D!

„Mein Austritt aus der AfD“: CDU verschickt vorformulierte Austritts-Schreiben an alle AfD-Abgeordneten | NIUS "Die CDU hat an alle AfD-Bundestagsabgeordneten vorformulierte Austritts-Schreiben verschickt, die die Abgeordneten zum Austritt aus der AfD bewegen sollen. Das entsprechende Schreiben liegt NIUS exklusiv vor. Eine Sprecherin der CDU bestätigte gegenüber NIUS den Versand der Schreiben."

So gesund fühlen sich Senioren in der EU

Ein erstaunliches Gefälle zwischen den Mitgliedsländern der EU! Ziemlich unerwartet!

Wie gross ist der Unterschied zwischen gesund fühlen und tatsächlich gesund sein? Eine ungeklärte Frage!

So gesund fühlen sich Senioren in der EU - iwd.de "Fragt man die Älteren in den EU-Mitgliedsstaaten, wie es ihnen gesundheitlich geht, erhält man je nach Land positivere oder pessimistischere Einschätzungen. Die Senioren in Deutschland halten sich, wenig überraschend, für vergleichweise krank."

Dating apps are wearing users down with classic burnout symptoms

Dating made too easy? 😊 Getting worse from date to date!

"Dating apps are wearing users down with classic burnout symptoms, according to a study tracking hundreds over three months. The effect hits hardest on those already struggling with mental health."

"...  Studies link dating apps to higher rates of depression, anxiety and loneliness, with heavier costs on people who were already struggling beforehand. ...

A 2024 study followed hundreds of dating apps users over the course of three months. "We ended up finding over time, people using dating apps were experiencing burnout across the board," ... Which makes sense. If you're stuck on the app, you haven't found what you're looking for (unless you just want hookups). But the experience was far more severe than frustration. ..."

From the highlights and abstract:

"Highlights

• Research on the mental health and well-being outcomes of dating app use has increased steadily over the past 17 years.

• Meta-analytic findings suggested a modest link, although cross-sectional design limitations prevent causal interpretation.

• Moderator analyses did not show consistent subgroup differences, showing inconclusive evidence for demographic variation.

Abstract

This pre-registered study reports the results of a systematic review and quantitative meta-analysis of the clinical (e.g., psychological health and well-being) outcomes of dating app use.

We conducted a keyword search of the literature for studies published between 2007 and 2024 using seven databases in communication, psychology, and the biomedical and life sciences.

Our sample included 23 studies (N = 26,068) and captured the period of time since dating apps were first brought to market to the present.

We found that dating app users reported significantly worse psychological health and well-being (i.e., depression, anxiety, affective dysregulation, loneliness, and psychological distress) than dating app non-users.

We also performed a subgroup analysis to explore the significant heterogeneity across studies. The effect of dating app use versus non-use on psychological health and well-being differed by platform type, relationship status, sexual orientation, and cultural context, but these differences were not significant. Overall, our synthesis of 17 years of research coheres with prior trends and underscores the need for targeted interventions to improve the outcomes of dating app users." 

Thursday, May 28, 2026 - Join The Flyover

Are you stuck in the dating app burnout cycle? "Download, burnout, delete, repeat. Science says dating app users follow a predictable and dangerous pattern. These are the signs you're falling for it – and how to escape."

Dating app use, psychological health, and psychological well-being: A systematic review and quantitative meta-analysis (no public access)

Female Israel Defense Force Sgt. Rotem Yanai killed during operational activity in northern Israel

R.I.P. Living in the age of gender equality!

Sgt. Rotem Yanai killed during operational activity in northern Israel | The Jerusalem Post "Five other IDF soldiers were wounded in the incident, including two reservists serving on the security team of Goren, the nearest town."

Swiss national Attacker wounds three with knife in Switzerland reportedly shouts 'Allahu Akbar'

Even Switzerland appears not to be spared from such Islamist fanatic terrorists!

Attacker wounds three with knife in Switzerland reportedly shouts 'Allahu Akbar' | The Jerusalem Post "The suspected perpetrator, a 31-year-old Swiss national, was arrested. The three victims of the attack were receiving hospital care, according to local police."

Celebrate the twenty-year anniversary of an influential paper on induced pluripotent stem cells

Something to celebrate indeed!

"Induced pluripotent stem cells turn twenty

Nobel laureate Shinya Yamanaka has spent over twenty years researching induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). In 2006, Yamanaka co-authored a paper on how to make iPSCs in a Petri dish.

This year, he is celebrating the approval of the first two iPSC-derived therapeutics in Japan."

Nature Briefing: Translational Research

Wenn die EU-Spitze selbst an ihrer E-Mobilität-Politik verzweifelt

Köstlich! Was für eine Steuergeldverschwendung der EU!

"Der nervende Ladestopp für mehrere EU-Kommissare aus dem Team Ursula von der Leyen sorgt für immer mehr Proteste innerhalb der Kommission: Gesprächspartner aus insgesamt acht Kabinetten bestätigten nun gegenüber dem Magazin Politico, dass die Fahrt durch den 20- bis 30-minütigen Halt von bereits fünf Stunden auf bis zu sieben Stunden ausgedehnt werde. Manche Kommissare erwägen sogar, die Chauffeure langsamer fahren zu lassen, um Energie zu sparen – doch das funktioniere kaum und mache die Reise noch unangenehmer.

Die Flotte der Kommission umfasst derzeit etwa 128 Fahrzeuge, von denen 80 Prozent elektrisch betrieben sind. ..."

Wenn die EU-Spitze selbst an ihrer E-Mobilität-Politik verzweifelt "Brüssels EU-Kommissare seien bereits genervt von der genutzten E-Auto-Luxusflotte auf der Route nach Straßburg: Die Batterien schaffen die 440 Kilometer lange Strecke nicht in einem Stück. Die EU-Führung selbst scheitert mit ihrer grünen Politik an der Realität des Alltags."

Ukraine: How to train thousands of drone pilots for the largest drone air force of the world?

Amazing stuff!

Ukraine Probably Has The World’s Best Drone Pilot Training, Also the Biggest "Ukraine’s “drone advantage” isn’t just airframes, it’s pilot training. Ukraine runs a massive drone program with ~80,000 personnel involved and an estimated 25-40,000 active combat UAV pilots (elite SBS: ~15k) – outnumbering many nations’ entire air forces. Training grew from 2,014 hobbyists to a nationwide network of military, private, and unit-run schools, turning novices into competent pilots in about one to two months. High quality stems from pragmatic, combat-focused methods and advanced simulators – and OJT IRL."

Chart of the day

Source 

English for trippers: Care is rare

CareLess is plenty!

UCLA opens Center for Advanced Biotherapies, expanding capacity to develop and deliver personalized cell and gene therapies

Good news!

"Key takeaways 

• UCLA has opened the Center for Advanced Biotherapies, a 14,000-square-foot FDA-compliant manufacturing facility that nearly doubles the institution’s capacity to produce cell and gene therapies for patients enrolled in clinical trials.
• The facility — built with support from the National Institutes of Health and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine — is equipped to manufacture a broad range of personalized treatments, from cancer vaccines to stem cell gene therapies.
• The facility’s proximity to UCLA’s hospitals and clinics means researchers can move a therapy from the manufacturing suite to an early phase clinical trial patient’s bedside the same day.

For 30 years, the UCLA Human Gene and Cell Therapy Facility has been the quiet engine behind some of the university’s most ambitious clinical research, supporting more than 25 clinical trials and producing over 300 personalized therapy products for patients with cancer, HIV/AIDS, sickle cell disease and rare genetic disorders. But the science consistently exceeded what the space was designed for. ...

The center features 10 cleanrooms, including seven manufacturing suites designed to run multiple therapies simultaneously, two bioengineering rooms built for large-scale equipment, including bioreactors and 3D printers, and a dedicated suite for viral vector manufacturing. A centralized quality control laboratory supports comprehensive product testing and release.  ..."

UCLA opens Center for Advanced Biotherapies, expanding capacity to develop and deliver cell and gene therapies | UCLA

Three researchers in full white protective suits and gloves work inside a sterile cleanroom laboratory, viewed through a glass door.

Claude Mythos discovers bugs and vulnerabilities so fast and in large numbers that patching them is not keeping up?

Amazing stuff! What a conundrum!

"Mythos discovers bugs and vulnerabilities faster than patches
 
Anthropic and its approximately 50 Project Glasswing partners used Claude Mythos Preview to discover over 10,000 high- or critical-severity vulnerabilities across critical software systems in the first month after Glasswing’s April 2026 launch — including both partner codebases and over 1,000 open-source projects scanned by Anthropic itself.

The real problem has become obvious: nobody can fix them fast enough. Cloudflare alone surfaced 2,000 bugs—400 critical—with fewer false positives than human testers would generate.

Mozilla patched 271 vulnerabilities in Firefox 150, more than ten times the count from previous Claude versions.

Yet of 530 critical bugs disclosed across the program, only 75 have been patched so far, with high-severity fixes averaging two weeks to roll out.

Anthropic scanned over 1,000 open-source projects and confirmed that 90.6 percent of flagged issues were valid after manual review.

The asymmetry matters: attackers with access to similar models could soon exploit this window between discovery and remediation, while maintainers remain swamped by the sheer volume of findings."

"Last month, we launched Project Glasswing, our collaborative effort to secure the world’s most critical software before increasingly capable AI models can be turned against it.

Since then, we and our approximately 50 partners have used Claude Mythos Preview to find more than ten thousand high- or critical-severity vulnerabilities across the most systemically important software in the world. ..."

Data Points

Project Glasswing: An initial update

Our dashboard of open-source vulnerabilities, showing vulnerabilities of all severities (rather than only those estimated high- or critical-severity by Mythos Preview).