Scientists have attempted to expand its scope to active imaging applications such as light detection and ranging or LiDAR, but the lack of suitable thermal light sources and robust image reconstruction algorithms make the process challenging.

To overcome these issues, the researchers created an intensity interferometer setup with pseudothermal illumination achieved by superimposing light from 8-phase-independent multiple laser emitters. This setup included two telescopes and an infrared laser system on a shared optical bench.

The laser system produced thermal illumination, and reconstructed sparse, noisy data being collected into a high-resolution image with the help of a computational algorithm.

To test the super-resolution capabilities of the device, the letters "USTC" were crafted out of hollowed-out blackened aluminum sheets which were then covered in retroreflective sheets and used as a complex imaging target positioned over a kilometer away.
Using the designed active intensity interferometer, the researchers successfully demonstrated super-resolution imaging of millimeter-scale targets at a distance of 1.36 km in an outdoor urban environment. The imaging system achieved a resolution of 3 mm, which is 14 times higher than the diffraction limit of a single telescope, typically around 42.5 mm.

Once scaled for use beyond the laboratory, this device could significantly accelerate advancements in long-range, high-resolution remote sensing, surveillance, and non-invasive imaging in challenging environments.

Lu-Chuan Liu et al, Active Optical Intensity Interferometry, Physical Review Letters (2025). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.134.180201

Part 2

Silent X chromosome awakens with age: New explanation for sex differences in age-related diseases

Women age differently from men when it comes to health—particularly in conditions like cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative disorders such as dementia and Parkinson's.

A research team proposed a new explanation for this. In aging female mice, genes on the previously silenced second X chromosome become active again. This mechanism might also influence women's health later in life. The study is published in the journal Nature Aging.

Unlike men, who carry one X and one Y chromosome, women have two X chromosomes in each cell. However, one of the two X chromosomes is effectively silenced. It folds into a compact structure known as the Barr body and can no longer be read. Without this mechanism, the genes on the X chromosome would be read twice as often in women as in men.

Scientists have known for some time that some genes can escape inactivation in the Barr body, resulting in higher gene activity in women. These genes are suspected to influence disease.

Researchers have now shown for the first time that with increasing age, more and more genes escape the inactivation of the Barr body.

The researchers examined the major organs of mice at different stages of life. In the older animals, the proportion of genes that had escaped was on average twice as high as in adult animals—6% instead of 3% of the genes on the X chromosome. In some organs, the numbers were even higher: in the kidneys, for instance, nearly 9%.

With aging, epigenetic processes gradually loosen the tightly packed structure of the inactive X chromosome. This mainly happens at the ends of the chromosome, allowing for genes located in those regions to be read again.

Many of the genes that become active again with age are associated with disease. These new  findings are based on mice, but since the X chromosome is very similar in humans,  the same may happen in aging women. 

According to the researchers, this doubled gene activity could have positive effects in some cases and negative effects in others.

ACE2, for example—a gene that escapes in the lungs with age—can help limit pulmonary fibrosis. Increased activity of the gene TLR8 in old age, however, may play a role in autoimmune diseases such as late-onset lupus.

Sex differences in age-related disease are incredibly complex.

So far, scientific explanations have mostly focused on hormonal or lifestyle factors. While the role of the X chromosome and some escape genes have been studied before, the discovery that many genes on the inactive X can reactivate with age opens up entirely new lines of research.

Sarah Hoelzl et al, Aging promotes reactivation of the Barr body at distal chromosome regions, Nature Aging (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s43587-025-00856-8

Trees May Be Able to Warn Us When a Volcano Is About to Erupt

The science of predicting volcanic eruptions can genuinely save lives – potentially, a lot of lives – and researchers have shown that tree leaf colors can act as warning signals around a volcano that's about to blow. As volcanoes get more active and closer to an eruption, they push magma up closer to the surface, releasing higher levels of carbon dioxide. That in turn can boost the health of the surrounding trees, making leaves greener. And those changes – specifically in the measurement known as the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) – can be spotted by satellites in space. We could be looking at an early warning system for eruptions that doesn't require any local field work or ground sensors, so it could work in remote and difficult-to-access areas.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S003442572400...

Size matters when it comes to antibiotics. Obese patients may need customized doses of certain drugs

Obesity can have a distinct impact on the absorption, effectiveness and excretion of antibiotics, medications that have been in use for more than 80 years, but only now have consensus guidelines been proposed on prescribing the drugs for patients with substantial fat mass.

The new research arrives amid two major global health crises: In 2022, the World Health Organization declared that 43% of the global adult population is overweight, and an estimated 16% of adults are considered obese, some severely so. Also, in recent years, the WHO has stressed the need for more efficient use of antibiotics to preserve their usefulness as drug-resistant superbugs become an increasingly lethal threat.

Now, an international team of medical investigators reports that obesity can interfere with antibiotics, resulting in too much or too little drug exposure to treat infections. And because dosages that effectively work in normal weight individuals don't seem to treat the obese, the research team has developed obesity-specific antibiotic dosing guidelines for certain classes of the drugs.

Writing in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, the team describes its research as an in-depth systematic review of the medical literature on dosing and antibiotics. Conclusions drawn from the research created the framework for the guidelines.

Obesity can alter antibiotic pharmacokinetics due to physiological changes, such as body composition and organ dysfunction that result in increased or decreased drug exposures in plasma or at the site of infection, say the researchers.

Researchers used the standard definition of obesity, a BMI of 30 or higher, and underscored that "substantial changes can occur in the volume of [systemic antibiotic] distribution due to increased fat and muscle mass." In other words, obesity can alter how antibiotics are absorbed, distributed and excreted from the body.

The team began its systematic investigation with a review of 6,113 studies on obesity and antibiotic dosing. After eliminating duplicate studies, the team narrowed that number to 128 studies from which conclusions in the study were drawn.

A pictorial chart in the study illustrated problems facing the obese when it comes to taking antibiotics: increased fat mass, impaired kidney and/or liver function. Of special concern in the liver is the dysfunction of cytochrome P450, the group of enzymes responsible for metabolizing drugs.

Part 1

The researchers studied a number of antibiotic classes and how body weight affects the drugs' metabolism. Drug classes analyzed in the study included β-lactams, aminoglycosides, glycopeptides, lipoglycopeptides, and quinolones, among others. Yet, not all antibiotics require special guidelines for the obese.
Obesity modestly alters the pharmacokinetics of β-lactam antibiotics, so evidence does not support routine dose adjustments [because of body weight].
For aminoglycosides and glycopeptides, the impact of obesity on pharmacokinetics is evident and weight-based dosing is recommended.
β-lactam antibiotics include such widely prescribed drugs as the penicillins, cephalosporins, carbapenems and monobactams. They are chemically characterized by a β-lactam ring in their chemical structure. The drugs are used against a wide range of bacterial infections, including Gram-positive and Gram-negative species. But there's no need to treat obese patients differently when it comes to β-lactam medications.

Doctors, meanwhile, frequently turn to aminoglycosides to treat extremely serious infections, especially those caused by Gram-negative bacteria. Aminoglycosides include such medications as gentamicin, streptomycin, and neomycin. These drugs work by disrupting critical protein production activity inside the bacterial cell. The drugs enter bacteria and bind to the 30S ribosomal subunit, resulting in flawed protein synthesis and death of the pathogens.

Guidelines were recommended for the use of this class in the obese as well as for glycopeptide antibiotics, which include the highly potent cell-wall-disrupting drug vancomycin.
Maintenance doses [of vancomycin] should be individualized and guided by therapeutic drug monitoring to increase the probability of achieving therapeutic yet non-toxic drug exposures, the researchers say.
The team did not provide a guideline based on total body weight for the quinolones, the drug class that includes the fluoroquinolones. However, the team's recommendations stressed special consideration for administering fluoroquinolones.
Higher or more frequent dosing resulting in higher systemic exposure should be considered for patients with obesity and severe deep-seated infections to reach adequate tissue concentration," the team asserted.

Data were sparse for other antibiotic classes and will require additional study, according to findings from the research.
When making decisions on dosing in obesity, the severity of illness, site of infection, susceptibility of the pathogen, and potential toxicity of the antibiotics should be considered, they concluded.

Anne-Grete Märtson et al, The pharmacokinetics of antibiotics in patients with obesity: a systematic review and consensus guidelines for dose adjustments, The Lancet Infectious Diseases (2025). DOI: 10.1016/S1473-3099(25)00155-0

Part 2

Humans are seasonal creatures, according to our circadian rhythms

It's natural to think that, with our fancy electric lights and indoor bedrooms, humanity has evolved beyond the natural influence of sunlight when it comes to our sleep routines.

But new research  shows that our circadian rhythms are still wild at heart, tracking the seasonal changes in daylight. Humans really are seasonal, even though we might not want to admit that in our modern context. 

Day length, the amount of sunlight we get,  really influences our physiology. The study shows that our biologically hardwired seasonal timing affects how we adjust to changes in our daily schedules.

This finding could enable new ways to probe and understand seasonal affective disorder, a type of depression that's connected to seasonal changes. It could also open new areas of inquiry in a range of other health issues that are connected to the alignment of our sleep schedules and circadian clocks.

Researchers have previously shown that our moods are strongly affected by how well our sleep schedules align with our circadian rhythms. 

This work may have deeper implications for mental health issues, like mood and anxiety, but also metabolic and cardiovascular conditions as well.

The research also showed there is a genetic component of this seasonality in humans, which could help explain the vast differences in how strongly individuals are affected by changes in day length.

For some people they might be able to adapt better, but for other people it could be a whole lot worse.

Exploring this genetic component will help researchers and doctors understand where individuals fall on that spectrum, but getting to that point will take more time and effort. For now, this study is an early but important step that reframes how we conceive of human circadian rhythms.

A lot of people tend to think of their circadian rhythms as a single clock. What  the researchers are showing is that there's not really one clock, but there are two. One is trying to track dawn and the other is trying to track dusk, and they're talking to each other.

The fact that circadian rhythms  in people exhibited a seasonal dependence is a compelling argument for just how hardwired this feature is in humans, which isn't altogether surprising, the researchers say.

Seasonal timing and interindividual differences in shiftwork adaptation, npj Digital Medicine (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41746-025-01678-z

Filtered car emissions still turn toxic after sunlight exposure, study reveals

A new international study reveals that emissions from modern gasoline cars—despite meeting the currently strictest European emission standards EURO 6d—can become significantly more harmful after being released into the atmosphere. The findings, published in Science Advances, challenge the assumption that filtered exhaust from EURO 6d-compliant vehicles is inherently safe.

The research focused on a gasoline vehicle equipped with a gasoline particulate filter (GPF), designed to drastically reduce primary particulate emissions. Freshly emitted exhaust showed no detectable cytotoxic effects on human lung cells. However, once the exhaust underwent "photochemical aging"—a natural transformation process driven by sunlight and atmospheric oxidants—it became substantially more toxic.

The aged emissions caused notable DNA damage and oxidative stress in both cancerous alveolar and normal bronchial epithelial cells. This toxicity was not only associated with newly formed particles, known as secondary organic and inorganic aerosols (SOA and SIA), but also with oxygenated volatile compounds, such as carbonyls, generated during their residence in the atmosphere.

 These findings point to a critical shortfall in current vehicle emissions testing and regulation.

While EURO 6d standards ensure low emissions at the tailpipe, they do not account for the chemical transformations those emissions undergo once released into the environment.

This new study shows that we are missing a big part of the picture by not considering how exhaust gases change—and become more harmful—after they leave the car.

The results have important implications for how air quality standards are set and monitored. Current regulations focus primarily on the emissions measured directly after combustion, without factoring in how these emissions interact with sunlight and atmospheric chemicals to form new, more harmful pollutants.

Mathilde N. Delaval et al, The efficiency of EURO 6d car particulate filters is compromised by atmospheric aging: In vitro toxicity of gasoline car exhaust, Science Advances (2025). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adq2348

Science behind the surge in northern lights

If you feel like you've seen more of the northern lights painting the night sky lately, you'd be right. 

We're currently in a period of solar maximum, which is good news for aurora borealis enthusiasts. If you want to watch beautiful shows of the dancing northern lights, solar max is an ideal time to do that, say the experts.

The sun operates on a roughly 11-year cycle of magnetic activity. 

As the sun's magnetic field flips its north and south poles over this time, it switches between periods of lower magnetic activity (solar minimum) and periods of higher magnetic activity (solar maximum).

Surrounding the north and south magnetic poles of Earth are regions referred to as the "auroral ovals"—areas where aurora displays typically happen. During periods of solar max, these zones tend to expand a bit closer towards the equator, moving into areas where more people live.

There's more energy available, so they're more powerful, but they also move so they're at locations where they're more visible. 

Before any colors appear in the night skies over Earth, things need to turn explosive—literally—on the sun. The sun's surface is permeated by bundles of strong magnetic fields which poke out into the solar atmosphere. The ends of such magnetic loops represent cooler regions of the solar surface called sunspots. 

Loops can be stable for days and then suddenly they'll explode and launch a whole mass of charged particles into space—that's called a coronal mass ejection. It's basically a rapid release of the energy in these magnetic loops, but in the form of charged particles, which get a lot of kinetic energy and exceed the escape velocity of the sun's gravity field, blasting outwards into the solar system. 

Part 1

Earth's magnetic field typically deflects the majority of these blasts of charged particles, but during periods of intense activity, some manage to get through. Merging of the magnetic fields in the solar wind, arriving from the sun as a result of the expansion of its atmosphere into space, with the magnetic fields of Earth inject energy into near-Earth space and power space weather and the dancing northern (and southern) lights.

In order to generate the aurora, accelerated particles, mostly electrons, rain down towards Earth and then collide with atoms and molecules in the upper atmosphere, between 100 and 250 kilometers above Earth's surface. In the period after these collisions, when the particles drop back down into a lower-energy state, "they spit out a photon of light."
You have these energy conversion processes occurring at the solar surface, but then you also have something similar occurring in Earth's magnetic field. That's ultimately the origin of the energy for accelerating the charged particles that rain into Earth's atmosphere and cause this sort of glowing effect.
The palette of brilliant colors we see from the ground is a result of different gases involved in the collisions. Green, by far the most common hue, comes from particles colliding with oxygen atoms. Higher-energy collisions involving oxygen can have a red hue, and nitrogen is the gas responsible for blue and purple-tinted displays.
Part 2

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Intestinal bacteria influence aging of blood vessels

The aging of the innermost cell layer of blood vessels leads to cardiovascular diseases. Researchers at UZH have now shown for the first time that intestinal bacteria and their metabolites contribute directly to vascular aging.

As people age, the bacterial composition in their gut changes, resulting in fewer "rejuvenating" and more harmful substances in the body.

Cardiovascular diseases are the most common cause of death worldwide. Even if known traditional risk factors such as diabetes or high blood pressure are treated, the disease worsens in half of all cases, especially in older patients.

In a study published in Nature Aging, researchers at UZH have now shown for the first time that intestinal bacteria and their metabolites can accelerate the aging of blood vessels and trigger cardiovascular disease.

The human body consists of around 30 to 100 trillion bacteria that reside in our organs. Ninety percent of these bacteria live in the intestine, processing the food we eat into metabolic products, which in turn affect our bodies.

Half of these substances have not yet been recognized. 

Using data from more than 7,000 healthy individuals aged between 18 and 95 as well as a mouse model of chronological aging, the researchers found that the breakdown product of the amino acid phenylalanine—phenylacetic acid—accumulates with age.

In several series of experiments, researchers were able to prove that phenylacetic acid leads to senescence of endothelial cells, in which the cells that line the inside of blood vessels do not proliferate, secrete inflammatory molecules, and exhibit an aging phenotype. As a result, the vessels stiffen up and their function is impaired.

By conducting a comprehensive bioinformatic analysis of the microbiome of mice and humans, the researchers were able to identify the bacterium Clostridium sp.ASF356, which can process phenylalanine into phenylacetic acid.

When the researchers colonized young mice with this bacterium, they subsequently showed increased phenylacetic acid levels and signs of vascular aging. However, when the bacteria were eliminated with antibiotics, the concentration of phenylacetic acid in the body decreased.

However, the microbiome in the gut also produces substances that are beneficial to vascular health. Short-chain fatty acids such as acetate, which are produced by fermentation of dietary fibers and polysaccharides in the intestine, act as natural rejuvenating agents.

The research group used in-vitro experiments to show that adding sodium acetate can restore the function of aged vascular endothelial cells. When analyzing intestinal bacteria, they found that the number of bacteria that produce such rejuvenating agents decreases with age.

"The aging process of the cardiovascular system can therefore be regulated via the microbiome", say the researchers.

The researchers are also working on ways to reduce phenylacetic acid in the body through medication.

Seyed Soheil Saeedi Saravi et al, Gut microbiota-dependent increase in phenylacetic acid induces endothelial cell senescence during aging, Nature Aging (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s43587-025-00864-8

Neural circuit mechanism may explain why people have different fear levels

In a study published in Neuron, a research team revealed the neural circuit underlying individual differences in visual escape habituation.

Emotional responses, such as fear behaviors, are evolutionarily conserved mechanisms that enable organisms to detect and avoid danger, ensuring survival. Since Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" (1859) proposed that individual differences drive natural selection, understanding behavioral adaptation has become essential for unraveling biodiversity and survival strategies.

Repeated exposure to predators can elicit divergent coping strategies—habituation or sensitization—that are dependent on sensory inputs, internal physiological states, and prior experiences. However, the neural circuits underlying individual variability in the regulation of internal states and habituation to repeated threats remain poorly understood.

To address this question, researchers employed advanced techniques such as in vivo multichannel recording, fiber photometry, pupillometry and optogenetic manipulation to investigate how individual differences in arousal and internal states influence visual escape habituation.

Researchers found that distinct subcortical pathways from the superior colliculus to the amygdala and insula cortical pathways that govern two visual escape behaviors in two groups of mice. They identified two distinct defensive behaviors—sustained rapid escape (T1) and rapid habituation (T2).

T1 involves the superior colliculus (SC)/insular cortex-ventral tegmental area (VTA)-basolateral amygdala (BLA) pathway, whereas T2 relies on the SC/insula-dorsomedial thalamus (MD)-BLA circuit. The MD integrates inputs from the SC and insula to regulate arousal and fear responses, while beta oscillations in BLA modulate fear states.
Dysregulation of innate fear circuits is closely linked to many mental health conditions, including phobias, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Elucidating the neural circuitry underlying innate fear not only enhances our understanding of emotional disorders but also provides promising therapeutic targets for clinical interventions.

By elucidating the neural basis of individual differences in fear plasticity, this study highlights the central role of brain states in stress adaptation.

Xuemei Liu et al, Neural circuit underlying individual differences in visual escape habituation, Neuron (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2025.04.018

Part 2

Artificial cell-like structures mimic self-reproduction and release polymeric spores

Life on Earth possesses an exceptional ability to self-reproduce, which, even on a simple cellular level, is driven by complex biochemistry. But can self-reproduction exist in a biochemistry-free environment?

A study by researchers  demonstrated that the answer is yes.

The researchers designed a non-biochemical system in which synthetic cell-like structures form and self-reproduce by ejecting polymeric spores.

The PNAS paper reports a one-pot reaction in which chemically active polymer protocells began their journey as a uniform mixture of molecules that usually do not self-assemble. However, when placed under green light (530 nm), they formed vesicle-like structures that grew and divided as the reaction proceeded.

Living organisms produce offspring from their own cellular material, giving rise to new, independent life forms which interact with their environment to obtain food, energy, and information needed for survival. If all goes well, the internal chemical networks of these new systems also enable them to self-reproduce, leading to future generations. As Rudolf Virchow, father of cellular pathology, stated in 1858, "every cell comes from a pre-existing cell."

In biochemistry-based life, even single-celled organisms like bacteria depend on a chain of well-coordinated complex chemical processes to run the life-sustaining processes and reproduction.

It is known that biochemistry is sufficient for driving self-reproduction, but is it essential? Or can we build artificial, compartmentalized chemical systems in the lab that can self-assemble and reproduce on their own?

Part 1

Previous studies have shown reproduction-like behaviors such as polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) in micelles and vesicles. However, these processes were neither biochemistry-free nor did they demonstrate true autonomous self-reproduction.

To explore the unknown, the team designed a one-pot PISA batch reactor consisting of strictly non-biochemical molecules with an aim to synthesize amphiphiles that can self-organize, self-assemble, and self-initiate into chemically active entities.

The reaction vial included an aqueous solution of a hydrophilic polymer with a hydrophobic chain transfer agent molecule (CTA) attached to its end, along with the monomer to be polymerized and a photocatalyst in a nitrogen-filled inert environment. This mixture was then allowed to sit under green LED light for 90 minutes at 33°C.

They observed that the mixture of chemicals undergoes photo-Reversible Addition-Fragmentation Chain Transfer (RAFT) photopolymerization in water to transform the starting molecules into amphiphilic block copolymers. These block copolymers then gave rise to non-biochemical polymer vesicles or synthetic cells that displayed self-reproduction behavior via PISA.

The vesicles not only formed and sustained themselves but also released polymeric "spores" that seeded a nonlinear, exponential increase in vesicle numbers, with each new generation inheriting certain properties from their "parent" vesicles.

The behavior shown in this study mimics self-reproduction—a key feature of living systems—arising from simple chemistry without the need for complex biochemical processes.

The researchers note that the findings not only offer insights into how life might have begun but also open new possibilities for creating a wide range of abiotic, life-like systems.

Sai Krishna Katla et al, Self-reproduction as an autonomous process of growth and reorganization in fully abiotic, artificial and synthetic cells, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2412514122

Part 2

Researchers say emulsifiers may cause a variety of health problems

The difference between commerce and science: Commerce wants to sell its products by showing you eye and attention catching ads and videos, while  science tries to see what lies behind the masks and makes people alert. 

Which one do you listen to and which one do you follow?

Ice cream that resists melting. Great, you would think and buy  the thing that  can make this possible.

'But, wait', says science. Why?

This is the actual scene playing out before you:

 In a video explaining the science behind it, a seller of food chemicals shows scoops of ice cream holding their shape under hot lights. The super ingredient? Polysorbate 80.

Polysorbate 80 is an emulsifier, a chemical used to control the consistency of thousands of supermarket products. Other widely used emulsifiers or stabilizers include carboxymethyl cellulose, carrageenan, and maltodextrin.

Emulsifiers and thickening agents play an important role in improving food texture and consistency.

Recently, such ingredients have been showing up in scientific studies for another reason: Researchers say they may cause a variety of health problems.

Studies have found that emulsifiers can alter the mix of bacteria in the gut, known as the microbiome or microbiota; damage the lining of the gastrointestinal tract; and trigger inflammation, potentially contributing to problems elsewhere in the body.

Emulsifiers and stabilizers are among the most common ingredients in ultraprocessed foods. But could you ban them?

This is the complexity of the war on food additives. 

The researchers show how, when it comes to food science, regulators are chronically playing catch-up. In the meantime, for many ingredients, regulators and consumers alike are left in a gray zone between suspicion and proof of harm in humans.

Emulsifiers' assault on the microbiome could help explain inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, metabolic disorders, and even cancer, the studies suggest.

"There is a lot of data showing that those compounds are really detrimental to the microbiota and that we should stop using them," say the several studies on them.

But solid proof?!

Yet much larger and more ambitious clinical trials in humans are needed to get it.

Wait, we  some evidence from doctors and patients. 

For people who  suffered from gastrointestinal illness, the research fits their own experience as a consumer. Changing their diet to avoid emulsifiers has made a shocking difference, easing symptoms that were debilitating. 

Clinically, many patients have reported an improvement in symptoms with such changes, say the gastroenterologists.

Part 1

The scientific findings come with caveats. For instance, much of the research has been done in mice, or by mimicking the human gut in a tube. There are many unknowns. Not all emulsifiers have bad effects, or the same effects, and some people are thought to be much more vulnerable than others.

Even some researchers who have co-authored papers say that it's too soon to say regulators should ban them.

Still, the research poses a challenge.

 When emulsifiers began spreading through the food supply, controllers weren't focusing on the gut microbiome, a relatively recent scientific frontier, researchers say. The scenario changed now as science progressed. We cannot use old excuses.

There's a body of research now that suggests concern with some of these ingredients. These chemicals are creating an inflammatory response in the gastrointestinal tract, and with an altered microbiome lining that GI tract, kids feel sick, report the medical doctors.

Same is true for petroleum-based food dyes too. 

As far back as 2020, an international organization for the study of inflammatory bowel diseases advised that, for people with those conditions, it "may be prudent to limit intake" of maltodextrin, carrageenan, carboxymethyl cellulose, and polysorbate 80.

Emulsifiers are developed from a variety of sources, including plants and bacteria.

Some ingredients that might affect the microbiome show up in foods because they were deemed "generally recognized as safe.

But new information does at any time require reconsideration. Doesn't it?

Earlier these  substances "fell within the standards" when they were greenlighted.

These chemicals were "never considered before for the potential effect on the microbiota".

Part 2

For a consumer, trying to steer clear of emulsifiers can be difficult. Without realizing it, people can consume a variety of emulsifiers from a variety of foods—and the same chemicals from multiple sources.

Polysorbate 80 alone was listed as an ingredient on the labels of 2,311 products!
Carrageenan was listed on 8,100 product labels; maltodextrin, 12,769; and xanthan gum, 17,153.
Some emulsifiers have multiple names, making them harder to recognize. Some names can apply to more than one emulsifier. Controllers find it difficult to identify them.
Carboxymethyl cellulose—not to be confused with methyl cellulose—is also known as carboxymethylcellulose and cellulose gum. Maltodextrin can be derived from substances such as cornstarch, rice starch, and wheat starch—but the FDA doesn't consider it synonymous with the term "modified food starch."

The naming practices can frustrate efforts to track the chemicals in food, to measure how much of the stuff people are taking in, and even to figure out precisely which chemicals a scientific study evaluated, researchers say.
And there is a hell lot of confusion everywhere!
The very term "emulsifier" is problematic. By strict definition, emulsifiers create an emulsion—a stable blend of liquids that would not otherwise mix, such as oil and water. However, the term is used broadly, encompassing chemicals such as maltodextrin that thicken, stabilize, or alter texture.

Emulsifiers can be found in foods marketed as natural or healthy as well as ones that look artificial. Some products contain multiple emulsifiers.

Research on emulsifiers has been building in recent years.

For instance, a study published in January this year by the Journal of Crohn's and Colitis concluded that a diet low in emulsifiers is an effective treatment for mild or moderate Crohn's disease. 

A study published in February 2024 in the journal PLOS Medicine found that higher intakes of carrageenan and mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids were associated with higher risks of cancer. The study observed 92,000 French adults for an average of 6.7 years.

A study published in September 2023 in The BMJ, formerly known as the British Medical Journal, found that intake of several types of emulsifiers was associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease. The study observed more than 95,000 French adults for a median of 7.4 years.

A series of earlier studies found that emulsifiers "can promote chronic intestinal inflammation in mice"; that two in particular, carboxymethyl cellulose and polysorbate 80, "profoundly impact intestinal microbiota in a manner that promotes gut inflammation and associated disease states"; and that, based on a laboratory study of human samples, "numerous, but not all, commonly used emulsifiers can directly alter gut microbiota in a manner expected to promote intestinal inflammation," as recounted in a 2021 paper in the journal Microbiome.

Part 3

But when conflicts of interest take hold, even researchers cook up research results.

Will the companies that make these products stop using these 'chemicals'?

we are in the twilight zone now, neither here, not there. After knowing this, we have to take our own decisions now.

I am making my own ice creams now, without using any harmful chemicals.  I am making my own other things too. They might not be like the ones we buy outside. But  they are good for my health.  That is enough for me.

What about you? 

Sources: Microbiome, British medical journal, PLoS Medicine and medical express with inputs from Sci-Art Lab.

Part 4

Harmful effects of gas cookers on health and the environment reviewed in report

Researchers put the magnitude of the problem into perspective by providing figures on the number of children with asthma and premature deaths associated with the use of gas cookers, and highlighted the need for measures and policies to reduce emissions from these appliances.

Environmental pollution is combined with fumes from gas cookers during normal use, and are believed to be the cause of  thousands of premature deaths.

They recommend electric cooking and induction cookers. 

 Assessment of the health impacts and costs associated with indoor nitrogen dioxide exposure related to gas cooking in the European Union and the United Kingdom, repositori.uji.es/items/156fbd … a4-9856-9415513d505f

The sleep switch: How one brain signal turns sleep on and off

Researchers showed that a single brain signal acts like a biological switch—both triggering sleep and ending it.

Their findings, published in the journal Current Biology, were made possible by studying a tiny roundworm, C. elegans, a powerful model organism in biology.

We know that falling asleep and waking up is controlled by a special set of brain cells, called sleep neurons. However, we don't know how exactly they control the downstream molecular pathways to make us fall asleep and wake up again until now.

Researchers turned to C. elegans to answer these questions. In contrast to humans, who have thousands of sleep neurons that control sleep, C. elegans needs just one neuron to do this job. This simplicity makes it a perfect model organism to study the principal molecular pathways controlling sleep.

This research sheds light on one of the fundamental questions in biology: how organisms regulate sleep and wakefulness. By understanding the fundamental molecular machinery behind sleep, researchers can better understand sleep disorders such as narcolepsy and insomnia that have a major impact on quality of life. The findings also add to the growing body of evidence that even simple model organisms can reveal fundamental mechanisms that govern life.

The team focused on a chemical messenger called FLP-11. When a sleep neuron activates, it releases FLP-11. Such chemical messengers work like molecular "notes" that are passed between brain cells to deliver different commands.

Through genetic screening, the researchers identified a key receptor, called DMSR-1, that FLP-11 binds to deliver its message. If this receptor was missing from the brain, researchers observed that the worms slept significantly less. DMSR-1 turned out to be present in different types of neurons. Depending on which neuron received the message, the results were dramatically different.

They discovered that FLP-11 activates DMSR-1 receptors in two completely different types of neurons.  They found the receptor present in neurons that promote wakefulness. When activated by FLP-11, the receptor turns off the wakefulness neurons. This, in turn, helps the worm fall asleep. On the other hand, the receptor is also present in the sleep neuron itself. Here, it also turns it off, which ultimately wakes the animal back up.

In other words, the same chemical that puts the worm to sleep also helps wake it up again, simply by targeting different cells in the brain. It is an efficient mechanism that controls the start of sleep while also keeping its duration in check.

Unlike humans, C. elegans have much shorter sleep phases that last only around 20 minutes. However, sleep is such a fundamental biological process that many molecules and mechanisms involved in sleep are shared across species. We don't yet know if the same sleep switch exists in humans, but it provides a promising clue in the search for mechanisms that control sleep in our species

Lorenzo Rossi et al, The neuropeptide FLP-11 induces and self-inhibits sleep through the receptor DMSR-1 in Caenorhabditis elegans, Current Biology (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.03.039

Blood test detects multiple cancer types through cell-free DNA

Researchers  have validated a blood test that can detect a broad range of cancers with high accuracy using cell-free DNA. A multi-cancer early detection (MCED) test identified cancer with 87.4% sensitivity and 97.8% specificity in an independent validation cohort, and it correctly predicted the tissue of origin around 83% of the time.

Early detection remains a critical challenge in cancer care. Current screening tools contribute to late diagnoses and poor outcomes, especially in cancers lacking established screening protocols.

Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) circulating in the bloodstream, shed by tumors, has emerged as a promising target for noninvasive detection. Sensitivity for early-stage and less common cancers has remained low, yet the non-invasive nature of the tests makes them a compelling area for improvement.

In the study, "Early detection of multiple cancer types using multidimensional cell-free DNA fragmentomics," published in Nature Medicine, researchers designed a whole-genome sequencing–based blood test to detect cancer signals and predict the tissue of origin using machine learning models trained on cfDNA fragmentation patterns.

Researchers analyzed plasma-derived cell-free DNA using low-coverage whole-genome sequencing.

Nearly half of the cancers detected by the test were not identified through standard screening or physical examination. High sensitivity for cancers typically identified late in the disease course such as liver, ovarian, and pancreatic are extremely compelling and prediction of tissue origin adds further clinical relevance for early treatment.

Hua Bao et al, Early detection of multiple cancer types using multidimensional cell-free DNA fragmentomics, Nature Medicine (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41591-025-03735-2

Forests aren't coming back after gold mining in the Amazon

Forests in the Peruvian Amazon aren't growing back after gold mining—not just because the soil is damaged by toxic metals, but because the land has been depleted of its water. A common mining method known as suction mining reshapes the terrain in ways that drain moisture and trap heat, creating harsh conditions where even replanted seedlings can't survive.

The findings, published in Communications Earth & Environment, revealed why reforestation efforts in the region have struggled. The mining process dries out the land, making it inhospitable for new trees. It's like trying to grow a tree in an oven!

To compare conditions, researchers installed sensors in various locations—sandy and clay soils, pond edges and undisturbed forests—and found that deforested sites were consistently hotter and drier. On exposed sand piles, surface temperatures reached as high as 145 F (60°C).

Drone-mounted thermal cameras showed how barren ground baked under the sun while nearby forested areas and pond edges stayed significantly cooler.

Abra Atwood et al, Landscape controls on water availability limit revegetation after artisanal gold mining in the Peruvian Amazon, Communications Earth & Environment (2025). Data on HydroShare Resources: DOI: 10.4211/hs.05a0490e971f491fa64c62cbde499a6a

The chemistry of interstellar space

Many people imagine the space between the stars as an empty, cold infinity. In reality, it is teeming with extraordinary molecules: More than 300 different types have already been discovered.

The conditions in space are completely different from those here on Earth. It is very cold, around -240°C, and the pressure is very low. There are far fewer collisions between molecules than on Earth: here, there are a billion collisions per second, while in space there is one every 10 days.

This means that certain molecules that occur in space cannot survive here on Earth. There are too many other molecules here that they would collide with immediately, causing them to ignite in the air or form new molecules. But how do you study those molecules?

At the HFML-FELIX laser and magnet lab, they have an enormous refrigerator that can cool down to -270°C and in which you can reduce the pressure. This creates conditions similar to those in space.  Then they would send a powerful infrared laser through the molecule to see how it would react.

Some researchers did this with the charged molecules C₂H⁺ and HC₂H⁺, which are thought to occur in space. We don't have these molecules on Earth because they react immediately with other molecules here. But we do have laser gas, which is used for welding. That's C₂H₂ and is very similar to HC₂H⁺ and C₂H⁺.

Welding gas is highly flammable and reacts immediately with air during welding. But if you take that welding gas, put it in a machine and fire a lot of electrons at it, it breaks down and you can extract HC₂H⁺ and C₂H^+.

By then firing an infrared laser at these charged molecules, researchers were able to obtain a kind of "fingerprint" of these molecules. To do this, they had to set up entirely new experimental methods and develop advanced theoretical models to understand the data. Once you have such a fingerprint and understand it, you can see if we can find it in the data collected by telescopes.

The method used by them has already helped find another of these exotic ions: CH₃⁺, which is methane (CH₄) with one less H. This molecule was observed in the Orion Nebula with the James Webb Space Telescope, in an area where stars are born. But we expect this molecule, and the others they investigated  to occur in many more places in space.

If we know exactly what the chemistry of space looks like, we can deduce how stars and planets are formed and how far a nebula is in its life cycle. Ultimately, it could also tell us something about how life on Earth originated and whether life can arise on other planets.

Source: Radboud University

**

Protein that helps green bush crickets mimic green foliage

A green bush cricket (Tettigonia cantans) can easily be mistaken for a plant appendage from a distance. Its leafy green hue allows it to blend seamlessly into its surroundings, camouflaging itself in meadows, marshes, and fields, the habitats it calls home. What makes the bush cricket green? 

A recent study discovered that the secret to this camouflaging superpower comes from a water-soluble protein called dibilinoxanthinin (DBXN), which binds two distinct pigments—a blue bilin and a yellow lutein—to mimic the color of green foliage closely.

With the help of the genetic sequence of protein and cloning, the researchers found that the protein was a highly fragmented form of vitellogenin, a protein family essential for embryonic development.

Researchers note that DBXN-like proteins were found in other green insects and even in a green spider, hinting at the convergent evolution of this camouflage mechanism.

Nikita A. Egorkin et al, A green dichromophoric protein enabling foliage mimicry in arthropods, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2502567122

Scientists find new markers to identify species from fragments of fossilized bone

What happened to all the megafauna? From moas to mammoths, many large animals went extinct between 50 and 10,000 years ago. Learning why could provide crucial evidence about prehistoric ecosystems and help us understand future potential extinctions. But surviving fossils are often too fragmented to determine the original species, and DNA is not always recoverable, especially in hot or damp environments.

Now scientists have isolated collagen peptide markers which allow them to identify three key megafauna that were once present across Australia: a hippo-sized wombat, a giant kangaroo, and a marsupial with enormous claws.

Analyzing the peptides—short chains of amino acids—found in samples of collagen allows scientists to distinguish between different genera of animals, and sometimes between different species. Because collagen preserves better than DNA, this method can be applied successfully in tropical and sub-tropical environments where DNA is unlikely to survive.

Proteins generally preserve better over longer timescales and in harsh environments than DNA does. This means that in the context of megafauna extinctions, proteins may still be preserved where DNA is not.

The scientists ruled out any contaminants and compared the peptide markers they found to reference markers. The collagen in all three samples was well-preserved enough for the team to identify suitable peptide markers for all three species.

Using these markers, the team were able to differentiate Protemnodon from five living genera and one extinct genus of kangaroos. They were also able to distinguish Zygomaturus and Palorchestes from other living and extinct large marsupials, but they couldn't differentiate the two species from each other.

This is not unusual with ZooMS, since changes in collagen accumulate extremely slowly, over millions of years of evolution. Unless further research allows for more specificity, these markers are best used to identify bones at the genus level rather than the species.

However, the ability to tell apart genera from more temperate regions of Sahul does present an opportunity to try to identify bones found in more tropical areas, where closely related species—which are likely to have similar or even the same peptide markers—would have lived. DNA rarely preserves over time in these regions.

By using the newly developed collagen peptide markers, we can begin identifying a larger number of megafauna remains.

 Carli Peters et al, Collagen peptide markers for three extinct Australian megafauna species, Frontiers in Mammal Science (2025). DOI: 10.3389/fmamm.2025.1564287

DNA floating in the air can track wildlife, viruses—even drugs

The level of information that's available in environmental DNA is such that we're only starting to consider what the potential applications can be, from humans, to wildlife to other species that have implications for human health.

Researchers have developed new methods for deciphering environmental DNA, also known as eDNA, to study sea turtle genetics. They've expanded the tools to study every species—including humans—from DNA captured in environmental samples like water, soil and sand.

But these errant strands of DNA do not just settle into muddy soil or flow along rivers. The air itself is infused with genetic material. A simple air filter running for hours, days or weeks can pick up signs of nearly every species that grows or wanders nearby.

That means you can study species without directly having to disturb them, without ever having to see them. It opens up huge possibilities to study all the species in an area simultaneously, from microbes and viruses all the way up to vertebrates like bobcats and humans, and everything in between.

As a proof of concept, the researchers showed that they could pick up signs of hundreds of different human pathogens from the  air, including viruses and bacteria. Such surveillance could help scientists track emerging diseases. The same method can track common allergens, like peanut or pollen, more precisely than is currently possible, the scientists discovered.

With little more than an air filter, scientists could track endangered species and identify where they came from, all without having to lay eyes on skittish animals or root around forest floors for scat samples. When trying to save and conserve wildlife, knowing where an animal originates from can be as important as knowing where it currently is.

This powerful analysis was paired with impressive speed and efficiency. The team demonstrated that a single researcher could process DNA for every species in as little as a day using compact, affordable equipment, and software hosted in the cloud. That quick turnaround is orders of magnitude faster than would have been possible just a few years ago and opens up advanced environmental studies to more scientists around the world.

Shotgun sequencing of airborne eDNA achieves rapid assessment of whole biomes, population genetics and genomic variation, Nature Ecology & Evolution (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41559-025-02711-w

Physicists create 'the world's smallest violin' using nanotechnology

Physicists have used cutting-edge nanotechnology to create what they believe may be "the world's smallest violin," which is small enough to fit within the width of a human hair.

Common bone medications linked to serious jaw disease

Certain medications used in the treatment of bone conditions, particularly when combined with corticosteroids, may significantly increase the risk of a rare but serious jaw disease.

This finding comes from a study which analyzed data from Finnish adult patients who began bone medication between 2013 and 2015. The researchers recommend more careful monitoring and consideration in the use of such medications.

The condition in question is so-called osteonecrosis of the jaw, in which the jawbone weakens and deteriorates as a result of the medication. The incidence of osteonecrosis was 0.3% among low-dose antiresorptive drug (AR) users and as high as 9% among those receiving high doses. Antiresorptive drugs are commonly used in Finland, particularly in the treatment of osteoporosis and in the prevention of bone metastases in patients with breast or prostate cancer. The most commonly used AR drugs are denosumab and bisphosphonates.

According to the study published in Scientific Reports, the risk of jaw osteonecrosis was significantly higher in patients using denosumab. These users were up to five times more likely to suffer serious jaw damage than those taking bisphosphonates.

When corticosteroids were also involved, the risk increased further: simultaneous use of corticosteroids in addition to AR drug increased the risk of developing osteonecrosis of the jaw by 2 times in high-dose AR recipients and 6 times in low-dose AR recipients. Other significant risk factors for jaw osteonecrosis included male sex and a cancer diagnosis.

This is the first population-level study conducted in Finland on the incidence and risk factors of medication-related jaw osteonecrosis. The analysis covered data from nearly 60,000 Finnish patients.

Miika Kujanpää et al, Incidence of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw and associated antiresorptive drugs in adult Finnish population, Scientific Reports (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-02225-2

Most people obey arbitrary rules even when it's not in their interest to do so, experiments show

Contrary to the popular saying, rules aren't meant to be broken, as they are foundational to society and exist to uphold safety, fairness and order in the face of chaos. The collective benefits of rule-following are well established, but individual incentives are often unclear. Yet, people still comply, and the reasons why are pieces of a puzzle that researchers of human behavior have been trying to piece together for years.

A recent study published in Nature Human Behavior explored the behavioral principles behind why people follow rules using a newly designed framework called CRISP. A series of four online experiments based on the framework involving 14,034 English-speaking participants, revealed that the majority (55%–70%) of participants chose to follow arbitrary rules—even when the compliance was costly, they were anonymous and violations had no adverse effects on others.

This proposed CRISP system explains rule conformity (C) as a function of four components: R—intrinsic respect for rules, independent of others' behavior; I—extrinsic incentives, such as the threat of punishment for breaking rules; S—social expectations about whether others will follow the rule or believe one should; and P—social preferences, which matter when rule-following affects the well-being of others.

Rules, often described as the "grammar of society," are embedded in nearly every aspect of human social life—personal, professional, and political in written, said and unsaid forms.

Despite their ubiquity, the deeper reasons why individuals choose to follow the rules remain poorly understood. The threat of punishment or social ostracism can motivate compliance, but studies have shown that people often follow the rules even when there are no clear consequences or incentives for doing so.

Understanding these nuances of rule-following behavior can have important implications for policy, law enforcement, and organizational behavior.

This work was done in the UK and Germany. So the results are different

In India they don't follow any rules. ANY!

Arbitrary rules are those that are decided or made without any fixed principle, plan, or system, often appearing random or unfair. They are based on individual discretion, preference, or whims, rather than logic or established standards. In legal contexts, arbitrary decisions are often seen as unjust because they lack a rational basis and can disregard fair considerations. 

The heaviest proton emitter: New type of atomic nucleus discovered

The radioactive decay of atomic nuclei has been one of the keystones of nuclear physics since the beginning of nuclear research. Now the heaviest nucleus decaying via proton emission has been measured in the Accelerator Laboratory of the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. The research article was written as part of an international research collaboration involving experts in theoretical nuclear physics and published in Nature Communications on 29 May 2025.

Proton emission is a rare form of radioactive decay, in which the nucleus emits a proton to take a step toward stability. 

The new nucleus is so far the lightest known isotope of astatine, ¹⁸⁸At, consisting of 85 protons and 103 neutrons. Exotic nuclei of this kind are extremely challenging to study due to their short lifetimes and low production cross sections, so precise techniques are needed.

The nucleus was produced in a fusion-evaporation reaction by irradiating natural silver target with ⁸⁴Sr ion beam. The new isotope was identified using the detector setup of the RITU recoil separator.

 Henna Kokkonen et al, New proton emitter ¹⁸⁸At implies an interaction unprecedented in heavy nuclei, Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-60259-6

Astronomers uncover most energetic explosions in universe

Astronomers from the University of Hawaiʻi's Institute for Astronomy (IfA) have discovered the most energetic cosmic explosions yet discovered, naming the new class of events "extreme nuclear transients" (ENTs). These extraordinary phenomena occur when massive stars—at least three times heavier than our sun—are torn apart after wandering too close to a supermassive black hole. Their disruption releases vast amounts of energy visible across enormous distances.

The researchers observed stars getting ripped apart as tidal disruption events for over a decade, but these ENTs are different beasts, reaching brightnesses nearly ten times more than what they typically see.

Not only are ENTs far brighter than normal tidal disruption events, but they remain luminous for years, far surpassing the energy outputs of even the brightest known supernova explosions.

The immense luminosities and energies of these ENTs are truly unprecedented. The most energetic ENT studied, named Gaia18cdj, emitted an astonishing 25 times more energy than the most energetic supernovae known. While typical supernovae emit as much energy in just one year as the sun does in its 10 billion-year lifetime, ENTs radiate the energy of 100 suns over a single year.

Jason Hinkle, The Most Energetic Transients: Tidal Disruptions of High Mass Stars, Science Advances (2025). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adt0074. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adt0074

Life from oceans to savannas explained with one single rule

A simple rule that seems to govern how life is organized on Earth is described in a new study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution.

The research team that undertook this work thinks this rule helps explain why species are spread the way they are across the planet. The discovery will help to understand life on Earth—including how ecosystems respond to global environmental changes.

The rule is simple: in every region on Earth, most species cluster together in small "hotspot" areas, then gradually spread outward with fewer and fewer species able to survive farther away from these hotspots.

In every bioregion, there is always a core area where most species live. From that core, species expand into surrounding areas, but only a subset manages to persist. It seems these cores provide optimal conditions for species survival and diversification, acting as a source from which biodiversity radiates outward.

This pattern highlights the disproportionate ecological role these small areas play in sustaining the biodiversity of entire bioregions. Safeguarding these core zones is therefore essential, as they represent critical priorities for conservation strategies.

Researchers studied bioregions across the world, examining species from very different life forms: amphibians, birds, dragonflies, mammals, marine rays, reptiles, and trees.

Given the vast differences in life strategies—some species fly, others crawl, swim, or remain rooted—and the contrasting environmental and historical backgrounds of each bioregion, the researchers expected that species distribution would vary widely across bioregions. Surprisingly, they found the same pattern everywhere.

The pattern points to a general process known as environmental filtering. Environmental filtering has long been considered a key theoretical principle in ecology for explaining species distribution on Earth.

Until now, however, global empirical evidence has been scarce. This study provides broad confirmation across multiple branches of life and at a planetary scale.

It doesn't matter whether the limiting factor is heat, cold, drought, or salinity. The result is always the same: only species able to tolerate local conditions establish and persist, creating a predictable distribution of life on Earth.

The existence of a universal organizing mechanism has profound implications for our understanding of life on Earth. This pattern suggests that life on Earth may be, to some extent, predictable.

Such predictable patterns can help scientists trace how life has diversified through time and offer valuable insights into how ecosystems might react to global environmental changes.

A general rule on the organization of biodiversity in Earth's biogeographical regions, Nature Ecology & Evolution (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41559-025-02724-5

Why AI can't understand a flower the way humans do

Even with all its training and computer power, an artificial intelligence (AI) tool like ChatGPT can't represent the concept of a flower the way a human does, according to a new study.

That's because the large language models (LLMs) that power AI assistants are usually based on language alone, and sometimes with images.

A large language model can't smell a rose, touch the petals of a daisy or walk through a field of wildflowers. Without those sensory and motor experiences, it can't truly represent what a flower is in all its richness. The same is true of some other human concepts.

The findings have implications for how AI and humans relate to each other.

If AI construes the world in a fundamentally different way from humans, it could affect how it interacts with us.

Researcher found that overall, the LLMs did very well compared to humans in representing words that didn't have any connection to the senses and to motor actions. But when it came to words that have connections to things we see, taste or interact with using our body, that's where AI failed to capture human concepts.

"From the intense aroma of a flower, the vivid silky touch when we caress petals, to the profound joy evoked, human representation of 'flower' binds these diverse experiences and interactions into a coherent category," the researchers say in the paper they published on the topic.

The issue is that most LLMs are dependent on language, and "language by itself can't fully recover conceptual representation in all its richness".

Even though LLMs can approximate some human concepts, particularly when they don't involve senses or motor actions, this kind of learning is not efficient.

"They obtain what they know by consuming vast amounts of text—orders of magnitude larger than what a human is exposed to in their entire lifetimes—and still can't quite capture some concepts the way humans do.

"The human experience is far richer than words alone can hold."

 Large language models without grounding recover non-sensorimotor but not sensorimotor features of human concepts, Nature Human Behaviour (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41562-025-02203-8

Blood sugar response to various carbohydrates may point to metabolic health subtypes

A study  by researchers shows that differences in blood sugar responses to certain carbohydrates depend on details of an individual's metabolic health status.

The differences in blood sugar response patterns among individuals were associated with specific metabolic conditions such as insulin resistance or beta cell dysfunction, both of which can lead to diabetes. The study findings suggest that this variability in blood sugar response could lead to personalized prevention and treatment strategies for prediabetes and diabetes.

Right now, the Diabetes Associations' dietary guidelines do not work that well because they lump everyone together. This study suggests that not only are there subtypes within prediabetes, but also that your subtype could determine the foods you should and should not eat.

A paper explaining the research was published in Nature Medicine.

There is more than one pathway to diabetes, which is currently diagnosed based on elevated blood sugar levels, called hyperglycemia. Beta cells in the pancreas make the hormone insulin, which is then distributed to cells throughout the body to help convert glucose, or sugar, in the blood into energy.

Beta cell dysfunction occurs when the pancreas fails to make or to release enough insulin, and insulin resistance occurs when cells in the body do not respond fully to insulin. Both beta cell dysfunction and insulin resistance can contribute to the high blood sugar levels that define prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.

In the study, 55 participants without a history of type 2 diabetes underwent metabolic testing for insulin resistance and beta cell dysfunction in addition to multi-omics profiling, which included tests for triglyceride levels, metabolites in plasma of the blood, measures of liver function and gut microbiome data.

Just under half of the participants, 26 in total, had prediabetes.

Part 1

The study participants wore continuous glucose monitors and ate same-sized portions of different carbohydrates that were delivered to their homes. There were seven foods tested: jasmine rice; buttermilk bread; shredded potato; pasta; canned black beans; grapes; and a berry mix containing blackberries, strawberries and blueberries.

The participants consumed the food first thing in the morning, after fasting for 10 to 12 hours. Each participant ate each food type twice, and the research team tracked their blood sugar response during the three hours after their meal.

Many participants had a blood glucose spike after eating rice or grapes, regardless of their metabolic health status. The blood glucose responses to foods containing the highest amounts of resistant starch—potatoes and pasta—varied depending on the participants' metabolic dysfunction.

Starchy foods were not equal; there was a lot of individual variability in which foods produced the highest glucose spike.
The highest blood sugar spikes after eating pasta occurred in participants who had insulin resistance, and the highest spikes after eating potatoes occurred in participants who were either insulin resistant or had beta cell dysfunction.

The multi-omics profiling showed that the potato-spiking participants also had high levels of triglycerides, fatty acids and other metabolites commonly seen in people with insulin resistance.

Glucose spikes to beans were associated with histidine and keto metabolism, a state in which the body primarily uses fat for energy. Participants whose blood sugar spiked after eating bread were more likely to have hypertension, or high blood pressure.
The highest blood glucose spikes after eating potatoes occurred in the participants who were the most insulin resistant and had the lowest beta cell function. Everyone spiked to some extent after eating grapes. The comparison of the blood glucose responses to potatoes versus grapes was associated with having insulin resistance, suggesting that this ratio could serve as a real-world biomarker for insulin resistance in the future.

"Such a biomarker would be useful because insulin resistance is amenable to lifestyle and medication interventions that can reduce risk for diabetes in high- risk individuals. At present there is no easy way to diagnose it in the clinic.
Part 2

The researchers also examined whether eating a portion of fiber, protein or fat before carbohydrates reduced blood sugar spikes. The participants ate pea fiber powder, protein from boiled egg whites or fat in the form of crème fraîche 10 minutes before eating rice.

Eating fiber or protein before the rice lowered the glucose spike, and eating fat before the rice delayed the peak of the spike. But these changes in blood glucose response occurred only in the metabolically healthy participants who were insulin-sensitive or had normal beta cell function.

Though eating fat, protein or fiber before carbohydrates had minimal impact on the blood glucose response patterns in participants with insulin resistance or beta cell dysfunction.
Eating carbohydrates later in a meal is still a good idea even though it has not yet been sorted out whether it is best to eat protein, fat or fiber before carbohydrates. Eat your salad or hamburger before your French fries, the researchers recommend.

Individual variations in glycemic responses to carbohydrates and underlying metabolic physiology, Nature Medicine (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41591-025-03719-2

Part 3

Novel nanozyme prevents excess clotting

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have developed an artificial metal-based nanozyme that can potentially be used to clamp down on abnormal blood clotting caused by conditions like pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE).

The work is published in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition.

Under normal circumstances, when a blood vessel is injured, specialized blood cells called platelets get activated and cluster together around the vessel to form protective blood clots. This process, known as the blood clotting cascade (hemostasis), involves a complex series of protein interactions triggered by signals from physiological agonists (chemicals) such as collagen and thrombin.

However, when these signals go haywire in conditions like PTE or diseases like COVID-19, oxidative stress and levels of toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) increase, leading to over-activation of platelets. This triggers the formation of excess clots in the blood vessel, contributing to thrombosis, a major cause of morbidity and mortality.

To tackle this challenge, researchers  have developed nanomaterials that mimic the activity of natural antioxidant enzymes, which scavenge reactive oxidative molecules.

These "nanozymes" work by controlling ROS levels, thereby preventing the over-activation of platelets that leads to excess clot formation or thrombosis.

The team synthesized redox active nanomaterials of different sizes, shapes, and morphologies via a series of controlled chemical reactions starting from small building blocks. They then isolated platelets from human blood, activated them using physiological agonists, and tested how effectively the different nanozymes could prevent excess platelet aggregation.

The team found that spherical-shaped vanadium pentoxide (V₂O₅) nanozymes were the most efficient—these materials mimic a natural antioxidant enzyme called glutathione peroxidase to reduce oxidative stress.

It was challenging to get the pure form of the nano enzyme with only the +5 oxidation state of vanadium oxide. This was important because the +4 oxidation state is toxic to the cells.

The unique chemistry of the vanadium metal is crucial because the redox reactions that reduce ROS levels are happening on the surface of the vanadium nanomaterial.

The team injected the nanozyme in a mouse model of PTE and found that it significantly reduced thrombosis and increased the animals' survival rates. They also observed the weight, behavior, and blood parameters of the animal for up to five days after injecting the nanozyme, and did not find any toxic effects.

Anti-platelet drugs that target thrombosis sometimes have side effects such as increased bleeding.

Unlike conventional anti-platelet drugs that interfere with physiological hemostasis, the nanozymes modulate the redox signaling and do not interfere with normal blood clotting. This means that they won't cause bleeding complications that are a major concern with current therapies.

Part 1

The team now plans to explore the efficacy of the nanozyme in preventing ischemic stroke, which is also caused by clogging of blood vessels.

Their experiments with human platelets worked well too.

G. R. Sherin et al, Vanadia Nanozymes Inhibit Platelet Aggregation, Modulate Signaling Pathways and Prevent Pulmonary Embolism in Mice, Angewandte Chemie International Edition (2025). DOI: 10.1002/anie.202503737

Part 2

Nanoparticle smart spray helps crops block infection before it starts

As climate change fuels the spread of plant diseases worldwide, a new nanoparticle smart spray could help crops defend themselves by blocking harmful bacteria from entering through tiny pores in their leaves.

The spray is made of nano-sized particles which are designed to deliver antibacterial compounds directly to the plant's stomata—the pores on a plant's leaves that let it breathe, but which can also act as gateways for infection.

The particles, which we've called 'SENDS'—short for stomata-targeting engineered nanoparticles—are designed to stick precisely to these pores, like a lock finding its key. Once in place, they release natural antibacterial agents that stop pathogens from getting inside and infecting the plant.

Suppanat Puangpathumanond et al, Stomata-targeted nanocarriers enhance plant defense against pathogen colonization, Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-60112-w

Broad-spectrum antiviral compounds discovered

An interdisciplinary research team has identified two antiviral drug candidates effective against a wide range of viruses. The study demonstrates how combining computer-aided modeling with laboratory validation can speed up the development of new antiviral drugs.

The researchers used computer simulations to search for specific metabolic processes necessary for viral reproduction but not vital for the cell itself. Using this method, the team identified two active agents that successfully combated various viruses in initial laboratory tests. The study was published in Communications Biology.

Using data from virus-infected tissues, the international research team developed computer models representing the complex metabolism of cells.

The team then used these tissue-specific models to simulate the replication of various RNA viruses, which are of particular importance due to their pandemic potential. The modeling revealed metabolic processes that the viruses require for replication but that are not essential for cellular survival.

Using these models, the researchers have predicted specific metabolic pathways essential for viral replication, which represent potential targets for antiviral therapies.

They then searched existing drug databases for substances that inhibit precisely these metabolic processes.

Since most viruses have similar basic replication requirements, the international research team from Germany, France, Italy, Greece, and Australia suspected that this strategy could be used to inhibit a wide variety of viruses.

They  tested this hypothesis experimentally and found various substances with broad antiviral activity against very different virus families.

Infection experiments in cell cultures confirmed that two drug candidates—phenformin and atpenin A5—effectively inhibit viral replication.

Phenformin interferes with the metabolism of the cell and was therefore previously used as a drug in type 2 diabetes. Since phenformin is well-characterized for use in humans, their findings could be used to establish supportive therapy against corona or flavivirus infections in the relatively short term.

Part 1

In animal experiments with SARS‑CoV‑2‑infected hamsters, phenformin significantly reduced the viral load in the respiratory tract. In cell cultures, phenformin also inhibited the multiplication of dengue viruses, for which there is currently no approved treatment.

Extensive clinical studies on the use of phenformin as an antidiabetic agent have already established its safety in humans. Further clinical studies are needed to determine if phenformin has an antiviral effect in humans. In contrast, atpenin A5 is an experimental substance that demonstrates the feasibility of the methodological approach in cell culture.

Further studies must be conducted to determine whether variants of the substance can be used in animal models where they are both tolerated and have an antiviral effect.

According to the scientists, the developed methods and identified drug candidates are an important step in the rapid development of potential treatments for future pandemics.

Alina Renz et al, Metabolic modeling elucidates phenformin and atpenin A5 as broad-spectrum antiviral drugs against RNA viruses, Communications Biology (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s42003-025-08148-y

Part 2

Depriving mice of iron can increase the chance of intersex offspring

Iron deficiency in pregnant mice may lead to the development of ovaries in a small proportion of offspring carrying XY chromosomes, which typically determine male sex. The findings, published in Nature this week, reveal a link between iron metabolism and sex determination in mammals.

A key gene responsible for male sex determination in mammals is Sry, which controls the development of the testes and is found on the Y chromosome. An enzyme called KDM3A that is essential for regulating Sry gene expression is known to rely on Fe²⁺ for its activity. However, how iron levels may influence sex determination remains unclear.

To explore the potential connection between iron metabolism and sex determination in mammals,  researchers conducted a series of experiments using cultured cells and mice. They found that genes favoring accumulation of Fe²⁺ are upregulated in developing mouse embryonic gonads during the crucial period of sex determination.

When the researchers reduced iron levels in cultured cells to approximately 40% of normal levels, expression of the Sry gene was largely suppressed, and the XY gonads began to show genetic markers associated with ovary development.

The researchers then tested the effects of both short-term and long-term iron deficiency in pregnant mice. Short-term iron deficiency was induced by administering an iron-removing drug to pregnant mice for about five days around the time of embryonic sex determination. Among 72 XY offspring born to these mothers, four developed two ovaries and one developed an ovary and a testis. Long-term iron deficiency was induced through a low-iron diet starting four weeks before pregnancy and continuing for six weeks.

This long-term low-iron diet showed no effect on sex determination until a loss-of-function mutation in the gene that encodes KDM3A was introduced in the mothers. This resulted in male-to-female sex reversal in two of 43 XY offspring. No abnormalities were observed in offspring born to mothers with normal iron levels in either of the experiments.

The findings demonstrate a key role of iron in mammalian sex determination, although the effects of iron deficiency on human pregnancies were not investigated.

 Makoto Tachibana, Maternal iron deficiency causes male-to-female sex reversal in mouse embryos, Nature (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09063-2. www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09063-2

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Baby's microbiome may protect against later childhood viral infection

A baby's makeup of gut bacteria—their microbiome—which starts to form as soon as they are born, could help protect against viral infections later in childhood, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that babies with a specific mix of gut bacteria at one week old, which was only found in some babies born vaginally, were less likely to be hospitalized for viral lower respiratory tract infections (vLRTI) in the first two years of life.

This research, published in The Lancet Microbe, is the first study to show an association between the makeup of the gut microbiome in the first week of life and hospital admissions for respiratory infections in early childhood.

The team did this using whole genome sequencing and analysis of stool samples from 1,082 newborns and then used their electronic health records to track admissions to hospital up to the age of two years old.

Building on previous findings  this new research suggests that certain microbiome compositions could give different benefits, such as protection against viral infections.

The gut microbiome is a complex ecosystem of millions of microbes that are vital for human health and important in immune system development. As it begins to form immediately at birth, the first month is the earliest window for intervention that could be used to restore or boost the microbiome.

Previously, the researchers  found that babies born vaginally have a different microbiome compared to those born via cesarean section (C-section), although the differences largely evened out by the time the child was one-year old.

A different study by the same team also found that all UK babies have one of three bacteria within the first week of life, called pioneer bacteria. Two of these, Bifidobacterium longum (B. longum) and Bifidobacterium breve (B. breve), are considered beneficial as they help promote the development of a stable microbiome.

However, not all babies born vaginally had the same microbiome composition. The team identified two other groups of babies based on their microbiome profile, who had a higher risk of hospital admission for vLRTI compared to those in the B. longum group. These other microbiome profiles were found in babies born vaginally and by C-section.

It's important to note that the team observed this finding as an association, otherwise known as correlation, and further research is needed to prove any causal links.

The neonatal gut microbiota and its association with severe viral lower respiratory tract infections in the first two years of life: a birth cohort study with metagenomics, The Lancet Microbe (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.lanmic.2024.101072

Brain mechanisms that distinguish imagination from reality discovered

Areas of the brain that help a person differentiate between what is real and what is imaginary have been uncovered in a new study.

The research, published in Neuron, found that a region in the brain known as  the fusiform gyrus—located behind one's temples, on the underside of the brain's temporal lobe—is involved in helping the brain to determine whether what we see is from the external world or generated by our imagination.

For the study, researchers asked 26 participants to look at simple visual patterns while imagining them at the same time.

Specifically, participants were asked to look for a specific faint pattern within a noisy background on a screen and indicate whether the pattern was actually present or not. A real pattern was only presented half of the time.

At the same time, participants were also instructed to imagine a pattern that was either the same or different to the one they were looking for, and indicate how vivid their mental images were.

When the patterns were the same, and participants reported that their imagination was very vivid, they were more likely to say they saw a real pattern, even in trials in which nothing was presented. This means they mistook their mental images for reality.

While participants performed the tasks, their brain activity was monitored using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This technology enabled the researchers to identify which parts of the brain showed patterns of activity that helped distinguish reality from imagination.

The team found that the strength of activity in the fusiform gyrus could predict whether people judged an experience as real or imagined, irrespective of whether it actually was real.

When activity in the fusiform gyrus was strong, people were more likely to indicate that the pattern was really there.

Usually, activation in the fusiform gyrus is weaker during imagination than during perception, which helps the brain keep the two apart. However, this study showed that sometimes when participants imagined very vividly, activation of the fusiform gyrus was very strong and participants confused their imagination for reality.

These findings suggest that the brain uses the strength of sensory signals to distinguish between imagination and reality.

The study also showed that the fusiform gyrus collaborates with other brain areas to help us decide what is real and what is imagined.

Specifically, activity in the anterior insula—a brain region in the prefrontal cortex (the front part of the brain that acts as a control center for tasks such as decision-making, problem solving and planning)—increased in line with activity in the fusiform gyrus when participants said something was real, even if it was in fact imagined.

Part1

These results offer new insights into what might go wrong in the brain during psychiatric conditions like schizophrenia, where patients struggle to keep apart imagination and reality. The findings may also inform future virtual reality technologies by identifying how and when imagined experiences feel real.

 A neural basis for distinguishing imagination from reality, Neuron (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2025.05.015. www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273(25)00362-9

Part 2

When Chemistry combines with Biology: Caterpillar factories produce fluorescent nanocarbons

Researchers have successfully used insects as mini molecule-making factories, marking a breakthrough in chemical engineering. 

Referred to as "in-insect synthesis," this technique offers a new way to create and modify complex molecules, which will generate new opportunities for the discovery, development, and application of non-natural molecules, such as nanocarbons.

Molecular nanocarbons are super-tiny structures made entirely of carbon atoms. Despite their minuscule size, they can be mechanically strong, conduct electricity, and even emit fluorescent light. These properties make them ideal for use in applications like aerospace components, lightweight batteries, and advanced electronics.

However, the precision required to manufacture these tiny structures remains a major obstacle to their widespread use. Conventional laboratory techniques struggle with the fine manipulation needed to put these complex molecules together atom by atom, and their defined shapes make it especially difficult to modify them without disrupting their integrity.

As strange as the idea may sound, it's rooted in biology. Insects, particularly plant-eating insects like grasshoppers and caterpillars, have evolved sophisticated systems in the gut for breaking down foreign substances like plant toxins and pesticides. These metabolic processes rely on enzymes capable of complex chemical transformations.

 Researchers hypothesized that insects could serve as living chemical factories, performing the types of chemical modifications to nanocarbons that are difficult to replicate in the laboratory.

To test their concept, they fed tobacco cutworm caterpillars—common agricultural pests with well-mapped metabolic pathways—a diet containing a belt-shaped molecular nanocarbon known as [6]MCPP.

Part 1

Two days later, analysis of the caterpillar poo revealed a new molecule, [6]MCPP-oxylene, which is [6]MCPP that has incorporated an oxygen atom. This subtle change caused the molecule to become fluorescent.

Using techniques such as mass spectrometry, NMR, and X-ray crystallography, the researchers determined [6]MCPP-oxylene's structure. Experiments using molecular biology pinpointed two enzymes, CYP X2 and X3, as being responsible for the transformation.

Further genetic analyses confirmed that these enzymes are essential for the reaction to occur.

Computer simulations found that these enzymes could simultaneously bind two [6]MCPP-oxylene molecules and directly insert an oxygen atom into a carbon–carbon bond—a rare and previously unobserved phenomenon.

It is extremely difficult to reproduce the chemical reactions occurring inside insects in a laboratory setting. Lab-based attempts at this oxidation reaction failed or had very low yields.
True to the philosophy of the PRI, this work pioneers a new direction in materials science: making functional molecules using insects. The shift from traditional test tubes to biological systems—enzymes, microbes, or insects—will allow the construction of complex nanomolecules.

Beyond glowing molecular nanocarbons, with tools like genome editing and directed evolution, in-insect synthesis could be applied to a wide range of molecules and functions, forging links between organic chemistry and synthetic biology.

 Atsushi Usami et al, In-insect synthesis of oxygen-doped molecular nanocarbons, Science (2025). DOI: 10.1126/science.adp9384. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adp9384

Part 2

Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla blasts off into space next week as the first Indian to join the International Space Station (ISS).

An air force fighter pilot, 39-year-old Shukla is joining a four-crew mission launching from the United States with private company Axiom Space, aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.

He will become the first Indian to join the ISS, and only the second ever in orbit—an achievement that the world's most populous nation hopes will be a stepping stone for its own human flight.

The air force group captain—equivalent to an army colonel or navy captain—will pilot the commercial mission slated to launch June 10 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a joint team between NASA and ISRO, the Indian Space Research Organization.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced plans to send a man to the moon by 2040.

India's ISRO said in May that it planned to launch an uncrewed orbital mission later this year, before its first human spaceflight in early 2027.

Shukla's voyage comes four decades after Indian astronaut Rakesh Sharma joined a Russian Soyuz spacecraft in 1984.

Unlike the symbolic undertones of India's first human spaceflight, this time the focus is on operational readiness and global integration.

If he is unable to fly on Tuesday, fellow air force pilot Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, 48, is expected to take his place.

India has flexed its ambitions in the last decade with its space program growing considerably in size and momentum, matching the achievements of established powers at a much cheaper price tag.

In August 2023, it became just the fourth nation to land an unmanned craft on the moon after Russia, the United States and China.

Source: Various news Agencies

How can we tell if AI is lying? New method tests whether AI explanations are truthful

Given the recent explosion of large language models (LLMs) that can make convincingly human-like statements, it makes sense that there's been a deepened focus on developing the models to be able to explain how they make decisions. But how can we be sure that what they're saying is the truth?

In a new paper, researchers from Microsoft and MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) propose a novel method for measuring LLM explanations with respect to their "faithfulness"—that is, how accurately an explanation represents the reasoning process behind the model's answer.

If an LLM produces explanations that are plausible but unfaithful, users might develop false confidence in its responses and fail to recognize when recommendations are misaligned with their own values, like avoiding bias in hiring.

In areas like health care or law, unfaithful explanations could have serious consequences: the researchers specifically call out an example in which GPT-3.5 gave higher ratings to female nursing candidates compared to male ones even when genders were swapped, but explained its answers to be affected only by age, skills, and traits.

Prior methods for measuring faithfulness produce quantitative scores that can be difficult for users to interpret—what does it mean for an explanation to be, say, 0.63 faithful? 

To accomplish this, they introduced "causal concept faithfulness," which measures the difference between the set of concepts in the input text that the LLM explanations implies were influential to those that truly had a causal effect on the model's answer. Examining the discrepancy between these two concept sets reveals interpretable patterns of unfaithfulness—for example, that an LLM's explanations don't mention gender when they should.

Part 1