The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the first trial to test the safety of using genetically modified pig livers to treat people with severe liver failure. The trial, which will involve four participants, aims to bridge the gap between organ failure and potential liver recovery. The genetically modified pig livers have been designed…
Earth on The Soothsayer
Researchers at Quantinuum have made a breakthrough in using quantum computers to solve complex mathematical problems, particularly in topology. They have successfully implemented a quantum algorithm to calculate knot invariants, which could lead to faster solutions than classical computers. This development has significant implications for the field of mathematics and could pave the way for…
The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has terminated nearly 800 research projects, wiping out significant chunks of funding to entire scientific fields. This unprecedented move, initiated by the Trump administration, has left scientists scrambling to halt their work, with some forced to fire personnel or shut down their laboratories. The cuts disproportionately affect research…
A remarkable discovery has been made off the coast of Taiwan, where a fossilized jawbone has been identified as belonging to the Denisovans, an ancient human group first discovered in Siberia. The finding, published in the journal Science, reveals that the Denisovans inhabited warmer climates beyond their previously known high-altitude regions. The researchers extracted ancient…
A global mental health crisis has been identified among researchers, with depression and anxiety particularly prevalent among early-career academics. In response, grassroots initiatives have emerged, and organizations like Dragonfly Mental Health are working to challenge the toxic culture of research and provide evidence-based mental health services to academics worldwide. Forecast for 6 months: Expect a…
Researchers from the Machine Intelligence from Cortical Networks (MICrONS) project have created the largest and most detailed wiring diagram of a mammalian brain, mapping over 200,000 brain cells, including 82,000 neurons, and 500 million synapses in a tiny block of mouse brain tissue. This achievement marks a milestone in connectomics, a field that aims to…
A recent survey of 4,260 AI researchers reveals a stark contrast between their optimism about the technology’s benefits and the public’s concerns about its risks. While 54% of researchers believe AI will bring more benefits than risks, only 13% of the UK public shares this view. However, both groups share concerns about AI’s role in…
US President Donald Trump’s drastic budget cuts to the National Science Foundation (NSF) are putting the nation’s research stations in Antarctica at risk. The NSF has been struggling to fund Antarctic work, and Trump’s cancellation of the construction budget for the current fiscal year has left scientists fearing for the future of their research. If…
The Artificial Intelligence Index Report 2025 reveals a significant shift in the AI landscape, with China’s AI model performance closing the gap with the US. The report highlights that the number and quality of high-performing Chinese AI models are rising, and the performance edge between top models is shrinking. This trend indicates a more competitive…
Five scientists have been awarded the prestigious Breakthrough Prize for their work on the development of Ozempic and Wegovy, life-changing weight-loss drugs that mimic the hormone GLP-1. Additionally, researchers at CERN have been awarded for their groundbreaking discoveries in particle physics, including the confirmation of the standard model and the discovery of 72 new particles….