Dan Kummer – Lifeboat News: The Blog https://lifeboat.com/blog Safeguarding Humanity Mon, 14 Apr 2025 07:03:25 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2 Universal photonic artificial intelligence acceleration https://lifeboat.com/blog/2025/04/universal-photonic-artificial-intelligence-acceleration https://lifeboat.com/blog/2025/04/universal-photonic-artificial-intelligence-acceleration#respond Mon, 14 Apr 2025 07:03:25 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2025/04/universal-photonic-artificial-intelligence-acceleration

A photonic processor capable of running advanced artificial intelligence models with near-electronic precision is introduced, marking a substantial step towards post-transistor computing technologies.

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Master switch gene can turn immune cells into cancer eradicators https://lifeboat.com/blog/2025/04/master-switch-gene-can-turn-immune-cells-into-cancer-eradicators https://lifeboat.com/blog/2025/04/master-switch-gene-can-turn-immune-cells-into-cancer-eradicators#respond Mon, 14 Apr 2025 02:07:15 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2025/04/master-switch-gene-can-turn-immune-cells-into-cancer-eradicators

To grow, cancer tumors must hijack the immune system for their needs. One of the main tricks that most tumors use is to manipulate a type of immune cell called a macrophage, causing it to protect the tumor from the rest of the immune system, recruit blood vessels and help the cancer spread to other tissues.

Now researchers in Prof. Ido Amit’s lab at the Weizmann Institute of Science have used state-of-the-art gene editing and single-cell and AI technologies to identify a master switch that turns macrophages into cancer helpers.

Based on this discovery, the team developed a new therapy that was shown to be effective in mice with bladder tumors, one of the most common types of cancer in humans and one for which only limited therapeutic innovations are currently available. The discovery is presented in a paper published in the journal Cancer Cell.

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Could LLMs help design our next medicines and materials? https://lifeboat.com/blog/2025/04/could-llms-help-design-our-next-medicines-and-materials https://lifeboat.com/blog/2025/04/could-llms-help-design-our-next-medicines-and-materials#respond Thu, 10 Apr 2025 07:07:42 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2025/04/could-llms-help-design-our-next-medicines-and-materials

A new multimodal tool combines a large language model with powerful graph-based AI models to efficiently find new, synthesizable molecules with desired properties, based on a user’s queries in plain language.

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Artificial neurons organize themselves https://lifeboat.com/blog/2025/03/artificial-neurons-organize-themselves https://lifeboat.com/blog/2025/03/artificial-neurons-organize-themselves#respond Sun, 30 Mar 2025 23:07:43 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2025/03/artificial-neurons-organize-themselves

Novel artificial neurons learn independently and are more strongly modeled on their biological counterparts. A team of researchers from the Göttingen Campus Institute for Dynamics of Biological Networks (CIDBN) at the University of Göttingen and the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS) has programmed these infomorphic neurons and constructed artificial neural networks from them. The special feature is that the individual artificial neurons learn in a self-organized way and draw the necessary information from their immediate environment in the network.

The results were published in PNAS (“A general framework for interpretable neural learning based on local information-theoretic goal functions”).

Both, human brain and modern artificial neural networks are extremely powerful. At the lowest level, the neurons work together as rather simple computing units. An artificial neural network typically consists of several layers composed of individual neurons. An input signal passes through these layers and is processed by artificial neurons in order to extract relevant information. However, conventional artificial neurons differ significantly from their biological models in the way they learn.

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Anti-amyloid drug shows signs of preventing Alzheimer’s dementia https://lifeboat.com/blog/2025/03/anti-amyloid-drug-shows-signs-of-preventing-alzheimers-dementia https://lifeboat.com/blog/2025/03/anti-amyloid-drug-shows-signs-of-preventing-alzheimers-dementia#respond Sat, 29 Mar 2025 22:11:45 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2025/03/anti-amyloid-drug-shows-signs-of-preventing-alzheimers-dementia

An experimental drug appears to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s-related dementia in people destined to develop the disease in their 30s, 40s or 50s, according to the results of a study led by the Knight Family Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network-Trials Unit (DIAN-TU), which is based at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

The findings suggest—for the first time in a clinical trial—that early treatment to remove amyloid plaques from the brain many years before symptoms arise can delay the onset of Alzheimer’s dementia.

The study is published in The Lancet Neurology.

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Meet the miniature rolling robot that takes virtual biopsies from inside your body https://lifeboat.com/blog/2025/03/meet-the-miniature-rolling-robot-that-takes-virtual-biopsies-from-inside-your-body https://lifeboat.com/blog/2025/03/meet-the-miniature-rolling-robot-that-takes-virtual-biopsies-from-inside-your-body#respond Sat, 29 Mar 2025 03:05:46 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2025/03/meet-the-miniature-rolling-robot-that-takes-virtual-biopsies-from-inside-your-body

Researchers have developed a tiny magnetic robot that can take 3D scans from deep within the body and could revolutionise early cancer detection.

The team, led by engineers from the University of Leeds, says this is the first time high-resolution three-dimensional ultrasound images taken from a probe deep inside the gastrointestinal tract, or gut, have been generated.

It paves the way to transforming the diagnosis and treatment of several forms of cancer by enabling ‘virtual biopsies’ – noninvasive scans that provide immediate diagnostic data. These scans allow doctors to detect, stage, and potentially treat lesions in a single procedure, eliminating the need for physical biopsies.

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This Hidden Cell Response Could Be the Key to Beating Cancer and Brain Disease https://lifeboat.com/blog/2025/03/this-hidden-cell-response-could-be-the-key-to-beating-cancer-and-brain-disease https://lifeboat.com/blog/2025/03/this-hidden-cell-response-could-be-the-key-to-beating-cancer-and-brain-disease#respond Fri, 28 Mar 2025 03:03:02 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2025/03/this-hidden-cell-response-could-be-the-key-to-beating-cancer-and-brain-disease

Cells don’t just follow a rigid script when responding to stress – they’re far more adaptable than we thought. A new study reveals that this stress response can be fine-tuned depending on the type and intensity of the threat. This discovery, called the “split-integrated stress response,” could re

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DNA nanomachine targets skin cancer through microRNA-triggered phototherapy https://lifeboat.com/blog/2025/03/dna-nanomachine-targets-skin-cancer-through-microrna-triggered-phototherapy https://lifeboat.com/blog/2025/03/dna-nanomachine-targets-skin-cancer-through-microrna-triggered-phototherapy#respond Wed, 26 Mar 2025 03:05:13 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2025/03/dna-nanomachine-targets-skin-cancer-through-microrna-triggered-phototherapy

A DNA nanomachine selectively targets skin cancer by detecting microRNA-7, activating phototherapy and releasing chemotherapy drugs while generating oxygen to enhance treatment.

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Have Chinese scientists just dashed humanity’s last hopes to win in air combat? https://lifeboat.com/blog/2025/03/have-chinese-scientists-just-dashed-humanitys-last-hopes-to-win-in-air-combat https://lifeboat.com/blog/2025/03/have-chinese-scientists-just-dashed-humanitys-last-hopes-to-win-in-air-combat#respond Thu, 13 Mar 2025 08:09:15 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2025/03/have-chinese-scientists-just-dashed-humanitys-last-hopes-to-win-in-air-combat

The one advantage combat pilots had over artificial intelligence was unpredictability. Now a new study has put that in jeopardy.

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Stem cell therapy trial reverses “irreversible” damage to cornea https://lifeboat.com/blog/2025/03/stem-cell-therapy-trial-reverses-irreversible-damage-to-cornea https://lifeboat.com/blog/2025/03/stem-cell-therapy-trial-reverses-irreversible-damage-to-cornea#respond Sat, 08 Mar 2025 23:10:09 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2025/03/stem-cell-therapy-trial-reverses-irreversible-damage-to-cornea

Eye injuries that damage the cornea are usually irreversible and cause blindness. But a new clinical trial has repaired this damage in patients thanks to a transplant of stem cells from their healthy eyes.

The cornea is the outer layer of the eye, which focuses light towards the retina. Since it’s on the frontline of potential hazards from the outside world, the cornea features a population of limbal epithelial stem cells, which repair minor damage to keep the surface smooth and functional.

Unfortunately, injuries like thermal or chemical burns can damage the cornea beyond the capability of these resident stem cells. There’s not much else that can be done – even a cornea transplant won’t take hold if the damage is too severe.

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