The technology has entered use in recent years, but it isn’t yet fully integrated into research. Now, two MIT researchers are planning experiments with it, and have published a new paper they term a “roadmap” for using the tool to study consciousness.
“Transcranial focused ultrasound will let you stimulate different parts of the brain in healthy subjects, in ways you just couldn’t before,” says Daniel Freeman, an MIT researcher and co-author of a new paper on the subject. “This is a tool that’s not just useful for medicine or even basic science, but could also help address the hard problem of consciousness. It can probe where in the brain are the neural circuits that generate a sense of pain, a sense of vision, or even something as complex as human thought.”
Transcranial focused ultrasound is noninvasive and reaches deeper into the brain, with greater resolution, than other forms of brain stimulation, such as transcranial magnetic or electrical stimulation.
Scientists have identified a promising target for treatment of a devastating autoimmune disease affecting the brain.
The discovery could lead to the development of new therapies for a disease triggered by an attack on one of the key neurotransmitter receptors in the brain, the NMDA receptor. It also raises the potential for a blood test to detect a signal of the condition and enable earlier treatment with existing therapies.
The study from Oregon Health & Science University is published in Science Advances.
Bird Flu 2026
Researchers analyzed 17,500 genomes using Bayesian phylodynamics. Mapped origin, spread, and evolutionary timeline with precision.
The infrastructure failure: Of 1,722 D1.1 sequences, 9% have complete metadata (date + location).
We’re tracking a super-spreader blind.
#OpenScience #DataScience
“Avian Flu in North America: The D1.1 Evolutionary Leap” explores the emergence of a game-changing H5N1 virus variant that has fundamentally altered North America’s disease landscape since mid-2024. Through accessible explanation of cutting-edge genomic science, this episode reveals how the D1.1 genotype achieved unprecedented spread, infected all seven documented host categories including humans, and represents a major evolutionary shift. The podcast examines the massive computational effort behind tracking viral evolution, exposes critical gaps in our surveillance infrastructure, and confronts a paradigm-shifting reality: the Americas have become a primary engine of H5N1 evolution, reversing decades of global health assumptions.
With rapid advancements in AI and automation, individuals must prepare for a potentially unstable future by building financial strength, adapting to change, and rethinking traditional economic policies to avoid societal collapse ## ## Questions to inspire discussion.
Financial Preparation.
💰 Q: How should I structure my finances to build wealth? A: Focus on the fundamental equation: earn minus spend equals save, then invest that saved amount wisely to determine your financial success, as this simple formula is the foundation of building financial strength.
🏃 Q: When should I consider relocating geographically? A: Evaluate your location during major financial shifts and changing world orders, as the ability to move to better places and away from bad places has been historically important for protecting wealth and opportunity.
Career Strategy.
🎯 Q: How do I choose a career that maximizes financial success? A: Select careers that align with your passions while understanding their financial implications, since the work you do will directly impact your financial success during economic transitions.
How cells eliminate inefficient ribosomes.
Inside every cell, ribosomes act as tiny but vital factories that build proteins, translating genetic information into the molecules that sustain life. Although ribosomes share the same basic structure, not all of them work with equal precision. Until now, scientists did not fully understand how cells detect and handle ribosomes that underperform.
Addressing this question, a team of researchers has identified a quality control mechanism that ensures only the most competent ribosomes survive. Their study, published in Nature Communications shows that ribosomes compete during protein synthesis. When translation is disrupted, the less efficient ribosomes are selectively broken down, while the stronger ones continue functioning.
Using biochemical and genetic analyses in yeast, the researchers examined how ribosomes behave when translation is disrupted. The team engineered cells to contain a functional but suboptimal ribosome variant. These slower-moving ribosomes are overtaken on messenger RNA by faster, native ribosomes, causing the two types to collide. Such ribosome-ribosome collisions activate a ubiquitination-dependent quality control pathway that selectively removes the less efficient ribosomes.
The team also explored how external factors, such as the anticancer drug cisplatin affect this process. Cisplatin, known for binding to RNA and DNA, was found to increase ribosome collisions, which in turn promoted ribosome degradation. This insight could improve understanding of how the drug acts inside cells and why it sometimes causes side effects.
The implications of this discovery extend beyond basic biology. By showing how cells maintain the quality of their protein factories, the study provides a foundation for understanding disorders caused by ribosome malfunction, known as ribosomopathies. It may also open the door to new approaches for improving the safety and effectiveness of certain drugs.
Serum NMDAR autoantibodies are associated with isolated memory deficits in patients with cancer and might serve as a potential biomarker for cancer-related cognitive impairment.
ObjectivesNeuronal autoantibodies are linked to cognitive impairment in neurologic diseases and can be associated with tumors. In patients with cancer, IgA/IgM N-Methyl-D-Aspartate receptor (NMDAR) autoantibodies are most common, yet their clinical relevance is unclear. We assessed cognitive function in cancer patients with serum NMDAR autoantibodies and compared the results with matched controls.
Researchers in China have found no statistically significant advantage for infrapatellar fat pad glucocorticoid injection over saline for 12-week knee pain change or effusion synovitis volume change in inflammatory knee osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis affects approximately 595 million people worldwide, with knee joints identified as the most commonly affected. Symptomatic knee osteoarthritis is linked to physical disability, reduced quality of life, and increased mortality in older adults, while curative drugs remain lacking amid a rising burden tied to aging and obesity.
Some knee osteoarthritis involves inflammation, and inflammation can involve two nearby tissues—the fat pad under the kneecap and the joint lining—that are structurally interconnected and serve as important sources of inflammation in knee osteoarthritis.
Flu is rising rapidly across the U.S., driven by a new variant of the virus—and cases are expected to keep growing with holiday travel.
That variant, known as “subclade K,” led to early outbreaks in the United Kingdom, Japan and Canada. In the U.S., flu typically begins its winter march in December. On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported high or very high levels of illness in more than half the states.
The CDC estimated there have been at least 7.5 million illnesses, 81,000 hospitalizations and 3,100 deaths from flu so far this season. That includes at least eight child deaths—and is based on data as of Dec. 20, before major holiday gatherings.
The hypertension drug rilmenidine has been found to slow aging in worms – an effect that, if it translates to humans, could one day help us live longer and stay healthier in old age.
Rilmenidine appears to mimic the effects of caloric restriction on a cellular level, and reducing available energy while maintaining nutrition has been shown to extend lifespans in several animal models.
Whether this translates to human biology, or is a potential risk to our health, is a topic of ongoing debate. Finding ways to achieve the same benefits without the costs of extreme calorie cutting could lead to new ways to improve health in old age.