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Light-Directed System Accelerates Evolution of Complex Protein Functions

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Scientists have developed a novel protein evolution approach dubbed optovolution that uses light to guide the evolution of proteins with dynamic, multi-state, and computational functions based on specific rules. Details of the work are published in a new Cell paper titled “undefined.” The research was led by scientists at the Swiss Federal Technology Institute of Lausanne (EPFL). Over the years, scientists have developed various methods for directed evolution of proteins like enzymes and antibodies that are used in household detergents, medicine, and other industries. The challenge with these existing methods is that they are always strongly active which is inconsistent with how biology naturally works. Signaling proteins, protein “switches,” and protein “logic gates”—proteins that combine multiple inputs to make yes or no decisions—change states over time depending on the need. Thus, if a directed evolution approach only selects for one state, the other important states of a protein ...
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AI Models for Protein Function Prediction

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AI protein function prediction is reshaping how laboratories approach protein annotation, hypothesis generation, and translational research. As sequencing technologies continue to outpace experimental characterization, AI protein function prediction provides computational strategies to bridge the gap between sequence data and biological insight. Large-scale genome projects generate millions of uncharacterized protein sequences. Traditional wet-lab validation remains essential but cannot match the scale of sequence expansion. Machine learning models trained on sequence, structure, and functional data now support automated protein function annotation, prioritization, and experimental design across drug discovery, synthetic biology, and clinical research workflows. New Scientists Awards - NOMINATION OPEN NOW! Nomination Link:   https://newscientists.net/award-nomination/?ecategory=Awards&rcategory=Awardee Web Visitors:   newscientists.net For Enquiry:   info@newscientist...
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Beyond amyloid plaques: AI reveals hidden chemical changes across the Alzheimer’s brain

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Using cutting-edge laser imaging and AI, researchers mapped the Alzheimer’s brain in unprecedented chemical detail. The results reveal widespread, uneven molecular changes that could reshape how scientists understand and treat the disease.  Researchers at Rice University have produced the first comprehensive, label free molecular atlas of the Alzheimer's brain in an animal model. The work offers a deeper look at how the disease begins and spreads. Alzheimer's claims more lives each year than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined, underscoring the urgency of understanding what drives it. New Scientists Awards - NOMINATION OPEN NOW! Nomination Link:   https://newscientists.net/award-nomination/?ecategory=Awards&rcategory=Awardee Web Visitors:   newscientists.net For Enquiry:   info@newscientists.net #worldresearchawards #researcherawards #academicawards #scienceawards #globalresearchawards #phd #researcher #NewScientistsAwards #NSCAwards #AlzheimersResearch #A...
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Scientists turn methane into medicine in stunning breakthrough

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Scientists have unveiled a breakthrough way to turn natural gas—long burned as fuel—into valuable chemical building blocks for medicines and other high-demand products. By designing a clever iron-based catalyst powered by LED light, researchers managed to activate stubborn molecules like methane and transform them into complex compounds, even creating the hormone therapy drug dimestrol directly from methane for the first time. Natural gas is one of the most plentiful energy resources on Earth. It is made mostly of methane, along with ethane and propane. Today, it is primarily burned for heat and electricity, a process that releases greenhouse gases. For years, researchers and industry leaders have tried to find ways to convert these simple hydrocarbons directly into useful chemicals instead of burning them. The challenge is that methane and similar gases are extremely stable and do not react easily, which has limited their use as sustainable raw materials for manufacturing. New Scienti...
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Dopamine Surprise Gives Human Movements a Measurable Speed Boost

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Unexpected rewards can make people move faster within a fraction of a second, revealing how closely motivation and movement are linked in the brain. In a joystick-based reaching task, participants accelerated toward targets that offered higher reward probability, and their movements gained an extra burst of speed when a low-probability reward appeared unexpectedly. The timing of this change matched classic dopamine reward-prediction signals, suggesting that movement vigor reflects the brain’s internal value computations. Over time, strings of positive or negative outcomes also shifted overall movement speed, showing that recent experience continuously recalibrates how energetically we act. These findings point to movement as a potential noninvasive marker for tracking dopamine function in conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and depression. New Scientists Awards - NOMINATION OPEN NOW! Nomination Link:   https://newscientists.net/award-nomination/?ecategory=Awards&rcategory=Aw...
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Deutsche Telekom and Google Cloud Collaborate for Superior Network Experience with Agentic AI

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Deutsche Telekom, in partnership with Google Cloud, today announced the development and implementation of MINDR (Multi-Agentic Intelligent Network Diagnostics & Remediation), a multi-agentic artificial intelligence (AI) system designed by Deutsche Telekom to enable autonomous diagnostics and operations across complex, multi-domain telecommunications networks. Deutsche Telekom, in partnership with Google Cloud, today announced the development and implementation of MINDR (Multi-Agentic Intelligent Network Diagnostics & Remediation), a multi-agentic artificial intelligence (AI) system designed by Deutsche Telekom to enable autonomous diagnostics and operations across complex, multi-domain telecommunications networks. New Scientists Awards - NOMINATION OPEN NOW! Nomination Link:   https://newscientists.net/award-nomination/?ecategory=Awards&rcategory=Awardee Web Visitors:   newscientists.net For Enquiry:   info@newscientists.net #worldresearchawards #researcherawa...
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Expertise Protects Against Cognitive Decline

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Expertise Protects Against Cognitive Decline refers to the well-established neuroscience concept that sustained intellectual engagement and domain-specific mastery enhance cognitive reserve, enabling the brain to compensate for age-related neuropathology and delay clinical manifestations of disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. Long-term expertise in fields such as music, mathematics, bilingual communication, medicine, chess, or scientific research promotes neuroplasticity, strengthens synaptic networks, increases gray matter density, and optimizes functional connectivity across prefrontal and hippocampal circuits.  Empirical evidence from longitudinal aging cohorts and neuroimaging studies indicates that individuals with high occupational complexity and sustained learning exhibit slower rates of memory decline, executive dysfunction, and processing-speed deterioration. Mechanistically, expertise enhances neural efficiency, scaffolds alternative compensatory pa...
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