New research led by the University of East Anglia (UEA) shows how many tropical cities are predicted to warm faster than expected under 2°C of global warming.

Cities are often warmer than rural areas due to a phenomenon known as the urban heat island, which can be influenced by various factors, such as regional climate and vegetation cover. This can lead to increased heat-related health risks for some urban populations.

Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the study combined state-of-the-art climate change projections with machine learning models to show how these urban heat islands can be amplified in many tropical and subtropical cities under climate change - mostly in monsoon regions such as India, China and Western Africa.

Researchers at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, in collaboration with MIT, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Massachusetts, have developed a self-regulating, implantable “living” technology that could one day eliminate the need for daily insulin injections in people with diabetes.

Led by Assistant Professor Shady Farah of the Technion’s Faculty of Chemical Engineering, the study presents a cell-based implant that functions as an autonomous artificial pancreas. Once implanted, the system continuously senses blood-glucose levels, produces insulin within the implant, and releases precisely the amount needed—without external pumps, injections, or patient intervention.

A key innovation is a novel “crystalline shield” that protects the implant from immune rejection, allowing it to function reliably for years. The technology has demonstrated effective glucose regulation in mice and long-term cell viability in non-human primates.

Beyond diabetes, the platform may be adapted for treating other chronic conditions requiring continuous delivery of biological therapeutics, potentially transforming long-term disease management.