The effects of extreme space weather may be larger than previously thought reveals research in Nature led by Dr Nithin Sivadas of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. An example of space weather are extreme geomagnetic storms which are temporary disturbances in the plasma and magnetic field around the Earth causing disruptions in global satellite communication, extensive power outages, and even how much radiation astronauts and pilots are exposed to.

The team found evidence from more than a million solar wind measurements taken by Earth-orbiting NASA spacecraft, very close to our planet. Analysis of these observations showed a direct relationship between the strength of the solar wind and the currents in the upper atmosphere, suggesting there is no upper limit but rather Earth’s response will continue to increase along with the solar wind strength, and impacts to technology can increase as well.

MIT engineers found a way to engineer and control the growth of blood vessels by mechanically stretching them. The technology could advance efforts to replace a patient’s damaged or diseased tissue with a healthy, artificially grown version.

Humans cannot fully heal spinal cord injuries. When the spinal cord is damaged, the body's immune system often spirals into chaos. This overwhelming, inflammatory response creates permanent scar tissue that stops nerve cells from ever repairing themselves or their connections. Zebrafish, however, have mastered the biological art of managing this cellular chaos to completely heal spinal cord damage. In a new study published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation, scientists from the Becker group at the Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD) at TUD Dresden University of Technology and the University of Edinburgh have discovered exactly how zebrafish deploy a specific type of immune cells to gently restore harmony and pave the way for nerve regeneration.

A major challenge in cuproptosis-based cancer therapy is achieving tumor-selective activation without relying on external copper administration. Published in Biomedical Analysis, a new study from Guizhou Medical University introduces an iRGD-modified PLGA-PEG nanoparticle system that delivers the copper-chelating agent TPEN directly to tumor cells. By exploiting the high copper levels already present in cancer cells, this approach triggers copper-dependent cell death while reducing potential systemic toxicity associated with metal delivery.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) products contain highly complex mixtures of chemical components, making rapid and reliable quality assessment a major analytical challenge. A new review published in the journal Biomedical Analysis provides a comprehensive assessment of how direct mass spectrometry is being applied to address this challenge. Researchers from institutions including Tianjin University of Commerce have synthesized more than a decade of scientific literature to evaluate the technology’s current capabilities and future potential. The review examines how these rapid analytical techniques, which require little to no sample preparation, can provide immediate chemical insights into herbal products, from raw materials to finished decoctions.