In a new study published today in Nature, researchers describe a new strategy to make stem cell transplants safer by replacing chemotherapy-based treatment with a more targeted approach. Instead of using toxic agents that damage DNA throughout the body, they use antibodies that recognize specific markers on blood-forming stem cells. These antibodies can help clear the patient’s existing stem cells from the bone marrow in a more selective, less toxic way.

MIT Professor Areg Danagoulian is proposing a way to determine if a satellite orbiting Earth contains a nuclear weapon. He describes his idea for a satellite-based sensor system that could orbit close by a suspect satellite and detect neutrons generated by high-energy protons colliding with radioactive material.