Could beneficial bacteria help prevent the body from absorbing lead? With new funding from the National Institutes of Health, WPI researcher Natalie Farny is exploring that question by putting harmless bacteria to work in an unexpected place: the digestive tract of tiny C. elegans worms.

Many things are different in space – including how the intestines work. Constipation is a known side effect of space travel, but until now we have known little about why it happens. Now, researchers from the University of Copenhagen, in collaboration with NASA, have examined blood samples from astronauts and have suggestions as to why the intestines slow down in space. This may provide useful information both for astronauts and for patients on Earth.

A research team at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has developed a patient-centric “Artificial Intelligence (AI) Virtual Patient Simulation System”, overcoming the limitations of conventional static diagnosis. By dynamically integrating multimodal patient data, including genomic data, medical imaging and clinical records, the system creates a continuously updated “digital twin” model. It can not only track changes in a patient’s condition in real time, but also predict the potential effectiveness of different cancer treatment options, helping healthcare teams formulate more precise and personalised medical solutions.

A new University of Kent spin-out has been launched to commercialise biotechnology that could make it cheaper and easier to produce proteins used in cancer treatments, vaccines and diagnostics tests.

An NJIT-led research team has developed an AI system that can spot faint warning signals of solar active regions, potential precursors to solar storms, nearly nine hours before they become visible.

For the first time, researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities have demonstrated that the low-purity iron ore prevalent in Minnesota can be used to create semiconductor-quality iron sulfide, also known as “fool’s gold” or pyrite.

Air pollution from ships poses a serious health risk in major port cities, yet existing mitigation strategies often rely on reducing the speed of sailing, which affects operational efficiency. Researchers from Pusan National University have now developed an AI-powered framework that combines real-time weather data, physics-informed learning and multi-objective optimization. It recommends optimal ship routes and speed profiles to reduce peak pollution exposure by predicting how exhaust plumes disperse, while maintaining fuel-efficient operations. 

Bone healing, an intricate process involving multiple cell populations, relies not only on existing bone-forming cells but also on dormant progenitor cells outside the skeleton. A study published in Bone Research reveals that fibroadipogenic progenitors (FAPs) in skeletal muscle become bone-forming cells after injury, contributing to fracture repair and abnormal bone growth. The findings identify these cells as promising therapeutic targets for enhancing fracture healing while preventing unwanted bone formation.