SCIENCES ENERGIES ENVIRONNE%E?NT

 

Dear olivier hartmanshenn,

Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for week 33: Professor becomes his own test subject in longevity study; biological age found to be 15 years younger An ongoing single-participant monitoring regimen combining fasting, exercise, diet and wearables reduced metabolic-switching time from >24 to 16.5 hours, resting heart rate from 65 to 46 bpm, and increased sleep duration. An AI model estimated biological age at ~32 versus chronological age 47; findings are not generalizable beyond this participant.   Adults 75 and older who stopped statins had similar three-year survival, trial finds In adults ≥75 years without prior cardiovascular disease, stopping statins did not significantly alter 3-year mortality, major cardiovascular events, or quality of life versus continuation. Discontinuation increased LDL cholesterol by ~50%. Longer-term cardiovascular effects remain uncertain.   Prostate cancer prognosis linked to prostate-specific antigen levels below threshold Among 4,890 patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, achieving PSA <0.2 ng/mL within 9 months of treatment was associated with 54% lower mortality over ~2 years. A ≥90% PSA decline without reaching this threshold was not associated with improved survival.   A new target in the gut for reducing Alzheimer's risk Imidazole propionate, a gut microbiota-derived metabolite, reached the brain in mice and increased amyloid-β and tau accumulation. Higher blood levels in nearly 1,200 participants were associated with dementia biomarkers and faster cognitive decline; a genetic variant linked to elevated ImP may impair its clearance.   Mathematical model shows how birds create a synchronized dawn chorus A threshold-based model predicts that rising light and local birdsong jointly trigger rapid, synchronized dawn choruses. Individual variation in singing thresholds, combined with social amplification, can generate wave-like population-wide onset without requiring group-level coordination.   Injectable hydrogel system prolongs joint retention in osteoarthritis An injectable thermoresponsive hydrogel forms a lubricious semisolid joint depot that prolongs local release of hydrophobic therapeutics for weeks. The polymer–nanocarrier system supports high drug loading and was validated with a SIRT6 activator. It may combine sustained drug delivery with viscosupplementation while limiting systemic exposure.   New findings overturn 100-year-old assumption about common bacteria in the lungs Prevotella melaninogenica, previously considered an obligate anaerobe, grew at 5–8% oxygen and briefly survived 21% oxygen. It consumes oxygen and activates distinct responses to oxidative stress and DNA damage, supporting persistence in the respiratory tract.   Want a happier marriage? Study suggests one simple habit Among nearly 1,700 young married couples, shared physical activity was associated with better communication, more peaceful conflict resolution, and lower marital stress than no shared exercise. Associations were stronger for joint than individual exercise, with walking most commonly reported. Effects were small but consistent and do not establish causation.   People carrying a rare gene variant have naturally low body fat, healthier livers and better blood sugar levels Exome data from 1,032,116 participants identified 59 genes associated with triglyceride:HDL ratio, a marker linked to adiposity, insulin resistance, liver fat and blood pressure. Rare loss-of-function FNIP1 variants (~1 in 7,000 people) were associated with lower adiposity, liver fat, blood lipids and glucose, and lower cardiometabolic disease odds.   Appetite-suppressing hormone may protect liver from inflammation through newly discovered signaling pathway In mouse models of MASH, GDF15 reduced liver inflammation and fibrosis independently of food intake, body weight, or liver fat. It activated a brain-to-liver neural pathway that increased glucocorticoid release and shifted hepatic immune cells toward less inflammatory states.   Poison center reports of liver injuries rise nearly 400% since 2000, with acetaminophen as a top driver U.S. poison centers recorded 220,160 xenobiotic-associated liver injuries from 2000–2024; population-adjusted reports rose from 10.9 to 52.9 per million. Over 80% required inpatient care, with acetaminophen the leading cause. Combination-product exposures declined after dose limits, whereas acetaminophen-alone exposures increased.   New CERN measurement challenges conventional models of how gluons behave inside atomic nuclei Multidimensional measurements of incoherent J/ψ photonuclear production across 20–633 GeV probe local nuclear gluon fluctuations at 0.2–0.6 fm scales. Suppressed production at the smallest scales, with ~3σ significance, is not fully described by conventional nuclear shadowing and is consistent with gluon saturation.   Deep brain stimulation strengthens reward signals after one 20-minute session, study finds A 20-minute session of temporal interference stimulation paired with mindful breathing increased EEG reward-positivity signals and reduced anxiety, with reward-related changes detectable for about one week. This noninvasive approach targets ventral striatal circuits but remains investigational and requires replication and clinical evaluation.   Hurricane Hunter data reveal early signs of strengthening tropical cyclones Tropical cyclones that become vertically aligned about a day before intensification show tighter low-level circulation, favorably oriented tilt relative to wind shear, stronger ascent and rainfall near the low-level center, and warm, moist, weak-wind environments. Analysis of 1,510 aircraft radar observations supports using these features to anticipate alignment and strengthening.   Sleep could help identify people at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease at an earlier stage Among healthy adults aged 50–69, greater Alzheimer’s polygenic risk was associated with more nocturnal micro-awakenings; no association was observed in adults aged 18–31. Sleep fragmentation may be an early marker of vulnerability, but it cannot predict Alzheimer’s disease in individuals and requires confirmation.   Three supermassive black holes discovered in a single galaxy for the first time Galaxy J0148-4214 at z=5.02 hosts three actively accreting supermassive black holes observed 1.2 billion years after the Big Bang. Their masses are ~80, 0.6, and 2 million solar masses; two central objects are separated by 620 light-years, while the third lies ~5,500 light-years from the center.   DESI releases biggest 2D map of the universe The DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys released a 5.6-trillion-pixel 2D sky map containing nearly 4 billion objects across about 75% of the sky. Combining 263,407 exposures and infrared data, it supports DESI target selection, studies of galaxies, dark matter and dark energy, and future astronomical surveys.   CRISPR roadblocks: Scientists identify genes blocking gene therapy success A genome-wide screen of 19,144 genes identified 26 whose disruption increased CRISPR-Cas9 editing efficiency. Depletion of GJB2 or BET1L increased base-editing efficiency over sixfold in human model cells and over 3.5-fold in patient-derived retinal cells with Leber congenital amaurosis.   A few minutes of sprinting could make a bigger impact than 90 minutes of moderate running Six 30-second all-out sprints rapidly altered nearly one-quarter of measured blood proteins and over 200 metabolites, far exceeding changes after 90 minutes of moderate cycling. Post-sprint blood induced broad gene-expression changes in human fat cells. Sprint-responsive proteins were associated with lower cardiometabolic disease risk, but these associations do not establish causality.   How malicious SIM cards can hijack smartphones, EV chargers and connected devices Malicious or compromised SIMs can exploit Proactive SIM features to issue modem AT commands, enabling data theft, calls, network downgrades, device shutdowns, and code execution. Tests of 26 smartphones and IoT modules identified vulnerable SIM AT interfaces, including in EV chargers and industrial systems. Vendor updates and hardened configurations address some flaws.