July 24, 2025

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BrainGate2 BCI Restores Speech in Fully Paralyzed ALS Patient

A 46-year-old California man with advanced ALS has regained his voice through a first-of-its-kind brain–computer interface. In a 2025 Nature paper, UC Davis researchers report implanting four microelectrode arrays into his speech motor cortex to capture neural activity and translate it into synthesized words and intonation that resemble his natural voice. Family members understood his speech 60% of the time—up from just 4% before the device.

The wired BrainGate2 system currently connects to a nearby computer cart, but the team is developing a wireless, laptop- and phone-sized version. While not a cure for ALS, this breakthrough offers a path to restore communication for patients with paralysis from ALS, stroke or locked-in syndrome.

LLNL Launches DeNOVO AI Initiative for Rapid Antibody Design

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has kicked off the three-year DeNOVO project, backed by ARPA-H and the Department of Energy, to apply high-performance computing and artificial intelligence to the design of antibodies and antibody-like molecules. By integrating ultra-high-throughput experimental characterization with generative AI models, researchers aim to overcome sparse datasets and computational bottlenecks in biologics discovery.

Key highlights:

Partners include UCSF, UW’s Institute for Protein Design, Los Alamos National Lab and A-Alpha Bio.

Goal: identify potent neutralizing antibodies in hours rather than months, revolutionizing pandemic response and drug development.

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Americium-241–Fueled Stirling Generator Paves Way for Mars Missions

NASA Glenn and the University of Leicester have successfully tested a prototype Stirling generator powered by Americium-241 simulators, offering a promising alternative to dwindling plutonium-238 supplies for deep-space Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS).

The joint testbed, begun in January 2025, used two electrically heated Am-241 simulators and demonstrated that the system can withstand a convertor failure without power loss.

Meeting targeted efficiency and robustness metrics, this design could supply reliable electrical power for missions lasting decades, from Mars rovers to outer-planet probes.

With Pu-238 production limited, Americium-241 RPS could ensure NASA’s next generation of long-duration deep-space exploration.

JWST Detects Hidden Black Hole Star-Feasts in Dusty Galaxies

Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have, for the first time, uncovered tidal disruption events (TDEs) buried in the dust of nearby galaxies.

By targeting peaks in infrared light—heated by the intense radiation of a star being torn apart—researchers from MIT, Columbia University and collaborators identified four bonafide TDEs in systems once thought quiescent. JWST’s spectral fingerprints of neon emission and silicate dust mapping not only confirmed black hole accretion, but also distinguished these flares from the permanent activity seen in classical active galactic nuclei.

PFAS Exposure Linked to 31% Higher Type 2 Diabetes Risk

New research warns that ‘forever chemicals’ may fuel diabetes. A case-control study in eBioMedicine compared blood samples from 180 newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes patients to 180 healthy controls and found a 31% increase in diabetes risk each time PFAS levels rose from low to moderate and moderate to high. Metabolic profiling suggests PFAS disrupt amino acid synthesis and drug breakdown, undermining glucose regulation. With global talks in August on curbing PFAS under a UN plastics treaty, experts say these findings underscore an urgent need to limit exposures for public health.

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Brain–Computer Breakthrough: Paralyzed ALS Patient Speaks Again via BCI