“Ask scientists which gene-editing tool is most needed to advance gene therapy, and they’d probably describe a system that’s now close to realization in the labs of Samuel Sternberg at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and David Liu at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

The gene editor—called evoCAST—goes a long way toward solving a problem that has confounded the development of gene therapies from the field’s beginnings: How to add long stretches of DNA to defined locations in the human genome without creating unwanted modifications.

The latest iteration of the editor, which utilizes complex enzymes found in bacteria, can be programmed to insert an entire gene—or multiple genes—into a specific location in the human genome with an efficiency suitable for gene therapy.”

From Phys.org.

“Apple is embracing the world of brain computer interfaces, unveiling a new technology that one day could revolutionize how humans interact with their devices.

The company is taking early steps to enable people to control their iPhones with neural signals captured by a new generation of brain implants. It could make Apple devices more accessible to tens of thousands of people who can’t use their hands because of severe spinal cord injuries or diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.”

From Wall Street Journal.

“Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency is developing an artificial intelligence-powered system to help diagnose malaria under the country’s efforts to eliminate the disease by 2030.

Indonesia recorded over half a million malaria cases in 2024, but due to the lack of testing, the World Health Organization estimates that the actual number was at least twice higher.

‘Our main goal is to create a computer-aided diagnosis system that can automatically recognize malaria status from blood smear images,’ Anto Satriyo Nugroho, head of AI and cyber security at Indonesia’s national research agency, or BRIN, said in a statement.

Such a system would speed up confirmation of malaria, which to date is mostly done through microscopic examination.”

From Arab News.

“Back in 2021, proposals for JWST time were ranked and chosen, with the greatest amount of telescope time going to a large, deep, wide-field survey project: COSMOS-Web. Designed to map out galaxies, galaxy groups, galaxy clusters, and the diffuse, extended stellar halos around galaxies to the greatest precision ever, the public has long awaited its release. At last, the survey has now been completed and the full, 166 megapixel image of this region of space is now available to all, revealing the Universe as never before.”

From Big Think.