KAIST (represented by President Kwang Hyung Lee) announced on the 20th of December that a research team led by Professor Kwang-Hyun Cho from the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering has developed a groundbreaking technology that can treat colon cancer by converting cancer cells into a state resembling normal colon cells without killing them, thus avoiding side effects.

The research team focused on the observation that during the oncogenesis process, normal cells regress along their differentiation trajectory. Building on this insight, they developed a technology to create a digital twin of the gene network associated with the differentiation trajectory of normal cells.

Through simulation analysis, the team systematically identified master molecular switches that induce normal cell differentiation. When these switches were applied to colon cancer cells, the cancer cells reverted to a normal-like state, a result confirmed through molecular and cellular experiments as well as animal studies.

This research demonstrates that cancer cell reversion can be systematically achieved by analyzing and utilizing the digital twin of the cancer cell gene network, rather than relying on serendipitous discoveries. The findings hold significant promise for developing reversible cancer therapies that can be applied to various types of cancer.

Professor Kwang-Hyun Cho remarked, “The fact that cancer cells can be converted back to normal cells is an astonishing phenomenon. This study proves that such reversion can be systematically induced.”

He further emphasized, “This research introduces the novel concept of reversible cancer therapy by reverting cancer cells to normal cells. It also develops foundational technology for identifying targets for cancer reversion through the systematic analysis of normal cell differentiation trajectories.”

The study was supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Foundation of Korea through the Mid-Career Researcher Program and Basic Research Laboratory Program. The research findings have been transferred to BioRevert Inc., where they will be used for the development of practical cancer reversion therapies.

Even if an android’s appearance is so realistic that it could be mistaken for a human in a photograph, watching it move in person can feel a bit unsettling. It can smile, frown, or display other various, familiar expressions, but finding a consistent emotional state behind those expressions can be difficult, leaving you unsure of what it is truly feeling and creating a sense of unease.

Until now, when allowing robots that can move many parts of their face, like androids, to display facial expressions for extended periods, a ‘patchwork method’ has been used. This method involves preparing multiple pre-arranged action scenarios to ensure that unnatural facial movements are excluded while switching between these scenarios as needed.

However, this poses practical challenges, such as preparing complex action scenarios beforehand, minimizing noticeable unnatural movements during transitions, and fine-tuning movements to subtly control the expressions conveyed.

In this study, lead author Hisashi Ishihara and his research group developed a dynamic facial expression synthesis technology using “waveform movements,” which represents various gestures that constitute facial movements, such as “breathing,” “blinking,” and “yawning,” as individual waves. These waves are propagated to the related facial areas and are overlaid to generate complex facial movements in real time. This method eliminates the need for the preparation of complex and diverse action data while also avoiding noticeable movement transitions.

Furthermore, by introducing “waveform modulation,” which adjusts the individual waveforms based on the robot’s internal state, changes in internal conditions, such as mood, can be instantly reflected as variations in facial movements.

“Advancing this research in dynamic facial expression synthesis will enable robots capable of complex facial movements to exhibit more lively expressions and convey mood changes that respond to their surrounding circumstances, including interactions with humans,” says senior author Koichi Osuka. “This could greatly enrich emotional communication between humans and robots.”

Ishihara adds, “Rather than creating superficial movements, further development of a system in which internal emotions are reflected in every detail of an android’s actions could lead to the creation of androids perceived as having a heart.”

By realizing the function to adaptively adjust and express emotions, this technology is expected to significantly enhance the value of communication robots, allowing them to exchange information with humans in a more natural, humanlike manner.

In the first large-scale paired camera trap and autonomous recording survey for large African carnivores, researchers were able to identify individual leopards by their vocalisations with 93% accuracy.

It has been hailed as an important first step towards using bioacoustics in the conservation of leopards.

Leopards are listed as ‘vulnerable’ to extinction according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species mainly due to habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict.

But because leopards are solitary, nocturnal creatures that live across huge expanses of terrain, scientists struggle to gather reliable data that would help them reverse population declines.

There is little scientific research about the ‘sawing roar’ of a leopard — a repeated low-frequency pattern of strokes, often audible from at least a kilometre away, used primarily to attract mates and for territorial defence.

But studying leopards through the sounds they make — a technique known as bioacoustics and more typically used to monitor birds and marine species — would have the advantage of allowing researchers to monitor much larger areas.

It could lead to more complex studies such as population estimates, a key metric for helping policymakers and conservation practitioners understand how to manage landscapes and mitigate human-wildlife conflicts.

The research team conducted their study across a 450km2 expanse of the Nyerere National Park in Tanzania, where they attached 50 pairs of cameras to trees along roads and trails.

They placed microphones next to each camera so that they could identify the leopard from the camera and then extract the roaring bouts from the audio.

They then used a modelling system to analyse the temporal pattern of a leopard’s roar, and found individual identification was possible, with an overall accuracy of 93.1%.

The study shows that using multiple forms of technology to record complementary data can exploit a wider variety of species traits than single technology studies alone.

Lead author Jonathan Growcott, a PhD student at the University of Exeter, said: “Discovering that leopards have unique roars is an important but fundamentally quite basic finding that shows how little we know about leopards, and large carnivores in general.

“We hope it will allow leopards to become the focus of more acoustically complex science such as population density studies and open the door to more work on how large carnivores use vocalisations as a tool.

“Importantly, our success in using a combination of different types of technology could hopefully lead others to think about how to integrate different types of technology into their research, as the rich data this provides could really push science ahead and help us understand ecosystems and landscapes in a much more holistic way.”

The research was a collaborative effort between the University of Exeter, the Wildlife Conservation Unit at the University of Oxford, Lion Landscapes, Frankfurt Zoological Society, TAWIRI (Tanzania Wildlife Institute for Research) and TANAPA (Tanzania National Parks Authority), as well as computer scientists from Exeter and Oxford.

It was presented by Growcott at the British Ecological Society Annual meeting in Liverpool earlier this month, an event which brought together 1,500 ecologists.

Hazel Norman, CEO of the British Ecological Society said: “This study showing that individual leopards can be identified and monitored just through their roars is a brilliant example of how ecologists are applying novel ideas and technologies to uncover fascinating new insights into our natural world.

“Jonathan presented this research at our recent British Ecological Society Annual Meeting in Liverpool, which is a brilliant forum for ecologists to share their research and ideas with the ecological community and beyond.”

Changes in these spin states can be detected using optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR), which measures fluorescence changes under microwave radiation. NDs with NV centers are biocompatible and can be designed to interact with specific biological molecules, making them valuable tools for biological sensing. However, NDs used for bioimaging generally exhibit lower spin quality compared to bulk diamonds, resulting in reduced sensitivity and accuracy in measurements.

In a recent breakthrough, scientists from Okayama University in Japan developed nanodiamond sensors bright enough for bioimaging, with spin properties comparable to those of bulk diamonds. The study, published in ACS Nano, on 16 December 2024, was led by Research Professor Masazumi Fujiwara from Okayama University, in collaboration with Sumitomo Electric Company and the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology.

“This is the first demonstration of quantum-grade NDs with exceptionally high-quality spins, a long-awaited breakthrough in the field. These NDs possess properties that have been highly sought after for quantum biosensing and other advanced applications,” says Prof. Fujiwara.

Current ND sensors for bioimaging face two main limitations: high concentrations of spin impurities, which disrupt NV spin states, and surface spin noise, which destabilizes the spin states more rapidly. To overcome these challenges, the researchers focused on producing high-quality diamonds with very few impurities. They grew single-crystal diamonds enriched with 99.99% ¹²C carbon atoms and then introduced a controlled amount of nitrogen (30-60 parts per million) to create an NV center with about 1 part per million. The diamonds were crushed into NDs and suspended in water.

The resulting NDs had a mean size of 277 nanometers and contained 0.6-1.3 parts per million of negatively charged NV centers. They displayed strong fluorescence, achieving a photon count rate of 1500 kHz, making them suitable for bioimaging applications. These NDs also showed enhanced spin properties compared to commercially available larger NDs. They required 10-20 times less microwave power to achieve a 3% ODMR contrast, had reduced peak splitting, and demonstrated significantly longer spin relaxation times (T₁ = 0.68 ms, T₂ = 3.2 µs), which were 6 to 11 times longer than those of type-Ib NDs. These improvements indicate that the NDs possess stable quantum states, which can be accurately detected and measured with low microwave radiation, minimizing the risk of microwave-induced toxicity in cells.

To evaluate their potential for biological sensing, the researchers introduced NDs into HeLa cells and measured the spin properties using ODMR experiments. The NDs were bright enough for clear visibility and produced narrow, reliable spectra despite some impact from Brownian motion (random ND movement within cells). Furthermore, the NDs were capable of detecting small temperature changes. At temperatures around 300 K and 308 K, the NDs exhibited distinct oscillation frequencies, demonstrating a temperature sensitivity of 0.28 K/√Hz, superior to bare type-Ib NDs.

With these advanced sensing capabilities, the sensor has potential for diverse applications, from biological sensing of cells for early disease detection to monitoring battery health and enhancing thermal management and performance for energy-efficient electronic devices. “These advancements have the potential to transform healthcare, technology, and environmental management, improving quality of life and providing sustainable solutions for future challenges,” says Prof. Fujiwara.

The national survey found that discarded frozen items make up about 6% of wasted household food in the United States. Based on frozen food’s relatively small contribution to food waste and other findings in the study, researchers say urging consumers to stock their freezers might be one way to prevent premature disposal of food.

Results showed that though overall food waste remained high, there was a bright spot: Freezing food was associated with less food landing in the trash.

“We found that households with home freezing behaviors are more likely to have less food waste than other households,” said Lei Xu, first author of the paper and a postdoctoral scholar specializing in agricultural and food economics at The Ohio State University.

“Food waste is not just an economic loss — it also causes environmental damage because more than 90% of wasted food goes to the landfill, and this can produce greenhouse gas emissions,” Xu said. “The findings suggest that in the future, if we can encourage households to have home freezing behaviors, this small change in food storage habits can have a large environmental impact.”

Xu completed the study with graduate student Ran Li and senior author Brian Roe, professor in the Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics at Ohio State. The research was published recently in the British Food Journal.

Roe has been studying household food waste for years, but this is the first study to tease out where frozen food fits into the food waste picture. Recent estimates have suggested about 30% of food in the United States is wasted, but other research led by Roe suggests consumer food waste is trending upward.

“The fact that food waste is still increasing may suggest to policymakers that campaigns could be useful to educate households about balancing purchasing behavior and making the most of the food they buy,” Xu said.

The current study data comes from frozen food-related questions added to the summer 2022 wave of the U.S. National Household Food Waste Tracking Survey in which 1,067 households participated. Respondents were asked to estimate the percentage of all discarded food in the previous seven days that had been frozen and whether it was bought frozen or was unfrozen and placed in the freezer later. They also reported the typical frequency of buying frozen foods.

The responses indicated that 85% of U.S. households buy frozen foods and among those, 55% of participants reported they purchased frozen food to reduce waste. Frozen food purchasers were more likely to shop infrequently — two to three times per month — and were more likely to be living in households with annual income of under $50,000. The most common categories of discarded frozen foods were meat (20% of total frozen food waste), vegetables (22%) and potatoes and grains (15% each).

“Based on what we’re seeing among households, we still have space to increase awareness to save food by using freezing behavior,” Xu said.

Data showed a link between frequent home freezing and significantly less total food waste. Respondents most likely to freeze fresh items or extra food were aged 45 years and older and living in households of three or more people — a possible sign, the authors said, that consumers with a home freezing routine may be more experienced at managing meals for a group and motivated to avoid food waste.

What the team considered somewhat surprising — and enlightening — was the finding that about 30% more of wasted frozen food was discarded from the refrigerator than from the freezer.

“Thinking about why that happens, it might mean they don’t understand food storage techniques and don’t understand how long they should keep certain foods and where they should put it,” Xu said. “This suggests more explicit food storage instructions on food labels could educate consumers about how to correctly store foods to reduce waste.”

Trends in the data suggest that consumer education about the freezer’s role in saving food could make a difference economically and environmentally, Xu said, and also help address the societal problem of food insecurity experienced by 10% of U.S. households.

“Half of consumers buy frozen food to reduce waste. What about the other half?” she said. “We want to increase social awareness of how to save food, and explain how people use frozen food and home freezing techniques to save food. And freezing is one of the most accessible techniques because essentially all households have a refrigerator and freezer.”

This work was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the National Science Foundation and a gift from the Frozen Food Foundation that facilitated collection of a larger survey sample size.

Revolutionizing the Search for Habitability

The exploration of icy ocean worlds represents a new frontier in planetary science, focusing on understanding the potential for these environments to support life. Powell-Palm’s research addresses a fundamental question in this field: under what conditions can liquid water remain stable on these distant, frozen bodies? By defining and measuring the cenotectic, the absolute lowest temperature at which a liquid remains stable under varying pressures and concentrations, the team provides a critical framework for interpreting data from planetary exploration efforts.

This study combines Powell-Palm’s expertise in cryobiology — specifically the low-temperature thermodynamics of water — initially focused on medical applications like organ preservation for transplantation, with Journaux’s expertise in planetary science and high-pressure water-ice systems. Together, they developed a framework that bridges disciplines to tackle one of the most fascinating challenges in planetary science.

“With the launch of NASA Europa Clipper, the largest planetary exploration mission ever launched, we are entering a multi-decade era of exploration of cold and icy ocean worlds. Measurements from this and other missions will tell us how deep the ocean is and its composition,” said Journaux. “Laboratory measurements of liquid stability, and notably the lowest temperature possible (the newly-defined cenotectic), combined with mission results, will allow us to fully constrain how habitable the cold and deep oceans of our solar system are, and also what their final fate will be when the moons or planets have cooled down entirely.”

A Texas A&M Legacy of Innovation in Space Research

The research was conducted at Texas A&M and led by mechanical engineering graduate student Arian Zarriz. The work reflects Texas A&M’s deep expertise in water-ice systems and tradition of excellence in space research, which spans multiple disciplines. With the recent groundbreaking of the Texas A&M Space Institute, the university is poised to play an even larger role in space exploration, providing intellectual leadership for missions pushing the boundaries of human knowledge.

“The study of icy worlds is a particular priority for both NASA and the European Space Agency, as evidenced by the flurry of recent and upcoming spacecraft launches,” said Powell-Palm. “We hope that Texas A&M will help to provide intellectual leadership in this space.”

Looking Ahead

As planetary exploration missions, such as those targeting icy moons, continue to expand our understanding of the solar system, researchers at Texas A&M and beyond prepare to analyze the wealth of data they will provide. By combining experimental studies like those conducted by Powell-Palm and Journaux with the findings from these missions, scientists aim to unlock the secrets of cold, ocean-bearing worlds and evaluate their potential to harbor life.

Electron transfer, critical to processes such as cellular respiration and energy harvesting in plants, has long posed challenges to scientists due to the complex quantum interactions involved. Current computational techniques often fall short of capturing the full scope of these processes. The multidisciplinary team at Rice, including physicists, chemists and biologists, addressed these challenges by creating a programmable quantum system capable of independently controlling the key factors in electron transfer: donor-acceptor energy gaps, electronic and vibronic couplings and environmental dissipation.

Using an ion crystal trapped in a vacuum system and manipulated by laser light, the researchers demonstrated the ability to simulate real-time spin dynamics and measure transfer rates across a range of conditions. The findings not only validate key theories of quantum mechanics but also pave the way for novel insights into light-harvesting systems and molecular devices.

“This is the first time that this kind of model was simulated on a physical device while including the role of the environment and even tailoring it in a controlled way,” said lead researcher Guido Pagano, assistant professor of physics and astronomy. “It represents a significant leap forward in our ability to use quantum simulators to investigate models and regimes that are relevant for chemistry and biology. The hope is that by harnessing the power of quantum simulation, we will eventually be able to explore scenarios that are currently inaccessible to classical computational methods.”

The team achieved a significant milestone by successfully replicating a standard model of molecular electron transfer using a programmable quantum platform. Through the precise engineering of tunable dissipation, the researchers explored both adiabatic and nonadiabatic regimes of electron transfer, demonstrating how these quantum effects operate under varying conditions. Additionally, their simulations identified optimal conditions for electron transfer, which parallel the energy transport mechanisms observed in natural photosynthetic systems.

“Our work is driven by the question: Can quantum hardware be used to directly simulate chemical dynamics?” Pagano said. “Specifically, can we incorporate environmental effects into these simulations as they play a crucial role in processes essential to life such as photosynthesis and electron transfer in biomolecules? Addressing this question is significant as the ability to directly simulate electron transfer in biomolecules could provide valuable insights for designing new light-harvesting materials.”

The implications for practical applications are far-reaching. Understanding electron transfer processes at this level could lead to breakthroughs in renewable energy technologies, molecular electronics and even the development of new materials for quantum computing.

“This experiment is a promising first step to gain a deeper understanding of how quantum effects influence energy transport, particularly in biological systems like photosynthetic complexes,” said Jose N. Onuchic, study co-author, the Harry C. and Olga K. Wiess Chair of Physics and professor of physics and astronomy, chemistry and biosciences. “The insights we gain in this type of experiment could inspire the design of more efficient light-harvesting materials.”

Peter G. Wolynes, study co-author, the D.R. Bullard-Welch Foundation Professor of Science and professor of chemistry, biosciences and physics and astronomy, emphasized the broader significance of the findings: “This research bridges the gap between theoretical predictions and experimental verification, offering an exquisitely tunable framework for exploring quantum processes in complex systems.”

The team plans to extend its simulations to include more complex molecular systems such as those involved in photosynthesis and DNA charge transport. The researchers also hope to investigate the role of quantum coherence and delocalization in energy transfer, leveraging the unique capabilities of their quantum platform.

“This is just the beginning,” said Han Pu, co-lead author of the study and professor of physics and astronomy. “We are excited to explore how this technology can help unravel the quantum mysteries of life and beyond.”

The study’s other co-authors include graduate students Visal So, Midhuna Duraisamy Suganthi, Abhishek Menon, Mingjian Zhu and research scientist Roman Zhuravel.

This research was made possible thanks to the Welch Foundation Award C-2154, the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Program (No. N00014-22-1-2282), a National Science Foundation CAREER Award (No. PHY-2144910), the Army Research Office (W911NF22C0012), the Office of Naval Research (No. N00014-23-1-2665), the NSF (PHY-2207283, PHY-2019745 and PHY-2210291) and the D. R. Bullard-Welch Chair at Rice (No. C0016). The authors acknowledge that this material is based upon work supported by the U.S Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Nuclear Physics under the Early Career Award No. DE-SC0023806. The isotopes used in this research were supplied by the U.S. Department of Energy Isotope Program managed by the Office of Isotope R&D and Production.