James' World 2

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People with type 1 diabetes must constantly rely on insulin injections or pumps, usually for the rest of their life after diagnosis. The autoimmune disease destroys the cells that produce the hormone, which is crucial to keeping blood sugar in check. But now research suggests a new therapy could finally allow people with type 1 diabetes to make insulin on their own.

A 42-year-old man who has lived most of his life with type 1 diabetes has become the first human to receive a transplant of genetically modified insulin-producing cells that can slip past the immune system’s mistaken attacks. This marks the first pancreatic cell transplant in a human to sidestep the need for immunosuppressant drugs—and it might even lead to a future cure for the disease, researchers say.

“This is the most exciting moment of my scientific career,” says cell biologist Per-Ola Carlsson of Uppsala University in Sweden, who helped develop the procedure. The new treatment, he says, “opens the future possibility of treating not only diabetes but other autoimmune diseases.”

Scientists injected nearly 80 million genetically tweaked cells into the participant’s forearm muscle, and 12 weeks later the cells were still alive and producing insulin. The recipient did require additional insulin injections—but the injected cells showed no signs of rejection, which the researchers say is a major step forward. The results were reported this month in the New England Journal of Medicine.

About two million people in the U.S. live with type 1 diabetes, which typically requires an intensive regimen of insulin injections and blood sugar monitoring. If their blood sugar runs amok, people face severe risks, including heart attacks, nerve damage, vision problems, kidney disease, and more.

For decades, scientists have struggled to develop therapies that can successfully replenish beta cells—the specialized insulin-producing cells that are found in the pancreas. Newly added functional beta cells are usually quickly destroyed because a type 1 diabetic immune system flags them as invaders. A few past attempts successfully transplanted donor islets—clusters of pancreatic cells that included beta cells—but these always ultimately triggered an aggressive immune response. And such a response requires recipients to take lifelong immunosuppressive drugs, which come with serious side effects, such as increased risks of infections and cancer. For example, at a conference in June, Boston-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals announced that 10 out of 12 participants who were treated with a stem-cell-based infusion during a clinical trial no longer required insulin injections a year after the therapy. But they may continue to need to immunosuppressants.

In the new study, Carlsson and his team looked for ways to dodge the immune response. First, they broke down a deceased donor’s pancreatic islets into single cells. Using the common gene-editing technique CRISPR, the researchers inactivated in some of these cells two genes that control the expression of proteins called human leukocyte antigens, which direct the immune system to the foreign cells. Without those markers, the immune system can’t easily recognize and destroy the donor cells.

To further evade immune system detection, the team made some cells express higher levels of a gene that discourages attacks by the body’s natural killer cells and macrophages, two types of immune cells. Three months after the treatment, although the immune system attacked some cells in the graft, it left the cells that had the inactivated genes and overexpressed gene alone. Blood tests showed no measurable immune cell activation or antibody production in response to these cells.

Before the transplant, the participant had no measurable naturally produced insulin and was receiving daily doses of the hormone. But within four to 12 weeks following the transplant, his levels rose slightly on their own after meals—showing that the new beta cells were releasing some insulin in response to glucose. Four adverse events occurred, but none were serious or related to the modified cells.

The advance “is amazing,” says Laura Alonso, chief of the division of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism at Weill Cornell Medicine, who was not involved in the new study. Unlike type 2 diabetes, in which people have poorly functioning beta cells, type 1 diabetes can destroy beta cells completely. Some people with type 1 diabetes may still have a small set of functional beta cells, but in more established cases, the immune system often whittles away all cells, Alonso says. For those established cases, she says, “cell-based therapy is where we need to go.”

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Mosquitoes bite, suck your blood, and leave you with itchy bumps and possibly a horrible infection. Mosquito-borne pathogens include malaria, West Nile virus, Zika virus, Chikungunya virus, and dengue. No wonder so many of us want to learn how to kill mosquitoes for good.

While you might fantasize about living in a mosquito-free world, eradicating them would actually be disastrous for the environment. Adult mosquitoes are food for other insects, birds, and bats, while larval mosquitoes support aquatic ecosystems. The best we can hope for is to limit their ability to transmit disease, repel them, and kill them within the confines of our yards and homes.

Mosquito-killing products bring in the big bucks, so it should come as no surprise that there is a wealth of misinformation out there. Before you get sucked into buying a product that simply won’t work, get educated about what does and does not kill these blood-sucking pests.

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Most people believe the only good mosquito is a dead mosquito. Doug4537 / Getty Images

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California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom has responded after a federal judge ruled Tuesday that the Trump administration broke the law by deploying National Guard troops to Southern California during immigration enforcement operations and related protests.

U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco stopped short of ordering the troops’ immediate removal but said his ruling would take effect Friday, September 12. Breyer is the younger brother of Stephen Breyer, who served as a Supreme Court justice from 1994 to 2022.

The ruling blocks the Trump administration from “deploying, ordering, instructing, training, or using the National Guard currently deployed in California, and any military troops heretofore deployed in California, to execute the laws, including but not limited to engaging in arrests, apprehensions, searches, seizures, security patrols, traffic control, crowd control, riot control, evidence collection, interrogation, or acting as informants.”

Newsom said in a statement, “Today, the court sided with democracy and the Constitution. No president is a king — not even Trump — and no president can trample a state’s power to protect its people. As the court today ruled, Trump is breaking the law by ‘creating a national police force with the President as its chief.’ That’s exactly what we’ve been warning about for months. There is no rampant lawlessness in California, and in fact, crime rates are higher in Republican-led states.”

Why It Matters

The ruling comes as Trump has discussed deploying the National Guard to various Democratic-led cities, including Chicago, Baltimore and New York, citing concerns about violent crime in the cities. However, crime statistics show that many Republican-run states and cities have equal, or higher, rates of crime.

Trump has already deployed the National Guard in Washington, D.C., in addition to placing the city’s police department under federal control.

“President Trump and Secretary Hegseth have stated their intention to call National Guard troops into federal service in other cities across the country—including Oakland and San Francisco, here in the Northern District of California—thus creating a national police force with the President as its chief,” Breyer wrote in his ruling.

What To Know

In June, Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed an emergency request asking the court to block Trump and the Department of Defense from expanding the current mission of federalized Cal Guard personnel and Marines.

The governor’s office said the soldiers were ordered to “engage in unlawful civilian law enforcement activities in communities across the region.”

Roughly 4,000 National Guard soldiers and 700 Marines were deployed to Los Angeles in early June to deal with protests over immigration enforcement, despite objections from local and state officials.

What is the Posse Comitatus Act?

The Posse Comitatus Act is a law passed in 1878 that limits the use of federal military personnel. Breyer said the Trump administration violated the law in its deployment of the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles.

“Because Defendants’ alleged violations of the Posse Comitatus Act include allegations that Task Force 51 troops have engaged in law enforcement—a domain traditionally within the state’s control—California has suffered an injury that gives it standing to challenge those violations,” Breyer wrote.

What People Are Saying

California Governor Gavin Newsom, in a statement, “Trump’s attempt to use federal troops as his personal police force is illegal, authoritarian, and must be stopped in every courtroom across this country.”

U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, in a ruling, “Los Angeles was the first U.S. city where President Trump and Secretary Hegseth deployed troops, but not the last.”

What Happens Next

Breyer’s ruling is scheduled to go into effect on Friday, September 12, which could give the Trump administration time to appeal the ruling.

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Scientists announced this week that they have managed to keep a genetically modified pig lung alive inside a human body—although briefly—for the first time. The lung survived for nine days, marking what some researchers say is an early step toward a major, long-hoped-for medical breakthrough. But others note that the road ahead is still a lengthy one.

With available human organs constantly filling only a tiny fraction of transplant demand, scientists have been trying for decades to turn pigs into lifesaving donors. Many pig organs are close in size and structure to those of humans, and pigs are prolific breeders that are relatively easy to raise in a pathogen-free environment. Researchers have successfully transplanted pig kidneys, livers, and hearts into humans, but lungs have remained a daunting challenge because of their complex physiology.

For one thing, lungs contain many blood vessels and white blood cells called macrophages, which surround and kill bacteria and viruses. These cells rapidly produce immune responses—but they also tend to trigger rapid and potentially lethal inflammation when surgeons restore blood flow after reducing it during transplant surgery. Because of such complexity, “we knew lungs would be the last organ that will get into the clinic,” says Muhammad Mohiuddin, a surgeon and president of the International Xenotransplantation Association, who conducted the first pig-to-human heart transplantation in 2022 but was not involved with the new experiment. And although it “is a great achievement” for the field, “we have to be cautiously optimistic” because this is just an early foray into understanding this extremely difficult procedure.

A team of scientists at China’s Guangzhou Medical University transplanted the pig lung into the body of a 39-year-old recipient who had already been declared brain-dead. The researchers used the gene-editing technique CRISPR to alter three pig genes that are naturally targeted by human antibodies. They also added three human genes to help prevent rejection. From the resulting genetically modified pig, they transplanted the left lung into the recipient, whose body was kept on life support, to observe how the organ functioned and how the human immune system responded. They also administered immunosuppressants to help prevent rejection.

The transplanted lung remained functional for nine days and was not immediately rejected by the human body. The scientists did report signs of lung tissue damage—produced by the lack of oxygen during the transplantation—one day after surgery, however. And the immune system showed the first signs of antibody-mediated rejection on days three and six. The experiment was terminated on day nine at the request of the recipient’s family.

In the study, which was published in Nature Medicine this week, the authors said that the process needs significant improvements, such as optimizing the pig’s genetic modifications and the immunosuppressive drugs used to avoid long-term rejection of the organ. None of the authors responded to Scientific American’s interview requests.“I don’t think blindly adding more knockouts and transgenes is the solution,” says Columbia University immunologist Megan Sykes, referring to genetic changes to the donor pig. If scientists take that approach, she adds, each modification should be tested separately by transplanting the pig organs into a baboon—a primate that is often used as a prehuman test stop for transplants. Sykes was not involved with the surgery and has focused on pig-to-baboon experiments to establish a recipient’s tolerance of transplanted lungs “I think tolerance, as well as better control of innate immunity, is going to be essential for the success,” she says.

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Hmmmmm… This is a major, groundbreaking accomplishment!

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After decades of research and development, a fusion reactor has finally achieved a continuous net energy output, marking a pivotal moment in the pursuit of sustainable energy. This groundbreaking achievement, hailed as one of the most impressive scientific feats of the 21st century, could potentially revolutionize the global energy landscape. As nations compete to lead this new era of energy production, the implications for the environment, economy, and technology are profound.

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Fusion reactor

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This year is the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, according to UNESCO, marking 100 years since quantum mechanics was proposed. The theory hardly needed the extra publicity, though.

Look at any science magazine’s trending articles, and there’s a good chance quantum stories will be among the top rankings. Cute animals aside, quantum physics might be science fans’ favorite cover story. But why?

I’m a science journalist with a physics degree, and this question fascinates me. It’s not obvious why the public is so enraptured with quantum physics, a field that is notoriously difficult to explain and even more challenging to connect to everyday experience. Yet what I call the “quantum fixation” has prevailed almost since the theory originated.

I had the opportunity to research the perennial popularity of quantum physics for my master’s dissertation in science communication, and I chose to dive into the archives of Scientific American in search of an answer. As the U.S.’s oldest continually published magazine—180 years now—it is one of the few publications old enough to have witnessed the birth of the quantum age and has helped introduce it to the public.

Over the course of a few months, I searched the archives for articles with any mention of the word quantum in the past 100 years of print coverage. In analyzing who wrote these articles, what they chose to write about, and how they conveyed the often-confusing quantum world to general readers, I hoped to discover what the public found so compelling about quantum physics.

t turns out that what draws us to quantum physics are the same things its founders found repulsive about it.

Quantum Beginnings

You have to feel sorry for quantum mechanics sometimes. The scientists that founded it were among its harshest critics. In 1905, Albert Einstein first popularized the word quanta (derived from the Latin term for “how much”) to describe light as composed of discrete packets or bundles of energy known as photons.

At the beginning, quantum theory was just the simple idea that energy came in these discrete units. But even that notion was polarizing because experiments had already shown that light behaved, in many situations, like a wave.

Even then, established scientists struggled to communicate quantum ideas to a general audience. Quantum theory was a significant departure from simple, realist notions of science, where we have a straightforward correspondence between the words we use and the objects we’re referring to.

Newton’s first law of motion, for instance, describes how an object moves in a straight line unless an outside force acts upon it. This mass exists as a real entity with clearly defined and consistent properties we can measure.

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Richard Jones/Science Source

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When I started out, the goal was pretty straightforward: Make lots of money. Like most new entrepreneurs, I figured once I’d “made it,” then I’d give back. That part would come later. Success first, impact second.

Looking back, I now realize that mentality was a massive mistake. In fact, I believe it was one of the fundamental reasons it took me years to find any success. I now realize that pushing purpose to the back burner might be the thing that stalls your growth even more than poor marketing.

Everything turned around for me when I stopped “chasing paper” and started asking how I could help. When that shift happened, my business started to thrive in ways I never expected. And the money? It followed, as a side effect. It’s a fact that we all know deep down, but too often forget.

We’re told that giving back is something you earn the right to do once your company is big, your team is built, and your bank account looks a certain way. But the reality is that purpose isn’t a luxury; it’s a growth strategy. This attitude of abundance needs to be something that you embody both internally and externally as well.

The first focus needs to be on how you approach your day-to-day operations. At BotBuilders, our work centers around AI and automation. But that’s not really what drives us. The deeper mission is helping small business owners believe in what they’re building and giving them tools to actually pull it off.

The more we’ve invested in our clients’ success, the more we’ve seen our own business expand. Not just in revenue, but in reach, loyalty and community. Real relationships have carried us further than any marketing tactic ever could. It’s not something you can track or budget for, but we’ve all experienced how one relationship can lead to exponential growth, on many levels.

The second way to have an impact is how your company shows outside of your core competency. Namely, in your community. How often do you and your team get out and serve those who need it most? Money is great, but there is no comparison to the difference that a smile can make.

One of the biggest culture-shaping moments we’ve ever had started in the most unexpected place: a bowling alley in Arizona. Working with Special Olympics Arizona, we put together the Bowl-A-Thon Bash. The annual event pairs athletes with local business owners for high-fives, gutter balls, and a whole lot of laughter.

At first, it felt like a one-off community event. But after that night, something shifted. It became tradition. And every year we go back it resets something in us. We leave lighter, clearer, and more in tune with what really matters. That one night has done more to anchor our company values than any vision statement ever could.

Don’t get me wrong, money is important. I’m not dismissing that. But if we’re talking about real impact? Giving your time and actually showing up, things just hit different. Over the years, our team has done all kinds of small things that ended up being huge. We’ve served meals at shelters. We’ve planted trees. We’ve hosted holiday parties in retirement homes just to bring some joy to folks who don’t get many visitors.

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At 10 years old, brainiac Sean the Science Kid already has plenty in common with Dr. Sanjay Gupta: He loves to learn and explain science to his million-plus Instagram followers. They discuss their shared love of the brain—and Sean takes the mic to ask Dr. Gupta some of his own questions.

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Sean the Science Kid

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, will be facing a political test when Congress reconvenes this fall as lawmakers will be considering a new funding bill to avoid a government shutdown

Why It Matters

Democratic voters across the country have become increasingly frustrated with what they view as a feeble response from congressional leaders to President Donald Trump’s agenda amid his second term in office. Democrats in Congress lack a majority in the House and Senate, limiting their ability to block his agenda from passing, but voters have pushed for stronger action from elected officials.

Schumer faced a tsunami of Democratic backlash in March after he declined to block a Republican-led stopgap bill to avoid a government shutdown. Schumer and eight other Democrats voted in favor of a procedural motion to allow debate on the bill but ultimately voted against its passage. That vote, however, allowed it to pass the filibuster and become law, Democratic critics say.

What To Know

Congress has until October 1 to pass a series of bills to fund the government through fiscal year (FY) 2026. Republicans have slim majorities in both chambers—a 219-212 advantage in the House and a 53-47 advantage in the Senate—meaning any vote on the package may again prove to be a tight vote.

This presents challenges for both parties—Republican leaders will have to appease both swing-district moderates and Make America Great Again (MAGA)-aligned conservatives

However, Democrats like Schumer will also be facing a test as he seeks to appease the Democratic voter base, while also working with Republicans to get some concessions in the bills.

In March, Democrats from across the spectrum expressed frustration with Schumer and other Democrats advancing the spending bill despite a lack of concessions made by Republicans to earn his support on the bill, which critics argued cut critical programs. Democrats called for Schumer to face a future primary or step down as party leader, which he has declined to do.

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Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Associated Press/Canva/Getty

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Gigantic trenches known as gullies are opening up in cities in Africa, swallowing up homes and businesses, sometimes in an instant, a study has found.

About 118,600 people, on average, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) alone were displaced between 2004 and 2023, according to researchers reporting their findings in Nature.

Without urgent action, researchers estimate that hundreds of thousands of people across Africa are likely to be displaced within the next 10 years, including more than one-quarter of the 770,000 or so people in the DRC living in the expected expansion zone of these gullies.

“It’s an underestimated and severely under-researched hazard,” says study co-author Matthias Vanmaercke, a geographer at the Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven) in Belgium. It is caused by “a combination of natural and human factors,” he says, but this is “not at all unavoidable.”

Expanding gullies

Gullies are expanding across cities that are built on sandy soils and lack adequate drainage. When there are heavy rains, water accumulates on roads and rooftops. When the drainage systems are inadequate, the water finds its way into unprotected ground, carving deep holes that can stretch for hundreds of metres. Over time, the gullies swallow houses and other infrastructure, and sometimes even result in deaths.

Vanmaercke and his colleagues used satellite images taken between 2021 and 2023 to identify 2,922 urban gullies in 26 of 47 cities, covering a cumulative distance of nearly 740 kilometres. The team cross-checked these images with historical aerial photographs stored at the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Belgium and found that only 46 of the gullies were present in the 1950s. This “gave the first clear indication that this is indeed attributable to the ongoing urbanization,” Vanmaercke says.

In 99% of cases, the gullies had expanded by at least 10 square metres between 2004 and 2023. The average gully was 253 metres long and 31 metres across at its widest point, and nearly all of them were linked to the road network. “The water cannot infiltrate, and it concentrates along these roads, which basically become big canals that turn into rivers,” says Vanmaercke.

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