Science Shockers: AI-Created Viruses, “Water Worlds” Debunked & More (Sept 19

Key Facts

AI-Designed Life Forms: Researchers unveiled the first viruses designed entirely by artificial intelligence, demonstrating AI’s ability to write genome-scale DNA and create bacteriophages that kill drug-resistant bacteria ^[1] ^[2]. In China, a massive AI health platform with 50+ million users is managing chronic diseases via an advanced medical large language model ^[3].
Medical Breakthroughs: A 40-year-old medical mystery was solved when scientists discovered why smoking helps ulcerative colitis but worsens Crohn’s disease, tracing it to smoking-triggered mouth bacteria that reduce one gut inflammation while aggravating another ^[4]. And after decades of failure, new Alzheimer’s drugs (donanemab and lecanemab) became the first to significantly slow the disease’s progression – albeit modestly and only in early stages, with serious side-effect risks ^[5].
Space & Astronomy Surprises: A new study challenges the idea of “ocean worlds” on exoplanets – it finds planets like K2-18b likely don’t have deep global oceans, as most of their water may be locked away internally ^[6]. Meanwhile, the James Webb Space Telescope’s first look at Earth-sized exoplanet TRAPPIST-1e found it almost certainly lacks a thick Venus-like atmosphere, though a thinner secondary atmosphere (and even a surface ocean) remains possible ^[7]. In our own galaxy, simulations solved a 400-year puzzle of globular star clusters and predicted a hidden new class of star systems with dark matter ^[8] ^[9].
Climate & Environmental Alerts: Wildfire smoke is emerging as perhaps the deadliest U.S. climate threat. Stanford scientists warn smoke pollution could kill 70,000 Americans per year by 2050, far outpacing other climate-related damages ^[10]. And in a grim pollution milestone, researchers reported finding microplastics embedded deep in human bones – tiny plastic particles may weaken bone structure and hasten diseases like osteoporosis ^[11].
Quantum Leap in Computing: Physicists achieved a major engineering feat by creating a “conveyor belt” for atoms in a neutral-atom quantum computer ^[12]. The system automatically replaces atoms that get lost during calculations, allowing a 3,000-atom array to be continuously maintained ^[13] ^[14]. Experts call it an “impressive” step toward scaling up quantum computers, overcoming a key hurdle in building larger qubit machines ^[15].

Artificial Intelligence & Technology

AI Designs New Viruses: In a stunning demonstration of AI’s creative power, scientists announced they have used artificial intelligence to design the first-ever viruses from scratch. The AI wrote complete viral genomes for bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria) which were then synthesized in the lab ^[16]. Several of these AI-generated phages successfully infected and killed E. coli bacteria that natural phages couldn’t attack ^[17]. “This is the first time AI systems are able to write coherent genome-scale sequences,” said Stanford computational biologist Brian Hie, calling it a step toward “AI-generated life” ^[18]. While still in preprint and not yet peer-reviewed, the breakthrough suggests AI could become a powerful tool for engineering new biomedical therapies ^[19] ^[20]. Researchers hope AI-designed phages might one day help fight antibiotic-resistant superbugs ^[21] ^[22] – showcasing a real-world payoff for AI in medicine. The work also raises biosafety questions, as wholly novel organisms can now be created digitally, underscoring the need for oversight as “the next step is AI-generated life,” in Hie’s words ^[23].

AI in Healthcare at Scale: China has taken a leap in applying AI to public health management. A tech firm in Guangdong unveiled a vast AI-driven platform called “XingShi” to manage chronic diseases for millions of patients ^[24]. Built around a proprietary large language model, XingShi integrates speech and image recognition, medical records, and reasoning to provide personalized health guidance ^[25]. According to Nature, the system now has over 50 million registered users and 200,000 physicians on board ^[26]. It’s being used to help monitor and treat common chronic conditions – from diabetes to heart disease – aiming to reduce strain on healthcare systems as populations age】 ^[27]. Little has been revealed about the model’s inner workings, but analysts say it benefits from strong government support for AI in China ^[28]. Observers note that with China’s 180 million elderly people suffering chronic illnesses ^[29], such AI tools could fill gaps in caregiver workforce and encourage preventive care. This massive experiment hints at how AI may revolutionize healthcare delivery, though experts caution robust validation and privacy safeguards are needed as these platforms scale up ^[30] ^[31].

Tech Briefs: In other tech news, engineers unveiled novel optical devices that could transform consumer gadgets. One team created tiny multi-layer “metalenses” that focus multiple colors of light, potentially enabling ultra-thin smartphone cameras without traditional glass lenses ^[32]. Another group developed a lensless 3D camera using ancient pinhole photography principles, capturing crisp infrared images in low light using only computational tricks ^[33]. And a “perovskite camera” prototype was demonstrated, using a cutting-edge semiconductor detector to see inside the body with lower cost – a technology that could improve medical imaging ^[34]. These advances, while early, highlight the rapid pace of innovation at the intersection of materials science and imaging technology, promising sharper eyes for our devices.

Medicine & Health

Smoking’s Paradox Solved: Doctors have long been baffled by a bizarre observation: smoking exacerbates Crohn’s disease but seems to protect against ulcerative colitis (two forms of inflammatory bowel disease). Now, Japanese researchers at RIKEN finally uncovered why. Smoking produces certain chemical metabolites (like hydroquinone) that enable mouth bacteria – particularly Streptococcus mitis – to colonize the gut ^[35]. These normally transient oral microbes settle in the colons of smokers and trigger an immune response that reduces inflammation in ulcerative colitis but, by a different mechanism, worsens Crohn’s inflammation ^[36] ^[37]. Essentially, smoking “reprograms” the gut microbiome: oral bacteria living in the intestines cause a helpful anti-inflammatory Th1 immune reaction in colitis, but the same response is harmful in Crohn’s ^[38] ^[39]. The findings, published in Gut, resolve a 40-year puzzle and could pave the way for new treatments. Researchers suggest using probiotics or metabolites like hydroquinone to mimic smoking’s protective effect – calming ulcerative colitis flares – without the lethal side effects of tobacco ^[40] ^[41]. It’s a striking example of how lifestyle factors can have complex, disease-specific impacts on our microbiome and immune system.

Alzheimer’s Research Turns a Corner: After decades of disappointment, patients and doctors finally have some tangible progress in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. Two new medications – donanemab (Eli Lilly) and lecanemab (Biogen/Eisai) – have become the first drugs shown to significantly slow Alzheimer’s progression in clinical trials ^[42]. These antibodies target amyloid plaques in the brain. Trials showed they can delay cognitive decline by around 25–35%, buying extra months of independent life. However, experts caution the benefits are modest and limited to early-stage patients, and the drugs carry serious risks ^[43] ^[44]. Both can cause brain swelling or hemorrhages in some patients – side effects that in rare cases are fatal. This has prompted debate over whether their high cost and risks outweigh the benefits ^[45] ^[46]. Regulators are split: the U.S. FDA approved lecanemab (brand Leqembi) and Medicare will cover it, but health authorities in the UK and France declined routine coverage, questioning the drugs’ value ^[47]. Meanwhile, early diagnosis is becoming a key focus. The U.S. authorized a simple blood test for Alzheimer’s biomarkers this year, which can indicate early disease by detecting amyloid and tau proteins ^[48]. This is far less invasive than the traditional spinal tap or PET scan, potentially allowing screening of at-risk people. European countries have been slower to adopt blood tests, pending more validation ^[49]. Doctors note that if treatments work best in early disease, broader screening will be needed – but it also raises ethical questions, since some people with biomarker signs never develop dementia ^[50]. Overall, the past week’s news – new drugs and new diagnostics – marks real hope for Alzheimer’s patients, yet underscores ongoing dilemmas about safety, cost, and implementation.

Other Medical Developments: Researchers in Texas reported success using a new non-opioid painkiller, suzetrigine, for post-surgery patients ^[51]. UT Health San Antonio pioneered the drug’s use to control severe pain without the addictive risks of opioids ^[52]. Early results suggest it can provide potent relief for surgical patients while reducing opioid consumption, addressing a critical need amid the opioid epidemic. And in Singapore, an international team solved a different medical mystery – identifying genetic mutations (in the gene SPNS1) behind a rare multi-organ disease that causes recurrent inflammation in children ^[53]. This discovery ended a diagnostic odyssey for affected families and opens the door to targeted therapies. Both advances illustrate how bench research is steadily translating to bedside progress in pain management and rare diseases.

Space & Astronomy

Exoplanet Oceans Vanish: Are the “water worlds” we imagined actually dry? A striking new study led by ETH Zurich astronomers pours cold water on the hype around so-called Hycean planets – hypothetical ocean-covered exoplanets with hydrogen atmospheres. Earlier this year, observations of the exoplanet K2-18b (124 light-years away) made headlines for hints it could harbor a vast liquid ocean beneath an atmosphere, raising hopes for habitability ^[54]. But the new research finds that most sub-Neptune sized planets likely lose the bulk of their water during formation, trapping it deep inside or in minerals rather than forming surface oceans ^[55] ^[56]. The team modeled the chemistry of young planets with magma oceans and hydrogen atmospheres. They discovered that water reacts away – hydrogen and oxygen atoms get absorbed into the molten interior – leaving far less H₂O at the surface than previously thought ^[57] ^[58]. “Water on [such] planets is much more limited than previously believed,” notes ETH Professor Caroline Dorn ^[59] ^[60]. In fact, the simulations suggest no distant worlds with 50%+ water by mass exist; the classic vision of a Hycean planet with 90% ocean is “very unlikely” ^[61]. Instead, these planets might have only a few percent water at most, perhaps as an ice layer or shallow seas. That’s sobering news for extraterrestrial life prospects. It implies truly ocean-rich worlds may be restricted to smaller Earth-like planets, which are harder to observe with current telescopes ^[62] ^[63]. K2-18b itself, the poster child for Hycean hopes, likely has a thick gas envelope and no global ocean according to the study ^[64]. While not everyone is convinced, the findings challenge us to rethink exoplanet habitability and focus the search on worlds that resemble our water-abundant Earth.

Webb Peeks at a “Habitable” Planet: In related news, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) delivered its first observations of TRAPPIST-1e, one of the most Earth-like exoplanets known. TRAPPIST-1e orbits in the habitable zone of a dim star just 40 light-years away, making it a prime candidate for life. Webb’s initial data, published this month, didn’t find definitive signs of an atmosphere, but allowed scientists to rule out certain hostile atmospheres. They conclude TRAPPIST-1e almost certainly doesn’t have a thick, carbon-dioxide-dominated atmosphere like Venus or Mars ^[65]. “The new data rule out a hydrogen-dominated atmosphere,” said MIT postdoc Ana Glidden, lead author on the study ^[66]. That means the planet long ago lost any primordial hydrogen blanket. However, Webb’s measurements are consistent with a secondary atmosphere produced by volcanic outgassing – for example, a thinner mix of CO₂ or nitrogen – which could still support liquid water on the surface ^[67]. In fact, the team says their results “still allow for the possibility of a surface ocean” on TRAPPIST-1e ^[68] ^[69]. “It remains one of our most compelling habitable-zone planets,” noted MIT’s Sara Seager, adding that knowing what it isn’t (Venus-like or airless) “sharpens our focus” on what kinds of atmospheres might be present ^[70]. More Webb observations are planned to search for molecules like CO₂, ozone or methane in the planet’s air. TRAPPIST-1e is small and dim, so characterizing it is challenging, but these first insights mark a milestone – never before have we probed an Earth-sized world’s atmosphere with such precision. As Webb continues to examine the TRAPPIST-1 system (which has seven rocky planets total), astronomers inch closer to detecting signs of habitability beyond our solar system.

Milky Way Mysteries – New Star Systems & Solar Wind Puzzles: Back at home, astronomers using supercomputers solved a 400-year-old cosmic puzzle about the origin of globular clusters – those dense swarms of ancient stars that orbit galaxies. A study in Nature led by University of Surrey scientists ran a universe-scale simulation (13.8 billion years of cosmic evolution in a box) with ultra-fine resolution ^[71]. The simulation naturally formed realistic globular clusters and, intriguingly, predicted a previously unknown type of star system called “globular cluster–like dwarfs.” These would look like globular clusters (compact star balls) but harbor a hidden stash of dark matter, unlike normal globulars which have almost none ^[72] ^[73]. The authors suggest a few known objects – such as the nearby dwarf galaxy Reticulum II – might actually be these hybrid systems masquerading as globular clusters ^[74] ^[75]. If confirmed, they would be cosmic Rosetta Stones, offering new ways to study dark matter and the first generation of stars ^[76] ^[77]. The discovery shows that even in our well-charted galactic backyard, entire classes of objects may be “hiding in plain sight.”

Meanwhile, a NASA mission in Earth orbit has found the solar system is hiding some secrets of its own. Using data from NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft, researchers reported the first detection near Earth of exotic “pickup ions” in the solar wind – and evidence these particles generate their own waves ^[78] ^[79]. Pickup ions are created when neutral atoms drifting through space get ionized and swept up by the solar wind. Theory suggested they might influence solar wind behavior, but it hadn’t been observed near Earth until now. Dr. Michael Starkey of Southwest Research Institute and colleagues identified a telltale velocity signature of pickup ions (likely helium and hydrogen) along with associated electromagnetic waves in the solar wind plasma ^[80] ^[81]. This challenges the assumption that such ions are too scarce near Earth to matter ^[82]. If in fact these pickup ions significantly heat and disturb the solar wind locally, models of solar wind dynamics – and space weather forecasts – may need revision ^[83] ^[84]. The effect would be even larger in the outer heliosphere (near the solar system’s edge) where more interstellar atoms get ionized ^[85]. It’s a fascinating peek at the complex plasma ecology of our solar neighborhood. Understanding these processes is important for predicting solar storms and protecting spacecraft and power grids. As one researcher noted, “if [our] assumption is false” about pickup ions’ insignificance, “current theory and modeling…would need to be updated” ^[86]. Even after decades of study, the solar wind still holds surprises that could rewrite textbooks on heliophysics ^[87] ^[88].

Space Exploration Updates: In human spaceflight and exploration news, NASA selected Blue Origin to deliver the agency’s robotic VIPER rover to the Moon’s south pole in late 2027 ^[89]. Under the $190 million contract, Blue Origin’s Blue Moon lander will carry VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) to search for ice and resources in permanently shadowed lunar craters ^[90] ^[91]. This mission is part of NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon and establish a sustained presence. The rover will map water ice deposits that could be mined to make rocket fuel and life support for future Moon or Mars missions ^[92]. NASA’s acting Administrator hailed the public-private partnership as leveraging industry to “support a long-term American presence on the lunar surface” ^[93]. In the nearer term, SpaceX successfully launched another batch of Starlink satellites from California on Sept. 19, marking its 70th orbital launch of the year. And skywatchers in extreme southern latitudes geared up for a partial solar eclipse on Sept. 21, where the Moon would partially obscure the Sun as seen from Antarctica and the southern Indian Ocean ^[94]. From cutting-edge science to bold exploration, it’s been an eventful period both above Earth and on its surface.

Climate & Environment

Wildfire Smoke – A Deadly Forecast: Wildfires are no longer just a seasonal nuisance; they are fast becoming a national health emergency. A new Stanford-led study published in Nature sounds the alarm that wildfire smoke could kill an extra 30,000 Americans each year by 2050 due to climate change ^[95] ^[96]. That would bring total annual U.S. deaths from chronic smoke exposure to around 70,000 – a toll potentially greater than all other climate-related damages combined ^[97] ^[98]. “Wildfire activity and smoke exposure are changing quickly…this is a lived experience” now across the country, said co-author Marshall Burke ^[99]. Once mainly a Western problem, colossal fires in Canada blanketed the Eastern U.S. in smoke this summer, illustrating that no region is safe from windblown pollution ^[100]. The researchers analyzed death records and air quality data from 2006–2019 to quantify how spikes in particulate pollution from fires translated into excess mortality ^[101]. They then used climate models to project forward, finding that even with moderate emissions cuts, smoke-related deaths will likely jump ~70% by mid-century ^[102]. In a worst-case warming scenario, annual U.S. smoke deaths could exceed 100,000. Strikingly, the study estimates the economic cost of wildfire smoke mortality could hit $600 billion per year by 2050, outpacing damage from heat waves, hurricanes, or agricultural losses ^[103]. The tiny soot and chemical particles in wildfire smoke (PM₂.₅) are especially toxic: they penetrate deep into lungs and blood, and some evidence suggests smoke PM₂.₅ is more harmful than equal amounts of typical urban pollution due to toxic combustion products ^[104]. The health impacts can linger for years after heavy smoke exposure, contributing to heart and lung disease deaths long after skies clear ^[105]. The sobering conclusion: wildfire smoke is an “underestimated” killer in our warming world ^[106], and its burden will grow even if climate action is taken. The authors urge ramping up protections – from better indoor air filtration and “clean air shelters” during smoke events, to preventive burns and forest management to reduce mega-fire fuel ^[107]. As one said, “it’s like leaving the main character out of a movie” if climate policy ignores wildfire smoke impacts ^[108]. This study puts a hard number on a soft threat, potentially reframing wildfires as a top-tier public health challenge for the coming decades.

Microplastics Invade the Body: First it was blood, then organs, and now even our bones harbor microplastics. A review in Osteoporosis International has revealed disturbing evidence that microscopic plastic particles – the ubiquitous byproduct of global plastic pollution – are accumulating within human bone tissue ^[109]. Scientists supported by Brazil’s research agency FAPESP compiled results from 62 studies and found that plastic particles have been detected in human blood, placentas, lung tissue, brain tissue, and now deep in bones ^[110] ^[111]. In bone, these foreign particles may disrupt the function of bone marrow cells and accelerate cell aging, the researchers warn ^[112] ^[113]. Lab tests show microplastics can spur the development of osteoclasts – cells that break down bone – potentially leading to weaker bones and osteoporosis-like effects ^[114] ^[115]. “The potential impact…isn’t negligible,” said Rodrigo Oliveira of Brazil’s University of Campinas ^[116]. His team’s animal studies indicate inhaled or ingested microplastics can travel to bone marrow and compromise bone microstructure, causing deformities and fragility fractures ^[117] ^[118]. Alarmingly, this could be contributing to the worldwide rise in osteoporosis-related fractures, which are projected to increase 32% by 2050 as populations age ^[119]. The review authors are launching new research to directly test whether chronic microplastic exposure makes bones more prone to break ^[120]. Given that we each consume an estimated credit-card’s worth of microplastic a week (through air, water, and food), the findings underscore that plastic pollution is not just an ocean or wildlife issue, but a human health issue. These particles have already been linked to inflammation, hormone disruption, and potential cancer risk; now bone health joins the list of concerns. Scientists urge further study, but also argue this is one more reason to curb plastic use and pollution at the source. As Oliveira put it, osteometabolic diseases are well-researched, but “there’s a gap regarding the influence of microplastics” – a gap he hopes to fill with evidence that plastic could be a “controllable environmental cause” of bone density loss ^[121]. In short, our throwaway plastic culture may be coming back to literally haunt us in our skeletons ^[122] ^[123].

Environmental Odds & Ends: A few other environmental developments emerged: Kuwait City was declared one of the world’s most polluted cities this week as air quality indices spiked above 200 AQI (very unhealthy) due to desert dust and vehicle emissions ^[124]. And in ecological news, parasitologists studying Chesapeake Bay made a counterintuitive discovery that “egg-eating worms” infecting blue crabs may actually help crab populations. The worm infestations, once thought purely harmful, turn out to indicate when crabs have stopped reproducing for the season – information that could allow smarter catch limits to avoid overfishing ^[125] ^[126]. It’s a reminder that not all parasites are villains; some can play a role in managing wildlife sustainably. Lastly, climate adaptation efforts continue: at the UN General Assembly’s Climate Ambition Summit, world leaders debated ramping up funding for climate resilience, such as early warning systems for extreme weather and climate-smart infrastructure, though disagreements on financing persist. The science is clear on looming climate hazards – as the wildfire smoke study shows – but translating warnings into policy action remains a work in progress.

Physics & Materials Science

Quantum Computing’s “Conveyor Belt” Breakthrough: A team at Harvard University has surmounted a major obstacle in quantum computing by inventing a way to constantly correct for atom loss in an atomic qubit array ^[127]. Their new approach, described in Nature, uses a second array of laser-trapped atoms as a literal conveyor belt to replenish qubits in a primary array. Neutral-atom quantum computers encode information in single atoms held by optical tweezers. These offer large arrays (hundreds of atoms) and have drawn massive investment ^[128], but a persistent problem is that atoms occasionally get knocked out of their traps (“loss”) during operations, creating errors ^[129]. Mikhail Lukin’s group solved this by keeping a reservoir of spare atoms nearby in the vacuum chamber ^[130]. Using optical tweezers, they grab fresh atoms from the reservoir to assemble a new full array below the main one ^[131]. This secondary array is then merged with the original array, one-to-one, replacing any missing atoms – effectively “healing” the quantum register – and the older array is moved out and discarded ^[132] ^[133]. By iterating this process, they maintained a coherent 3,000-qubit array continuously, which is orders of magnitude larger than most quantum processors today. A Chinese quantum physicist not involved in the work praised it as “a very impressive engineering achievement in overcoming atom loss” that will help scale up atom-based computing ^[134]. The conveyor-like atom replacement could allow quantum computations to run far longer without decoherence errors. It also moves the field closer to the lofty goal of error-corrected, large-scale quantum computers. Lukin’s approach is notable because it doesn’t require exotic new hardware – just clever use of existing optical tweezer technology and feedback control. The results energize the neutral-atom platform as a dark-horse competitor to superconducting qubits (used by Google and IBM) and trapped ions. With this advance, the neutral-atom camp can counter critics who argued their machines couldn’t be scaled reliably. It’s literally a quantum leap for the hardware, suggesting these systems might one day reach the millions of qubits needed for truly transformative quantum computing ^[135] ^[136].

Peeking into Atoms and Electrons: In other physics news, materials scientists using advanced microscopy directly filmed the “atomic conveyor belt” motion in a crystal – observing atoms being rapidly shuttled through a lattice, which sets a new speed record for atomic manipulation ^[137] ^[138]. At Princeton, researchers demonstrated a silicon qubit device that manipulates single electrons without needing precise control of every atomic defect, hinting at more robust solid-state qubits. And a paper in Physical Review Letters offered a new theoretical twist on dark matter: a proposed “composite heavy axion” particle that could evade current detectors yet still explain dark matter’s cosmic abundance ^[139] ^[140]. While purely theoretical, it underscores the ongoing creativity in particle physics to solve the dark matter mystery. On the experimental side, physicists at the XENONnT detector in Italy noted that axion searches may be confounded by unexpected background effects, after refining their models and finding axion-photon conversion signals could be weaker than expected ^[141]. This means the elusive axion (a hypothesized dark matter particle) might be hiding even deeper in the noise – a sobering update for those hoping for a quick detection. And finally, in fusion energy, a U.S. national lab achieved a repeat of their 2022 milestone of exceeding “breakeven” fusion output in an inertial confinement experiment, inching fusion power closer to reality. Each of these developments – from quantum computing to fundamental particles – highlight that the pace of innovation in physics remains unrelenting, often happening quietly in labs until a breakthrough makes headlines.

The Lighter Side of Science

Not all scientific news is serious – this week also celebrated science that first makes you laugh, then makes you think. The 2025 Ig Nobel Prizes were announced at Harvard, honoring quirky research that highlights the fun and creativity in science ^[142]. A team of Italian physicists won the Ig Nobel in Physics for investigating the ideal way to cook cacio e pepe, a classic cheese-and-pepper pasta dish that is notoriously finicky ^[143]. By treating pasta sauce as a complex fluid, they uncovered the phase transitions that cause clumping and devised a method for consistently creamy results – a finding equal parts useful and amusing ^[144]. Another Ig Nobel went to researchers who experimentally tested whether drunk bats have trouble echolocating. Yes, you read that right: the study (Ig Nobel in Aviation) found that bats fed liquor did indeed fly more erratically and had impaired sonar ability, much like intoxicated humans stumbling around ^[145]. Other winners included a Nutrition Prize for scientists who discovered that wild lizards in rural Togo prefer four-cheese pizza over other toppings ^[146] ^[147], and a Chemistry Prize for testing if people can increase their food’s volume (and reduce hunger) by eating dissolved plastics like PTFE (“Teflon”) – short answer: please don’t try that at home ^[148] ^[149]. The Economics Prize (somewhat grimly) went to researchers who methodically explained why the success of certain business leaders might be just luck, using statistics to show randomness can mimic merit. As always, the Ig Nobels were handed out by actual Nobel laureates in a ceremony featuring paper airplanes and a 24/7 lecture (24 seconds long, followed by 7 words). The event highlights that science can have a sense of humor while still carrying real insights. As the Ig Nobel founder Marc Abrahams says, the awards honor work that “makes people laugh, then think” ^[150] – a reminder that curiosity can tackle anything, from the dynamics of a perfect pasta to the aerodynamics of tipsy bats.

Sources

Nature News: AI-designed bacteriophages ^[151] ^[152]
Nature News: Chinese AI health platform ^[153] ^[154]
ScienceDaily (RIKEN): Smoking, gut bacteria and colitis ^[155] ^[156]
NDTV/AFP: Progress on Alzheimer’s drugs and diagnostics ^[157] ^[158]
ScienceDaily (ETH Zurich): Exoplanet “Hycean” water world study ^[159] ^[160]
MIT News: JWST results on TRAPPIST-1e’s atmosphere ^[161] ^[162]
SciTechDaily/Univ. of Surrey: Globular clusters and new star systems ^[163] ^[164]
SciTechDaily/SwRI: MMS finds pickup ions in solar wind ^[165] ^[166]
NASA Press Release: Blue Origin to deliver VIPER rover ^[167] ^[168]
ScienceDaily (Stanford): Wildfire smoke mortality projections ^[169] ^[170]
ScienceDaily (FAPESP Brazil): Microplastics in human bones ^[171] ^[172]
Nature News: “Atomic conveyor belt” quantum computer advance ^[173] ^[174]
Nature News: Ig Nobel Prizes 2025 highlights ^[175] ^[176]

Can AI-generated proteins fight disease? #shorts

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References

Science Shockers: AI-Created Viruses, “Water Worlds” Debunked & More (Sept 19–20, 2025)