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  • China’s Commercial Space Industry Is Facing Bottlenecks, Insiders Say

    China’s Commercial Space Industry Is Facing Bottlenecks, Insiders Say

    (Yicai) Aug. 21 — Despite a recent flurry of launches, progress in China’s commercial space sector is being held back by bottlenecks in capacity and technology, industry insiders have told Yicai.

    There have been nine rocket launches in China in the past 25 days, more than a quarter of the total in the first half of the year. But there have also been problems that pointed to ongoing issues in the sector.

    Last week, startup Landspace experienced a failure following an anomaly during the launch of its Zhuque-2E Y3 carrier rocket. The specific reason for the failure has not yet been made public.

    Launch costs are a growing concern. Satellites prices have come down, thanks to manufacturing maturity in China, but the cost of putting them into orbit can be more than the satellite itself, a senior executive at a satellite manufacturer told Yicai.

    A single launch costs around CNY150,000 (USD20,900) per kilogram, the person said, meaning that putting a 500-kilogram satellite into space can cost as much as CNY75 million (USD10.4 million).

    “It’s pricey, very pricey,” said Jiang Luye, chief technology officer at Xingsuo Technology, a maker of reusable liquid-fuelled rockets. If carrying capacity can be improved, more satellites can be put into orbit in just one launch, Jiang said, noting that this capacity depends on the performance of the engines and their potential for recycling.

    But there are technical problems in the most common rocket technology used in China, which uses kerelox, a mixture of kerosene and liquid oxygen. It creates deposits that are hard to clean, Jiang said, which adds to the costs. By comparison, the famed Raptor engine in US-based SpaceX’s rockets uses liquid oxygen and methane, which is more suitable for reuse.

    Jiang said his company is researching a new generation of rockets that will have much greater liftoff weight. “The greater the single-time carrying capacity is, the lower the general launching costs will be,” he said, adding that costs could be cut by 50 percent or more.

    The company is now 60-strong, with staff drawn from various prestigious Chinese universities and it will expand to around 200 people by the end of this year, Jiang said. Research efforts will focus on rocket recycling and engine technology, he noted.

    Editor: Tom Litting

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  • Australian researchers identify GATOR1 complex as key to preventing lymphoma

    Australian researchers identify GATOR1 complex as key to preventing lymphoma

    Australian researchers have used an innovative genome-wide screening approach to identify genes, and their encoded proteins, that play critical roles in the prevention of lymphoma development, revealing new potential treatment targets for these blood cancers. 

    The study, published in Nature Communications today, has identified a group of proteins known as the GATOR1 complex as essential tumor suppressors. 

    The GATOR1 complex normally functions as a ‘brake’ on cellular growth by regulating pathways that control cell growth and metabolism. When GATOR1 components are lost or defective, this protective mechanism fails, allowing cells to grow uncontrollably. 

    The research is a collaboration between the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute (ONJCRI), WEHI, and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. 

    The team utilized sophisticated pre-clinical models of aggressive lymphoma to systematically test the function of all known genes in this complex. Their comprehensive screening approach revealed that when any of the GATOR1 genes are lacking, lymphoma development is dramatically accelerated, identifying the GATOR1 complex as a crucial suppressor of blood cancer development. 

    Co-lead author Dr Margaret Potts said: “The best thing about performing a well-designed CRISPR screen is that you will always find something. 

    “Our unbiased screening approach looked at all genes, rather than just a subset of them. By not limiting our investigation to known pathways, we found expected as well as unexpected tumor suppressor genes and pathways, such as GATOR1.” 

    Strikingly, existing drugs that target the same cellular pathways that GATOR1 typically controls were highly effective at slowing the growth of lymphomas in GATOR1-deficient pre-clinical models. 

    These drugs have previously had limited success in cancer treatment, and this may be because researchers have not been able to identify which patients would respond well to these therapeutics. 

    “Our paper begins the exploration into this precision medicine opportunity,” shared Dr Potts. 

    Prof Marco Herold, CEO of ONJCRI, Head of the La Trobe School of Cancer Medicine and senior author of the Nature Communications paper, said: 

    “Our pre-clinical lymphoma model is driven by high levels of the oncogene MYC, an abnormality that can be found in ~70% of all human cancers. When GATOR1 is lacking, it removes a critical brake that normally slows MYC-driven malignancy. 

    This exciting discovery provides a new insight into the development and sustained expansion of cancer, which we hope will underpin the development of more effective, targeted treatments for cancer.” 

    According to the Global Cancer Observatory, there were over 630,000 new cases of lymphoma worldwide in 2022, highlighting the urgent need for better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that drive this disease.

    The research was led by Dr Margaret Potts, Dr Shinsuke Mizutani, and Dr Yexuan Deng, under the supervision of Prof Marco Herold, Prof Andreas Strasser (WEHI), and A/Prof Kristin Brown (Peter Mac). 

    Source:

    Journal reference:

    Potts, M. A., et al. (2025). Genome-wide in vivo CRISPR screens identify GATOR1 complex as a tumor suppressor in Myc-driven lymphoma. Nature Communications. doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62615-y.

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  • Models Based on Serum Proteomics Improve Risk Prediction in ADPKD – Docwire News

    Models Based on Serum Proteomics Improve Risk Prediction in ADPKD – Docwire News

    1. Models Based on Serum Proteomics Improve Risk Prediction in ADPKD  Docwire News
    2. Scientists discover new ways to predict course of chronic kidney disease  The University of Manchester
    3. New Biomarker Models Offer Mechanistic Insights in Chronic Kidney Disease Management  Managed Healthcare Executive
    4. These biomarkers may predict organ failure, death in chronic kidney disease  Business Standard
    5. Simple blood, urine tests may help predict chronic kidney disease progression  Daijiworld

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  • Peer reviewers more likely to approve articles that cite their own work

    Peer reviewers more likely to approve articles that cite their own work

    Reviewers are more likely to approve a manuscript if their own work is cited in subsequent versions than reviewers who are not cited, according to an analysis of 18,400 articles from four open access publications. The study, which is yet to be peer reviewed, was posted online as a preprint earlier this month.

    The study was inspired by anecdotes from authors who cited articles only because reviewers asked them to, says study author Adrian Barnett, who researches peer review and metaresearch at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. Sometimes, these requests are fine, he says. But if reviewers ask for too many citations or the reason to cite their work is not justified, the peer-review process can become transactional, says Barnett. Citations increase a researcher’s h-index, a metric reflecting the impact of their publications.

    These are the most-cited research papers of all time

    Requesting unnecessary or unjustified requests for citations, sometimes called coercive citation, is generally considered poor practice. Balazs Aczel, a psychologist who studies metascience at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, says that the latest work isn’t the first to investigate reviewers asking for citations, but that the number of peer reviews included and level of analysis is novel. A barrier to studying the practice is a lack of data sharing from publishers, he says.

    Approve, reject, reservations

    The preprint considered articles from four publishing platforms — F1000Research, Wellcome Open Research, Gates Open Research and Open Research Europe — that make all versions of their articles publicly available, as well as reviewer comments. The publishers ask reviewers to approve articles, reject or approve them with reservations. Reviewers are also asked to explain why they ask authors to cite their own work. Of 37,000 reviews — at least two people reviewed each article — 54% of reviewers approved articles with no changes and rejected 8%. Almost 5,000 reviewed articles cited a reviewer and roughly 2,300 reviews requested a citation from a reviewer.

    The analysis found that reviewers who were cited were more likely to approve the article after the first review than reviewers who were not cited.

    But reviewers who suggested that their own research be cited were about half as likely to approve the article than reject it or express reservations. In more than 400 reviews in which the reviewer was not cited in version 1 of the article and requested a citation in their review, 92% of reviewers who were cited in version 2 recommended approval compared with 76% for reviewers who were not cited.

    When a reviewer rejects a paper, they and the authors know that the reviewer is probably going to evaluate any revised versions of the article, says Barnett, so authors might opt for the path of least resistance and include the citation to get their paper accepted.

    Reviewer comments

    Barnett also analysed 2,700 reviewer comments and identified the 100 most frequently used words. He found that reviewers who requested citation were more likely to use words such as ‘need’ or ‘please’ in their comments when they rejected an article, which he says suggests that coercive language was used.

    Jan Feld, a metascience researcher at the Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, is not convinced that such language is a sign of coercion. “That seems like a bit of a stretch,” he says. There are other explanations for reviewers rejecting an article than the author refusing to cite their work. He doesn’t doubt that reviewers request citations that are not warranted, but they can recommend citations, including of their own work, to address issues they’ve identified. But even after those recommendations, “if the paper has not improved or I still have concerns, I cannot recommend publication”, he adds.

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  • A&O Shearman posts USD3.7bn revenue, marking strong first year

    A&O Shearman posts USD3.7bn revenue, marking strong first year

    Landmark client successes 

    •  Liberty Global on its USD3.2bn Sunrise Communications spin-off and dual listing
    • Prosus on its EUR4.1bn acquisition of Just Eat Takeaway.com
    • Exscientia on its combination with US-based biotech company Recursion
    • The lenders on the restructuring of over USD11.5bn in offshore debt for Shimao Group Holdings
    • The underwriters on TD Bank’s USD14.6bn exit from Charles Schwab
    • The underwriters and funders on the EUR5.8bn debt refinancing of XpFibre
    • Uber on a litigation victory in a Securities Exchange Act case against Uber and its officers
    • SAP on a litigation victory in connection with the USD12.5bn sale of Qualtrics to Silver Lake Capital 

    Innovation leadership – pioneering AI and transforming legal delivery through technology 

    The firm continues to advance the boundaries of technology for lawyers. A&O Shearman was the first firm globally to deploy generative AI enterprise-wide when it rolled out Harvey in 2022. ContractMatrix, the firm’s award-winning AI-based contract management platform, is built in collaboration with Harvey and Microsoft. 

    In April 2025, the firm began rolling out a suite of agentic AI agents, built in partnership with Harvey, that tackle complex legal workflows. The initial agents focus on antitrust filing analysis, cybersecurity, fund formation, and loan review – high-value areas requiring deep legal expertise and multi-step reasoning. 

    A&O Shearman brings this understanding of AI technologies (and the infrastructure used to build them) and real-world AI governance to deliver innovative and uniquely pragmatic advice to clients on managing AI legal risk. The firm has dedicated AI experts in every major jurisdiction across the full risk spectrum and every stage of the AI value chain. The firm counsels numerous tech and industry giants, some of the largest AI foundation model developers, three of the five biggest Western banks in the world, and a G20 country on its national AI strategy and AI regulation.

    A&O Shearman has begun FY26 with landmark client wins, including advising Partners Group on its joint acquisition of Techem – the largest M&A transaction in Germany this year; Athora on its GBP5.7bn acquisition of Pension Insurance Corporation Group; Sanmina in its USD3bn acquisition of ZT Systems’ data center business; the lenders on EQT’s USD5.5bn acquisition of Fortnox AB; Froneri on its EUR4.25bn financing; and Sizewell C on its supply chain and contracting strategy for the GBP38bn nuclear project.

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  • UNRWA chief warns many malnourished children will die in Gaza City operation

    UNRWA chief warns many malnourished children will die in Gaza City operation


    GENEVA: Israel’s expanded offensive in the Gaza Strip, aimed at conquering Gaza City and targeting the remaining Hamas strongholds in the besieged Palestinian territory, is “intolerable,” the Red Cross said on Thursday.

    The Israeli military’s plan, which includes the call-up of roughly 60,000 reservists, has deepened fears that the campaign will worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the blockaded coastal strip.

    “The intensification of hostilities in Gaza means more killing, more displacement, more destruction and more panic,” Christian Cardon, chief spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), told AFP.

    “Gaza is a closed space, from which nobody can escape… and where access to health care, food and safe water is dwindling,” said Cardon.

    “Meanwhile, the security of humanitarians is getting worse by the hour,” the spokesman added.

    “This is intolerable.”

    Cardon has taken an active role in the Red Cross’s humanitarian activities on the ground, and has been involved in every exchange of the Israeli hostages taken by Hamas in the Palestinian militant group’s October 7, 2023 attack.

    That attack, which sparked the war in Gaza, resulted in the death of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

    Of the 251 hostages kidnapped by Hamas, 49 are still held captive in Gaza, including 27 who the Israeli military believes are dead.

    Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 62,122 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, which the United Nations considers reliable.

    Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defense agency or the Israeli military.

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  • AI Is Already Aiding Clinical Practice Across the Cancer Care Continuum

    AI Is Already Aiding Clinical Practice Across the Cancer Care Continuum

    The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly expanding in oncologic clinical practice, with applications including expediting administrative tasks, risk-stratification testing, research, and assistance with interpreting pathology and imaging results.

    In order to gain a better understanding of how this technology is currently being applied to practice and where it could be heading in the near future, OncLive® spoke with:

    Alicia Morgans, MD, MPH, a genitourinary medical oncologist and the Medical Director of the Survivorship Program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, as well as an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, both in Boston, Massachusetts.

    Balazs Halmos, MD, a professor in the Departments of Oncology (Medical Oncology) and Medicine (Oncology and Hematology), and the associate director of Clinical Science at the Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center in New York, New York.

    Nitin K. Yerram, MD, the codirector of Urologic Oncology and the director of Urologic Research at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey.

    Samina Hirani, MBBS, a hematologist/oncologist at the Mayo Clinic in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

    Alexander Itskovich, MD, the medical director of Oncology Services of the Statesir Cancer Center at Atlantic Health CentraState Medical Center in Freehold, New Jersey.

    Ruben Mesa, MD, FACP, the senior vice president of Atrium Health and the president and executive director of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, as well as the vice dean for Cancer Programs and the Charles L. Spurr, MD, Professor of Internal Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

    “These tools don’t replace the physician’s judgment—they augment it,” Itskovich said. “AI can rapidly sift through massive amounts of data, but the interpretation, clinical decision-making, and patient communication remain firmly in human hands. Together, these technologies are not just making my work more efficient—they’re helping to ensure that fewer clinically significant findings slip through the cracks.”

    Significant Time Savings Seen With Administrative Tasks and Patient Communication

    Due to its ability to quickly synthesize and organize large datasets, AI is already being used to streamline administrative tasks such as dictation, note taking, and patient monitoring and communication. Examples of these tools include Ambient Voice AI and DAX Copilot.

    “Ambient Voice AI allows conversations between patients and clinicians to be securely captured and transformed into medical notes in real time,” Itskovich said. “This technology dramatically reduces the administrative burden of manual notetaking, allowing me to listen more attentively and focus on the patient, rather than writing the note. It’s not just a timesaver; it improves patient engagement and accuracy of documentation.”

    “Our institution has been piloting the use of DAX Copilot with good success,” Mesa said. “It listens to my discussion with the patient and generates an editable draft of notes. It learns from the style of my prior notes and gets better and better [with additional use].”

    AI Makes a Difference in Risk Stratification and Disease Detection

    Multiple investigators in the field of prostate cancer indicated that they are presently using the ArteraAI Prostate Test in their clinical practice. “ArteraAI is a multimodal AI model for [patients with] intermediate-risk localized prostate cancer to help predict whether a patient is likely to benefit from the addition of androgen deprivation therapy [ADT] to their radiation treatment with curative intent,” Morgans explained.

    In March 2024, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network included ArteraAI in its updated Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology for Prostate Cancer, making it the first AI-enabled predictive and prognostic test to be included in the prostate cancer guidelines.1 The tool was classified with a Category 2A recommendation and was supported by level 1B evidence from multiple phase 3 clinical trials.

    “We are currently using the ArteraAI Prostate Test to improve the risk-stratification of patients who have been recently diagnosed with prostate cancer,” Yerram added. “This tool helps to better individualize patient care and provides patients with a clear path forward regarding treatment, whether that is through surveillance, surgery, or radiation.”

    During the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting, investigators presented findings from an analysis of the ArteraAI Prostate Test v1.2 for identifying patients who could benefit the most from the addition of abiraterone acetate (Zytiga) with or without prednisolone and/or enzalutamide (Xtandi) to standard-of-care ADT the analysis revealed that patients who were identified by ArteraAI as being in the upper risk quartile of risk derived the greatest benefit with the addition of abiraterone in terms of metastasis-free survival, prostate cancer-specific mortality, and distant metastasis.

    AI tools are also starting to be adopted for the analysis of imaging and pathology reports. “Machine learning is transforming how we detect and manage incidentalomas—unexpected findings on imaging performed for unrelated reasons. These findings can range from benign cysts to potentially malignant tumors. In the past, incidentalomas in radiology reports could be overlooked due to the sheer volume of imaging that is performed. Now, AI algorithms can scan imaging reports, and any abnormal findings are moved into a specialized workflow that serves as a safety net for our patients,” Itskovich said.

    Enhancing and Expediting the Research Processes

    Mesa explained that he uses DAX Copilot to create power point slides based on his published research, perform journal article review, and are working to incorporate AI into the clinical trial matching process. Platforms such as OpenEvidence can be used to create tables and figures, ask clinical questions, perform guideline searches, create exam questions, and conduct literature searches.

    “I use OpenEvidence commonly, that’s my number 1 go-to, but I [also use] Grok AI for research purposes,” Hirani commented.

    Excitement Is Mounting for the Future of AI in the Clinic

    Looking ahead, investigators are highly optimistic about the future of AI in the clinical and the potential effect it could have on improving treatment for patients with cancer. As AI technology continues to improve and tools are refined, they will be more integrated into clinical practice, saving investigators time and benefiting patients through enhanced disease detection.

    “I believe the future of AI in the clinic is incredibly bright and it will [have an effect] on everything,” Halmos said. “We’re looking at new biomarkers for antibody-drug conjugates aided by AI, as well as its use for lung cancer screening. It could also be used to break down medical jargon for patients and break down language barriers. AI will certainly add an additional tool with utility to our clinics.”

    References

    1. ArteraAI announced as the first-and-only predictive test for therapy personalization in the 2024 NCCN Guidelines for prostate cancer. News release. ArteraAI. March 4, 2024. Accessed August 15, 2025. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240304893588/en/ArteraAI-Announced-as-the-First-and-Only-Predictive-Test-for-Therapy-Personalization-in-the-2024-NCCN-Guidelines-for-Prostate-Cancer
    2. Parker CTA, Liu VYT, Mendes L, et al. Multimodal artificial intelligence (MMAI) model to identify benefit from 2nd-generation androgen receptor pathway inhibitors (ARPI) in high-risk non-metastatic prostate cancer patients from STAMPEDE. J Clin Oncol. 2025;43(suppl 16):5001. doi:10.1200/JCO.2025.43.16_suppl.5001

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  • Video Shows Pulsing and Curving Fault Behavior – eos.org

    1. Video Shows Pulsing and Curving Fault Behavior  eos.org
    2. California’s Next ‘Big One’ Might Not Follow the Script  Gizmodo
    3. Hollywood loves quake disaster flicks, but do we know what the real ‘Big One’ will look like?  Los Angeles Times
    4. San Andreas fault could unleash an earthquake unlike any seen before, study of deadly Myanmar quake suggests  Live Science
    5. (PDF) Earthquake Hazard Assessment using Geospatial Multicriteria Analysis in Myanmar  researchgate.net

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  • UK health firms ‘misleading’ parents with claims over milk teeth ‘treatments’ | Stem cells

    UK health firms ‘misleading’ parents with claims over milk teeth ‘treatments’ | Stem cells

    Companies are making thousands of pounds by misleading parents with claims that collecting stem cells from their children’s teeth can be a treatment for diabetes and autism, an investigation has found.

    Tooth stem cell banking, also known as dental pulp cell banking, involves parents collecting and sending lost milk teeth to a laboratory where stem cells are harvested from the dental pulp. Firms that advertise tooth banking services claim these stem cells can be used in treatments for conditions such as diabetes and autism.

    The investigation, by Emma Wilkinson and published in the BMJ, found that three companies in the UK offer tooth stem cell banking – BioEden, Future Health Biobank and Stem Protect. The service costs about £1,900, with a £95 annual storage fee.

    On its website, Future Health Biobank says it has released 26 tooth stem cell samples for treatment, including for autism, type 1 diabetes and knee cartilage regeneration. Stem Protect states on its website that tooth stem cells can be used for cleft palate repair and HIV/Aids among other conditions, and says “medical trials into autism and cerebral palsy involve the pulp found inside teeth and offer hope for hundreds of conditions”.

    BioEden’s website claimed stem cell therapy had been described as the “next frontier” for treating both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and that the company had “already witnessed the remarkable evidence of these ongoing developments” among its customers.

    However, experts have expressed doubts about the medical value of tooth stem cell banking.

    “There is a lack of evidence and a paucity of research using dental pulp stem cells to treat patients,” said Jill Shepherd, a senior lecturer in stem cell biology at the University of Kent. “There’s no evidence to suggest stem cells stored from a child’s milk tooth would ever be needed to treat that child.”

    Sufyan Hussain, an investigator on the UK arm of a global clinical trial evaluating stem cell therapy, said there was not a definitive answer regarding the “optimal source of stem cells for future diabetes therapies”.

    “This highlights how emotive this matter can be, as parents naturally want the best possible outcomes for their children,” Hussain said. “While we remain hopeful about future treatments, there is also a risk that companies might exploit these hopes to generate additional revenue.”

    Tim Nicholls, assistant director of policy, research and strategy at the National Autistic Society in the UK, said it was “outrageous” that tooth stem cell procedures are being advertised to parents with the claim of “treating” autism.

    He added: “Autism is not a disease or illness; it cannot be treated and there is no cure. It is dangerous and morally bankrupt to target potentially vulnerable people with expensive procedures that could, in fact, cause harm.”

    In response to the BMJ article, Future Health Biobank said it was looking at how information on its site is presented in order to ensure “readers can clearly distinguish between client experiences and formally published clinical outcomes”.

    A spokesperson for Stem Protect said: “We have made no unfounded claims, and our website has been reviewed and approved by the Human Tissue Authority (HTA). We remain committed to ensuring stem cell banking is presented as a valuable resource, backed by evidence and transparency.”

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  • Watch SpaceX launch US Space Force’s classified X-37B space plane today

    Watch SpaceX launch US Space Force’s classified X-37B space plane today

    In the dark of night, SpaceX will launch the mysterious X-37B space plane for the U.S. Space Force (USSF).

    A Falcon 9 rocket will launch the mission, USSF-36, from Pad 39A, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC), in Florida, carrying the Boeing-built X-37B on the orbital transfer vehicle’s eighth flight (OTV-8). Launch is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 21, at 11:50 p.m. EDT (0350 GMT, Aug. 22).

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