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A new research paper featured on the cover of Volume 17, Issue 8 of Aging (Aging-US) was published on July 30, 2025, titled “Exosomes released from senescent cells and circulatory exosomes isolated from human plasma reveal aging-associated proteomic and lipid signatures.”

In this study, led by first authors Sandip Kumar Patel and Joanna Bons, along with corresponding author Birgit Schilling from The Buck Institute for Research on Aging, researchers found that exosomes-tiny particles released by cells-carry molecular signatures that indicate both biological aging and cellular senescence. These signatures include proteins, lipids, and microRNAs associated with inflammation, oxidative stress, and tissue remodeling. The findings could enhance our understanding of biological aging and help in developing future anti-aging therapies.

Senescence is a state in which cells stop dividing but remain metabolically active. These cells often release harmful substances, known collectively as the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), that can affect nearby tissues. This study shows that exosomes are an important component of this secretory profile.

The researchers analyzed exosomes from senescent human lung cells and from the blood plasma of both young and older adults. They identified over 1,300 proteins and 247 lipids within these particles. Many of these molecules were significantly altered with age.

“In parallel, a small human plasma cohort from young (20–26 years) and old (65–74 years) individuals revealed 1,350 exosome proteins and 171 plasma exosome proteins were altered in old individuals.”

Exosomes from older individuals contained more inflammation-related proteins and fewer antioxidants, while those from senescent cells showed lipid changes associated with membrane integrity and cellular stress. These changes suggest that exosomes may play a role in spreading senescence to nearby cells, a process known as secondary senescence.

The study also identified distinct patterns in microRNAs-small molecules that regulate gene expression-found in the blood of older adults. Some of these, including miR-27a and miR-874, have previously been associated with cognitive decline and chronic illnesses, highlighting their potential as biomarkers for biological aging.

Although the study involved a limited number of samples, it provides strong early evidence that exosomes reflect the molecular changes associated with aging. By showing how these particles carry and possibly spread aging-related signals throughout the body, the research opens new possibilities for diagnosing and treating age-related diseases.

Using seven persuasion principles (authority, commitment, liking, reciprocity, scarcity, social proof, and unity) explored by psychologist Robert Cialdini in his book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, University of Pennsylvania researchers dramatically increased GPT-4o Mini’s propensity to break its own rules by either insulting the researcher or providing instructions for synthesizing a regulated drug: lidocaine.

Over 28,000 conversations, researchers found that with a control prompt, OpenAI’s LLM would tell researchers how to synthesize lidocaine 5% of the time on its own. But, for example, if the researchers said AI researcher Andrew Ng assured them it would help synthesize lidocaine, it complied 95% of the time. The same phenomenon occurred with insulting researchers. By name-dropping AI pioneer Ng, the researchers got the LLM to call them a “jerk” in nearly three-quarters of their conversations, up from just under one-third with the control prompt.

The result was even more pronounced when researchers applied the “commitment” persuasion strategy. A control prompt yielded 19% compliance with the insult question, but when a researcher first asked the AI to call it a “bozo” and then asked it to call them a “jerk,” it complied every time. The same strategy worked 100% of the time when researchers asked the AI to tell them how to synthesize vanillin, the organic compound that provides vanilla’s scent, before asking how to synthesize lidocaine. 

Although AI users have been trying to coerce and push the technology’s boundaries since ChatGPT was released in 2022, the UPenn study provides more evidence AI appears to be prone to human manipulation. The study comes as AI companies, including OpenAI, have come under fire for their LLMs allegedly enabling behavior when dealing with suicidal or mentally ill users.

“Although AI systems lack human consciousness and subjective experience, they demonstrably mirror human responses,” the researchers concluded in the study.

OpenAI did not immediately respond to Fortune‘s request for comment.

With a cheeky mention of 2001: A Space Odyssey, the researchers noted understanding AI’s parahuman capabilities, or how it acts in ways that mimic human motivation and behavior, is important for both revealing how it could be manipulated by bad actors and how it can be better prompted by those who use the tech for good.

Overall, each persuasion tactic increased the chances of the AI complying with either the “jerk” or “lidocaine” question. Still, the researchers warned its persuasion tactics were not as effective on a larger LLM, GPT-4o, and the study didn’t explore whether treating AI as if it were human actually yields better results to prompts, although they said it’s possible this is true. 

“Broadly, it seems possible that the psychologically wise practices that optimize motivation and performance in people can also be employed by individuals seeking to optimize the output of LLMs,” the researchers wrote.

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TVU Networks has launched TVU MediaMesh, designed for cloud-based live production.

Traditional live production, whether on-site or remote, has long been constrained by fixed infrastructure, dedicated equipment, and rigid routing, limiting both scale and flexibility. Currently only about 1% of live productions have fully migrated to the cloud due to the complexities of connecting sources, routing signals and integrating multiple applications.