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New strategy enhances immunotherapy effectiveness against glioblastoma by utilizing gut microbes

Advanced treatments, known as immunotherapies that activate T cells—our body’s immune cells—to eliminate cancer cells, have shown limited efficacy as standalone therapies for glioblastoma, the most lethal form of brain tumor. This is due to their minimal response to glioblastoma and high resistance to treatment.

Now, a KAIST research team has now demonstrated a new therapeutic strategy that can enhance the efficacy of immunotherapy for brain tumors by utilizing gut microbes and their metabolites. This also opens up possibilities for developing microbiome-based immunotherapy supplements in the future.

KAIST (President Kwang Hyung Lee) announced on July 1 that a research team led by Professor Heung Kyu Lee of the Department of Biological Sciences discovered and demonstrated a method to significantly improve the efficiency of glioblastoma immunotherapy by focusing on changes in the gut microbial ecosystem.

The research team noted that as glioblastoma progresses, the concentration of ‘tryptophan’, an important amino acid in the gut, sharply decreases, leading to changes in the gut microbial ecosystem. They discovered that by supplementing tryptophan to restore microbial diversity, specific beneficial strains activate CD8 T cells (a type of immune cell) and induce their infiltration into tumor tissues. Through a mouse model of glioblastoma, the research team confirmed that tryptophan supplementation enhanced the response of cancer-attacking T cells (especially CD8 T cells), leading to their increased migration to tumor sites such as lymph nodes and the brain.

In this process, they also revealed that ‘Duncaniella dubosii‘, a beneficial commensal bacterium present in the gut, plays a crucial role. This bacterium helped T cells effectively redistribute within the body, and survival rates significantly improved when used in combination with immunotherapy (anti-PD-1).

Furthermore, it was demonstrated that even when this commensal bacterium was administered alone to germ-free mice (mice without any commensal microbes), the survival rate for glioblastoma increased. This is because the bacterium utilizes tryptophan to regulate the gut environment, and the metabolites produced in this process strengthen the ability of CD8 T cells to attack cancer cells.

This research is a meaningful achievement, showing that even in intractable brain tumors where immune checkpoint inhibitors had no effect, a combined strategy utilizing gut microbes can significantly enhance treatment response.”

Professor Heung Kyu Lee

Dr. Hyeon Cheol Kim of KAIST (currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Biological Sciences) participated as the first author. The research findings were published online in Cell Reports, an international journal in the life sciences, on June 26.

This research was conducted as part of the Basic Research Program and Bio & Medical Technology Development Program supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Foundation of Korea.

Source:

KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology)

Journal reference:

Kim, H. C., et al. (2025). Gut microbiota dysbiosis induced by brain tumors modulates the efficacy of immunotherapy. Cell Reports. doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115825.

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July 2, 2025
‘A much more reliable method’

Scientists at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne have developed a solution that prevents fusion reactors from overheating, Phys.org reported.

The breakthrough centers on a clever design called the X-point target radiator. This innovation adds a second magnetic control point to tokamak fusion reactors, creating a safety valve that sheds dangerous excess heat before it can damage the reactor walls.

Fusion reactors face a massive heat management problem. These doughnut-shaped devices, called tokamaks, use powerful magnetic fields to contain plasma heated to over 100 million degrees Celsius. When this superhot plasma touches the reactor walls, it can cause severe damage that shortens the reactor’s lifespan and hurts performance.

The Swiss research team discovered that adding a secondary X-point along the reactor’s heat exhaust channel creates localized radiation that pulls heat away from sensitive areas. Think of it like adding a second drain to prevent your bathtub from overflowing.

“Reducing divertor heat loads is a key challenge for future fusion power plants,” Kenneth Lee, first author of the paper, told Phys.org.

The EPFL team used its TCV tokamak’s unique magnetic shaping abilities to test this concept. Experiments showed the X-point target radiator stays stable across a range of operating conditions, making it much more reliable than previous heat management approaches.

Watch now: How bad is a gas stove for your home’s indoor air quality?

“We found that the X-point target radiator is highly stable and can be sustained over a wide range of operational conditions, potentially offering a much more reliable method for handling power exhaust in a fusion power plant,” Lee said.

Fusion energy could change how we power our world. Unlike coal and gas, fusion creates massive amounts of electricity without producing harmful gases or long-lived radioactive waste. A single fusion plant could power entire cities on fuel extracted from seawater.

The X-point target radiator makes fusion power plants more practical by solving the overheating problem that has plagued reactor designs. This means fusion plants could run longer and more efficiently, reducing electricity costs for everyone.

Commonwealth Fusion Systems and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology plan to include the X-point target design in their upcoming SPARC reactor, which looks to demonstrate commercial fusion power.

Diversifying our energy sources with fusion power would dramatically reduce air pollution from coal and gas plants. Cleaner air means fewer respiratory problems, heart disease cases, and premature deaths in communities near power plants.

Fusion power could slash electricity bills once the technology scales up. The fuel comes from abundant hydrogen isotopes found in seawater, making long-term operating costs extremely low.

Cities and companies investing in fusion power could reap major savings compared to volatile coal and gas prices. The stable costs of fusion electricity would help businesses plan budgets and keep energy affordable for residents.

The SPARC reactor incorporating this heat management technology is scheduled for testing in the coming years. If successful, commercial fusion plants using the X-point target radiator could begin operating in the 2030s.

The researchers will continue refining their approach with high-power experiments and simulations.

Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don’t miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.

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July 2, 2025
‘Squid Game’ on Fortnite: Learn All About the New Skins and Items
The brutal, dystopian thriller Squid Game is one of the most popular shows Netflix has ever produced, spawning a cottage industry of pop culture merchandise and endless memes. Now the brightly colored styles of Squid Game are colliding with the incredibly popular online fighting game Fortnite.

As the third season of Squid Games airs on Netflix, learn all about the Squid Game skins, wraps, emotes and back bling that have been added to Fortnite.

What is Squid Game adding to Fortnite?
- A new island, Squid Grounds, has been added to the Fortnite battle royale mode, Reload.
- Squid Game skins items like back bling, wraps and emotes have also arrived on Fortnite.
- Squid Game-themed skins in the shop include the red-clad guards and green-clad competitors.
- “You’ll recognize plenty of returning weaponry for the Squid Grounds update, though the Glider and Boogie Bomb are making their first-ever appearance in Reload,” a representative for Fortnite promises in the caption for the YouTube trailer showing off the game additions.
And on Fortnite.com, the game goes into a bit more detail.

“Find familiar playground locations from the games, complete with staged town sets and a hollowed-out labyrinth cutting underneath the island’s rolling hills,” the site says. “You can even play Red Light, Green Light at your own risk.”

How to win playing Fortnite Squid Game

After the new map, skins, emotes and other items, there’s still more to come.
- Squid Grounds Console Cash Cups, which are Battle Royale Duos tournaments, will be available on July 18, July 25 and Aug. 1,
- The games are open to players on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch.
- Top performers earn cash prizes.
How much do Squid Game skins in Fortnite cost?

Squid Game game focuses on people so far in debt they must risk their lives. Some Fortnite players are joking about that similarity, because playing with the new skins can be pricey.
- The Squid Game main bundle currently costs 3,000 V-Bucks (the game’s currency), although it shows that it has been marked down from 15,000 V-Bucks. Fortnite.com says that the bundle includes the Games Guard outfit, the Ddakji Defender outfit, the Green Light Guardian, Marble Maven, Dalgona Destroyer, Tug of War Titan, Pentathlon Perfector, Jegi Juggler, Flying Stone Fighter, Gong-gi Great, Games Manager outfit and Glass Bridge Survivor outfit.
- The Squid Accessories bundle currently costs 700 V-Bucks, although it also shows that it has been marked down, this time from 1,600 V-Bucks. The bundle includes the Lil’ Prized Piggy Bank emote, Delicious Dalgona back bling, Ddakji Box back bling and Squid Shapes wrap.
- Guard and manager skins are both currently selling for 1,500 V-Bucks each, and the male and female player skins cost 1,200 V-Bucks each. Maybe you can find a deadly tournament to enter to win enough … oh, wait.
Fortnite fans seem excited about the new additions regardless.

“The fact that we’re getting elimination-based gaming inside elimination-based gaming is peak 2025 meta,” said one X user.

Remember the deadly version of “Red Light, Green Light” from Squid Game? That game, and a version of its unnerving robot doll, show up in Fortnite, too.

Fortnite/Screenshot by CNET

Another user said they’d prefer to see Squid Game take a role in the standard battle royale Fortnite game.

“This seems like a good idea, but why is Squid Game in Reload and not the Battle Royale game mode?” they asked on X. “I don’t know a lot of people who play Reload, me including [sic]. The last time I played Reload was when the game mode first came out.”

Another person suggested this might be because the Battle Royale season theme — superheroes — doesn’t fit with Squid Game.
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July 2, 2025
Turkey shuts livestock markets to control foot and mouth disease

File photo. [AP]

Turkey said on Wednesday it will shut down all livestock marketplaces to control the spread of highly contagious foot and mouth disease.

The Agriculture Ministry said it detected a new serotype of the disease that heightened the outbreak, due to animal movement after the Muslim religious holiday of Eid al Adha, which is typically marked by slaughtering livestock.

The decision was taken to prevent further spread as teams continue to vaccinate animals against the disease, the ministry said. It will gradually lift the restrictions once the entire livestock population is vaccinated.

The ministry also said the temporary closure will not disrupt supply and demand for meat and dairy products in Turkey. [Reuters]

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July 2, 2025
‘Squid Game’ creator hints at prequel

‘Squid Game’ creator addresses series USA spin-off rumour

Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has addressed the rumours surrounding a USA spin-off of the show.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he candidly talked about Cate Blanchett’s role as a recruiter in the last scene of Squid Game season 3.

Following this, fans assumed that her appearance was designed to set-up a US-based spinoff series.

“I didn’t end it on that note in order to deliberately leave room for further stories to happen. Gi-hun and Front Man, through these characters, the Games in Korea have ended,” Dong-hyuk responded.

“And because this story started out with me wanting to tackle issues about the limitless competition and the system that’s created in late capitalism,” he explained.

Dong-hyuk added, “I wanted to leave it on a note highlighting the fact that these systems, even if one comes down, it’s not easy to dismantle the whole system — it will always repeat itself.”

“That’s why I wanted to end it with an American recruiter. And I wrote that scene wanting an impactful ending for the show, not in order to open rooms for anything else.”

However, the Korean director noted that nothing has been officially discussed with him about the US-spinoff.

As, it has been rumoured that David Fincher will direct the series, he concluded, “I’ve always been a huge fan of David Fincher’s work — from Se7en — and I’ve loved his films.”

“So if he were to create an American Squid Game, I think that would be very interesting to watch. I would definitely click on it immediately after it’s released, if it were to happen.”

The last and third season of Squid Game was released on Netflix on June 27, 2025.

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July 2, 2025
Microplastics Could Be Turning E. Coli Into a Bigger Threat, Study Suggests
A University of Illinois study found that certain charged nanoplastics can boost the virulence of foodborne pathogens like E. coli, making them harder to eliminate.

The bacteria exposed to nanoplastics developed biofilms, which shield them from antibiotics and sanitation methods.

A separate Boston University study found that microplastics enable bacteria to resist multiple antibiotics, raising concerns that regions with higher plastic pollution, such as low-income areas, may face increased risks of infection.
Microplastics are truly everywhere. As the World Economic Forum explained, these tiny plastic particles measuring 5 millimeters or less have been found across land, oceans, the air, and throughout our food chain. They’ve also been detected in human blood and in the brain. We still don’t know much about how they actually impact human health. However, a new study suggests that microplastics could have an unexpected effect: making foodborne illnesses even more dangerous than before.

In April, researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign published their study findings in the Journal of Nanobiotechnology, examining how nanoplastics, which are a mere 1  micrometer wide or smaller, react when they come into contact with foodborne pathogens, specifically E. coli O157:H7, a particularly harmful strain that can cause serious illness in humans.

“Other studies have evaluated the interaction of nanoplastics and bacteria, but so far, ours is the first to look at the impacts of microplastics and nanoplastics on human pathogenic bacteria,” the study’s senior author, Pratik Banerjee, who is also an associate professor in the department of food science and human nutrition and an Illinois Extension Specialist, shared in a statement.

Using three types of polystyrene-based nanoplastics — one with a positive charge, one with a negative charge, and one with no charge at all — the team discovered that these nanoparticles can significantly influence how bacteria grow, survive, and even how dangerous they become. In particular, those exposed to a positive charge.

That’s because the positive charge caused a “bacteriostatic” effect, which slowed but did not stop the E. coli from growing. Instead, it adapted, resumed growth, and formed biofilms, which make bacteria harder to kill.

“Just as a stressed dog is more likely to bite, the stressed bacteria became more virulent, pumping out more Shiga-like toxin, the chemical that causes illness in humans,” Banerjee said.

The researcher noted that these biofilms form a “very robust bacterial structure and are hard to eradicate,” emphasizing that their goal was to observe what occurs “when this human pathogen, which is commonly transmitted via food, encounters these nanoplastics from the vantage point of a biofilm.”

Although the research doesn’t suggest that micro- and nanoplastics are the only cause of foodborne illness outbreaks, they point out that interactions like the ones they observed “lead to enhanced survival of pathogens with increased virulence traits.”

This isn’t the only study highlighting the effects of microplastics on bacteria. In March, researchers from Boston University published their findings in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology, which showed that bacteria exposed to microplastics could become resistant to “multiple types of antibiotics commonly used to treat infections.”

They also specifically studied how E. coli (this time using MG1655, a non-pathogenic laboratory strain) reacted to microplastics, and, as Neila Gross, a PhD candidate in materials science and engineering and the lead author of the study, shared, “The plastics provide a surface that the bacteria attach to and colonize.” On those surfaces, Gross and her team also found that they created that dangerous biofilm, which “supercharged the bacterial biofilms,” making it impossible for antibiotics to penetrate.

“We found that the biofilms on microplastics, compared to other surfaces like glass, are much stronger and thicker, like a house with a ton of insulation,” Gross added. “It was staggering to see.”

Furthermore, the BU team pointed out that while microplastics are everywhere, they are especially problematic in lower-income areas of the world that may lack the ability to control pollution flow.

“The fact that there are microplastics all around us, and even more so in impoverished places where sanitation may be limited, is a striking part of this observation,” Muhammad Zaman, a BU College of Engineering professor of biomedical engineering who studies antimicrobial resistance and refugee and migrant health, added. “There is certainly a concern that this could present a higher risk in communities that are disadvantaged, and only underscores the need for more vigilance and a deeper insight into [microplastic and bacterial] interactions.”
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July 2, 2025
Elon Musk wants to create a new political party. Building rockets may be easier

CNN
—

Elon Musk has started multiple successful companies that have accomplished incredible technological feats. His latest ambition may be significantly more difficult to achieve: starting a new American political party for the masses.

Citing his disappointment in President Donald Trump and his massively expensive domestic policy bill, Musk said he would form the “America party” the day after the “Big, Beautiful Bill” passes, if Congress approves it. Musk has called Democrats and Republicans the “uniparty” because government deficits have risen dramatically under administrations and Congresses controlled by both parties. He says he wants to build a fiscally conservative party that reins in spending – although he’s presented few other details of what the party’s platform might be.

Experts in campaign finance and political science say there’s a reason no third party has ever truly successfully challenged America’s two-party system: It is financially and legally difficult to create a new party, and voters and candidates are hesitant to join.

“Third-party movements in the US have generally arisen out of some sort of set of deep-seated grievances,” Emory University political science professor Alan Abramowitz told CNN. “It was not just some wealthy person who’s decided they wanted to start a third party.”

It’s not clear how much if any preparation has been done to stand up the party. A spokesperson for Musk’s political action committee, America PAC, declined to comment.

A senior White House official brushed off Musk’s criticism of the bill. “No one really cares what he says anymore,” the source said.

Two Republicans close to the White House said that it was also unclear how Musk’s threats might play out in the midterm elections.

“Of course, members don’t want to be primaried,” one of the sources said. “It’s unclear if he’s actually going to get involved. A few weeks ago he apologized and called Trump.”

Musk may be the richest person on Earth, but he could also encounter some financial resistance himself. Former DOGE adviser and Trump supporter James Fishback said he is launching his own super PAC to counter Musk’s money in congressional races.

Fishback, who runs an investment firm, said he will provide $1 million in initial funding to the super PAC, which will be called FSD PAC, an abbreviation for Full Support for Donald.

He told CNN that the super PAC will work to back Trump’s agenda “and against anyone who threatens to sabotage that agenda,” including Musk.

American political parties are governed by laws and rules not just from the Federal Election Commission but also from the states, including around which parties can appear on ballots.

“The system is sort of set up to almost make it impossible for third parties to be successful,” Abramowitz said.

Funding a new party has its own hurdles. The McCain-Feingold Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2022 set strict limits on donations to political parties. The current limit is just under $450,000 spread across different party purposes. Musk would need thousands of co-donors to help him fund his party, said Lee Goodman, an attorney and former chair of the FEC.

“One very wealthy individual cannot capitalize a new national political party, the way he might start a business, because of federal contribution limits,” Goodman told CNN. “The prospect of a wealthy founder seed funding a national party to participate in federal elections around the country is not feasible in the current regulatory system.”

Bradley Smith, another former FEC chair and who is now a law professor at Capital University Law School, said there are some ways around the current regulations.

“There is some case law suggesting that some of the organizational activities of a party and starting a party right can be funded with larger contributions, until it actually qualifies for party status under the election commission regulations,” Smith said, but he noted it’s complex and difficult to do.

“You can fund super PACs all you want. But you can’t fund a political party, as a strange part of American law,” he added.

Super PACs are not legally allowed to coordinate spending with parties or candidates, although previous candidates have tested these limits, as nothing prohibits coordination when the information is shared publicly. “Coordination has, in fact, become commonplace,” the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center has said.

Then there’s getting on the actual ballots. States have different rules, such as requiring a certain number of signatures.

“It would take years and might require changes in laws around the country that currently favor two major political parties,” Goodman noted

Beyond the legal and logistical hurdles, there’s convincing candidates to join and voters to cast their ballots for them.

Despite varying approval levels, party loyalties remain strong, Abramowitz said, especially among Republicans, who have coalesced around Trump.

“The biggest obstacle is just that it’s very difficult to convince people to vote for a third-party candidate because the argument is always ‘you’re wasting your vote. You’re voting for someone who has no chance of winning elections,’” Abramowitz said.

Candidates may also be wary. Democrats are unlikely to run under the America Party because “Democrats hate Elon Musk,” Abramowitz said. And Republicans “have clearly shown that they’re much more attached to Donald Trump than they are to Elon Musk.”

Republicans highly approve of Trump, according to CNN Chief Data Analyst Harry Enten’s aggregation of available polling data. Some 90 precent of Republicans approve of Trump’s performance thus far in this presidency, and he is doing better in approval ratings five months into the presidency than former Republican presidents. And in 96% of the 2024 primary races where Trump endorsed, those candidates won.

If creating a new political party proves too difficult, Musk could still hold a lot of sway through his super PAC, to which he can send unlimited funds. That PAC can then support independent candidates, who could also have an easier time getting on ballots.

“Independent spending, individually or via a super PAC, remains the most legal and practical mechanism for a wealthy individual to have a say in national politics,” Goodman said.

CNN’s Kristen Holmes and Fredreka Schouten contributed reporting.

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July 2, 2025
Opening Open Innovation Lab at UMC Utrecht
A collaborative ecosystem driving real-world innovation in cancer care

IMAGINE is designed as an open innovation lab, enabling clinicians, mathematicians, AI developers, imaging scientists, engineers, design experts and medtech companies to collaborate on real-world challenges. By working within a hospital environment, the consortium ensures that innovations are informed by real patient needs and can be safely and rapidly translated into practice.

The IMAGINE consortium unites a comprehensive group of partners from across the healthcare innovation ecosystem:
- Academic and Research Institutions: UMC Utrecht, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital/Netherlands Cancer Institute, Radboudumc, Catharina Hospital, Eindhoven University of Technology, Utrecht University and its incubator UtrechtInc, and the National Research Institute for Mathematics and Computer Science (CWI).
- Industry Partners: Philips, Elekta, KALCIO Healthcare, and Tesla Dynamic Coils.
- Educational Institutions: Fontys University of Applied Sciences, University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, and The Hague University of Applied Sciences.
Together, these partners are advancing the development, validation, and clinical implementation of image-guided technologies to improve cancer care and future-proof the healthcare system.
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July 2, 2025
Blocking Out Stars and Photographing Their Planets

TWA 7 is blocked in this image by the black circle, while the planet glows in orange – credit, NASA, ESA, CSA, Anne-Marie Lagrange (CNRS, UGA), Mahdi Zamani (ESA / Webb)

Since its debut in 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope has dazzled viewers with its infrared images of galaxies, nebulae, stars, and even our own solar system’s planets.

Now, the most expensive telescope ever made has unveiled a new trick—a coronagraph, which allows it to block the light of a star and see what small objects are orbiting it. In this case, it performed the first direct photographing of an exoplanet in human history; probably.

The image found a faint source of infrared light in a disk of debris orbiting TWA 7, a red dwarf star around 111 light years from Earth. With the outstanding chance of the object being a background galaxy at more than 0%, the researchers can’t say for certain it’s a planet, but they suspect very much that it is—around the size of Saturn and sitting at a comfortable 120° Fahrenheit.

Though astronomers have detected well over 5,000 exoplanets so far, each one has been done through indirect methods, such as the “transit method.” The transit method sees an astronomer train a telescope on a star, and monitor for predictable drops in the level of light from the star that would indicate a planet orbiting it. The transit method can also work through measurements of gravity since passing planets’ gravitational fields can cause their host stars to “wobble.”

By contrast, the coronagraph will be much more straight forward, and TWA 7 b will likely be the first of many that the Webb telescope will discover.

One can think of the coronagraph as an on-demand eclipse service. The instrument positions a disk inside the lens of the imaging device to perfectly eliminate the star’s light from entering the sensor within a degree of micrometers. With the pollution of the star’s light gone, small things—in this case an exoplanet—can be seen.

RECENT WORK FROM JAMES WEBB

“Our observations reveal a strong candidate for a planet shaping the structure of the TWA 7 debris disk, and its position is exactly where we expected to find a planet of this mass,” Anne-Marie Lagrange, lead author of the study and an astrophysicist at the French National Center for Scientific Research, said in a statement released by NASA on the discovery.

The source is located in a gap in one of three dust rings that were discovered around TWA 7 by previous ground-based observations. The object’s brightness, color, distance from the star, and position within the ring are consistent with theoretical predictions for a young, cold, Saturn-mass planet that is expected to be sculpting the surrounding debris disk.

These visible rings or gaps are thought to be created by planets that have formed around the star, but such a planet has yet to be directly detected within a debris disk. If TWA 7 b is confirmed to be such, it would mark a major moment in astronomy.

SHARE This Great New Trick From Our Expensive Space Telescope…

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July 2, 2025
Consumer-Tech Brand, Nothing, Taps Ceva’s RealSpace Software to Bring Immersive Spatial Audio to Headphones and Earbuds

The London-based design disruptor teams up with Ceva to power enhanced listening experiences across the Nothing and CMF sub-brand audio product lines, including the newly announced Nothing Headphone (1)

LONDON and ROCKVILLE, Md., July 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — In a move that pushes the boundaries of personal audio, Ceva, Inc. (NASDAQ: CEVA), the leading licensor of silicon and software IP for the Smart Edge, and Nothing, the London-based consumer technology company known for its transparent, design-forward smartphones, audio products and wearables that blend style with performance, today announced a new collaboration to bring Ceva’s RealSpace® Spatial Audio Software to Nothing’s upcoming audio lineup, including the newly announced Nothing Headphone (1), which is the company’s highly anticipated first entry into the over-ear style audio device.

Nothing and Ceva collaborated to bring Ceva’s RealSpace Spatial Audio Software to Nothing’s upcoming audio lineup, including the newly announced Nothing Headphone (1), which is the company’s highly anticipated first entry into the over-ear style audio device.

This collaboration, which provides consumers with a more cinematic and intuitive listening experience, marks a significant step in Nothing’s mission to deliver premium, immersive audio to its global user base under the Nothing and CMF brands. By leveraging Ceva’s industry-leading spatial audio technology and premium wireless audio SoCs powered by Ceva Bluetooth IP, Nothing aims to redefine how users engage with music, movies, and games on wireless audio devices.

“Great audio isn’t just heard, it is felt. It is more than just sound, it’s an emotional connection, an immersive experience, and a reflection of personal identity,” said Andrew Freshwater, Head of Smart Product Marketing at Nothing. “With Ceva’s RealSpace technology, we’re delivering an unparalleled audio experience that envelops users in a richer, more lifelike experience that feels like stepping inside the sound.”

Ceva’s RealSpace® Spatial Audio software is designed for low power consumption, efficient compute, and seamless integration into wireless audio devices. It delivers cinematic 3D sound with dynamic head tracking, making it ideal for Nothing’s sleek, design-first approach to consumer tech.

“Nothing is redefining what tech can look and feel like, and together, we’re pushing the boundaries of what it can sound like,” said Chad Lucien, vice president and general manager of the sensor and audio business unit at Ceva. “Our RealSpace technology will ensure Nothing’s audio products deliver a truly immersive and differentiated listening experience.”

About Ceva RealSpace
Ceva RealSpace is a complete Spatial Audio software solution combining precise 3D rendering and accurate, low-latency head tracking. RealSpace supports multiple system architectures, giving you the flexibility to render content directly on TWS earbuds, headphones, XR headsets, or speakers for the lowest latency. Or choose to render on mobile phones, gaming systems, or PCs and save BOM costs on the device. RealSpace operates independently of audio codec choices, source vendors, or device ecosystems and pre-integrated on some of the top audio SoCs in the industry. For more information about the Ceva RealSpace, visit https://www.ceva-ip.com/product/ceva-realspace/.

About Nothing
Born in London in 2020, Nothing is building a different kind of tech company – one that inspires human creativity by putting people, design, and excitement back at the centre. From award-winning smartphones to audio products that look and sound different, we’re reimagining how technology should make you feel. Built openly and in collaboration with our global community of over 3 million people, our products are more expressive, more personal, and more fun. In just four years, we’ve sold over 10 million devices and surpassed $1 billion in lifetime revenue. Find out more at nothing.tech.

About Ceva, Inc.
At Ceva, we are passionate about bringing new levels of innovation to the smart edge. Our wireless communications, sensing and Edge AI technologies are at the heart of some of today’s most advanced smart edge products. From Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, UWB and 5G platform IP for ubiquitous, robust communications, to scalable Edge AI NPU IPs, sensor fusion processors and embedded application software that make devices smarter, we have the broadest portfolio of IP to connect, sense and infer data more reliably and efficiently. We deliver differentiated solutions that combine outstanding performance at ultra-low power within a very small silicon footprint. Our goal is simple – to deliver the silicon and software IP to enable a smarter, safer, and more interconnected world. This philosophy is in practice today, with Ceva powering more than 19 billion of the world’s most innovative smart edge products from AI-infused smartwatches, IoT devices and wearables to autonomous vehicles and 5G mobile networks.

Our headquarters are in Rockville, Maryland with a global customer base supported by operations worldwide. Our employees are among the leading experts in their areas of specialty, consistently solving the most complex design challenges, enabling our customers to bring innovative smart edge products to market.

Ceva: Powering the Smart Edge™

Visit us at www.ceva-ip.com and follow us on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.

SOURCE Ceva, Inc.

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July 2, 2025