Creatine is popularly known as a muscle-building supplement, but its influence on human muscle function can be a matter of life or death.
“Creatine is very crucial for energy-consuming cells in skeletal muscle throughout the body, but also in the brain and in the heart,” said Chin-Yi Chen, a research scientist at Virginia Tech’s Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC.
Chen is part of a research team working to develop a technique that uses focused ultrasound to deliver creatine directly to the brain. The work, being conducted in the lab of Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Assistant Professor Cheng-Chia “Fred” Wu, will be supported by a $30,000 grant from the Association for Creatine Deficiencies.
Creatine plays a vital role in the brain, where it interacts with phosphoric acid to help create adenosine triphosphate, a molecule essential for energy production in living cells. In addition to its role in energy production, creatine also influences neurotransmitter systems.
For example, creatine influences the brain’s major inhibitory pathways that use the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid, which limits neuronal excitability in the central nervous system. It may play a role in a variety of functions, including seizure control, learning, memory, and brain development.
A growing body of research suggests that creatine may itself function as neurotransmitter, as it is delivered to neurons from glial cells in the brain and can influence signaling processes between other neurons. While creatine deficiency disorders can weaken the skeletal muscle and the heart, they can also severely affect the brain. Many patients see increased muscle mass and body weight with creatine supplements, but they often continue to face neurodevelopmental challenges that can hinder their ability to speak, read, or write.
This is largely caused by the brain’s protective blood-brain barrier. This selective shield blocks harmful substances like toxins and pathogens from entering brain tissue, but it can also prevent beneficial compounds like creatine from reaching the brain when levels are low.
Wu studies therapeutic focused ultrasound, which precisely directs sound waves to areas of the brain to which access has been opened temporarily. The process allows drugs to reach diseased tissue without harming surrounding healthy cells. While Wu is investigating this method as a potential treatment for pediatric brain cancer, he also sees potential in applying it to creatine deficiency.
“Through the partnership between Virginia Tech and Children’s National Hospital, I was able to present our work in focused ultrasound at the Children’s National Research & Innovation Campus,” Wu said. “There, I met Dr. Seth Berger, a medical geneticist, who introduced me to creatine transporter deficiency. Together, we saw the promise that focused ultrasound had to offer.”
The Focused Ultrasound Foundation has recognized Virginia Tech and Children’s National as Centers of Excellence. Wu said the two organizations bring together clinical specialists, trial experts, and research scientists who can design experiments that could inform future clinical trials.
“It was a moment that made me really excited — that I had found a lab where I could move from basic research to something that could help patients,” Chen said. “When Fred asked me, ‘Are you interested in this project?’ I said, ‘Yes, of course.’”
Because creatine deficiencies can impair brain development, the early stages of Chen’s project will concentrate on using focused ultrasound to deliver creatine across the blood-brain barrier. Chen hopes the technique will restore normal brain mass in models of creatine deficiency.
Of the 1,288 confirmed rpeorted cases in the United States this year, 92% are among those unvaccinated, the CDC said. Photo by Airman 1st Class Matthew Lotz/U.S. Air Force
July 9 (UPI) — The number of reported measles cases in the United States has hit 1,288 in the first six months of this year, the most since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000, according data released Wednesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The figure has surpassed the total number of infections in 2019, which was 1,274, the CDC said.
In 1992, there were 2,126 cases, eight years before the virus was officially declared eliminated in the United States in 2000 after vaccine use became prevalent. That means measles was no longer spreading within the country, and new cases were only found when someone contracted measles abroad and returned to the United States.
Cases have been reported in 38 states, with 753 in Texas, where outbreaks were first reported in January. The next highest states are 95 in New Mexico and 87 in Kansas.
There have been 27 separate outbreaks, with 88% of confirmed cases related to them, the CDC said.
Of the cases, 29% are among children under 5, with 36% from those 5-19 years old and 34% of those 20 years and older.
Also, 92% of cases are among those unvaccinated, with 4% getting one measles, mumps and rubella dose, and 4% two.
Thirteen percent of those with measles were hospitalized, and there have been three deaths.
Despite the outbreaks, CDC said in the statement to CBS News the risk of measles infection remains lower than in other countries, including Canada, Britain, France, Spain and Italy.
Canada, which has 12% of the U.S. population, has reported 3,393 confirmed cases, including 2,231 in the province of Ontario.
“Measles risk is higher in U.S. communities with low vaccination rates in areas with active measles outbreaks or with close social and/or geographic linkages to areas with active measles outbreaks,” the statement said, adding, “CDC continues to recommend MMR vaccines as the best way to protect against measles.”
A study published in June found that the vaccination rate decreased from 93.92% in the 2017-2018 school year to 91.26% in 2023-2024.
Herd immunity is considered with a 95% vaccination rate.
The outbreak was originally reported in a rural Mennonite community with a low vaccination rate.
Measles, which is the most contagious infectious disease known to humans, spreads through the air via respiratory droplets produced by coughing or sneezing.
Symptoms include cough, runny nose, inflamed eyes, sore throat, fever and a red, blotchy skin rash. Over-the-counter fever reducers or vitamin A may alleviate symptoms.
Before the measles vaccine, nearly every child contracted measles by the time they were 15.
The CDC estimates that 3 million to 4 million people in the United States were sickened by measles every year before the vaccine. That included 48,000 hospitalizations and 400 to 500 deaths each year.
The measles vaccine was first licensed for public use in 1963, according to the World Health Organization.
Nissan is betting that a third-generation version of its unique hybrid technology will drive a breakthrough in the US, a critical market for new boss Ivan Espinosa as he tries to turn around the struggling Japanese carmaker.
The company produces its “e-Power” hybrid system for the Qashqai model in its UK plant in Sunderland and for various models made in Japan but has shied away from launching it in the US because of poor fuel economy on highways.
However, fuel efficiency has improved 15 per cent in the latest generation, making management confident the technology can be introduced in Nissan’s Rogue SUV in the US from next year, as part of a push to win back customers and reverse tumbling sales.
“E-Power is one of the most important technologies” to support Nissan’s revival, said Eiichi Akashi, Nissan’s chief technology officer and a key ally of Espinosa.
Hybrids, which combine conventional engines with batteries to power cars, have been experiencing a significant resurgence. Nissan’s rival Toyota has seen its enduring faith in the category rewarded through higher sales, as motorists hesitate to go fully electric because of concerns about higher prices and the availability of charging points.
In contrast, Nissan was a trailblazer in fully electric cars with its Leaf model but has fallen behind BYD and Tesla in that category while neglecting hybrids, despite initially releasing its e-Power technology almost a decade ago in 2016.
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While standard hybrids switch between an engine and a battery-powered electric motor to power a vehicle’s wheels, Nissan’s e-Power engine is not connected to the wheels and powers a generator instead, which tops up the battery.
This means e-Power hybrids can offer the same experience as fully electric cars, with quieter driving and faster response times. The engine kicks in at higher speeds, but less perceptibly because it operates at a more consistent, lower RPM level optimised for generating electricity. The system takes advantage of the efficient engine to use less fuel to power the generator, keeping the battery at a high level of charge and reducing motorists’ “range anxiety”.
In earlier versions of e-Power, only a small portion of the battery capacity was utilised, due to concerns about the impact on battery life from frequent charging and discharging. This meant the engine did the majority of the work at higher speeds, lowering the fuel efficiency benefit.
Analysts said the history of the technology epitomised the good, bad and the ugly at Nissan: fun, novel and offbeat products, but confused, clunky marketing and getting caught flat-footed due to slow decision-making and infighting.
“I think Nissan has a lot of problems — [but] I don’t think technology is one of them. The problem is not being differentiated enough; it’s not reacting quickly enough to changes in markets,” said Christopher Richter, analyst at CLSA. “They failed to put it [e-Power] into the US market and they’re in the penalty box because of that.”
During this period of lost time on hybrids, Nissan’s brand has been damaged by large incentive packages offered on cars sold in the US, which have cemented a perception of its brand as low-cost. As an executive at a major Nissan supplier put it: “If you’re on welfare, then you buy a Nissan.”
While fuel economy is now expected to be similar to that of regular hybrids, Nissan believes sharing components with pure EVs may give it a slight cost advantage, according to current executives and former engineers. The main differentiator is the EV-like feel, which creates less engine vibration and reduced pedal switching as the car automatically slows itself down.
“Ninety per cent of customers won’t care. They just care if it’s cheaper,” said Francisco Carranza, a former Nissan executive who worked on its electrification technologies.
Analysts have expressed concern that the carmaker’s window for major sales of hybrids has narrowed significantly, and it may have missed the golden years. The e-Power system will compete against new and planned EV offerings with range-extender options from rivals such as BMW, Hyundai, Jeep and Volkswagen.
With Nissan highly exposed to US tariffs of 25 per cent on auto imports, it plans to shift a higher proportion of the Rogue’s e-Power production to the US, rather than Japan.
“They should have introduced e-Power into the US sooner,” said Carranza, who now works at Futuraiser, a London-based financial advisory for auto and energy groups. But he added that there were “still many years in front of us in which hybrid vehicles will have a bright market”.
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In May, chief executive Espinosa unveiled plans to cut 20,000 jobs and shut seven out of 17 factories globally in an effort to reduce costs and tackle an expected ¥200bn ($1.4bn) operating loss in the three months to the end of June. But arguably the far tougher task for the 46-year-old Mexican will be reigniting revenue growth, with car sales tumbling from 5.5mn to 3.5mn globally since 2018.
Since Nissan’s merger talks with Honda fell apart earlier this year, Apple supplier Foxconn has stepped up its pursuit to secure contract manufacturing orders for EVs from Nissan.
The two sides have been in talks about joint use of the Oppama plant in Japan to form a base for Foxconn’s contract manufacturing operations, rather than Nissan closing the plant, according to two people familiar with the matter. Nissan shares slumped a further 16 per cent this week after issuing ¥200bn ($1.4bn) of convertible bonds, raising fears of dilution for existing shareholders.
Proving e-Power’s success would put weight behind Nissan’s claims that it holds a clutch of valuable technologies, in areas from assisted driving to solid-state batteries, that set it apart from the competition and provide a foundation for growth.
While the US market is shielded from Chinese competition, in the long run, Nissan will have to contend with its Asian rivals’ technological edge and cost competitiveness, led by BYD.
With conventional fuel readily available for the e-Power engine that tops up the battery, a former Nissan engineer said the technology may provide a good alternative to EVs for people with little access to charging infrastructure.
Yet China’s low-cost lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries had outperformed even the wildest expectations of the auto industry and put Chinese carmakers in a powerful position to expand plug-in hybrid and range extender vehicle sales, the person added.
“In the end, LFP will make sense. E-Power was developed during a time when we didn’t know how far LFP could go,” the engineer said.
As summer kicks into full gear and people are spending more time outside, there’s one thing on many people’s minds – ticks. Tick season is starting earlier and lasting longer, and ticks are popping up in areas they haven’t been found before, expanding the risk of tick-borne viruses.
One emerging tick-borne virus in North America – including in Pennsylvania – is the Powassan virus (POWV), which can cause encephalitis, seizures, paralysis and coma. Rates of POWV infections have increased in recent years and currently, there are no treatments available, according to Joyce Jose, associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Penn State.
“We don’t know much about the structure of this virus, but we need to know the structure in order to come up with strategies to treat and prevent infection,” Joyce said, explaining that her team, which includes researchers from Penn State, the University of Minnesota and the US Department of Agriculture, has built a high resolution, 3D structure of POWV. They published their findings today (July 9) in the journal Science Advances.
POWV is a member of the Flaviviridae family, which includes West Nile, dengue and yellow fever viruses. It’s transmitted by vectors, which are living organisms that carry the virus and infect other organisms. In this case, the vectors are ticks.
Because POWV can cause serious health problems, it’s been challenging for researchers to study it in its natural form, Joyce said. Typically, they inactivate the virus by modifying it with chemicals or ultraviolet light. However, these processes often damage the virus, making it difficult to determine its structure at a high resolution, she explained.
Instead, the team used a surrogate to study POWV. Using the yellow fever vaccine virus, a weakened strain of the yellow fever virus that’s less infectious, they swapped out two protein genes and replaced them with two genes that encode the structural proteins found on the surface of POWV. These proteins – envelope proteins and membrane proteins – are arranged on the surface of POWV in a herringbone-like pattern. It’s a standard and safe practice that has been used to study the surface structure of other types of viruses, Joyce said.
They then imaged the virus in Penn State’s Cryo-Electron Microscopy (cryo-EM) facility. Cryo-EM is a technique that allows researchers to determine the 3D structure of proteins and viruses at near atomic resolution. With cryo-EM, researchers can see every molecule in the virus, enabling the team to capture every angle and reconstruct it into a 3D structure featuring the details of the surface proteins.
When I started my research, viruses used to look like blobs because the resolution was so low. Now, we know how every molecule sits on the surface, as well as which ones are more exposed and accessible.”
Joyce Jose, associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, Penn State
Understanding the structure of the virus is necessary for understanding viral transmission, something Joyce said is not well understood. Interestingly, she noted, the team found that the type of host the virus transmits through isn’t determined by the structural proteins on the surface of the virus but by the virus’s nonstructural proteins.
“One thing we learned is that the viruses that are transmitted by mosquitoes cannot be transmitted by ticks and vice versa, but we don’t understand what prevents them from cross-transmitting,” she said. “Knowing what the virus looks like – what proteins are on the surface – is the first step. It can shed light on virus-host and virus-vector interactions and how to prevent them.”
Vaccines and treatments typically target surface proteins, as well, so this revealing these visual details could potentially inform future therapeutics, Joyce said. Next, the team plans to continue to examine the factors that influence how viruses are transmitted.
Other Penn State authors on the paper include Ibrahim Moustafa, Sung Hyun Cho and Anqi Wang. First author Sayan Das earned a graduate degree at Penn State and senior author Susan Hafenstein was at Penn State at the time of the research; they are now at the University of Minnesota. Dana Mitzel of the U.S. Department of Agriculture also contributed to the paper.
Funding from the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture supported this work.
Source:
Journal reference:
Das, S., et al. (2025). Atomic-resolution structure of a chimeric Powassan tick-borne flavivirus. Science Advances. doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adw7700.
Brad Pitt has taken a new legal step in the ongoing battle with his ex-wife Angelina Jolie over their former French winery, Château Miraval.
According to court documents filed in June and obtained by Page Six, the actor is now seeking access to Jolie’s private messages related to the sale of her stake in the property.
In the motion, Pitt asks the court to compel Alexei Oliynik, an executive at Stoli Group, to share his communications with Jolie and agree to a deposition. The actor alleges that despite trying to reach an agreement with Oliynik, progress has stalled.
Pitt claims Oliynik, who lives in Switzerland, has refused to participate in the deposition, citing Swiss law that prevents foreign nationals from being required to travel to California for legal proceedings.
However, Pitt’s legal team argues that this law doesn’t apply because they’re requesting a remote deposition to be held in Oliynik’s home country.
The legal documents also state that Pitt believes Oliynik was “acting at the direction of his boss, Stoli chief Yuri Shefler,” and was a “key operative” in the transaction. Pitt’s team describes him as “unquestionably one of this lawsuit’s most important witnesses.”
Pitt and Jolie bought Château Miraval together while they were still a couple. After their separation, Jolie sold her share of the winery—something Pitt has described as a “vindictive” move, leading him to sue her in 2022.
A trial date for the dispute hasn’t been set yet, and a judge has not ruled on Pitt’s most recent filing.
A source close to Pitt’s legal team told Page Six that the issue isn’t just about one person, explaining, “It’s not just about Alexei [Oliynik], it’s about Stoli [Group] as a whole.”
Another insider added, “Stoli has consistently chosen to avoid or challenge evidentiary court rulings. They’ve been failing to comply with the typical legal process.”
While the legal battle continues, the personal impact hasn’t gone unnoticed.
After years of court proceedings, Pitt and Jolie finalized their divorce in December 2024. They first got together in 2004, married in 2014, and separated in 2016.
Sources say Pitt still struggles with how the split affected his relationship with their six children — Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, and twins Vivienne and Knox.
“His biggest regret is he can’t repair this,” a source told Us Weekly earlier this month.
“The case is over but there are no winners. To have that behind him is a relief. But on the other hand, it’s been hard for him because he doesn’t have a great relationship with his kids.”
Pitt is now in a relationship with Ines de Ramon, while the legal fight over Château Miraval continues to unfold.
LAHORE: Heavy rain hit Lahore and its surrounding areas on Wednesday, leading to a pleasant weather but caused water logging and disruption across the city.
Downpours were recorded in several parts of the provincial capital. Meanwhile, a house roof collapsed due to the rain, resulting in the death of two siblings while two others were injured in Sheikhupura. The Rescue 1122 teams responded, providing first aid and shifting the injured to a nearby hospital. The deceased were identified as two-year-old Arham, son of Moazzam, and five-year-old Fatima, daughter of Moazzam.
On the other hand, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), in its report on the amount of rainfall recorded in different cities of the Punjab during the last 24 hours, said that Khanewal received the highest amount of rainfall, totalling 51mm, followed by Sahiwal 44mm, Rawalpindi 42mm and Murree 41mm. Similarly, Lahore received 2 mm, Okara 30mm, Mandi Bahauddin 27mm, Mangla 24mm and Toba Tek Singh 13mm. Similarly, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Bahawalpur, Kasur, Bahawalnagar, Sargodha, Multan and Jhang also received rain. PDMA DG Irfan Ali Kathia said the current spell of monsoon rains would continue until July 13. He informed that torrential rains were expected in a majority of districts of Punjab during the next 24 hours, including Lahore, Jhelum, Mandi Bahauddin, Sialkot, Narowal, Gujrat and Hafizabad. “The concerned administrations must ensure its enforcement,” he said, adding, “stay at safe places while it is lightning.”
He further said that the people living in crumbling buildings must find alternate places to live. Kathia urged drivers to drive at a slow pace and keep distance from other vehicles.
For a long time, it was being reported that Pakistan was going to be the first export customer of China’s 5th-generation fighter, the Shenyang J-31 (now designated J-35). Made with technology “inspired” by F-22 and F-35, the Chinese fighter jet was designed to give Pakistan more teeth against India.
However, in a new twist in the plot, Islamabad has stated that there are no plans to acquire the fighter jet.
The announcement comes close on the heels of the four-day war between India and Pakistan, where Chinese weapons saw combat for the first time.
Despite the claims about Chinese weapons saving the day for Pakistan’s armed forces, it seems the cash-strapped country has done some real performance assessment of the Chinese weapons and may have decided against buying Chinese 5th-gen jets.
Interestingly, Pakistan’s volte-face regarding the Chinese J-35 jet comes after the visit of Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir to the US. US President Trump has praised Munir as “really impressive” and credited him for helping him avert a nuclear conflict with India and Pakistan.
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This visit marked a significant high in the US-Pakistan ties, which had ebbed following the Taliban’s swift takeover of Kabul. Washington, caught off guard, scrutinised Pakistan’s historical ties with the group.
The then-US officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and General Mark Milley, publicly questioned Pakistan’s role in providing sanctuary and support to the Taliban over the previous two decades.
A proposed US Senate bill even called for sanctions on governments that supported the Taliban, with Pakistan named explicitly. The Biden administration limited engagement with Pakistan, focusing on counterterrorism and avoiding broader strategic cooperation.
Pakistan is reportedly eyeing advanced US platforms like F-16 Block 70 fighter jets, HIMARS artillery, and air defense systems. Munir’s US visit was followed by Pakistan Air Force Chief Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu’s visit to the Pentagon and the State Department, signalling a strategic thaw in the ties.
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There has been an economic fillip to the strengthening of ties between the two countries. The US and Pakistan concluded a critical round of trade negotiations that averted the re-imposition of a 29% tariff on Pakistani exports.
Against the backdrop, Pakistan has issued an official denial regarding any deal with China to purchase 5th-generation stealth fighters. Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has rejected media reports suggesting that Pakistan is considering the purchase of China’s J-35A fifth-generation stealth fighter jets.
Till June 12, there have been reports about China arming Pakistan with high-tech fighter jets to redraw the balance of power in South Asia. Forty J-35 stealth fighters were reportedly on offer for a price tag of USD 5 billion.
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“We are not going to buy this fighter jet from China. This is only in the media. This is good for Chinese defense sales,” Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said in a televised interview.
In early 2023, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu confirmed that Pakistan had begun formal negotiations for the stealth jet, stating, “Negotiations have taken place to enable the acquisition of the J-35A, which will soon become part of the Pakistan Air Force.”
In 2024, photographs of Pakistan Air Force pilots training on Chinese J-35s had also surfaced. In fact, PAF was quite pompous about becoming the first air force in South Asia to operate 5th-generation fighter jets.
J-35A
The Trump administration is trying to wean Pakistan off Chinese military equipment, especially fighter jets. About 80 percent of Pakistan’s defense imports are from China.
In lieu of forgoing the opportunity to operate 5th-generation fighters, Islamabad has requested the upgrade of its F-16 fighter jets and the acquisition of advanced air-to-air missiles from the US.
Pakistan’s Defense Minister’s statement could be a ruse to placate its newfound ally, President Trump, as Islamabad had claimed only a few days ago that the delivery of J-35s was imminent. China has attempted to sweeten the deal by offering a substantial discount on the fighter jets to keep India engaged on its western front.
Another reason for this trouble in paradise could be the dismal performance of Made in China weapons in the military confrontation with India.
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In a long post on X titled ‘India’s Operation Sindoor: A Battlefield Verdict on Chinese Weapons- And India’s Victory’, military expert John Spencer said that India not only won the conflict against Pakistan, but it also scored a victory in a technology war with China.
The Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at the US Army Military Academy, Spencer, said: “Operation Sindoor pitted India’s indigenously developed weapons systems against Chinese-supplied platforms fielded by Pakistan. And India didn’t just win on the battlefield — it won the technology referendum. What unfolded was not just retaliation, but the strategic debut of a sovereign arsenal built under the twin doctrines of Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat.”
In the four-day conflict, Pakistan relied heavily on Chinese weapons – ranging from China’s JF-17 fighter planes, CH-4 drones to Chinese HQ-9 air defense systems, which were overpowered by Indian indigenous systems, such as BrahMos missiles, Akash and Akashteer air defence systems, and integration of foreign-made fighter planes and air defence systems, such as Rafale fighters, Scalp missiles, and S-400, with Indian systems.
There are other factors at play. A cash-strapped Pakistan has been facing economic woes. Pakistan may be facing fiscal distress in footing the bill for a multi-billion-dollar fighter purchase. Operating under IMF conditions, this move could indicate fiscal restraint.
Pakistan could be playing its ‘usual’ double game, Nitin J Ticku, Managing Editor and Defense expert at EurAsian Times, believes. As it is, Asif’s remarks do not hold much value, as it’s the Pakistani military that is the real authority in Pakistan. Ticku adds that Pakistan’s arch-rival, India, is unlikely to acquire a stealth aircraft anytime soon, so Islamabad might have merely delayed the acquisition.
J-35, A Replica Of F-22 & F-35?
The limited information available about the J-35 suggests that it was designed to provide close air support and air-to-ground bombing capabilities. Its design also suggests that it might have been designed for carrier use. It has now reportedly been inducted into the People’s Liberation Army Air Force.
The J-35A is a medium-sized fighter with a tailplane wing configuration similar to the US F-35. Twitter/@Fighterman_FFRC
Many observers have noted the striking resemblance between the FC-31 and the American F-35. The flat tail and twin engines of the J-35 seem to be derived from the F-22, and the front end resembles the F-35.
This doesn’t come as a surprise, as a 2014 “U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission” Congressional report cited a Defense Science Board finding that Chinese cyberattacks have siphoned off crucial specifications and technical details of a range of US weapons systems—including the F-35.
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The J-35 prototype was powered by two Russian RD-93 engines, with an afterburning thrust of 2 × 81 kN (thrust-to-weight ratio: 4.82 dry, 7.9 afterburning).
The engines were later replaced with new, stealthy WS-13 engines from Guizhou Aircraft Industry Corporation. The engines could be the chink in J-35s armor. Beijing had offered the same engine for the technically troubled JF-17 exported to the PAF, but Pakistan refused.
The Shenyang J-35 stealth fighter can be equipped with one internal cannon, two internal weapons bays in the fuselage, and three payload hardpoints on each of its two wings. Each internal weapons bay can accommodate up to two missiles.
The J-35 could carry larger missiles, such as the YJ-12 anti-ship missile, under its wings, but like the American F-35, at the cost of its stealth.
The Pakistani variant of the J-35 is likely to be equipped with the PL-17 (Very Long-Range Air-to-Air Missile), a significant upgrade over the Chinese PL-15E. PL-15E, claimed by Pakistan, was used in the downing of Indian fighter jets. The PL-17 with a range of 400 km will give J-35 the capability “to kill from the shadows”.
Ritu Sharma has written on defense and foreign affairs for nearly 17 years. She holds a Master’s degree in Conflict Studies and Peace Management from the University of Erfurt, Germany. Her areas of interest include Asia-Pacific, the South China Sea, and Aviation history.
As revenues from the anti-aging market– riddled with hope and thousands of supplements–– surged past $500 million last year, Emory University researchers identified a compound that actively delays aging in cells and organisms.
A newly published study in Nature Partner Journals’ Aging demonstrates that psilocin, a byproduct of consuming psilocybin, the active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms, extended the cellular lifespan of human skin and lung cells by more than 50%.
In parallel, researchers also conducted the first long-term in vivo study evaluating the systemic effects of psilocybin in aged mice of 19 months, or the equivalent of 60–65 human years. Results indicated that the mice that received an initial low dose of psilocybin of 5 mg, followed by a monthly high dose of 15 mg for 10 months, had a 30% increase in survival compared to mice that did not receive any. These mice also displayed healthier physical features, such as improved fur quality, fewer white hairs and hair regrowth.
While traditionally researched for its mental health benefits, this study suggests that psilocybin impacts multiple hallmarks of aging by reducing oxidative stress, improving DNA repair responses, and preserving telomere length. Telomeres are the structured ends of a chromosome, protecting it from damage that could lead to the formation of age-related diseases, such as cancer, neurodegeneration, or cardiovascular disease. These foundational processes influence human aging and the onset of these chronic diseases.
The study concludes that psilocybin may have the potential to revolutionize anti-aging therapies and could be an impactful intervention in an aging population.
“Most cells in the body express serotonin receptors, and this study opens a new frontier for how psilocybin could influence systemic aging processes, particularly when administered later in life,” says Louise Hecker, PhD, senior author on the study, and former associate professor at Emory University, where the research was initiated and funded.
While much of what researchers know about psilocybin relates to the brain, few studies have examined its systemic impacts. Many people associate psilocybin with the hallucinogenic impacts, but the majority of the cells in the body express serotonin receptors.
Our study opens new questions about what long-term treatments can do. Additionally, even when the intervention is initiated late in life in mice, it still leads to improved survival,which is clinically relevant in healthy aging.”
Louise Hecker, PhD, currently associate professor at Baylor College of Medicine
This news comes on the heels of KFF’s recent report that U.S. life expectancy is still below that of other countries similar in income and size, with an average lifespan of 78.4 years, compared to 82.5 years elsewhere. Not only was it the lowest, but as the lifespan in similar countries increased by 7.9 years from 1980-2022, whereas the U.S. life expectancy has only increased by 4.7 years.
“This study provides strong preclinical evidence that psilocybin may contribute to healthier aging– not just a longer lifespan, but a better quality of life in later years,” says Director of Psychedelic Research at Emory University’s Department of Psychiatry Ali John Zarrabi, MD. “As a palliative care physician-scientist, one of my biggest concerns is prolonging life at the cost of dignity and function. But these mice weren’t just surviving longer-they experienced better aging,” adds Zarrabi, co-investigator of the study.
Zarrabi emphasized the importance of further research in older adults, as well as the well-documented overlap between physical and mental health.
“Emory is actively involved in Phase II and III clinical trials of psilocybin-assisted therapy for depression, and these results suggest we also need to understand psilocybin’s systemic effects in aging populations,” says Zarrabi. “My hope is also that if psilocybin-assisted therapy is approved as an intervention for depression by the FDA in 2027, then having a better quality of life would also translate into a longer, healthier life.”
The study was initiated at Emory University and funded by several awards, including the Imagine, Innovative, and Impact (I3) Award, Emory University School of Medicine; the Georgia CTSA NIH Award; and a grant from Emory’s Woodruff Health Sciences Center for Health in Aging.
Source:
Journal reference:
Kato, K., et al. (2025). Psilocybin treatment extends cellular lifespan and improves survival of aged mice. npj Aging. doi.org/10.1038/s41514-025-00244-x.
New research into the muscles of world-class athletes and performance artists has revealed that a small number of “general motor skills” raise these experts above regional-level and novice competitors, with interesting implications for competitive sport and musculoskeletal health.
Contrary to the belief that athletic motor skills are highly specific to individual sports or activities, this research has found that previously unexamined fundamental traits are associated with world-class performance across a range of athletic disciplines.
We discovered that world-class experts across fields minimize inefficient elastic tissue motions compared to regional level athletes and non-experts.”
Dr. Praneeth Namburi, a Research Scientist in the MIT.nano Immersion Lab at the Institute for Medical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
These inefficient elastic tissue motions, including physiological tremors, contribute nothing to the net effect of muscles on the movement of body segments, effectively wasting valuable time and energy that the muscles could be using productively.
Using a mix of motion capture, accelerometery and ultrasound imaging with deep learning and optical flow analysis, Dr Namburi and his team simultaneously tracked external body movements and the motion of internal elastic tissue, such as muscles and associated connective tissues, during a simple reaching task performed by world-class athletes and regional-level athletes drawn from diverse disciplines, as well as untrained non-experts.
The researchers were surprised to find that regional-level athletes showed similar body movement inefficiencies to the non-experts but produced better performances by achieving the same amount of body movement with relatively smaller muscle length changes.
“While it may seem intuitive that experts’ muscles move differently from those of intermediates and non-experts, it is less obvious that muscle motions of experts in different disciplines would differ from non-experts in the same way,” says Dr. Namburi. “Yet, we find that experts across fields share common characteristics: fewer tremors, reduced transverse muscle motions, and more effective muscle-length changes.”
Dr Namburi became inspired to explore general motor traits after taking up ballroom dance lessons alongside his graduate studies and wanting to explore the underlying motor skills shared by all types of movement. “Highly skilled athletes are re-purposing the elastic mechanisms we all use in everyday activities like walking-they just do it more frequently and reliably than most people,” says Dr Namburi.
“This research could benefit athletes and performance artists in developing sustainable training habits, while also reducing healthcare costs by creating a workforce less susceptible to injuries like back pain,” says Dr Namburi. “For example, it could alert athletes when their movements are less than optimal, helping to reduce injury risk, or it could potentially aid in identifying those with naturally efficient movement-what we often refer to as talent.”
Dr Namburi believes that that the development of motor abilities in modern society is often the product of participation in specific activities, such as swimming, football or ballet. “This approach differs from how we teach reading: we don’t simply hand children books; instead, we teach them the alphabet, words, and grammar. Similarly, a deeper understanding of the physiological foundations of general motor abilities would help us create more effective programs for developing movement skills,” he says.
This study provides evidence to suggest that expert levels of these general motor skills can be achieved through personal training. “With only a few minutes of tremor-based biofeedback, intermediate-performing athletes reduced their tremor rate and muscle-interface speed to expert levels-albeit by slowing the movement, showing that these indicators are not strictly fixed,” says Dr Namburi.
However, Dr Namburi advises caution in interpreting these findings, as while reducing these inefficiencies can lead to world-class movement quality, this alone is not sufficient to perform at their level. “Achieving world-class levels of efficiency in elastic tissue motions through training is like sourcing high-quality ingredients for cooking,” adds Dr Namburi. “While premium ingredients are essential for a delicious dish, they must still be used skilfully to create an exceptional meal.”
This research was carried out, in part, using the tools and facilities at the MIT.nano Immersion Lab and is being presented at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Conference in Antwerp, Belgium on the 8th July 2025.
