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‘Milestone’ technique could help cancer patients keep hair during chemotherapy | Science, Climate & Tech News

Researchers say they have found a “powerful double weapon” that could help cancer patients keep their hair during chemotherapy.

The new method combines scalp cooling – where patients use cold caps to reduce hair loss from cancer drugs – with a lotion, comprised of antioxidants – some of which are found in red grapes.

Hailed as a “milestone,” researchers at Sheffield Hallam University also pinpointed the optimal temperature for scalp cooling to be most effective for keeping hair.

Cold caps are already used by some cancer patients during chemotherapy to help minimise the amount of hair they lose.

They work by restricting blood flow to the scalp, which reduces the amount of medication reaching the hair follicles.

But the team at Sheffield Hallam University found that cooling the scalp to 18C (64.4F) can prevent hair follicle damage, while 26C may not be enough, and that topical antioxidants could “transform the ability of cooling to protect” against hair loss.

Dr Nik Georgopoulos, an associate professor of cell biology and Transforming Lives fellow at Sheffield Hallam, told PA: “Chemotherapy drugs are drugs that kill rapidly dividing cancer cells, but they cannot discriminate between cancer cells and rapidly dividing normal cells in the body.

“At the base of our hair follicles are these rapidly dividing cells, or keratinocytes, that constantly grow and they end up forming the actual hair.”

For the study, published in Frontiers of Pharmacology, hair follicles were isolated from the scalp and grown in the lab before being treated with chemotherapy to study the impact.

“We show that they die,” Dr Georgopoulos said. “The cells that are rapidly dividing and grow the hair, they will die because of the toxicity of chemotherapy.

“But if you cool them, they are protected, and I don’t mean just protected – prevented from dying. So if cooling is used while the hair follicles are grown in the lab, it can completely prevent the toxicity.”

The associate professor noted, however, that “there is a catch – you have to use the right temperature,” but added that “our research has shown that cooling can slow down the cells, stops them from dividing – protection”.

He said that any issues with temperature could also be compensated with a topical location containing antioxidants like resveratrol, found in the likes of red grapes and peanuts, and dietary supplement N-Acetylcysteine. Dr Georgopoulos described the combination as a “powerful double weapon”.

Read more:
Blood test to ‘revolutionise’ NHS cancer treatment
Heatwave likely killed 263 in London, say scientists
New leukaemia treatment hailed as ‘milestone’

Dr Georgopoulos has also been working with Huddersfield-based business Paxman Scalp Cooling, which created a device that circulates coolant through a specially designed cooling cap.

The cooling cap is worn for half an hour before chemotherapy treatment commences, during treatment, and for up to 90 minutes after all the drugs have been given.

Researchers are now hoping to trial the technique using the Paxman device and are currently finalising the antioxidants to be used.

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July 10, 2025
AI Gains Autonomous Speech Timing Control
SHANGHAI, July 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — As AI deeply integrates into human life and reshapes connectivity, what foundational capabilities are needed to enhance interactive experiences in social scenarios?

Recently, Soul App has upgraded its self-developed, end-to-end full-duplex voice call model. Redefining “full-duplex”, the new model abandons traditional concepts like “VAD (Voice Activity Detection, commonly used to detect speech start/end)” and “latency”, breaking away from the industry-standard “turn-by-turn” interaction pattern.

Instead, it empowers AI to autonomously decide speaking timing, such as proactively breaking silence, appropriately interrupting users, listening while speaking, perceiving time semantics, enabling parallel discussions, and more. The model also supports multi-dimensional perception (including time, environment, and event awareness) and natural speech features (e.g., fillers, stammering, noticeable emotional fluctuations), making AI interactions more “human-like” and delivering an immersive, lifelike voice experience.

The upgraded full-duplex model will soon enter beta testing on Soul and will later be deployed in one-on-one interactive scenarios like digital human calls and AI matchmaking. Soul’s team is also exploring its application in group settings, enabling AI to join conversations at the right moment, extend topics, and foster diverse relationship networks.

Tao Ming, CTO of Soul App, stated, “Social interaction is an exchange of emotional and informational value. Soul remains committed to leveraging innovative technology and product solutions to deliver smarter, more immersive, and higher-quality interactive experiences, making loneliness go away for all.”

Full-Duplex Voice Call: Redefining AI Social Interaction

Previously constrained by technical limitations, human-AI dialogues often followed a “Q&A” format (user asks → AI responds), where latency or interruptions disrupted immersion.

In 2024, Soul launched its self-developed, end-to-end full-duplex voice model, featuring ultra-low latency, rapid auto-interruption, hyper-realistic voice expression, and emotional perception. It could directly interpret complex auditory inputs and support highly anthropomorphic multilingual styles. To further achieve daily-life-like conversations and “human-like” companionship, Soul has now upgraded the model with the following capabilities:

1. Full-Duplex Interaction: AI Gains Autonomous Decision-Making

The new model enables stream prediction for responses, listening, and interruptions. AI autonomously decides when to speak, achieving true end-to-end full-duplex interaction, where AI and users can talk simultaneously (e.g., debating, arguing, singing), appropriately interrupt each other, or proactively break silence to initiate topics.

This autonomy allows AI to master interaction timing, significantly enhancing dialogue naturalness and enabling immersive, real-world-like exchanges during extended, multi-turn conversations.

2. Colloquial & Emotional Expression: More Vivid Interactions

To make AI interactions feel more human-like, the model achieves comprehensive enhancements across multiple dimensions, including emotional expression, vocal characteristics, and conversational content, bringing it closer to real-world communication.

For instance, in emotional expression, beyond foundational capabilities like laughter, crying, or anger, the upgraded model delivers more pronounced vocal fluctuations that evolve naturally with the conversation. Its pronunciation now incorporates organic speech elements such as filler words, occasional stammering, common catchphrases, coughs, and other everyday vocal nuances. Furthermore, AI-generated dialogue leans into colloquial and socially fluid language rather than rigid, written-language patterns.

3. Contextual Awareness: Time, Events, Environment

Built on a pure autoregressive architecture with unified text/audio generation (Unified Model), the model leverages strong LLM capabilities to integrate persona, time, environment, and contextual dialogue into AI responses. This allows perceptive, understanding AI to better shape “digital personalities”, create rich storylines, and transform interactions into genuine “exchanges of emotion and information”.

Notably, Soul’s AI team is currently exploring how to extend its full-duplex voice call model to multi-person scenarios. For example, in group voice conversations, the AI leverages its autonomous decision-making capability to identify optimal speaking moments, effectively facilitate topic discussions and extensions, and seamlessly integrate into authentic social dynamics as an active participant.

Integrating AI into Social Networks: Delivering Emotional and Informational Value

Drawing on deep insights into social dynamics, Soul rapidly implements technology at the application layer and refines products based on user feedback. Its AI roadmap focuses on two paths: “AI helping users make friends (AI-assisted socializing)” and “AI being friends with users (human-AI interaction)”. Corresponding features, such as the emotionally intelligent “AI Companion” and chat-assistant “AI Chat Assistant”, have garnered enthusiastic user adoption.

Human-AI interaction specifically aims to deliver emotional and informational value through human-like capabilities. According to Soul’s Just So Soul Institute (2025 Gen Z AI Usage Report, March 2025; sample: 3,680):
- Nearly 40% of young people use AI daily for emotional companionship.
- 71.1% are willing to befriend AI (vs. 32.8% in the 2024 Gen Z AIGC Attitudes Report).
As AI reshapes Generation Z’s perception of social relationships, it also gives rise to new demands. A survey conducted by Soul among active users of “AI Companions” reveals that approximately 60% desire more human-like AI behavior.

This full-duplex model upgrade significantly advances AI’s interactive abilities, infusing presence and emotional warmth into human-AI exchanges, and will propel AI socializing into a new era.

As a platform rooted in authentic human connections, Soul is committed to building a social ecosystem where “AI Beings” and “Human Beings” coexist. By continuously investing in cutting-edge technology, Soul empowers AI to enrich users’ emotional support systems, diversify emotional experiences, and ultimately enhance individual well-being and belonging.

SOURCE Soul App
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July 10, 2025
TV tonight: Rob Rinder’s fantastic history lesson on the Great Plague | Television

The Great Plague With Rob Rinder & Ruth Goodman

9pm, Channel 5
The barrister and broadcaster Rob Rinder is a captivating history teacher and he is having a ball in this new series, as he learns how wealthy Londoners navigated the plague (even getting into costume for the occasion). Meanwhile, the equally charismatic historian Ruth Goodman finds real cases of poor citizens to explore how differently they experienced it. The two start the story by getting a sense of London life just before the first plague deaths. Hollie Richardson

Supercruising: Life at Sea

8pm, Channel 4
The easygoing cruise‑time series cranks things up a notch, with one ship celebrating Koningsdag – a Dutch holiday for King’s Day – by throwing an “orange party” for 3,000 passengers. Plus, there is drama in Rotterdam when a passenger goes missing. HR

The Walking Dead: Dead City

9pm, Sky Max
Season two of the enjoyably shlocky zombie spin-off set in the ruins of New York picks up the action a year later. Longstanding frenemies Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan) are caught up in a brewing conflict to claim ultimate control of Manhattan. But are they destined to be on opposite sides? Graeme Virtue

Outrageous

9pm, U&Drama
This underrated drama about the Mitfords continues – and the family are horrified to learn that Unity is now “Hitler’s British girl” – everyone except Diana, that is, who uses this as an advantage to get closer to Oswald Mosley. It leaves the others asking: can you still love your sister if she believes in such evil? HR

Such Brave Girls

10pm, BBC Three

Dysfunctional … Billie (Lizzie Davidson), Deb (Louise Brealey) and Josie (Kat Sadler) in Such Brave Girls. Photograph: BBC/Various Artists Limited

Prepare yourself for more excruciating capers in Kat Sadler’s audacious comedy about a dysfunctional family of women. After marrying Seb, Josie has started an affair, while sister Billie is having trouble trying to seduce a man. Meanwhile, their mum, Deb, is depressed after her engagement is called off. Don’t expect any of them to catch a break. HR

Poker Face

10pm, Sky Max
In a season finale directed with some flair by the show’s star, Natasha Lyonne, Charlie and her jittery new pal, Alex (Patti Harrison), are on the run from the Iguana, a fabled assassin. Can they keep a witness from the archvillain’s clutches? It’s all about to go a bit Thelma & Louise. Jack Seale

Film choice

Brick (Philip Koch, 2025), Netflix

Walled in … Matthias Schweighöfer and Ruby O Fee in Brick. Photograph: Sasha Ostrov/Netflix

Philip Koch, last seen directing Netflix’s sadly truncated Tribes of Europa sci-fi series (cancelled after one season), returns with a horror thriller with a chilling premise. Matthias Schweighöfer and Ruby O Fee play a couple who wake up to find their apartment building has been encased in a huge wall made of an unidentified material. Is it a trap or was it put there to protect them? Will their neighbours help them escape or are they in on the secret as well? If Stephen King was an influence (and it certainly seems that way), he should be proud. Stuart Heritage

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July 10, 2025
Australian scientists use AI to create proteins targeting superbugs-Xinhua

SYDNEY, July 10 (Xinhua) — Australian scientists have used artificial intelligence (AI) to create a synthetic protein that kills antibiotic-resistant bacteria like E. coli.

This marks the first time an Australian team has generated a ready-to-use biological protein using AI, placing them alongside countries like the United States and China in rapidly generating thousands of proteins for faster, more affordable drug development and diagnostics, the Melbourne-based Monash University said on Thursday.

The team developed the AI Protein Design Platform using advanced AI-driven tools, including recently developed software to rapidly create custom proteins for pharmaceutical and diagnostic applications, said a Monash University statement.

“Using these tools and those we are developing in-house, we can engineer proteins to bind a specific target site or ligand, as inhibitors, agonists or antagonists, or engineered enzymes with improved activity and stability,” said Daniel Fox, the study’s lead author and PhD student at Monash University.

The study, published in Nature Communications, pointed out that AI has reduced protein engineering from decades to seconds, speeding up the development of treatments for infections, cancer, snakebites, and other conditions.

The Australian platform is modeled on pioneering work by American biochemist and Nobel laureate David Baker, enabling the creation of entirely new proteins designed for specific tasks, according to Rhys Grinter from Monash University, the study’s co-lead author.

This innovation is expected to accelerate drug discovery, reduce costs, and provide new solutions to antibiotic resistance, Grinter said. ■

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July 10, 2025
Benny Blanco spills the beans on wedding plans with Selena Gomez

Benny Blanco opens up about marriage plans with Selena Gomez

Benny Blanco has finally opened up about his much-awaited wedding with Selena Gomez.

During his latest appearance on Therapuss with Jake Shane podcast, the 37-year-old music producer, who proposed to Selena in late 2024, confessed that wedding planning hasn’t officially begun yet.

“Honestly, I really want to take a little break. I’ve been working so much,” Benny told Jake. “I just want to lay in bed and forget what day it is because we’ve been in bed just watching stuff.”

“Not usually, but with Selena, I can do it all day. She makes me want to hang out and cuddle, just watch things, eat food, and have the best time ever,” he added.

Benny further told the podcast host that he is planning to sit down with the Calm Down hitmaker this summer to map out their wedding day.

“That wedding is going to be lit,” teased Jake, to which Benny replied, “It’ll be chill.”

For those unversed, Benny and Selena began dating in July 2023.

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July 10, 2025
Four Africans hold more wealth than half the continent, says Oxfam

Nigerian multinational industrial conglomerate Dangote Group’s CEO Aliko Dangote attends the seventh “Choose France Summit”, at the Chateau de Versailles, outside Paris, France on May 13, 2024. — Reuters

LAGOS: The four wealthiest individuals in Africa now hold more wealth than roughly half of the continent’s 750 million people, anti-poverty organisation Oxfam warned in a report released on Thursday, cautioning that widening inequality is undermining democratic progress.

While Oxfam named only Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, the other top earners, according to Forbes, include South Africans Johann Rupert and Nicky Oppenheimer, as well as Egyptian tycoon Nassef Sawiris.

Over the past five years, African billionaires have seen their wealth soar by 56%, with the richest among them recording even higher gains, Oxfam said.

Nearly half of the top 50 most unequal countries in the world are also on the continent, according to the report.

Oxfam argued that government policies are skewed against the poor and provide leeway for the continent’s super-rich to amass even more wealth.

“Most African countries are not fully leveraging progressive taxation to effectively tax the super-rich and address inequality,” the report said.

However, it also blamed mounting inequality on “regressive” International Monetary Fund policies and illicit financial flows — notably the use of tax havens to hide wealth abroad.

The NGO said that inequality is hindering democracy, hampering poverty reduction and worsening the climate crisis, with “political capture” by the wealthy undermining “pro-poor government policies and the effectiveness of public institutions”.

For instance, in Africa’s biggest democracy, Nigeria, people seeking political office are often priced out of running by exorbitant fees demanded by political parties.

Meanwhile vote-buying is rampant in a country where tens of millions of people are desperately poor.

Despite the issue, Oxfam said that nearly nine-in-ten African countries since 2022 have backtracked on policies on taxation, labour rights and minimum wages which the charity says are necessary to help tackle inequality.

Oxfam recommended an overhaul of tax administrations on the continent.

Currently, Africa’s tax systems are nearly three times less effective at redistributing income from the richest one percent than the global average, it said.

Additionally, the continent loses an estimated $88.6 billion annually through illicit financial flows.

A review of the tax systems of 151 countries found that “Africa was the only region in which countries have not increased effective tax rates since 1980”, the charity said.

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July 10, 2025
Office plans amended after Roman basilica found in City of London

Ben Lynch

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Woods Bagot

Revised plans for an office block in the City of London have been approved, after a Roman basilica was found beneath the site.

A rethink of the 85 Gracechurch Street scheme was forced upon premises owner Hertshten Properties earlier this year following the discovery.

Initially planned as a 32-storey building, the block was reduced to 30 storeys and a public exhibition showcasing the near 2,000-year-old basilica will be created.

The remains, which are believed to date to the late 70s or 80s AD, were discovered during investigations by Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA).

Tony Jolliffe/BBC

Archaeologists found the Roman masonry under the concrete floor of the office

The location of the ancient basilica was known by experts, though the extent of its preservation was a surprise, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Sophie Jackson, director of development at MOLA, said the proposal would add a “compelling, world-class display of the remains of the first basilica, right in the centre of the City”.

She said: “Finding substantial remains of the basilica is one of the most remarkable discoveries made in the City in recent years, and it has been described as the equivalent to discovering the Speaker’s Chair in the Chamber of the House of Commons in 2,000 years’ time.”

Fresh plans were submitted with the City of London Corporation in April, which also featured a public walkway providing views of the nearby Leadenhall Market.

It will deliver an increase of about 27,000 square metres of office floorspace compared to the existing building, which will be demolished.

Ron Hertshten, chief executive of Hertshten Properties (UK) Limited, said the development embraced the City of London’s history.

The revised plans were approved on 8 July.

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July 10, 2025
Three West Midlands teenagers to compete in world fly-fishing competition

Nick Clitheroe

BBC Midlands Today

BBC

The fly-fishing competition is being held in Idaho Falls

Three teenagers from the West Midlands are heading to the US to compete on the fly-fishing world stage.

Nicholas from Birmingham, Marcus from Church Stretton, Shropshire, and Harry from Rugeley, Staffordshire, are members of the England U18 River and Bank Fly Fishing Team.

They will compete in the 22nd FIPS-Mouche World Youth Fly Fishing Championship in Idaho Falls from 12 to 19 July.

“This will be my first competition, and to have it hosted in America, it’s a very big thing for me… its an honour to represent my country fishing,” said 15 year-old Marcus.

He said he became hooked when he picked up his first rod at three years old, but really got into the sport when he was six.

Marcus now goes out to local reservoirs with his dad most weekends.

“It’s really good to just get outside,” he told the BBC.

The competition will see the team catch and release fish, scoring points for how big they are

“This is what I love and this is what really helps me.”

Of the competition, he said: “It’s just on my mind all the time, practicing, fly-fishing, practicing non-stop.”

The competition requires a specific fishing style of catch and release with barbless hooks, with both wading and boat fishing.

Fish must be a minimum of 20cm and competitors score 100 points for each fish, plus 20 points for each centimetre of length.

Nicholas, 16, spent much of his summers in Trinidad and Tobago, where his cousins got him into fishing.

“It’s a really nice break from the city, especially me being in school full time… it gives you something to look forward to on the weekends,” he said.

The competition is from 12 to 19 July

He said in the run-up to the competition, the squad had been meeting more regularly, fine-tuning their kit and equipment.

“It’s going to be like a brotherhood going out there,” he said.

“I think we’ll do well out there, I think we could podium… as long as we stick together and work well.”

Harry, 13, got into fishing when he was seven, catching three fish while he was out with his dad.

“It means a lot to me that I can represent my own country in the sport I love,” he said.

“I’ve never been that far from home and I’m really excited… the lakes are bigger, the rivers are bigger and the fish are bigger, everything’s bigger over there.

“I think we’ll do well – it is our first time as a team… we are like the underdogs a little bit.”

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July 10, 2025
Woman brings traditional Indian yoga to island

Chris Craddock

BBC Jersey communities reporter

BBC

Rashmi Singhal has started the yoga sessions in the island

A woman who is hoping to share her culture with others has started traditional Indian yoga sessions in Jersey.

Rashmi Singhal, who is Indian, moved to the island earlier this year ago after living in Malta for six years, where she also taught this type of yoga.

Traditional Indian yoga focuses areas like breathing techniques and holding postures to improve physical and mental health.

She said she took up yoga to deal with a slight neck pain and had found it “helps you find that stillness in your body”.

Patrica McMahon has found classes a good way to relax after work

Patricia McMahon has started attended some of Ms Singhal’s yoga classes after a friend recommended them to her.

She said “it’s been great” and “the breathing exercises in particular have been very relaxing”.

Ms McMahon added: “This has been really helpful especially when you’re trying to relax after a stressful day at work”.

The pair said they were very well settled in Jersey

Ms Singhal, who learned how to practise yoga in her home country, said the aim was to teach the sessions on the beach.

“It feels so much more powerful in nature,” she said.

“You just show up and when you start practising over and over you will start getting flexible… having yoga in your life helps you find that stillness in your body.”

Ms Singhal praised the wider community in Jersey for welcoming herself and husband Turban Banerjee to the island.

‘Fell in love’

Mr Banerjee said he first came to Jersey two years ago for a work project.

“I went out to the beach in St Helier and immediately fell in love,” he said.

“Everyone helps each other and we are really grateful and happy that we moved here.”

Ms Singhal added: “People are so amazing, they’re just so warm and people smile at you as you pass, which you don’t find in a lot of other places.”

More information on the yoga sessions is available on Facebook.

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July 10, 2025
Camera-Equipped Exercise Vests : The Urban Eyes Vest

The Urban Eyes Vest is an advanced accessory for avid athletes in urban areas to incorporate into their setup as a way to further prioritize safety and peace of mind. The vest features a simple, no-nonsense design that can be easily worn over the torso where it will go to work capturing video footage thanks to a series of cameras on the front and rear. The cameras each have a 2.5K lens that can record in 30fps and are centered on the vest with a design that looks like an eye as a visual indicator to potential attackers that they are being recorded.

The Urban Eyes Vest has a blue LED that will flash when video and sounds are being recorded, and will capture footage for up to 90-minutes per charge.

Image Credit: The Urban Eyes

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July 10, 2025