A remarkable scientific breakthrough has enabled a man who lost his ability to speak to communicate in real time using a brain-computer interface (BCI) that converts his brain activity directly into synthetic speech.

This system, developed by researchers at the University of California, Davis, uses electrodes implanted in the man's brain to detect neural signals associated with intended speech.

These brain signals are instantly interpreted and transformed into vocalized speech using artificial intelligence.

The BCI achieves near-instantaneous synthesis—within just 25 milliseconds—making the communication feel natural and conversational.

The resulting synthetic voice is capable of reflecting variations in pitch, emphasis, and intonation, which are critical elements for emotional expression and natural conversation.

According to Sergey Stavisky, a neuroscientist involved in the project, this is the first instance of a system that can produce real-time, expressive voice directly from neural activity.

This technology not only allows the patient to converse but even enables singing, demonstrating its fluidity and expressiveness.

The implications are vast: this could restore meaningful communication to people with conditions like ALS, brainstem stroke, or spinal cord injury, where speech capability is lost.

This research builds upon earlier BCI efforts but sets a new bar in terms of immediacy and speech quality.

It marks a significant step toward giving a natural voice back to individuals with severe physical limitations

Scientists from the University of Bayreuth in Germany have successfully created the world’s first gene-edited spider that produces glowing red silk threads.

Using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, they inserted a red fluorescent protein gene (mRFP) directly into the silk-producing genes of the common house spider (Parasteatoda tepidariorum).

As a result, some offspring were able to spin fluorescent red silk, visible under UV light—a strong sign that the gene modification worked precisely.

This breakthrough is the first time CRISPR has been used to achieve a gene "knock-in" in spiders, and it demonstrates that functional proteins can be genetically embedded into silk threads.

In the same study, researchers also knocked out a gene responsible for eye development, causing spiders to hatch without eyes—further proving the precision of their genetic editing method.

The research was published in the peer-reviewed journal Angewandte Chemie and has received international attention.

Funded by organizations including the U.S.
Navy and Air Force, the project could lead to supermaterials for use in defense, aerospace, textiles, and biomedicine—such as biodegradable sensors or stronger-than-steel fibers.

In summary, this marks a significant leap in bioengineering and spider silk research, unlocking future possibilities to design silk with custom traits directly within spiders themselves.

WASP-121 b, an exoplanet located 855 light-years from Earth, is one of the most extreme worlds ever discovered. This scorching hot Jupiter is tidally locked to its star, with one side eternally scorched and the other cloaked in night.

On its blistering day side, temperatures soar above 3,000 K (2,700°C / 4,900°F), while the night side cools to around 1,500 K (1,226°C / 2,240°F). This dramatic contrast fuels violent winds that rip across the planet at incredible speeds, dragging atoms and water molecules from day to night.

On the cooler night side, metal clouds begin to form—composed of vanadium, iron, chromium, calcium, sodium, magnesium, and nickel. Scientists believe aluminum and oxygen may bond to create corundum—the mineral that, when laced with traces of other metals, forms liquid rubies and sapphires that may rain down from the sky.

Researchers aim to use the James Webb Space Telescope to search for carbon monoxide, unlocking new clues about the formation of hot Jupiters like WASP-121 b.

RESEARCH PAPER
Thomas Mikal-Evans et al., Diurnal variations in the stratosphere of the ultrahot giant exoplanet WASP-121b, Nature Astronomy (2022)

The town in question is Green Bank, West Virginia, located within the National Radio Quiet Zone (NRQZ)—a 13,000-square-mile area established to minimize radio frequency interference for scientific research.

At the heart of Green Bank lies the Green Bank Observatory, home to the Green Bank Telescope (GBT), one of the world's largest fully steerable radio telescopes. Because this telescope is extremely sensitive to electromagnetic interference, strict regulations are enforced in the area:

Wi-Fi routers, cell towers, and even microwave ovens are restricted or heavily regulated within proximity.

Smartphones are discouraged, and there's little to no cell service.

Social media usage is limited not by law but due to the lack of connectivity infrastructure.

This makes Green Bank one of the quietest places in the U.S. in terms of radio waves. As a result, it has become a haven for individuals with Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (EHS)—a condition where people report health issues from exposure to electromagnetic fields.

While not entirely devoid of modern technology, the town's lack of wireless infrastructure gives it a unique position in an otherwise highly connected world.

GIGANTIC BREAKFAST MAPLE SAUSAGE DEEP DISH

Ingredients:
1 deep-dish crust or biscuit base
1 lb maple sausage, cooked & sliced
4 eggs, beaten
1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup cooked diced potatoes or hash browns
½ cup diced onions
2 tbsp maple syrup
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:
1⃣ Pre-bake crust 5 min at 375°F (190°C).
2⃣ Layer sausage, potatoes, and onions evenly.
3⃣ Pour beaten eggs over layers, sprinkle cheese on top.
4⃣ Bake 25-30 min until eggs set and cheese melts.
5⃣ Drizzle maple syrup before serving for sweet-savory bliss.

Prep: 15 min | Cook: 30 min | Total: 45 min | Serves: 4