US aid cuts halt HIV vaccine research in South Africa, with global impact
Stop all work, it said. The United States under the Trump administration was withdrawing all its funding .
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The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Promising technologies are not yet ready to replace animal research
A recent op-ed in The Hill praising the National Institutes of Health's new initiative to promote human-based technologies as a 'major victory for animal ethics in science' oversimplifies a far more complex research landscape. While the piece correctly identifies growing support and development of innovative, non-animal approaches, it is misleading in its framing and overstates what this federal initiative actually signals about the future of animal research. Animal studies remain essential to both basic and translational science. From mapping brain circuitry to developing life-saving vaccines, the use of animal models has helped scientists uncover core biological mechanisms and test therapies with a degree of whole-organism complexity that no alternative system can yet match. Research involving animals has been directly responsible for major advances in treating cancer, HIV/AIDS, diabetes and countless other diseases. To suggest that NIH is ready to 'leave outdated animal experiments behind' is to paint an unrealistic picture of the current scientific landscape. It implies that non-animal alternatives are fully capable of replacing animal studies across the board. In reality, these technologies — while exciting and valuable — are still evolving and have significant limitations. This kind of oversimplification does a disservice not only to the scientific community but also to public understanding. Non-animal research methods such as organ-on-a-chip platforms, computational models and 3D bioprinting hold great promise. They offer different ways to model disease, study mechanisms of action and even predict certain aspects of human physiology. But they are not yet equipped to serve as wholesale replacements for animal research. Instead, they are powerful complementary tools that can be used alongside traditional models to enrich our understanding and refine research methods. This oversimplification misleads people into believing that animal and non-animal model research is either-or, when in most cases, these models work together to address different angles of a research question. Consider Emulate's liver chip. This sophisticated model includes four types of human liver cells and has demonstrated promising applications in toxicology and disease modeling. However, the human liver contains at least seven essential cell types, and critical components are missing from the liver chip. This means the model currently lacks the complexity needed to reliably replicate diseases that affect the entire liver, let alone multiple systems. While the technology shows potential, a recent study demonstrates that there are clear limitations, including the inability to perform long-term studies due to challenges in sustaining human liver cells over time. This is just one example of how non-animal models, although deserving of federal support, still have considerable progress to make before they can completely replace animals — a concept acknowledged by the developers of these technologies. Public trust in science has declined in recent years, leaving the research community with a responsibility to communicate scientific issues with clarity, honesty and appropriate context. However, comparing funding levels for animal models versus non-animal models is an ineffective and misleading way to provide transparency. Funding levels fluctuate from year to year for various reasons, including shifting priorities, new projects and the start or natural conclusion of existing studies. Public reporting of these numbers without further context fails to reflect the true complexity, value and potential outcomes of research. Instead, scientists should take opportunities to discuss the goals of their research, the rationale behind the methods and study design and how funding supports the broader mission of improving human and animal health. Using a variety of models helps to ensure that the best research is being done to benefit patients and their families. While organ-on-a-chip and other non-animal technologies show promise, their limitations prevent them from being a full replacement for many animal models. The development of non-animal methods should not come at the expense of the existing established models that still require animals. To sustain scientific progress and drive the next wave of medical breakthroughs, agencies like NIH should focus on funding the best research possible with the most appropriate available models. Alissa Hatfield, MS, is a science policy manager for the American Physiological Society. Naomi Charalambakis, Ph.D., is the director of communications and science policy at Americans for Medical Progress.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
What will the Earth be like in 500 years?
Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you'd like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@ What will the Earth be like in 500 years? — Lotte, Brookline, Massachusetts Scientists can make some pretty accurate forecasts about the future. But predicting what the Earth will be like 500 years from now is a difficult task because there are many factors at play. Imagine Christopher Columbus in 1492 trying to predict the Americas of today! We do know that two main types of processes change our planet: One involves natural cycles, like the way the planet rotates and moves around the Sun, and the other is caused by life forms, especially humans. The Earth is constantly changing. It wobbles, the angle of its tilt changes and even its orbit changes to bring the Earth closer to or farther from the Sun. These changes happen over tens of thousands of years, and they have been responsible for ice ages. Five hundred years isn't very long in terms of geology. The second big influence on the planet is living things. The effects of life on the planet are harder to predict. Disrupting one part of an ecosystem can knock a lot of other things off kilter. Humans in particular are changing the Earth in many ways. They cut down forests and break up important wildlife habitats to build cities and grow crops. They move invasive species around the planet, disrupting ecosystems. They also contribute to global warming. People are causing the climate to change, mostly by burning fossil fuels that release more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than the planet and atmosphere can handle. Normally, greenhouse gases trap heat from the Sun the way the glass of a greenhouse does, keeping Earth warmer than it would be otherwise. That can be useful – until we get too much. The result of too much carbon dioxide is that temperatures rise, and that can lead to dangerously hot summer days and melting ice in Greenland and Antarctica. Melting ice sheets raise the oceans, causing coastal areas to flood. That's what Earth is facing right now. These changes could lead to a very different planet in 500 years, depending in large part on how willing humans are to change their ways. A warming planet can also contribute to extreme weather like heat waves, storms and droughts that can change the land. All of Earth's living forms are at risk. Looking back at the past 500 years, the living part of the Earth, called the biosphere, has changed dramatically. The number of humans has increased from around 500 million people to over 7.5 billion today. More than 800 plant and animal species have become extinct because of human activities over that period. As the human population grows, other species have less space to roam. Sea level rise means even less land, and rising temperatures will send many species migrating to better climates. Not all of Earth's changes are caused by humans, but humans have worsened some of them. A major challenge today is getting people to stop doing things that create problems, like burning fossil fuels that contribute to climate change. This is one global problem that requires countries worldwide and the people within them to work toward the same goal. Getting back to Christopher Columbus, he probably couldn't have imagined a highway full of cars or a mobile phone. Technology will no doubt improve over the next 500 years, too. But so far, tech solutions haven't scaled up fast enough to solve climate change. To keep doing the same things and expect someone else to fix the mess later would be a risky, expensive gamble. So, the Earth in 500 years may be unrecognizable. Or, if humans are willing to change their behaviors, it may persist with its vibrant forests, oceans, fields and cities for many more centuries, along with its most successful residents, humankind. Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you'd like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsUS@ Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live. And since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what you're wondering, too. We won't be able to answer every question, but we will do our best. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Michael A. Little, Binghamton University, State University of New York and William D. MacDonald, Binghamton University, State University of New York Read more: Scientists understood physics of climate change in the 1800s – thanks to a woman named Eunice Foote Extreme heat waves in a warming world don't just break records – they shatter them Coral reefs are dying as climate change decimates ocean ecosystems vital to fish and humans The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
WIRED
7 hours ago
- WIRED
Everything We Know About the Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS
Jul 13, 2025 5:00 AM A team of astronomers recently discovered the traveling space object, just the third of its kind to pass through our solar system. NASA's projection of the trajectory of 3I/ATLAS, which is expected to pass between the orbits of Earth and Mars and make its closest approach to the Sun in October. ILLUSTRATION: NASA/JPL-CALTECH On July 2, NASA revealed the existence of 3I/ATLAS, only the third ever interstellar object observed in the universe. These are objects that exist in interstellar space—the areas between stars—and which are not gravitationally bound to any star. The two other interstellar objects discovered to date are the comets 1I/ʻOumuamua and 2I/Borisov. 3I/ATLAS was discovered on July 1, when its existence was reported by a telescope at Rio Hurtado in Chile, operated by the Asteroid Terrestrial Impact Alert System. Known commonly as ATLAS, this is a NASA-funded system developed and operated by the University of Hawaii to detect asteroids that could potentially hit Earth. It uses four telescopes—two in Hawaii, one in Chile, and one in South Africa—to automatically scan the entire sky several times each night to monitor celestial movements. An illustration of 1I/ʻOumuamua, which was the first ever interstellar object discovered in October 2017. It is thought to be up to 400 meters long and cigar-shaped. Illustration: ESA/Hubble, NASA, ESO, M. Kornmesser An image of 2I/Borisov, the second interstellar object discovered in August 2019. It is thought to be about 975 meters in diameter and moving at 177,000 km/h. PHOTOGRAPH: NASA/ESA/D. JEWITT (UCLA) Archived data collected in the preceding weeks by ATLAS' three other telescopes, as well as by the Zwicky Sky Facility at the Palomar Observatory, operated by the California Institute of Technology, confirmed the discovery. Additional observations of 3I/ATLAS were then made by numerous telescopes around the world, gradually revealing more details about it. Observations of 3I/ATLAS taken by the ATLAS telescope in Chile. Photograph: ATLAS/University of Hawaii/NASA 3I/ATLAS is estimated to be, at most, about 20 kilometers in size. It is currently located about 670 million kilometers from the sun and is approaching our star from the direction of Sagittarius at a speed of about 61 km per second. Its speed is expected to increase as it approaches the sun. When astronomers studied its orbit, they found that 3I/ATLAS was moving too fast to be bound by the sun's gravity and so will head straight through the solar system and into interstellar space, never to be seen again. An animation of 3I/ATLAS created using observations made by the ATLAS telescope at Rio Ultado in Chile. Video: ATLAS/UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII/NASA Generally, celestial bodies are named after their discoverers, but in the case of 3I/ATLAS, it was named after the ATLAS research team. The 'I' stands for 'interstellar,' indicating that the object came from outside the solar system; the '3' was added to the name because it is the third interstellar object discovered. The object was was uncovered because ATLAS initially identified it as something that might be on a possible collision path with Earth, but NASA says there is no risk of the object hitting our planet. Even when 3I/ATLAS is closest to Earth, it will be about 240 million kilometers away. An animation of 3I/ATLAS observations made on July 2 by astronomers at the Near Earth Object Coordination Center, a division of the Planetary Defence Office of the European Space Agency. Video: ESA/LAS CUMBRES OBSERVATORY 3I/ATLAS will be visible using ground-based telescopes until September. It will then enter the inner orbit of Mars in late October and will be hidden in the sun's shadow when it passes our star at its closest point, making it impossible to observe from Earth. However, it will reappear from the sun's shadow in early December and become visible again. 3I/ATLAS is an active comet, which means that as it gets close to the sun and heats up, the ice in its nucleus could sublimate and form a nebula-like cloud of gas and dust called a coma—otherwise known as a tail. Because 3I/ATLAS is an object that came from outside the solar system, it may provide valuable data about objects that exist in the further reaches of space. For this reason, astronomers around the world are now paying close attention to it. This story originally appeared on WIRED Japan and has been translated from Japanese.
