Technology

The field of gene editing has witnessed significant advancements in recent years, with CRISPR-Cas9 being a major breakthrough. However, the latest development in this field has sparked a heated debate among scientists. Cathy Tie, a young entrepreneur, has launched Manhattan Genomics, a company that aims to edit the genomes of human embryos. This move reflects broader industry trends towards exploring the potential of gene editing in preventing genetic disorders. Tie’s company has already made some key hires, including a bioethicist and two scientists with expertise in non-human primate reproductive biology. The company plans to conduct extensive research and safety testing before attempting to create gene-edited babies. However, many scientists are worried that the technology is not yet mature, and the ethics, social consensus, and legal framework for its use are not yet in place. As Alexis Komor, a biochemist at the University of California San Diego, puts it, “The bar for safety is so, so, so, so high. We’re definitely not there yet.” ...

The landscape of Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) has reached a pivotal moment. We’re no longer just taking notes—we’re building second brains, creating interconnected knowledge networks, and fundamentally changing how we organize our thinking. But with dozens of tools claiming to be the “ultimate” solution, how do you choose the right one? This comprehensive guide dives deep into the most powerful PKM tools of 2025, comparing their features, philosophies, and real-world performance. Whether you’re a student, developer, researcher, or creative professional, this analysis will help you find your perfect knowledge management system. ...

The Big Picture: What Changed in 2025? Before we dive into specific phones, here’s what’s new and important this year: The 7-Year Update Revolution: Samsung and Google just nuked the upgrade cycle by promising 7 years of OS updates. That’s right—buy a phone in 2025, get security updates until 2032. AI is Everywhere: Every phone now has on-device AI, but they do wildly different things with it. Some focus on photos, others on productivity, and some are just…there. ...

The smartphone industry has witnessed a significant shift in recent years, with manufacturers focusing on delivering exceptional camera capabilities, prolonged battery life, and seamless performance. This move reflects broader industry trends, where users demand more from their devices. OPPO, a leading global smart device brand, has taken a giant leap forward in this direction with the launch of its Find X9 Series. As Pete Lau, SVP and Chief Product Officer at OPPO, puts it, “Find X9 Series represents a giant leap forward in mobile imaging, driven by industry-leading innovations like the 200MP Hasselblad Telephoto.” ...

The pursuit of creating artificial neurons that can seamlessly interact with biological systems has been a longstanding goal in the field of bioelectronics. Recent breakthroughs in this area reflect broader industry trends towards developing more efficient and sustainable computing solutions. A team of engineers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, led by associate professor Jun Yao, has made a significant leap forward by designing artificial neurons that operate at remarkably low voltages, closely mimicking the electrical activity of natural brain cells. ...

The smartphone landscape is about to get a new player, as Ayaneo, a company renowned for its retro gaming handhelds, has officially announced its entry into the phone market. This move reflects broader industry trends, where companies are increasingly diversifying their product lines to cater to evolving consumer demands. Ayaneo’s decision to venture into smartphones is particularly noteworthy, given its expertise in crafting bespoke Android experiences for its gaming handhelds. ...

The era of cumbersome data infrastructure is coming to an end, thanks to Cloudflare’s latest innovation: the Cloudflare Data Platform. This move reflects broader industry trends towards more streamlined and cost-effective data management solutions. By integrating Cloudflare Pipelines, R2 Data Catalog, and R2 SQL, the platform provides a comprehensive toolkit for ingesting, storing, and querying analytical data tables. At the heart of the Data Platform lies Cloudflare Pipelines, a powerful tool for receiving events, transforming them with SQL queries, and ingesting them into R2 Data Catalog or as files on R2. This process enables seamless data structuring and writing into object storage, making it easier to query events with Iceberg. With Pipelines, users can shift left, pushing validation, schematization, and processing to the ingestion layer, resulting in faster and more accurate queries. ...

As the world becomes increasingly digital, concerns about the impact of screen time on children’s health are growing. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that excessive screen time among children and teens may lead to increased risks of heart and metabolic problems. This move reflects broader industry trends, where the lines between screen time and physical activity are becoming increasingly blurred. The study, which analyzed data from over 1,000 participants in Denmark, revealed a clear connection between recreational screen time and higher cardiometabolic risk scores. Each additional hour of screen time was linked to an increase of about 0.08 standard deviations in the cardiometabolic score for 10-year-olds and 0.13 standard deviations for 18-year-olds. “Limiting discretionary screen time in childhood and adolescence may protect long-term heart and metabolic health,” said study lead author David Horner, M.D., PhD. ...

The rising threat of antimicrobial resistance has sparked a global health crisis, with projections indicating 39 million deaths worldwide over the next 25 years. In a significant breakthrough, researchers have discovered a powerful antibiotic that could help combat drug-resistant infections. This move reflects broader industry trends towards exploring unconventional sources for new antimicrobial compounds. By studying the molecular pathway of the soil bacterium Streptomyces coelicolor, scientists have identified an intermediate compound, premethylenomycin C lactone, with antimicrobial activity 100 times stronger than the final product, methylenomycin A. As Dr. Gregory Challis, a chemical biologist at the University of Warwick, notes, “As humans, we anticipate that evolution perfects the end product, and so you’d expect the final molecule to be the best antibiotic, and the intermediates to be less potent.” However, this finding challenges that assumption, highlighting the potential of intermediate compounds in the development of new antibiotics. ...

As the clocks prepare to “fall back” on November 2, marking the end of Daylight Saving Time (DST), many people are bracing themselves for the inevitable disruption to their sleep patterns and daily routines. This move reflects broader industry trends towards reevaluating the effectiveness of DST, with some politicians pushing to abolish the time change altogether. The Uniform Time Act of 1966, which standardized DST across the US, has been the subject of much debate, with proponents arguing that it helps reduce energy consumption and opponents claiming that it has negative impacts on human health. ...

The scourge of snakebites affects thousands of people in sub-Saharan Africa every year, with approximately 20,000 deaths and 10,000 amputations resulting from venomous bites. This highlights a critical need for effective antivenom treatments. Recent breakthroughs in biotechnology have led to the development of a novel antivenom using antibodies from llamas and alpacas, which has shown remarkable efficacy in neutralizing venom from 17 African snake species. This innovation reflects broader industry trends towards leveraging animal-derived antibodies to combat complex health issues. By exposing an alpaca and a llama to venoms from 18 deadly elapid snake species, researchers were able to isolate nanobodies – small, tissue-penetrating versions of antibodies – that can bind to tissue-destroying toxins. A cocktail of eight of these nanobodies was found to successfully neutralize venoms from 17 of the 18 target snake species in mice, outperforming the widely used Inoserp PAN-AFRICA antivenom. ...

The field of biomedical engineering has witnessed a significant breakthrough with the development of the world’s smallest 3D bioprinter, inspired by the flexibility of an elephant’s trunk. This innovative device, with a 2.7-millimetre-wide printhead, has the potential to transform the way physicians treat vocal cord injuries. By delivering healing hydrogels directly to the affected area, this tiny bioprinter can assist in the recovery process, reducing scarring and stiffness in vocal folds. ...