<![CDATA[In this inaugural episode, experts discuss the limitations of current diagnosis-based frameworks in suicide research, emphasizing the need for more targeted interventions. ]]>
<![CDATA[In the first ever episode of “Psychopharm Today,” experts unpack why suicide needs its own research, how to design targeted studies, and what clinicians can do beyond diagnosis to reduce risk.]]>
<![CDATA[Why psychiatrists must talk about sex: sexual dysfunction can exacerbate comorbid psychiatric disorders and contribute to medication nonadherence.]]>
Digital Health Summer Schools 2026 full programme published
Digital Health has published the full Summer Schools 2026 programme, featuring some of the NHS’s most influential digital leaders.
The Download: soccer’s data renaissance and China’s big nuclear plans
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.
Inside soccer’s data renaissance
Imagine tuning in to the opening kickoff of a World Cup match and seeing a player intentionally kick the ball out of bounds. You may question the logic of surrendering possession seconds into a game. If you were Jesse Davis, though, you’d know that this play could be a prime setup to score.
Davis is a professor of computer science at KU Leuven in Belgium and head of its Sports Analytics Lab, which has been at the vanguard of a data awakening in soccer.
Using AI and data analytics, his team has uncovered hidden tactical patterns and challenged long-held assumptions about how the game should be played. Many of the insights hitting soccer pitches today trace back to the lab’s work.
Read the full story on how computer scientists are changing the world’s most popular sport.
—Andrew Zaleski
This story is from the next edition of our magazine. Subscribe now to get a copy when it lands!
Why China is betting on big nuclear reactors
In China, large reactors are coming together at a stunning pace. The country has nearly doubled its nuclear fleet since 2016, reaching nearly 60 gigawatts of total power capacity. Construction started on six new reactors in 2025, and two more have begun in 2026.
It’s incredibly difficult to build the massive projects that dominate the nuclear industry today. Up-front investment can run well into the billions, and designs are complex. Yet China is moving ahead rapidly. By 2030, the country is on course to overtake both the US and the EU in installed nuclear capacity.
Find out why bigger might be better when it comes to nuclear power.
—Casey Crownhart
This story is from The Spark, our weekly newsletter giving you the inside track on all things climate. Sign upto receive it in your inbox every Wednesday.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 Autonomous drones may have killed soldiers for the first time
A drone-maker said Russian troops were killed in a test. (New Scientist $)
+ The US has used a sea drone to rescue a helicopter’s crew. (NYT $)
+ Europe has a drone-filled vision for war. (MIT Technology Review)
2 Solar power has finally surpassed coal in US electricity generation
It’s the leading source of new power. (Guardian)
+ Meanwhile, Trump is increasing coal investments. (BBC)
+ The US is in a power struggle over coal. (MIT Technology Review)
3 Russia’s FSB has taken control of the country’s internet
The KGB successor now determines access. (Financial Times $)
+ Rage over the restrictions is boiling over. (NYT $)
4 OpenAI says China is fomenting dissent over AI on ChatGPT
It claims to have foundinfluence operations on the bot. (Reuters $)
+ The propaganda also targeted data centers and tariffs. (Politico $)
5 SpaceX’s listing price is expected to be revealed today
It could lead to the biggest IPO ever. (NPR)
+ And turn 4,400 employees into millionaires. (NYT $)
6 EPA scientists say they’re pushed to downplay risks of household products
They’re under pressure to alter reviews of chemicals in products. (CNN)
7 Anthropic has walked back a policy that “sabotaged” research
It would have limited Claude’s ability to develop competing AI models. (Wired $)
8 Congress wants in on the data center backlash
Members are jumping on the fervor with new policy plans. (Axios)
+ Should we be moving data centers to space? (MIT Technology Review)
9 Your search results are getting sloptimized
Companies are gaming the chatbot internet. (Atlantic $)
10 Scientists have discovered that humans prefer to walk anticlockwise
It’s a discovery that could improve crowd and evacuation management. (Guardian)
Quote of the day
“We’re the extracted and exploited colony of what is going to be one of the most highly valued entities in the world. People are going to die because of this pollution.”
—Justin Pearson, who represents portions of Memphis in the Tennessee House of Representatives, tells Wired why his constituents are angry about the SpaceX IPO.
One More Thing
Space is all yours—for a hefty price
Space tourism is now officially a thing. But does it represent a future in which the average person could book a celestial flight and bask in the splendor of Earth from above? Or is this just another way for the ultrawealthy to flash their cash while simultaneously ignoring and exacerbating our existential problems down on the ground?
For now, such flights remain ridiculously far beyond the financial reach of most people. They also pose risks to both the passengers and the planet. But proponents of private spaceflight argue that it provides great opportunities for science and a sense of transcendence.
Dive into the space tourism debate.
—Margaret O’Mara
We can still have nice things
A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet ’em at me.)
+ A rare antelope species was rediscovered in a remote Kenyan forest.
+ This ingenious camping trailer pops up into a fully heated off-road bathroom.
+ Iconic internet memes are now safely preserved in the British Film Institute’s moving image archive.
+ NASA’s experimental aircraft has successfully broken the sound barrier in a big win for supersonic flight.
The exercise-microbiota-queuine-tRNA axis in Parkinson’s disease: evidence, uncertainties, and experimental priorities
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a multisystem neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive nigrostriatal dopaminergic degeneration, α-synuclein aggregation, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammatory remodeling. Although these mechanisms have been extensively investigated, how systemic metabolic and microbiota-derived signals intersect with neuronal translational control remains incompletely understood. Queuosine (Q) modification of tRNAs is a distinctive RNA modification because its precursor, queuine, is not synthesized de novo by mammalian cells but is acquired from diet and gut microbial metabolism. Emerging evidence indicates that Q-tRNA modification can influence codon decoding, translational speed, proteostasis, oxidative stress responses, and mitochondrial function, but direct evidence linking Q-tRNA dysregulation to PD remains limited. In this narrative review, we propose a conceptual and hypothesis-generating framework in which the microbiota-queuine-Q-tRNA modification axis may contribute to neuronal translational buffering and stress adaptation in PD. We distinguish established mechanisms, emerging evidence, and speculative links, emphasizing that the complete causal chain from exercise-induced microbiota remodeling to altered queuine availability, Q-tRNA modification, mitochondrial translational recalibration, and dopaminergic neuroprotection has not yet been experimentally demonstrated. We further discuss tRNA-derived fragments (tRFs) as candidate biomarkers and potential effector molecules in PD-associated translational stress, neuroinflammation, and intercellular RNA communication. Finally, we outline experimental priorities for validating this model, including direct Q-tRNA profiling in PD tissues and biofluids, exercise-intervention studies in PD models, microbiota/queuine manipulation, and mechanistic testing of circulating RNA carrier transport across the blood-brain barrier. This framework does not establish a new pathogenic pathway, but provides a structured roadmap for investigating how exercise, microbial metabolism, and RNA modification biology may converge on selective neuronal vulnerability in PD.
Occipital and parietal non-invasive brain stimulation enhances perceptual learning and transfer: evidence from high-frequency tRNS
Perceptual training yields specific, long-lasting improvements, yet its transfer to untrained conditions is often limited. This tension has been proposed to involve interactions between early sensory plasticity and higher-order parietal processes, with the early visual cortex contributing to stimulus-specific learning and parietal regions potentially supporting more flexible generalization. However, causal evidence comparing how occipital and parietal stimulation modulates learning and transfer remains limited. To address this gap, we combined high-frequency transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) with a classical perceptual training paradigm. We examined whether occipital and parietal tRNS differentially enhance learning and whether they modulate transfer. Forty-one participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: active tRNS over occipital cortex, active tRNS over parietal cortex, or sham stimulation, during multi-session training on a contour detection task. Results revealed that the learning dynamics exhibited distinct stage-specific modulations, with parietal tRNS accelerating early-stage acquisition and occipital tRNS sustaining learning rates during the later asymptotic phase. Furthermore, both active stimulations significantly increased the overall magnitude of learning gains compared to sham. Importantly, however, only parietal tRNS reliably enhanced transfer, particularly across curvature. These results provide causal evidence that occipital and parietal stimulation differentially modulate the behavioral dynamics of perceptual learning and transfer. This pattern is consistent with hierarchical accounts in which sensory and higher-order systems may contribute differently to learning stability and flexibility, while also highlighting the potential of targeted neuromodulation to enhance distinct phases and outcomes of perceptual learning.
Editorial: Neuromuscular disorders: biomarkers, precision diagnosis, and targeted therapeutics
Neural and autonomic regulation during brief mindfulness and relaxation interventions in clinical populations: a multimodal MEG study protocol
Mental disorders pose a major and growing challenge for health care systems worldwide, marked by persistent treatment gaps and limited access to psychotherapeutic care. Mind–body interventions such as mindfulness and relaxation practices are widely used in clinical contexts as low-threshold strategies to support stress regulation and psychological well-being. Despite their broad application, the mechanisms underlying their acute effects remain insufficiently understood, particularly regarding brain–body interactions. This study protocol describes a prospective multimodal investigation of regulation during brief mindfulness-and relaxation-based interventions in clinical populations (at least n = 15 adults with depression according to SCID-5-CV and at least n = 15 adults with adult ADHD according to SCID-5-CV). Using a standardized within-subject experimental paradigm, magnetoencephalography (MEG) will be combined with electrocardiography (ECG) and respiratory measures to capture fast neural dynamics and autonomic regulation during three randomized auditory conditions: mindfulness (body scan), relaxation (safe place imagery), and an auditory control condition (podcast). Subjective ratings of stress and relaxation will be collected repeatedly across the procedure, complemented by questionnaires characterizing interindividual differences relevant to regulation. Outcome measures will include indices of autonomic regulation derived from cardiac activity and respiration, as well as repeated subjective ratings of stress and relaxation across conditions. Neural measures (MEG) will be used to characterize condition-related brain dynamics and brain–body coupling metrics linking neural oscillations to cardiac and respiratory rhythms. Speech-related measures during auditory guidance and brief speech-production features from post-condition reflections will be included as complementary and exploratory extensions to increase psychotherapy relevance, while accounting for methodological challenges related to overt speech in MEG. By integrating neural, physiological, and subjective measures within a single standardized paradigm, this study protocol aims to advance a mechanistic understanding of brief mind–body interventions in clinically relevant populations. Focusing on dynamic brain– body interactions during stress and regulation, the proposed approach is designed to support transparent and reproducible investigation of regulatory processes that are relevant to psychotherapy-related mind–body approaches, clinical practice, and everyday self-regulation. The findings are expected to inform future translational research and contribute to the development of mechanism-informed and potentially personalized applications of mindfulness-and relaxation-based interventions.Study protocol registrationPreregistration can be found here: https://osf.io/3rhk4/overview.
Do stretch sensors expressed by aortic baroreceptors interact with circulating estradiol to mediate baroreflex sensitivity in hypertension?
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of mortality worldwide. The incidence and the severity of hypertension is higher in middle-aged men than women. The hallmark of hypertension is an increased sympathetic nerve activity to the cardiovascular organs. One mechanism that regulates sympathetic nerve activity is the homeostatic baroreflex which maintains blood pressure at optimal levels for survival. Baroreceptive nerve endings innervating the aortic arch detect stretch at the vascular wall and convey these signals to the hindbrain which subsequently modulates sympathetic nerve activity. Although the baroreflex was described more than 80 years ago, the specific molecular, structural, and functional phenotype of aortic baroreceptors remain to be fully elucidated. Several recent studies suggest the involvement of various ion channels, termed as “Stretch Sensors”, in detecting vascular stretch. Stretch sensors are diverse, and they include Piezo, transient receptor potential, acid sensing ion, and epithelial sodium channels. Thus, stretch sensors engaged by aortic baroreceptors may evoke baroreception, leading to the regulation of sympathetic nerve activity and blood pressure. In pathophysiological conditions, impaired engagement of stretch sensors may lead to sympathetic nerve overactivity and sustained elevations in blood pressure. Furthermore, ovarian hormones, particularly estradiol, may interact with stretch sensors, increasing baroreflex sensitivity and leading to cardioprotective effects in women. However, low circulating levels of estradiol, such as in post-menopause, can lead to reduced baroreflex sensitivity, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. In this review, we discuss stretch sensors expressed by aortic baroreceptors, the role they play in baroreception and blood pressure regulation, interplay with estradiol, and the role they play the development of hypertension and mediating sex-specific differences.