Science and Technology

Digital biomarkers are objective, quantifiable physiological and behavioral data collected through digital devices such as smartphones, wearable sensors, and connected medical tools. Unlike traditional biomarkers, which often rely on laboratory tests or in-clinic measurements, digital biomarkers are generated continuously in real-world settings. They capture signals like heart rhythm, physical activity, sleep patterns, voice characteristics, typing behavior, and movement dynamics, transforming everyday interactions with technology into health insights.Shifting from Occasional Treatment to Ongoing MonitoringTraditional health monitoring is typically episodic, based on occasional clinic visits and short diagnostic tests. Digital biomarkers shift this model toward continuous observation. Wearable devices can track heart…

Industrial Internet of Things, widely known as Industrial IoT or IIoT, has progressed from simple connectivity and oversight into a strategic backbone for smarter operations, and this shift is seen most clearly in the departure from reactive and preventive maintenance toward predictive maintenance paired with rising degrees of operational autonomy, a change propelled not by hype but by tangible economic, technological, and operational pressures shaping contemporary industries.The Limitations of Traditional Maintenance ModelsFor decades, industrial assets have been managed through either reactive or preventive strategies, with reactive maintenance addressing breakdowns only after they occur, while preventive maintenance depends on routine service…

Software supply-chain attacks have evolved from a niche worry into a major force reshaping contemporary software engineering, as adversaries exploit the trusted tools, libraries, and services developers rely on, enabling a single vulnerability to expose countless organizations, while high-profile breaches in recent years have transformed how teams architect, create, and sustain software, driving security considerations much earlier and more deeply into the entire development process.Gaining Insight into Software Supply-Chain AttacksA software supply-chain attack occurs when attackers infiltrate the development or distribution process rather than directly attacking the end application. Instead of breaking into a single system, they compromise shared components…

Phishing has evolved from crude email scams into highly targeted, data-driven attacks, while deepfakes have moved from novelty to operational threat. Together, they create a scalable risk that can undermine trust, drain finances, and compromise strategic decisions. Companies are preparing for these threats by recognizing a central reality: attackers now combine social engineering, artificial intelligence, and automation to operate at unprecedented speed and volume.Recent industry reports indicate that phishing continues to serve as the leading entry point for major breaches, while the emergence of audio and video deepfakes has introduced a more convincing dimension to impersonation schemes. Executives have been…

Quantum computers hold the potential to deliver exponential acceleration on specific tasks, yet their components remain extraordinarily delicate, with qubits—quantum bits—reacting intensely to environmental noise such as thermal shifts, electromagnetic disruptions, and flaws within control mechanisms; even minimal interference can trigger errors that rapidly undermine an entire computation.Quantum error correction (QEC) tackles this issue by embedding logical qubits within entangled configurations of numerous physical qubits, enabling the identification and correction of faults without directly observing and collapsing the underlying quantum data. During the last decade, various QEC methods have progressed from theoretical constructs to practical demonstrations, yielding notable gains in…

A recently discovered asteroid will make a relatively close approach to Earth this Monday, drawing the attention of astronomers and space agencies worldwide. Despite the short cosmic distance, experts emphasize that the object represents no danger to the planet and will safely continue its journey through space.Astronomers are closely monitoring an asteroid known as 2026JH2, a rocky object expected to glide past Earth at an estimated distance of about 91,593 kilometers, roughly 56,900 miles. According to calculations from the European Space Agency, its trajectory will bring it to nearly one quarter of the usual gap between Earth and the moon,…

Obesity is increasingly recognized not as a simple result of willpower or a cosmetic issue, but as a complex, chronic health condition with biological, behavioral, social, and environmental drivers. That recognition has driven a substantive shift in prevention, clinical care, public policy, and research. This article explains the reasons for the change, summarizes evidence and examples, describes new tools and models of care, and considers challenges and implications for patients, clinicians, and societies.Understanding obesity and its significanceObesity is usually defined by body mass index (BMI) thresholds (BMI ≥30 kg/m² for adults), but BMI is a crude measure that does not…

Artificial intelligence systems are now being deployed to produce scientific outcomes, from shaping hypotheses and conducting data analyses to running simulations and crafting entire research papers. These tools can sift through enormous datasets, detect patterns with greater speed than human researchers, and take over segments of the scientific process that traditionally demanded extensive expertise. Although such capabilities offer accelerated discovery and wider availability of research resources, they also raise ethical questions that unsettle long‑standing expectations around scientific integrity, responsibility, and trust. These concerns are already tangible, influencing the ways research is created, evaluated, published, and ultimately used within society.Authorship, Attribution,…

Expectations influence physiology, and the terms placebo and nocebo describe the corresponding beneficial or adverse results shaped by those expectations. A placebo effect arises when an inert intervention or therapeutic context leads to an improvement in health, whereas a nocebo effect appears when harmful outcomes or unwanted symptoms emerge due to negative expectations. These responses are not imaginary; they trigger observable shifts in symptoms, biological indicators, neural activity, and behavior. Grasping these effects is essential for clinical practice, research design, public health strategies, and responsible communication.Key Definitions and DistinctionsPlacebo: an improvement that stems from psychological influences and situational elements rather…

AI code generation has evolved from a cutting‑edge experiment into a core pillar of contemporary software creation, shifting from simple snippet autocompletion to influencing architectural planning, testing approaches, security evaluations, and team operations, ultimately marking a major shift not only in development speed but in how humans and machines now collaborate throughout the entire software lifecycle.Copilots Pervading Everything: Spanning IDEs and the Broader ToolchainEarly AI coding assistants focused on in-editor suggestions. Today, copilots are embedded across the stack, including requirements gathering, code review, testing, deployment, and observability.IDE copilots can craft new functions, reorganize outdated code, and clarify unfamiliar codebases as…