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U.S. Has a “Checkered History” of Toppling Authoritarian Regimes
In a Newsday article about Long Island Iranian-Americans’ reactions to recent developments involving Iran’s leadership, Dr. Paul Fritz, associate professor and chair of Hofstra’s Department of Political Science, discussed the history of the United States toppling authoritarian regimes, which, he said, rarely leads to new democracies or stable leadership without extensive American support. “The Trump administration is banking on the people rising up and demanding some change to the regime,” Dr. Fritz said. “Foreign imposed regime change doesn’t work very often.”
Recently named the nuclear program director at the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) College of Engineering, Gennady Miloshevsky, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering, answers some questions about the direction of VCU Engineering’s nuclear program and what he hopes it can accomplish. What are your top priorities for the nuclear program at the VCU College of Engineering? I want to focus on student development, innovative research and our rankings in best program lists, but that is not everything. Strategy is important. We need to align ourselves with the country’s national energy needs. There are many new developments in the energy sector, like small modular reactors or fusion energy systems, and having the right faculty to engage with these advancements is important. Providing students with a well-rounded education and good opportunities for gaining experience benefits the College of Engineering’s public and private sector partners. Nuclear subject matter is complex, so higher education is very important for workforce development. We want to build partnerships, like the one we have with Dominion Energy, that support this goal. A priority for me is continuing to establish relationships with Commonwealth Fusion Systems, which seeks to build and operate the first commercial grid-scale fusion plant in Chesterfield County, Virginia. Our workforce partners will benefit from VCU’s well-trained nuclear engineering graduates joining the workforce. So, aligning our strategy with national energy needs, hiring the right faculty to support our programs and building industry partnerships that benefit our student’s education and career opportunities are important things for VCU Engineering’s nuclear program. Where would you like to see the College of Engineering’s nuclear program 10 years from now? I would like to see growth in the nuclear program. For example, some new graduate courses on topics like nuclear materials or fusion energy. In 2024, I developed a general course for fusion energy, so building out a curriculum that goes more in-depth would be good. When you look at small modular reactors and micro reactors, current energy policy does not allow private companies to build their own. However, as energy demands increase, policy could change to where you see these compact devices installed in places like data centers, for example. A more in-depth curriculum allows VCU Engineering students to step into industry roles that lead growth of the energy industry while also ensuring students are capable of adapting to the changing field and taking advantage of new developments. What sort of cross-disciplinary opportunities are there for the College of Engineering’s nuclear program? Nuclear engineering and nuclear science are very interdisciplinary fields. You have physics that covers the nuclear reaction and the radiation it generates, for example, then chemistry is needed when talking about nuclear fuel cycles and nuclear waste. You also need materials science because good materials capable of withstanding radiation and high temperatures are needed in nuclear fission and fusion energy systems. This science then connects to engineering, building the reactors, the energy distribution systems like a power grid. It is a small sample of the overall work, but you see how mechanical and electrical engineering are key to this part. All these disciplines come together to solve the same problem. One researcher might be figuring out how to confine plasma and make it stable, then another researcher is looking at how plasma can disrupt the containment wall and how to make materials to protect the wall. Within our department, we are making connections between mechanical-focused faculty working on high-temperature ceramics or additive manufacturing techniques and those of us researching nuclear energy systems in order to make joint proposals. We are also collaborating outside VCU. As an example, I am involved with an alliance founded by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) comprised of 17 universities, research labs and military centers. Coordinated through DTRA, we work together on many of the same problems.Through this partnership, my Ph.D. students do summer research rotations with national labs like Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California and The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. We also bring cadets and midshipman into VCU from other institutions, like the DTRA Nuclear Science and Engineering Research Center, United States Military Academy West Point and the Virginia Military Institute, whose students have been part of research experience for undergraduates programs in the summer. How is artificial intelligence impacting the field of nuclear engineering? So, the United States is sponsoring the Genesis Mission, which seeks to transform science innovation through the power of AI. One area of the Genesis Mission is nuclear fission and fusion energy. I see this playing out with the Department of Energy encouraging national labs, universities and industry to work together on applying these AI advancements to solve the research problems of nuclear energy. It is a great opportunity for students, who we can involve in this work to give them real-world experience with topics they will see after graduation. Last semester I taught a course at VCU on the practical applications of AI on nuclear engineering problems. It is not something like ChatGPT or anything like that. What we did is take Google’s TensorFlow platform that is a library of AI models and machine neural networks. Using Python scripting students learn how to apply these AI resources to about 30 problems in mechanical and nuclear engineering. They create scripts, use data sets and run analytics. We have a nuclear reactor simulator and I have some ideas to create AI-based software we can pair with the simulator, then give the software a data set and let it control the operation of the simulator in a safe way. Tell us about your background. What brought you VCU and the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering? Actually, I am not a mechanical or a nuclear engineer. My background is in physics. I graduated from the Belarusian State University in 1990 and continued to a Ph.D. in physics from the Heat and Mass Transfer Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus working on topics related to fusion plasmas and nuclear weapon effects. In space, nuclear weapons produce shockwaves and radiation. I computationally model these effects in my research to determine how something like a nuclear warhead detonation in orbit will impact the materials a satellite is made of, for example. My research also crosses over into nuclear fusion, specifically thermodynamic and optical plasma properties, fusion plasma disruptions, melt motion and splashing from plasma facing components. Accelerating Next-Generation Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) Lithography (ANGEL) is my most recent collaborative project, supported by the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science, Fusion Energy Sciences. It involves two national laboratories, three universities and a private-sector company focusing on advancement of future micro-electronic chips, EUV photon sources, mitigation of material degradation and plasma chemistry. Prior to joining the VCU College of Engineering I worked at Purdue University at a DOE-funded center investigating nuclear fusion and the effects of plasma on materials. Around 2019 I wanted to develop my own lab, so I came to VCU with startup funds from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and DTRA. My first priority after joining the VCU College of Engineering was continuing my fusion research, the second was collaborating with an alliance of universities focused on work for DTRA and DOE.
Assisted by sniffer dogs and DNA sequencing, researchers discover three new truffle species
University of Florida biologists studying fungal evolution and ecology have discovered three new truffle species, including one capable of commanding hundreds of dollars per pound within culinary circles. “Our paper confirms what a lot of people had suspected for a long time, which is that the North American truffle species is genetically very distinct from its European relatives.” —Benjamin Lemmond, study co-author and a former UF student The researchers describe their discoveries in a Persoonia. Their work shakes up the Morchellaceae truffle family tree, with key insights related to perhaps the most commercially valuable truffle in North America, the Oregon black truffle. Gourmet chefs, who sometimes grate the odoriferous truffle over dishes or infuse butter with it, have been known to pay as much as $800 per pound for the delicacy. For decades, the Oregon black truffle has been known scientifically as Leucangium carthusianum. It was originally found in Europe and later found in the Pacific Northwest, from California to British Columbia. However, recent genetic testing and field analysis by researchers from UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) revealed the North American variety is a distinct species. Scientists are giving this newly recognized species a name honoring the Cascadia region in which it is found: Leucangium cascadiense. “Our paper confirms what a lot of people had suspected for a long time, which is that the North American truffle species is genetically very distinct from its European relatives,” said study co-author Benjamin Lemmond, a former UF student. Lemmond, now a postdoctoral associate at the University of California at Berkeley, began his research into the truffles as a first-year doctoral student studying under professor Matthew Smith of the UF/IFAS plant pathology department. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lemmond couldn’t access the campus greenhouse where he was conducting an experiment, so Smith secured hundreds of dried truffle specimens from Oregon State University for him to study. The stash included slivers of the Oregon black truffle, a dark-colored, potato-shaped species with tiny, pyramid-shaped warts. When pandemic restrictions relaxed, Lemmond and Smith conducted genetic testing of the Oregon State specimens and others borrowed from Polish, Greek, Italian, French and Japanese collections. Their tests indicated Oregon black truffles from North America had at one point diverged from their European counterparts on the Morchellaceae evolutionary tree, according to the study. They also established the existence of another distinct and very rare species, Imaia kuwohiensis, a pale-colored truffle with dark warts, which is native to threatened spruce-fir habitats in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Their name for the truffle comes from the Cherokee word for the Great Smoky Mountains’ highest peak, Kuwohi. Field tests followed. The researchers wanted to understand the origin of Oregon black truffles’ energy. “Understanding the fundamental, basic biology and life cycle of this truffle is really important,” Lemmond said. “It’s a very valuable commodity, and this knowledge might help us to cultivate the truffle in the future. It also supports long-term conservation and management.” Most gourmet truffles are mycorrhizal, meaning they obtain energy from trees, Lemmond said. It had long been suspected that Oregon black truffles obtain energy through a symbiotic relationship with young Douglas fir trees, but no one had conclusively proven it. Lemmond traveled to the Pacific Northwest and worked with specially trained sniffer dogs capable of detecting truffles buried as deep as 10 inches beneath soil and leaf litter. With the dogs’ help, he unearthed Oregon black truffles nestled among Douglas fir stands. He used fluorescent stain that bonded with the fungal tissue, coloring it green to show where the truffle fungus grew between the cells of the tree root tissue. “The truffle fungi surround the whole root, but the fungus is healthy, and the plant is healthy,” Smith said. “The two trade nutrients back and forth.” DNA sequencing of the roots subsequently proved the truffles rely on the trees as their main source of carbon, according to the study. As the researchers conducted genome sequencing of the Oregon black truffle, they learned of a peculiar find reported by a citizen scientist on iNaturalist, an online science data network: a Leucangium truffle growing among Eastern hemlock trees in Oneida County, New York. It was the first time anyone had ever reported a Leucangium species in the United States, east of the Rocky Mountains, Lemmond said. Lemmond contacted Purdue University, which was preserving the specimen, and requested a sample. The truffle’s physical characteristics, including its dense external hairs and lack of warts, distinguished it from other Leucangium species. DNA analysis confirmed significant variation, too. The researchers named the new truffle species Leucangium oneidaense to recognize the county where it was unearthed. A few years later, just before the researchers submitted their study for publication, someone found a second Leucangium oneidaense specimen growing in Massachusetts, Lemmond said. “It was great timing, and it suggests to me that there are still a lot of undiscovered truffles out there, waiting to be found,” he said.
Operation Epic Fury: Florida Atlantic's Expert is Ready for Your Questions and Coverage
As tensions surrounding Operation Epic Fury in the Middle East intensifies and the risk of regional escalation grows, Robert G. Rabil, Ph.D., professor of political science at Florida Atlantic University, stands out as one of the most authoritative voices journalists can turn to for clear, strategic analysis. A nationally recognized scholar of Middle Eastern politics, political Islam, terrorism and U.S. foreign policy, Rabil brings decades of research, regional expertise and media experience to breaking developments. He does not simply react to headline, he explains the historical forces, ideological movements and geopolitical calculations driving them. At a time when the conflict’s implications stretch far beyond Iran’s borders, affecting Israel, Gulf states, global energy markets and U.S. national security, Rabil provides critical context on both state and non-state actors shaping events on the ground. Robert Rabil, Ph.D., professor of political science at Florida Atlantic University, is a leading authority on Middle Eastern politics, security, and U.S.–Middle East relations. View his profile Recent media coverage: WINK: Dr. Robert Rabil, a political science professor at Florida Atlantic University, said the attack marks one of the most significant escalations in regional conflict in years. "I would say now the joint attack today is one of the very few, if not the only, as a matter of fact, attack on a country in the Middle East," said Rabil. "And today, as we have seen, I believe that the President has taken the final decision, and he said, Listen, it's about time, mainly, either to change the regime or produce a change within the regime.” ABC News: “What the president has done recently, what he did with Maduro, and the assassination of Soleimani — all of that changes the regime’s behavior,” Rabil said. Rabil said if Iran’s government were to collapse or dramatically change, cooperation with Western nations, including the United States, could resume, especially if Iranians pursue a democratic alternative. The Jerusalem Post Op-Ed - The writer is a professor of political science at Florida Atlantic University. He served as chief of emergency of the Red Cross in East Beirut during Lebanon’s civil war. CNN Robert G. Rabil, Special to CNN Rabil offers measured, informed analysis rooted in decades of scholarship and policy study and can help with key story angles such as: • Iran’s Regime Stability and Internal Pressures How domestic dissent, economic strain and political factions inside Iran influence wartime decision-making. • U.S.–Iran Strategic Calculus What options Washington realistically has, historical precedents shaping current policy, and risks of escalation or miscalculation. • Israel and Regional Security Dynamics How Israel, Saudi Arabia and Gulf states are responding — and whether a broader regional war is possible. • Proxy Warfare and Militant Networks The role of Hezbollah, Hamas and other non-state actors in expanding or containing the conflict. • Iran’s Nuclear Program How the conflict affects nuclear negotiations, deterrence strategy and global security concerns. • Energy Markets and Global Economic Fallout Implications for oil prices, shipping lanes and international economic stability. • Long-Term Regional Realignment Whether this conflict accelerates a reshaping of alliances in the Middle East.
National Academy of Inventors welcomes five VCU College of Engineering researchers
The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) recently inducted five Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) College of Engineering researchers as senior members. Chosen for their innovative engineering contributions, the honorees are recognized as visionary inventors whose groundbreaking research and patented technologies are driving meaningful societal and economic advancements across the national innovation landscape. “Invention represents the practical application of knowledge and stands as one of the many ways engineers can make a positive impact on their communities and the world,” said Azim Eskandarian, D.Sc, the Alice T. and William H. Goodwin Jr. Dean of the VCU College of Engineering. “This year’s honorees exemplify the interdisciplinary nature of our field, leveraging advanced concepts from mechanical, biomedical, chemical and pharmaceutical engineering to address today’s most pressing challenges. We are immensely proud that our dedicated researchers have earned recognition as members of the esteemed National Academy of Inventors.” The VCU College of Engineering NAI inductees are: Jayasimha Atulasimha, Ph.D. Engineering Foundation Professor Department of Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering An internationally recognized pioneer of straintronics, an approach to electrically control magnetism for ultra-low-energy computing, Atulasimha has made significant research contributions to next-generation memory, neuromorphic hardware and emerging quantum computing technologies. He holds four U.S. patents spanning energy-efficient magnetic memory, nanoscale computing architectures and medical tools. Atulasimha’s commercially viable inventions are funded by organizations like the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation and he leads multi-institutional collaborations that drive innovation in computing hardware, AI and quantum technologies with more than $10 million in funded research. Casey Grey, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Research Associate Department of Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering Bridging engineering and medicine, Grey’s work spans life‑saving stroke technologies, breakthrough respiratory and neurological care, and sustainable packaging. As a lead R&D scientist at WestRock, he helped create and commercialize the CanCollar® portfolio, a recyclable paperboard replacement for plastic beverage rings now used on five continents, eliminating thousands of tons of single‑use plastic annually. In medical device innovation, Grey’s patent and development work on a novel cyclic aspiration thrombectomy platform, currently in clinical trials, is advancing stroke treatment by enhancing clot removal efficiency and reducing long‑term disability. At the VCU College of engineering, Grey built a research and commercialization pipeline around neurological and respiratory technologies, securing eight provisional patents and leading multidisciplinary teams in neurology, neurosurgery, surgery, pharmacology and toxicology, internal medicine, and respiratory medicine. His work includes developing dry powder inhaler strategies for delivering life‑saving drugs to patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a pediatric bubble CPAP system designed to protect brain development in premature infants, and non‑invasive, non‑pharmacological 40 Hz neuromodulation therapies to treat neurodegeneration and conditions with significant central nervous system complications, like sickle cell disease. In collaborations with the VCU Children’s Hospital and VCU Critical Care Hospital, Grey is leading two clinical studies that are translating these innovations to improve patient care. Ravi Hadimani, Ph.D. Associate Professor and Director of Biomagnetics Laboratory Department of Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering Hadimani founded RAM Phantoms LLC, a VCU startup company, commercializing anatomically accurate, MRI-derived brain phantoms for neuromodulation and neuroimaging applications. These brain phantoms help test and tune transcranial magnetic and deep brain stimulation technologies, improving clinical safety and enabling personalized therapy for patients. RAM Phantoms is also developing a highly-skilled workforce for employment in Virginia’s growing biomedical device industry. Beyond commercialization, Hadimani maintains a productive research program with more than $4.5 million in funding resulting in 125 original peer-reviewed publications, 17 current and pending patents, a book, and several book chapters. His biomagnetics lab serves as a training ground for undergraduate, graduate and Ph.D. students to hone their skills in innovation management, intellectual property strategy and startup development. Several students from Hadimani’s lab have engaged in translational research, patent co-authorship and start-up formation, cultivating a new generation of engineer-entrepreneurs equipped to drive future technological advances. Before joining VCU, Hadimani led the development of hybrid piezoelectric–photovoltaic materials that established FiberLec Inc., which commercialized multifunctional energy-harvesting fibers capable of converting solar, wind and vibrational energy into usable electricity. Worth Longest, Ph.D. Alice T. and William H. Goodwin, Jr. Distinguished Chair Department of Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering Uniting aerosol science, biomedical engineering and computational modeling, Longest is revolutionizing inhaled drug delivery. Working with collaborators, his lab has developed novel devices, formulations and delivery platforms that precisely target medications to the lungs, addressing conditions like cystic fibrosis, pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome and neonatal respiratory distress syndrome. These innovations have resulted in multiple patents. Some of them have been licensed through commercial partnerships like Quench Medical, an organization advancing inhaled therapies for applications like lung cancer. Collaborating with the Gates Foundation and the lab of Michael Hindle, Ph.D., from the VCU Department of Pharmaceutics, Longest’s team developed a low-cost, high-efficacy aerosol surfactant therapy for pre-term infants based entirely on technology developed at VCU. The invention eliminates intubation, reduces dosage by a factor of 10, and cuts treatment costs. Over 9 million infant lives are projected to be saved by this technology between 2030 and 2050. Through a long-term collaboration with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Longest’s in vitro and computational methods provide federal regulatory guidance for generic inhaled medications. The VCU mouth-throat airway models developed under his leadership are used globally across the pharmaceutical industry and in government laboratories. Hong Zhao, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering Zhao holds 40 patents with innovations spanning additive manufacturing, stretchable electronics, inkjet printing technologies and superoleophobic materials that repel oils, greases, and low-surface-tension liquids. Her research has applications across health care, sustainable energy and advanced manufacturing. Prior to joining the College of Engineering, Zhao served as a senior research scientist and project leader at the Xerox Research Center, where she developed high-performance materials and printing technologies for commercial deployment. Her industry experience makes Zhao’s lab a hub for innovation and mentorship, with students engaging in innovative research and co-authoring publications. Zhao is an invited reviewer for more than 50 premier journals and grant agencies. “Working with distinguished researchers and innovators like those inducted into the National Academy of Inventors is a great honor for me,” said Arvind Agarwal, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering and NAI fellow. “They are an inspiration and showcase the kind of impact engineers can make. Having all five of these innovators as part of our department amplifies the scientific richness of our college and its societal impact. They advance the college’s mission of Engineering for Humanity, with research that brings a positive change to our world.” The 2026 NAI class of senior members, composed of 231 emerging inventors from NAI’s member institutions, is the largest to date. Hailing from 82 NAI member institutions across the globe, they hold over 2,000 U.S. patents.
The science behind the blood moon: Understanding this lunar phenomenon ahead of march's event
March's celestial event – a blood moon – is just around the corner. This captivating lunar spectacle isn't just a cool sight to behold; it has some neat science backing it up. The blood moon phenomenon happens during a total lunar eclipse. "During a total lunar eclipse, the only light that reaches the surface of the moon is refracted through the Earth's atmosphere, which essentially acts like a lens. Light is a wave, and every color of the rainbow has a different wavelength – red the longest and violet the shortest," said Bennett Maruca, associate professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Delaware. What adds to the excitement is the rare nature of total lunar eclipses. While partial eclipses occur more frequently, a full blood moon isn't an everyday event. Depending on where you live, the blood moon may only grace the night skies a few times a decade. "One of my favorite things about total lunar eclipses is that it's hard to know ahead of time quite what it will look like. The moon can take on a color ranging from burnt orange to red to grayish brown," he said. "The closer the Moon passes to the center of Earth's shadow, the darker the color will be." Maruca is available to speak about the event, which takes place in the wee hours of March 3. He can discuss when to wake up to see the phenomenon and how to best capture it. "For photographing the moon, I would recommend a camera with some optical zoom – the moon is only about 0.5 degrees across. Because of the low lighting conditions, a tripod or other support would be helpful since a longer exposure time will be needed," he noted. He has appeared in a number of outlets including Mashable and The Philadelphia Inquirer. He can be contacted by clicking on his profile. ABOUT BENNET MARUCA Bennett Maruca serves as an associate professor in the University of Delaware's department of physics and astronomy. His research focuses on the sun, the solar wind and other space plasmas. He is a recipient of the Antarctic Service Medal and NASA's Silver Achievement Medal. He also serves as an associate director of the Delaware Space Grant Consortium and is currently mentoring over twenty undergraduate students developing experiments to fly into space to observe Earth's ionosphere.
Discovery pinpoints potential Achilles’ Heel in HIV, opening new frontier in drug development
Scientists have long known that detecting HIV early is crucial in slowing and treating the virus. During the acute stage of infection, a single human cell can produce as many as 10,000 new HIV particles. A discovery led by the University of Delaware's Juan Perilla offers hope: A new drug target early in the virus's life cycle that could save millions of lives. In the surprising discovery, published Feb. 18 in Nature, Perilla and collaborators in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, have revealed a previously unknown role for the viral protein integrase. Scientists already knew that integrase helps HIV insert itself into human DNA. But this new study provides the first direct evidence that integrase plays a critical structural role earlier on in HIV’s life cycle — when the virus matures into an infectious force. Using high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), the research team – which also included UD doctoral student Juan S. Rey – found that integrase proteins form gluey filaments that line the inside of the capsid. Each segment of the filament slots neatly into the capsid’s hexagon-shaped tiles, while gripping tightly to HIV’s RNA genome. This zipper-like arrangement organizes and packs the virus, preparing it to hijack a cell and start making copies of itself. “Integrase plays a structural role inside the HIV capsid — nobody expected that,” Perilla said. “This protein forms filaments that anchor the RNA to the capsid. Without these filaments, the virus is non-infective.” Seeing inside HIV is no small feat. The capsid is only about 120 nanometers wide —roughly 1/800th the thickness of a human hair. It is incredibly small, fragile, densely packed and constantly changing, Perilla said. To reveal its hidden architecture, the researchers relied on deep collaboration and a combination of sophisticated microscopy, molecular modeling and experimentation. Read more about the science behind the study here. “The thing with HIV is that people are chronically living with it,” Perilla said. “Treatments are effective, but patients always need new therapeutics. We want to help develop the next generation of inhibitors and hope to have a significant contribution.” To reach Perilla directly and arrange an interview, visit his profile page. Interested reporters can also email MediaRelations@udel.edu.
What "Super Agers" Are Teaching Us About Growing Older
When I think about aging well, I don't see a number on a birthday cake. I see capacity. The ability to think clearly. To move with confidence. To stay curious. To laugh easily. To remember where I put my keys. (Okay, that last one is still aspirational.) That's why I teach 4 fitness classes a week and pay close attention to how I fuel my body. Not because I'm chasing youth, but because I've learned, both personally and professionally, that the way we move, eat, sleep, and cope influences how we feel... and how we show up for the people we care about. I don't want to live forever. I just want to live well while I'm here. Like many Boomers, I've been interested in the growing research on longevity. And let's be honest: Boomers have never been good at accepting "no" for an answer. Why would we start now, just because it's mortality asking? We're the generation that refused to compromise. Retirement? Optional. Slowing down? Negotiable. Death? We'd like to speak to the manager. This leads us to a fascinating group of scientists known as "Super Agers." Who Are Super Agers, Really? In research terms, Super Agers are adults over 80 whose cognitive abilities, especially memory, perform at levels expected of people in their 50s or 60s (Rogalski et al., 2013). But here's what I love most: they aren't superhuman. They're not top athletes. They're not biohackers living on kale foam and cold plunges at dawn. (Though if that's your thing, carry on.). They're everyday people who never disconnected from life. A striking Canadian example is Morry Kernerman, a Toronto violinist who kept on learning, hiking, and performing well into the ripe age of 101. His story embodies the spirit of Super Aging: it's not about dodging age, it's about refusing to stop living. In a CBC interview, Maury Kernerman doesn't sound like someone "trying to live longer." He talks like someone who's still interested in living, fascinated by the world, hungry for learning, and unwilling to stand still just because he might do something imperfectly. He also admits something that matters to a lot of readers: he wasn't always an exercise person. He started taking it seriously later in life and describes it as a "rear guard action" that hasn't stopped aging, but has helped him keep his capacity. One of the most poignant lessons: when we're afraid of doing the wrong thing, afraid of failing or being embarrassed, we stop. And standing still is what really costs us. Haven't you heard? Sitting is the new Smoking!! What the Science Is Showing Us Canadian and U.S. researchers, at Western University and Northwestern University, are discovering something significant. Not a pill. Not a quick fix. A system. Angela Roberts (Western University) explained that the Canadian arm of the research isn't relying only on lab snapshots. Participants are sent home with wearable devices so researchers can monitor real-world activity patterns continuously (24 hours a day) over multi-week periods (CBC News, 2024 - https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/superager-centenarians-brain-second-opinion-9.7049411). That design matters because it turns "healthy aging" from a vague concept into measurable behaviours: how much movement you get, how intense it is, how consistent it is, and how it fits into the rhythm of normal life. Super Agers typically stay active, remain mentally sharp, maintain close relationships, handle stress effectively, sleep well, and keep a generally positive attitude (Rogalski et al., 2013 - https://doi.org/10.1162/jocn_a_00300; Sun et al., 2016 - https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1492-16.2016) Their brains display thicker cortical areas linked to attention and memory, experience slower atrophy rates, have fewer Alzheimer's markers, and show stronger neuronal connections (Gefen et al., 2015 - https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2998-14.2015; Harrison et al., 2012 - https://doi.org/10.1017/S1355617712000847) A Data Point Worth Remembering When It Comes to Longevity From the wearables, the research study observed that many 80-year-olds in the study, both "super agers" and the control group, were averaging about 25 to 30 minutes of exercise a day (roughly aligned with Canadian movement guidelines). The difference wasn't that super agers moved a little more. The study showed that they got about 30% more of the kind of movement that raises heart rate, what researchers call moderate-to-vigorous physical activity In plain language: it's not just steps. It's getting your engine up into that slightly breathy zone on purpose, most days. There's no single longevity switch. It's a belt-and-suspenders approach: multiple protective habits working together over decades. Let's Talk About Weight (Without Losing Our Minds) People often ask: Should Super Agers be skinny? Or a little plump? The research answer is surprisingly dull (and comforting): Neither. Super Agers come in all sizes. There is no evidence that they share a specific body weight or BMI. What matters much more than the scale is stability, strength, and body composition (Stenholm et al., 2008). Obesity Shows Up Consistently in the Research Midlife obesity is associated with an increased risk of dementia later in life. Several large studies indicate that obesity (BMI ≥30) during midlife raises dementia risk by 33 to 91% compared to individuals of normal weight (Kivipelto et al., 2005; Qizilbash et al., 2015) However, in older age, unintentional weight loss often signals frailty or illness. Weight loss in later life is linked to faster cognitive decline and higher risk of death (Diehr et al., 2008) Being underweight increases the risk of death. Studies consistently indicate that underweight older adults (BMI <20) have 2 to 3 times the all-cause mortality risk compared to those with a normal weight, with one study reporting a 34% higher risk of dementia (Diehr et al., 2008). A slightly higher BMI in later life may actually be protective, especially if muscle mass is maintained. The "obesity paradox" demonstrates that overweight and mild obesity in older adults (ages 65+) are often linked to a lower risk of mortality, particularly from non-cardiovascular diseases (Natale et al., 2023). So, the prescription is clear: avoid extremes. Not so skinny you could use a Cheerio as a hula hoop, and not so plump that tying your shoes feels like a full-contact sport. Here's What Truly Matters: Muscle Mass Strength defends the brain, maintains balance, boosts metabolism, and offers resilience during illness or stress (Peterson & Gordon, 2011) "Skinny-fat", low muscle, higher fat, is actually worse for aging than carrying a bit more weight with muscle beneath (Prado et al., 2012). Super Aging isn't about shrinking yourself. It's about supporting the structure you live in. Sleep: The Quiet Superpower If movement is the main act, sleep is the stage crew ensuring the entire show runs smoothly. Sleep isn't just one thing. It's a cycle (Walker, 2017). The Stages of Sleep (a quick, non-boring tour) Light sleep: The warm-up. Easy to wake from. Necessary, but not enough by itself. Deep sleep: The body's main repair mode. This is where physical repair occurs: muscle recovery, immune support, hormone regulation (Scullin & Bliwise, 2015) (Walker, 2017). REM sleep: The brain's spa. Memory consolidation, emotional regulation, creativity, and learning all occur here (Scullin & Bliwise, 2015) (Walker, 2017). Missing deep sleep leaves your body feeling exhausted. Missing REM causes your brain to become fragile and foggy (Mander et al., 2017). Super Agers tend to guard their sleep, though not perfectly, deliberately (Mander et al., 2016). Consistent bedtimes, morning sunlight, daily activity, and relaxing evenings appear repeatedly. For some people, slow-release melatonin or magnesium can help improve sleep maintenance (Ferracioli-Oda et al., 2013). However, the greatest benefits often come from simple routines: consistency, darkness, cooler rooms, and avoiding phone use at 10 p.m. Sleep isn't a luxury. It's essential brain maintenance (Mander et al., 2017). Stress: The Real Villain Chronic stress is like kryptonite for cognitive health (McEwen & Sapolsky, 1995). The main source of stress is not accepting what is. We argue with reality, and we lose every time. We revisit conversations. We resist change. We attempt to control others. Super Agers appear more accepting, not resignation, but realism (Sun et al., 2016) Here are some practical strategies to consider: Let them. (Thank you, Mel Robbins.) People will be people. You don't need to manage them. Save your energy for what truly matters. And remember: what people think of you... is none of your business. Calm isn't passive. Calm is protective. Gratitude also plays a role. Many Super Agers exhibit a distinct emotional tone: more grateful, less gripeful (Hill & Allemand, 2011) Life wasn't simpler; they simply didn't let bitterness steer the way. Relationships and Quality of Life: The Real Gold Standard Super Agers don't have more friends; they have deeper ones. Strong relationships are linked to better emotional regulation and preserved brain regions. (Cacioppo & Cacioppo, 2014) (Holt-Lunstad et al., 2010) And this isn't about extending life. It's about quality of life: cognitive, physical, and emotional well-being. Because no one wants a farewell-to-life party where nobody shows up because you've been miserable, bitter, or exhausting to be around (thank you, BR). Strong body. Clear mind. Warm relationships. A sense of humour that endures gravity. That's the win. 3 Practical Takeaways to Steal this Week If you want the super-ager approach without turning your life into a science experiment, here are three low-drama moves: Add intensity, not just activity. Keep your regular walk, but pick one segment to walk faster, take a hill, or add short brisk bursts. Your heart rate is the clue. Keep a learning thread running. Music, audiobooks, a class, a museum habit, a book club, anything that keeps your mind taxed in a good way and makes you feel curious again. Make "don't stand still" a rule. If you're avoiding something because you might look silly (a dance class, a new hobby, a new friend group), that's exactly the place to lean in, gently, but on purpose. Super Agers aren't chasing youth. (No one needs to see me in low-rise jeans again.) They're cultivating engagement. (Do you want to dance?) They move. They learn. They sleep well. They stay positive. They accept what is. They remain connected. They rely on the belt and suspenders. And most importantly, they don't wait for permission to live life to the fullest at any age. Yes, biology will win eventually. None of us gets out of this alive. But the real victory isn't in defeating what we can't control. It's in mastering what we can, for as long as we can, and living fully right up until biology takes its final bow. Don't Retire...ReWire! Sue Want more of this? Subscribe for weekly doses of retirement reality—no golf-cart clichés, no sunset stock photos, just straight talk about staying Hip, Fit & Financially Free.
Surprising finding could pave way for universal cancer vaccine
An experimental mRNA vaccine boosted the tumor-fighting effects of immunotherapy in a mouse-model study, bringing researchers one step closer to their goal of developing a universal vaccine to “wake up” the immune system against cancer. Published today in Nature Biomedical Engineering, the University of Florida study showed that like a one-two punch, pairing the test vaccine with common anticancer drugs called immune checkpoint inhibitors triggered a strong antitumor response in laboratory mice. A surprising element, researchers said, was that they achieved the promising results not by attacking a specific target protein expressed in the tumor, but by simply revving up the immune system — spurring it to respond as if fighting a virus. They did this by stimulating the expression of a protein called PD-L1 inside of tumors, making them more receptive to treatment. The research was supported by multiple federal agencies and foundations, including the National Institutes of Health. Senior author Elias Sayour, M.D., Ph.D., a UF Health pediatric oncologist and the Stop Children's Cancer/Bonnie R. Freeman Professor for Pediatric Oncology Research, said the results reveal a potential future treatment path — an alternative to surgery, radiation and chemotherapy — with broad implications for battling many types of treatment-resistant tumors. “This paper describes a very unexpected and exciting observation: that even a vaccine not specific to any particular tumor or virus — so long as it is an mRNA vaccine — could lead to tumor-specific effects,” said Sayour, principal investigator at the RNA Engineering Laboratory within UF’s Preston A. Wells Jr. Center for Brain Tumor Therapy. “This finding is a proof of concept that these vaccines potentially could be commercialized as universal cancer vaccines to sensitize the immune system against a patient’s individual tumor,” said Sayour, a McKnight Brain Institute investigator and co-leader of a program in immuno-oncology and microbiome research. Until now, there have been two main ideas in cancer-vaccine development: To find a specific target expressed in many people with cancer, or to tailor a vaccine that is specific to targets expressed within a patient's own cancer. “This study suggests a third emerging paradigm,” said Duane Mitchell, M.D., Ph.D., a co-author of the paper. “What we found is by using a vaccine designed not to target cancer specifically but rather to stimulate a strong immunologic response, we could elicit a very strong anticancer reaction. And so this has significant potential to be broadly used across cancer patients — even possibly leading us to an off-the-shelf cancer vaccine.” For more than eight years, Sayour has pioneered high-tech anticancer vaccines by combining lipid nanoparticles and mRNA. Short for messenger RNA, mRNA is found inside every cell — including tumor cells — and serves as a blueprint for protein production. This new study builds upon a breakthrough last year by Sayour’s lab: In a first-ever human clinical trial, an mRNA vaccine quickly reprogrammed the immune system to attack glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor with a dismal prognosis. Among the most impressive findings in the four-patient trial was how quickly the new method — which used a “specific” or personalized vaccine made using a patient’s own tumor cells — spurred a vigorous immune-system response to reject the tumor. In the latest study, Sayour’s research team adapted their technology to test a “generalized” mRNA vaccine — meaning it was not aimed at a specific virus or mutated cells of cancer but engineered simply to prompt a strong immune system response. The mRNA formulation was made similarly to the COVID-19 vaccines, rooted in similar technology, but wasn’t aimed directly at the well-known spike protein of COVID. In mouse models of melanoma, the team saw promising results in normally treatment-resistant tumors when combining the mRNA formulation with a common immunotherapy drug called a PD-1 inhibitor, a type of monoclonal antibody that attempts to “educate” the immune system that a tumor is foreign, said Sayour, a professor in UF’s Lillian S. Wells Department of Neurosurgery and the Department of Pediatrics in the UF College of Medicine. Taking the research a step further, in mouse models of skin, bone and brain cancers, the investigators found beneficial effects when testing a different mRNA formulation as a solo treatment. In some models, the tumors were eliminated entirely. Sayour and colleagues observed that using an mRNA vaccine to activate immune responses seemingly unrelated to cancer could prompt T cells that weren’t working before to actually multiply and kill the cancer if the response spurred by the vaccine is strong enough. Taken together, the study’s implications are striking, said Mitchell, who directs the UF Clinical and Translational Science Institute and co-directs UF’s Preston A. Wells Jr. Center for Brain Tumor Therapy. “It could potentially be a universal way of waking up a patient’s own immune response to cancer,” Mitchell said. “And that would be profound if generalizable to human studies.” The results, he said, show potential for a universal cancer vaccine that could activate the immune system and prime it to work in tandem with checkpoint inhibitor drugs to seize upon cancer — or in some cases, even work on its own to kill cancer. Now, the research team is working to improve current formulations and move to human clinical trials as rapidly as possible. While the experimental mRNA vaccine at this point is in early preclinical testing — in mice not humans — information about available nonrelated human clinical trials at UF Health can be viewed here.
When individuals sign up for direct-to-consumer genetic testing, the extent to which they ever think about their genetic data is likely in the context of the service for which they paid: information on predisposition to a genetic illness, or confirmation of an ethnic background, for example. But that data doesn’t just sit on a shelf, and while the most mainstream concern for such services is the privacy of your data, there is also the question of what else the companies do with it, and how. Ana Santos Rutschman, SJD, LLM, professor and faculty director of the Health Innovation Lab at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, is particularly interested in the latter. In June 2025, she co-authored an amicus brief centered on data protection and patient’s interests amid genetic testing company 23andMe’s bankruptcy proceedings. In December, many of those same co-authors published a paper in Nature Genetics, highlighting 23andMe’s bankruptcy as “an inflection point for the direct-to-consumer genetics market,” especially as it pertains to the broader corporate use of individuals’ scientific data. The reason? “How that data is used all depends on the policies of the individual companies,” she said. Genetic Testing Companies Use Your Data For More Than The Services You Pay For Those who utilize genetic testing companies—for any reason—are likely also consenting, often unknowingly, to other unrelated items. This includes acknowledgment of information related to how your data might be further used or monetized. “Most people don't think about secondary and tertiary uses of their data,” said Professor Rutschman. “[What they consent to] is displayed on the website somewhere, but it’s not easily understandable and accessible. It’s fine print.” Such companies often operate beyond the traditional “fee for a service” relationship with consumers. Yes, they will give you the information you paid for—finding out whether you have German ancestry or are predisposed to certain genetic disease—but instead of that genetic data just being stored somewhere, it’s often sold for research purposes. Today, in the age of AI big data, that might look something like this: The company puts your data in a box with parameters, along with thousands of others. Perhaps they are then able to observe a pattern that, until all that data was compiled, was previously unknown. They come up with a diagnostic or a medicine and patent it. That patent is licensed to somebody else, and the company makes money on the product. The use of that data for scientific purposes—even ones that turn a profit— is not problematic in itself, says Professor Rutschman. “Some people may even choose a company that allows scientific research over one that doesn’t. Many people may not care, but some will. The uses are not common knowledge, and that is worrisome. The public should be well-informed about what’s happening.” Deeper problems may arise when they aren’t informed of those potential uses of their data. Professor Rutschman cited the infamous Henrietta Lacks case, in which Lacks’ cells were, and continue to be, one of the most valuable cell lines in cancer research. Neither Lacks nor her family were paid for the widespread use of her genetic material until a settlement was reached long after her death. “When you have biologics involved, a concern is that if you have something potentially valuable, you may not see any money from it.” Bankruptcy Can Cause Policy Upheaval To understand the role bankruptcy can play in all of this, one needs to refer back to the power of individual company policy in this space. There are no external laws that dictate how these companies can further monetize their data, says Professor Rutschman, as long as they don’t violate other laws, such as privacy laws. That means that when a company like 23andMe goes bankrupt, as was the case in 2025, new ownership could enact completely different corporate policies for use of their property. In their specific case, the company was essentially bought back by 23andMe founder and CEO Anne Wojcicki’s non-profit, all but ensuring policies would remain the same. But that is exactly why Professor Rutschman and others are highlighting this specific case. “Bankruptcy is bad in the sense that there's a lot of uncertainty,” she said. “In this instance, the person coming in was the person who was there before, so the policy is likely to continue. But that's very rare. There are a roster of companies with access to biological materials. 23andMe is a good example of something not going horribly wrong, but with the understanding that it absolutely could.” Ways in which that could happen could be new ownership undermining the original intent of the data use by cessation of the company’s previous policies, or charging exorbitant prices to other entities to use that data for scientific research. “Because there is no law, these new owners can essentially do as they please with their proprietary data, unless they do something incredibly careless that amounts to the level of illegal,” Professor Rutschman said. “And that is concerning.” Onus Falls to Companies to Enact Safeguards To ensure a worst-case scenario for such companies does not unfold in a bankruptcy situation, Professor Rutschman points to a number of safeguards they could enact to protect their original commitments, ensure equitable access to data for scientific research and promote fair trade. One of which is implementing a company policy stating that commitments from a previous iteration of the company need to be honored if ownership is transferred. Those could include, as the authors recommend, policies “honoring original research-oriented commitments under which the data were collected,” as well as not “enclosing the dataset for exclusive commercial use.” She also highlights the need for Fair, Reasonable, and Non-Discriminatory (FRAND) voluntary licensing commitments, which are inherently more science and market friendly. “Companies in many sectors have committed to this approach, and we are saying it should apply in this space as well. You’ll charge your royalty, but it can’t be a billion dollars for a data set, nor would it be done by exclusively selling to one entity. You can get that billion dollars by selling to 15, 50 or 100 companies, and from a scientific research perspective, that’s what we want. Otherwise, you have a monopoly or duopoly. “There are a lot of different models that can be used, but ultimately what we are arguing is leaving this unaddressed is a really bad idea. It leaves everything exposed, and something bad is more likely to happen.”
