World and Human Action Model: A Generative Artificial Intelligence Engine for Coherent, Immersive Video Game Worlds from Gameplay
On the international front, the decision to withdraw from or drastically scale back long-standing commitments will have severe consequences. The United States is one of the largest contributors to initiatives linked to the UN’s plan to end poverty and achieve environmentalsustainability. The main budget of the World Health Organization is one-fifth of it’s total, which Trump has already notified of his intent to leave. Although the United States will not formally depart until next year, the WHO’s more than 8,000 staff members have already been told by director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to put all but essential travel on hold.
A new generative artificial intelligence (AI) engine can create coherent, immersive video-game worlds that respond to player inputs. Researchers trained the engine — the World and Human Action Model (WHAM) — on one-second slices of gameplay from the online multiplayer game Bleeding Edge, taken from controller inputs from 500,000 anonymized play sessions. They showed that WHAM’s creations adhere to the original game rules, and can generate a variety of game scenarios that retain items added by the player.
Microsoft, the Brain, and Topological Qubits: How to Obtain More Data from a Single Patient in the Early Stage of Pregnancies
The little girl was the first person to be treated for the rare genetic disorder while in the womb. The mother took the drug during the last days of her pregnancy so the child continues to take it. The drug, Risdiplam, modifies the expression of a gene called SMN2 to produce more of a protein required for maintaining motor neurons in the spinal cord and brainstem.
Microsoft claims that it has created the first topological qubits, a way to store quantum information that it hopes will underpin a new generation of quantum computers. The announcement came in a press release containing few technical details, which has left some researchers sceptical about the company’s claims. Microsoft says it gave some of its data to specialists. “Would I bet my life that they’re seeing what they think they’re seeing? No, but it looks pretty good,” says theoretical physicist Steven Simon, who was among those briefed.
Why China is so proud of Nature? The Challenges that the United States has to Face the Challenges of Modern Science, with an Emphasis on Science
Nature’s mission is to “serve scientists through prompt publication of significant advances in any branch of science, and to provide a forum for the reporting and discussion of news and issues concerning science”. For much of our 155-year history, the United States has been the global leader in research, including in its provision of funding for education and training in science, to the great advantage of itself and the wider world. With the changes now under way, the new administration seems to be inclined to recklessly consign that to history. Nature does not agree with the assault on science. We encourage the global research community to speak their minds.
Experts warn there might be more disruption to come. The proposals that were put forth in Project10 were organized by the Heritage Foundation. The document called for more cuts to climate research, as well as new rules that could make it harder to fire government employees because they were hired on the basis of expertise rather than being politically appointed.
For more than a decade, Chinese policymakers have aimed to shed the image that their nation lags behind the United States in innovation. The launch of the DeepSeek-R1 model has shined a spotlight on China’s wider Artificial Intelligence (ai) system. Chinese firms are more focused on solving manufacturing and industrial problems at scale than US firms. As the two nations’ priorities diverge, who is winning the ‘race’ might become less relevant.
Source: Daily briefing: First in-womb treatment for motor-neuron condition is a success
The Fate of Rat Life: A New Approach to Control Human Populations and the Importance of Prevention and Management in the City of New York City
Cities around the world are fighting a losing battle against rats in a warming climate. Efforts to control rat populations rely on poisons and traps that are cruel and ineffective and can harm other wildlife. We keep our rubbish better contained according to research shown in the above, and it is not difficult to implement. Some careful planning is needed to change city-wide sanitation systems, but New York City’s approach shows that it works. There was no need for the ending of rat life.
In normal cells, cellular machinery removes non-coding elements from immature mRNA and joins them with coding elements in a process called splicing. The resulting mRNA sequence is used to guide the formation of an amino-acid chain that makes up a protein. There is a chance of splicing going wrong in a tumours. In those instances, the cells produce incorrect or unusual proteins. The proteins produce structures called neoantigens, which flag the cells to the immune system as ‘foreign’. 7 min read of Nature News & Views.
In an editorial, Nature Computational Science commits to fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion among their authors, readers and communities. (Nature Computational Science | 4 min read)
How should we respond to this in our part of the enterprise of education, health, science and engineering? To support researchers, and to defend their ability to work and study without fear, is a priority, as is to shout about their negative effects. Understandably, those working at — or even leading — federal agencies might feel that they cannot speak up, but researchers at other organizations, such as universities, scientific societies, businesses, labour unions and campaign groups have more freedom, and must exercise it by showing support for affected colleagues.
There are differences of opinion between researchers in all scientific fields. Discussion and studying are the best ways to understand each other. Shutting down scholarship is not a solution.
These attacks are not in keeping with the values of the people. If not reversed, the decades of progress in scientific research will be halted. Worldwide, the research consensus is that more granular, more disaggregated data are essential to achieving the SDGs. Sex and gender can be included in study design to improve medicine and science.
Another executive order mandated the cancellation of policies and initiatives in diversity, equity and inclusion, which the Trump administration has incorrectly described as illegal, radical and wasteful. It could cause harm if public initiatives are canceled that will create inclusive and welcoming spaces. Equally, there is no justification for cancelling policies and funding for initiatives that recognize the complexity of sex and gender, something the White House wrongly calls “gender ideology extremism”.
The majority of the agency’s staff have been put on leave. Most, if not all, of its buildings are currently inaccessible, as is its website. Life-saving programmes are exempt from the immediate changes that can happen, but there aren’t many staff or functioning financial systems to keep the payments going. Funding from the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which has disbursed more than $100 billion for the prevention and treatment of HIV and AIDS since 2003, is still up in the air.
At least one million women in countries around the world have lost access to contraceptive care as a result of a 90-day ‘pause’ on funding from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the world’s largest single-country source for aid, including scientific assistance. Half of the $72 billion that the United States disbursed in international assistance was provided through the agency.
The US federal funding for international climate-change projects was worth over US $11 billion in 2024 and accounted for 10% of global public climate finance. The decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord is a blow to tackling climate change and will delay efforts to boost finance for the countries most affected by global warming.
Some of the actions of the Trump administration may have to be reversed or moderate because individuals and organizations are challenging them in the courts. There is a desire to change if not eliminate, independent, science-based evidence and expert advice, and there is also a lack of respect for international agreements.