A new supercomputer in Shenzhen, China, called LineShine, has been ranked first on the latest TOP500 list of the world's fastest supercomputers.
It achieved 2.198 exaflops, or more than 2 quintillion calculations per second, surpassing the U.S.-based El Capitan system, which now ranks second.
The ranking marks the first time since 2017 that a Chinese supercomputer has held the top position on the TOP500 list. El Capitan is followed by two other U.S. supercomputers, while Germany's Jupiter system ranks fifth. These are currently the only publicly verified exascale supercomputers.
According to TOP500, LineShine differs from many recent high-performance systems by using only conventional CPUs rather than GPUs, which are commonly associated with AI workloads. The system is reported to consume approximately 42.2 megawatts of electricity.
Read more at AFP/Tech Xplore, TOP500 List
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EU rejects legal requirement to keep discontinued video games playable
- By Nuadox Crew -
The European Union has rejected calls to legally require game publishers to keep discontinued video games playable, dealing a setback to the "Stop Destroying Videogames" campaign, which gathered more than one million signatures across Europe.
The petition sought rules preventing publishers from rendering games unusable after ending commercial support, such as allowing fans to operate private servers. However, the European Commission said current intellectual property and copyright laws give rights holders control over their games and that it cannot impose such an obligation.
Instead of new legislation, the EU plans to develop a voluntary code of conduct with industry and consumer groups to improve how publishers handle a game's end of life and to help protect consumer rights, including possible compensation.
Campaign organizers are now focusing on persuading the European Parliament to amend the proposed Digital Fairness Act to address the issue. Their efforts have gained some political support, with around 40 Members of the European Parliament backing the petition's goals.
The fight is also moving to the courts. In France, consumer organization UFC-Que Choisir is suing Ubisoft over the shutdown of the racing game The Crew, alleging unfair business practices and abusive contract terms.
Read more at AFP/Tech Xplore
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Portable TB test delivers accurate results in under 30 minutes
- By Nuadox Crew -
Researchers from UC San Francisco and UC Irvine found that the portable MiniDock MTB device can accurately diagnose tuberculosis (TB) in under 30 minutes, performing as well as laboratory-based molecular tests.
The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, highlights the device's ability to detect TB using tongue swabs, making testing possible for patients who struggle to produce sputum samples, including children and people with HIV.
MiniDock MTB runs on battery power, is simple enough for healthcare workers to learn from written instructions, and uses molecular technology to detect TB bacterial DNA. The device could significantly improve access to rapid, accurate TB diagnosis in low-resource settings where traditional laboratory testing is unavailable.
The findings have already prompted the World Health Organization to issue its first recommendation for this type of TB test. Researchers say the technology could allow many patients to be diagnosed and start treatment on the same day, helping address one of the biggest barriers in the fight against the world's deadliest infectious disease.
Read more at Medical Xpress/University of California, San Francisco
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ROSALIND platform transforms bacterial sensors into portable diagnostic tools
- By Nuadox Crew -
Researchers at Northwestern University have developed ROSALIND, a portable water-testing platform that repurposes bacteriaâs natural pollution-detection systems to identify contaminants in water.
The cell-free technology uses microbial sensing molecules to trigger a fluorescent signal when harmful chemicals, metals, or genetic material are detected, requiring minimal lab equipment.
Originally capable of screening 17 contaminants, ROSALIND has now become 10 times more sensitive thanks to a new signal amplification method published in Nature Chemical Biology. The upgraded system can also detect DNA and RNA targets.
The technology is already being tested in real-world settings, including lead detection in Chicago-area homes and fluoride monitoring in rural Kenya. Researchers say field deployment and collaboration with local communities are essential to improving the technology and ensuring it meets public health needs.
Read more at Fannie and John Hertz Foundation
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New hairy ghost pipefish species discovered on the Great Barrier Reef
- By Nuadox Crew -
Scientists have discovered a new species of ghost pipefish in the Great Barrier Reef called the hairy ghost pipefish (Solenostomus snuffleupagus), nicknamed after the furry Sesame Street character Mr. Snuffleupagus because of its shaggy appearance.
For years, divers and photographers mistook it for the rough ghost pipefish because ghost pipefish are highly camouflaged and blend into coral and algae using matching colors and hair-like filaments. Marine biologists David Harasti and Graham Short noticed consistent physical differences and launched a deeper investigation.
Using DNA analysis, 3D micro-CT scans, and traditional body measurements, the researchers confirmed it was a separate species. They found a 22% genetic difference from the rough ghost pipefish, along with unique skeletal features such as more vertebrae and star-shaped bony structures in the skin. The new species also has a chunkier body shape.
The discovery, published in the Journal of Fish Biology, highlights how even well-studied ecosystems like the Great Barrier Reef still contain undiscovered marine life.
Header image: Solenostomus snuffleupagus, in situ, Papua New Guinea, 2003. Credit: David Harasti
Read more at Phys.org
Scientific paper: Graham Short et al, Solenostomus snuffleupagus sp. nov., a hairy ghost pipefish (Teleostei: Solenostomidae) from the Southwest Pacific, with an integrative comparison to S. paegnius, Journal of Fish Biology (2026). DOI: 10.1111/jfb.70497
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World2Rules AI could help predict airport collisions before they occur
- By Nuadox Crew -
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Institute developed an AI system called World2Rules to help prevent airport collisions before they happen.
Using massive amounts of airport traffic data and historical crash reports, the system predicts dangerous runway situations and explains its reasoning in a human-understandable way.
The project was motivated by growing concerns over runway incursions, including a near-collision at John F. Kennedy International Airport in March 2026 involving an Air Canada jet and an EVA Air aircraft. Quick action from an air traffic controller avoided disaster.
To build World2Rules, the CMU team used the Bridges-2 supercomputer at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center. The AI combines two approaches:
Neural AI, which is powerful with complex data but difficult to interpret.
Symbolic AI, which produces understandable rules but struggles with noisy real-world data.
Their âneuro-symbolicâ system merges both strengths. It analyzes the Amelia-42 dataset â nearly 10 terabytes of FAA airport movement data from 42 U.S. airports â alongside crash reports to generate interpretable safety rules and predict future collisions.
World2Rules works together with another AI called Amelia-TF, which forecasts aircraft movements. World2Rules then evaluates those forecasts, explains possible risks, and filters out unreliable predictions.
In tests, the system outperformed other methods:
23.6% more accurate than purely neural AI
43.2% more accurate than symbolic AI
The researchers presented their findings at the NASA Formal Methods Symposium 2026. While designed for aviation safety, the technology could also be adapted for other traffic-control or safety-critical systems where predicting conflicts early is essential.
Read more at Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center
Scientific paper: Haichuan Wang et al, World2Rules: A Neuro-Symbolic Framework for Learning World-Governing Safety Rules for Aviation, arXiv (2026). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2603.28952
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Study finds Gibraltar macaques eat soil to cope with tourist junk food effects
- By Nuadox Crew -
Macaques in Gibraltar have begun eating soil (geophagy) to counter digestive problems caused by junk food from tourists.
Researchers found that monkeys with more human contact consume more snacksâand more dirt, especially during peak tourist seasons.
The soil likely helps soothe their stomachs, restore gut bacteria, and reduce irritation from sugary, fatty, and dairy-rich foods.
The behavior appears to be socially learned, with different groups developing preferences for specific types of soil, suggesting a new, human-driven animal tradition.
Header image: A Gibraltar macaque with a tube of Pringles. Credit: Martin Nicourt / Gibraltar Macaques Project
Read more at University of Cambridge
Scientific paper: J. Frater et al, Geophagy in Gibraltar Barbary macaques is a primate tradition anthropogenically induced, Scientific Reports (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-44607-0
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France moves 2.5M government devices from Windows to Linux
- By Nuadox Crew -
Franceâs Interministerial Digital Directorate (DINUM) has announced plans to migrate approximately 2.5 million government workstations from Windows to Linux as part of a broader digital sovereignty strategy.
All ministries and public operators are required to submit migration plans by autumn 2026. The initiative extends beyond operating systems to include collaboration tools, cybersecurity software, AI platforms, databases, and network infrastructure. A prototype environment, âBureautix,â built on NixOS, is currently being tested.
The announcement follows earlier measures to adopt domestic or open-source alternatives across the public sector, including replacing certain communication tools and deploying new productivity platforms within government agencies.
According to officials, the objective is to improve control over digital systems, including cost structures, security, and long-term dependencies.
Low-cost blood test detects multiple cancers and diseases
- By Nuadox Crew -
Scientists at University of California, Los Angeles have developed a low-cost blood test called MethylScan that can detect multiple cancers, liver diseases, and organ abnormalities by analyzing DNA fragments circulating in the bloodstream.
Unlike traditional approaches that look for genetic mutations, the test analyzes DNA methylation patterns, which reveal the health and origin of tissues. It also uses a method to filter out background DNA from blood cells, improving sensitivity while keeping costs low.
In early studies of over 1,000 participants, MethylScan:
Detected about 63% of cancers overall (including ~55% at early stages) with high accuracy
Identified ~80% of liver cancer cases in high-risk patients
Distinguished between different liver diseases with ~85% accuracy
Helped pinpoint the organ where disease signals originate
A key advantage is cost: the test requires relatively little sequencing, with an estimated cost of under $20 per sample, making it far more affordable than many existing liquid biopsy approaches.
The findings, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggest the test could evolve into a single, scalable tool for early disease detection and whole-body health monitoring, though larger trials are still needed.
Read more at UCLA
Scientific paper: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2026). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2518347123
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H5N1 avian flu poses unprecedented global threat to seals and sea lions
- By Nuadox Crew -
The highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus, first identified in 1996, has spread across nearly the entire globe over three decades, infecting hundreds of millions of birds and a wide range of mammals.
Among the hardest hit are pinnipedsâseals and sea lionsâwith a study reporting that outbreaks across Peru, Chile, Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina have killed at least 36,000 South American sea lions, 17,400 southern elephant seals, and 1,000 South American fur seals.
A study from the University of California, Davis highlights the scale of the threat and warns that the virusâs rapid evolution and cross-species transmission create serious risks for already vulnerable marine populations. Events like the 2023 mass die-off of southern elephant seals in Argentina demonstrate how quickly outbreaks can escalate, while recent cases in California show the virus continues to expand geographically.
Researchers emphasize that early detection effortsâsuch as coordinated wildlife monitoring and surveillance programsâcan significantly improve response times and limit spread. They call for stronger global collaboration, routine wildlife health monitoring, improved non-invasive detection technologies, and policy action to address the underlying drivers of disease emergence.
The study concludes that H5N1 adds to existing pressures like climate change and habitat loss, making some marine species especially vulnerable, and stresses that understanding how the virus spreads in coastal ecosystems is essential to protecting wildlife and preventing future outbreaks.
Header image: Carcasses of southern elephant seals and a bird were found scattered across a beach in Argentina during a large avian influenza outbreak there in 2023. Credit: Ralph Vanstreels/UC Davis
Read more at UC Davis/Phys.org
Scientific paper: Elizabeth Ashley et al, High pathogenicity avian influenza in pinniped conservation, Philosophical Transactions B (2026). DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2024.0320
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Here are our day three highlights from the 2026 HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition in Las Vegas (March 9â12).
Military to healthcare technology: Phil Leamonâs journey
Phil Leamon of InterSystems reflected on his path from a 25-year career in the United States Army to leadership in healthcare technology.
Leamon enlisted at 17 and served in a range of roles, including explosive ordnance disposal and computer programming on large IBM mainframe systems. His first exposure to healthcare came during the Gulf War (Desert Shield and Desert Storm), when he was assigned to a 1,000-bed military hospital. There, he oversaw administrative teams processing injured soldiers arriving from the front linesâan experience that sparked his long-term interest in healthcare systems.
After leaving the military, Leamon moved into corporate technology roles before joining InterSystems, where he has spent more than two decades working on healthcare data integration and digital transformation initiatives, including AI-enabled solutions that connect information from disparate systems.
Navigating the complexity of U.S. healthcare
Leamon described the U.S. healthcare ecosystem as highly fragmented, comparing it to âwrangling an octopus.â Providers, regulators, and agencies all operate under different rules and priorities, making it difficult to implement unified technological solutions.
Unlike the militaryâs hierarchical structure, healthcare technology initiatives require consensus among numerous stakeholders. As a result, introducing new systems often depends as much on change management and communication as on technical capability. Building trust among cliniciansâwhose decisions directly affect patient safetyâremains a central challenge when deploying new digital tools.
Voice-driven workflows to reduce EHR burden
In a separate interview, Carl Osborne discussed a voice-first approach to clinical workflows designed to reduce the documentation burden associated with electronic health record platforms such as Oracle Health and Epic.
Drawing on 17 years of consulting experience optimizing EHR implementations, Osborne described how excessive clicking and fragmented workflows can pull cliniciansâ attention away from patients. His approach allows providers to retrieve patient data, place orders, and document care using natural speech while maintaining safety checks such as drug-interaction verification and patient identity confirmation.
Toward ambient, screenless care environments
Osborne said his voice-driven clinical platform integrates with InterSystems IRIS for Health and supports multilingual interaction, wearable devices, and shared displays that allow clinicians and patients to review health data together. The system is designed to interpret natural speech across languages and dialects while enforcing clinical safeguards and evidence-based decision support.
The longer-term vision is an ambient care environment in which clinicians interact with health systems conversationally rather than through keyboards and screens. In such settings, voice interfaces, wearable devices, and projected visualizations could enable hands-free workflows while allowing patients to actively participate in reviewing and understanding their health data.
Thatâs all for this yearâs edition. Thanks for following along. See you next year.
Here are our day two highlights from the 2026 HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition in Las Vegas (March 9â12).
Governance and accountability take center stage
Sessions and briefings across the conference highlighted the growing importance of governance as AI tools become more widely integrated into healthcare systems. Speakers discussed how organizations are evaluating AI models, establishing oversight structures, and defining responsibility when AI tools influence clinical workflows or decision-making.
Operational gains, but broader challenges remain
At a morning press briefing, Hal Wolf, president and CEO of HIMSS, described the current stage of AI adoption in healthcare. He noted that many organizations are seeing the most immediate benefits in operational areas such as supply chain management, bed utilization, and workforce deployment.
Wolf also placed the technologyâs adoption in context, noting that AI in healthcare moved from largely experimental use four years ago to broader integration in clinical systems, including electronic health records, in recent years. However, he emphasized that successful implementation depends on governance structures, workforce training, and organizational change, rather than technology alone.
Workforce training and multidisciplinary oversight
Wolf highlighted the role of cliniciansâparticularly nursesâin the design and evaluation of digital health tools. HIMSS maturity assessments now examine whether different clinical disciplines are involved in governance and decision-making around AI deployment.
He also emphasized the need for expanded digital and AI literacy programs for healthcare professionals. While many incoming medical and nursing students are digitally fluent, institutions often need to invest in training for faculty and mid-career clinicians adapting to new technologies.
Policy, infrastructure, and misinformation concerns
The briefing also touched on policy issues affecting digital health adoption, including healthcare access in rural areas and the importance of digital infrastructure such as broadband and 5G connectivity. Wolf noted that technology is increasingly viewed as a way to support care delivery in regions where hospitals and clinicians are in short supply.
He also raised concerns about the challenge of verifying health information in an environment where AI tools can generate realistic but inaccurate content.
Latin America AI governance initiative discussed
Later in the day, a roundtable at the LATAM Pavilion explored expanding the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI) into Latin America. The discussion, led by Brian Anderson, examined how regional stakeholders could collaborate on AI governance frameworks and policy development.
Participants from Brazil and other Latin American countries discussed potential priorities such as governance standards for AI procurement, model monitoring, and clinician education.
Regional chapter under consideration
Organizers indicated that a Latin America chapter of CHAI could launch in mid-2026, potentially aligned with regional healthcare events. Early coordination efforts are underway among healthcare organizations, technology companies, and policy stakeholders to define the initiativeâs structure and priorities.
Stay tuned for day three...
Header image: LATAM Pavilion at HIMSS26. Credit: Danielle Siarri
- By Danielle Siarri and Faila Santos , Nuadox -
Today, we are starting our coverage of the 2026 HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition in Las Vegas. The event takes place from March 9â12. Here are our day one highlights.
Several sessions on the first day examined the growing use of artificial intelligence in healthcare operations, including governance, clinical implementation, and cybersecurity.
AI governance and implementation
Speakers discussed how some health systems are developing internal governance models to manage AI use. Examples included ambient AI tools that assist with clinical documentation and AI-based triage systems used in home care settings.
Policies governing the use of internal AI platforms versus commercial AI tools were also addressed.
A session featuring representatives from Mass General Brigham outlined the organizationâs approach to managing AI deployments through a tiered risk framework that applies different levels of oversight depending on the potential impact of an application.
Nursing informatics
The Nursing Informatics Forum focused on the role of nurses in reviewing and validating AI-generated outputs used in clinical workflows.
Topics included automation bias, data quality, transparency in AI-generated documentation, and training initiatives aimed at improving AI literacy among clinical staff.
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity sessions addressed attack patterns affecting healthcare organizations. Analysts referenced the MITRE ATT&CK Framework when discussing incident timelines and approaches to prioritizing protection for systems with the greatest impact on patient care.
Recommendations discussed during the sessions included network segmentation, vulnerability management for connected devices, and security testing of systems outside live clinical environments.
Bonus podcast: We discuss our respective career paths and the evolution of nursing informatics.
Researchers develop ultralight aerohydrogel scaffold for 3D brain cell cultures
- By Nuadox Crew -
Researchers at Kiel University developed an ultralight aerohydrogel scaffold designed for three-dimensional cultures of human brain cells.
The material is formed by coating a temporary zinc-oxide framework with a thin hydrogel layer, then removing the underlying structure to leave a porous network.
In laboratory tests with astrocytes and microglia, the scaffold supported cell growth and allowed researchers to observe inflammatory signaling between the two cell types.
The study, published in Chem & Bio Engineering with collaborators from Harvard Medical School and University of Oxford, suggests the platform could be used to study brain cell interactions in controlled 3D environments.
Image: Electron microscope image of tetrapodal zinc oxide. The four-armed crystals form the initial scaffold for the aerohydrogels, which is later transformed into an ultralight hydrogel network. Credit: AG Funktionale Nanomaterialien, Kiel University
Header image: Fluorescent astrocytes under the microscope: the cells show their cytoskeleton in red, astrocyte-specific marker Connexin 43 in green, and cell nuclei in blue. Credit: Luise Schlotterose
Read more at Kiel University/Medical Xpress
Scientific paper: Torge Hartig et al, 3D Aerohydrogel Scaffolds for Brain Tissue Engineering and In Vitro Neuroscience, Chem & Bio Engineering (2026). DOI: 10.1021/cbe.5c00104
Unusual fats in cat kidneys may explain high risk of chronic kidney disease
- By Nuadox Crew -
Researchers at the University of Nottingham discovered that domestic cats accumulate unusual fats in their kidney cellsâoften from a young ageâwhich may help explain why they are especially prone to Chronic Kidney Disease.
In a study published in Frontiers of Veterinary Science, scientists identified rare modified triglycerides with unusual chemical structures, including ether-linked fats, that were largely absent in dogs and only occasionally seen in Scottish wildcat samples.
The researchers suggest that this lipid buildup could signal early kidney stress and potentially contribute to long-term tissue damage. Understanding why these fats accumulate may lead to new diets, supplements, and diagnostic tools to better protect feline kidney health.
Image: Oil-Red-O (ORO) staining of lipid in domestic cat, Scottish wildcat and dog kidney sections. Credit: Frontiers in Veterinary Science (2026). DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2026.1711591
Read more at University of Nottingham
Scientific paper: Rebecca A. Brociek et al, Lipid droplets in felid kidneys: prevalence and composition by lipidomics, Frontiers in Veterinary Science (2026). DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2026.1711591
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Climate-driven model boosts forecasting accuracy of West Nile neuroinvasive disease in the US
- By Nuadox Crew -
West Nile virus is the most common mosquito-borne disease in the continental U.S., and in rare cases can lead to a severe neuroinvasive form with about a 10% fatality rate.
Since 1999, West Nile virus neuroinvasive disease (WNND) has caused around 3,000 deaths, yet no national forecasting system currently exists.
In a study published in GeoHealth, Ryan Harp and colleagues developed a climate-informed, regionally based forecasting model for WNND that outperforms existing benchmarks. By aggregating low county-level case counts into regional data, the model more accurately captured links between climate and disease trends. The researchers found that drought and temperature are the strongest overall predictors of WNND, with regional differences: drought was most closely linked to cases in the central U.S., while warmer winter and spring temperatures were most influential in northern regions.
Their model improved national predictions by 21.8% compared with a historical caseload model. The authors suggest future efforts should refine county-level forecasts and incorporate real-time weather and climate projections to enhance preparedness and response.
Header image: Culex mosquito larvae cluster together underwater. The genus is the chief insect vector for West Nile virus in the United States. Credit: PLoS Biology (2006). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0040101
Read more at American Geophysical Union
Scientific paper: Ryan D. Harp et al, A Regionally Determined ClimateâInformed West Nile Virus Forecast Technique, GeoHealth (2026). DOI: 10.1029/2025gh001657
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A tiny cyclops ancestor shaped the evolution of vertebrate eyes
- By Nuadox Crew -
Researchers from Lund University and University of Sussex report in Current Biology that all vertebrates evolved from a distant, worm-like ancestor that lived about 600 million years ago and had a single median eye on top of its head.
This sedentary, plankton-filtering creature originally had paired eyes but lost them as it adopted a calmer lifestyle. It retained a cluster of light-sensitive cells in the middle of its head, which formed a primitive âcyclopsâ median eye used to sense light, darkness, and orientation.
Later, when its descendants became active swimmers again, new paired, image-forming eyes evolved from parts of this median eye. This unusual evolutionary path explains why vertebrate eyes are fundamentally different from those of insects and squid: vertebrate retinas develop from brain tissue, while other animalsâ eyes develop from skin tissue.
The study also reveals that the ancient median eye did not disappear entirely. It evolved into the pineal gland in modern vertebratesâa light-sensitive structure in the brain that regulates circadian rhythms through melatonin production.
Image: Repeated lifestyle changes drove the unique evolution of vertebrate eyes. Credit: Current Biology (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.12.028
Image: Deuterostome median and lateral eyes. Credit: Current Biology (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.12.028
Header image: The light spot in the middle of the head forms the median eye in this lizard. The animalâs regular eyes are not visible because the picture is taken from behind. Credit: Bruno FrĂas Morales/iNaturalist/Creative Commons
Read more at Lund University
Scientific paper: George Kafetzis et al, Evolution of the vertebrate retina by repurposing of a composite ancestral median eye, Current Biology (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.12.028
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