Ncuti Gatwas second season as the Fifteenth Doctor gets underway April 12, but Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies has already started to think beyond that. And this time, its in refreshing contrast to recent rumors (denied by the BBC) that the show may not return if it doesnt deliver strong ratingsthough it is still sad to ponder for Davies fans, because it involves wholl take up the showrunner mantle after he leaves. As reported by Radio Times and CBR, Davies was a recent guest on David Tennant Does a Podcast With, hosted by the Tenth and Fourteenth Doctor himselfa longtime collaborator with Davies, who showran Doctor Who from 2005-2010 (encompassing the Tenth Doctor) and returned to the job in 2023 (encompassing the Fourteenth Doctor). Though the two pals joked that Davies second run will be his last, with positively no third on the horizon, they also talked about what will happen when Davies moves on from the show. I will need to slow down at some point, he admitted. Thatll come. However, as a confirmed fan and dedicated reader of Doctor Who Magazine, Ill never put Doctor Who down completely. With regards to a successor, he said, Last time it was Steven Moffat [who replaced me], that wasnt even a days work, it was like, Right, off you go!' Aside from Moffat, who held the post from 2010-2017, theres only been one other showrunner since Doctor Whos return: Chris Chibnall, who oversaw the run of Jodie Whittakers Thirteenth Doctor from 2018-2022.Davies replacement, even without any speculation as to who it might be, is on his mind. Theres thinking about that, theres conversations about that, but its hard. Its a tricky one, he said. But [my replacement] better exist imagine, Im dead at the desk. The clich would kill me! Oh my god. (He also jokingly fan-cast Tim Robbins to play him in his biopic, if that ever happens.) Doctor Who returns to Disney+ and the BBC (depending what part of the world you live in) April 12; so far, theres no word on subsequent seasons or even a special Christmas episode, as is tradition, for 2025. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

By Passant Rabie Published March 12, 2025 | Comments (0) | Saturn and two of its moons, Tethys and Dione, photographed by Voyager 1 on November 3, 1980. NASA/JPL-Caltech Saturn just solidified its title as moon king with an updated tally of 274 satellites orbiting the gas giant. The record-breaking statistic puts Saturn way ahead of its moon-bearing competitors, as now the ringed planet is officially orbited by almost twice as many moons as all other planets in the solar system combined. An international team of astronomers made the recent discovery of 128 new moons around Saturn using the Canada France Hawaii telescope. Saturn regained its title as moon king last year with the discovery of 62 new moons, bringing its total to 145 moons. The planets main competition in the solar system, Jupiter, has just 95 confirmed moons. The two gas giants have been locked in a battle over who has the most moons in their orbit for years, but it may be safe to say Saturn has won the contest by a landslide. Based on our projections, I dont think Jupiter will ever catch up, Edward Ashton, postdoctoral fellow in the Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at Academia Sincia, and lead researcher behind the discovery, said in a University of British Columbia statement. The research team monitored the sky around Saturn with the Canada France Hawaii Telescope between 2019 to 2021, combining multiple telescope to improve the signals from astronomical objects. Their sky survey initially yielded 62 moons, as well as many more objects that could not be identified. The astronomers then revisited the same sky fields for three months in 2023 to confirm the identities of the remaining objectsthat is, to confirm the objects were moons. This week, the International Astronomical Union recognized the teams discovery.The 128 newly discovered moons are considered irregular, meaning theyre tiny fragments of larger moons that likely broke apart by violent collisions with other Saturnian moons or with passing comets, according to the researchers. Most of the new moons are near the Mundilfari subgroup of Saturns moonsthe likely site of a collision that took place within the last 100 million years within the Saturnian system, breaking up larger bodies into the recently IDd satellites. Our carefully planned multi-year campaign has yielded a bonanza of new moons that tell us about the evolution of Saturns irregular natural satellite population, Ashton said.The team is done moon spotting for the foreseeable future, as existing technology has likely reached its limit when it comes to detecting new moons around distant planets such as Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. For now, Saturn will hold onto its crown as the solar systems moon king.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By Passant Rabie Published March 12, 2025 By Margherita Bassi Published March 12, 2025 By Passant Rabie Published March 10, 2025 By Passant Rabie Published February 12, 2025 By Margherita Bassi Published February 9, 2025 By Isaac Schultz Published February 4, 2025

The venom of the male blue-lined octopus is made for its predators, its prey, and, apparently, its mating partners. Thats what researchers from the University of Queensland in Australia found after observing the males of the species sedating the females with venom prior to mating. Injecting the females renders them immobile, the researchers wrote in a March Current Biology report, allowing the males to mate successfully. An After-Mating Meal All octopuses are venomous, with the majority of these cephalopods using their venom to fend off their predators or to immobilize their prey. Among the Hapalochlaena, or the blue-ringed octopuses, venom is often used in this way, being wielded by several species to fight threats and find food.But the venom of the blue-lined octopus (Hapalochlaena fasciata) is also used for another application. Capturing 12 blue-lined octopuses six male and six female and monitoring them in captivity as they mated, the University of Queensland researchers revealed that the species venom is involved in mating, allowing the male octopuses to avoid sexual cannibalism.Many female octopuses are bigger than male octopuses from the same species, meaning that it isnt difficult for a female to consume a male once copulation is complete. As such, sexual cannibalism is relatively common among the cephalopods, being used by female octopuses as a way to fuel up for the demanding task of laying and looking after their eggs (a period in which they find little time to feed). Female blue-lined octopuses are particularly prone to this behavior, thanks, in part, to their size. Female blue-lined octopuses are about twice the size of males, the researchers wrote in their report, which bears the risk of males being cannibalized during reproduction.The teams research reveals that the males arent always fated to become food, however. By biting and injecting their partners with venom before mating begins, they can safely copulate with females without becoming a meal after mating. Partner ParalysisPiercing their partners aortas with their beaks, the male octopuses injected a dose of venom into the female octopuses bloodstreams. Though the venom, tetrodotoxin, paralyzes prey until they are consumed, it only paralyzed the females for about an hour allowing the males to mount their partners and to transfer their sperm to their mates through their specialized mating arms. According to the researchers, this strategy allowed the male octopuses to mate with the females without being cannibalized. Among the bitten females, paralysis was accompanied by slowed breathing, as well as an inability to respond to stimuli. To successfully paralyze their partners, the males needed to access a substantial amount of venom. Luckily for them (though perhaps unluckily for their partners), the males salivary glands stored more venom than the females salivary glands, being about three times heavier.Other male octopuses combat sexual cannibalism in other ways, by developing detachable mating arms, for instance. But none of these octopuses use toxins that are as potentially deadly as those of the blue-lined octopus, whose tetrodotoxin is dangerous to people as well as to prey and other organisms, like sea turtles.While both male and female blue-lined octopuses are destined to die soon after mating (with the females living only long enough for their young to emerge from their eggs), the researchers found that this strategy allows males to escape from mating unscathed. Once the venom wore off, the females merely forced the males away, with all six females surviving to lay their eggs.Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:Current Biology. Journal of Molecular Evolution. Tentacles of Venom: Toxic Protein Convergence in the Kingdom AnimaliaJournal of Molluscan Studies. Sam Walters is a journalist covering archaeology, paleontology, ecology, and evolution for Discover, along with an assortment of other topics. Before joining the Discover team as an assistant editor in 2022, Sam studied journalism at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

Alzheimers disease (AD) is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. Beyond the high economic and healthcare demands, it places a significant physical, emotional, and financial burden on family caregivers.Patients with AD experience memory loss, confusion, mood and personality changes, and difficulty with language, often leading to social withdrawal. The biological cause of AD is linked to the accumulation of amyloid plaques, tau tangles, and synaptic loss in brain regions such as the hippocampus and cortex, which are critical for higher cognitive functions like memory retrieval.Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimers, but treatments such as immunotherapy targeting amyloid plaques aim to help patients maintain their independence and quality of life for longer. Now, a potential addition to AD treatment has been synthesized by researchers at Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California. Their study, published in Antioxidants, highlights a stable form of carnosic acid (CA) a compound naturally found in rosemary and sage which decreases AD symptoms and could be well-suited for human trials.Natural Compounds as Potential DrugsMany modern drugs originate from medicinal herbs, which contain active compounds like alkaloids, glycosides, polyphenols, and terpenes. Well-known examples include morphine (from opium poppies), aspirin (from willow bark), and quinine (from cinchona trees).A previous study by the research group demonstrated that carnosic acid can cross the blood-brain barrier and activate antioxidant and anti-inflammatory genes. This may explain rosemarys theorized effect on memory, as inflammation is a key contributor to cognitive decline in AD.Additionally, CA is a pro-electrophilic compound, meaning it activates only in response to inflammation, making it selectively active in areas of the brain affected by neuroinflammation. However, pure CA is highly unstable, rendering it unsuitable for clinical and commercial applications.Prodrug Shows Strong PerformanceTo overcome this obstacle, the researchers synthesized structurally related compounds and identified di-acetylated carnosic acid (diAcCA) as the most promising candidate due to its improved stability and bioavailability. This prodrug version of CA, which maintains a stable shelf life of over two years, was tested in genetically modified mice commonly used to study AD.Behavioral tests assessing spatial learning and memory revealed that diAcCA significantly improved memory function and increased both the quality and quantity of synapses. We did multiple different tests of memory, and they were all improved with the drug, said senior author Stuart Lipton, a clinical neurologist in La Jolla, California, in a press release. And it didnt just slow down the decline; it improved virtually back to normal. In addition to improving cognitive function, the compound successfully reduced inflammation and oxidative stress while also clearing proteins associated with amyloid plaques and tau tangles, which are biomarkers of Alzheimers disease.Clinical Trials and Broader ApplicationsThis modified version of CA holds significant potential for advancement into human clinical trials. Its safety profile, established through toxicity studies, and its selective activation mechanism suggest minimal side effects. When taken orally, diAcCA is fully converted to CA in the digestive tract and absorbed into the bloodstream, making it more bioavailable than CA itself.The research team believes diAcCA could complement existing Alzheimers treatments by enhancing their effectiveness while mitigating side effects. Additionally, its anti-inflammatory properties may make it a viable candidate for treating other inflammation-related diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinsons disease.Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:Science Direct: ProdrugHaving worked as a biomedical research assistant in labs across three countries, Jenny excels at translating complex scientific concepts ranging from medical breakthroughs and pharmacological discoveries to the latest in nutrition into engaging, accessible content. Her interests extend to topics such as human evolution, psychology, and quirky animal stories. When shes not immersed in a popular science book, youll find her catching waves or cruising around Vancouver Island on her longboard.

Nature, Published online: 12 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08715-7Spin space group theory is applied to identify more than 200 collinear magnets with unconventional magnons; high-throughput calculations with spinorbit coupling find that most of these unconventional magnets are dictated by the Heisenberg exchange interaction.

Nature, Published online: 12 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08673-0Digital image correlation measurements show that nominally stationary interfaces subjected to constant shear and normal loads are sliding at extremely small rates, confirming the predictions of rate-and-state friction formulations.

Made in eevee, the cheese pull is done in grease pencil submitted by /u/Rksaikia797 [link] [comments]

For someone claiming to be learning Unreal Engine 5 for just two months with no prior experience with coding or game development, this is a pretty nice result. As TheAtomBombBryant shared, they plan to have the ability to switch characters throughout the game, not just limited to one level. For this, there are several ways to make it work, such as using Game Mode and Game State, since Level Blueprint is less modular, making it better suited for functionality thats specific to just one level.You can check out some other suggestions made by Reddit users here and explore some of the tutorials for Unreal Engine 5 beginners we recently shared, like Gorka Games video on making your very first game, Dallas Drapeaus guide on your first Nanite foliage, or Reza Sarkamaris deep dive into Chaos Destruction System:If youre an advanced user, we recommend checking out Ronnie Rees series on creating procedurally generated dungeons and jourverses videos on building a traffic system:We frequently share useful tutorials from industry experts and other professionals, most of which are completely free, so join our 80 Level Talent platformand ournew Discord server, follow us onInstagram,Twitter,LinkedIn,Telegram,TikTok, andThreads,where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.Source link The post Party-Switching System Built With Unreal Engine 5s Blueprints Showcase appeared first on CG SHARES.

Malcolm Andrieshyn, the creator of multiple valuable MEL scripts aimed at improving Maya workflow, has launched a free update for all users who own the Mega Script Pack and the Modeling Pack. The script will now detect if the selected object is an instance and duplicate or instance it to the selected components of another object.Heres the full list of changes in this update:Works with instances;Fixed progress bar appearing and never going away if nothing is selected;Keeps your original object selected;Fixed a bug where the move tool would get set to component mode each time the script was run;Fixed not working on NURBS;Added error messages when the selection is wrong and the script wont work.If you already own the script, begin by deleting the shelf in Maya. Next, use the original email download link from Gumroad to re-download the file and load the shelf from the newly downloaded file to access the update.Malcolm offers three packs of MEL scripts designed to streamline your workflow in Maya and enhance integration with other DCC software: the MEL Script Mega Pack, MEL Script UV Mapping Pack, and MEL Script Modeling Pack. These collections total over 60 scripts and come with free updates and improvements, including any new scripts added after purchase.Purchase Malcolms scripts here and join our80 Level Talent platformand ournew Discord server, follow us onInstagram,Twitter,LinkedIn,Telegram,TikTok, andThreads,where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.Source link The post Try Advanced Transform Tools In This MEL Script For Maya appeared first on CG SHARES.