Latest News Releases 8 April

In a cave overlooking the ocean on the southern coast of South Africa, archaeologists discovered thousands of stone tools, created by ancient humans roughly 20,000 years ago. By examining tiny details in the chipped edges of the blades and stones, archaeologists are able to tell how the tools were made-- which revealed that people were sharing crafting techniques over wide distances.

Calibr-Skaggs Institute for Innovative Medicines, the drug discovery division of Scripps Research, announced today that the FDA has cleared their investigational new drug (IND) application to study switchable chimeric antigen receptor T cell (sCAR-T) therapy (CLBR001 + SWI019) in patients with autoimmune conditions. Patient recruitment for the phase 1 trial will begin soon (NCT06913608). The phase 1 clinical trial will evaluate the safety and efficacy of CLBR001 + SWI019 in patients with myositis, systemic sclerosis, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, with the potential to expand to other indications in the future. Calibr-Skaggs’ novel sCAR-T therapy is designed to reduce side effects and patient burden associated with prior lymphodepletion treatments required for traditional CAR-T approaches—an important issue for rheumatologists and patients.

RSE and the National Institute of Optics of the National Research Council (CNR-INO) on March 26th 2025 signed a collaboration agreement to jointly develop studies, research activities, and experimentation in the field of nuclear fusion by inertial confinement (Inertial Fusion Energy – IFE).

In Florence, a team of researchers observed for the first time the formation of quantum droplet arrays in an ultracold atomic mixture. The phenomenon is due to surface tension, which, analogously to what observed in classical liquids, causes the breaking of an atomic filament into droplets to minimize the surface area. The study, selected by the editor of Physical Review Letters, represents a step forward in the knowledge of quantum liquids and in the development of new "atomic" technologies

Australian technology developed at RMIT University could enable more sustainable and cheaper production of bio-oils to replace petroleum-based products in electronic, construction and automotive applications.

The technology, known as PYROCO^TM, uses high temperatures without oxygen to convert treated sewage (biosolids) into a carbon-rich product called biochar, which can act as a catalyst to produce phenol-rich bio-oil.