It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Monday, November 24, 2025
Particle accelerator waste could help produce cancer-fighting materials, study suggests
Energy that would normally go to waste inside powerful particle accelerators could be used to create valuable medical isotopes, scientists have found.
Researchers at the University of York have shown that intense radiation captured in particle accelerator “beam dumps” could be repurposed to produce materials used in cancer therapy.
Scientists have now found a way to make those leftover photons do a second job, without affecting the main physics experiments.
A beam of photons designed to investigate things like the matter that makes up our universe, could at the same time, be used to create useful medical isotopes in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
Dr Mamad Eslami, a nuclear physicist from the University of York’s Department of Physics, said: ”We have shown the potential to generate copper-67, a rare isotope used in both diagnosing and treating cancers, by demonstrating that what we might view as waste from a particle accelerator experiment into something that can save lives.
“Our method lets high-energy accelerators support cancer medicine while continuing their core scientific work.”
Copper-67 emits radiation that both destroys cancer cells and enables doctors to monitor treatment progress. Clinical trials are already exploring its use against conditions such as prostate cancer and neuroblastoma, but global supplies remain limited due to production challenges.
Because large research particle accelerators often run for long periods, the process could build up useful amounts of isotopes gradually in parallel with other experiments, rather than requiring dedicated beam time. This approach could allow existing physics facilities to double as sources of medical materials, helping in the creation of life-saving treatments whilst making better use of accelerator energy.
The next step for the team is to work with accelerator laboratories and medical partners to apply the method at other facilities and to explore how it could be scaled up to deliver clinically useful quantities of copper-67 and other useful isotopes in a reliable, cost-effective way.
In 2018, 25-year-old Canadian Alex Minassian carried outa deadly rampagethat left 10 people dead and injured 16 others. Shortly before carrying out the attack, he posted a message on social media that drew widespread attention: “The Incel rebellion has begun.”
To fully understand the term incel—short for involuntarily celibate—it is necessary to go back to the 1990s, when a movement emerged to create a stigma-free environment where people struggling with maintaining sexual relationships could share their feelings. The community avoided violent rhetoric and sought to eliminate taboos, including those surrounding virginity. However, what originally began three decades ago as a harmless initiative has since evolved into a misogynistic subculture that is drawing increasing attention from both the scientific community and the media.
The Conflict and Human Security research group at the University of Córdoba has recently published one of the most comprehensive reviews to date on this phenomenon. The study, published in Aggression and Violent Behavior, synthesizes the recent scientific literature on the topic and offers an empirical analysis aimed at deepening our understanding of the movement’s causes, consequences, and social dynamics.
Although the incel phenomenon is somewhat more heterogeneous than it might initially appear, its members—mainly young heterosexual men—share several core beliefs. They view sex as a fundamental right that is denied to them as a result of female empowerment and blame women for their inability to have relationships. They also argue that only men who conform to heteronormative standards of masculinity are considered attractive and regard sex as a transactional act devoid of emotional ties. This combination of beliefs fosters a toxic environment in which incels’ frustration is transformed into a misogynistic worldview that casts women as objects of hatred.
A language of their own that dehumanizes
As the study shows, language plays a fundamental role in constructing this ideological framework, with incels relying on a distinct lexicon that dehumanizes others and reinforces their narratives. “This terminology serves as a pretext for attacking others without guilt—for provoking a moral and emotional disconnection that justifies hate speech,” explains Reyes Rodríguez, a doctoral student in the Department of Psychology at the University of Córdoba.
Within this linguistic framework, women are labeled as femoids (female humanoids), Stacys are women perceived as sexually successful, and Chads are physically attractive men at the top of the male hierarchy; an alpha male figure incels resent and see as part of the problem.
The study examines several derogatory terms used to refer to women, including cattle, viper, roast beef, and sperm containers. These expressions are widely used on social media and online forums, which are central to understanding this phenomenon. According to the systematic review, such forums function as echo chambers: virtual spaces that validate and reinforce incels’ collective identity. In these environments, algorithms do not mitigate the issue; rather, they amplify incels’ beliefs, mirror their worldview, and promote content that deepens their perceptions and furthers their radicalization.
A mental health problem?
The study, which reviews more than 80 scientific articles published since 2017, offers several important conclusions: beyond examining these social dynamics, it is essential to address the mental health issues that may be driving the phenomenon. Indeed, the study presents striking findings: incelsreport feelings of loneliness and rejection, low self-esteem, limited social support, and higher rates of psychological problems such as anxiety and depression. Notably, only 15% say they feel better after undergoing therapy.
There are several possible reasons why psychological interventions often fail with this group, notes Miguel Ángel Maldonado, co-director of the research. “When someone with such a deeply rooted ideology goes to therapy, they expect their beliefs to be validated, which doesn’t happen. Moreover, many of these individuals see the problem as residing in society rather than within themselves,” the researcher explains.
In addition to reviewing the existing research on this topic, the study seeks to identify knowledge gaps—areas requiring further investigation to advance our understanding of the phenomenon. According to the research team, several key issues require attention. Among the most pressing are the development of new approaches to psychosocial intervention, the creation of reliable methods for directly assessing incels, and the design of strategies to curb their influence in cyberspace. Although these avenues are yet to be fully explored, they all converge on a central question: How can we dismantle hatred?
Tropical cyclones can unleash extensive devastation, as recent storms that swept over Jamaica and the Philippines made unmistakably clear. Accurate weather forecasts that buy more time to prepare are crucial for saving lives and are rooted in a deeper understanding of climate systems. Driving this forward, researchers at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) and others have successfully identified a previously unknown cyclic climate pattern by historical reanalysis of datasets and satellite observations. The findings are published in PNAS.
Jiawei Bao still remembers coming home from middle school to catch the weather forecast on TV. It spanned from China’s northernmost province, Heilongjiang, to the southernmost province and tropical island, Hainan. In winter, the temperature between these regions can range from cold to balmy, varying by a staggering 50 degrees Celsius. “I was always fascinated by how such variations were predicted,” Bao recalls. This early curiosity led him to pursue a career in climate science.
Fast forward to 2025. Bao is now a postdoctoral researcher in Caroline Muller’s group at ISTA, where he uses physics and mathematics to address fundamental questions in climate science. He aims to understand climate processes and their societal consequences.
Bao has now identified a new type of oscillation in the tropics. The tropics-wide intraseasonal oscillation, or simply TWISO, is a repeating pattern that manifests itself over several weeks in tropical regions with rainfall, clouds, and wind. Together with Muller, Sandrine Bony from the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) at France’s Sorbonne University, and Daisuke Takasuka from Japan’s Tohoku University, he published the findings in the journal PNAS.
The ABCs of atmospheric circulation
Changes in the large-scale atmospheric circulations form an essential component of this newly identified oscillation. While atmospheric circulations and oscillations are complex, they influence our daily lives in the form of wind, weather fluctuations, and seasonal changes. In extreme cases, their impact becomes apparent in tropical storms, such as hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones. These storms can have devastating effects, as shown by several recent examples—Hurricane Melissa in the Caribbean and typhoon Kalmaegi, which caused severe damage and fatalities in the Philippines before hitting Vietnam.
“Atmospheric circulation refers to the large-scale movement of air that redistributes energy, momentum, and mass from one specific location to another,” explains Bao. In tropical regions, he notes, the Hadley circulation is the primary north-south circulation pattern. It features rising air at the equator and sinking air in the subtropics. By contrast, the Walker circulation is the dominant west-east circulation pattern in the equatorial Pacific, with rising air over the western Pacific and the Maritime Continent (Indonesia, Malaysia, and Pacific islands), and sinking air over the eastern Pacific.
Oscillation as a giant pendulum
Besides atmospheric circulations, climate oscillations also play a crucial role in the climate of tropical regions. Oscillations are fluctuations of climate systems, ranging in duration from a couple of weeks to even millennia. “An oscillation is like a giant pendulum that swings back and forth. When it swings one way, it might bring warmer and wetter conditions. When it swings the other way, it could bring cooler and drier weather,” Bao explains.
Oscillations often trigger extreme weather conditions. A prime example is the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, which oscillates over timescales of two to seven years and causes extreme weather in various parts of the globe during its different phases.
Bao and his colleagues have now detected a new oscillation system called “tropics-wide intraseasonal oscillation.” Dubbed TWISO, it is an oscillation that has always been present but that went unrecognized—until now.
TWISO: Long present, newly identified
The scientists identified TWISO using satellite observations and the reanalysis of datasets, developed and maintained by leading research institutions and shared openly with the global scientific community.
“TWISO is a natural phenomenon that has always been present but it was only recently identified in our paper through analysis of historical observations and reanalysis data,” Bao says. “The defining feature of TWISO is its tropics-wide coherence. It represents a large-scale oscillation encompassing the entire tropical belt, with variations occurring on intraseasonal timescales of about 30 to 60 days.”
The tropical atmosphere’s pulse
During each oscillation cycle, different components of the tropical climate system, including atmospheric temperature, ocean surface temperature, winds, and radiation, vary in a synchronized manner. In that sense, TWISO can be viewed as the “pulse” of the tropical atmosphere.
One of TWISO’s main elements is the variation of convection—the process by which heat is transferred through a fluid—over the “warm pool.” The warm pool is a region covering the western Pacific and the Maritime Continent where sea surface temperatures are the highest on Earth. It is a hotspot of intense and persistent thunderstorms that tightly link the ocean and atmosphere.
“We found that convection in this region goes through strong cycles of intensification and weakening, which play a central role in setting the rhythm for the entire tropical climate system to oscillate together,” says Bao.
Basis for better weather forecasts?
Bao and his colleagues note that the effects of TWISO on regional weather are still uncertain. Like other oscillations, TWISO represents a deviation of the normal state, which can often lead to extreme weather events. Bao highlights that during a specific phase of TWISO, sea surface temperatures increase, raising the likelihood of cyclone formation.
Given the annual threats posed by tropical storms, accurate weather forecasting is crucial for saving lives and livelihoods, planning evacuations, and preparing disaster responses. Nonetheless, predicting tropical weather one to two months in advance remains a major challenge. Since TWISO follows consistent patterns over 30 to 60 days, it presents an opportunity to enhance predictability within this timescale.
“By understanding TWISO, we could improve our ability to predict when tropical cyclones are likely to form, allowing us to issue earlier warnings and help to minimize the risks and damage they cause. We plan to address this in future research,” Bao says.
On campus at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA). Located in Klosterneuburg near Vienna, ISTA is an international PhD-granting frontier research institute that brings together leading minds from around the world. It currently hosts around 90 research groups.
