Monday, August 10, 2026

New mountain dragon lizard from Thailand named after Syrax from House of the Dragon

Pensoft Publishers

image:
Adult female paratypes of *Acanthosaura syrax.*
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Credit: Trivalairat et al., 2026

Scientists have described a new species of lizard from the high mountain forests of western Thailand, and have given it a name straight out of fantasy television: Acanthosaura syrax, named after Syrax, the dragon ridden by Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon.

The lizard belongs to a group known as mountain horned dragons, agamid lizards recognised by the spiny crests running along their neck and back. It was discovered in the evergreen forests of Mae Wong National Park, in the Tak-Kamphaeng Phet Province, at elevations above 1,300 metres, where it appears to live nowhere else. The find brings the total number of known species in the genus Acanthosaura to 23.

The research team, led by Poramad Trivalairat and colleagues from Chulabhorn Royal Academy and Kasetsart University, chose the name Syrax deliberately. The dragon of that name in the fantasy world is known for its striking yellow colouring, its comparatively modest size next to other dragons, and for producing an unusually large number of eggs.

The researchers found all three qualities echoed in the real animal: A. syrax has yellowish-green tones in its colouring, is one of the smallest members of its genus, and lays notably large clutches of eggs for its size. The team has proposed "Syrax mountain horned dragon" as its English common name, alongside a Thai name that translates the same way.

Beyond the name, the lizard stands out for possessing the smallest neck and back crest scales recorded anywhere in the genus, along with an overall small body size. It also lacks a black patch around the eye seen in several related species, and has a distinctive dark collar marking. DNA analysis of two genes backed up what the researchers saw by eye, showing that A. syrax is genetically distinct from its closest relative, A. lepidogaster, and from every other known species in the group.

The species appears to be confined to a narrow band of high-altitude forest, and the researchers say its populations are naturally scattered by the rugged terrain of the mountain range, a state of affairs that leaves it vulnerable should its habitat come under further pressure. They are calling for stronger protection of Mae Wong's high-elevation forests, suggesting the new lizard could serve as a flagship species for the area alongside other rare wildlife found there, including the Asian forest tortoise, Oldham's leaf turtle and the Indochinese tiger.

The study is published in the open-access journal ZooKeys.

Original source:

Trivalairat P, Trivalairat K, Moungkhaek N, Caponov S, Lorsunyaluck B (2026) Acanthosaura syrax sp. nov., a new species of mountain horned dragon from high-elevation habitats of western Thailand (Squamata, Agamidae). ZooKeys 1287: 47-76. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1287.186636

Journal

ZooKeys

DOI

10.3897/zookeys.1287.186636

Article Title

Acanthosaura syrax sp. nov., a new species of mountain horned dragon from high-elevation habitats of western Thailand (Squamata, Agamidae)

Adult male holotype of the newly described Acanthosaura syrax from Mae Wong District, Kampheang Phet Province, Thailand.

Credit

Trivalairat et al., 2026

Study: Triple-dose regimen may permanently clear HIV in infected newborns

OHSU-led discovery in animal model could advance quickly to clinical trials in people

Oregon Health & Science University

Every year, more than 120,000 newborns worldwide contract HIV, a global health burden that requires lifelong treatment for millions of people — assuming they have access and can afford it.

New research led by Oregon Health & Science University suggests another possibility: a one-time regimen of therapies given to newborns within three days of birth to permanently clear the virus.

The research was published today in the journal Nature Microbiology.

“The really exciting part is that it could go to clinical trials immediately to eliminate HIV infection in newborns,” said co-lead author Jonah Sacha, Ph.D., professor and chief of pathobiology and immunology at OHSU’s Oregon National Primate Research Center and Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute. “The next step after that is to test if this can work in newly exposed adults.”

The research involved many collaborators and nonhuman primates at both the Oregon and California national primate research centers.

Researchers tested three distinct treatments that were delivered for a few weeks: neutralizing antibodies, standard antiretroviral therapy, and an experimental monoclonal antibody known as leronlimab.

Each of the individual treatments has been tried previously and failed to permanently clear the virus — and Sacha wasn’t convinced combining them would work any better. Sacha has worked for years to develop leronlimab, which is designed to block HIV from entering immune cells through a surface protein called CCR5. His longtime OHSU colleague and coauthor Nancy Haigwood, Ph.D., thought combining existing therapies with leronlimab might be effective.

The study that published today shows she was correct.

Haigwood, a former professor and ONPRC director, is a virologist and immunologist who has specialized in HIV antibody research for decades.

“We were astounded and overjoyed, actually,” Haigwood said. “It’s a remarkable result.”

Antiretroviral therapy has already been approved in people, whereas broadly neutralizing antibodies and leronlimab are both being tested separately in clinical trials. This new discovery of a one-time, three-part regimen to clear the virus in newborn babies would first need to be tested in clinical trials in people — most likely in newly exposed adults initially — before it would be widely available to constrain an HIV epidemic that continues to kill 600,000 people worldwide each year.

Researchers say they are optimistic, given the anatomical similarity between nonhuman primates and people.

“There was no reason to think this would completely clear the virus,” Sacha said. “It’s one of those things where you test it and, holy cow, it works and you’ve discovered something new.”

Exactly how this approach worked remains unclear, but Sacha and Haigwood said it appears that the combination of therapies is far more potent and effective than each therapy alone. The key appears to be leronlimab’s ability to block HIV from entering immune cells through the surface protein CCR5.

“For reasons we don’t understand, HIV really wants to use CCR5 receptors to infect cells,” Sacha said. “By blocking access, it’s like you’ve kept fuel away from the fire.”

Haigwood uses a slightly different analogy:

Turning off the faucet: Antiretroviral therapy doesn’t eliminate HIV altogether, but it minimizes its ability to replicate.
Mopping up: Neutralizing antibodies effectively corral HIV so there is less virus circulating in the body’s blood supply.
Sealing off: Leronlimab blocks what’s left of the virus from infecting immune cells — the equivalent of sealing off the room with a water-tight valve.

Haigwood believes the combination appears to be especially potent early in the infection.

“There’s a lot more going on during the first week of infection than we previously thought,” she said. “From this experiment, it looks like there’s a dynamic interaction between the virus and antibodies that takes place as the virus begins to spread.”

Researchers are eager to see whether the combined regimen can be effective beyond 72 hours of the initial infection.

“We only tested out to three days,” Sacha said. “Could it work a week after infection? Two weeks? How far can you go after infection, and still purge the virus?”

The research published today was supported by the National Institutes of Health under Award Numbers R01HD080459 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD); R01AI154559, R01AI166969, and R01AI129703 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); K01OD036063 from the Office of the Director (OD), NIH; P51OD011092 and U42OD010426 from the Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP), NIH, to the Oregon National Primate Research Center; and P51OD011107 from ORIP, NIH, to the California National Primate Research Center. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.

In our interest of ensuring the integrity of our research and as part of our commitment to public transparency, OHSU actively regulates, tracks and manages relationships that our researchers may hold with entities outside of OHSU. In regard to this research, Sacha and co-author Scott Hansen, Ph.D., have had a significant financial interest in CytoDyn, a company that may have a commercial interest in the results of this research and technology. Review details of OHSU's conflict of interest program to find out more about how we manage these business relationships.

All research involving animal subjects at OHSU must be reviewed and approved by the university’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). The IACUC’s priority is to ensure the health and safety of animal research subjects. The IACUC also reviews procedures to ensure the health and safety of the people who work with the animals. No live animal work may be conducted at OHSU without IACUC approval.

Journal

Nature Microbiology

DOI

10.1038/s41564-026-02444-x

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Combination therapy with broadly neutralizing antibodies, antiretroviral therapy and CCR5 blockade limits viral reservoir seeding in infant macaque model of HIV

Article Publication Date

10-Aug-2026

COI Statement

In our interest of ensuring the integrity of our research and as part of our commitment to public transparency, OHSU actively regulates, tracks and manages relationships that our researchers may hold with entities outside of OHSU. In regard to this research, co-authors Jonah Sacha, Ph.D., and Scott Hansen, Ph.D., have had a significant financial interest in CytoDyn, a company that may have a commercial interest in the results of this research and technology. Review details of OHSU's conflict of interest program to find out more about how we manage these business relationships.

Brain possesses greater self-repair capacity than previously assumed

Neurosciences

University of Zurich

Brain lesion with regenerative astrocytes — image:
The image on the left shows a brain lesion (diameter: just under 0.5 mm). Around the perimeter of the lesion, the newly discovered “regenerative” astrocytes begin to seal the defect by forming long cellular extensions (shown in red). Newly formed cell nuclei (shown in blue) migrate along the cellular extensions toward the damaged area. Unaltered astrocytes (shown in green) surround the lesion area. The image on the right shows an enlargement of the marked area in the left image.
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Credit: Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich

The brain evidently can regenerate itself better than previously assumed after injuries or certain autoimmune diseases. Using a mouse model, researchers at the University of Zurich have demonstrated that special supporting and nourishing cells repopulate damaged areas of the brain by initially sending only newly formed cell nuclei there.

Glial cells are supporting and nourishing cells in the brain. Star-shaped glial cells called astrocytes are vital to the functioning of neurons. They supply the nerve cells with nutrients, help to regulate blood flow and keep brain tissue healthy. It had long been assumed that when astrocytes are lost – as happens, for instance, in brain injuries or autoimmune diseases such as rare neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, in which the body's own antibodies destroy these cells – the adult brain cannot fully replace them.

Regenerative astrocytes repair damaged tissue

A new study by co-lead authors Marina Herwerth and Matthias Wyss from the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Zurich (UZH) has now overturned that assumption: their research team headed by Bruno Weber discovered a specialized group of “regenerative” astrocytes in the brains of living mice that step in on the perimeter of the damaged area of the brain to rebuild the cells. “The findings of our study reveal a previously unknown ability of the adult brain to repair itself. They point toward new ways of supporting recovery from ailments involving the loss of astrocytes,” Weber says.

Only cell nuclei migrate

The researchers used two-photon microscopy to observe the brains of living mice in real time over a period of several weeks and mapped which genes switch on in which areas of the brain. This way they were able to identify the special astrocytes that take care of rebuilding injured tissue. But those cells don’t just divide, they also perform a remarkable feat: “they send the newly formed nuclei of their daughter cells gliding across long distances to repopulate the damaged area of the brain and knit the astrocyte network back together,” Weber explains.

Starting points for targeted regeneration

The discovery of how adult brain cell nuclei migrate through the long star-shaped extensions of astrocytes to injured tissue expands comprehension of how the brain organizes and regenerates itself after certain injuries. If those mechanisms can be selectively activated, that could help to more effectively repair damaged brain tissue, restore astrocyte networks and thus improve recovery after certain brain disorders. “We were able to identify numerous genes and signaling pathways that are temporarily activated during repair. They could serve as starting points in the future for influencing post-disease and -injury regeneration processes,” Weber stresses.

Journal

Nature Neuroscience

DOI

10.1038/s41593-026-02354-5

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Animals

Article Title

Focal astrocyte loss reveals nuclear translocation during lesion repopulation

Hanyang University ERICA researchers develop electronic skin that brings human-like touch to robots and prosthetics

Researchers developed a vertically integrated dual-gate transistor design, enabling reliable touch sensing and high density, large-area integration

Hanyang University Research Strategy Planning Team

Proposed vertically integrated dual-gated tribotronic transistor architecture — image:
The innovative architecture proposed in the study enables reliable contact and proximity detection, paving the way for advanced electronic skin systems.
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Credit: Associate Professor Jaekyun Kim from Hanyang University

The recent advancement of miniaturized and portable electronics, particularly wearable and flexible devices, has increased the demand for self-powered sensing technologies. Among these, triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have received increased attention for developing highly sensitive tactile sensors. TENGs convert external mechanical stimuli into electrical signals through redistribution of electric charges. They are particularly attractive for the development of advanced electronic skin and intelligent robotics. However, conventional tribotronic devices suffer from non-tuneable sensitivity and pose challenges in integration into large-area architectures, limiting practical applications.

To address these limitations, a research team led by Associate Professor Jaekyun Kim from the Department of Photonics and Nanoelectronics at Hanyang University in South Korea has developed a novel vertically integrated dual-gated tribotronic transistor. “Our vertical dual-gate architecture not only offers gate-tunable amplification of the triboelectronic responses, but also minimizes pixel footprint, enabling high-density, large-area integration,” explains Dr. Kim. Their study was made available online on April 9, 2026, and published in Volume 153 of Nano Energy on June 15, 2026.

The proposed dual-gated tribotronic transistor features a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) triboelectric sensing layer as the top gate, stacked on top of a dedicated gate insulator, which in turn is positioned above an indium-tin-zinc-oxide (ITZO) thin-film transistor (TFT). This innovative configuration provides synergistic control of sensitivity.

In its default state, the bottom gate sets the baseline current flowing through the ITZO transistor. To enable contact and proximity sensing, the device first undergoes a charging phase, in which a stainless-steel plate comes into contact with the PDMS surface. This causes triboelectric charges to form at the interface. As the plate separates from the PDMS layer, these accumulated charges create a triboelectric potential that acts as the top-gate voltage, which suppresses the current flow through the ITZO transistor.

As the charged plate or another object approaches the PDMS surface again, the triboelectric potential gradually decreases, causing the transistor current to recover, based on the proximity of the plate or surface. This change in current serves as the tribotronic response, indicating contact or proximity. Meanwhile, the bottom-gate voltage sets the baseline current, allowing the sensitivity to be electrically tuned. Specifically, the researchers found that the sensitivity increased with increasing bottom-gate voltage.

The researchers also showed that increasing the contact pressure enlarges the effective contact area between the PDMS layer and the contacting object, generating more triboelectric charge and producing a stronger response.

Additionally, the device exhibited stable response and recovery times of 127 and 212 milliseconds, respectively, during each contact-separation cycle. It also maintained stable performance without noticeable degradation after 1,000 operating cycles.

To demonstrate active tactile sensing, the researchers fabricated a 10 × 10 transistor array using the proposed architecture. After initially charging the sensing layer with a stainless-steel plate, they demonstrated pixel-level responses to finger touches as well as reliable proximity sensing at distances of up to 500 micrometers using a stainless-steel probe.

“Our research could contribute to the development of electronic skin systems that allow robots, prosthetic devices, and wearable electronics to perceive touch, pressure, and proximity more precisely,” remarks Dr. Kim. “This will lead to safer and more reliable human–machine interaction, with applications in healthcare robots, health monitoring and autonomous systems.”

Overall, this innovative architecture provides a scalable platform for programmable, mechanically robust tribotronic sensor arrays, paving the way for advanced human–machine interfaces.

***

Reference
DOI: 10.1016/j.nanoen.2026.111945

About Hanyang University ERICA
Hanyang University ERICA (Education Research Industry Cluster at Ansan) is a prominent research-focused campus established in 1979 in Ansan, South Korea. ERICA offers undergraduate and graduate programs. ERICA is renowned for its active industry-university cooperation, offering students hands-on experience through partnerships with various industries. This ensures that graduates are well-prepared to meet societal needs and excel in their respective fields. With state-of-the-art facilities and a supportive learning environment, Hanyang University ERICA empowers students to pursue their passions and contribute meaningfully to society, staying true to the university's founding philosophy of "Love in Deed and Truth."

Website: https://www.hanyang.ac.kr/web/eng/erica-campus1

About the author
Dr. Jaekyun Kim is an Associate Professor and researcher in the Department of Photonics and Nanoelectronics at Hanyang University. His group focuses on oxide semiconductor thin-film transistors, tribotronic sensors, electronic skin, and active-matrix sensing systems. The group develops device platforms that integrate semiconductor electronics with functional sensing materials for tactile, proximity, and wearable applications.

Journal

Nano Energy

DOI

10.1016/j.nanoen.2026.111945

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Vertically integrated dual-gated tribotronic transistor for active-matrix tactile and proximity sensing

Why a doctor saying 'it's normal' can backfire

University of California - San Diego

Doctors may think they're saying “Don't panic." But many patients hear "Don't bother" instead.

A new study from the University of California San Diego Rady School of Management suggests that when physicians try to reassure patients by saying their symptoms are “normal,” patients may actually infer that treatment isn't necessary – and become less inclined to seek it.

Published in Nature Human Behaviour, the findings held across 14 experiments involving 9,371 participants and a wide range of health conditions, from menopause and migraines to dental pain, seasonal allergies and elevated blood glucose levels.

Why ‘normal’ can send the wrong message

The idea for the research grew from first author Seyi Lawal's interest in communication around menopause, where patients sometimes report feeling dismissed after being told disruptive symptoms are simply a normal part of aging. Could it be, she wondered, that doctors and patients were interpreting the same conversations differently?

To find out, the researchers conducted 14 studies involving members of the public and healthcare providers. Participants read realistic medical scenarios in which healthcare providers either described symptoms as "normal" or did not. The researchers then measured the participants' willingness to pursue treatment and compared it with what providers expected patients would do.

"Providers expected that normalizing a patient's symptoms would increase their treatment likelihood, or at worst have no impact, but patients actually reacted in the opposite way," said Lawal, a doctoral student at the UC San Diego Rady School of Management.

Doctors use "normal," it seems, to mean common and well understood. Patients often interpret it as meaning acceptable – or not worth treating.

Fixing the communication gap, making reassurance work

The findings come amid broader conversations about patients feeling dismissed in healthcare settings, sometimes described as “medical gaslighting.” The study identifies a communication gap that may contribute to those experiences, even when doctors are trying to help.

The good news is that miscommunication isn’t inevitable. The researchers also tested two simple ways to reduce it: pairing normalizing language with an explicit recommendation for treatment, and explaining that "normal" was meant in a statistical, not normative or prescriptive, sense.

Both approaches helped close the communication gap.

"Doctors usually have a noble goal. They mean to ease anxiety, but somehow it backfires," said senior author On Amir, professor of marketing and holder of the Wolfe Family Presidential Endowed Chair in Life Sciences Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the UC San Diego Rady School of Management. "Doctors shouldn’t stop reassuring patients. But they should make their meaning unmistakable.”

Co-author Brianna Chew, a doctoral student at the Rady School, said the same lesson applies to patients. Hearing that symptoms are “normal,” she said, shouldn't be taken to mean they are any less serious.

The key takeaway for patients: If you're unsure what your doctor means when they say a symptom is "normal," don't assume it means treatment isn't recommended and you should just live with it. Ask.

Common symptoms can still deserve attention – and treatment.

Full study: “Reassurance through normalization inadvertently suppresses treatment.”

The study was funded in part by the T. Denny Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion.

Journal

Nature Human Behaviour

DOI

10.1038/s41562-026-02542-0

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Reassurance through normalization inadvertently suppresses treatment

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Monday, August 10, 2026

New mountain dragon lizard from Thailand named after Syrax from House of the Dragon

Journal

DOI

Article Title

Adult male holotype of the newly described Acanthosaura syrax from Mae Wong District, Kampheang Phet Province, Thailand.

Credit

Acanthosaura syrax lizard next to the CGI Syrax dragon from House of the Dragon TV series

Credit

Study: Triple-dose regimen may permanently clear HIV in infected newborns

Journal

DOI

Method of Research

Subject of Research

Article Title

Article Publication Date

COI Statement

Brain possesses greater self-repair capacity than previously assumed

Journal

DOI

Method of Research

Subject of Research

Article Title

Hanyang University ERICA researchers develop electronic skin that brings human-like touch to robots and prosthetics

Journal

DOI

Method of Research

Subject of Research

Article Title

Why a doctor saying 'it's normal' can backfire

Journal

DOI

Method of Research

Subject of Research

Article Title

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