SCIENCE SUNDAY
The most interesting scientific discoveries and breakthroughs this week
Click here to watch groundbreaking footage of the Stygiomedusa gigantea, a giant squid-sized jellyfish. Photo: Schmidt Ocean Institute
**1. Scientists finally capture footage of the Giant Phantom Jelly for the first time:**Researchers diving off the coast of Argentina have captured extremely rare footage of the legendary Stygiomedusa gigantea, also known as the Giant Phantom Jelly, first discovered in 1899. Despite its size, the giant squid-sized jellyfish has remained largely unstudied in its natural habitat. Watch the groundbreaking footage here to see the first time the elusive jellyfish has been documented in Patagonian waters.
2. **Experimental gene therapy seeks to restore vision by rejuvenating eye neurons:**Life Biosciences just received FDA clearance for ER-100, a gene therapy that restores cellular age in damaged eye neurons rather than simply slowing their decline. The treatment tries to reset retinal cells damaged by glaucoma and optic nerve conditions, diseases that currently have no known cure. The therapy attacks biological aging at its root, potentially unlocking treatments for other age-related diseases beyond blindness.
3. Korean researchers unveil a hat that could help prevent hair loss: Scientists have developed a soft, wearable OLED cap that they claim can revolutionize hair loss treatment. The device emits near-infrared light that reportedly suppresses hair follicle aging by 92% in lab tests, significantly outperforming traditional red-light therapy. As concerns grow over side effects from long-term drug treatments, this approach offers a potentially safer alternative. Scientists plan to verify safety and efficacy in preclinical trials.
4. NASA’s Perseverance rover completes first AI-planned drive on Mars: Using vision-language models, the rover analyzed terrain data to spot hazards like boulders, sand ripples, and tricky slopes, and then charted its own safe path forward. With communication delays between Earth and Mars stretching up to 22 minutes, and making real-time control difficult, AI could potentially enable space rovers to explore much farther all on their own — essential for future Moon bases and Mars missions.
via Superhuman