About 40 percent of pancreatic tumors less than two centimeters in size are missed on CT scans, according to a 2021 study. These kinds of misses are a major reason pancreatic cancer is projected to be the second-deadliest type in the United States by 2030. Only 12 to 15 percent of patients survive it because it is too often found too late. But recently, those who study the disease have found themselves cautiously optimistic. Part of this is due to the FDA’s approval of a highly effective daily pill for metastatic pancreatic cancer. But the positivity also stems from less publicized but still significant advances in early pancreatic-cancer detection. Over the past few years, researchers have been harnessing AI to develop new screenings that flag concerning or cancerous lesions on scans before they’re visible to the human eye. There is already promising data on this technology, and experts say the long-term results have the potential to be transformative. “How long it may be until AI becomes a standardized element of screening for cancer — or for any medical problem — remains to be seen, but lately, progress to that end has been swift and significant,” writes journalist Vivian Manning-Schaffel. Between January and June of this year, the FDA approved 135 out of 181 AI-enabled radiology devices for medical purposes. Read Manning-Schaffel’s full report: nymag.visitlink.me/5-k-gn

The #NobelPrize in Chemistry 2026 recognises discoveries that have enabled chemists to drive chemical reactions that lead to homochirality. Life’s chemistry is what chemists call homochiral, after the Greek words for “same” and “hand”. Like hands, all amino acids exist as two mirrored variants, but only one of them is found in the proteins in your cells. The other is rarely found in nature. For a long time, chemists wondered how homochirality can emerge. When they began to experiment with chemical reactions that can form two mirrored molecules, they always obtained equal proportions of both in their test tubes. However, chemists strived to produce only one of these mirror images, because in the development of molecules that will interact with living beings – such as in pharmaceuticals – only one mirror image will have the desired effect. Thanks to laureates Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai, we now know how homochirality can emerge. Their discoveries have been decisive for chemists who design reactions for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals.

The 2026 #NobelPrize laureates in physiology or medicine have laid the foundation of a new era in neuroscience. Using optogenetics, researchers have been able to reveal neural circuits governing specific memories, feelings, and behaviours relevant for neurological and psychiatric disorders. In clinical medicine, researchers are using the method in attempts to restore sight in people with visual impairment. Optogenetics has fundamentally altered our understanding of the brain. Every day brings new discoveries, helping to solve one of humanity’s great mysteries: how our incredible brain works.