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KAUST Hosts The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) General Conference

KAUST President Tony F. Chan
KAUST President Tony F. Chan
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KAUST Hosts The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) General Conference

KAUST President Tony F. Chan
KAUST President Tony F. Chan

The World Academy of Sciences (UNESCO-TWAS) for the advancement of science in developing countries, held its fifteen General Conference online between the first and fourth of November with support of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB).

The General Conference is a platform for recognizing, supporting and promoting excellence in scientific research in the developed and developing world. The topic of this year’s Conference, which drew prominent researchers and policy experts from around the world, was “the importance of scientific research to human well-being.”

KAUST President Tony F. Chan praised the standard of the events at this year’s Conference, saying: “What made this Conference truly exceptional are our speakers, experts, and most importantly, your participation. But beyond the words spoken, my fervent hope is that the calls to action will be met with action in your respective corners of the world.”

The event began with a two-hour General Meeting of TWAS Fellows and Young Affiliates in which they discussed Academy matters, and the meeting was followed by the General Conference, which included award ceremonies and several presentations.

The ministerial session, which tackled “Financing frontier science, technology and innovation for the SDGs,” was held on Tuesday, 2 November. During the session, prominent figures in science policy, government and international policymaking, including Shamila Nair-Bedouelle, Assistant Director-General for Natural Science, on behalf of UNESCO Director-General, gave their remarks.

The ministerial session was followed by a variety of presentations given by experts from around the world, the most prominent was a presentation on “Digital Inclusion: Challenges and opportunities for connecting the unconnected in the post-COVID era,” in which Fadel Digham, from the National Telecom Regulatory Authority in Egypt, Karabulut Kurt Gunes Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at Polytechnique Montreal, Head of the Digital Society Division in the Telecommunication Development Bureau of the International Telecommunication Union Sylvia Poll, and Google VP and Chief Internet Evangelist at Google Vinton Cerf.

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Varieties

AI Helps Fuel New Era of Medical Self-testing

Neurable research scientist Alicia Howell-Munson demonstrates the company's headset, which it says can detect early signs of Alzheimer's disease. Patrick T. Fallon / AFP
Neurable research scientist Alicia Howell-Munson demonstrates the company's headset, which it says can detect early signs of Alzheimer's disease. Patrick T. Fallon / AFP
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AI Helps Fuel New Era of Medical Self-testing

Neurable research scientist Alicia Howell-Munson demonstrates the company's headset, which it says can detect early signs of Alzheimer's disease. Patrick T. Fallon / AFP
Neurable research scientist Alicia Howell-Munson demonstrates the company's headset, which it says can detect early signs of Alzheimer's disease. Patrick T. Fallon / AFP

Beyond smart watches and rings, artificial intelligence is being used to make self-testing for major diseases more readily available -- from headsets that detect early signs of Alzheimer's to an iris-scanning app that helps spot cancer.

"The reason preventive medicine doesn't work right now is because you don't want to go to the doctor all the time to get things tested," says Ramses Alcaide, co-founder and CEO of startup Neurable.

"But what about if you knew when you needed to go to the doctor?"

Connected rings, bracelets and watches -- which were everywhere at last week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas -- can already monitor heart rate, blood pressure and glucose levels, with varying degrees of accuracy.

These gadgets are in high demand from consumers. A recent study published by OpenAI showed that more than 200 million internet users check ChatGPT every week for information on health topics.

On Wednesday, OpenAI even launched a chatbot that can draw on a user's medical records and other data collected by wearable devices, with their consent, to inform its responses.

Using electroencephalogram (EEG) technology, Neurable has developed a headset that records and deciphers brain activity.

The linked app compares data with the user's medical history to check for any deviation, a possible sign of a problem, said Alcaide.

"Apple Watch can pick up Parkinson's, but it can only pick it up once you have a tremor," Alcaide said. "Your brain has been fighting that Parkinson's for over 10 years."

With EEG technology, "you can pick these things up before you actually see physical symptoms of them. And this is just one example."

Detection before symptoms

Some people have reservations about the capabilities of such devices.

"I don't think that wearable EEG devices are reliable enough," said Anna Wexler, a University of Pennsylvania professor who studies consumer detection products, although she acknowledges that "AI has expanded the possibilities of these devices."

While Neurable's product cannot provide an actual diagnosis, it does offer a warning. It can also detect signs of depression and early development of Alzheimer's disease.

Neurable is working with the Ukrainian military to evaluate the mental health of soldiers on the front lines of the war with Russia, as well as former prisoners of war, in order to detect post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

French startup NAOX meanwhile has developed EEG earbuds linked to a small box that can help patients with epilepsy.

Rather than detect seizures, which are "very rare," the device recognizes "spikes" -- quick, abnormal electrical shocks in the brain that are "much more difficult to see," said NAOX's chief of innovation Marc Vaillaud, a doctor by training.

NAOX's device -- which has been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration -- is designed to be worn at night, to track several hours of data at a time.

The company is working with the Rothschild and Lariboisiere hospitals in Paris to try to better understand the links between these brain "spikes" and Alzheimer's disease, which have been raised in scientific papers.

Advances in AI and technology in general have paved the way for the miniaturization of cheaper detection devices -- a far cry from the heavy machinery once seen in medical offices and hospitals.

IriHealth is preparing to launch, for only about $50, a small smartphone extension that would scan a user's iris.

The gadget relies on iridology, a technique by which iris colors and markings are believed to reveal information about a person's health, but which is generally considered scientifically unreliable.

But the founders of IriHealth -- a spin-off of biometrics specialist IriTech -- are convinced that their device can be effective in detecting anomalies in the colon, and potentially the lungs or the liver.

Company spokesman Tommy Phan said IriHealth had found its device to be 81 percent accurate among patients who already have been diagnosed with colon cancer.

Varieties

Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano Puts on Spectacular Lava Display

Kilauea has been regularly throwing out thousands of tonnes of molten rock and gases since it burst to life in December 2024. UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY/AFP
Kilauea has been regularly throwing out thousands of tonnes of molten rock and gases since it burst to life in December 2024. UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY/AFP
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Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano Puts on Spectacular Lava Display

Kilauea has been regularly throwing out thousands of tonnes of molten rock and gases since it burst to life in December 2024. UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY/AFP
Kilauea has been regularly throwing out thousands of tonnes of molten rock and gases since it burst to life in December 2024. UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY/AFP

Hawaii's Kilauea was spraying a spectacular fountain of lava on Monday, keeping up its reputation as one of the world's most active volcanoes.

For over a year now, Kilauea has been regularly throwing out thousands of tons of molten rock and gases since it burst to life in December 2024, reported AFP.

Volcanologists with the US Geological Survey said the incandescent lava was being hurled more than 1,500 feet (460 meters) into the air, with plumes of smoke and gases rising as high as 20,000 feet (six kilometers).

Eruptions such as this one tend to last around one day, the USGS said, but can still vent up to 100,000 tons of sulfur dioxide.

This gas reacts in the atmosphere to create a visible haze known as vog -- volcanic smog -- which can cause respiratory and other problems.

Tiny slivers of volcanic glass, known as "Pele's hair," are also being thrown into the air.

Named after Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes, the strands can be very sharp and can cause irritation to the skin and eyes.

The eruption poses no immediate danger to any human settlement, with the caldera having been closed to the public for almost two decades.

Kilauea has been very active since 1983 and erupts relatively regularly.

It is one of six active volcanoes located in the Hawaiian Islands, which also include Mauna Loa, the largest volcano in the world.

Kilauea is much smaller than neighboring Mauna Loa, but it is far more active and regularly wows helicopter-riding tourists who come to see its red-hot shows.

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Astronaut's Serious Medical Condition Forces NASA to End Space Station Mission Early

Crew-11 mission astronauts departed the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on August 1, 2025 (Gregg Newton/AFP)  
Crew-11 mission astronauts departed the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on August 1, 2025 (Gregg Newton/AFP)  
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Astronaut's Serious Medical Condition Forces NASA to End Space Station Mission Early

Crew-11 mission astronauts departed the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on August 1, 2025 (Gregg Newton/AFP)  
Crew-11 mission astronauts departed the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on August 1, 2025 (Gregg Newton/AFP)  

NASA announced that four astronauts will return from the International Space Station more than a month ahead of schedule after an unnamed crew member experienced a medical issue.

The incident marks the first time in history NASA has brought astronauts home from the space station early because of a medical issue, according to CNN.

NASA has not provided details about the nature of the problem, citing privacy concerns. The agency typically does not discuss the specifics of health matters related to astronauts.

A SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule will bring the four-person crew home, disembarking from the ISS as soon as Wednesday at 5 pm ET. The spacecraft is then expected to splash down off the coast of California early the following morning, NASA said in a statement last week.

The affected astronaut is in stable condition, NASA previously confirmed, and is not expected to receive special treatment during the return trip, said Dr James Polk, NASA’s chief health and medical officer at the agency’s headquarters.

The astronaut would also be best served by being evaluated on the ground, Polk added.

“We have a very robust suite of medical hardware on board the International Space Station,” Polk noted during a news conference. “But we don’t have the complete amount of hardware that I would have in the emergency department, for example, to complete a workup of a patient.”

He added, “And in this particular incident, we would like to complete that work up, and the best way to complete that workup is on the ground.”