Daily Archives: January 9, 2025

TTP abducts 18 Pakistani nuclear scientists; Pleads for rescue as tensions with Islamabad escalate

In a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Pakistan Army, reports indicate that TTP militants have kidnapped 16 Pakistani nuclear scientists in an effort to coerce Islamabad into meeting their demands.
The TTP, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, has released a video in which the kidnapped nuclear scientists, employed by the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, are seen urgently appealing to the government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. In the footage, the scientists plead for their safety and call on the government to meet the terror group’s demands.

BIG ⚡️ Pak Taliban (TTP) has captured 18 engineers from Pakistan’s Atomic Energy Commission in Dera Ismail Khan. Reportedly Uranium also seized.
Even Pak Nuclear Engineers are not Safe. High time Pak nuclear program is disbanded for the sake of humanity pic.twitter.com/XXFbxmUBWk
— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) January 9, 2025

In the video, which has since gone viral on social media, a group of individuals—reportedly engineers working at the Qabul Khel Atomic Energy mining project in Lakki Marwat, Dera Ismail Khan—are seen desperately urging the Pakistani government to ensure their safety by acceding to the TTP’s demands.
In a statement, the TTP asserted that they have “detained” the nuclear engineers not to harm them, but to exert pressure on Islamabad to meet their demands. These include halting the Pakistan Army’s military offensive against TTP fighters. Various reports indicate that TTP militants have also seized a significant quantity of uranium from Pakistan’s largest uranium mine.
Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have surged in recent weeks, particularly after Pakistan launched a series of airstrikes against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan in Afghanistan. In retaliation, the TTP has carried out multiple attacks on the Pakistani army, resulting in the deaths of several personnel, including a Major.
However, the Taliban’s Ministry of Defence contended that the airstrike also affected “Waziristani refugees,” challenging the claim that only militants were targeted. This escalation of violence has further strained relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, with the Taliban issuing a warning of potential retaliation.
In December, the Pakistan-Taliban conflict saw a significant escalation when Afghan Taliban fighters launched an attack on the Pakistani Army in the Kurram area near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The assault resulted in the death of at least one Pakistani soldier and left at least nine others injured. In retaliatory fire, the Pakistan Army reported that three Taliban fighters were killed.

Pakistan’s war against TTP
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, is a coalition of various Islamist militant groups founded in 2007 by Baitullah Mehsud. An offshoot of the Afghan Taliban, the TTP shares a similar ideology with its cross-border counterpart, which is believed to have supported the TTP during the 2001–2021 conflict with the Pakistani government.
The TTP aims to resist the Pakistani state, overthrow its government, and impose Sharia law across the country. In recent months, the group has intensified its attacks on Pakistani forces, prompting accusations from Pakistan that the Afghan Taliban is sheltering these militants. However, the Afghan Taliban has denied these allegations, insisting that it is not collaborating with the TTP.

Scientists warn of leaking breast implants

Two scientists have warned that the newest generation of silicone breast implants of “often used, renowned brands and types” can very quickly transmit certain foreign molecules to the rest of the body. Women need to think carefully about opting for the implants, said plastic surgeons Rita Kappel and pathologist Evert van den Broek.They have conducted and then published their research in the British Journal of Cancer Research. They concluded that silicone breast prostheses can begin shedding particles almost immediately after placement. Up to now, it was only assumed that older breast implants, which have been in the body for years, show leaks like this or “Sweat.” Affected women then report chronic fatigue, for example. According to Kappel, replacing old implants with new ones is, therefore, not a solution. According to her, sweating continues with the new ones, and the effects add up.The scientists looked at tissue from seven women who reported no symptoms but were unhappy with their breast enlargement between 2018 and 2021. They wanted to get rid of the implants. The scientists saw that silicone molecules can occur in the surrounding connective tissue capsule and spread further within three weeks after placement. “This capsule, a natural reaction of the body, forms as a kind of covering layer around the prosthesis,” they explained.They advocate further research. “Think before you leap,” they tell candidates for implants in the meantime. “The best thing is no implant at all,” said Kappel.

UC Irvine Scientists Design Bioluminescent RNA

Irvine, Calif., Jan. 9, 2025 — RNA is the molecule that reads the genetic information stored in DNA. It’s critical for the proper functioning of cells, and in a new study published in Nature Communications, University of California, Irvine scientists have discovered a way of tagging RNA with a glowing bioluminescent molecule that allows them to track RNA in real time as it moves throughout the body. The work promises to help scientists better understand everything from the way viruses propagate to how memories form in the brain.“The first step in saying something’s going to happen in a cell – the cell is going to grow, adapt, change or anything like that – underlying all of that is RNA,” said Andrej Lupták, a professor of pharmaceutical sciences at UC Irvine and one of the lead corresponding authors of the study.Until now, little was known about how and when RNA does what it does inside cells. “It turns out it’s been really quite difficult to know in living cells, and especially in living organisms, when RNA is turned on and where it goes,” said Lupták. “If you wanted to study the first 30 seconds or the first minute – nobody knows. But we provide a tool. You can now visualize it.”Viruses propagate throughout the body by infecting cells with their RNA, and if scientists can tag that viral RNA with the team’s so-called “RNA lanterns,” they can better understand the way a virus infiltrates the body’s defenses.The tag could also allow for real-time imaging of living brains with cells carrying bioluminescent RNA. RNA, explained co-lead corresponding author and UC Irvine professor of chemistry Jennifer Prescher, appears to play a key role in the formation of memories in the brain.“There’s a lot of interesting biology that’s happening at the RNA level in neurons,” said Prescher. “And being able to see early events and the transport of RNA from the cell body out to neural synapses where connections are being made to other neurons – that directly correlates with memory formation. If you have a way to watch that in real-time, that could tell you something fundamental about the brain and memory, which has been a holy grail in science for a long time.”To tag the RNA, the team used luciferase, the same enzyme that enables insects like fireflies and glow-worms to shine the way they do. Before, scientists were unable to produce the results reported by the UC Irvine team because researchers couldn’t find a way to make the luciferase molecules glow brightly enough for available camera technology to detect them.Both Prescher and Lupták credit the cross-disciplinary, collaborative research culture at UC Irvine for helping make the research possible. “We had an absolute dream team of students that were involved in this,” Prescher said, referring to fellow study authors like Lila Halbers and Kevin Ng of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Kyle Cole of the Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, as well as the third collaborator, Oswald Steward, the Reeve-Irvine Professor of anatomy & neurobiology and neurobiology & behavior.The study was supported by a grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation awarded to Lupták, Prescher and Steward.About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UC Irvine is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation’s top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced five Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UC Irvine has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide. For more on UC Irvine, visit www.uci.edu.Media access: Radio programs/stations may, for a fee, use an on-campus studio with a Comrex IP audio codec to interview UC Irvine faculty and experts, subject to availability and university approval. For more UC Irvine news, visit news.uci.edu. Additional resources for journalists may be found at https://news.uci.edu/media-resources.