Welcome to Discover Daily , by Perplexity , your AI-curated digest of breakthroughs in tech , science and culture . My name's Ali . Today we're exploring how aspirin might be a powerful tool in the fight against cancer . But first let's look at what else is happening across the tech and science landscape .
Microsoft is making moves to diversify its AI strategy beyond its close partnership with OpenAI . The tech giant is developing its own AI models , particularly the MAI family , which have shown promising results in recent tests . These models are being considered as potential replacements for OpenAI's technology .
In Microsoft's co-pilot AI assistance , microsoft's MAI models have performed nearly as well as leading models from OpenAI and Anthropic on commonly accepted benchmarks . The company is also creating its own AI reasoning models comparable to OpenAI's , designed to handle complex queries and display human-like problem-solving abilities .
This shift in strategy comes under the leadership of Mustafa Suleiman , who joined Microsoft last year as the head of its AI division . Suleiman , co-founder of DeepMind and former CEO of Inflection AI , has been instrumental in pushing for greater independence from OpenAI . Microsoft is not just focusing on in-house development .
The company is also exploring collaborations with other AI companies like XAI , meta and DeepSeek . This diversification aims to reduce reliance on OpenAI and maintain a competitive edge in the rapidly evolving AI landscape . While Microsoft remains a major investor in OpenAI , this strategic move signals a shift in the dynamics between the two companies .
It raises questions about the future of their collaboration and the potential impact on existing products that rely on OpenAI's technology . Moving on to our second story , a graduate student at Penn State University has refined a century-old mathematical problem in wind turbine aerodynamics , potentially advancing wind energy science and turbine design efficiency .
Divya Tyagi's groundbreaking research , published in Wind Energy Science , presents an amendment to Hermann Glauert's optimum rotor disk solution from the 1920s . Tyagi's work offers an alternative mathematical approach , using calculus of variations , and provides analytical solutions for thrust and bending moment coefficients .
In other words , tyagi's new method gives clear formulas for measuring how forces affect structures , making it easier to understand than previous approaches . This comprehensive mathematical model provides a more realistic depiction of turbine dynamics .
It expands on Glauert's original focus by incorporating total force and moment coefficients acting on the rotor , as well as how turbine blades bend under wind pressure . Tiagi's research introduces a novel approach to solve for optimal flow conditions , recovering Glauert's original distributions for axial and angular induction factors .
Her work also reveals finite , non-zero values for thrust and bending moment coefficients as tip speed ratio approaches zero . More simply , tiagi found a better way to figure out how wind should flow through turbines , while also showing that even when turbine blades are barely moving , they still experience forces that can push and bend them .
The practical implications of this refinement are significant . Even a 1% increase in power coefficient for large wind turbines could translate to substantial gains in energy output , potentially powering entire communities . This advancement could lead to more efficient turbine designs and increased energy production from existing wind farms .
Now let's dive into our main story of the day . A significant study from the University of Cambridge published in Nature has uncovered how aspirin could play a role in preventing cancer from spreading . The research reveals that aspirin enhances the immune system's ability to target and combat metastatic cells .
Aspirin enhances the immune system's ability to target and combat metastatic cells . This breakthrough not only highlights aspirin's potential as a cancer-fighting medication , but also paves the way for creating more precise therapies aimed at halting cancer metastasis .
Aspirin's cancer-fighting potential stems from its ability to decrease thromboxane A2 production , a clotting factor produced by platelets in the bloodstream . Thromboxane A2 normally activates a protein called ARHGEF1 in T cells , suppressing their ability to identify and eliminate metastatic cancer cells .
By reducing thromboxane A2 levels , aspirin effectively releases T cells from this suppression , enabling them to recognize and attack cancer cells before they establish metastatic tumors . Dr Jay Yang , one of the researchers , described this discovery as a eureka moment . To demonstrate aspirin's effectiveness , researchers used a mouse model of melanoma .
Mice treated with aspirin exhibited significantly fewer metastases compared to control subjects . This reduction in cancer spread was directly linked to aspirin's ability to prevent thromboxane A2 from impairing T-cell function .
Professor Rahul Roychudhuri , who led the study , emphasized a critical therapeutic window of opportunity when cancer cells are particularly vulnerable to immune attack . This finding could be crucial in developing targeted therapies to prevent cancer metastasis .
Building on this research , the ADASPRIN clinical trial aims to determine if aspirin can stop or delay the recurrence of early-stage cancers . This trial follows previous large randomized controlled studies that unexpectedly found lower cancer mortality rates among daily aspirin users .
But aspirin can cause serious side effects in some individuals , including bleeding and stomach ulcers . Researchers emphasize the importance of consulting a doctor before starting any aspirin regimen . Looking ahead , this discovery opens up exciting possibilities for future cancer treatments .
Researchers are exploring the potential of aspirin or other drugs targeting the thromboxane A2 pathway as more affordable alternatives to antibody-based therapies .
As metastasis is responsible for approximately 90% of cancer-related deaths worldwide , this breakthrough could lead to significant advancements in cancer prevention and treatment strategies , particularly in addressing the critical early stages of metastasis . That's all for today's episode of Discover Daily . Before we conclude , a brief note on our evolution at Perplexity .
Our new deep research feature , launched earlier this month , now analyzes hundreds of sources in minutes . Think of it as deploying a personal research team through our web and mobile platforms . This cutting-edge tool combines autonomous reasoning with rapid processing to deliver exhaustive reports on specialized topics .
Deep research excels at expert level tasks across various domains , from finance and marketing to product research , and is available on our desktop and mobile apps . Thank you for listening and for your fan mail . We'll be back with more stories that shape our world . Until then , stay curious .