Why researchers in Massachusetts are putting cameras on great white sharks

Researchers on Cape Cod are using "shark spy technology" again this summer to monitor the movements of sharks and help keep people safe in the waters off Massachusetts.
Memorial Day weekend is usually around the time when shark sightings begin off Cape Cod. Earlier this month, the first sighting of the season was reported when a great white shark was seen biting a seal off Nantucket.
Atlantic White Shark Conervancy
Megan Winton, senior scientist at the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, said researchers for a second straight summer will be attempting to put cameras onto the backs of some sharks when they tag them. The camera tags are used to get a view from the shark's perspective.
"We're using the latest and greatest in shark spy technology as I like to call it to learn more about the movements and the behaviors of these animals here when they're off of Cape Cod as well as when they move north into Canadian waters," Winton said.
It helps researchers study interactions between sharks and fishermen.
"Cape Cod Bay is very similar but very different to the outer Cape, so we're going to learn more about how the shark are using that environment there and we're also hoping to get better information on interactions with fishermen, because every year we get more and more reports of white sharks stealing fish off of fisherman's lines because for a shark that's a free snack, right? And who doesn't like free snacks?"
When are sharks in Massachusetts waters?
White shark activity in New England peaks in July, August and September. As the water begins to cool, the sharks start to swim south.
Winton said information learned by tagging sharks keeps people safe.
"It's really important for us to understand not only how they're feeding on seals here, but what they're doing in the shallow water off our beaches so we can provide that information to the people, to the towns, to the beach managers so everyone can be shark smart when they go to the beach this summer," Winton said.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Yahoo

an hour ago

• Yahoo

Using AI bots like ChatGPTcould be causing cognitive decline, new study shows

A new pre-print study from the US-based Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) found that using OpenAI's ChatGPT could lead to cognitive decline. Researchers with the MIT Media lab broke participants into three groups and asked them to write essays only using ChatGPT, a search engine, or using no tools. Brain scans were taken during the essay writing with an electroencephalogram (EEG) during the task. Then, the essays were evaluated by both humans and artificial intelligence (AI) tools. The study showed that the ChatGPT-only group had the lowest neural activation in parts of the brain and had a hard time recalling or recognising their writing. The brain-only group that used no technology was the most engaged, showing both cognitive engagement and memory retention. Related Can ChatGPT be an alternative to psychotherapy and help with emotional growth? The researchers then did a second session where the ChatGPT group were asked to do the task without assistance. In that session, those who used ChatGPT in the first group performed worse than their peers with writing that was 'biased and superficial'. The study found that repeated GPT use can come with 'cognitive debt' that reduces long-term learning performance in independent thinking. In the long run, people with cognitive debt could be more susceptible to 'diminished critical inquiry, increased vulnerability to manipulation and decreased creativity,' as well as a 'likely decrease' in learning skills. 'When participants reproduce suggestions without evaluating their accuracy or relevance, they not only forfeit ownership of the ideas but also risk internalising shallow or biased perspectives,' the study continued. Related 'Our GPUs are melting': OpenAI puts restrictions on new ChatGPT image generation tool The study also found higher rates of satisfaction and brain connectivity in the participants who wrote all essays with just their minds compared to the other groups. Those from the other groups felt less connected to their writing and were not able to provide a quote from their essays when asked to by the researchers. The authors recommend that more studies be done about how any AI tool impacts the brain 'before LLMs are recognised as something that is net positive for humans.'

Yahoo

7 hours ago

• Yahoo

Wave Life Sciences Announces Oral Presentation of Preclinical Data Supporting WVE-007's Mechanism (INHBE) to Reduce Fat, Preserve Muscle, and Induce Healthy Weight Loss at ADA's Annual Scientific Sessions

Presentation to highlight WVE-007 (INHBE GalNAc-siRNA) as a potential novel and unique obesity treatment leading to healthy weight loss and supporting preclinical data demonstrating potent and durable reduction in Activin E resulting in fat loss with muscle preservation New preclinical data demonstrate that a single dose of INHBE siRNA leads to lower inflammation of adipose tissue with strong suppression of pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages in visceral fat in DIO mice, highlighting potential mechanistic insights into the risk reduction for type 2 diabetes (T2D) and coronary artery disease (CAD) suggested by human genetics CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wave Life Sciences Ltd. (Nasdaq: WVE), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on unlocking the broad potential of RNA medicines to transform human health, today announced the presentation of preclinical data supporting WVE-007, its GalNAc-siRNA designed to silence INHBE mRNA, an obesity target with strong evidence from human genetics. The data demonstrate the ability of Wave's long-acting GalNAc-siRNA to reduce INHBE mRNA and Activin E protein, induce weight loss mainly through reduction of fat mass, and reduce pro-inflammatory macrophage recruitment in a diet-induced obese (DIO) mouse model. The data were highlighted today in an oral presentation at the American Diabetes Association's 85th Annual Scientific Sessions, taking place June 20 to 23, in Chicago. 'These exciting preclinical data highlighted in today's presentation both recapitulate human genetics findings and continue to support the potential of WVE-007 to drive weight reduction by reducing Activin E to induce lipolysis – or fat breakdown, preferentially reducing visceral fat, and decreasing inflammation of adipose tissue – all without impacting lean muscle mass. These data suggest a highly differentiated therapeutic profile with lower visceral fat, less insulin resistance and less inflammation, supporting potential for risk reduction of T2D, CAD and other obesity-related co-morbidities,' said Erik Ingelsson, MD, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer. 'Silencing of INHBE is an entirely orthogonal mechanism from GLP-1s, which are centrally acting and impact the digestive system and central nervous system to decrease appetite. If these preclinical data translate in the clinic, WVE-007 has the potential to transform the obesity treatment paradigm by delivering healthy weight loss, preservation of muscle mass, and infrequent dosing of once or twice a year. We are evaluating WVE-007 in our ongoing INLIGHT clinical trial in adults living with overweight or obesity, and we are on track to deliver the first clinical data in the second half of this year.' Human genetics provides strong evidence for INHBE as a therapeutic target. Individuals who have a protective loss-of-function variant in one copy of the INHBE gene have a healthier cardiometabolic profile, including less abdominal fat, lower triglycerides, and lower risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. These heterozygous carriers also exhibit favorable associations with liver traits, including reductions in cT1 (reflecting liver inflammation and fibrosis) and ALT (reflecting liver damage), with no impact on liver fat. The oral presentation titled, 'siRNA-INHBE Silencing in Mice Recapitulates Human Genetic Data and Demonstrates Improved Healthy Weight Loss Profile,' highlighted results from studies in DIO mice that evaluated monotherapy (INHBE-siRNA alone) as well as combination (INHBE siRNA and semaglutide), and maintenance (INHBE siRNA when semaglutide treatment is discontinued) treatment settings. Key results are as follows: A single dose of INHBE-siRNA led to robust target engagement, including reduction of INHBE mRNA and Activin E protein, a lipolysis suppressor that is upregulated in obesity. Liver INHBE mRNA was strongly correlated with serum Activin E levels following INHBE-siRNA treatment. A single dose of INHBE-siRNA led to weight loss on par with semaglutide. There was a decrease in diet-induced visceral adipose mass and shrinkage of adipocytes compared with PBS treatment, supporting the restoration of healthy adipose tissue with this mechanism of action. Muscle mass was preserved. Infiltration of activated macrophages in visceral adipose was significantly decreased by a single dose of INHBE-siRNA compared with PBS controls. INHBE-siRNA also significantly reduced proinflammatory M1 macrophage (CD11c positive) recruitment while sustaining levels of anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages in visceral fat, indicating an overall shift away from a pro-inflammatory state. When administered as an add-on to semaglutide, a single dose of INHBE-siRNA doubled the amount of weight loss, highlighting potential for combination treatment. Wave's INHBE siRNA curtailed rebound weight gain when semaglutide treatment was discontinued, highlighting its potential as an off-ramp and maintenance treatment following GLP-1 treatment. The full presentation can be accessed by visiting 'Scientific Presentations' on the Investors section of the Wave Life Sciences website: About Wave Life SciencesWave Life Sciences (Nasdaq: WVE) is a biotechnology company focused on unlocking the broad potential of RNA medicines to transform human health. Wave's RNA medicines platform, PRISM®, combines multiple modalities, chemistry innovation and deep insights in human genetics to deliver scientific breakthroughs that treat both rare and common disorders. Its toolkit of RNA-targeting modalities includes editing, splicing, RNA interference and antisense silencing, providing Wave with unmatched capabilities for designing and sustainably delivering candidates that optimally address disease biology. Wave's diversified pipeline includes clinical programs in Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Huntington's disease, and Obesity, as well as several preclinical programs utilizing the company's broad RNA therapeutics toolkit. Driven by the calling to 'Reimagine Possible', Wave is leading the charge toward a world in which human potential is no longer hindered by the burden of disease. Wave is headquartered in Cambridge, MA. For more information on Wave's science, pipeline and people, please visit and follow Wave on X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including, without limitation, statements regarding our expectations for WVE-007 and the anticipated therapeutic benefits thereof; the anticipated timing of clinical data from our INLIGHT clinical trial of WVE-007; the novelty of our approach to silence INHBE mRNA in order to achieve healthy, sustainable weight loss and the potential for once- or twice-yearly dosing; the potential benefits of WVE-007 over existing obesity therapies; the potential of WVE-007's mechanism (INHBE) as a novel and unique obesity treatment to induce fat loss, preserve muscle, and drive weight loss; our understanding of our preclinical data for WVE-007 and our expectations of how such data will translate in humans; beliefs that Wave's portfolio of RNA medicines is differentiated, potentially best-in-class and potentially transformative; the broad potential of Wave's RNA medicines pipeline and oligonucleotide chemistry and any benefits that may arise as a result thereof. The words 'may,' 'will,' 'could,' 'would,' 'should,' 'expect,' 'plan,' 'anticipate,' 'intend,' 'believe,' 'estimate,' 'predict,' 'project,' 'potential,' 'continue,' 'target' and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Any forward-looking statements in this press release are based on management's current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and important factors that may cause actual events or results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements contained in this press release and actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of these risks, uncertainties and important factors, including, without limitation, the risks and uncertainties described in the section entitled 'Risk Factors' in Wave's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), as amended, and in other filings Wave makes with the SEC from time to time. Wave undertakes no obligation to update the information contained in this press release to reflect subsequently occurring events or circumstances. Contact:Kate RauschVP, Corporate Affairs and Investor Relations+1 617-949-4827Investors:InvestorRelations@ Media:MediaRelations@ in to access your portfolio

Bloomberg

8 hours ago

• Bloomberg

Universities Win Order Voiding Agency's 15% Research Cost Cap

Brown and Cornell universities, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and several other US schools won a federal court order striking down a National Science Foundation cap on indirect cost rates for government-funded research. Judge Indira Talwani struck down the cap on Friday, finding it 'arbitrary, capricious and contrary to the law,' granting summary judgment to the suing schools plus the Association of American Universities, and denying that relief to the government.