Bluesky's blue check system may rely on multiple organizations to distribute blue checks, according to the codebase changes. That suggests Bluesky will actively verify notable accounts, but also label certain organizations as 'trusted verifiers,' and give them the authority to directly issue blue checks themselves. While Bluesky already lets users verify themselves by tying their accounts to official websites, CEO Jay Graber has hinted the company would try other types of verification. Last year, Graber said Bluesky may experiment with a system where it's not the only group that can verify users. The pull request also shows an icon, a blue circle containing a white checkmark, that will appear on verified users' profiles. Meanwhile, trusted verifiers will have scalloped blue circles containing a white checkmark on their profiles. An image spotted in Bluesky's forthcoming announcement suggests The New York Times, and other trusted news publishers, may soon have the ability to verify users in the blue check system. By tapping on a user's blue check, other users can see which organizations have granted verification, according to the changes....

One of the most exciting developments in cancer treatment is a wave of new cell therapies that train a patient's immune system to attack cancer cells. Such therapies have saved the lives of patients with certain aggressive cancers and few other options. Most of these therapies work by teaching immune cells to recognize and attack specific proteins on the surface of cancer cells. Unfortunately, most proteins found on cancer cells aren't unique to tumors. They're also often present on healthy cells, making it difficult to target cancer aggressively without triggering dangerous attacks on other tissue. The problem has limited the application of cell therapies to a small subset of cancers. Now Senti Bio is working to create smarter cell therapies using synthetic biology. The company, which was founded by former MIT faculty member and current MIT Research Associate Tim Lu '03, MEng '03, PhD '08 and Professor James Collins, is equipping cells with gene circuits that allow the cells to sense and respond to their environments....