Scientists have achieved a major breakthrough they’re describing as a ‘eureka moment’ as it’s discovered that aspirin could be the key to preventing the spread of cancers throughout the body.

Cancer in its many forms is one of the most dangerous and deadly diseases that we face as humans, and in most cases it proves challenging, if not impossible, to properly deal with.

Previous breakthroughs have been made when dealing with brain cancer, alongside new ‘molecular jackhammers’ that destroy cancer cells, but a new unexpected discovery might just change how scientists prevent cancer from spreading.

As reported by Sky News, researchers at the University of Cambridge have uncovered that simple off-the-shelf aspirin gives your body a better chance of fighting the spread of cancer to the lungs and liver.

Scientists have discovered an ‘unexpected’ way to prevent cancer cells from spreading around the body (Getty Stock)

It was discovered in a ‘eureka moment’ that encompasses a lengthy chain of events in the body, all of which are routed in a gene which produces a protein called ‘ARHGEF1’.

Unexpectedly, this particular protein suppresses a particular type of immune cell called a T cell, essentially preventing it from working. T cells play a key role in both identifying and destroying cancer cells that travel throughout the body, otherwise known as metastatic cells.

From this, they were able to unpredictably identify that the aforementioned gene is ‘activated’ when T cells are exposed to a clotting factor called thromboxane A2 (TXA2), which is in turn prevented when you ingest aspirin.

That means that, upon taking aspirin, your body reduces the production of the thromboxane A2 clotting factor, stopping it from reaching your T cells, which then subsequently stops the ARHGEF1-producing gene from activating.

Aspirin could be the answer to dealing with metastatic cancer cells (Getty Stock)

While a complex chain of events, it represents a major breakthrough that could revolutionize how scientists treat cancer – especially in those at risk of it spreading around their body.

“It was an entirely unexpected finding which sent us down quite a different path of inquiry than we had anticipated,” outlined Dr. Jie Yang, who led the Cambridge study.

He also added that “aspirin, or other drugs that could target this pathway, have the potential to be less expensive than antibody-based therapies, and therefore more accessible globally.”

You do have be careful when taking aspirin though, as a small number of people can become exposed to dangerous side effects such as internal bleeding or stomach ulcers.

That means that it’s not a one-and-done fix that will apply or be worthwhile for everyone, but if you’re able to take aspirin with no issues then this could very well be a proverbial magic bullet against cancer.

If you think there’s a lot to explore in space, the ocean holds even more secrets.

The deepest part of the ocean, known as the Challenger Deep located in the Western Pacific Ocean, is approximately 35,876 feet (10,935 metres). That’s almost 33,000 feet taller than the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, for context. So the ocean really is still a mystery to us.

Footage uploaded to YouTube by OceanX issues this point perfectly, showcasing a monstrous deep-sea shark that is the stuff of nightmares.

Filmed in 2019, the footage shows OceanX divers trying to tag a massive bluntnose sixgill shark from a submersible, which has never been done before. This meant the team didn’t have to bring the sharks up to the surface to tag them, which can be incredibly risky.

What’s even more insane is that this species of shark has been around since before the dinosaurs. Yes, dinosaurs.

As they watch the shark nose around the submersible, the divers are taken aback when the shark opens an eerily human-looking eye to look straight up at them.

The divers confirm that the shark is female, with on estimating that she’s “bigger than the sub” with genuine awe.

You can hear the astonishment and excitement in the divers’ voices on the video too, letting out exclamations like ‘woah! That is amazing’.

Close up of the shark’s eye was eerily human-like (OceanX/YouTube)

The team were incredibly patient, too, waiting to get the perfect clear shot to embed the tracker, holding off even when she’s incredibly close to make sure they get the right shot.

The video now has an impressive 25m views on YouTube, and commenters were as blown away as us with one writing ‘I got chills when the shark opened its eyes, never seen anything like that before!’. Another remarked on the shark’s eerie eye contact saying ‘I never knew a shark’s eye could look anything like that. Was so human-like’.

A third commenter was in awe: ‘This is something out of a sci-fi movie..the creatures we have on this planet are just amazing’.

The female shark got incredible close to the submersible (OceanX/YouTube)

Another commenter joked: ‘The shark just looks at them like “those damn aliens again..”’

When you see a creature like that up close, it really must be something else. Especially for these divers who were carrying out a brand-new technique, it must have been pretty exciting. But I have to say, if a shark looked at me like that, I’d have to be out of there.

A researcher has revealed the catastrophic impact that could destroy ocean life after Japan’s groundbreaking $26 billion deep sea discovery.

A team of researchers uncovered a field of dense manganese nodules on the seabed around 1,200 miles away from Tokyo, Japan.

The survey was conducted by The Nippon Foundation and the University of Tokyo, where they uncovered the nodules which contain millions of metric tons of cobalt and nickel.

An expert has revealed the devastating environmental impact (The Nippon Foundation)

These materials are vital in creating things like batteries for electric vehicles, making the discovery a gold mine.

According to market figures from Trading Economics, just one metric ton of cobalt is worth $24,300 and nickel has a value of $15,497.

The country has been able to unearth a whopping $14,823,000,000 worth of cobalt and the 740,000 tonnes of nickel is worth $11,467,780,000.

At the time of writing this, the value of the materials totals a colossal $26,290,780,000.

However, while deep-sea mining may be a massive money earner for Japan, a study has now issued a stern warning.

The excavations of the materials is actually killing the marine life.

The study conducted by Travis Washburn, a researcher at the Geological Survey of Japan, found that ocean creatures tend to vanish from areas within and even outside deep-sea mining operations.

“These results suggest the impact of deep-sea mining could be even bigger than we think,” Washburn said.

One year after the test was conducted, those working on the study found a massive 43 percent drop in fish and shrimp populations around the site.

Japan has hit the jackpot with its latest discovery (The Nippon Foundation)

“I had assumed we wouldn’t see any changes because the mining test was so small. They drove the machine for two hours, and the sediment plume only traveled a few hundred meters,” Washburn added.

“But it was actually enough to shift things.”

Meanwhile, Colin Hamilton spoke about the complexity mining at such depths provides.

“Extraction will not be simple, and we see this as a potential test case for the benefits versus disadvantages of deep-sea mining of materials relating to the global fuel to materials transition,” he noted in a recent brief.

Sophie Benbow, director of a marine programme at a conservation charity, told the BBC: “There is so much we could learn from ocean biodiversity.

“Medical advances and new technologies could be deciphered from the study of deep-sea species, but they could be wiped out before we even know they exist if deep-seabed mining is to go ahead prematurely.”

The deep sea is filled with the unknown, and advanced technologies allow us to discover new species that are either horrifying or beautiful – and often times both.

While many associate the uncharted areas of the ocean – which remains still around 80% – to be the dark depths of the sea, occupying grotesque angler fish, ghostsharks, isopods, and more – but what if there was something perhaps a little more ‘friendly’?

Thankfully that has taken the form of a new ‘mystery mollusk’, found unexpectedly in the ocean’s midnight zone – between 3,300ft (1,000m) and 13,100ft (4,000m) – which has baffled scientists since its discovery.

The translucent nudibranch, now named ‘Bathydevius caudactylus’, was discovered by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), and they claim that it’s unlike anything they’ve seen before.

MBARI recently encountered the unexpected ‘clicking’ sounds of sperm whales near the coast of San Francisco, yet this ‘sighting’ lies much further away, near the depths of the ocean floor.

Bathydevius, like most deep sea creatures, has a translucent body that glows with bioluminescence. It’s only about as big as an apple, yet features a large gloopy hood and a feather-like tail.

Due to its translucent nature you are also able to observe the internal organs of the ‘mystery mollusk’, glowing centrally in a soft-orange color that contrasts the wispy blue/white of its ghost-like form.

MBARI initially spotted Bathydevius in February 2000 during a deep dive with Tiburon – their remotely controlled camera vehicle.

Amassing over 150 sightings in the past 20 years, the Institute have now been able to gently collect a sample of the creature and take a closer look in the lab, solving the mystery that has plagued them for over two decades.

After determining that this creature is indeed a nudibranch (otherwise referred to as sea slugs or mollusks), the researchers were able to uncover that Bathydevius is the first of its kind to inhabit the deep water column.

While you might think that its translucent form is magnificent enough, the scientists have also managed to capture footage of a stunning visual transformation that occurs when the nudibranch is threatened.

Bathydevius lights up with star-like lights when threatened (MBARI)

It lights up its body, as if filled with a galaxy of stars, and then detaches one of the finger-like aspects of its tail as a projection – likely to distract incoming predators and give itself an opportunity to escape.

MBARI Senior Scientist Steven Haddock described the research group’s wonder upon seeing this: ““When we first filmed it glowing with the ROV, everyone in the control room let out a loud ‘Oooooh!’ at the same time. We were all enchanted by the sight.”

It goes to show that not only is there so much we have left to explore in the depths of the ocean, but that some of the most fascinating and illuminating – pun intended – discoveries can be found there.