German China
Stretchable microneedle electrode arrays. (Source: Zhao Research Group)
Microneedles

Sea Slugs Inspire Highly Stretchable Biomedical Sensor

Researcher Hangbo Zhao from the USC Viterbi School of Engineering has developed highly stretchable and customizable microneedles with potential applications in neuroscience, tissue engineering, and wearable bioelectronics. These innovative microneedles offer promising new avenues for advanced medical treatments and technologies.

Read on
Abstract representation of the brain converting sound stimuli into movements (Source: Hedi Young)
Neurology

How Brains Convert Sounds to Actions

You hear a phone ring or a dog bark. Is it yours or someone else’s? You hear footsteps in the night — is it your child, or an intruder? Friend or foe? The decision you make will determine what action you take next. Researchers at the Champalimaud Foundation have shed light on what might be going on in our brains during moments like these.

Read on
A team led by researchers at the University of Washington developed a new PCB that performs on par with traditional materials and can be recycled repeatedly with negligible material loss.  (Source: Mark Stone/ University of Washington)
Circular Circuits

New Recyclable PCBs Could Drastically Reduce Global Electronic Waste

PCBs, integral for housing and connecting electronic components, have traditionally been non-recyclable composites of glass fiber and plastic, often ending up in landfills or incinerated to recover valuable metals. In response, University of Washington researchers have pioneered a recyclable PCB using vitrimers, innovative polymers that can be dissolved, reformed, and reused with minimal material loss.

Read on
MIT physicists developed a technique to arrange atoms (represented as spheres with arrows) in much closer proximity than previously possible, down to 50 nanometers. The group plans to use the method to manipulate atoms into configurations that could generate the first purely magnetic quantum gate — a key building block for a new type of quantum computer. In this image, the magnetic interaction is represented by the colorful lines. (Source: Courtesy of the researchers; MIT News)
Quantum Physics

Physicists Arrange Atoms in Extremely Close Proximity

MIT physicists have developed a new technique to position atoms at unprecedentedly close distances of just 50 nanometers, enhancing magnetic interactions by a thousandfold. This breakthrough allows for the observation of new quantum phenomena, such as synchronized oscillations and thermalization between atomic layers, opening new avenues for the development of quantum materials and computing.

Read on