Elucidating the neural circuitry underlying innate fear not only enhances our understanding of emotional disorders but also provides promising therapeutic targets for clinical interventions.

A new study published in Frontiers of Engineering Management presents a systematic framework for optimizing cloud-integrated cyber-physical systems, addressing the complex interplay of reliability, performance, and power consumption. The research delivers actionable insights for cloud service providers to enhance operational resilience and sustainability in an increasingly data-driven world.

A major challenge in integrated photonics is achieving efficient non-reciprocal optical behavior. Researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi have demonstrated a non-reciprocal magneto-optic response by integrating the 2D material CuCrP₂S₆ (CCPS) onto silicon microring resonators. Their device operates in the C-band with low insertion loss and a high isolation ratio, eliminating the need for additional polarization management. This breakthrough paves the way for compact, on-chip optical isolators and advanced photonic devices essential for next-generation optical communication and computing.

Significantly surpassing their single-junction counterparts in power-conversion efficiency (PCE), two-terminal perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells have emerged as a game-changer in photovoltaics. However, due to the lack of effective optimisation of the device interface to maximise charge extraction efficiency and reduce energy loss, their widespread application has been limited. Researchers of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) have pioneered a novel bilayer interface passivation strategy to develop tandem solar cells that achieve a record-high PCE of 33.89%, representing a milestone in the development of solar technology.

A recent study by BGI Genomics and partner on the application of Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) found that mNGS can achieve early detection of pathogens and accelerate the development of targeted anti-infection treatment plans, thereby improving treatment outcomes and patient prognosis.

A new chemical strategy offers precision control in water treatment by producing hydroxyl radicals (•OH) only within a specific pH range.

Links and knots are exotic topological structures that have garnered significant interest across multiple branches of natural sciences. Recently, scientists in China proposed a novel concept of incoherent links and knots – stable topological configurations persisting in fluctuating speckled light fields. Unlike phase or polarization links/knots in coherent light, incoherent links/knots originate from correlation properties of incoherent light fields. This work opens a new avenue for applications ranging from statistically engineered light manipulation to turbulence-resistant optical encryption systems.

Multiple degrees-of-freedom (DoFs) tailoring towards high-dimensional laser fields is crucial for optical manipulation. Chinese scientists have developed an intelligent hybrid strategy enabling customizable manipulation of six DoFs and reaching a 288-imensional laser field. Their work, realized on a compact metasurface, achieves simultaneous control over wave vector, initial phase, spatial mode, amplitude, orbital angular momentum (OAM), and spin angular momentum (SAM). This breakthrough paves the way for advancements in quantum computing and optical applications.

A recent experimental breakthrough by researchers at Ningbo University and the University of Science and Technology of China extends Wheeler's delayed-choice experiment by enabling quantum control over both beam splitters in an interferometer. The results reveal richer manifestations of wave-particle duality, offering novel insights into quantum measurement, causality, and the temporal order of observation in quantum mechanics.