Inspired by the tetrachromatic vision of butterflies, researchers have developed an artificial optoelectronic synapse using monolayer tungsten disulfide (WS₂). This device can simultaneously sense and process both ultraviolet and visible light, mimicking key brain functions like learning and memory with an ultralow energy cost of 2.28 aJ per event. An 8 × 8 synaptic array was built to demonstrate high-fidelity image sensing, memory, and preprocessing, boosting recognition accuracy of complex color images to over 98%. This work paves the way for next-generation machine vision systems with ultraviolet-visible spectral intelligence.

Efficient and safe delivery of nucleic acids, proteins, and other biomacromolecules to target tissues in vivo remains a central challenge in gene therapy, cancer immunotherapy, and vaccine development. In vivo electroporation (IVE) offers a non-viral and controllable delivery strategy by transiently increasing cell membrane permeability through short, pulsed electric fields, enabling efficient intracellular transport of therapeutic agents. With recent advances in electrode design, pulse modulation, and intelligent control systems, IVE is rapidly evolving from a laboratory technique toward clinical implementation. These developments have expanded its potential applications in cancer therapy, nucleic acid vaccines, and genome editing, underscoring the need for a systematic and forward-looking overview of this emerging technology.

Marking the 50th anniversary of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), a multidisciplinary Chinese research team presents a comprehensive Perspective in Nano Research, highlighting the paradigm shift toward rationally designed semiconductor substrates. The article details key enhancement strategies—including energy-level customization, amorphization, quasi-metallization, and morphology control—that enable ultrasensitive, molecule-selective detection. These advances have unlocked transformative applications in virus identification, food safety monitoring, gas sensing, and early cancer diagnosis. The authors emphasize that overcoming standardization challenges through multi-stakeholder collaboration is essential to bridge the lab-to-market gap and establish semiconductor SERS as a core platform for next-generation sensing and diagnostics.

Pre-retrieval imaging is moving liver transplantation toward a more precise and less invasive era.

Structural biology relies on advanced crystallographic platforms to obtain high-quality diffraction data from challenging samples. The BL18U1 microcrystallography beamline at the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF) demonstrates strong capability in beamline optics, microbeam delivery, multi-energy operation, integrated instrumentation, and anomalous diffraction experiments. Supporting protein crystals, small-molecule crystals, and other demanding samples, BL18U1 provides users with an efficient platform for high-quality data collection and has enabled the determination of a large number of high-quality crystal structures.