Scientists from Auburn University have proposed a new mechanism to control some of the thinnest electronic memory devices ever made. Their study uncovers how tiny crystals only a few atoms thick may switch between insulating and metallic states, paving the way for low-power memory, flexible electronics, and brain-inspired computers.

Researchers at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine have validated a retinal ageing marker capable of predicting cognitive decline and dementia up to five years in advance. This non-invasive screening method could lead to early detection, enabling timely interventions and improving outcomes for patients at risk of dementia.

History, art and collective memory come together in the project led by Víctor Mínguez, Professor of the Department of History, Geography and Art at the Universitat Jaume I in Castelló, which explores the artistic reception of Visigothic royalty between the 16th and 19th centuries. The research, funded by the 2021 National Plan for Scientific Research, aims to understand how the figures of Visigothic kings and queens were reinterpreted and used as political and cultural symbols by the Hispanic Monarchy.

The project, titled La recepción artística de la realeza visigoda en la Monarquía Hispánica (siglos XVI a XIX), establishes a theoretical framework that spans from the appreciation and preservation of Visigothic archaeological remains to their transformation into propaganda icons. It examines how figures such as Hermenegild, Leovigild or Reccared were revived by monarchs like Philip II or Philip IV to legitimize dynastic power and project an image of peninsular unity.

Exoskeletons typically work by implementing motions programmed in advance and having the user call for them, making it difficult to use them for a wide range of motions in real-life environments. Now, in a notable example for wearable robotics, published in npj Robotics, researchers from the RIKEN Guardian Robot Project in Japan have used artificial intelligence to better assist users, by designing an exoskeleton that functions based on inputs regarding the user’s status as well as a view of the environment based on the user’s perspective.