A patented sensorized pen for the early screening of writing difficulties. A study by Politecnico di Milano and the University of Insubria (Varese and Como) has been published, involving more than 700 children from across the entire primary and lower secondary school cycle. The participants used the THInkPen (Tele-Health Ink Pen) while completing two BVSCO-3 tasks, the Battery for the Clinical Assessment of Writing and Orthographic Skills. This is the most widely used test in Italy for assessing writing difficulties, dysgraphia and dysorthography.

Researchers have demonstrated a direct bridge between vortex electrons and structured electromagnetic radiation. By sending an annular electron beam through an all-metal slow-wave structure, they transferred the electron beam's helical topology into measurable orbital angular momentum and a polarization-skyrmion texture. Multiple optical diagnostics confirmed the mapping, while repeated single-shot measurements showed reproducibility. The proof-of-principle platform could support structured-radiation sources and noninvasive diagnosis of vortex-electron states across future spectral bands and frequencies.

Electric fields can reliably reverse magnetization in nanoscale structures of the multiferroic material BiFe_0.9Co_0.1O₃ (BFCO), as reported by researchers from Science Tokyo. Multiferroic materials display coupled electric and magnetic order, making them attractive for low-power memory devices. The team fabricated 190 nm BFCO nanodots and used advanced imaging techniques to directly observe the restructured electric polarization arrangement upon applying an electric field, driving a persistent reversal of magnetization.

Accurately predicting passenger flows is essential for preventing congestion and delays in subway networks. In a recent study, researchers developed a multi-time-scale model that uses recurring day-to-day and week-to-week travel patterns to predict both passenger destinations and travel times one day ahead. Tested on Shenzhen subway data, the model outperformed several widely used forecasting methods across most stations.

Aqueous Zn-organic batteries are promising due to the sustainability and tunability of organic cathodes. However, the critical challenge in their practical application lies in dissolution, degradation, and sluggish kinetics, ultimately degrading the cycling stability and rate capability. Herein, we demonstrate a simple effective electrolyte engineering strategy by introducing potassium chloride (KCl) as a co-solute into the ZnCl₂ electrolyte to achieve high-performance Zn batteries utilizing 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) as the cathode. Experimental studies and molecular dynamics simulations reveal that KCl addition not only enhances electrolyte conductivity but also modulates Zn²⁺ solvation environment to form [Zn(H₂O)₂Cl₄]²⁻, significantly improving ion diffusion kinetics. Consequently, the Zn//PTCDA in the ZnCl₂-KCl electrolyte exhibits a remarkable capacity of 124.7 mAh g⁻¹ with an average voltage of 0.65 V, exceptional rate performance (56% capacity retention at 30 A g⁻¹), and prolonged cycling performance (90.9% retention after 10,000 cycles). Experimental and density functional theory mechanistic studies unveil a new reversible Zn²⁺/K⁺ co-storage mechanism in the PTCDA cathode, where K⁺ acts as a charge shield and structural pillar, synergistically decreasing the ion migration energy barrier, enhancing reaction kinetics, and stabilizing the cathode structure. This work elucidates dual-ion storage chemistry and highlights rational electrolyte design for durable, high-power metal–organic batteries.

A research team led by Professor Jiandong Ding at Fudan University has derived a set of equations for random degradation inspired by the classic Poisson raindrop problem, providing the first theoretical framework to quantify “acquired heterogeneity” — the uneven degradation that emerges during service rather than from manufacturing defects. Applying this framework to biodegradable metal stents, the team discovered that coating iron with polylactide (PLA) increases the corrosion rate by 3-fold but reduces corrosion inhomogeneity by 4,000-fold in blood-mimetic medium, paradoxically leading to later device fracture despite faster degradation. The resulting metal–polymer composite stent was validated in preclinical porcine studies, clinical trials involving 1,108 patients across multiple cohorts, and 5-year follow-up of 45 first-in-human cases, demonstrating safety, durability, and reliability. The theoretical framework is, in principle, applicable to any field where random spatiotemporal variability undermines system performance, from ship corrosion and bridge fracture to climate variability and big data analytics.

A research team at the University of Vienna led by physicist Jani Kotakoski demonstrates how the shape of nanopores in hexagonal boron nitride - the electrically insulating counterpart to graphene, also known as "white graphene" - can be precisely controlled at the atomic level. Electron irradiation in ultra-high vacuum creates circular pores, while adding small amounts of oxygen yields triangular pores. The nanopore engineering presented in the journal Nature Communications thus unlocks new applications in filtration, DNA sequencing, catalysis, and quantum technologies.

Researchers have developed an AI-based system that automatically and objectively detects the moment when fish experience loss of equilibrium (LOE) due to temperature stress. The system combines DeepLabCut, a deep-learning AI that captures animal posture from video, with ResNet34, a deep-learning AI-based image-classification technology. Their system is expected to help predict the effects of climate change on fish. The research team was led by Specially Appointed Lecturer Tomoya Nakayama and Yoshiya Matsuo (a master’s student at the time) of the Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (WPI-ITbM) at Nagoya University, in collaboration with Associate Professor Tatsuto Hasegawa and Takuya Kato (a master’s student at the time) of the University of Fukui. Their research was published in the journal Scientific Reports on September 10, 2026.