How does the human brain’s electrical activity grow from childhood, peak in adulthood, and decline in older age? A multinational team has tackled this question by linking the brain’s “wiring diagram” and signal‑conduction speed to two familiar features of an electroencephalogram (EEG): the broadband background activity (ξ, pronounced “xi”) and the more rhythmic alpha waves. Their work, published in National Science Review, introduces a new model called Xi–αNET (“Xi–AlphaNET”) that explains how anatomical connections and nerve‑signal delays give rise to these patterns and how they change over the lifespan.

Sepsis complicated by acute respiratory failure is a severe condition among patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Researchers have developed and externally validated a machine learning model to predict the 28-day mortality risk in such ICU patients with sepsis. Using routinely collected clinical variables from the first 24 hours after admission, the model demonstrated stable predictive performance in large critical care databases, with potential value for early risk stratification and individualized treatment decision-making.

By designing a hybrid system with variable-sized neurons, the key problems in the manufacturing process of ODNNs were successfully resolved, thereby achieving high performance and high reliability in the practical application of ODNNs.

This article provides a comprehensive review of the research progress in perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) up to the end of 2025, systematically compiling their key performance parameters (including EQE, luminance, and lifetime) and deeply discussing the main challenges and future directions for commercialization, such as blue efficiency, active-matrix display integration, and lead-free development.

This study systematically explores the exfoliation feasibility and optoelectronic properties of 24 types of all-inorganic halide perovskites from (100) and (111) planes using first-principles calculations. The research reveals that crystallographic orientation significantly dictates the exfoliation energy and electronic structure, identifying monolayer Rb₂SnBr₄ as a promising Pb-free direct-bandgap absorber for next-generation thin-film photovoltaics.

Can light behave like a whirlwind? It turns out it can – and such “optical tornadoes” have now been created in an extremely small structure by scientists from the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw, the Military University of Technology, and the Institut Pascal CNRS at Université Clermont Auvergne. This discovery opens a new pathway for creating miniature light sources with complex structures, potentially enabling the development of simpler and more scalable photonic devices in the future, for applications such as optical communication and quantum technologies

 This article explores recent advances in liposomal nanotechnology for photodynamic therapy, showing how improved drug loading, targeting, and light-activated efficiency are enhancing cancer treatment outcomes.

Manchester researchers have secured nearly £1 million from UKRI to develop miniature snail inspired soft robots capable of delivering anti cancer drugs with unprecedented precision inside the human body.