Professor Jiawen Chen and Associate Researcher Yan Wang from South China Normal University, in collaboration with Professor Ben L. Feringa's team at the University of Groningen, Netherlands, designed a novel molecular machine with both rotational and shuttle motion modes. This molecular machine combines a sterically hindered olefin molecular motor, an H-type benzimidazole, and a crown ether system, achieving for the first time the control of rotaxane shuttle motion through the rotational motion of the molecular motor. The motion mechanism of this molecule was elucidated in detail using methods including two-dimensional proton NMR spectroscopy and theoretical calculations. This work demonstrates the tuning effect of two different motion modes within a single molecular machine, providing a solid experimental foundation for the future design of multifunctional molecular machines with complex mechanical functions. The article was published as an open access Research Article in CCS Chemistry, the flagship journal of the Chinese Chemical Society.

Researchers at the Nara Institute of Science and Technology and Osaka University have developed a computational model of how human emotions are formed. This system integrates body signals, sensory input, and language, forming emotional concepts that match the self-reported human emotional judgment with 75% accuracy. The findings highlight new ways of building emotionally aware artificial intelligence, with potential applications in mental health care, interactive robots, and assistive technologies.

Researchers created an AI-based learning tool to help neurotypical people learn how to better communicate with autistic people.

The SETI Institute announced that alliant Global CEO, Dhaval Jadav, joined its Board of Directors. Dhaval brings a deep lifelong passion for space science, a strong commitment to STEM education, and a shared belief in the SETI Institute’s mission to explore one of humanity’s most profound questions: Are we alone in the universe?

This marks the beginning of a strategic partnership that gives the SETI Institute the ability to leverage alliant’s resources and AI capabilities in the search for extraterrestrial life.

“As a kid nothing got me more excited to learn about space than the thought of extraterrestrials being out there,” said Dhaval. “I think we’ve lost some of that sense of wonder, the curiosity that drives people to look beyond their screens and ask big questions about the universe. I wholeheartedly believe in the SETI Institute’s mission, and I hope alliant can help the SETI Institute be a beacon that rekindles that curiosity and inspires people to seek answers to life’s biggest mysteries.”

Rice University’s SynthX Center, directed by Han Xiao, has received an up to five-year, $18 million award from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) Lymphatic Imaging, Genomics and pHenotyping Technologies (LIGHT) program to develop innovative solutions for lymphatic diseases. This project award has the potential to transform the diagnosis and treatment of complex lymphatic anomalies (CLAs) and lymphedema, which are rare conditions that arise from abnormal growth of lymphatic vessels and can affect multiple organs.