Researchers demonstrated a superconducting qubit sensor that combines quantum criticality and non-equilibrium dynamics to estimate gradient fields with precision approaching the fundamental precision limits using simple measurements.

For decades, the short-eared dog (Atelocynus microtis) has been considered one of the least-known carnivores in Latin America, and potentially one of the least-known canids in the world. Because of its highly secretive nature, acute hearing, and strong sense of smell, this cryptic creature has successfully avoided people, leaving biologists with very few direct sightings in the wild. However, a new study published in the open-access journal Neotropical Biology and Conservation now offers insights into the life of this mysterious Amazonian predator.

As part of an international team, researchers from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have synthesized an extraordinary aromatic cycle. Consisting of three metal atoms, it is the heaviest example of this type of molecule: A triangle made from three bismuth atoms is held between two metal complexes in a structure known as “inverse‑sandwich” complex. This discovery contributes to a better understanding of aromaticity in heavy elements. In addition, the study might pave the way for new functional materials. The results have been published in Nature Chemistry.  (DOI: 10.1038/s41557-026-02123-8)

Lesser black-backed gulls from the colony at the Dutch island Neeltje Jans appear to avoid the wind farm off the Zeeland coast, with the exception of some males. NIOZ ecologist Rosemarie Kentie and her colleagues suspected the gulls were attracted by fishing boats outside the windfarm, and their bycatch thrown overboard. This turned out not to be the case: even during weekends, when there is little fishing, the birds rarely visit the wind farm. They published their findings in the Journal of Animal Ecology. “Why the gulls still avoid the wind farm fascinates me immensely.”

FutureNeuro, the Research Ireland Centre for Translational Brain Science, has launched a new research collaboration with Ozlo, the company behind Ozlo Sleepbuds, wearable in-ear sleep technology designed to support more stable, uninterrupted sleep. The partnership will investigate whether this approach can help address sleep disruption in people living with epilepsy.

The NEEDS 2026 Conference brought together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to explore how societies can strengthen resilience in the face of cascading crises and disasters. Throughout the event, DeCrises partners highlighted the importance of multilevel governance, social innovation, and community engagement in ensuring that no community is left behind during the green and digital transition.

In a new study, Northwestern University scientists developed a 90s-style video game to help chronic stroke survivors regain lost arm function. While wearing a small device on their impaired arm and using a laptop computer, players use their arm muscles to complete tasks such as flying a helicopter around the screen to hit a moving target. The muscle retraining helps separate the brain’s uncoordinated movement signals, enabling muscles to work independently again.

After six weeks of the game-based therapy, chronic stroke survivors improved arm function by as much as 7.8 times as much as those in the control group. 

A groundbreaking genomic study has reshaped our understanding of the evolutionary history of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus), revealing the iconic Australian marsupial experienced a severe population decline around 100,000 years ago, before the arrival of humans on the continent. All modern koalas descended from a single ancestral population that survived major climate fluctuations, including severe glacial periods.