Artificial intelligence could help monitor and reverse the damage done to marine life – and improve women's healthcare by making it easier to diagnose diseases such as endometriosis – according to researchers from universities in the UK and Australia. 

In a breakthrough that brings nanoscience one step closer to precise control of chemical reactions, a team of researchers from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has consecutively removed the innermost atom and the outermost electron of a gold nanoparticle—without disturbing its overall structure. This precise manipulation allowed them to probe how the magnetic spin of the material influences its catalytic activity.

In a major leap toward more comfortable and reliable health monitoring, scientists from Sun Yat-sen University have developed a cutting-edge glucose sensor that combines advanced nanomaterials with machine learning to detect glucose without the need for blood samples. The new technology is built around organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs), which are known for their ability to function safely and efficiently in watery environments, making them ideal for wearable and biocompatible devices.

The integration of the high conductivity of MoS₂ and porously structural MOF materials led to a distinct improvement in device transconductance (g_m) from 6.5 mS to 19.34 mS. This approach combined with machine leaning paves the way for advancements in OECT technology and broaden the potential of hybrid materials applied in organic biosensors.

To address the growing health threats posed by climate change, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) is launching a new interdisciplinary research centre focused on climate change and environmental health in the tropics.

Diamonds with certain optically active defects can be used as highly sensitive sensors or qubits for quantum computers, where the quantum information is stored in the electron spin state of these colour centres. However, the spin states have to be read out optically, which is often experimentally complex. Now, a team at HZB has developed an elegant method using a photo voltage to detect the individual and local spin states of these defects. This could lead to a much more compact design of quantum sensors.

3D-printed hydrogel is soft, and sometimes it can be tough. However, could it be hard?

Here, researchers from Zhejiang University report a 3D photo-printable hard/soft switchable hydrogel composite, enabled by the phase transition (liquid/solid transition) of supercooled hydrated salt solution (solvent) within the hydrogel. This work suggests a bright future for the direct use of hard hydrogel as a robust industrial material.

Penn Engineers have developed the first programmable chip that can train nonlinear neural networks using light — a breakthrough that could dramatically speed up AI training, reduce energy use and even pave the way for fully light-powered computers.