A research team introduces the In-Media Plant PET Root Imaging System (IMP²RIS), a novel tool that enables real-time, non-invasive, three-dimensional imaging of symbiotic nitrogen fixation (SNF) in soybean roots grown in soil-like media.

Microplastics are tiny, plastic fragments — many too small to see — found in the air, soil and water. Measuring their abundance in nature can direct cleanup resources, but current detection methods are slow, expensive or highly technical. Now, researchers publishing in ACS Sensors have developed a living sensor that attaches to plastic and produces green fluorescence. In an initial test on real-world water samples, the biosensor could easily detect environmentally relevant levels of microplastics.

Biological condensates are small, membraneless organelles typically consisting of multiple proteins and nucleic acids within cells. They are involved in a diverse array of cellular processes but, despite their importance, methods to quantify their molecular makeup are lacking. In a groundbreaking publication, researchers from the Brugués group at the Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life at Dresden University of Technology, the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden, and the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics reveal a new experimental method to infer the composition of condensates reconstituted from complex mixtures.

Implantable microelectrodes that can safely capture brain activity are critical in neuroscience technologies. In a recent study, researchers from South Korea have developed a new class of polymer-carbon nanotube (CNT) based hybrid microelectrode arrays, which combine high electrical conductivity with mechanical softness. These advanced electrodes enable stable recording of brain signals while limiting inflammation and damage to brain tissue—paving the way for safer and smarter brain-computer interfaces.

A research team led by Prof. PAN Ding, Associate Professor from the Departments of Physics and Chemistry, and Dr. LI Shuo-Hui, Research Assistant Professor from the Department of Physics at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), has developed a novel direct sampling method based on deep generative models. This method enables efficient sampling of the Boltzmann distribution across a continuous temperature range. 

Patients are increasingly turning to AI for medical information and even advice, but how should they approach using AI-powered services? A new study published in the peer-reviewed journal, Future Science OA, provides insight into this question for the fast-moving field of blood cancer.