In a demonstration of “mind over matter,” a 69-year-old man with C4 AIS C spinal cord injury — whose remaining movement was largely restricted to low-amplitude muscle twitching — has piloted a virtual quadcopter merely by thinking about moving his paralyzed fingers. This achievement stems from an intracortical brain-computer interface (iBCI) primarily developed and tested…

The timing for the 2025 R&D 100 Awards has been announced. This year’s competition, the 63rd, will open for submissions on March 5th, 2025. The R&D 100 Awards is the only science and technology awards competition that recognizes new commercial products, technologies, and materials for their technological significance that are available for sale or license.…

Hemolysis accounts for up to 70% of all unsuitable specimens and can falsely elevate potassium by up to 152%. Potassium is critical in managing cardiac function. Misdiagnosis due to hemolysis can significantly affect the management of the patient, causing repeated blood draws, delays in care, or unnecessary medical interventions. Studies demonstrate hemolysis prevalence throughout acute…

Nenovision’s LiteScope 2.5 represents an inventive AFM-in-SEM technology, especially for nanoscale analysis. Its unique integration of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Scanning Force Microscopy (SEM) capabilities allows site-specific, multimodal correlative analysis, making advanced research accessible to various industries. Key features include self-sensing probe technology, seamless SEM integration without modifications, and AI-driven image correlation, enhancing precision,…

2024 was the year of spatulageddon. Plastic spatulas were trashed due to reports of dangers lurking within. The journal article that raised concern contained an error, an obvious error. A correction was made but there is more to the story. How a recycling study spawned spatula hysteria The study causing spatulageddon is “From e-waste to…

Every day seems to bring new developments in rechargeable battery research, with teams racing to surpass conventional lithium-ion technology, which has significant room for enhancement. As the adoption of electric vehicles rises and the need for storing renewable energy becomes increasingly important, the search intensifies for safer, lighter, and more sustainable power sources. Recent breakthroughs…

While OpenAI charges $60 per million tokens for its flagship reasoning model, a Chinese startup just open-sourced an alternative that matches its performance—at 95% less cost. Meet DeepSeek-R1, the RL-trained model that’s not just competing with Silicon Valley’s AI giants, but in some cases running on consumer laptops in some configurations rather than in data…

SHINE is transforming neutron detection with its ability to be shaped into any size or form within minutes at room temperature, while offering detection capabilities comparable to current technologies. This material addresses the helium-3 (3He) shortage, thus aligning with national security considerations and helping prevent the entry of illicit special nuclear materials (SNM) into the…

Researchers at Helmholtz Munich and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) have discovered that remnants of ancient viral DNA — once considered genomic fossils — play a pivotal role in early embryo development. By creating a single-embryo atlas and comparing several mammalian species, the team found that these transposable elements reactivate shortly after fertilization, potentially influencing how cells specialize…

Given the prevalence of anti-science rhetoric and dubious advice from certain podcasters and influencers, one might believe that trust in science has reached an all-time low. However, an international study involving participants from 68 countries found that most people overall have a high level of confidence in scientists and want them to be more involved…

Why can’t Big Tech’s billion-dollar AI stop making stuff up? Apple recently hit the brakes on its AI-generated news alerts after a BBC complaint pointed out a false and misleading headline. And as Apple has partnered with OpenAI push ChatGPT functionality into Siri, lawsuits over ‘hallucinated’ legal cases and viral confabulated ‘AI-enhanced’ search queries expose…

Despite another solid national jobs report in December 2024—256,000 new payroll jobs and a steady 4.1% unemployment rate—companies in research-intensive fields have continued to trim their workforces in early 2025. While the broader economy shows gains in health care and retail, our tracking indicates that biotech, advanced software, and other R&D-driven sectors are strategically realigning.…

A study led by Professor Petter Brodin, a pediatrician and immunologist at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) and Imperial College London, analyzed 191 children aged 0 to 18, all diagnosed with various solid tumors at Stockholm’s Astrid Lindgren Children’s Hospital between 2018 and 2024. Researchers examined tumor samples to identify genetic mutations and…

A research team at the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) has reported progress in addressing longstanding challenges that have hindered the commercialization of lithium-sulfur batteries. Dr. Park Jun-woo led the team, which focused on the “shuttle effect,” lithium polysulfides formed during charging and discharging migrate between the electrodes. This phenomenon has often resulted in performance…

MAVERICK is a platform designed specifically for biologists, using Raman spectroscopy to streamline bioprocess development and optimization. It offers out-of-the-box capabilities for real-time monitoring of variables like glucose, lactate, and biomass, all through an intuitive touchscreen interface. This platform supports automation, remote access, and compliance with cGMP standards for pharmaceutical industry applications. While Raman spectroscopy…

Welcome to our weekly briefing on R&D headlines that are shaping technology, healthcare, and industry. In this edition, we explore NVIDIA’s global expansion plans (plus a sharp rebuttal to new U.S. AI policy), Google’s ambitious Gemini user goals, a big-ticket pharma acquisition, tighter U.S. chip controls, and more. Keep reading for the latest developments and…

With co-developer Lenzing Plastics, DuPont de Nemours has created Tyvek Trifecta, an inventive new building wrap that improves fire safety and building performance. It combines three key functions — non-combustibility, weather resistance, and vapor permeability — into a single, durable, and reliable solution. Tyvek Trifecta, designed for residential, commercial, and mixed-use buildings, is particularly well-suited…

From nanoelectrode arrays that peer inside heart cells to single-layer spintronics that manipulate quantum states, researchers are advancing how we observe and control matter at multiple scales. This roundup examines breakthroughs in non-invasive cardiac monitoring and AI-powered genomic modeling, alongside developments in energy-efficient computing through anomalous Hall torques. Also in this week in AI and…

  Researchers at the University of California San Diego have created and evaluated Spatial Modeling Algorithms for Reactions and Transport (SMART), a software package designed to simulate cell-signaling networks — complex molecular interactions that enable cells to respond to various environmental cues. These networks involve multiple steps and are heavily influenced by the three-dimensional structure…

Imagine a hospital spending millions on advanced imaging equipment yet relying on decades-old computers to run the software. That paradox propelled robotics and computer vision veteran Camilo Buscaron—a former systems engineer at NVIDIA and Chief Technologist for AWS Robotics—into action. In 2023, he set out to commercialize an open-source computer vision library known as Kornia,…

Every year, millions of windshields are replaced worldwide, leaving behind a significant amount of waste in the form of the polyvinyl butyral (PVB) interlayer, which keeps shattered glass together. Recycling this material is complex and costly, often resulting in low-quality materials unsuitable for reuse. The sheer volume of PVB waste is substantial — over 175…

While smart home devices have expanded to include speakers, security systems, lights, and thermostats, their control has mostly been limited to a remote, an app, or voice commands. Users can interact with their phones or speak to the technology. Still, these methods are often less convenient than the simple switches they replace, significantly since devices…

Quantum engineers at UNSW Sydney have placed a ‘Schrödinger’s cat‘—the famous paradox of quantum superposition where a system exists simultaneously in a quantum superposition, in this case being both dead and alive—inside the nucleus of a single antimony atom on a silicon chip. “Antimony is a heavy atom, which possesses a large nuclear spin—meaning a…

Galaxy clusters rank among the most significant known structures in the Universe. Current models suggest they form when clumps of dark matter pull galaxies together, merging smaller groups into vast clusters containing hundreds or even thousands of galaxies. One such group is the Antlia Cluster (Abell S636), located roughly 130 million light-years away in the…

Who is leading in terms of U.S. patents? Asia. While U.S. patent grants rebounded by 4% in 2024 after a four-year decline, the real story is who’s driving innovation: Samsung Electronics maintained its crown for the third straight year with 6,377 patents, TSMC claimed second place with 3,989 patents, according to IFI Claims’ roundup of…