News

Inspired by octopuses, researchers have developed a structure that senses, computes and responds without any centralized processing — creating a device that is not quite a robot and not quite a computer, but has characteristics of both. The new technology holds promise for use in a variety of applications, from soft robotics to prosthetic devices.

Photonic chips promise even faster data transfer speeds and information-dense applications, but the components necessary for building them remain considerably larger than their electronic counterparts, due to the lack of efficient data-routing architecture. A photonic topological insulator with edges that can be dynamically redefined, however, would help solve this problem. Being able to route these 'roads' around one another as needed means the entire interior bulk could be used to efficiently build data links.

A study involving military veterans with PTSD and cirrhosis of the liver points to an abnormal mix of bacteria in the intestines as a possible driver of poor cognitive performance — and as a potential target for therapy.

Rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children. A phase II clinical trial is the first to show improved outcomes in rhabdomyosarcoma in 45 years.

Scientists expect that in the future, electronically active garments containing unobtrusive, portable devices for monitoring heart rate and respiratory rhythm during sleep, for example, will prove clinically useful in health care. Now researchers have developed physiological-sensing textiles that can be woven or stitched into sleep garments they have dubbed 'phyjamas.'

A newly discovered comet has excited the astronomical community this week because it appears to have originated from outside the solar system. The official confirmation that comet C/2019 Q4 is an interstellar comet has not yet been made, but if it is interstellar, it would be only the second such object detected.

In breast cancer, metastases to the brain often spell a death sentence; many women survive for less than a year after diagnosis. A new study reveals how the cancer is able to cross the blood-brain-barrier: by sending out exosomes that hijack the natural cell process of transcytosis, tricking the cells in the BBB into taking them up. The researchers now hope to identify therapeutic targets that could stop brain metastases from happening.

People have very individualized inflammatory responses to eating a high-fat meal. These were the unexpected results of a study. They looked at the inflammatory reactions of volunteers at 0, three and six hours after eating a standardized meal containing 38% fat and their responses were completely unique. Like snowflakes, no two were exactly the same.

A research team has identified a new circular RNA (ribonucleic acid) that increases tumor activity in soft tissue and connective tissue tumors. It's a discovery that may help improve how cancer is identified and treated.

Physicists have demonstrated a novel atomic clock design that combines near-continuous operation with strong signals and high stability, features not previously found together in a single type of next-generation atomic clock. The new clock, which uses laser 'tweezers' to trap, control and isolate the atoms, also offers unique possibilities for enhancing clock performance using the tricks of quantum physics.