Science

A groundbreaking study published yesterday reveals a counterintuitive medical innovation: a mattress that increases pressure on certain body areas to dramatically reduce the risk of pressure ulcers (PUs), also known as bedsores. The research, initiated by the US Department of Veterans Affairs, could transform care for millions of immobilized patients.

In a major leap for neuroscience, researchers at UCLA have developed a tiny, 3.5-gram microscope that solves a long-standing challenge: simultaneously observing multiple brain regions in a freely moving mouse. The new open-source device, called MiniXL, provides a large field of view — effectively opening a new window into the brain's complex networks.

Keysight Technologies, in collaboration with Japanese telecom giant NTT and its subsidiary NTT Innovative Devices, has announced a new world record for wireless data transmission. The test, revealed yesterday, achieved a 280 Gigabits per second (Gbps) data rate using sub-terahertz (sub-THz) frequencies, proving there is potential in sub-THz 6G networks.

Georgia Power, in collaboration with Mitsubishi Power, just announced a significant achievement in the decarbonization of the energy sector. The companies successfully operated a large, advanced-class natural gas turbine on a record-breaking fuel blend containing 50% hydrogen by volume, the highest percentage ever validated for a turbine of the class.

Researchers have made a discovery that could change the solar system as we know it today. And new observations are in store to find out more.

Fudan University researchers have developed a tellurium nanowire retinal implant that restores vision and enables infrared vision in mice, offering hope for those with retinal damage. The implant converts light energy into neural signals without external power.

A mysterious object has been discovered by astronomers that doesn't fit into any known category of celestial object.

A child’s question in the Curious Kids section of The Conversation has sparked debate about “mind uploading” – the idea of transferring human consciousness to a computer. While some researchers believe it could be possible one day, two major obstacles remain.

After leaving the U.S. government, Elon Musk has set himself a crazy challenge with his Starship.

Garmin appears to be working on a wrist-based blood glucose monitoring feature, as revealed by a recently published patent describing the corresponding sensor technology. Such a system could be a great help for diabetics, but there are still questions.

With Laser 2025, YouTuber StyroPyro unveils what he claims to be the world’s most powerful handheld laser. Built from scratch, the device delivers an output of 250 watts – enough to melt titanium, create synthetic rubies and even destroy lab-grown diamonds. A viral video showcases its astonishing power.

A team of researchers recently set a new world record for data transmission via fiber optics. A cable with 19 glass cores achieved a data transfer rate of around 1 petabit per second over a distance of almost 2,000 kilometers.

Husker engineers embed self-awareness and repair into a soft-robotic muscle that locates punctures via liquid-metal sensors, heats a thermoplastic layer to seal wounds in minutes, and then resets for repeated use.

Until now, humanoid robots have been expensive and mostly limited to large companies. But the US-based company Hugging Face aims to change that. Their open-source robot HopeJR is expected to cost just $3,000. A smaller tabletop version is also in the works, priced between $250 and $300. Both models are scheduled for release later this year.

With images of Optimus robots mimicking the famous Empire State Building constriction workers photo, SpaceX unveiled its vision for making life interplanetary. The Starship 3 rocket that will make the trip possible will have its maiden flight this year.

Robots that can be 3D printed are thought to become prominent in the industry thanks to their ease of manufacture - in fact, they can start moving the second their run is complete, as a group working at the University of Edinburgh have just shown. Their new method is also intended to be open-source and cheaper than ever before.

In a new video, Boston Dynamics demonstrates how well the new Atlas robot can handle changing situations. When sorting parts, accidents can sometimes occur—even intentional ones.

Chinese robotics company Ubtech plans to launch a humanoid household robot in late 2025, targeting both private homes and elder care. The move positions Ubtech as a direct competitor to Tesla’s Optimus.

Japan Space Systems is working on a project to transmit solar energy wirelessly from space to earth. If the mission called "OHISAMA" is successful, it could be a historic breakthrough and change the energy landscape forever by enabling solar power even at night and further displacing fossil fuels.

POSTECH researchers developed a 13-inch OLED panel where every pixel doubles as a speaker, delivering precise multichannel audio without external drivers.

Google Quantum AI’s preprint shows that roughly one million noisy qubits operating continuously for seven days could crack 2048-bit RSA, reducing earlier estimates by twentyfold.

Surgeons in Hangzhou performed China’s first closed-loop spinal cord neural interface implantation, enabling a 61-year-old paraplegic to stand and walk unaided within two weeks. The adaptive system uses real-time electromyography feedback and homegrown tech to restore his motor and sensory functions.

Starfish Neuroscience unveiled a 2 x 4 mm brain-computer interface chip on TSMC’s 55 nm node, consuming just 1.1 milliwatts. Its inductively powered, battery-free design and on-chip preprocessing pave the way for minimally invasive, distributed neural interfaces shipping in late 2025.

X-ray snapshots of liquid carbon at million-atmosphere pressures reveal its melt behavior and structure, directly informing fusion-ablator shell design. These benchmarks aims for tougher, more efficient ablator materials for inertial-confinement fusion and next-generation implosion models.

Soft contact lenses embedding upconversion nanoparticles convert near-infrared photons into visible light with over 85 percent transparency, granting direct near-infrared vision without surgery.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s geospatial siting tech and Elementl’s screening method have gotten a boost from Google, which is aiming to ready three US sites for advanced nuclear—each designed to power tomorrow’s AI data centers.

Zhengzhou researchers have achieved 19.96 percent efficiency with a low-cost polymer, marking a major step for organic solar cells toward commercial viability without sacrificing performance or scalability.

A new blood test from Australian researchers can detect up to half of all rare genetic diseases in children within days, potentially replacing months of invasive diagnostics and improving early treatment outcomes.

The BYOND platform has been hit by sustained DDoS attacks from a group demanding the release of its source code. Disruptions have left services intermittently offline, raising concerns over the ethics of coercive digital activism.

A new 2T1R memristor-based architecture aims to enable low-power in-memory computing for AI and edge devices. The design integrates current regulation and CMOS compatibility to support analogue VMM and neuromorphic tasks.

A novel NASICON electrolyte developed by BAM researchers may hold the key to stable, high-performance sodium solid-state batteries. Promising room-temperature operation, better safety, and lower costs.

German scientists have developed a lightweight, metal-free solar battery that stores sunlight for over two days using only organic molecules and water.

Rainbow Robotics upgrades its RB-Y1 humanoid with omnidirectional wheels, immersive teleoperation, and a flexible SDK. Debuting at ICRA 2025, the new features target labs, integrators, and Samsung’s automation goals.

China’s Long March 2D rocket launched 12 “Star Computing” satellites into sun-synchronous orbit on 14 May 2025, marking the Long March family’s 576th success.

Nvidia is in advanced talks to take a stake in PsiQuantum, a start-up building photonic quantum computers, after PsiQuantum’s $750 million funding round valued it near $6 billion.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility hit new fusion milestones with 5.2 megajoules and 8.6 megajoules shots, improving on its 2022 record. Though still energy-negative, these multi-megajoule yields advance target design and materials research toward reactor-scale fusion.

InventWood’s new Frederick facility will ship its first Superwood batches in Q3 2025—an engineered timber with a strength-to-weight ratio nearly ten times that of steel.

Shanghai’s Ladder Medical and Fudan University’s Huashan Hospital completed China’s first invasive brain-computer interface trial, enabling an amputee to control a racing game with neural signals.

A new video of Tesla’s Optimus demonstrates its embodied intelligence, as the humanoid robot performs rhythmic movements, including ballet steps, shuffle moves and more. Despite the impressive display, many in the robotics community remain skeptical.

According to recent reports, Apple is working intensively on the integration of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) to enable new ways of interacting with devices. The goal is to control Apple products such as the iPhone or Vision Pro via neuronal signals recorded by brain implants. This could transform the accessibility of digital technology, especially for people with severe physical disabilities.

Graphene is considered a beacon of hope in optimising battery performance and could replace graphite in the anode of lithium-ion batteries. A scientific topical review examines the innovation prospects of using graphene in batteries.

A group working at the CERN Large Hadron Collider have reported that their experiment has successfully converted the nuclei of one element into another, namely lead and gold respectively. Therefore, the scientists seem to have achieved the ultimate goal of alchemy - although it has many caveats at this stage.

A humanoid robot of the Unitree H1 type suddenly went wild in a Chinese test facility. Although no one was injured, the incident sparks concerns about safety and the future of robotics.

Unlike Elon Musk's Neuralink brain implants, the new bionic hand technology by BrainCo uses subcutaneous nerve impulses to command the prosthetic limb. The brain-computer interface company recently demonstrated what the product is capable of.

SK On is pushing forward with the development of solid-state EV batteries with polymer oxide and sulfide. Thanks to a new protective layer, lithium-metal batteries are expected to have a significantly longer lifespan, and first prototypes are planned for 2028 and 2030, respectively.

In Shenzhen, China, a humanoid robot was deployed for the first time to patrol public areas, help locate missing children and assist tourists. However, public reactions to the robotic patrol have been largely critical.

Researchers at the University of Bern have made a major breakthrough in the search for habitable worlds. Using a new AI model with a reported 99% accuracy rate, they have identified 44 planetary systems that could potentially host an Earth-like planet.

Bradford Smith, Neuralink’s third implant recipient and first with ALS, now navigates a MacBook Pro using thought-driven cursor movements from a coin-sized brain implant.

LG Display has successfully manufactured prototypes of its hybrid tandem OLED panels using phosphorescent blue OLED technology. The panels are more efficient than conventional OLED panels, reducing power consumption by 15%.

xMEMS' XMC-2400 micro-cooling chip uses MEMS technology to dissipate heat efficiently in compact devices like smartphones and servers by moving air with sound with minimal power consumption.