Harvard researchers have experimentally shown that a beam of light can repeatedly focus and defocus itself in free space without a lens, confirming a 1960s theoretical prediction called the Montgomery effect.

Detecting weak and low-frequency underwater sounds remains a major challenge for ocean monitoring, navigation, and marine exploration. 

Many promising drug molecules fail to reach patients because they do not dissolve well enough in water, limiting their effectiveness when taken orally. Now, researchers from Japan investigated an innovative method that uses sublimation to load drugs into a mesoporous silica carrier without relying on organic solvents. Using ibuprofen as a model compound, they showed that this approach can produce formulations with significantly enhanced solubility, offering a cleaner and more sustainable strategy for drug development.

Scientists from the Research Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA) developed a liquid-repellent particle coating that allows pico- and nanoliter liquid droplets to be handled like dry powder, enabling precise control of ultra-small liquid volumes in microfluidics applications.

Winemakers have only a short window to pick their grapes to make the best quality wine. Everything from weather to soil acidity affect which date is best to harvest.

Prof Lei Su and Dr Xuechun Wang have invented a portable optical sensor which uses machine learning to give winemakers instant, accurate ripeness data, removing the need for manual sampling and slow destructive testing.

The team are looking for innovative vineyards, agritech partners, and fruit orchards to help test the prototype and shape the future of smart harvesting.

Musical chills are pleasurable shivers or goosebump sensations that people feel when they resonate with the music they’re listening to. They reduce stress and have beneficial side effects, but they are difficult to induce reliably. Now, researchers from Japan have developed a practical system that uses in-ear electroencephalography sensors to measure the brain’s response to music in real time and provide music suggestions that enhance chills.  

Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS) in Japan recently examined how different kinds of pesticides and fertilizers affect mandarin oranges across Japan. Analysis showed that while reducing pesticides enhanced the diversity of microbes in the soil, it also led to an increase in fruit disease caused by leaf pathogens. The real-world data from commercial farms thus indicate a trade-off above ground with potential ecological benefits below ground. The study offers important insights for the advancement of sustainable agricultural technologies and future policy development.