Thermoresponsive mixtures made from poloxamers are widely used in drug delivery, as they remain liquid at room temperature but solidify in response to body heat. However, their gelation behavior is difficult to control. Now, researchers have investigated how mixtures of poloxamers P407 and P188 behave at different temperatures and concentrations. Using a comprehensive approach, they uncovered the molecular mechanisms behind their gelation processes, providing insights into the development of smart therapeutic formulations.

While terahertz spectroscopy offers a promising solution for non-invasive chemical detection, conventional methods often struggle in real-world environments where sample geometry and packaging distort the signal. UCLA researchers addressed this by creating a robust chemical imaging system that integrates high-performance terahertz time-domain spectroscopy with deep learning neural networks. By analyzing individual time-domain pulses rather than terahertz spectra, this system effectively identifies explosives with pixel-level precision, achieving high classification accuracy even for targets concealed behind opaque coverings.