Children’s well-being takes center stage at UC Irvine forum

Deep inside Armenia's Ararat-1 Cave, ancient stone tools are rewriting the survival playbook of Middle Paleolithic hunter-gatherers. By contrasting meticulously repaired, long-distance obsidian tools with quick-fix local chert, a new study reveals how early humans mastered both extensive travel and on-the-fly resourcefulness. Rather than just a simple shelter, the cave emerges as a prehistoric pit stop—a crucial rest and repair station along complex migration routes.

Targeted control of individual quantum states is considered a key requirement for future quantum computers and other quantum technologies. Researchers of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have now found a new way to precisely control the quantum-mechanical state, called spin, of single magnetic molecules on a surface by means of electric voltage. The results open up new possibilities for the development of efficient quantum computers and electrically controlled quantum operations. The results have been published in Nature Physics. (DOI: 10.1038/s41567-026-03353-w)

Researchers who combine machine learning and economics are studying the social impact of algorithms that determine payouts on digital marketplaces. In a recently published study, the team highlights the structural imbalance in digital labor markets and provides a blueprint for fairer market with better working conditions for gig workers.

In recent years, photodynamic therapy (PDT) has emerged as an important component of comprehensive cancer treatment owing to its minimally invasive nature, low systemic toxicity, and high selectivity. However, the clinical efficacy of conventional photosensitizers has long been limited by their dependence on oxygen, insufficient tissue penetration, and inadequate targeting precision. Recently, a research team from China Three Gorges University published a review article in the journal BM, systematically summarizing the latest advances in six major classes of organic photosensitizers for cancer PDT: porphyrins, chlorins, phthalocyanines, fused-ring quinones, phenothiazines, and BODIPY derivatives. The review highlights that molecular-structure engineering, the development of nanodelivery systems, and multimodal combination-treatment strategies can substantially enhance reactive oxygen species generation and tumor-killing efficacy. These findings provide a systematic reference for the design of next-generation phototherapeutic agents that are highly efficient, minimally toxic, and suitable for treating deep-seated tumors.

As intelligent electronics become increasingly integrated into daily life, health care, virtual interaction, and assistive systems, human–machine interfaces (HMIs) require sensing platforms that are not only wearable and self-powered but also capable of translating human signals into adaptive machine functions. Triboelectric wearable sensors are particularly attractive in this regard because they directly transduce human-generated mechanical stimuli, provide broad material and structural design freedom, and are readily adaptable to body-interfaced formats. In this review, wearability refers to body-mounted, skin-interfaced, textile-integrated, or otherwise human-attached triboelectric sensing platforms, whereas human-centric smart electronics refers to downstream electronic systems that remain functionally anchored to human-originated sensing, interpretation, feedback, or control. From this perspective, we review triboelectric wearable sensors from fundamentals to applications, covering working principles, material selection, device architectures, and fabrication strategies. We further discuss artificial intelligence-assisted signal processing, triboelectric artificial synapses, and neuromorphic computing as key bridges from self-powered sensing to intelligent HMI. Representative application spaces, including health care, gesture recognition, device control, immersive virtual interaction, wearable-to-robotic extensions, and intelligent transportation are discussed only when wearable triboelectric sensing serves as the primary human–input interface. Finally, the remaining challenges and future directions toward next-generation human-centric smart electronics are outlined.