Bonn, January 14, 2026 – Researchers from Bonn and Basel have developed a new method to equip human retinal organoids – small, lab-grown models of the retina – with artificial blood vessel structures. These vascularized retinal organoids, called vROs, preserve inner retinal cell types and for the first time, form fully functional light-signal pathways from photoreceptors to retinal ganglion cells.

Engineers at the University of Pennsylvania have discovered that foams — from soap suds to food emulsions — are not static, as long assumed, but instead continuously reorganize themselves in ways that mathematically resemble how modern AI systems learn.

Dopamine is widely known as the brain’s “reward molecule,” but new research from Wroclaw Medical University reveals a far more nuanced role. Instead of simply amplifying neural activity, dopamine precisely regulates inhibitory circuits in the hippocampus, a brain region critical for learning and memory. By fine-tuning when and where neurons are silenced, dopamine helps shape stable and selective memory traces. The study shows that both too little and too much dopamine disrupt this balance, highlighting a narrow window in which healthy brain plasticity can occur. These findings challenge simplified views of dopamine function and suggest that many neuropsychiatric disorders may stem not from dopamine imbalance alone, but from a loss of precision in how this neurotransmitter controls neural networks.

Researchers report that redesigning neurokinin-1 receptor (NK1R) antagonists can restore antidepressant-like effects in animal models. Using machine-learning-guided screening, the team identified structurally distinct compounds that lack chemical features found in earlier failed drugs. In mouse models of stress- and inflammation-induced depression, the lead compound reduced depressive-like behavior and brain inflammation without affecting locomotion. The findings suggest that NK1R remains a viable therapeutic target when approached with improved molecular design.

Researchers at Princeton University and the University of Arizona have quantified U.S. groundwater in unprecedented breadth and detail. Combining direct measurements with artificial intelligence methods, their new map estimates groundwater depth across the continental United States at a resolution of around 30 meters (98 feet). The work provides a foundation for further research as well as local and regional decision-making around irrigation, conservation and water infrastructure.