Mass General Brigham researchers developed FAHR-Face, a foundation AI model trained on more than 40 million facial photographs, and used it to create two tools that estimate biological age and predict survival outcomes in patients with cancer from a simple photo. Their new study found the model improved upon the team's earlier FaceAge technology, remained robust across common photo variations, cosmetic procedures and presence of makeup, and showed that lifestyle factors such as smoking and alcohol and drug use were associated with accelerated facial aging.

Nitrogen fertilizers are essential for crop production, but much of the nitrogen applied to agricultural soils is lost before plants can use it. These losses not only waste valuable nutrients but also contribute to environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Scientists have now discovered that adding manganese to biochar can help soil retain more nitrogen by strengthening a natural microbial process.

Agricultural residues, wood waste, and other discarded plant materials could become valuable resources for cleaner energy and environmental technologies. Yet producing consistently high-performing carbon materials from these renewable resources remains a major challenge. Scientists now highlight a critical reason: the properties of the original biomass can determine how well the final carbon material performs.

Smart glasses require compact displays that can produce detailed, full-color images while keeping power consumption low. Researchers at TDK Corporation have developed a thin-film lithium niobate photonic chip that addresses limitations of conventional laser beam scanning displays by controlling red, green, and blue laser light with voltage rather than by adjusting the current supplied to each laser. The chip integrates three optical modulators with a component that combines the colors into a single output beam, enabling rapid and precise color control. In tests, the device achieved a modulation bandwidth above 10 gigahertz, sufficient for 4K and higher-resolution displays, while reducing overall power consumption by more than 75 percent. The researchers also combined the chip with a MEMS scanning mirror to project a full-color image. By eliminating the need for neutral density filters and reducing the power required for color control, the approach could support smaller, more efficient laser scanning displays for smart glasses and other compact imaging systems.

The use of robots, drones and AI tools in agriculture is already paying off on 42% of the world’s cropland. This could increase to 50% in the next 20 years and to as much as 75% if every country tightened environmental regulations. If every country loosened its regulations it would fall to 31%. These are the main findings from an international study led by the University of Bonn, which is the first to estimate the profitability of smart farming worldwide. What is more, high-tech agriculture often proves profitable precisely in parts of the world struggling with environmental problems such as water stress and overfertilization. The results of the study have been published in the journal PNAS. 

Researchers at Arizona State University and their collaborators have developed a palladium-coated membrane that uses hydrogen to break down highly persistent PFAS “forever chemicals.” The system successfully treated six PFAS of regulatory concern, removing more than 90% of each compound in continuous operation while chemically stripping away much of their fluorine. The approach could eventually complement existing PFAS-removal technologies by destroying contaminants rather than simply concentrating or storing them.

An ultrasonic tube developed at the University of Helsinki can guide gas, powders and plasma as well as liquids. The tube is formed by ultrasound from 256 small speakers, and it can be turned while material is flowing through it.

Dr. Duragadevi Elamaran (currently an assistant professor at SRM Institute of Science and Technology, India) and Prof. Daisuke Kiriya have developed a planar molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) memtransistor whose memory behavior is controlled at the metal-semiconductor contacts rather than by modifying the MoS₂ channel itself. By selectively treating the contact regions with gold chloride (AuCl₃), the team created interfacial states that reversibly trap and release charge, changing carrier injection through the contact barrier. The device showed gradual resistive switching and several forms of synaptic plasticity under drain-voltage operation. As a proof of concept for temporal information processing, a single memtransistor was used with time-multiplexed virtual nodes to distinguish normal and ventricular ectopic electrocardiogram (ECG) signals from the MIT–BIH arrhythmia database.

The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has joined BioMADE, a national institute focused on advancing manufacturing using biological systems in the United States, strengthening connections between ORNL research, industry needs and pathways to commercial-scale production of new chemicals and materials.