Scientists from Ocean University of China have crafted a 3D bimetallic MOF array material for electrocatalytic air sterilization, detailed in Engineering. The 0.3Co-MOF/Cu@Cu electrode boasts strong water stability and conductivity, killing 99.51% of E. coli in just 0.0026 s at 24 V and 1.5 m·s⁻¹ airflow, via electroporation and ROS generation, offering a promising indoor air purification solution.

A research team from the Cognitive Neurotechnology Unit and the Visual Perception and Cognition Laboratory at Toyohashi University of Technology investigated how facial expressions are perceived when a face is located behind an observer. Participants wearing a head-mounted display observed 3D face models presented either in front of or behind them in a virtual reality (VR) environment and made binary judgments about the facial expression. The stimuli varied continuously from neutral to angry, and participants judged whether each face appeared neutral or angry. Across four experiments—including conditions using happy and fearful expressions in addition to anger—the results consistently showed that faces presented behind the observer tended to be perceived as more emotionally intense than those presented in front (a “behind-enhancement bias”). Notably, for angry expressions, a similar tendency was observed even when participants did not turn around but instead viewed the face behind them via a virtual mirror. These findings suggest that it is not the act of turning itself, but rather the spatial position of the face behind the observer, that may influence emotion perception. This study suggests the existence of a spatially modulated perceptual bias related to the processing of emotionally salient stimuli (e.g., potential threats) located behind the observer.

The findings were published online in Cognition on March 30, 2026.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2026.106532

ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, today announced Ricardo Baeza-Yates as the recipient of the 2025 ACM Luiz André Barroso Award, recognizing his pioneering contributions to algorithms and information retrieval as well as his leadership in fostering a vibrant transnational research community across Latin America.

Using quantum entanglement, MIT researchers found a way to simultaneously measure multiple physical quantities in a room temperature quantum sensor. The approach could have applications in biomedical sensing, materials characterization, and more.