Infrared adaptive optical systems that correct aberrations via deformable mirrors are critical for astronomy, defense, and industry fields. To this end, scientists in China invented a chain‑ring dual‑network chalcogenide glass that combine broadband infrared-transparent with polymer-like flexibility, which overcomes the long-standing material trade-off. Based on this novel material, they fabricated infrared deformable lenses with real‑time aberration correction, opening new pathways for infrared adaptive optical technology.

Tomomichi Itoh and his colleagues at Ehime University have shown how tiny light-induced molecular shape changes can be amplified into visible deformation of polymer microparticles. The team developed light-responsive particles containing azobenzene molecules and revealed how structural changes triggered by light spread through the material, ultimately deforming particles several to tens of micrometers in size. These findings provide new insights for designing light-driven microscale materials and devices.

Researchers at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI) at Kanazawa University have developed a way to observe how antibodies interact with a cancer-related protein carried on tiny membrane-bound vesicles released by cells. Using high-speed atomic force microscopy, they found that measuring how much of the protein is present does not necessarily show how accessible it is to antibodies. The findings reported in the journal Small Methods provide a new way to investigate differences between individual cancer-derived vesicles although further research is needed before the approach can be used clinically.

Motion correction in live imaging has long posed a critical challenge, as the rhythmic pulsations caused by breathing, heartbeat, and limb movements induce complex rigid and non-rigid deformations that severely compromise high-fidelity, long-term monitoring of large-scale neuronal populations. Now, through the development of an adaptive motion correction framework, a research team from Zhejiang University and Hangzhou City University has successfully overcome the accuracy and computational bottlenecks of traditional algorithms. The discovery is published in the journal PhotoniX.

A group of scientists have shown that brain organoids can pass on signals that correspond to Braille letters, an essential step towards developing the energy-efficient biohybrid computers of the future. The brain organoids, remotely connected to a sensor that recorded tactile signals from different Braille letters, produced signals that were different for each letter, allowing a decoder to distinguish between the different letters the organoids had been given. Although individual brain organoids provided accurately decodable signals 61% of the time, a team of three performed significantly better, producing an accurate signal 83% of the time. The team of three was also better at distinguishing the signals from artificial noise than the decoder working directly on the obscured signals, without the organoids’ involvement.  

A world-first study by Australian researchers compared three mRNA-LNP vaccine platforms in human blood samples, generating findings that could revolutionise cancer treatment and vaccine design.