A tiny sensor that reads creatinine in seconds
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 10-Jun-2026 00:16 ET (10-Jun-2026 04:16 GMT/UTC)
Creatinine is a widely used marker of kidney function, but testing it still often depends on bulky instruments or methods prone to interference.
Researchers at Trinity College Dublin have developed a new light-based technology on a tiny chip that could help make the data centres behind cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and global internet services faster and more efficient. In the new research, recently published in leading international journal Nature Communications, the Trinity team reported one such promising advance with collaborators at the University of Bath and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL).
The team developed a new way to generate extremely stable signals of light using microscopic ring-shaped devices called “microresonators”. These signals form what scientists call optical frequency combs, sometimes described as “optical rulers” because they produce a series of evenly spaced colours of light that can be used to measure light with remarkable precision.
The researchers also demonstrated a new type of light pulse called a “hyperparametric soliton”. This stable pulse is the key behind the major advancement in this work, as it allows the comb signals to be produced at different colours of light from the laser that powers the device.
This makes the technology useful for high-speed optical communications that play a major role in data transfer (in data centres). And the researchers demonstrated this in a wavelength region used for high-speed data links inside large data centres, an area of growing importance as demand for data continues to surge with the expansion of AI computing infrastructure.
A new study led by Aalto University examines how AI companions impacted people’s mental health and social lives over a two-year period. Combining large‑scale data from the discussion platform Reddit with in-depth interviews, it showed that while interacting with an AI companion can support users, it also coincided with increased signs of distress in their online language. The work offers one of the first causal, long-term examinations of AI companions’ mental health impact at scale, grounded in first‑hand accounts of users’ everyday lives.
Existing plasmonic systems lack the required anisotropy for robust chiral control and tunable light confinement. Researchers demonstrate hyperbolic localized plasmon resonances in the anisotropic two-dimensional crystal MoOCl₂. Unlike conventional plasmons, these modes are intrinsically one-dimensional, independent of the metal–insulator–metal (Z-) gaps, and can generate strong optical chirality without breaking geometric symmetry. This approach could enable a versatile nanophotonic platform for polarization engineering, chiral sensing, and integrated quantum nanophotonic devices.
In a multicenter retrospective Chinese ICU cohort (5 hospitals, 2012–2023; 9,221 pediatric suspected-infection admissions; 13.4% mortality), the Phoenix Sepsis Score showed only moderate discrimination for in-hospital death (AUROC 0.60). Using XGBoost/SHAP-guided, clinically feasible predictors, the authors created PSS+, presented as a logistic regression nomogram, improving discrimination in internal (AUROC 0.75) and external (AUROC 0.71) validation versus PSS-4/8 and pSOFA.
Nanofilm electrodes capable of detecting stress in plants through bioelectric potentials could pave the way for more resilient agriculture, report researchers from Institute of Science Tokyo. Thanks to the electrode’s small thickness, leaf surface hairs can easily pierce through it, enabling stable and long-term electrical contact without compromising the leaf’s natural processes. This work could help improve crop yields by enabling early detection of stress in plants.
A multi-channel wearable scent display developed at Institute of Science Tokyo allows a user to experience multiple scents while exploring virtual environments. Based on virtual scenes, the device can blend up to eight fragrances in real time and deliver them with precise control of odor intensity. By synchronizing smell with virtual reality content, the device enables better immersion and realism—opening new possibilities for enhanced digital entertainment, realistic simulation training, and future digital scent technologies.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being explored as a tool to support clinical decision-making, yet its real-world performance in pediatric diagnosis remains unclear. Now, a Pediatric Investigation study using authentic clinical cases reports that advanced AI models outperform clinicians in diagnostic accuracy, particularly for rare diseases, while a combined human-AI approach achieves the highest overall success. The findings highlight the potential of AI as a complementary tool to improve diagnostic precision and patient outcomes.