A new report warns that Generative AI-powered toys that ‘talk’ with young children need tighter regulation to ensure children’s psychological safety. The recommendations come from the first systematic study of how these toys influence development in the early years up to age five. While there is some optimism that AI toys could support aspects of childhood development, the study found that they misunderstand children, misread emotions and cannot engage in developmentally important types of play. The report raises concerns about children forming parasocial relationships with AI toys, potentially at the expense of essential human support.

Biochar is widely studied as a low cost material that can remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Scientists have long believed that only the smallest pores in biochar play the main role in capturing carbon dioxide molecules. A new study now challenges this assumption by showing that larger pores may contribute more actively to carbon capture than previously thought.

Researchers have developed a new eco friendly method to transform biochar into a highly hydrophobic material that can repel water and absorb large amounts of oil. The innovation could help advance sustainable materials for environmental cleanup and green coatings.

Adults over age 65 experience greater numbers of emergency hospitalizations for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases during and after power outages, reports a new study by Heather McBrien of Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, U.S., and colleagues, published March 12^th in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine.

How does a tiny cluster of cells become an embryo with a head, trunk, and tail? And how do thousands of genes coordinate this development? A new imaging method makes it possible to visualize the activity of thousands of genes simultaneously throughout the entire zebrafish embryo. Using this technology, a research team at the University of Basel, Switzerland, has created an atlas of all genes and cells involved in turning a cluster of cells into an embryo.

Scientists have captured the first-ever measurements of needlelike microscopic metal structures as they grow in lithium-ion batteries.