Scientists at the University of Southern California (USC) have developed a lactation pad equipped with sensing technology that allows parents of newborns to monitor breast milk in real time. Publishing in the Cell Press journal Device on May 7, their work shows that the device is capable of ensuring that breast milk contains safe levels of the painkiller acetaminophen, which is often prescribed after childbirth and can be transferred to breastfeeding infants. 

Our brain is a complex organ. Billions of nerve cells are wired in an intricate network, constantly processing signals, enabling us to recall memories or to move our bodies. Making sense of this complicated network requires a precise look into how these nerve cells are arranged and connected. “LICONN”, a new microscopy method developed by scientists at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) and Google Research, now helps piece together this puzzle. The method, which makes use of off-the-shelf light microscopes, hydrogel and deep learning, was published in Nature.

The UK will be getting a new centre to pioneer brain-inspired, energy-efficient computing technologies. The UK Multidisciplinary Centre for Neuromorphic Computing is led by Aston University and will receive £5.6 million over four years from the UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). The aim of the centre is to become a focal point for networking and collaboration on fundamental research and technology of neuromorphic computing to address the sustainability challenges facing today’s digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence systems.

Engineers from Australia and China have invented a sponge-like device that captures water from thin air and then releases it in a cup using the sun’s energy, even in low humidity where other technologies such as fog harvesting and radiative cooling have struggled.

The water-from-air device remained effective across a broad range of humidity levels (30 – 90%) and temperatures (5 – 55 degrees Celsius).