New sensing technology uses enzymes to selectively distinguish subtle differences in sugar structures on protein surfaces

Excess fluoride in water is a persistent environmental and public health concern in many parts of the world. Now, researchers have developed a new plant-derived material that can capture fluoride efficiently while also creating value from invasive plant biomass.

A first-of-its-kind project at UC Berkeley is using AI and data science to help untangle a national patchwork of laws by collecting every digitally accessible one into a free, open-access database. While online repositories have cataloged state and federal statutes for years, the new project is the first time such a database has existed specifically for local laws. The new resource opens the door for others to generate custom databases and local chatbots that can quickly generate comparisons of local laws on topics spanning home construction to dog leash laws. 

For decades, fisheries managers have struggled to restore wild populations of lake trout recruitment across the Great Lakes region, with limited success. Returning this species to its former abundance is hampered by overfishing, sea lamprey predation, invasive species, and habitat alterations. A potential barrier to recovery is Thiamine Deficiency Complex (TDC), a disorder caused by insufficient vitamin B1, or thiamine. This syndrome is considered a major threat to conservation and restoration efforts widely.

TDC can cause severe behavioral and neurological abnormalities and extremely high mortality of newly hatched fish. It is typically observed in hatcheries that rear salmon and trout egg obtained from wild populations, and hatchery staff can mitigate its effects using thiamine treatments.

Now, scientists from SUNY Brockport, the University of Vermont (UVM), and Oregon State University have conducted the first study to examine whether embryos can acquire thiamine naturally in their wild environment. The study, published in Scientific Reports and funded by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, found that lake trout embryos developing in Lake Champlain accumulated substantial amounts of thiamine, while paired embryos reared under controlled laboratory conditions did not show the same increase. 

The findings provide new insight into how the effects of thiamine deficiency may play out differently in the wild than in hatcheries. 

A steady “snowfall” of tiny particles carries carbon, nutrients and pollution from the ocean’s surface toward the deep sea. Scientists can see those particles sinking, but determining exactly what they contain is much harder. University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography Research Professor Melissa Omand is turning to artificial intelligence to help solve that problem. The National Science Foundation awarded nearly $700,000 to the team for the three-year project, which is scheduled to begin in January 2027 and run through December 2029.

Researchers have developed a thin-film lithium niobate integrated photonic receiver for dual-band radar, integrating electro-optic modulation and microwave demultiplexing on a single chip. Published in PhotoniX Synergy, the work combines integrated dual-band signal processing with coherent fusion to enable a 12-GHz equivalent bandwidth and a 1.27-cm ranging resolution, providing a highly integrated pathway toward microwave photonic radar systems.