In a step forward for soft robotics and biomedical devices, Rice University engineers have uncovered a powerful new way to boost the strength and durability of silicone-based soft devices without changing the materials themselves. Their study, published in a special issue of Science Advances, focuses on printed and musculoskeletal robotics and offers a predictive framework that connects silicone curing conditions with adhesion strength, enabling dramatic improvements in performance for both molded and 3D-printed elastomer components.

Probiotics are emerging tools used by neonatal intensive care units to promote healthy outcomes and prevent intestinal diseases such as necrotizing enterocolitis. Probiotic treatment often includes the administration of bacterial strains that belong to the Bifidobacterium genus. Bifidobacterium strains are especially abundant in the guts of children — particularly children who are breastfed — and are considered beneficial to human health.

Scientists have sought to use probiotics to deliver the benefits of Bifidobacterium to infants suffering from malnutrition. Researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys and and colleagues at Washington University School of Medicine, Sabanci University and the University of California San Diego published findings July 16, 2025, in Nature Microbiology demonstrating the ability to predict the nutritional adaptations of Bifidobacterium strains by analyzing the distribution of hundreds of metabolic genes in thousands of Bifidobacterium genomes.

Described in a new study published in Science Advances, this new process, called "Robot Metabolism," enables machines to absorb and reuse parts from other robots or their surroundings.

EPFL researchers have pioneered a 3D-printable, programmable lattice structure for robotics that mimics the vast diversity of biological tissues – from a flexible trunk to rigid bone – using a single foam material. 

University of Göttingen Professors – Lutz Ackermann, Timo Betz and Jörg Enderlein – have each been awarded Proof of Concept (PoC) grants by the European Research Council (ERC). These grants provide top-up funding of €150,000 over 18 months to outstanding researchers, who have already received ERC funding, so that they can build on the innovation potential of their findings. This enables Europe’s top scientists to develop initiatives that boost the economy and society.

Artificial intelligence (AI) models trained on large datasets are increasingly seen as the key to unlocking personalised treatments for brain disorders. An important bottleneck for scaling AI is the cost of data collection. This raises a fundamental dilemma: is it more cost-effective to scan more people for a short time, or fewer people for longer?

New collaboration between Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s and Allen Institute creates a common language for visualizing data from Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s research.