NYU scientists are using light to precisely control how tiny particles organize themselves into crystals. Their research provides a simple and reversible method for forming crystals that can be used to develop a new generation of adaptable materials.

A team in Belgium led by Professor Dries Van Thourhout reports on a novel type of surface emitting laser, directly integrated on standard 300 mm silicon wafers.  It is based on a one-dimensional array of nano-ridges that forms a photonic crystal cavity, enabling strong in-plane confinement while emitting light vertically. The GaAs photonic crystal is directly grown on the silicon substrate, using a combination of aspect ratio trapping and nano-ridge engineering. By varying the array period and nano-ridge dimensions, the emission wavelength can be controlled.  This is a first step towards a cost-effective alternative for traditional VCSELs, which are today widely used in optical interconnects and consumer products such as mobile phones and optical mice.

Two research teams from the Universitat Jaume I of Castelló and the Public University of Navarre have developed a passive thermoelectric subcooling device for self-contained refrigeration units that improves the efficiency and performance of the refrigeration circuit.

The invention is particularly applicable to the commercial refrigeration sector, specifically to self-contained refrigeration units used to preserve perishable products, as it not only reduces the energy consumption of the equipment but also increases its control capacity.

The new device can be easily integrated into self-contained refrigeration units. It is compact, robust and silent, offers a high level of control thanks to thermoelectric mechanisms, and has no moving parts, which means minimal maintenance. Its main advantages include improved energy efficiency of the refrigeration unit, ease of integration, low maintenance requirements and the absence of noise.

A research team led by the University of Waterloo is developing a novel tool to treat cancer by engineering hungry bacteria to literally eat tumours from the inside out. Bacteria spores enter the tumour, finding an environment where there are lots of nutrients and no oxygen, which this organism prefers, and so it starts eating those nutrients and growing in size.

A research team in Kumamoto University has discovered that a natural compound found in pomegranate leaves and branches can directly break down harmful protein aggregates linked to transthyretin (TTR) amyloidosis, a progressive and potentially life-threatening disease affecting the nerves and heart.

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (Leipzig) have shown how natural ocean cycles and rainfall patterns prevent a synchronised, planet‑wide drought and global-scale agricultural collapse. Based on over 100 years of climate data, the study finds that though warming increases drought severity, synchronised droughts are rarer than expected, affecting only 1.8–6.5% of land at any time. By treating droughts as a connected global system, the research team has identified key “drought hubs” and early‑warning regions that can help stabilise food markets.