Diagnosing dementia early is challenging due to variability in symptoms and limited access to advanced imaging tools. In a pilot study, researchers tested broadband near-infrared spectroscopy (bNIRS), a portable and noninvasive neuromonitoring technology that measures both blood oxygenation and concentration of oxidized cytochrome c oxidase (oxCCO), a metabolic mitochondrial enzyme linked to Alzheimer’s disease. In this study, participants with mild cognitive impairment, early Alzheimer’s dementia, and healthy controls observed a visual stimulus while bNIRS recorded brain responses. Statistical analysis showed a strong correlation between derivatives of bNIRS signals and cognitive test scores, which weakened significantly when oxCCO metrics were excluded. These results suggest that bNIRS, particularly with its ability to measure oxCCO, could provide an accessible portable technique for diagnosing and monitoring dementia.

Researchers at Hiroshima University have developed a realistic, highly sensitive method to detect the Unruh effect—a long-predicted phenomenon at the crossroads of relativity and quantum theory. Their approach opens new possibilities for exploring fundamental physics and developing advanced technologies.

Molecular Sustainable Solutions, a spin-off from the Universitat Jaume I of Castelló (UJI), secures €186,000 investment from BeAble Capital, a leading Science Equity fund specializing in disruptive scientific technologies. The disinfection and sterilization methods developed by Molecular Sustainable Solutions —more powerful and sustainable than current ones— are capable of tackling particularly resistant and dangerous microorganisms, such as the fungus Candida auris, popularly known as “the killer fungus.”

With this investment, Molecular Sustainable Solutions will be able to accelerate the maturation of its technology and move towards rapid market entry, strengthening its position as a benchmark in innovative solutions for public health and sustainability. The company, based at Espaitec, the UJI Science and Technology Park, thus becomes the first spin-off from the public university in Castelló to receive funding from a venture capital firm.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are carcinogenic compounds introduced in food due to cooking methods such as smoking, grilling, and frying. Recently, researchers from Seoul National University of Science and Technology have leveraged a new method called QuEChERS-GC-MS to extract and detect PAHs in common food items, finding the highest levels in soybean oil, followed by duck meat and canola oil.

A zigzag stitch enables fabric to stretch until the thread is straight. University of Tartu researchers report in Advanced Materials that thread packing can encode fabric stretchability, leading the way to tailoring wearables at industrial scale.