A new Multi-University Research Initiative (MURI) funded by the U.S. Army Research Office aims to unlock the mysteries of the brain’s hidden half. Multidisciplinary teams of scientists will investigate astrocytes and their potential as models for next-generation AI systems. The MURI is led by University of Maryland Physics Professor Wolfgang Losert, Chemistry and Biochemistry Professor John Fourkas, Electrical and Computer Engineering Assistant Professor Sahil Shah and Associate Professor Behtash Babadi; and Claremont Colleges Associate Professor of Physics Sarah Marzen.

researchers at Virginia Tech have developed an “acoustic atom” — a chip-scale device that traps and controls sound waves in ways that mimic the behavior of real atoms. Long term, these advances could influence technologies connected to quantum artificial intelligence (AI), telecommunication, medical imaging, GPS, and more.

Using a novel cross-linking molecule, MIT chemists showed they can double the strength of common polymers, including polystyrene and a type of rubber used to make shoe soles.

Researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) and Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences (CIAC) have developed a novel FeSNC catalyst with axial Fe-S₁N₄ coordination using a dual-precursor CVD strategy. This structural engineering optimizes the adsorption of oxygen intermediates and enhances proton transport, leading to a record-high power density of 1.2 W·cm^-2 in proton exchange membrane fuel cells.

A new study is opening a rare acoustic window into the hidden world of underwater predators. Using machine learning and underwater recordings, researchers developed a system that can detect and classify shell-crushing feeding events by whitespotted eagle rays as they prey on clams, oysters and other shellfish. The technology delivers near-deep learning accuracy with far less computing power, paving the way for real-time, large-scale monitoring of predator behavior and the health of coastal ecosystems.

Scientists long assumed that the aluminum oxide surface should be highly reactive and capable of splitting water molecules. In experiments, however, this behavior is barely observed. At TU Wien, researchers have found an answer. It's the geometry: Instead of a smooth and regularly ordered surface, the outermost atoms are arranged in an irregular way, which dramatically changes chemical properties of the surface.

Core-collapse supernovae are thought to be powered by neutrino-driven energy transport. Now, researchers in Japan have shown that neutrino fast flavor conversion can either enhance or suppress supernova explosions depending on the progenitor star. Using advanced multiangle neutrino radiation hydrodynamics simulations, the team demonstrated that the mass accretion rate is the key factor governing this bifurcated behavior, offering new insight into the evolution and death of massive stars.