They can be heated using infrared light, release antioxidant substances, and electrically stimulate cells when activated by ultrasound. These are the new nanoparticles designed and produced by a research group at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT-Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia), coordinated by Gianni Ciofani, with the aim of providing nanomedicine with a new, versatile and effective therapeutic tool. This is the first time that three properties, being piezoelectric, photothermal and antioxidant, have been combined in a single organic structure measuring 500 nanometres. Described in the international journal ACS Nano, the new nanoparticles could be used to modulate cellular activity, with potential applications in oncology and the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

A new study, published in Nature Physics, demonstrates that waves inside an irregularly shaped cavity made from hyperbolic materials can organize into stable, repeating paths rather than scattering chaotically. The researchers call these structures “hyperbolic wave attractors,” and their findings could eventually help scientists and engineers design new ways to control light, radio waves, and sound in complex environments.

A research team led by Kyushu University have developed a new water-soluble and metal-free molecule that could be detected by both fluorescence imaging and utilized as an MRI contrast agent. The team modified the luminescent organic radical tris(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl) methyl (TTM) to make it water-soluble. The new molecule produced deep-red fluorescence in water and enhanced the contrast of MRI phantom images by approximately 2.5 to 4.5 times stronger than that of previously reported water-soluble TTM radicals.

A new graph-theoretic framework that provides a unified description of atom-light interactions across regimes ranging from weak to deep-strong coupling has been proposed.

Researchers undertook a study of the ocean’s topography to better understand its impact on Earth’s climate. They discovered that the shape of the ocean floor does affect the global climate system. Their research was published in the journal Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Research on August 25, 2026.

Chemists routinely optimize reactions to maximize the yield of their desired products, but understanding why those reactions work can require laborious experiments that track reactions through time. Researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed a method to extract hidden information on reaction speeds from yield data obtained during reaction optimization using machine learning together with rate equations developed by chemists. Concentration-dependent yield analysis (CYAN) uses machine learning to expand the yield data from reaction optimization experiments, then uses this information to calculate how quickly the different steps of a reaction occur. This gives chemists a tool to understand, improve and design complex high-yield chemical reactions.