Researchers at Brown University have developed a wearable sensor that uses polarized light to improve the accuracy of photoplethysmography (PPG) signals across different skin tones. Conventional pulse oximeters often underperform on darker skin due to light absorption and scattering by melanin. The new device combines two wavelengths with cross-polarized detection to reduce superficial scattering and enhance deeper vascular signals. In tests with volunteers of light, medium, and brown skin tones, cross-polarization significantly increased perfusion index—a measure of signal strength—compared to co-polarized detection. This approach could help make wearable health technologies more equitable and reliable.

 

After years of searching, scientists at the Micro Booster Neutrino Experiment (MicroBooNE) have ruled out the possibility of the existence of a sterile neutrino, a hypothetical particle that had long been speculated as a solution to open questions in particle physics. Publishing their results in the journal Nature, the collaboration’s result narrows the field of possibilities that could explain one of today’s biggest puzzles in neutrino physics.

SAN ANTONIO — December 10, 2025 — Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and Trinity University will study Thermus thermophilus, a thermal bacterium with highly stable proteins, to advance scientific understanding of stability mechanisms that could pave the way for advanced treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer’s, ALS and cancer. The project is supported by SwRI and Trinity through a new grant program designed to encourage collaborative research.

First observation of carbon-neutrino interactions opens new frontiers in nuclear and particle physics.

Targeting Casitas B-lineage lymphoma-b (CBLB), Insilico Medicine announced the nomination of ISM3830, its 23rd AI-empowered preclinical candidate (PCC) since 2021, in late November 2025, which demonstrated low toxicity risks, favorable ADME/PK profiles, as well as induction of long-term tumor immunity, cracking the bottleneck in metabolism and absorption of previously reported CBLB inhibitors.

 

Shortly beforehand, the discovery process and evaluation of CBLB inhibitors with a different scaffold were published in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. The paper highlights Compound 10, a potent, orally available lead compound with novel scaffold promising druggability, providing an AI-driven optimization roadmap for CBLB inhibition strategies.