Robot-assisted knee replacement surgery is more precise than a surgeon on their own, but does not currently lead to improvements in patient outcomes, according to the RACER-Knee trial, the world's largest clinical study of its kind. This trial makes an important contribution to the evidence on robotics in health care and where future advances and research should focus. The trial, coordinated by the University of Warwick and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust, is published in The Lancet, the world's oldest and best-known general medical journal.

Modern biology research can now generate valuable data on an unprecedented scale. But there is one major obstacle: making sense of these complex high-dimensional datasets. A team at the University of Basel, Switzerland, has developed a new tool that can provide accurate pictures of the structures hiding within highly complex datasets. By helping scientists uncover hidden patterns in the data, the software will help to make new scientific discoveries.

Researchers have developed a plug-and-play technology that enables customised biomaterials to be created using blue light, vitamin B2 and common biological building blocks.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) accounts for roughly 15–20% of all breast cancer cases and is difficult to treat. Patients are often left with chemotherapy as their only treatment option. This is because TNBC tumors contain a large number of T cells that suppress the immune system. Yet researchers from Tohoku University have come up with a three-pronged approach to overcome this problem.

Researchers of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) have discovered that fine particulate pollution (PM2.5) significantly impairs the ability of plants to efficiently use water and absorb carbon dioxide. The findings reveal that PM2.5 pollution weakens the vital carbon-water coupling of vegetation, highlighting that mitigating air pollution is not only a public health priority but also a critical climate action imperative.

A research team from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed), has revealed that the number of women aged 35 to 49 worldwide affected by infertility is expected to rise from 53.6 million in 2023 to 79.64 million in 2036, representing an increase of approximately 50%. As socioeconomic transformation continues and delayed childbearing becomes increasingly common, the burden of infertility is gradually shifting towards more developed economies, with East Asia bearing the highest burden globally. The findings provide important scientific evidence for assessing the burden of infertility, formulating reproductive health policies and optimising resource allocation in Hong Kong and worldwide. The study also underscores the importance of earlier intervention, including timely fertility assessments and early treatment of reproductive disorders. The findings were published in the international medical journal The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women's Health.