Handheld ‘pocket microscope’ sees molecules directly -- no staining required
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 21-Jan-2026 10:11 ET (21-Jan-2026 15:11 GMT/UTC)
Scientists at the University of Connecticut have developed a handheld ‘pocket microscope’ that directly visualizes DNA and proteins in living cells without stains or labels. The system uses deep-ultraviolet light to map molecules with femtogram sensitivity, achieving 308-nanometer resolution across centimeter-wide areas. The device enables instant pathology diagnosis, identifies cancer cells, and maps brain neurons -- all while preserving samples’ natural state. This technology could transform medical diagnostics, from operating rooms to space missions.
Solar physicists say they have found a key source of intense gamma rays unleashed when Earth’s nearest star produces its most violent eruptions.
In findings published in Nature Astronomy, scientists at NJIT’s Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research (NJIT-CSTR) have pinpointed a previously unknown class of high-energy particles in the Sun’s upper atmosphere responsible for generating the long-puzzling radiation signals observed during major solar flare events for decades.
Planets larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune are the most common kind in the galaxy, but because our solar system lacks such a planet, scientists don’t know much about how they form. Astronomers have now witnessed four baby planets in the V1298 Tau system in the process of becoming super-Earths and sub-Neptunes. Despite being 5 to 10 times Earth’s radius, the planets had masses only 5 to 15 times Earth’s. This means they are very low-density, comparable to Styrofoam, whereas the Earth has the density of rock.
– January 7, 2026 (London time) – One of the biggest recent surprises in astronomy is the discovery that most stars like the Sun harbor a planet between the size of Earth and Neptune within the orbit of Mercury — sizes and orbits absent from our solar system. These ‘super-Earths and sub-Neptunes’ are the galaxy's most common planets, but their formation has been shrouded in mystery. Now, an international team of astronomers has found a crucial missing link. By weighing four newborn planets in the V1298 Tau system, they've captured a rare snapshot of worlds in the process of transforming into the galaxy's most common planetary types.