A new computational tool infers changes occurring at the ends of the chromosomes housing our DNA. It does so by detecting structural alterations in cells and tissues captured in images taken of routine medical biopsies, according to findings published March 16, 2026, in Cell Reports Methods.

In testing the new tool called TLPath, the scientists were able to more accurately predict telomere length from the imaged biopsies than if they based their prediction solely on the age of patients when they donated their samples. The scientists further evaluated the model’s prediction capabilities by demonstrating that it could identify telomere length differences between individuals of the exact same chronological age.

Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and Cambridge-based global semiconductor and software design leader Arm have officially opened the ARU Arm AI Lab in Cambridge, England.

Biobots are fascinating tiny self-powered living robots built exclusively using frog embryonic cells. Developed in the laboratories of Wyss Institute Associate Faculty member and Tufts University Professor Michael Levin and his collaborators, they are remarkably motile, moving autonomously through aqueous environments, and exhibit other exciting properties, including the ability to self-replicate and respond to sound stimuli. 

Now, Levin’s team endowed biobots with a nervous system by creating the first “neurobots.” Their new study shows that novel types of nervous systems self-organize within neurobots, with neuronal processes extending in between neurons as well as towards non-neuronal cells lining the surface of the bots. The study is published in Advanced Science.

Next-generation thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) must operate beyond 1200 °C to protect hot-end components in gas turbines and aircraft engines, yet conventional yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) suffers from phase instability and rising thermal conductivity above 900 °C. Researchers at Kunming University of Science and Technology have designed tantalate high-entropy ceramics (HECs) coatings synthesized via air plasma spraying (APS), that withstand thermal shock at 1500 °C for 614 cycles and thermal fatigue at 1150 °C for 12,830 cycles. Two failure mechanisms are identified, advancing the design of high-performance TBCs for extreme-temperature service.

Dielectric ceramics are essential for high-power energy storage, yet their applications have long been limited by low energy density and efficiency. In a new study, researchers from Guilin University of Technology, China, developed a high-entropy tungsten bronze ceramic with synergistic bandgap engineering, achieving a recoverable energy density of 7.93 J·cm^-3 and an ultrahigh efficiency of 94.25%. The material also delivers ultrafast discharge (1.56 µs) and excellent thermal stability, positioning it as a strong candidate for advanced pulsed power capacitors.