A study by the University of Stuttgart, the California State University at Fullerton, and the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems has found that there are benefits to representing one’s real-life disability through an avatar in virtual reality. The Metaverse is not just a technical platform, but also one for social interaction. Therefore, all users should be included in its development, including people with disabilities. The researchers appeal to companies to be more courageous in embracing diversity in virtual spaces as authentic self-representation allows people with disabilities to identify more strongly with their work.

Researchers have developed a novel Nickel-Cobalt bimetallic nanocomposite material. Its built-in dual electric field significantly enhances electromagnetic energy dissipation, achieving ultra-wideband absorption.

A highly efficient, wearable self-charging power system is reported, which consists of a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) with fabric coated by MXene paste as conductive layer and micro-supercapacitors (MSCs) with graphene films as electrode.

In a study now published in iScience, researchers from the University of Vienna (Austria), National Institute of Technology - Wakayama College (NITW; Japan), and Shimane University (Japan) present the largest cephalopod genome sequenced to date. Their analyses show that the vampire squid has retained parts of an ancient, squid-like chromosomal architecture, and thus revealing that modern octopuses evolved from squid-like ancestors.

Using a deep learning AI model, researchers identified the first-of-its-kind biomarker of chronic stress detectable through routine imaging, according to research being presented next week at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

Kyoto, Japan -- It's astonishing to realize how innovative our ancestors were in food and beverage production before modern science and technology. Without understanding or isolating them, ancient peoples made use of yeasts like Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the primary species behind the fermentation process that creates alcohol, though there are some non-Saccharomyces yeasts that can also produce alcohol with different characteristics.

While modern wineries typically use cultured S cerevisiae, it is thought that ancient wine production relied on the natural fermentation process of storing crushed grapes in jars. However, research has revealed that S cerevisiae rarely colonizes grape skins, casting doubt on the use of fresh grapes for alcohol fermentation.

This inspired a team of researchers from Kyoto University to investigate the humble raisin's ability to ferment into wine. In a previous study, the team had found that S cerevisiae was abundant on raisins, indicating that in ancient times they could have been used for wine production.