The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has signed a new six-year master research agreement with Eastman. The new agreement will deepen a decade-long collaboration and accelerate the development of innovative technologies in multiple fields. Under the agreement, Eastman will invest at least $3 million over the next six years to support sponsored research, service agreements and a range of university-industry initiatives.

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) and the Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad, have developed and tested a new class of fluorescent probes that enable scientists to visualise xylem, the specialised tissue responsible for transporting water and minerals through plants. The work, published in Plant and Cell Physiology, introduces a faster, more specific and sensitive staining method than conventional dyes, creating avenues to strengthen research on plant development, vascular biology, and crop resilience.

Photonic microchips can process data at extremely high speeds and are embedded in a wide variety of today’s technologies. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL) and Harvard University have now succeeded in developing three functional components for such chips that are up to 500 times smaller than conventional designs. The researchers used inverse design, a computer algorithm, to achieve this. The results were recently published in Nature Communications.

Researchers at the International Centre for Translational Eye Research (ICTER) have developed a prototype imaging system that can simultaneously track the cornea's mechanical response at nine locations. The technology marks an important step toward more accurate, non-contact assessment of corneal biomechanics and could improve early detection and monitoring of disorders such as keratoconus.

A research paper by scientists at City University of Hong Kong presented a 3-level intelligent framework for multijoint upper-limb assistance based on electromyography (EMG) to support the daily living activities of older adults..

The research paper, published on Jul 15, 2026 in the journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems.