In a paper published in National Science Review, a team of scientists presents the DNA Palette code, a novel coding scheme specifically designed for the efficient DNA-based data storage of time-series archival data, such as brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data.

Brain MRI, with its high resolution and three-dimensional imaging capabilities, plays a crucial role in disease tracking, treatment evaluation, and predicting disease recurrence. The study demonstrates the application of DNA Palette by storing MRI data from two scans of a patient into DNA and achieving lossless data recovery. The experimental results demonstrated the advantages of this scheme in terms of high net information density (2.39 bits per nucleotide) and low decoding sequencing coverage (4.4x).

Researchers at Tampere University have developed the world’s first soft touchpad that can sense the force, area and location of contact without electricity.  The device utilises pneumatic channels, enabling its use in environments such as MRI machines and other conditions that are unsuitable for electronic devices. Soft devices like soft robots and rehabilitation aids could also benefit from this new technology.

In a paper published in National Science Review, Professor Pang Huan's team from Yangzhou University designed and synthesized a series of charged organic carboxylic acid ligand-intercalated vanadium oxide nanomaterials for application in high-efficiency aqueous zinc-ion battery energy storage.

A team of scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has developed grain-sized soft robots that can be controlled using magnetic fields for targeted drug delivery, paving the way to possible improved therapies in future.

- The diversity patterns are taxon-specific and fluctuate seasonally.

- Multiple taxa should be included in the biomonitoring of high-altitude rivers.

- More conservation attention should be given to the upstream region and the estuary.

Researchers at the University of Chicago and UC San Diego have developed a bioelectronic device that combats bacterial infections without antibiotics. This wearable patch uses electrical stimulation to alter bacteria behavior and prevent biofilms, offering a promising solution to the growing threat of antibiotic resistance. The device has shown impressive results in preclinical tests, significantly reducing bacterial colonization on pig skin. This breakthrough could revolutionize infection control, especially for chronic wounds and medical implants.

What keeps some immune systems youthful and effective in warding off age-related diseases? In new research done on mice, USC Stem Cell scientist Rong Lu and her collaborators point the finger at a small subset of blood stem cells, which make an outsized contribution to maintaining either a youthful balance or an age-related imbalance of the two main types of immune cells: innate and adaptive. The researchers found striking differences in how quickly the immune system ages—even among lab mice with the same genetic background raised in identical conditions. By the advanced age of 30 months, delayed aging mice retained a youthful balance of innate and adaptive immune cells. However, early aging mice showed a big increase in innate immune cells relative to adaptive immune cells. By tracking the individual blood stem cells responsible for producing both innate and adaptive immune cells, the scientists discovered the subset of blood stem cells primarily responsible for the age-associated imbalance of the immune system. The researchers also found differences in gene activity between early and delayed aging mice which appeared to affect the balance of innate and adaptive immune cells.