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Ferroelectric material that’s stable at near-atomic thickness reveals new route to low-power electronics

Electronics engineers worldwide have been trying to develop increasingly smaller components that can store and process information while consuming less energy. Ferroelectric materials, which possess spontaneous electrical polarization that can be reversed by an externally applied electric field, have proved promising for the development of denser, more energy-efficient memories and other miniaturized electronic components.

Despite their potential, shrinking these materials to produce ultrathin films that are just a few atoms thick often alters some of their properties and characteristics. Specifically, their internal polarization can become unstable at these scales, and switching it often requires relatively high voltages.

Researchers at Westlake University and Zhejiang University recently showed that gallium oxide (Ga₂O₃) could become ferroelectric at near-atomic thickness, retain stable polarization and switch between its polarization states at a relatively low voltage of 0.8 volts. Their paper, published in Nature Electronics, highlights the potential of this material for the development of compact, nonvolatile memories, small sensors and other low-power electronic components.

Scientists discover a strange new form of ice that could help explain the interiors of Neptune and Uranus

Scientists have discovered that there is ice deep inside planets like Neptune and Uranus and want to find out what form it takes and how it behaves. They cannot dig for it and transport it all the way back to Earth, so they do the next best thing: recreate those extreme conditions in the lab.

That’s exactly what a team of scientists led by Alexis Forestier from the CEA, France’s Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, did. What they discovered could help us better understand the strange magnetic fields and deep interior layers of these distant worlds.

The weird world of hot ice On those planets, ice is not like the frozen cubes you put into a cold drink. It enters a weird state known as superionic ice because of the immense heat and pressure it is under. In this exotic phase, oxygen atoms lock into a solid grid while hydrogen nuclei flow freely through it like a liquid, allowing it to conduct electricity. Scientists already knew this hot, conducting ice existed, but they did not know what specific crystal shapes it formed.

Tightly guided atoms could enable low power quantum navigation when GPS fails

Within tiny halos of light clinging to a vanishingly thin wisp of optical fiber, scientist Jongmin Lee guides atoms like marbles through a narrow pipe. Rock the fiber and the atoms shift side by side; they just don’t fall off. But don’t be deceived by the seemingly delicate nature of his experiment. Lee is exploring how to measure motion precisely in rough-and-tumble environments.

A quantum sensing scientist at Sandia National Laboratories, Lee is an expert in a type of motion sensor called an atom interferometer. In a lab, this device uses quantum mechanics to obtain exquisitely accurate measurements. Lee and his team are working toward building an extremely small, low-power version for field use—small enough to fit on a specialized type of microchip called a photonic integrated circuit.

Their latest results were published in the journal AVS Quantum Science, where the team reported trapping cesium atoms on a fiber only 420 nanometers in diameter with just 5 milliwatts of optical power—about 2,000 times less power than an LED bulb uses. With just 150 nanowatts, the researchers can also take measurements that mimic atom interferometry.

Adam Riess on Dark Energy and the Unruly Universe

It would be easy to assume a cosmologist suits only science conferences. In practice, Riess resonates just as strongly with business, finance, and leadership audiences, because the deeper subject of his work is how to think.

His talks are, at their core, about following evidence that contradicts consensus, telling a real signal from noise, and holding your nerve when the data points somewhere uncomfortable. Those are precisely the disciplines that separate good decisions from bad ones in any high-stakes field.

It is a sensibility he shares with fellow Nobel laureate Michael Spence, whose work on the economics of AI rests on the same evidence-first rigor. For any organization navigating genuine uncertainty, Riess offers not just wonder but a model of how to reason under it.

‘Crisis averted’ as experts confirm universe’s expansion IS accelerating

Our universe’s expansion is still accelerating despite recent claims suggesting otherwise, an international team of astrophysicists say.

They refuted a study published last year claiming the growth of the universe is slowing and insist there is no flaw in the widely-accepted theory that a mysterious force known as dark energy is driving the expanding cosmos.

The researchers, who include two Nobel Laureates and represent institutions worldwide, say the debate that followed last November’s revelations was the result of a scientific misunderstanding rather than a cosmic grenade threatening to blow apart everything we know about the universe.

Scientists Say They’ve Discovered ‘Little Lab Zombies’—Seemingly Immortal Tissue Taken From Sea Cucumbers

face_with_colon_three immortal tissue found in sea cucumbers.

Scientists have stumbled upon what they’ve dubbed real-life “zombies.”

These seemingly immortal things—amputated tissue from the sea cucumber species Psolus fabricii— appear to exist in a gray zone of life. The discovery, described in a study published on May 27 in the journal Science Advances, could be useful for future research but also raises philosophical questions about what it means to be alive.

Sea cucumbers are an ancient type of spineless creature that sit on the ocean floor. They’re known for their remarkable regenerative powers; some species can be split in half, after which the separated sides will regrow their missing parts.

Biosynthesis of Gold Nanoparticles Using Psilocybe cubensis Extracts and Their Biostimulatory Evaluation in Neuro2a Cells

Green nanotechnology applied to neuroscience offers innovative solutions for the treatment of central nervous system disorders. This study reports on the biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using extracts from the psilocybin-producing mushroom Psilocybe cubensis and the evaluation of their neurostimulatory potential. The AuNPs were synthesized via the biological reduction of HAuCl₄ and characterized using UV-Vis spectroscopy, TEM, DLS, and FTIR. The physicochemical results confirmed the production of monodisperse spheroidal nanoparticles with an average diameter of 18.94 nm and high colloidal stability (zeta potential: −31.0 mV). FTIR analysis suggested that fungal metabolites constitute the stabilizing organic corona of the nanomaterial. Bioactivity was evaluated in the Neuro2a (N2a) neuronal model using the IncuCyte® real-time monitoring platform and 3D holotomographic microscopy. A dose-dependent hormetic response was identified: concentrations between 22.91 and 183.25 µg/mL induced a significant increase in cell proliferation and viability without morphological compromise, while doses ≥ 733.0 µg/mL resulted in acute cytotoxicity. 3D holotomography confirmed that the biostimulatory treatment (91.63 µg/mL) promotes a phenotype with active cytoplasmic extensions, consistent with early stages of neurite outgrowth. In conclusion, P. cubensis AuNPs constitute a promising nanotherapeutic system with neuroprotective and pro-proliferative capabilities, laying the groundwork for future applications in regenerative medicine and neurorehabilitation.

Gold nanoparticles, Green synthesis, Holotomography, Neuroregeneration, Psilocybe cubensis.

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