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New soft wearable device could support at-home sleep monitoring

Good sleep is essential for brain health. During sleep and rest, the glymphatic system, the brain’s waste-clearing process, helps remove metabolic waste that accumulates during waking hours. This activity is linked to memory processing, cognitive function and neural recovery. When sleep quality is poor, metabolic waste may accumulate, potentially disrupting cognitive function and memory formation.

Traditional approaches to brain monitoring are often invasive, costly and limited to clinical settings. New research from Georgia Tech points to a more accessible approach. A study published in Science Advances shows that a soft, wireless wearable device could help enable home-based monitoring of physiological changes associated with sleep and brain health.

The research team, led by W. Hong Yeo, Peterson Endowed Professor in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and director of the Wearable Intelligent Systems and Healthcare Center and the Korea KIAT-Georgia Tech Semiconductor Electronics Center, developed a wearable device that uses light-based sensing and wireless communication to support natural sleep monitoring at home.

Discoveries: Short Takes on Cutting-Edge Research

Scientists Reveal a Hidden “Smell Map” Connecting the Nose and Brain.

Harvard Medical School researchers have created the first detailed spatial map of how more than 1,100 types of olfactory receptors are organized in the mouse nose. Contrary to the long-standing idea that smell receptors are scattered somewhat randomly within broad regions, the team found that receptor-expressing neurons occupy precise, overlapping bands across the olfactory epithelium.

Using single-cell RNA sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, and advanced microscopy, researchers analyzed millions of olfactory sensory neurons from hundreds of mice. Each sensory neuron expresses one receptor type, and its position within the developing nasal tissue helps influence which receptor it selects. The signaling molecule retinoic acid appears to help establish this spatial organization.

Remarkably, this map in the nose aligns with the organization of corresponding neurons in the olfactory bulb—the brain’s first major processing center for smell. This suggests that olfaction, like vision, hearing, and touch, relies on an orderly topographic system linking sensory receptors to specific neural destinations.

The findings provide a new framework for studying how odors are encoded, how olfactory circuits develop, and why the sense of smell may be disrupted by infections, aging, injury, medications, or cancer treatments. The research could eventually inform strategies for treating anosmia and other smell disorders, although the work was conducted in mice and researchers have not yet established whether the same detailed organization exists in humans.

Study: Brann et al., Cell DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2026.03.

#Neuroscience #Olfaction #SenseOfSmell #BrainResearch #SensoryNeuroscience #HarvardMedicalSchool #Neurobiology #SpatialTranscriptomics

Continue reading “Discoveries: Short Takes on Cutting-Edge Research” | >

Genetic mapping identifies new hope for bone diseases

In a global breakthrough published in Nature Genetics, researchers have successfully mapped the cells and genes that regulate bone formation and loss at an unprecedented scale and discovered the critical role that blood vessel cells play in bone health.

By combining genomic sequencing with data from half a million individuals, the research team identified hundreds of previously unknown genes that govern bone health and revealed cells surrounding blood vessels as one of the drivers of bone repair—a role that has been underappreciated until now.

Led by Professor Peter Croucher and Dr. Ryan Chai from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Associate Professor John Kemp from Mater Research, and Professor Graham Williams and Professor Duncan Bassett from Imperial College London, the team’s findings fundamentally enhance our understanding of skeletal disease.

Do your dreams have smells? New study on ‘blind minds’ reveals vast differences in imagination

It’s common to think we all have similar experiences of life. But the more we learn about other people’s hidden thoughts, the more evidence there is that this is untrue. For instance, not everyone has the same ability to have imagined sensations. Most people can visualize—they can have imagined experiences of seeing people and scenes that aren’t there. But not everyone can.

We are both visual aphantasics, which means we can’t voluntarily imagine seeing things in our minds’ eyes. When we read a book, neither of us can imagine seeing the characters.

Yet other types of our waking imagined experiences are quite different. Derek can imagine hearing snippets of music at will, but Loren has a silent mind. She can’t even imagine hearing herself talk. Loren can have vivid imagined feelings of touch, taste and smell, but Derek doesn’t have any of these.

Earth observation satellites pass telecom in European space industry sales

MILAN – European space industry sales rebounded in 2025 after a contraction in 2024, Eurospace reported in its latest Facts and Figures report, presented July 7. The growth is driven in large part by military acquisition of Earth observation satellites, which are now the largest revenue-producing space sector for the continent.

Satellite applications, which Eurospace defines as satellites enabling operational upstream-sector activities and applications within the EO, telecom and navigation segment, were the main area of growth, increasing 23.5% compared with 2023.

“Comparably, the launcher systems segment [which include both development activities and operational systems and parts] have not grown significantly,” Pierre Lionnet, managing director of Eurospace, said during the briefing.

New Molecule Restores the Brain’s Natural Defenses Against Alzheimer’s

Scientists have developed an experimental molecule that helps the brain’s immune cells fight Alzheimer’s again, reducing toxic plaques and improving memory in animal studies. Scientists have identified an experimental molecule that appears to restore some of the brain’s natural defenses against A

Arm dominance is an emergent effect of practice executing complex trajectory shapes required by tools and objects

Limb dominance is a human behavioral characteristic with many cultural, practical, scientific, and clinical implications. Yet why the dominant limb performs better across a range of motor skill-requiring tasks remains unanswered. Is it because of an intrinsic hemispheric advantage or instead is it the result of life-long practice with the dominant side? We tested these alternatives using two tasks either cross sectionally or after training. The first was 3D reaching with either an inertial challenge or the need to use a stick-like tool. The second required participants to write with their dominant and nondominant elbows. We applied a geometric analysis to quantify movement-trajectory shape.

The most Massive Mechanical gods ever Created in Sci-Fi

What if machines could truly live, evolve, think, and even become gods? In this video, we explore the biggest mechanical lifeforms ever created in science fiction, ranging from towering biomechanical titans to universe-spanning artificial intelligences that completely redefine the meaning of life itself. These are not ordinary robots, piloted mechs, or simple automatons. They are genuine living machine entities whose metallic bodies function just like biological organisms, possessing consciousness, intelligence, and in many cases, unimaginable cosmic power. From the ancient Mechanical Gods of Mazinger and the divine alien Machine Gods of Fate to Harbinger leading the terrifying Reapers of Mass Effect, every entry showcases beings that blur the line between technology and life. We also dive into the colossal mechanical fortress Alexander from Final Fantasy XIV, the mighty Cityformers of Transformers, the mysterious Broken God Mekhane from SCP, the legendary Mechonis from Xenoblade Chronicles, the wish-granting cosmic machine Galactic Nova from Kirby, and the enormous alien intelligence known as the Tet from Oblivion. The scale only becomes more unbelievable as we reach Mata Nui from BIONICLE, whose body contains an entire civilization, the omniscient Aeon Nous from Honkai: Star Rail, and the eternal rivals Primus and Unicron, whose planet-sized forms have shaped the destiny of the Transformers universe for billions of years. We then move beyond planets into truly mind-bending territory with V’ger from Star Trek, the ever-growing Getter Emperor that expands beyond galaxies, and finally the Atlas from No Man’s Sky, an entity whose existence encompasses an entire simulated universe. Every entry is carefully explained with lore, origins, abilities, and scale comparisons to help you understand just how enormous and powerful these mechanical gods and monsters truly are. Be sure to watch until the very end to discover which living machine claims the number one spot, and let us know in the comments which mechanical lifeform you think deserves to be on this list.
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