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Microrobots overcome navigational limitations with the help of ‘artificial spacetimes’

Microrobots—tiny robots less than a millimeter in size—are useful in a variety of applications that require tasks to be completed at scales far too small for other tools, such as targeted drug-delivery or micro-manufacturing. However, the researchers and engineers designing these robots have run into some limitations when it comes to navigation. A new study, published in Nature, details a novel solution to these limitations—and the results are promising.

The biggest problem when dealing with microrobots is the lack of space. Their tiny size limits the use of components needed for onboard computation, sensing and actuation, making traditional control methods hard to implement. As a result, microrobots can’t be as “smart” as their larger cousins.

Researchers have tried to cover this limitation already. In particular, two methods have been studied. One method of control uses external feedback from an auxiliary system, usually with something like optical tweezers or . This has yielded precise and adaptable control of small numbers of microrobots, beneficial for complex, multi-step tasks or those requiring high accuracy, but scaling the method for controlling large numbers of independent microrobots has been less successful.

Taking prenatal supplements associated with 30% lower risk of autism

Researchers from Curtin University in Australia and multiple universities in Ethiopia report that prenatal folic acid and multivitamin supplementation is associated with a roughly 30% lower risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children, based on an umbrella review of existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Global estimates in the reviewed material place ASD prevalence at up to 1% of children. ASD affects reciprocal social interaction, nonverbal communication, and understanding of social relationships. Co-occurring conditions frequently include epilepsy, depression, anxiety, , sleep disturbance, and self-injury.

Previous studies found that both genetic mutations and environmental influences contribute to ASD risk, with prenatal maternal nutrition identified as one modifiable environmental factor. Within that broader category of prenatal maternal nutrition, and supplements are among the most accessible interventions offered to women before and during pregnancy.

Coaxing bilayer graphene into a single diamond-like layer for industrial applications

Graphene’s enduring appeal lies in its remarkable combination of lightness, flexibility, and strength. Now, researchers have shown that under pressure, it can briefly take on the traits of one of its more glamorous carbon cousins.

By introducing nitrogen atoms and applying pressure, a team of scientists has coaxed bilayer grown through chemical vapor deposition (CVD) into a diamond-like phase—without the need for extreme heat. The finding, reported in Advanced Materials Technologies, shows a scalable way to create ultrathin coatings that combine the toughness of diamond with the processability of graphene.

Vision can be rebooted in adults with amblyopia, study suggests

Temporarily anesthetizing the retina briefly reverts the activity of the visual system to that observed in early development and enables growth of responses to the amblyopic eye, new research shows.

In the common vision disorder , impaired vision in one eye during development causes neural connections in the brain’s visual system to shift toward supporting the other eye, leaving the amblyopic eye less capable even after the original impairment is corrected. Current interventions are only effective during infancy and early childhood while the neural connections are still being formed.

But a new study in mice by neuroscientists in The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT shows that if the retina of the amblyopic eye is temporarily and reversibly anesthetized just for a couple of days, the brain’s visual response to the eye can be restored even in adulthood.

New type of DNA damage discovered in our cells’ mitochondria

A previously unknown type of DNA damage in the mitochondria, the tiny power plants inside our cells, could shed light on how our bodies sense and respond to stress. The findings of the UC Riverside-led study are published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and have potential implications for a range of mitochondrial dysfunction-associated diseases, including cancer and diabetes.

Mitochondria have their own genetic material, known as mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which is essential for producing the energy that powers our bodies and sending signals within and outside cells. While it has long been known that mtDNA is prone to damage, scientists didn’t fully understand the biological processes. The new research identifies a culprit: glutathionylated DNA (GSH-DNA) adducts.

An adduct is a bulky chemical tag formed when a chemical, such as a carcinogen, attaches directly to DNA. If the damage isn’t repaired, it can lead to DNA mutations and increase the risk of disease.

Study maps the time and energy patterns of electron pairs in ultrafast pulses

The ability to precisely study and manipulate electrons in electron microscopes could open new possibilities for the development of both ultrafast imaging techniques and quantum technologies.

Over the past few years, physicists have developed new experimental tools for studying the behavior of electrons not bounded to any material by utilizing the so-called nanoscale field emitters, tiny metallic tips that release electrons when exposed to strong electric fields.

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences recently carried out a study aimed at shedding new light on how pairs of emitted electrons relate to each other and how their behavior unfolds over time.

The hidden rule behind ignition: An analytic law governing multi-shock implosions for ultrahigh compression

Physicists at the University of Osaka have unveiled a breakthrough theoretical framework that uncovers the hidden physical rule behind one of the most powerful compression methods in laser fusion science—the stacked-shock implosion.

While multi-shock ignition has recently proven its effectiveness in major laser facilities worldwide, this new study identifies the underlying law that governs such implosions, expressed in an elegant and compact analytic form.

A team led by Professor Masakatsu Murakami has developed a framework called Stacked Converging Shocks (SCS), which extends the classical Guderley solution—a 1942 cornerstone of implosion theory—into the modern high-energy-density regime.

When superfluids collide, physicists find a mix of old and new behavior

Physics is often about recognizing patterns, sometimes repeated across vastly different scales. For instance, moons orbit planets in the same way planets orbit stars, which in turn orbit the center of a galaxy.

When researchers first studied the structure of atoms, they were tempted to extend this pattern down to smaller scales and describe electrons as orbiting the nuclei of atoms. This is true to an extent, but the quirks of quantum physics mean that the pattern breaks in significant ways. An electron remains in a defined orbital area around the nucleus, but unlike a classical orbit, an electron will be found at a random location in the area instead of proceeding along a precisely predictable path.

That electron orbits bear any similarity to the orbits of moons or planets is because all of these orbital systems feature attractive forces that pull the objects together. But a discrepancy arises for electrons because of their .

Surface-only superconductor is the strangest of its kind

Something strange goes on inside the material platinum-bismuth-two (PtBi₂). A new study by researchers at IFW Dresden and the Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat demonstrates that while PtBi₂ may look like a typical shiny gray crystal, electrons moving through it do some things never seen before.

In 2024, the research team demonstrated that the top and bottom surfaces of the material superconduct, meaning pair up and move without resistance.

Now, they reveal that this pairing works differently from any superconductor we have seen before. Enticingly, the edges around the superconducting surfaces hold long-sought-after Majorana particles, which may be used as fault-tolerant quantum bits (qubits) in quantum computers.

Acoustic waves could be the key to orbitronic devices

Electronics traditionally rely on harnessing the electron’s charge, but researchers are now exploring the possibility of harnessing its other intrinsic properties. In a Nature Communications study, scientists from Japan demonstrated that sound waves in certain solids can generate orbital currents—flow of electron orbital angular momentum.

Their findings establish a foundation for realizing next-generation “orbitronic” devices using existing acoustic technology.

Since the discovery of electricity, countless advancements in technology have relied on harnessing the electron’s charge, which is the fundamental principle behind most traditional electronics.

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