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Photonic origami folds glass into microscopic 3D optical devices

Researchers have developed a technique to fold glass sheets into microscopic 3D photonic structures directly on a chip—a process they call photonic origami. The method could enable tiny, yet complex optical devices for data processing, sensing and experimental physics.

“Existing 3D printers produce rough 3D structures that aren’t optically uniform and thus can’t be used for high-performance optics,” said research team leader Tal Carmon from Tel Aviv University in Israel.

“Mimicking the way a pinecone’s scales bend outward to release seeds, our laser-induced technique triggers precise bending in ultra-thin glass sheets and can be used to create highly transparent, ultra-smooth 3D microphotonic devices for a variety of applications.”

Scientists Crack the Code of China’s Mysterious “Matrix Tide”

Last year, spectators along China’s Qiantang River witnessed an unusual sight: waves arranging themselves into a grid-like formation.

This striking pattern, named the “matrix tide,” arose from the river’s famous tidal bores that rush upstream against the flow. In this case, two undular bores — shockwave-like surges that spread outward like ripples on water — traveled in different directions and collided, creating the effect.

The Shockingly Simple Vision Breakthrough That Might End LASIK

Scientists may have found a way to correct vision without surgery, lasers, or cutting.

Using tiny electrical currents and custom contact lenses, researchers reshaped rabbit corneas in just a minute — a process that could one day replace LASIK.

Millions of americans have altered vision.

Chinese researchers develop stiffness-tunable ‘Neurotentacle’ probe for brain-computer interface implantation

Chinese researchers have made significant progress in developing flexible invasive brain-computer interface implants, creating a stiffness-tunable “Neurotentacle” probe that can reduce implantation damage by 74 percent, Science and Technology Daily reported Tuesday.

The “Neurotentacle” probe developed by researchers at the Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), contains a tiny hydraulic system. During the implantation, the hydraulically actuated “Neurotentacle” probe stiffens like an inflated balloon to precisely penetrate brain tissue. Once it is in place, it softens afterward to minimize damage and returns to a flexible state to adapt to the brain’s microenvironment, said the report.

The findings were published online in the international journal Advanced Science on July 21.

Voyager missed it, but now we know Uranus has a fiery secret

For decades, scientists puzzled over why Uranus seemed colder than expected. Now, an international research team led by the University of Houston has solved the mystery: Uranus emits more heat than it gets from the Sun, meaning it still carries internal warmth from its ancient formation. This revelation rewrites what scientists know about the ice giant’s history, strengthens the case for NASA’s upcoming mission, and offers fresh insight into the forces shaping not only other planets, but also Earth’s future climate.

A new study led by University of Houston researchers, in collaboration with planetary scientists worldwide, suggests Uranus does have its own internal heat — an advance that not only informs NASA’s future missions but also deepens scientists’ understanding of planetary systems, including processes that influence Earth’s climate and atmospheric evolution.

The discovery resolves a long-standing scientific mystery about the giant planet, because observational analyses from Voyager 2 in 1986 didn’t suggest the presence of significant internal heat — contradicting scientists’ understanding of how giant planets form and evolve.

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