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From carbon particles to diamonds: a Japanese innovation breaks the rules

A Japanese research team has rewritten the rules of diamond creation, turning carbon molecules into flawless diamond nanoparticles without the furnace-like heat or crushing pressure usually required. Led by the University of Tokyo, this breakthrough uses an electron beam to unlock what was once thought impossible—and it could change how scientists image and analyze matter forever.

Published on September 4 in the journal Science, this pioneering work could revolutionize material science and open new doors in technology. But beyond the technical marvel lies a profound shift in understanding how organic molecules react under electron beams.

China may soon lead the global race to mine minerals from the ocean floor

Supercapacitor outperforms batteries in power delivery

Engineers in Australia have created a new carbon-based material which allows supercapacitors to store as much energy as traditional lead-acid batteries and deliver charge much faster.

The new graphene materials are now being made in commercial quantities, says Dr Phillip Aitchison, chief technical officer of Monash University spinout Ionic Industries.

“We’re working with energy storage partners to bring this breakthrough to market-led applications – where both high energy and fast power delivery are essential.”

Psilocybin delays aging, extends lifespan, new Emory study suggests

As revenues from the anti-aging market — riddled with hope and thousands of supplements — surged past $500 million last year, Emory University researchers identified a compound that actively delays aging in cells and organisms.

A newly published study in Nature Partner Journals’ Aging demonstrates that psilocin, a byproduct of consuming psilocybin, the active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms, extended the cellular lifespan of human skin and lung cells by more than 50%.

In parallel, researchers also conducted the first long-term in vivo study evaluating the systemic effects of psilocybin in aged mice of 19 months, or the equivalent of 60–65 human years. Results indicated that the mice that received an initial low dose of psilocybin of 5 mg/kg, followed by a monthly high dose of 15 mg/kg for 10 months, had a 30% increase in survival compared to mice who hadn’t received any. These mice also displayed healthier physical features, such as improved fur quality, fewer white hairs and hair regrowth.

Emory University researchers identified that psilocin, a byproduct of consuming psilocybin, the active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms, actively delays aging in cells and organisms.

Biohybrid crawlers can be controlled using optogenetic techniques

The body movements performed by humans and other animals are known to be supported by several intricate biological and neural mechanisms. While roboticists have been trying to develop systems that emulate these mechanisms for decades, the processes driving these systems’ motions remain very different.

Researchers at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Northwestern University and other institutes recently developed new biohybrid robots that combine living cells from mice with 3D printed hydrogel structures with wireless optoelectronics.

These robots, presented in a paper published in Science Robotics, have where the neurons can be controlled using optogenetic techniques, emulating the that support human movements.

US firm’s drone conducts strikes with next-gen loitering munition

A new military test has showcased potential that large drones can work as motherships for smaller loitering munitions. The plan could get a push following a recent air launch of a Switchblade 600 loitering munition (LM) from a General Atomics’ Block 5 MQ-9A unmanned aircraft system (UAS).

It marked the first time a Switchblade 600 has ever been launched from an unmanned aircraft.

The flight testing took place from July 22–24 at the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Grounds Test Range.

Ant swarm simulation unlocks possibilities in materials engineering, robot navigation and traffic control

Think twice about eliminating those pesky ants at your next family picnic. Their behavior may hold the key to reinventing how engineering materials, traffic control and multi-agent robots are made and utilized, thanks to research conducted by recent graduate Matthew Loges and Assistant Professor Tomer Weiss from NJIT’s Ying Wu College of Computing.

The two earned a best presentation award for their research paper titled “Simulating Ant Swarm Aggregations Dynamics” at the ACM SIGGRAPH Symposium for Computer Animation (SCA), and a qualifying poster nomination for the undergraduate research competition at the 2025 ACM SIGGRAPH (Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques) conference.

Their study began with the observation that ant swarms behave in a manner similar to both fluid and . The duo began work in the summer of 2024. Loges became interested in research after he took an elective class with Weiss, IT 360 Computer Graphics for Visual Effects, at the Department of Informatics. This was his first project and research paper.

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