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Scientists outline how to control light at the atomic scale using polaritons

Controlling light at dimensions thousands of times smaller than the thickness of a human hair is one of the pillars of modern nanotechnology.

An international team led by the Quantum Nano-Optics Group of the University of Oviedo and the Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology Research Center (CINN/Principalty of Asturias-CSIC) has published a review article in Nature Nanotechnology detailing how to manipulate fundamental optical phenomena when light couples to matter in atomically thin materials.

The study focuses on polaritons, hybrid quasiparticles that emerge when light and matter interact intensely. By using low-symmetry materials, known as van der Waals materials, light ceases to propagate in a conventional way and instead travels along specific directions, a characteristic that gives rise to phenomena that challenge conventional optics.

“Zentropy Theory” May Unlock Previously Impossible Electronics Based on Transparent Ceramics

“There was no existing theory in the ferroelectrics community that could explain these results,” Liu explained.

Keeping Chaos at Bay with Small Amounts of Energy

To unlock the advanced material’s performance and open up potential commercial applications, Haixue Yan, a reader in materials science and engineering from Queen Mary University of London, explored several different ideas. That search effort led him to Liu’s relatively new zentropy theory idea. According to a statement announcing the new approach, zentropy theory suggests that systems trend towards disorder “if no energy is applied to keep the chaos at bay.”

Epistemological Fault Lines Between Human and Artificial Intelligence

Walter (Dated: December 22, 2025)

See… https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/c5gh8_v1

Abstract: Large language models (LLMs) are widely described as artificial intelligence, yet their epistemic profile diverges sharply from human cognition. Here we show that the apparent alignment between human and machine outputs conceals a deeper structural mismatch in how judgments are produced. Tracing the historical shift from symbolic AI and information filtering systems to large-scale generative transformers, we argue that LLMs are not epistemic agents but stochastic pattern-completion systems, formally describable as walks on high-dimensional graphs of linguistic transitions rather than as systems that form beliefs or models of the world. By systematically mapping human and artificial epistemic pipelines, we identify seven epistemic fault lines, divergences in grounding, parsing, experience, motivation, causal reasoning, metacognition, and value. We call the resulting condition Epistemia: a structural situation in which linguistic plausibility substitutes for epistemic evaluation, producing the feeling of knowing without the labor of judgment. We conclude by outlining consequences for evaluation, governance, and epistemic literacy in societies increasingly organizedaround generative.

Cc: ronald cicurel ernest davis amitā kapoor darius burschka william hsu moshe vardi luis lamb jelel ezzine amit sheth bernard W. kobes.

See…

Deciphering the MYCN-driven metabolic microenvironment of neuroblastoma

Metabolic control of antitumor Immunity in neuroblastoma👇

✅Distinct metabolic TMEs in MNA vs non-MNA tumors Neuroblastoma (NB) tumors display markedly different tumor microenvironments depending on MYCN amplification (MNA) status. MYCN acts as a key driver of metabolic remodeling, reshaping how nutrients and metabolites are distributed within the TME.

✅MYCN-amplified NB: immunosuppressive metabolism In MNA neuroblastoma, tumor cells aggressively consume shared metabolites such as glucose, glutamine, methionine, cysteine, and lipids. This metabolic competition deprives infiltrating T cells of essential nutrients, promoting T cell exhaustion and dysfunction. In parallel, MNA tumor cells release antagonistic metabolites, including lactate, adenosine, and cholesterol, which further suppress TCR signaling, proliferation, and effector functions.

✅T cell exhaustion and impaired tumor killing Within the MNA TME, T cells exhibit exhausted phenotypes characterized by impaired proliferation, altered STAT5 signaling, and reduced cytotoxic activity. This metabolic and signaling imbalance leads to ineffective immune-mediated tumor killing.

✅Non-MNA NB: permissive immune landscape In contrast, non-MNA neuroblastomas do not impose the same metabolic constraints. Nutrient availability is better preserved, allowing cytotoxic T cells to infiltrate tumors, maintain effector functions, and induce effective tumor cell death.

✅Biological and therapeutic implications These findings highlight metabolism as a central regulator of antitumor immunity in neuroblastoma. Targeting MYCN-driven metabolic pathways may help restore T cell function and improve the efficacy of immunotherapies, particularly in MYCN-amplified disease.

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