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New light-based switch could cut chip energy use and speed future AI photonics

2D nanocavity exciton polaritons. (a) Schematic of the coupled TMD-PhC nanocavity. (b) Schematic of the gate-tunable TMD stack. © Scanning electron microscope image of the suspended Si3N4 nanobeam cavity, with the inset showing the simulated cavity mode profile. The dark area is suspended from the SiO2 substrate. Scale bar, 500 nm. Credit: Physical Review Letters (2026). DOI: 10.1103/gc15-qsvf.

Photonic devices are hardware systems that can process information using light instead of electricity. These systems could potentially perform computations faster than electronic devices, while also consuming less energy.

A key challenge faced by engineers developing photonic systems is achieving strong optical nonlinearities, or in other words, developing approaches that enable the control of light signals using light, all while consuming little power. A proposed solution to attain these light-light interactions entails the use of exciton polaritons, hybrid particles that are formed when photons couple with excitons (i.e., bound pairs of electrons and holes inside semiconductors).

Cholesterol-craving cancers need lipid enzymes to use metabolites for growth, study shows

While many American adults are trying to reduce cholesterol levels, certain cancerous tumors have a relentless appetite for the metabolite. Some tumor cells use as much cholesterol as they can access to accelerate their growth beyond the capabilities of normal cells.

Turning tumors’ cholesterol cravings into weakness Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute and their collaborators at the University of Illinois Chicago have published findings in Science Advances regarding a potential method for turning the tables on these tumors by subverting their cholesterol cravings. The researchers revealed new insights into enzymes that help move cholesterol around cells. Without the help of these enzymes, a cholesterol traffic jam occurs, blocking the cancer cell’s ability to fuel tumor growth.

Cancer cells with a mutation in the tumor-suppressing TP53 gene are known to produce extra cholesterol. This may make them more vulnerable to starvation if scientists can put a stop to the steady supply of the lipid.

Brain Delivery of Antibody-Derived Biologicals for Alzheimer’s Disease: An Updated Narrative Review

Antibodies directed against β-amyloid (Aβ) have been developed for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, the in vivo central efficacy is reduced by the poor penetration of antibodies across the blood–brain barrier (BBB). In addition, these antibodies have been associated with adverse effects like amyloid-related imaging abnormalities. Thus, the development of new antibody-based therapies for AD with improved transport across the BBB may improve efficacy and reduce adverse effects. Antibodies targeting the BBB transferrin receptor (TfR) are able to cross the BBB through receptor-mediated transcytosis, producing a global distribution throughout the brain.

New ‘3D’ Computer Chips Could Extend Moore’s Law, Study Shows

In recent years, computer chip performance has bumped up against the physical limitations of the space available on integrated circuits.

Now researchers think they’ve found a solution: Start building upwards.

The innovation could help extend or even exceed the Moore’s Law hypothesis established in the 1960s by Intel chairman Gordon Moore.

Machine learning uncovers 1,750 quakes tracing 250-kilometer edge of Alaska microplate

Thousands of small earthquakes, detected for the first time by a machine-learning process, reveal the distinct, razor-sharp edge of the Yakutat microplate as it subducts beneath the North American plate.

The Yakutat oceanic plateau is caught in the middle of a tectonic traffic jam with the Pacific plate as it subducts beneath the North American plate. The position and structure of the plates in this congested zone play a significant role in the earthquake and volcanic landscape of south-central Alaska.

The research published by Meghan Miller of Australian National University and her colleagues in The Seismic Record now shows the edge and extent of the Yakutat plate in astonishing detail.

Why sophrosyne, an ancient Greek virtue, matters more than ever in the age of AI

As a philosopher and philosophical counselor, I research the connection between virtue and happiness. In particular, I’ve noticed a connection between sophrosyne and eudaimonia, the Greek philosophical concept for happiness, or living well.

Harmony of the soul

For the Greeks, sophrosyne represented excellence of character, moderation and self-control. It was connected to phronesis, or practical wisdom, and stood in marked contrast with hubris: excessive pride, dangerous overconfidence and lack of self-insight. Heraclitus, a philosopher who lived around 500 B.C.E., taught that sophrosyne was the most important virtue of all.

Physics-trained digital ‘super-brain’ speeds nanophotonic design

Studying physics can be very useful—even when it comes to machine learning. A digital “super-brain” with built-in knowledge of the fundamental laws of nature can speed up the development of optical components for everything from quantum computers to eyeglasses or camera lenses, according to a new study from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden.

“When we fed the super-brain information about the laws of physics, it immediately got much smarter. Our calculations now take one tenth of the time previously required,” says Philippe Tassin, professor at the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Chalmers University of Technology.

The research team led by Tassin designs optical components in a field called nanophotonics. On a small scale—less than one wavelength—light can be controlled and manipulated in a completely different way than on larger scales. But there are also limitations on how light can be controlled in advanced ways in natural optical materials.

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