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Gold-coated optical fiber rapidly gathers microscopic targets for faster, more sensitive detection

Osaka Metropolitan University researchers have developed a light-driven technique that quickly amasses thousands of bacteria into a single spot, boosting detection speed and sensitivity. Their approach paves the way for earlier diagnosis of disease. The study is published in Communications Physics.

Many harmful bacteria, such as E. coli O157, can trigger severe ailments even at very low concentrations. Rapid detection of trace quantities of bacteria is essential to facilitate early diagnosis and prevent disease. The technique could also identify nanoparticles and other micro-and nanoscale entities that are also affecting the immune system and making the disease worse.

“Many conventional techniques are time consuming, require complex instrumentation, or are limited to collecting targets only near a surface or within a narrow focal region,” said Takuya Iida, professor at the Graduate School of Science and Research Institute for Light-induced Acceleration System (RILACS) at Osaka Metropolitan University and lead author of the study.

Scientists discover strange “narwhal” waves that trap light beyond known limits

Physicists at Peking University have uncovered a new way to confine light far beyond conventional limits — without relying on metals and their inherent energy dissipation. By formulating the singular dispersion equation, the team discovered narwhal-shaped wavefunctions that trap light at deep-subwavelength volumes in purely dielectric materials. The advance, dubbed singulonics, could pave the way for ultra-efficient photonic chips, new quantum technologies, and imaging tools with unprecedented resolution.

Black hole jets measured in real time, revealing 10,000-sun power

For the first time, scientists have measured the instantaneous mind-blowing power of jets blasting from a black hole.

The jet power from this relatively close black hole-star system is equivalent to 10,000 suns, an international research team reported Thursday. They also tracked the jet speed: roughly 355 million mph (540 million kph)—half the speed of light.

Located 7,200 light-years away, Cygnus X-1 features not only a black hole—the first one ever identified more than a half-century ago—but a blue supergiant star, its constant companion. A light-year is nearly 6 trillion miles (9.7 trillion kilometers).

The oscillatory biology of sleep: Linkage to dementia

During wakefulness, neuromodulators operate largely independently to support behavior and cognition. By contrast, sleep reorganizes their activity into a coordinated brain rhythm. During sleep, the major neuromodulators—norepinephrine, acetylcholine, serotonin, and dopamine—exhibit synchronized fluctuations with a periodicity of ~50 seconds. These oscillations appear as recurrent bursts of fast (10 to 30 hertz) electroencephalography activity and are phase-coupled to cerebrospinal fluid flow. Neuromodulators are vasoactive agents and drive slow vasomotion, which provide the mechanical force that supports glymphatic clearance of metabolic waste. Disruption of neuromodulator signaling, as seen in psychiatric disorders, cardiovascular disease, aging, or with commonly prescribed drugs, impairs clearance of neurotoxic proteins, including amyloid-β and tau.

How the Brain Remembers Trauma Differently: Understanding Traumatic Memory

Traumatic memories are a complicated psychological phenomenon, where some experiences are never forgotten but can only be remembered in fragments. Traumatic memories are not as complete or coherent as regular memories. Even if its details are absent, the actual event can still make a strong impression. Trauma is the result of an extremely stressful, frightening or upsetting event that is hard to cope with or feel we have no control over. These experiences may be a one-time thing or repeated over time.

New ‘AI scientists’ are improving—but reveal their fundamental limits

Many of the most exciting discoveries in science involve highly specialized knowledge and making connections between far-flung facts. Scientists must combine deep analysis with broad reasoning strategies.

As in many information-rich tasks, researchers are looking to artificial intelligence (AI) systems to speed up their work. AI tools may be able to support key steps such as generating ideas, reviewing existing work and analyzing data.

The latest systems use large language models (LLMs) to allow scientists to interact naturally and directly with the vast body of knowledge captured in words in the scientific literature.

Human monoclonal antibodies that target the SFTSV glycoprotein Gn head from four neutralizing epitope groups

Wang et al. report that Gn-specific mAbs from SFTS survivors exhibit broad and potent neutralization, with two providing complete protection in a lethal mouse model. This work maps the Gn antigenic landscape and establishes a deep mutational scanning platform coupled with structural validation for bunyavirus antibody discovery.

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