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Category: computing

Revolutionizing Research: Organoid Analytical Toolkits Unveiled

In recent years, the field of biomedical research has been dramatically transformed through the advent of three-dimensional (3D) cell culture systems, notably organoids. These miniature organ-like structures hold immense promise for mimicking the complex architectural and functional properties of native organs, surpassing the limitations inherent to traditional two-dimensional (2D) culture systems. With the capability to replicate essential cellular interactions and microenvironments, organoids provide a more physiologically relevant platform for understanding human biology and disease mechanisms. As researchers explore the potential of organoids to revolutionize drug discovery, disease modeling, and personalized medicine, there is a pressing need for sophisticated analytical techniques to assess their multifaceted characteristics accurately.

The identification and application of compatible analytical platforms are pivotal to the successful characterization of organoids. Traditional methods often fail to capture the intricate electrophysiological, biophysical, and optical properties inherent in these 3D structures. As such, researchers are increasingly turning to advanced technologies that allow for a more comprehensive understanding of organoid function, behavior, and development. By integrating omics approaches and computational modeling with experimental data, scientists can forge a pathway to elucidate the biological principles governing organoid physiology. This multidisciplinary approach promises to enhance the reliability and applicability of organoids in clinical and industrial settings.

Electrophysiological assessment is one crucial aspect that cannot be overlooked. The ability to monitor cellular electrophysiology within organoids reveals invaluable insights into neural function, cardiac rhythms, and tissue connectivity. Techniques such as extracellular recordings and patch-clamp electrophysiology are becoming standard in organoid research, enabling scientists to analyze the functional behaviors of electrically active cells. By understanding how electrical signals propagate through organoid structures, researchers can gain a deeper understanding of various pathophysiological conditions, including neurological disorders and arrhythmias.

Ultra-small, high-performance electronics grown directly on 2D semiconductors

In recent years, electronics engineers have been trying to identify semiconducting materials that could substitute for silicon and enable the further advancement of electronic devices. Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors, such as molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂), have proved to be among the most promising solutions, as their thinness and resistance to short-channel effects could yield highly performing and smaller electronics.

To create transistors and other electronic components based on 2D materials, however, engineers need to be able to attach electrical connections to them and reliably form ohmic contacts, which allow electrical current to flow freely through the resulting devices. As devices get smaller, however, they also require smaller contacts that have proved to be very difficult to attach to 2D semiconductors.

Researchers at Nanjing University and other institutes in China recently introduced a new strategy to reliably grow ultra-short and low-resistance semimetallic antimony crystal contacts directly on MoS₂

New calibration module offers improved measurement of thermoelectric device performance

A standard reference thermoelectric module (SRTEM) for objectively measuring thermoelectric module performance has been developed in Korea for the first time. A research team led by Dr. Sang Hyun Park at the Korea Institute of Energy Research developed the world’s second standard reference thermoelectric module, following Japan, and improved its performance by more than 20% compared with existing modules, demonstrating the excellence of Korea’s homegrown technology. The findings are published in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

A thermoelectric module is a device that generates electricity by creating a flow of electrons driven by a temperature difference, with one side becoming cold and the other becoming hot. Conversely, when an electric current is applied to a thermoelectric module, one side cools down while the other side heats up.

Thanks to these characteristics, thermoelectric modules are widely used in applications such as compact camping refrigerators and electronic equipment including computers. In addition, because they are environmentally friendly and well suited to miniaturization, they can be broadly applied to emerging fields such as carbon-free power generation and the space industry, which have recently drawn significant attention.

Physicists made atoms behave like a quantum circuit

Using ultracold atoms and laser light, researchers recreated the behavior of a Josephson junction—an essential component of quantum computers and voltage standards. The appearance of Shapiro steps in this atomic system reveals a deep universality in quantum physics and makes elusive microscopic effects visible for the first time.

Josephson junctions play a central role in modern physics and technology. They enable extremely precise measurements, define the international standard for electrical voltage, and serve as essential components inside many quantum computers. Despite their importance, the quantum-scale processes occurring inside superconductors are notoriously difficult to observe directly.

To overcome this challenge, researchers at the RPTU University of Kaiserslautern-Landau turned to quantum simulation. Instead of studying electrons inside a solid material, they recreated the Josephson effect using ultracold atoms. Their approach involved separating two Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) with an exceptionally thin optical barrier created by a focused laser beam that was moved in a controlled, periodic way. Even in this atomic system, the defining signatures of Josephson junctions emerged. The experiment revealed Shapiro steps, which are distinct voltage plateaus that appear at multiples of a driving frequency, just as they do in superconducting devices. Published in the journal Science, the work stands as a clear example of how quantum simulation can uncover hidden physics.

Entanglement enhances the speed of quantum simulations, transforming long-standing obstacles into a powerful advantage

Researchers from the Faculty of Engineering at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) have made a significant discovery regarding quantum entanglement. This phenomenon, which has long been viewed as a significant obstacle in classical quantum simulations, actually enhances the speed of quantum simulations. The findings are published in Nature Physics in an article titled “Entanglement accelerates quantum simulation.”

Simulating the dynamic evolution of matter is fundamental to understanding the universe, yet it remains one of the most challenging tasks in physics and chemistry. For decades, “entanglement”—the complex correlation between quantum particles—has been viewed as a formidable barrier. In classical computing, high entanglement makes simulations exponentially harder to perform, often acting as a bottleneck for studying complex quantum systems.

Led by Professor Qi Zhao from the School of Computing and Data Science at HKU, the research team collaborated with Professor You Zhou from Fudan University and Professor Andrew M. Childs from the University of Maryland, and overturned this long-held belief. They discovered that while entanglement hinders classical computers, it actually accelerates quantum simulations, turning a former obstacle into a powerful resource.

Replication efforts suggest ‘smoking gun’ evidence isn’t enough to prove quantum computing claims

A group of scientists, including Sergey Frolov, professor of physics at the University of Pittsburgh, and co-authors from Minnesota and Grenoble have undertaken several replication studies centered around topological effects in nanoscale superconducting or semiconducting devices. This field is important because it can bring about topological quantum computing, a hypothetical way of storing and manipulating quantum information while protecting it against errors.

In all cases, they found alternative explanations of similar data. While the original papers claimed advances for quantum computing and made their way into top scientific journals, the individual follow-ups could not make it past the editors at those same journals.

Reasons given for its rejection included that, being a replication, it was not novel; that, after a couple of years, the field had moved on. But replications take time and effort and the experiments are resource-intensive and cannot happen overnight. And important science does not become irrelevant on the scale of years.

New evidence for a particle system that ‘remembers’ its previous quantum states

In the future, quantum computers are anticipated to solve problems once thought unsolvable, from predicting the course of chemical reactions to producing highly reliable weather forecasts. For now, however, they remain extremely sensitive to environmental disturbances and prone to information loss.

A new study from the lab of Dr. Yuval Ronen at the Weizmann Institute of Science, published in Nature, presents fresh evidence for the existence of non-Abelian anyons—exotic particles considered prime candidates for building a fault-tolerant quantum computer. This evidence was produced within bilayer graphene, an ultrathin carbon crystal with unusual electronic behavior.

In quantum mechanics, particles also behave like waves, and their properties are described by a wave function, which can represent the state of a single particle or a system of particles. Physicists classify particles according to how the wave function of two identical particles changes when they exchange places. Until the 1980s, only two types of particles were known: bosons (such as photons), whose wave function remains unchanged when they exchange places, and fermions (such as electrons), whose wave function becomes inverted.

Antiferromagnetic metal exhibits diode-like behavior without external magnetic field

Antiferromagnetic (AF) materials are made up of atoms or molecules with atomic spins that align in antiparallel directions of their neighbors. The magnetism of each individual atom or molecule is canceled out by the one next to it to produce zero net magnetization.

Researchers in Japan have now discovered that an AF material, NdRu2Al10, has the ability to produce a diode-like effect, meaning electrical current can flow in one direction but not the other (nonreciprocal), similar to the junction of two semiconductors. Their research is published in Physical Review Letters.

Going further with fusion, together

At 4 a.m., while most of New Jersey slept, a Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) physicist sat at his computer connected to a control room 3,500 miles away in Oxford, England. Years of experience running fusion experiments in the U.S. helped guide the U.K. team through delicate adjustments as they worked together to coax particles of plasma—the fourth state of matter—to temperatures that match those found at the heart of the sun.

This late-night, intercontinental collaboration happened many times from 2019 to 2024 during critical experiments at Tokamak Energy’s ST40 facility. It’s just one example of how PPPL is meeting the moment, leading collaborative efforts with private companies and other public institutions to make fusion power practical.

Fusion, the process of combining atoms to release energy, could be the source of a nearly inexhaustible supply of electricity. But there are still challenging scientific and engineering issues to overcome in the quest for power. That’s why scientists are increasingly working together to take fusion further.

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