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Category: innovation – Page 3

Chemotherapy nerve damage linked to immune cell stress pathway activation

Scientists at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, in collaboration with researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine, have made a breakthrough in understanding why many cancer patients develop nerve damage after chemotherapy. Their new study reveals that a stress response inside certain immune cells can trigger this debilitating side effect. This discovery could open the door to new ways to prevent or treat nerve damage in cancer patients.

The study appears in Science Translational Medicine.

Chemotherapy-induced is a common and often severe side effect of cancer treatment, especially with drugs like paclitaxel. It can cause tingling, numbness and pain in the hands and feet, sometimes forcing patients to stop life-saving treatment early. Up to half of all patients receiving chemotherapy may experience this condition, but until now, the exact cause has remained a mystery.

Sci-fi style 4D ultrasound breakthrough reveals full organ blood flow

A new ultrasound-based imaging tech has been developed to map the organ blood flow in four dimensions (3D + time) — a level of detail previously unattainable.

This new medical imaging tech could provide deeper insights into the circulatory system as well as enhance the diagnosis and treatment of blood circulation-related diseases.

The development comes from a team of Inserm researchers at the Physics for Medicine Institute (Inserm/ESPCI Paris-PSL/CNRS) in France.

A Fibre Optic Breakthrough Reveals the Universe in Sharper Detail

Astronomers have discovered a clever way to make a single telescope capture sharper details than should be physically possible. The technique involves feeding starlight through a special optical fibre called a photonic lantern. Anyone else thinking of a certain glowing green lantern from a movie? Alas not, instead of special powers, it splits light according to its spatial patterns like separating a musical chords into individual notes. The researchers achieved resolution that has never been achieved before without linking multiple telescopes together. When they tested the technique on a star 162 light-years away, they not only proved it works but stumbled upon an unexpected discovery, that the star’s surrounding gas disc is mysteriously lopsided.

Nuclear clock technology enables unprecedented investigation of fine-structure constant stability

In 2024, TU Wien presented the world’s first nuclear clock. Now it has been demonstrated that the technology can also be used to investigate unresolved questions in fundamental physics.

Thorium atomic nuclei can be used for very specific precision measurements. This had been suspected for decades, and the search for suitable atomic nucleus states has been ongoing worldwide. In 2024, a team from TU Wien, with the support of international partners, achieved the decisive breakthrough: the long-discussed nuclear transition was found. Shortly afterward, it was demonstrated that thorium can indeed be used to build high-precision nuclear clocks.

Now, the next major success in high-precision research on thorium nuclei has been achieved: When the thorium nucleus changes between different states, it slightly alters its elliptical shape.

Hair regrowth in just 20 days: Taiwanese researchers made a breakthrough hair serum that promises hair restoration within a month

In a breakthrough that could offer new hope to millions experiencing hair loss, researchers from National Taiwan University (NTU) have developed a rub-on serum that reportedly restores hair growth within 20 days. The innovative formulation, derived from natural fatty acids, has shown remarkable results in early laboratory tests and even in limited self-experiments by the study’s lead researcher.

The serum works by stimulating fat cells in the skin to regenerate hair follicles — a process inspired by the body’s natural response to irritation and injury. This mechanism, known as hypertrichosis, has long been linked to increased hair growth following skin damage or inflammation.

According to Professor Sung-Jan Lin, who led the study, the idea emerged from observing how minor skin irritation could trigger hair regeneration. ‘Skin injury not only induces tissue inflammation but also stimulates hair regeneration,’ Lin explained. ‘Our research shows that fatty acids can achieve similar effects safely and effectively.’

Researchers at National Taiwan University have developed a rub-on serum using natural fatty acids that reportedly stimulates hair growth within 20 days. Inspired by the body’s natural response to injury, the serum regenerates hair follicles by stimulating fat cells. The patented formulation has shown promising results in laboratory tests and self-experiments, with plans for human clinical trials.

Weather radar data reveal alarming declines in insect populations

A research team including a Keele University scientist have made a breakthrough in monitoring insect populations across the UK using weather radar data. Traditionally used to track rainfall and storms, these radars are now helping researchers monitor the daily movements and long-term numbers of flying and floating creatures—including bees, moths, flies, spiders, and other arthropods.

Double-layer electrode design powers next-gen silicon-based batteries for faster charging and longer range EVs

New research, led by Queen Mary University of London, demonstrates that a double-layer electrode design, guided by fundamental science through operando imaging, shows remarkable improvements in the cyclic stability and fast-charging performance of automotive batteries, with strong potential to reduce costs by 20–30%.

The research, published today in Nature Nanotechnology, was led by Dr. Xuekun Lu, Senior Lecturer in Green Energy at Queen Mary University of London.

In the study, the researchers introduce an evidence-guided double-layer design for silicon-based composite electrodes to tackle key challenges in the Si-based — a breakthrough with strong potential for next-generation high-performance batteries.

Bacterial motility helps uncover how self-propelled particles distribute in active matter systems

A collaborative team of physicists and microbiologists from UNIST and Stanford University has, for the first time, uncovered the fundamental laws governing the distribution of self-propelled particles, such as bacteria.

Published in Physical Review Letters, this breakthrough has been jointly led by Professor Joonwoo Jeong in the UNIST Department of Physics, Professor Robert J. Mitchell in the UNIST Department of Biological Sciences, and Professor Sho C. Takatori at Stanford University.

The study reveals that the distribution of living bacteria is governed by a delicate balance between their motility and their affinity for specific liquid environments. Interestingly, the findings highlight a phenomenon consistent with the like-attracts-like principle.

Balancing innovation and safety in FLASH radiotherapy

FLASH radiotherapy delivers a cancer treatment dose in less than a second, reducing side effects while maintaining tumour control. This Review explores technological advances, safety considerations and future directions needed to bring this promising ultra-fast radiotherapy approach into clinical practice.

First-ever detection of ‘heavy water’ in a planet-forming disk

The discovery of ancient water in a planet-forming disk reveals that some of the water found in comets—and maybe even Earth—is older than the disk’s star itself, offering breakthrough insights into the history of water in our solar system.

Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have made a first-ever detection of doubly deuterated water (D₂O, or “heavy water”) in a planet-forming disk around V883 Ori, a young star. This means that the water in this disk, and by extension the water in comets that form here, predates the birth of the star itself, having journeyed through space from ancient molecular clouds long before this solar system formed.

The research is published in the journal Nature Astronomy.

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