Technology
press releases.

Technology20 Jan 2026

Using artificial intelligence to understand how emotions are formed

Ikoma, Japan—Emotions are a fundamental part of human psychology—a complex process that has long distinguished us from machines. Even advanced artificial intelligence (AI) lacks the capacity to feel. However, researchers are now exploring whether the formation of emotions can be computationally modeled, providing machines with a deeper, more human-like understanding of emotional states. In this vein, Assistant Professor Chie Hieida from the Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST), Japan, in collaboration with Assistant Professor Kazuki Miyazawa and ...

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Technology20 Jan 2026

Dhaval Jadav joins the SETI Institute Board to help spearhead novel science and technology approaches in the search for extraterrestrial life

January 20, 2026, Mountain View, CA and Houston, TX — The SETI Institute announced that alliant Global CEO, Dhaval Jadav, joined its Board of Directors. Dhaval brings a deep lifelong passion for space science, a strong commitment to STEM education, and a shared belief in the SETI Institute’s mission to explore one of humanity’s most profound questions: Are we alone in the universe? This marks the beginning of a strategic partnership that gives the SETI Institute the ability to leverage alliant’s resources ...

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Technology20 Jan 2026

It started with a cat: How 100 years of quantum weirdness powers today’s tech

A hundred years ago, quantum mechanics was a radical theory that baffled even the brightest minds. Today, it’s the backbone of technologies that shape our lives, from lasers and microchips to quantum computers and secure communications. In a sweeping new perspective published in Science, Dr. Marlan Scully, a university distinguished professor at Texas A&M University, traces the journey of quantum mechanics from its quirky beginnings to its role in solving some of science’s toughest challenges. “Quantum mechanics started as a way to explain the behavior of tiny particles,” said Scully, who is also affiliated with Princeton University. “Now ...

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Technology20 Jan 2026

AI-driven ultrafast spectrometer-on-a-chip: A revolution in real-time sensing

For decades, the ability to visualize the chemical composition of materials, whether for diagnosing a disease, assessing food quality, or analyzing pollution, depended on large, expensive laboratory instruments called spectrometers. These devices work by taking light, spreading it out into a rainbow using a prism or grating, and measuring the intensity of each color. The problem is that spreading light requires a long physical path, making the device inherently bulky. A recent study from the University of California Davis (UC Davis), reported in Advanced Photonics, tackles the challenge of miniaturization, aiming to shrink a lab-grade ...

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Technology20 Jan 2026

A twitch in time? Quantum collapse models hint at tiny time fluctuations

Quantum mechanics is rich with paradoxes and contradictions. It describes a microscopic world in which particles exist in a superposition of states—being in multiple places and configurations all at once, defined mathematically by what physicists call a ‘wavefunction.’ But this runs counter to our everyday experience of objects that are either here or there, never both at the same time. Typically, physicists manage this conflict by arguing that, when a quantum system comes into contact with a measuring ...

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Technology20 Jan 2026

Machine learning lends a helping ‘hand’ to prosthetics

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20, 2026 — Holding an egg requires a gentle touch. Squeeze too hard, and you’ll make a mess. Opening a water bottle, on the other hand, needs a little more grip strength. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are approximately 50,000 new amputations in the United States each year. The loss of a hand can be particularly debilitating, affecting patients’ ability to perform standard daily tasks. One of the primary challenges with prosthetic hands is the ability to properly tune the appropriate grip based on the object being handled. In ...

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Technology20 Jan 2026

Artificial light at night extends pollen season

Artificial light at night extends pollen season and increases allergen exposure in northeastern United States cities. Lin Meng and colleagues analyzed 12 years of pollen data from 12 monitoring stations across the Northeastern United States, combining measurements with satellite data on artificial light at night and climate records. The authors found that higher exposure to artificial light at night was significantly associated with earlier pollen season starts, later season ends, and longer overall pollen seasons, even after accounting for temperature and precipitation. The effect on ...

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Technology20 Jan 2026

Women see AI as riskier than men do

Women perceive artificial intelligence (AI) as riskier than men do, according to a study. Beatrice Magistro and colleagues hypothesized that women are both more exposed to risk from AI and are more averse to risk in general than men. To test their hypothesis, the authors surveyed approximately 3,000 respondents in the United States and Canada in November 2023, using survey provider YouGov’s opt-in panel. Respondents were asked about the extent to which they agree that the risks of generative AI outweigh the benefits. Risk orientation was estimated by analyzing responses to lottery questions, such as whether the respondent would prefer a guaranteed win of $1,000, or a 50% ...

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Technology20 Jan 2026

New quantum boundary discovered: Spin size determines how the Kondo effect behaves

Collective behavior is an unusual phenomenon in condensed-matter physics. When quantum spins interact together as a system, they produce unique effects not seen in individual particles. Understanding how quantum spins interact to produce this behavior is central to modern condensed-matter physics. Among these phenomena, the Kondo effect—the interaction between localized spins and conduction electrons—plays a central role in many quantum phenomena. Yet in real materials, the presence of additional charges and orbital degrees of freedom make it difficult to isolate the essential quantum mechanism behind the Kondo ...

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Technology19 Jan 2026

Hidden order in quantum chaos: the pseudogap

Physicists have uncovered a link between magnetism and a mysterious phase of matter called the pseudogap, which appears in certain quantum materials just above the temperature at which they become superconducting. The findings could help researchers design new materials with sought-after properties such as high-temperature superconductivity, in which electric current flows without resistance. Using a quantum simulator chilled to just above absolute zero, the researchers discovered a universal pattern in how electrons — which can have spin ...

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Technology19 Jan 2026

Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening welcomes new scientific director: Madeline M. Farley, Ph.D.

The Society of Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS), announces the appointment of Madeline M. Farley, PhD, as its new Scientific Director, effective January 19. Farley joins SLAS after serving as Chief Scientific Officer, Biochemistry & Bioanalytical Division at Genesis Drug Discovery & Development (GD3) in Township, NJ, as well as Managing Director for PharmOptima, a GD3 subsidiary. As Chief Scientific Officer, she led teams across three U.S. laboratory sites, built the Ocular Center of Excellence and oversaw regulated and exploratory bioanalysis. “I’m excited ...

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Technology19 Jan 2026

Observing positronium beam as a quantum matter wave for the first time

One of the discoveries that fundamentally distinguished the emerging field of quantum physics from classical physics was the observation that matter behaves differently at the smallest scales. A key finding was wave-particle duality, the revelation that particles can exhibit wave-like properties. This duality was famously demonstrated in the double-slit experiment. When electrons were fired through two slits, they created an interference pattern of light and dark fringes on a detector. This pattern showed that each electron behaved like a wave, with its quantum wave-function passing through both slits and interfering with itself. The same phenomenon ...

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Technology19 Jan 2026

IEEE study investigates the effects of pointing error on quantum key distribution systems

Quantum key distribution (QKD) is an emerging communication technology that utilizes quantum mechanics principles to ensure highly secure communication between two parties. It enables the sender and receiver to generate a shared secret key over a channel that may be monitored by an attacker. Any attempt to eavesdrop introduces detectable errors in the quantum signals, allowing communicating parties to detect if communication is compromised via QKD protocols. Among the various parameters that influence the performance of QKD systems, ...

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Technology19 Jan 2026

Quantum ‘alchemy’ made feasible with excitons

What if you could create new materials just by shining a light at them? To most, this sounds like science fiction or alchemy, but to physicists investigating the burgeoning field of Floquet engineering, this is the goal. With a periodic drive, like light, scientists can ‘dress up’ the electronic structure of any material, altering its fundamental properties – such as turning a simple semiconductor into a superconductor. While the theory of Floquet physics has been investigated since a bold proposal by Oka and Aoki in 2009, ...

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Technology19 Jan 2026

USF-led study: AI helps reveal global surge in floating algae

Media Contact: John Dudley (814) 490-3290 (cell) jjdudley@usf.edu Click here for images and a PDF of the journal article EMBARGOED UNTIL MONDAY, JAN. 19, 2026, AT 5 A.M. ET Key takeaways: AI analysis of 20 years of satellite data shows floating macroalgae blooms expanding worldwide, with rapid growth beginning around 2008–2010. Researchers used deep learning and high-performance computing to detect algae that often make up less than 1% of a satellite pixel — a task not possible without artificial intelligence. While floating algae can support marine life offshore, large blooms threaten coastal ecosystems, tourism and ...

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Technology16 Jan 2026

World-first tool reduces harmful engagement with AI-generated explicit images

World’s first research-backed intervention reduces harmful engagement with AI-generated explicit imagery. As the Grok AI-undressing controversy grows, researchers say user education must complement regulation and legislation. Study links belief in deepfake pornography myths to higher risk of engagement with non-consensual AI imagery. Friday, 16 January 2026: A new evidence-based online educational tool aims to curb the watching, sharing, and creation of AI-generated explicit imagery. Developed by researchers at University College Cork (UCC), the free 10-minute intervention Deepfakes/Real Harms is designed to reduce users’ willingness ...

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Technology15 Jan 2026

Professor Tae-Woo Lee's research group develops groundbreaking perovskite display technology demonstrating the highest efficiency and industry-level operational lifetime

A domestic research team led by Professor Tae-Woo Lee (Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Republic of Korea & SN Display Co., Ltd) has developed a hierarchical-shell perovskite nanocrystal technology that simultaneously overcomes the long-standing instability of metal-halide perovskite emitters while achieving record-breaking quantum yield, operational stability, and scalability. This breakthrough paves the way for next-generation vivid-color display technologies. The results were published in the world’s leading academic journal ...

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Technology15 Jan 2026

Autonomous AI agents developed to detect early signs of cognitive decline

A team of Mass General Brigham researchers has developed one of the first fully autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) systems capable of screening for cognitive impairment using routine clinical documentation. The system, which requires no human intervention or prompting after deployment, achieved 98% specificity in real-world validation testing. Results are published in npj Digital Medicine. Alongside the publication, the team is releasing Pythia, an open-source tool that enables any healthcare system or research institution to deploy autonomous prompt optimization for their own AI screening applications. "We didn't build a single AI model — ...

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Technology15 Jan 2026

Forestry is becoming digital and automated

With 440,000 employees and a value added of around 43 billion euros, the Austrian forestry and timber sector is a significant economic factor. However, the sector is suffering from a considerable shortage of skilled labour. “Forestry is characterised by physically demanding and sometimes dangerous work,” says Mario Hirz from the Institute of Automotive Engineering at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz), “Forestry companies cannot find enough people who are capable of carrying out the dangerous ...

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Technology14 Jan 2026

Hearing aid prescriptions not associated with changes in memory and thinking

Highlights: A new study has found that for people with moderate hearing loss, being prescribed hearing aids had no impact on cognitive test scores. Following people with moderate hearing loss, researchers compared those prescribed hearing aids to those without prescriptions. They found both groups had similar average test scores on memory and thinking tests. However, researchers also found having hearing aid prescriptions was associated with a 33% lower risk of dementia. This finding does not prove that hearing aids reduce the risk. It only shows an association. While no improvement in cognitive test scores was unexpected, factors like most participants having good cognitive health ...

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Technology14 Jan 2026

Quantum simulator sheds light on how nature moves energy in systems like photosynthesis and solar conversion

Researchers led by Rice University’s Guido Pagano used a specialized quantum device to simulate a vibrating molecule and track how energy moves within it. The work, published Dec. 5 in Nature Communications, could improve understanding of basic mechanisms behind phenomena such as photosynthesis and solar energy conversion. The researchers modeled a simple two-site molecule with one part supplying energy and the other receiving it, both shaped by vibrations and their environment. By tuning the system, they could directly observe energy moving from donor to acceptor and study how vibrations and energy loss influence that transfer, providing a controlled way to test theories ...

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Technology14 Jan 2026

An earthquake on a chip: New tech could make smartphones smaller, faster

A team of engineers has made major strides in generating the tiniest earthquakes imaginable. The team’s device, known as a surface acoustic wave phonon laser, could one day help scientists make more sophisticated versions of chips in cellphones and other wireless devices—potentially making those tools smaller, faster and more efficient. The study was conducted by Matt Eichenfield, an incoming faculty member at the University of Colorado Boulder, and scientists from the University of Arizona and Sandia National Laboratories. The researchers ...

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Technology14 Jan 2026

New research shows how AI tools are expanding individual capabilities while contracting scientific attention

Artificial intelligence promises to accelerate scientific discovery and open new frontiers of inquiry. But new research from James Evans (Faculty Co-Director of Novel Intelligence; Max Palevsky Professor of Sociology & Data Science; and Director of the Knowledge Lab) and colleagues reveals how AI tools are expanding individual scientists’ capabilities but narrowing the collective scope of science. Published in Nature, the study analyzed 41.3 million research papers to find that scientists who use AI publish 3.02 times as many papers, receive 4.85 times ...

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Technology14 Jan 2026

A nanomaterial flex — MXene electrodes help OLED display technology shine, while bending and stretching

The organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology behind flexible cell phones, curved monitors, and televisions could one day be used to make on-skin sensors that show changes in temperature, blood flow, and pressure in real time. An international collaboration, led by researchers from Seoul National University in the Republic of Korea and Drexel University, has developed a flexible and stretchable OLED that could put the technology on track for this use and a range of new applications. Recently reported in Nature, their work improves on existing technology by integrating a flexible, phosphorescent polymer layer and transparent electrodes made from MXene nanomaterial. The result is an ...

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Technology14 Jan 2026

Scientists demonstrate first-time use of AI for genetic circuit design

EMBARGOED until 14 January 2026 at 16:00 (London time), 14 January 2026 at 11:00 (US Eastern Time) HOUSTON – (Jan. 14, 2026) – There are hundreds of cell types in the human body, each with a specific role spelled out in their DNA. In theory, all it takes for cells to behave in desired ways — for example, getting them to produce a therapeutic molecule or assemble into a tissue graft — is the right DNA sequence. The problem is figuring out what DNA sequence codes for which behavior. “There are ...

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