Due to its capacity to recover oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin concentrations, functional near-IR imaging is a promising method for neuroimaging and brain mapping. However, because tissues naturally scatter much NIR light, strategies to improve image clarity and quantitative accuracy must be considered. The functional near-IR spectroscopy (fNIRS)-based optical imaging of the brain has recently undergone what [..]

Researchers have created the first completely integrated, non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) gas sensor, made possible by metamaterials, specially engineered synthetic materials. The optical gas sensor is among the smallest NDIR sensors ever made, needs little energy to operate, and has no moving parts. The sensor is perfect for new Internet of Things and smart house gadgets [..]

To improve the detection of pathogens with difficult-to-distinguish molecular fingerprints, such as HIV and viruses that cause respiratory tract infection, sensors in diagnostic tools require nanoscale light manipulation. However, there is no way to make these light manipulation devices without damaging the sensors. Recognizing this, researchers created 3D plasmonic nanoarrays, light manipulation devices that can [..]

Using machine learning, biomedical engineers have developed a technique to improve optical coherence tomography (OCT) resolution to a single micrometer in all dimensions, even in a living patient. The multibillion-dollar optical coherence tomography (OCT) market could benefit from the new optical coherence refraction tomography (OCRT) method by getting better medical images for fields like oncology [..]

Scientists are using data science tools to study molecular activity faster than traditional fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) allows. While FCS estimates dynamical quantities, it requires high signal-to-noise ratios and time traces in the microsecond range. The researchers are using Bayesian analysis to overcome the limitations of fluorescent correlative methods in deducing molecular properties such as [..]

Many specialists believe that a second quantum revolution is about to occur globally. The transistor and the laser were made possible by energy quantization, and the ability of humans to control individual atoms and electrons has the potential to revolutionize a variety of sectors, from communications and energy to medicine and defense. The quantum computer, [..]

The Nobel Prize-winning innovation of super-resolution microscopy, which allows imaging below the diffraction limit of light, has enabled some breathtakingly sharp views of tiny biological structures. However, it is not something you would find in a typical biology lab; instead, it necessitates sometimes using complex and expensive tools and extensive image post-processing. Researchers have developed [..]

A team of researchers at the Dresden University of Technology (TU Dresden; Dresden, Germany) has developed a self-calibrating lensless endoscope that produces 3D images of objects smaller than a single cell. Without a lens or any optical, electrical, or mechanical components, the tip of the endoscope measures 200 µm across. As a minimally invasive tool [..]

The protein aggregates known as beta-amyloid plaques, which develop in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, impair numerous brain processes and have the potential to destroy neurons. They may also compromise the blood-brain barrier, a protective buffer between the bloodstream and the brain. Engineers have now created a tissue model that mimics the effects of beta-amyloid [..]

Since rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease in which the patient’s immune system attacks the lining of their joints, it is generally accepted that aggressive therapy administered within the first three months of the onset of symptoms enhances long-term outcomes for those with RA. Due to the pain, swelling, and damage caused by this [..]

According to the researchers, new two-photon microscopy can capture video of brain activity 15 times more quickly than was previously thought feasible, revealing voltage changes and neurotransmitter release over sizable regions and simultaneously monitoring hundreds of synapses. The new tool, known as scanned line angular projection microscopy, or SLAP, increases the efficiency of data gathering [..]

For the first time, researchers used a powerful microscopy technique in conjunction with automated image analysis algorithms to distinguish between healthy and metastatic cancerous tissue without using invasive biopsies or contrast dye. This novel non-invasive imaging approach could one day assist doctors in detecting cancer metastasis that is otherwise difficult to detect during operations using [..]

Researchers have demonstrated that Raman spectroscopy, an optical technique, can distinguish between benign and cancerous thyroid cells. The new study demonstrates Raman spectroscopy’s potential for improving thyroid cancer diagnosis, the ninth most common cancer in the United States, with over 50,000 new cases diagnosed yearly. The promising results indicate that Raman spectroscopy has the potential [..]

Researchers have created thin coatings that react mechanically and chromatically to specific vapors, drawing inspiration from the chameleon’s skin’s adaptive iridophores, or nanophotonic structures. According to the experts, the resulting “structural-color actuators” could be used for “sensing, communication, and disguise” in soft robotics. These actuators can move and change color in response to changes in [..]

A team of researchers has created and tested a miniaturized virus-scanning system that uses inexpensive components and a smartphone because current methods to detect viruses and other biological markers of disease are efficient but large and expensive (such as fluorescence microscopes). While current tools are accurate at counting viruses, they are often too laborious for [..]

It is critical for patients with kidney failure who require dialysis to remove fluid at the correct rate and stop at the correct time. This usually entails estimating how much water to remove and closely monitoring the patient for any sudden drops in blood pressure. There is currently no reliable, simple method for measuring hydration [..]

Building an adjustable zoom lens in a millimeter-thick cell phone, a miniaturized microscope, or the distal end of a medical endoscope necessitates complex lenses that can handle the entire optical spectrum and be electrically reshaped within milliseconds. Researchers have demonstrated an adjustable technique for manipulating light without the use of mechanical movement, resulting in devices [..]

The noninvasive imaging of body organs through turbid biological tissues like skin and muscle is made possible by a novel bio-imaging method that combines ultrasound and optical processes. This newly created optical imaging technique may replace the need for intrusive visual examinations using endoscopic cameras. To examine and identify symptoms of deep tissue disease, invasive endoscopic [..]

Astronomers may soon be able to view galaxies, stars, and planetary systems in exquisite detail thanks to researchers’ development of an ultra-sensitive light-detecting system. The terahertz sensor operates at room temperature, an advance over comparable technology that can only operate at or near minus 454 degrees Fahrenheit. The terahertz sensor generates images with extremely high [..]

Majorana photons, a new superclass of photons, may improve information on quantum-level transitions and brain images and their workings. A research team based their findings on that photons can take various forms while possessing important properties such as polarization, wavelength, coherence, and spatial modes. The team aimed to use a special super form of photons [..]