Better understanding their movements is key to developing better medicines, materials, and sensors. But observing and interpreting their motion at the atomic scale has presented scientists with major challenges.
However, researchers in Georgia Tech’s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (ChBE) have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) model that learns the underlying physics governing those movements.
The team’s research, published in Nature Communications, enables scientists to not only analyze, but also generate realistic nanoparticle motion trajectories that are indistinguishable from real experiments, based on thousands of experimental recordings.
A Clearer Window into the Nanoworld
Conventional microscopes, even extremely powerful ones, struggle to observe moving nanoparticles in fluids. And traditional physics-based models, such as Brownian motion, often fail to fully capture the complexity of unpredictable nanoparticle movements, which can be influenced by factors such as viscoelastic fluids, energy barriers, or surface interactions.
To overcome these obstacles, the researchers developed a deep generative model (called LEONARDO) that can analyze and simulate the motion of nanoparticles captured by liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy (LPTEM), allowing scientists to better understand nanoscale interactions invisible to the naked eye. Unlike traditional imaging, LPTEM can observe particles as they move naturally within a microfluidic chamber, capturing motion down to the nanometer and millisecond.
“LEONARDO allows us to move beyond observation to simulation,” said Vida Jamali, assistant professor and Daniel B. Mowrey Faculty Fellow in ChBE@GT. “We can now generate high-fidelity models of nanoscale motion that reflect the actual physical forces at play. LEONARDO helps us not only see what is happening at the nanoscale but also understand why.”
To train and test LEONARDO, the researchers used a model system of gold nanorods diffusing in water. They collected more than 38,000 short trajectories under various experimental conditions, including different particle sizes, frame rates, and electron beam settings. This diversity allowed the model to generalize across a broad range of behaviors and conditions.
The Power of LEONARDO’s Generative AI
What distinguishes LEONARDO is its ability to learn from experimental data while being guided by physical principles, said study lead author Zain Shabeeb, a PhD student in ChBE@GT. LEONARDO uses a specialized “loss function” based on known laws of physics to ensure that its predictions remain grounded in reality, even when the observed behavior is highly complex or random.
“Many machine learning models are like black boxes in that they make predictions, but we don’t always know why,” Shabeeb said. “With LEONARDO, we integrated physical laws directly into the learning process so that the model’s outputs remain interpretable and physically meaningful.”
LEONARDO uses a transformer-based architecture, which is the same kind of model behind many modern language AI applications. Like how a language model learns grammar and syntax, LEONARDO learns the “grammar” of nanoparticle movement, identifying hidden reasons for the ways nanoparticles interact with their environment.
Future Impact
By simulating vast libraries of possible nanoparticle motions, LEONARDO could help train AI systems that automatically control and adjust electron microscopes for optimal imaging, paving the way for “smart” microscopes that adapt in real time, the researchers said.
“Understanding nanoscale motion is of growing importance to many fields, including drug delivery, nanomedicine, polymer science, and quantum technologies,” Jamali said. “By making it easier to interpret particle behavior, LEONARDO could help scientists design better materials, improve targeted therapies, and uncover new fundamental insights into how matter behaves at small scales.”
Unemployment climbed and wage growth fell in the three months to May, according to official figures that will put pressure on the Bank of England to cut interest rates next moth.
Data from the Office for National Statistics, released on Thursday, showed that Britain’s official unemployment rate rose to 4.7% in the three months to May, up 0.1% from April.
Pay growth slipped from 5.3% to 5%, as forecast by City analysts. Unemployment had been expected to remain at 4.6% .
Vacancies in the UK fell in June to 727,000, marking the 36th consecutive month of decline in the number of jobs advertised by employers.
Against a backdrop of negative economic growth coupled with rising inflation, the figures are expected to give the Bank of England a headache before its next decision on interest rates on 7 August.
While inflation rose last month to 3.6%, above the central bank’s 2% target, Threadneedle Street officials are expected to be more concerned about figures showing that the economy contracted by 0.1% in May, adding to a 0.3% decline in April.
The figures also present a problem for the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, who is under pressure over Labour’s economic management and is widely expected to raise taxes in her autumn budget.
The weaker outlook for the UK economy, rising joblessness and the likelihood of cheaper imports, especially from China, could cut inflation sharply.
Analysts are predicting two interest rate cuts this year with the first to take place at the Bank’s August meeting.
skip past newsletter promotion
after newsletter promotion
The Bank predicted earlier this year that the unemployment rate would rise to 4.6% in the three months to May and that more up-to-date HMRC payroll figures for June would register a 70,000 fall from May.
A snapshot of the jobs market in June by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation and the accountancy firm KPMG showed the number of new candidates looking for work rose at the sharpest rate since November 2020, when the UK entered the second nationwide lockdown during the Covid pandemic.
The report also found that, amid a wave of redundancies, permanent placements had dropped at the fastest pace in 22 months.
Shimron Hetmyer went hammer and tongs with five sixes in an over during the Global Super League. (Image: X)
Shimron Hetmyer’s explosive innings of 39 runs off 10 balls, including five sixes in a single over, propelled Guyana Amazon Warriors to victory against Hobart Hurricanes in the Global Super League 2025 semi-final at Providence Stadium on July 16. The Caribbean batter’s onslaught against Fabian Allen in the 10th over transformed a challenging chase of 126, securing Warriors a final berth against Rangpur Riders scheduled for July 18.Warriors were in a precarious position at 42/3 in the ninth over when Hetmyer arrived at the crease. The team needed 84 runs from 63 deliveries at that point. After facing a dot ball and taking a single against Usama Mir, Hetmyer launched his assault in the following over.
India vs England: India fall short at Lord’s, England lead series 2-1
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The decisive 10th over bowled by Allen saw Hetmyer unleash a barrage of sixes. The first maximum sailed over long-on, followed by a fortunate six when Odean Smith dropped a catch that crossed the boundary. Hetmyer then hit the sight screen with the third delivery, followed by another six over deep mid-wicket.After collecting two runs on the fifth ball, Hetmyer concluded the over with another maximum over deep mid-wicket off a short delivery. The over yielded 32 runs, taking Warriors to 75/3 at the halfway mark.Hetmyer’s innings came to an end in the next over after hitting another six off Mir, caught by Jackson Bird. His quick-fire knock had already shifted the momentum, allowing Moeen Ali to guide the team to victory with four wickets and 21 balls remaining.In the first innings, Warriors’ bowling attack restricted Hurricanes to 125 all out in 16.1 overs. Gudakesh Motie claimed three wickets, while Moeen and Imran Tahir picked up two each. Allen top-scored for Hurricanes with 28 runs off 20 balls. Motie received the Player of the Match award.The innings marked a return to form for Hetmyer, who had scored only 13, 12, and 14 in his previous GSL 2025 matches. Prior to this tournament, he had demonstrated his batting prowess in Major League Cricket 2025, scoring unbeaten knocks of 97, 62, and 78 for Seattle Orcas.Hetmyer’s performance comes ahead of West Indies’ five-T20I series against Australia, starting July 20 at The Sabina Park.
ANKARA: President Tayyip Erdogan risks losing support among nationalist Turkish voters in making peace with Kurdistan Workers Party militants, whose burning of weapons last week was dismissed by some as a stunt.
A backlash to Erdogan’s call on Saturday for wide parliamentary support for the process underlines the challenge he faces in balancing nationalist and Kurdish demands, with a failure to do so potentially jeopardizing the plan’s success.
Erdogan’s own future is also at stake: his term runs out in 2028 unless parliament backs the idea of early elections or a change in the constitution to extend a 22-year rule in which he has raised NATO member Turkiye’s profile on the world stage. He insists that personal political considerations play no role.
“The doors of a new powerful Turkiye have been flung wide open,” he said on Saturday of the symbolic initial handover of arms.
While his AKP party’s far-right nationalist coalition partner MHP drove the peace process, smaller nationalist parties have condemned it. They recalled his years condemning the pro-Kurdish DEM party as being tied to the 40-year PKK insurgency that the PKK now says is over.
Erdogan’s comments about “walking together” with DEM drew a cool response from the pro-Kurdish party itself, with DEM lawmaker Pervin Buldan saying there was no broad political alliance between it and the AKP.
AKP spokesperson Omer Celik reaffirmed the president’s nationalist credentials in response to a request for comment on his statement, saying the process “is not give-and-take, negotiation, or bargaining.”
Parliament is convening a commission tasked with deciding how to address Kurdish demands for more autonomy and the reintegration of fighters complying with the February disarmament call of jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan.
The nationalist opposition IYI Party is refusing to take part, with its leader Musavat Dervisoglu describing the peace process at the weekend as a betrayal after a conflict which has killed more than 40,000 people.
“We will not allow the Republic to be destroyed, we will not allow the Turkish homeland to be divided, we will not surrender to betrayal,” he said.
Umit Ozdag, head of the opposition Victory Party, also sought to stir nationalist passions, slamming the commission as a bid to legitimize the PKK and dismissing the event where 30 PKK members burned their guns as a “barbecue party.”
“You don’t just burn 30 rifles and call it a day. Weapons are surrendered, and PKK members interrogated one-by-one.”
A senior Turkish official said the gun burning was an “irreversible turning point.” It is part of a five-stage process culminating in legal reforms and social reconciliation by early 2026, according to another Turkish source.
NUMBER CRUNCHING
While those parties could not derail the peace process alone, Erdogan, a shrewed political operator, is likely to closely monitor public reaction as the commission starts its work.
A private June survey by the Konda pollster seen by Reuters showed that only 12 percent of respondents believe the PKK, designated as a terrorist group by Turkiye and its Western allies, has abandoned the insurgency that it launched in 1984.
It also showed potential candidates for the opposition CHP, now subject to a wide-ranging legal crackdown, beating Erdogan in head-to-head votes in an election.
Erdogan critics say the peace process is aimed at drawing Kurdish support for a new constitution that would both boost their rights and allow him to be a candidate in 2028. He says reform is needed because the constitution is outdated rather than for any personal reasons and he has not committed to running again.
It is unclear whether the commission will propose constitutional change, but such changes require the support of 400 MPs in the 600-seat assembly with the potential for a referendum if more than 360 MPs vote in favor. The AKP-MHP alliance has 319 seats, while DEM have 56.
Any move to hold early elections would also require 360 votes, but that — and the peace process itself — would depend on keeping DEM on board.
After meeting the justice minister on Wednesday, DEM’s Buldan said she had insisted that PKK disarmament proceed in lock-step with legal changes.
“The minister expressed commitment to ensuring the process proceeds legally and constitutionally,” she said, adding that there was no specific timeline for disarmament.
The August timeline for the event aligns with Google’s last year’s early release schedule. That suggests the Pixel 10 series is coming soon.
At the event, Google may launch Pixel 10, 10 Pro, 10 Pro XL and 10 Pro Fold. While Pixel 9a came with a horizontal camera bar, Pixel 10 may not follow the same design. However, all Pixel 10 series are expected to keep a familiar camera design.
According to a Tom’s Guide report, the Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro are expected to feature 6.3-inch displays, while the Pixel 10 Pro XL could offer a larger 6.8-inch screen. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold may include an 8-inch inner display along with a 6.4-inch cover screen.
Moreover, the Pixel 10 series is likely to debut with Android 16 and powered by Google’s custom Tensor G5 chipset for enhanced performance.
Lili Reinhart has signed on to star in and executive produce the upcoming romantic comedy The Love Hypothesis, adapted from Ali Hazelwood’s bestselling novel. The film is being developed by Amazon MGM Studios and MRC, with direction by Claire Scanlon and a script by Sarah Rothschild.
Reinhart, recently honoured at Series Mania for Hal & Harper, will portray Olive Smith, a biology PhD candidate who enters a fake relationship with Dr Adam Carlsen, a respected yet feared professor. As the arrangement unfolds, both characters find their views on love unexpectedly challenged.
Originally published in 2021 by Berkley, Hazelwood’s novel spent 10 months on the New York Times bestseller list and reached readers in 40 countries. It was named Amazon’s Best Romance of the Year.
Scanlon, known for Set It Up and The People We Hate at the Wedding, brings rom-com experience to the project, while Rothschild’s previous credits include The Sleepover for Netflix. Elizabeth Cantillon is producing alongside Reinhart, Catherine Hagedorn, and Hazelwood.
Hazelwood expressed enthusiasm for the adaptation, saying, “Honestly, I still can’t believe this is happening? Elizabeth Cantillon, Claire Scanlon, and Lili Reinhart have all created, produced, or starred in works that I’m absolutely feral about, and I am beyond honoured that they’re choosing to bring their talent to this project.”
