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  • Researchers use electrochemistry to boost nuclear fusion rates​​​​

    Researchers use electrochemistry to boost nuclear fusion rates​​​​

    image: 

    The Thunderbird Reactor is a custom-made, bench-top-sized particle accelerator and electrochemical reactor built by an interdisciplinary team at the University of British Columbia.


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    Credit: University of British Columbia, Berlinguette Lab.

    Using a small bench-top reactor, researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) have demonstrated that electrochemically loading a solid metal target with deuterium fuel can boost nuclear fusion rates.  

    Large-scale magnetic confinement fusion—which puts plasmas under extreme temperatures and pressure—is being widely explored as a method for clean energy generation. The experiment published today in Nature takes an entirely different approach—with a more accessible, room-temperature reactor used to study the effect of electrochemical loading on nuclear fusion reaction rates. 

    The team loaded a metal target made of palladium with high concentrations of deuterium fuel—on one side of the target, using a plasma field to load the fuel, and on the other, using an additional electrochemical cell to load the fuel. 

    “The goal is to increase fuel density and the probability of deuterium–deuterium collisions, and as a result, fusion events,” explains Professor Curtis P. Berlinguette, corresponding author of the paper and Distinguished University Scholar at UBC.  

    “Using electrochemistry, we loaded much more deuterium into the metal—like squeezing fuel into a sponge. One volt of electricity achieved what normally requires 800 atmospheres of pressure. While we didn’t achieve net energy gain, the approach boosted fusion rates in a way other researchers can reproduce and build on.” 

    The electrochemical loading of deuterium into the palladium target increased deuterium–deuterium fusion rates by an average of 15 per cent compared to loading the target palladium using the plasma field alone. 

    While the performance boost is modest, it’s the first demonstration of deuterium–deuterium nuclear fusion using these techniques—plasma immersion ion implantation and electrochemical loading. The experiment still used more energy than it created. 

    “We hope this work helps bring fusion science out of the giant national labs and onto the lab bench,” adds Professor Berlinguette. “Our approach brings together nuclear fusion, materials science, and electrochemistry to create a platform where both fuel-loading methods and target materials can be systematically tuned. We see this as a starting point—one that invites the community to iterate, refine, and build upon in the spirit of open and rigorous inquiry.” 

    Nuclear fusion — energy released from combining atomic nuclei, as occurs in the sun — is more powerful than fission (splitting nuclei) and creates less dangerous radioactive waste. 

    The Thunderbird Reactor 

    The Thunderbird Reactor is a bespoke bench-top-sized particle accelerator designed to electrochemically enhance deuterium-deuterium nuclear fusion rates. The three main components of the reactor are a plasma thruster, a vacuum chamber, and an electrochemical cell.  

    Earlier experiments 

    The first demonstration of deuterium–deuterium nuclear fusion dates to 1934, when researchers bombarded a target of solid metal, plated with deuterated material, with high-energy deuterium ions. 

    In 1989, researchers claimed that anomalous heat was generated during the electrolysis of deuterium oxide using a palladium cathode—attributing the heat to the nuclear fusion of deuterium ions. The result could not be independently validated and cold fusion research was effectively banished from mainstream science. The new experiment did not measure heat – it measured hard nuclear signatures like neutrons, which are direct evidence of fusion. 

    Professor Berlinguette and his team’s most recent work builds upon their work with a previous multi-institutional “peer group” that was convened and funded by Google in 2015 to re-evaluate cold fusion. The peer group went public with their efforts through a Nature Perspective in 2019 titled “Revisiting the Cold Case of Cold Fusion”. They found no evidence to support cold fusion claims, but identified multiple lines of inquiry that merited further exploration. 

    UBC was able to continue with the project and make this discovery with the support of the Thistledown Foundation. 

    Method of Research

    Experimental study

    Subject of Research

    Not applicable

    Article Title

    Electrochemical loading enhances deuterium fusion rates in a metal target

    Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

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  • Childhood Poverty Linked to Higher Risk of Adolescent Eating Disorders

    Childhood Poverty Linked to Higher Risk of Adolescent Eating Disorders

    Adolescents who grew up in households facing financial hardship and lower parental education are more likely to experience eating disorder symptoms, according to new findings from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC).1 The study highlights how socioeconomic deprivation in early childhood is associated with disordered eating, body dissatisfaction, and weight and shape concerns during adolescence—while also underscoring that affected teens may face greater challenges in receiving timely diagnoses and access to treatment.

    This prospective cohort study is published in JAMA Network Open.

    A UK cohort study finds socioeconomic deprivation in early life is tied to greater eating disorder symptoms in adolescence, with barriers to care. | Image credit: estradaanton – stock.adobe.com

    “More severe financial hardship was associated with increased risk of disordered eating, weight and shape concerns, and body dissatisfaction,” wrote the researchers of the study. “Lower parental educational attainment was strongly associated with increased odds of offspring’s disordered eating in adolescence.”

    Research on socioeconomic status (SES) and eating disorders highlights the complex ways in which social and family factors shape mental health risks. A Danish study found that higher parental SES is associated with increased risk of anorexia nervosa, with weaker associations for bulimia and eating disorders not otherwise specified.2 These contrasting findings suggest that different eating disorders may have distinct socioeconomic patterns. Importantly, eating disorders occur across the SES spectrum, underscoring the need for equitable access to detection and treatment regardless of background.

    The current study analyzed data from the ALSPAC, a UK-based population cohort that recruited pregnant women in the Avon region with expected delivery dates between April 1991 and December 1992.1 Maternal reports collected from pregnancy through 47 months postpartum provided information on socioeconomic indicators, including parental income, education, occupation, and financial hardship, while area-level deprivation was determined using national statistics linked to residential postcodes.

    The final sample included 7824 children who were alive at age 1 with complete exposure data, retaining 1 twin at random in twin pairs. Eating disorder symptoms, including disordered eating behaviors, weight and shape concerns, and body dissatisfaction, were assessed at ages 14, 16, and 18 years. Data analysis was conducted between October 2022 and November 2024 to examine associations between early-life socioeconomic factors and adolescent eating disorder outcomes.

    A consistent association was identified between childhood socioeconomic deprivation and increased risk of eating disorder symptoms in adolescence. Each 1-point increase in financial hardship was linked to higher odds of disordered eating (OR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.04-1.10), greater weight and shape concerns (coefficient, 0.02; 95% CI, 0.01-0.04), and higher body dissatisfaction (coefficient, 0.22; 95% CI, 0.06-0.37).

    Additionally, lower parental education further amplified risk, with adolescents from these households nearly twice as likely to show disordered eating behaviors (OR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.46-2.23).

    However, the researchers noted several study limitations. First, higher attrition among participants from lower socioeconomic backgrounds may have biased results, particularly the income–disordered eating link observed only at age 14, which could reflect earlier onset or missing data. Second, the data were collected from the 1990s to the 2000s, so findings may not fully reflect today’s economic context. Third, missing parental occupation (10%) and education (3%) data may have introduced bias, and measures of restrictive eating may not have captured severe behaviors typical of anorexia nervosa. Finally, while maternal mental health was considered, the study could not fully adjust for potential genetic confounding.

    Despite these limitations, the researchers believe these findings underscore that socioeconomic disadvantage in early childhood plays a significant role in the development of disordered eating and related concerns during adolescence.

    “Identifying and addressing existing barriers that might prevent young people from deprived backgrounds from accessing eating disorder services should be [a] research and policy priority,” wrote the researchers. “Provision of comprehensive medical training might facilitate identification of a broader spectrum of eating disorder presentations in primary care, particularly in populations who are more likely to be missed.”

    References

    1. Hahn JS, Flouri E, Harrison A, et al. Family socioeconomic position and eating disorder symptoms across adolescence. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8(8):e2527934. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.27934

    2. Koch SV, Larsen JT, Plessen KJ, et al. Associations between parental socioeconomic-, family-, and sibling status and risk of eating disorders in offspring in a Danish national female cohort. Int J Eat Disord. 2022;55(8):1130-1142. doi:10.1002/eat.23771

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  • Electrochemical loading enhances deuterium fusion rates in a metal target

    Electrochemical loading enhances deuterium fusion rates in a metal target

    Materials

    Potassium carbonate (K2CO3, 99%) was purchased from Thermo Fisher Scientific. K2CO3 was kept in a Napco 5831 vacuum oven at 120 °C for at least 24 h to eliminate the residual water. Deuterium oxide (D2O, 99.9%) was purchased from Cambridge Isotope Laboratories and used as received. Iridium wire (0.5 mm, 99.95%) was obtained from Taobao. Ag/AgCl reference electrodes (CHI111) were purchased from CH Instruments. Potassium chloride saturated in H2O was purchased from Fisher Chemical and used as received. Potassium hydroxide (KOH, ≥85%, pellets) was purchased from Sigma-Aldrich and used as a 40K radioactive gamma-ray-emitting source during the neutron detector calibration process.

    Plasma thruster

    The plasma thruster is custom made from SS-316 stainless steel and includes three ring magnets and a set of hexapole magnets. A type N feedthrough, located below the plasma thruster, functions as an antenna to transmit microwaves into the plasma thruster (Supplementary Fig. 14). The type N feedthrough transmits the microwaves by means of a coaxial cable and is controlled through a proportional–integral–derivative (PID) loop. The deuterium flow rate is adjusted by a mass flow controller and fed into the gas inlet on the side of the thruster through SS-304 stainless-steel pipes. The detailed components of the plasma thruster, along with their make and model, are as follows: microwave antenna (Kurt J. Lesker, SS, IFTNG012033M, Type N Feedthrough), ring magnet (CMS Magnetics, NR011-42N, N42 neodymium), bar magnet (20 × 10 × 10 mm N35 neodymium), mass flow controller (ASERT, AST10-DLCMX) and microwave generator (Wattsine, WSPS-2450-200M).

    Vacuum chamber

    The vacuum chamber is a 6-inch 6-way standard ConFlat flange cube (Supplementary Fig. 15) used to provide an environment for the operation of the plasma thruster and PIII into the palladium target. The vacuum chamber physically connects the plasma thruster and the electrochemical cell together. The vacuum system consists of a turbo pump, two dry scroll pumps and a pressure gauge and can reach a minimum pressure of 5 × 10−8 torr. Furthermore, the vacuum system is equipped with a residual gas analyser to monitor the types of residual gas in the vacuum chamber. The vacuum chamber pressure is maintained between 1 × 10−5 and 2 × 10−5 torr during beam loading. The lowest pressure of the vacuum chamber during the electrochemical loading was approximately 4 × 10−5 torr. The detailed components of the vacuum chamber, along with their make and model, are as follows: dry scroll pump (Agilent, IDP-7), turbo pump (Agilent, TwisTorr 305 FS), pressure gauge (Edwards, WRG-S-DN40CF), turbo controller (Edwards, Turbo and Instrument Controller), residual gas analyser (SRS, RGA100), plasma thruster holder (Ideal Vacuum, SS, SWIFT-SEAL P1011088), manual gate valve (Kurt J. Lesker, SS, GV0400MVCF), pneumatic bellows sealed angle valve (Kurt J. Lesker, SS, SA0150PVCF) and vacuum chamber (Kurt J. Lesker, SS, CU6-0600, 6-inch CF UHV Cube).

    Electrochemical cell

    The housing of the electrolysis chamber was custom made from Macor (Machinable Glass Ceramic) and machined in-house using lathes and mills. A Viton O-ring holds the palladium target in place, physically separating the interface between the electrolyte and the vacuum. A brass rod, travelling the length of the electrochemical cell through a channel, connects the palladium target to the high-voltage power supply needed to drive fusion reactions (Supplementary Fig. 16). The detailed components of the electrolysis chamber, along with their make and model, are as follows: electrochemical cell holder (Taobao, SS, KF50 to 50 mm Compression port), spring probe (QA Technology, 100-PLN1609L), viton O-ring (McMaster-Carr, 1284N116), DC–DC converter (Walfront, Buck Boost ZK-4KX), lead-acid battery (Zeus, PC5-12F1-5), remote control switch (eMylo, R121A) and high-voltage power supply (JIAMAN, H2105N-30-17).

    Because the target is held at a high negative voltage (−30 kV), the electrochemical reaction is driven by a floating galvanostat. The galvanostat consists of a DC–DC converter and is powered by a 12 V lead-acid battery. The galvanostat is set to drive the electrochemical reactions at 200 mA between the cathode and the anode for the electrochemical reaction (Supplementary Fig. 17).

    As well as connecting the galvanostat, the brass rod is also connected to a negative high-voltage power supply to drive the fusion reaction. The current value recorded by the high-voltage power supply is returned to the PID system as feedback data for automatic control of the PIII current.

    Fusion reactions in the Thunderbird Reactor

    The annealed and cleaned palladium target was installed into the electrochemical cell, which was then installed into the vacuum chamber. Vacuum was applied to the vacuum chamber until a pressure of less than 5 × 10−6 torr was reached. Once a high vacuum was reached, deuterium gas was supplied to the plasma thruster at a flow rate of 0.5 sccm by a mass flow controller. The reactor control software was started after the mass flow controller read a steady flow rate of 0.5 sccm. The microwave generator was turned on with an input power of 10 W. The gate valve to the vacuum chamber was closed, and the vacuum decreased from 5 × 10−6 torr to 1 × 10−2 torr. We found that reduced vacuum conditions facilitate easier ignition of the plasma. The microwave generator power was increased to 200 W to ignite the plasma, which was verified visually by observing light at the reactor pinhole opening (Supplementary Fig. 18a). The gate valve was then opened to the vacuum chamber. The vacuum chamber pressure stabilized between 1 × 10−5 and 2 × 10−5 torr. The PIII thruster current was controlled through a PID loop (see the above ‘Plasma thruster’ section), which was set to 0.5 mA, with lower and upper thresholds of 0.3 and 0.6 mA, respectively.

    The background rate of neutrons was collected for 5 min using the CAEN CoMPASS software50. The reactor was then started by applying −30 kV to the palladium target using a high-voltage power supply. When the high negative voltage is applied to a target immersed in plasma, electrons are repelled, generating a plasma sheath (Supplementary Fig. 18b). The plasma sheath, an electron-depleted region, appears darker than the plasma jet because it is difficult for ions to recombine with electrons. This sheath has a strong electrostatic field. As ions from the plasma jet enter this region, they are accelerated by the sheath voltage and implanted into the target. A 6.67-mm pinhole is placed at the exit of the plasma thruster during the experiment. The purpose of the pinhole is to limit the PIII current to the 0.5 mA set for the reactor conditions.

    For a beam-loading experiment, the neutron production rate was collected for approximately 2 h. In a typical experiment, a stable state (when the rate of neutron production is no longer changing as a function of time) was reached after approximately 30 min. We define steady state as the period during which all data points remain within ±5% of their mean value over a 30-min interval following the application of high voltage.

    For an electrochemically enhanced experiment, the procedure was the same as above except that the electrochemical cell was turned on after approximately 1 h of reactor operation (see the next section, ‘Electrochemistry in the Thunderbird Reactor’). The electrochemical cell was operated until the stable state was observed after the initial increase in the rate of neutron counts. The vacuum chamber pressure increased over time during the operation of the electrochemical cell, and the final pressure was usually between 3.5 × 10−5 and 4 × 10−5 torr.

    Electrochemistry in the Thunderbird Reactor

    All electrochemistry in the Thunderbird Reactor was conducted galvanostatically at a total current of 200 mA. A combination of a 12 V battery and a DC–DC converter was used to power the electrochemical cell. At a cell current of 200 mA, the cell voltage was approximately 3.8 V (Supplementary Fig. 19). The electrochemical cell was manufactured from a cylindrical piece of Macor (Machinable Glass Ceramic; see the above section, ‘Electrochemical cell’) with a diameter of 50 mm, a length of 265 mm and a 1-cm-diameter opening on the bottom facing the vacuum chamber. The palladium target, 300 μm in thickness with a geometric surface area of 1.5 cm2 exposed to the electrolyte, served as the cathode. The palladium target was sealed with an O-ring at the bottom of the electrochemical cell, with a geometric surface area of 0.785 cm2 exposed to the vacuum chamber. The preparation of palladium targets is described in the ‘Palladium target/cathode preparation’ section. The anode was an iridium wire, 320 mm in length and 0.5 mm in diameter. The iridium wire was rinsed with deionized water, dried with a Kimwipe and heated with a propane torch to eliminate adsorbed water. The cleaned iridium wire was placed into the electrochemical cell at a distance of 1 mm from the cathode. The electrochemical cell was filled with 17 g (13 ml) of 2 M K2CO3 in D2O. The galvanostat was connected to the Pd target and the iridium wire using alligator clips to complete the electrochemical set-up.

    Electrochemical cycling in the Thunderbird Reactor

    The effect of power cycling of the electrochemical cell was tested by turning the galvanostat on and off. An electrochemically enhanced experiment was conducted as described above (see the ‘Fusion reactions in the Thunderbird Reactor’ and ‘Electrochemistry in the Thunderbird Reactor’ sections), with the electrochemical cell being activated after 60 min of beam loading and the neutron production rate stabilizing at 172.6(4) n s−1. The electrochemical cell was then turned off and on, at intervals of 30 min, while the beam loading of the Pd target with plasma continued (Extended Data Fig. 7).

    Palladium target/cathode preparation

    The palladium target was rolled from a palladium bar (100 g, 99.95% purity, purchased from Valcambi). The bar was first manually cold-rolled to <500 μm using a Pepetools 90MM Flat Rolling Mill, then automatically cold-rolled to a final thickness of 300 μm using an MTI EQ-MR100A Electric Roller Press. The final thickness was measured with a Mitutoyo digital micrometer to an accuracy of ±1 μm. Targets were cut from the 300-μm palladium sheet into a disc shape with a diameter of 2.4 cm using a die cutter. The disc-shaped targets were cleaned with deionized water and annealed at 400 °C for 1 h at 10−5 torr in a 50-mm quartz vacuum tube installed in an MTI OTF-1200X-S tube furnace. After annealing, the targets were polished with sandpaper (CW 1200) and washed with isopropyl alcohol using a Kimwipe before use in the reactor. The annealing and cleaning procedures were performed between each fusion experiment to remove deuterium from the palladium. The targets were characterized with XRD to confirm the absence of deuterium from the palladium lattice.

    The annealing procedure was based on Sieverts’ law. According to Holleck43, the relationship between the hydrogen concentration in metals and hydrogen gas pressure is given by:

    $${left(frac{{P}_{{rm{H2}}}}{{P}_{0}}right)}^{1/2}=K(T)n$$

    in which PH2 is the partial pressure of hydrogen, P0 is 1 torr, K(T) is Sieverts’ constant at a specified temperature (for example, 2.1 × 103 at 400 °C) and n is the molar ratio of hydrogen in the metal.

    We assumed the volume fraction of hydrogen gas in the vacuum chamber to be the same as that in ambient air, 5 × 10−5 vol% (ref. 51), which results in PH2 = 5.0 × 10−12 torr for the total pressure of 10−5 torr in the vacuum tube furnace. The molar ratio of hydrogen (n) at 400 °C is:

    $$n={left(frac{5times {10}^{-12}{rm{t}}{rm{o}}{rm{r}}{rm{r}}}{text{1 torr}}right)}^{1/2}/(2.1times {10}^{3})=1.1times {10}^{-9}$$

    This low value of n suggests that the palladium targets will be completely deloaded of hydrogen atoms at a temperature of 400 °C. The deloading was validated experimentally using XRD (Supplementary Fig. 10).

    XRD characterization of palladium targets

    XRD spectra were collected on a Rigaku SmartLab X-ray diffractometer with Cu Kα radiation (1.5406 Å). A 2θ-omega scan for 20–90° with a scan speed of 5° min−1 and a step size of 0.05° was performed using parallel beam optics. The XRD spectra of the Pd targets were collected at three different stages of the experiment: (1) before a fusion experiment; (2) after a fusion experiment; and (3) after annealing the target to remove deuterium from the palladium lattice. For each stage, XRD spectra were measured on both sides of Pd targets: the side exposed to the electrolyte in the electrochemical cell and the other exposed to the D+ beam in the vacuum chamber. Before a fusion experiment, the Pd targets were scanned after the preparation method described above. After a fusion experiment, the Pd targets were removed from the Thunderbird Reactor and transferred to the XRD in ambient air within 20 min for scanning. The Pd targets were scanned again after they were subsequently annealed at 400 °C for 1 h at 10−5 torr to remove deuterium from the Pd lattice.

    Typical XRD spectra of Pd targets are shown in Supplementary Fig. 10. In this example, the fusion experiment included beam-loading for 60 min with a sheath voltage of −30 kV and a plasma current of 0.5 mA. This was followed by electrochemical loading for 60 min with a constant current of 200 mA across the electrochemical cell. Before fusion, the Pd target exhibited diffraction peaks for α-Pd (D/Pd < 0.01 (ref. 52)) phase on both the electrochemical cell and the beam side. The lattice constants for the α-Pd phase before fusion were determined by Bragg’s law for (111), (200), (220) and (311) peaks to be 3.894 ± 0.001 Å for the electrochemical cell side and 3.8941 ± 0.0006 Å for the beam side. These values are consistent with the value of 3.889 Å of pure palladium53. After fusion, the Pd target exhibited diffraction peaks for α-Pd and β-Pd (D/Pd > 0.6 (ref. 52)) on the electrochemical cell side and α-Pd on the beam side. Although we speculate that the absence of β-Pd on the beam side is attributed to the instability of deuterium in the Pd lattice at high temperature caused by the ion bombardment, we do not at present have the infrastructure to provide direct evidence through in situ characterization of the Pd target in a beam-loading environment. The lattice constant of the α-Pd phase on the beam side was 3.896 ± 0.003 Å. After annealing, the Pd target exhibited α-Pd on both the electrochemical cell and beam sides, identical to the Pd target before the fusion experiment. The lattice constants for α-Pd after annealing were 3.8896 ± 0.0004 Å for the electrochemical side and 3.8925 ± 0.0004 Å for the beam side.

    In situ XRD characterization of palladium targets

    In situ XRD spectra were collected on a Rigaku SmartLab X-ray diffractometer with Cu Kα radiation (1.5406 Å) while the electrochemical cell was turned on. Two types of custom 3D-printed electrochemical cell fitted for in situ XRD measurements were used on the sample stage of the X-ray diffractometer. One cell exposed one side of the Pd target to ambient air while electrochemically loading the other side of the Pd target (Supplementary Fig. 11). The other cell exposed one side of the Pd target to vacuum throughout the experiment while electrochemically loading the other side of the Pd target (Supplementary Fig. 12). These cells were designed in-house using SolidWorks computer-aided design (CAD) software and 3D-printed using a Formlabs Form 3 stereolithography 3D printer with Formlabs clear resin (urethane dimethacrylate, methacrylate monomer and photoinitiator). The 200-mA constant current between the Pd target cathode and iridium wire anode was supplied by B&K Precision model 1550 switching DC bench power supply. All in situ XRD experiments were performed at room temperature (25 °C) with a 2 M K2CO3 solution in H2O as an electrolyte.

    We chose the Pd(H) (111) and (200) peaks located at 2θ = 40.1° and 46.6° for in situ XRD measurements. We performed looped scans from 35° to 50° with a scan speed of 5° min−1 and a step size of 0.05°. For the electrochemical loading cycle, the DC power supply and XRD looped scans were initiated at the same time. The DC power supply was kept on at 200 mA for 60 min to load the Pd target, during which 17 scans of XRD measurements were performed. The voltage during the loading was approximately 12 V.

    After the electrochemical loading cycle, we subsequently performed either a natural outgassing cycle in ambient air or under vacuum (10−2 torr). To start the natural outgassing cycle, the DC power supply was turned off to keep the Pd target at its open-circuit potential, while XRD looped scans were continuously performed for 18 h.

    In situ XRD spectra clearly showed the transition from α-Pd to β-Pd phase during the electrochemical loading (Extended Data Fig. 3), which occurred about 20 min after turning on the electrochemical cell. The resulting lattice constant of a β-Pd phase gives the H/Pd ratio using equation (1) in ref. 27, which is correlated to the D/Pd ratio of the Pd target in the Thunderbird Reactor. The electrochemical loading of more than 30 min yielded a single β-Pd phase. The H/Pd ratio achieved was typically around 0.7, indicating the formation of PdD with a high D/Pd ratio during the electrochemical loading in the Thunderbird Reactor.

    We chose 200 mA as the current because it equates to a current density of 133 mA cm−2, as we have previously reported that 100–150 mA cm−2 is an optimal current density in our membrane reactor54,55. XRD measurements of a Pd target loaded at 50 mA (Extended Data Fig. 4) indicated that the α to β transformation was too slow for the timescale of our experiments. The subsequent natural outgassing and vacuum cycles revealed that the β-Pd phase formed during the electrochemical loading cycle persisted over 18 h, both in ambient air and in vacuum (Extended Data Figs. 5 and 6). The outgassing rate did not show a notable difference between ambient air and under vacuum. The H/Pd ratio calculated from the lattice constant of the β-Pd(111) peak for the initial 60 min of the natural outgassing and vacuum cycle was higher than 0.6 for both cases, indicating that a β-Pd phase with a high H/Pd ratio was stable over the timescale of our fusion experiments with electrochemical loading cycled on and off.

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  • Speech by Governor Waller on payments

    Speech by Governor Waller on payments

    Thank you for inviting me to speak today on payments innovation.1 It is an exciting time to work in payments. While I have always been interested in the topic, I would have never imagined decades ago that payments would generate this amount of enthusiasm, where now some of the coolest jobs in tech are working in this area.

    The payment system is experiencing what I have called a “technology-driven revolution,” where the latest advances in computing power, data processing, and distributed networks have fueled growth in innovative new payment services.2 This includes 24/7 instant payments, user-friendly digital wallets and mobile payment apps, and stablecoins and other digital assets. Alongside these new services sits enabling technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI), that has the potential to improve the precision and efficiency of the underlying payment products even further.

    While there has been a lot of excitement, and admittedly sometimes hype, around the possibilities of these new technologies, there have also been some who have been fearful or skeptical of innovation in this space. But we only have to look to history to see that the evolution of the payment system has long been a story of technological advancement.

    In any payment transaction, three things happen. First, an object is bought and paid for with another object. Second, there is a technology for conducting this transaction. Finally, there is a technology for recording the history of the transaction and ownership of the objects. For example, I can go to the grocery store and buy an apple and use a digital dollar in my checking account to pay for it. I tap my debit card on a card reader to conduct the transaction. Finally, the machine prints out a receipt, which is the record of the transaction. The same process applies to the crypto world. I buy a meme coin and use a stablecoin as the means of payment. The transaction takes place using a smart contract. Finally, the transaction is recorded on a distributed ledger.3 There is nothing scary about this just because it occurs in the decentralized finance or defi world—this is simply new technology to transfer objects and record transactions. There is nothing to be afraid of when thinking about using smart contracts, tokenization, or distributed ledgers in everyday transactions.

    The technologies available today might be new, but leveraging innovative technology to build new payment services is not a new story. What I’d like to emphasize today is that the private and public sectors can both embrace innovation within their respective roles.

    First, I will recap how I generally approach these issues. I am a strong believer in the benefits of the free market. I hold the view that it is generally the private sector that can most reliably and efficiently allocate resources and take risks to explore the value of new technologies. I also see firsthand the important role the Federal Reserve plays in fostering a payment and settlement system that is both safe and efficient. Such a system promotes a vibrant economy, since it allows for participation from a broad range of individuals and businesses without requiring them to invest heavily in bilateral arrangements.4

    I would argue that broadly, there have been two models of payments innovation, which can be useful in characterizing the longer-term arc of payments evolution, as well as some recent developments. The first is private sector-driven innovation. As I have noted, this should be the default model. The second approach is where public sector entities like the Fed build platforms that enable the private sector to offer services to their customers. This should be done only rarely, and in instances where there is a specific market need. Both models are important in the payments ecosystem, and I’ll walk through some historical and recent examples.

    Let’s take the first model of private sector-led innovation and use payment cards as an example. Early cards were metal plates or cardboard, then they incorporated magnetic strips, then chips, and now I tap my phone to pay. In the early days of consumer credit used for transactional purposes, privately operated card companies seized on the availability of new technology to support automated card authorizations and processing, continually upgrading over time, to build what are now global networks of interconnected banks that support the preferred payment method for consumers and many small businesses in the United States.5 Here, the private sector demonstrated its ability to effectively build a payment service that met the needs of consumers, all based on proprietary technology. Even still, card networks interact with the broader payments, clearing, and settlement ecosystem, benefitting from Fed-operated payment infrastructures for settlement of interbank obligations.6

    Stablecoins are the latest example of private sector-led innovation in payments.7 The original use of stablecoins was to facilitate crypto trading. Crypto-asset prices can be volatile and as with any financial market, there is a need for traders to move out of relatively risky positions into safer ones with a stable asset price. As the stablecoin market matured, firms found that the properties of stablecoins using distributed ledger technology— including 24/7 availability, fast transferability, and their freely circulating nature —could be attractive for other use cases as well. That includes providing a means to access and hold U.S. dollars, particularly in countries with high inflation or without easy or affordable access to dollar cash or banking services. In fact, I believe that stablecoins have the potential to maintain and extend the role of the dollar internationally. Stablecoins also have the potential to improve retail and cross-border payments.

    I spoke about the maturing stablecoin market in February of this year, and, at the time, I noted the need for a regulatory regime for stablecoins in the U.S to provide regulatory clarity and reduce regulatory fragmentation for market participants.8 Last month, the GENIUS Act became the first major crypto-asset legislation to become law. This was an important step for the payment stablecoin market and could help stablecoins reach their full potential. Stablecoins, like card payments, are a private sector-driven innovation. And, like card payments, we see connections to the traditional payments, clearing, and settlement ecosystem. For example, many stablecoin arrangements use legacy payment services to fund and redeem stablecoin balances.

    In addition to stablecoins, the use of AI in payments is an area where we are seeing significant private sector-led innovation. Here, AI is not serving as payments infrastructure but as an enabling technology that could bring considerable benefits to both private and public sector-operated payment services.

    It may surprise some to learn that, within the financial sector, the payments industry has long been at the forefront of AI adoption. This is true for several major waves of AI technology. Since the early 1990s, payment firms have used machine learning for things like detecting fraud and money laundering, or predicting payment flows and trends.9

    More recently, as large language models and generative AI have matured, payments innovators have used the technology to further enhance fraud detection and compliance systems and to make the cumbersome process of reconciling payments files more accurate and efficient. Agentic AI systems, which operate autonomously by planning and executing multistep processes, appear to be the next wave of AI advancement. While agentic AI is still in its early days, payments innovators in the private sector are once again channeling the promise of this technology and rapidly building out various use cases.

    Now, let’s touch briefly on the second model of public sector innovation of payments infrastructures to support the private sector. Almost since its founding, the Federal Reserve has provided core clearing and settlement infrastructure to maintain the safety and efficiency of the payment system. The Fed has consistently upgraded the infrastructure over time using the latest available technology. For example, in the early 20th century, interbank transfers were effected through telegraph wires—an early version of Fedwire—then through emerging forms of electronic payment messages. Now fast-forward to this century where we have interbank payment systems that process transactions in real time.10 Banks, payment services providers, and even fintechs have used the infrastructure provided by the Fed to build payment services that their customers demand.

    All of this is to demonstrate that the evolution of the payment system has long been a story of technological advancement. Much of this evolution has been led by private sector innovators. Key components have been supported by the Federal Reserve, either providing core infrastructure as a payment system operator or in convening the industry around specific solutions like payment standards.11 These complementary roles have led to a U.S. payment system that operates safely and efficiently and serves as a backbone for commerce in the U.S. and globally. That is why it is important for the Federal Reserve to continue to embrace technological advancements to modernize its services and continue to support private sector innovation.

    The Fed is also conducting technical research on the latest wave of innovations, including tokenization, smart contracts, and AI in payments. As a payment system operator, it is important to understand trends in payments technology so that we can continue to support private sector firms that leverage our infrastructures, as well as understand whether emerging technologies could provide opportunities to improve our existing platforms and services. Finally, we engage with innovators like you to better understand new technologies and their potential to improve payments. In fact, it is my belief that the Federal Reserve could benefit from further engagement with innovators in industry, particularly as there is increased convergence between the traditional financial sector and the digital asset ecosystem. We are working on ways to further that engagement, so stay tuned.

    1. Thank you to Alex Sproveri and Kirstin Wells of the Federal Reserve Board for their assistance in preparing this text. The views expressed here are my own and not necessarily those of my colleagues on the Federal Reserve Board. Return to text

    2. See Christopher J. Waller, “Reflections on Stablecoins and Payments Innovations,” speech delivered via webcast at the 2021 Financial Stability Conference, cohosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and the Office of Financial Research, Cleveland, OH, November 17, 2021. Return to text

    3. See Christopher J Waller, “Centralized and Decentralized Finance: Substitutes or Complements?” speech delivered at the Vienna Macroeconomics Workshop, Institute of Advanced Studies, Vienna, Austria, October 18, 2024.

    Crypto-asset generally refers to any digital object traded using cryptographic techniques. Return to text

    4. See Christopher J. Waller, “What Roles Should the Private Sector and the Federal Reserve Play in Payments?” speech delivered at The Clearing House Annual Conference 2024, New York, NY, November 12, 2024. Return to text

    5. Data from the 2024 Diary of Consumer Payment Choice survey show that more than three-quarters of U.S. consumers prefer credit or debit cards for in-person payments. See Berhan Bayeh, Isaiah Nardone, Shaun O’Brien, and Hailey Phelps, 2025 Findings from the Diary of Consumer Payment Choice (PDF) (Federal Reserve Financial Services, 2025). Return to text

    6. See Susan Herbst-Murphy, “Clearing and Settlement of Interbank Card Transactions (PDF),” Payment Cards Center Discussion Paper (Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, October 2013). Return to text

    7. See Christopher J. Waller, “Reflections on a Maturing Stablecoin Market,” speech delivered at A Very Stable Conference, San Francisco, CA, February 12, 2025. For the purposes of this speech, I will define stablecoins as a type of digital asset designed to maintain a stable value relative to a sovereign currency and backed at least one-to-one with safe and liquid assets. Return to text

    8. See Christopher J. Waller, “Reflections on a Maturing.” Return to text

    9. For example, Visa began using neural networks for fraud detection as early as 1993. See Rajat Taneja, “30 years of AI and counting,” Visa Perspectives, September 14, 2023, https://corporate.visa.com/en/sites/visa-perspectives/innovation/thirty-years-of-ai-and-counting.html. Return to text

    10. See Christopher J. Waller, “What Roles Should the Private.” Return to text

    11. See Christopher J. Waller, “Payments Innovation, Technical Standards, and the Federal Reserve’s Roles” speech delivered at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN, May 17, 2024. Return to text

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  • Late Queen ‘refused to open Bristol Airport over shotgun row’

    Late Queen ‘refused to open Bristol Airport over shotgun row’

    PA Media The late Queen Elizabeth wearing a lilac suit and hat , white gloves and holding a walking stick. She is wearing pearls and a broach. She is flanked by three men in royal livery but their faces are not visible. PA Media

    The late Queen was allegedly annoyed her cousin could not fly with his shotguns

    A relative of the late Queen claims she once refused to open an airport terminal after he was prevented from boarding a flight with his guns on his way to visit her at Balmoral.

    Lord Ivar Mountbatten, 62, a first cousin once removed of Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, revealed he was prevented from taking his shotguns on a flight from Bristol Airport to Aberdeen.

    He told broadcaster Gyles Brandreth’s Rosebud podcast Queen Elizabeth was so irritated she told him: “They want me to open their new terminal. I don’t think I will now.”

    A spokeswoman for Bristol Airport said it was always the case that Princess Anne would open the site, and not the late Queen.

    Lord Mountbatten described how a “sweet check-in lady” told him the hold was accessible from the cabin so the guns would not be secure.

    He claimed Bristol Airport staff refused to budge despite him telling a manager: “The Queen’s sending me a car and she’s expecting me for tea.”

    Princess Anne uses a string to pull open blue velvet curtains to reveal a 'Bristol Airport' sign on a white hoarding. She is wearing a deep red coat and dark gloves and has a small, black handbag hanging from her shoulder.

    Princess Anne opening the terminal extension in 2015, having previously opened the building in 2000

    In the end, his guns were left in the police armory at the airport and Lord Mountbatten took the flight to Scotland to join the Queen for the shooting weekend in the Highlands.

    Later that day at Balmoral, when he recounted the tale to the Queen, it led to her “getting rather irritated” and dispatching an officer to arrange transportation of the guns, Lord Mountbatten said.

    AFP via Getty Images An image of a man in his 60s with short grey hair and a brown beard at a red carpet event. The event's branding, 92NY, is visible in the background. He is wearing a brown jacket, blue pocket square and a blue shirt open at the neck.AFP via Getty Images

    Lord Ivar Mountbatten has become a reality TV star in later life

    The aristocrat, who is also Elizabeth II’s distant cousin, told Brandreth: “She said…’I would like Lord Ivar’s guns to be up here tomorrow morning. Please see to it’.

    “Whereupon she turns back to me and she looks at me over her glasses with a glint in her eye and she says ‘They want me to open their new terminal’. She says ‘I don’t think I will now’.”

    Lord Mountbatten added: “So every time I go back to Bristol Airport now, it was opened by the Princess Royal, I have a quiet laugh to myself.”

    The Princess Royal first opened a terminal building at Bristol Airport in 2000, and later opened a terminal extension in 2015.

    Bristol Airport’s spokeswoman said: “Bristol Airport followed royal protocol which was to request a member of the royal family to open the new terminal through the Lord Lieutenants office.

    “The Princess Royal was always assigned for our area, never the late Queen.”

    Lord Mountbatten is a farmer and businessman, and in later life has become a reality TV star and this year appeared in the third season of the reality show The Traitors US.

    His great-uncle was Earl Mountbatten – Prince Philip’s uncle and mentor, who was assassinated by the IRA in 1979.

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  • Scientists make ‘superfood’ that could save honeybees

    Scientists make ‘superfood’ that could save honeybees

    Georgina Rannard

    Climate and science correspondent

    Gwyndaf Hughes/BBC A close-up photograph of a honeybee with fur, wings, eyes and antennas visibleGwyndaf Hughes/BBC

    Scientists have developed a honeybee “superfood” that could protect the animals against the threats of climate change and habitat loss.

    Bee colonies that ate the supplement during trials had up to 15 times more baby bees that grew to adulthood.

    Honeybees are a vital part of food production and contribute to pollinating 70% of leading global crops.

    “This technological breakthrough provides all the nutrients bees need to survive, meaning we can continue to feed them even when there’s not enough pollen,” senior author Professor Geraldine Wright at the University of Oxford told BBC News.

    “It really is a huge accomplishment,” she says.

    Gywndaf Hughes/BBC A wooden frame from inside a hive that has many bees gathered around the hexagonal holesGywndaf Hughes/BBC

    Honeybees globally are facing severe declines, due to nutrient deficiencies, viral diseases, climate change and other factors. In the US, annual colony losses have ranged between 40-50% in the last decade and are expected to increase.

    Beekeepers in the UK have faced serious challenges too.

    Nick Mensikov, chair of the Cardiff, Vale and Valleys Beekeepers Association, told BBC News that he lost 75% of his colonies last winter and that this has been seen across South Wales.

    “Although the hives have all been full of food, the bees have just dwindled. Most of the bees survived through January, February, and then they just vanished,” he says.

    Gwyndaf Hughes/BBC A man wearing an orange beekeeper suit with hives and trees in the background.Gwyndaf Hughes/BBC

    Nick Mensikov has kept hives for 15 years and sells honey in South Wales

    Honeybees feed on pollen and nectar from flowers that contain the nutrients, including lipids called sterols that are necessary for their development.

    They make honey in hives, which becomes their food source over winter when flowers have stopped producing pollen.

    When beekeepers take out honey to sell, or, increasingly, when there isn’t enough pollen available, they give the insects supplementary food.

    But that food is made up of protein flour, sugar and water, and has always lacked the nutrients bees require. It is like humans eating a diet without carbohydrates, amino acids, or other vital nutrients.

    Sterol has always proved very difficult to manufacture, but Prof Wright has led a group of scientists for 15 years to identify which exact sterols bees need and how engineer them.

    Gwyndaf Hughes/BBC A woman wearing a pink t-shirt and a brown beekeeper suit stands in a field with blue and green bee hives and a greenhouse behind her Gwyndaf Hughes/BBC

    Professor Geraldine Wright was inspired to work on bee nutrition after beekeepers told her about how many of their bees were dying

    In the lab at Oxford, PhD student Jennifer Chennells showed us small clear boxes of honeybees in an incubator that she feeds with different foods she has made.

    She uses kitchen equipment you could find at home to make the raw ingredients, and rolls out glossy, white tubes of food.

    “We put ingredients into what’s like a cookie dough, with different proteins, fats, different amounts of carbohydrate, and the micronutrients that bees need. It’s to try to work out what they like best and what’s best for them,” she says.

    She pushes the tubes inside the boxes and bees nibble at the mixture.

    It’s in this lab that, using gene editing, Prof Wright’s team successfully made a yeast that can produce the six sterols that bees need.

    “It’s a huge breakthrough. When my student was able to engineer the yeast to create the sterols, she sent me a picture of the chromatogram that was a result of the work,” she says, referring to a chart of the substance structure.

    “I still have it on the wall of my office,” she explains.

    See inside the hive that tested honeybee ‘superfood’

    The “superfood” was fed to bees in the lab’s hives for three months.

    The results showed that colonies fed the food had up to 15 times more baby bees that made it to adulthood.

    “When the bees have a complete nutrition they should be healthier and less susceptible to disease,” Prof Wright says.

    Prof Wright says the food would be particularly useful during summers like this one when flowering plants appear to have stopped producing early.

    Gwyndaf Hughes/BBC A man in an orange beekeeping suit holds a wooden frame with bees crawling over it. He is standing in a field with trees and plants.Gwyndaf Hughes/BBC

    Beekeepers often feed supplementary food to bees to sustain them

    “It’s really important in years when the summer came early and bees will not have sufficient pollen and nectar to make it through the winter,” she says.

    “The more months that they go without pollen, the more nutritional stress that they will face, which means that the beekeepers will have greater losses of those bees over winter,” she explains.

    Larger-scale trials are now needed to assess the long-term impacts of the food on honeybee health, but the supplement could be available to beekeepers and farmers within two years.

    The study was led by University of Oxford, working with Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, University of Greenwich, and the Technical University of Denmark.

    The research is published in the journal Nature.

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  • Rosnilimab Continues Best-in-Disease Profile Responses for Rheumatoid Arthritis

    Rosnilimab Continues Best-in-Disease Profile Responses for Rheumatoid Arthritis

    Jonathan Graf, MD

    Credit: University of California, San Francisco

    Rosnilimab has continued to demonstrate a best-in-disease profile in patients with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in updated 6-month data from the phase 2b RENOIR trial.1 The new data further support the use of rosnilimab for RA, continuing on the historic responses demonstrated earlier this year in 12-week data.2

    “RA is a chronic disease that often begins in early adulthood, making it critical to effectively control disease activity over a patient’s entire lifetime and prevent damage to joints and other organs, reduce pain and improve quality of life. Witnessing rosnilimab, with its novel mode of action, dramatically reduce RA disease activity through 6 months in most patients, whether having failed multiple classes of b/tsDMARD therapies or b/tsDMARD-naïve, is truly exciting for patients living with this disease and the field of RA treatment,” study investigator Jonathan Graf, MD, professor of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology at the University of California, San Francisco, said in a statement.1 “Additionally, impressive translational data provide further evidence that by targeting specific PD-1 expressing cells, rosnilimab has a substantial impact downstream on multiple known pathways that drive RA pathogenesis, with the potential to restore immune homeostasis necessary to achieve meaningful, long-lasting disease remission.Developing innovative and safe treatment options with novel modes of action for long-term use is crucial to meet the urgent needs of today’s patients with lifelong disease.”

    By 3 months, most patients receiving rosnilimab showed clinical and symptomatic improvement. All 3 doses of rosnilimab produced statistically significant reductions from baseline in DAS28-CRP and ACR20 at Week 12 compared with placebo. During the placebo-controlled period, both b/tsDMARD-naïve and b/tsDMARD-experienced patients demonstrated rapid ACR20 responses and reductions in C-reactive protein (CRP), consistent with Phase 2b upadacitinib results.

    Rosnilimab showed efficacy similar to JAK inhibitors, with responses deepening through 6 months in CDAI low disease activity (LDA), CDAI remission, and ACR70, particularly in b/tsDMARD-experienced patients at the 400mg Q4W and 600mg Q2W doses. At baseline, patients had high disease activity (mean CDAI 38; median 36). In the intent-to-treat (ITT) population (n = 318), CDAI ≤10 was achieved by 45% at Week 12 and by 69% (n = 220) across doses at Week 14, which was the cutoff for continuing into the all-active treatment period. This requirement set a ceiling on Week 28 response rates under NRI analysis. Anaptys noted that 12 patients who improved after Week 14 could not continue and were imputed as non-responders, although including them would have raised Week 28 CDAI LDA to 73% (n = 232 of 318). Among ineligible patients, ~50% achieved ACR20 at Week 14 and were trending toward CDAI LDA.1

    Responses were durable, with CDAI LDA maintained for at least 2 months off treatment. By Week 34, 83% of CDAI LDA responders remained in LDA, while the remaining 17% were close to the threshold (median CDAI 13). Patient-reported outcomes showed improvements through Week 28. Pain VAS declined from ~65 at baseline to ~15 (a ~50-point change, where MCID is ~10), and HAQ-DI decreased from ~1.6 to ~0.7 (a 0.9-point change, where MCID is 0.22).1

    Clinical findings were supported by biomarker data. Mean CRP decreased by ~50% through Week 28. Blood samples showed ~90% reduction in PD-1high T cells, ~50% reduction in PD-1+ T cells, and an increase in total Tregs, resulting in stable total T cell counts and improved immune balance. Synovial biopsies from the most affected joint showed ~90% reduction in PD-1+ T cells at the 400mg Q4W and 600mg Q2W doses compared with the 100mg Q4W dose. Gene expression in synovium revealed reductions in T cell and B cell activation pathways, as well as decreases in TNF and IL-6–related pathways.

    “This was a robust and well-controlled Phase 2b study with more than 300 patients treated with rosnilimab for up to 6 months. To date, rosnilimab has shown a safe and well tolerated profile with almost all patients choosing to stay on therapy through the end of the study. Rosnilimab has not demonstrated any concerning safety trends or signals, such as those seen with the JAK inhibitors and most other biologics,” Paul Emery, MD, Versus Arthritis professor of rheumatology at the University of Leeds and Leeds Biomedical Research Centre, UK, added.1 “This is remarkable, given these patients have a two-to-threefold increased risk of comorbidities such as infections, cardiac events and malignancies, before accounting for the impact of background DMARDs, mostly methotrexate.”

    REFERENCES
    1. Anaptys Announces Positive Rosnilimab Data Updated Through Six Months in Robust Phase 2b Trial in RA. News release. Anaptys. June 3, 2025. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/06/03/3093190/0/en/Anaptys-Announces-Positive-Rosnilimab-Data-Updated-Through-Six-Months-in-Robust-Phase-2b-Trial-in-RA.html
    2. Anaptys Announces Rosnilimab Achieved Positive Results in RA Phase 2b Trial and Highest Ever Reported CDAI LDA Response Over 6 Months. News release. Anaptys. February 12, 2025. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/02/12/3024946/0/en/Anaptys-Announces-Rosnilimab-Achieved-Positive-Results-in-RA-Phase-2b-Trial-and-Highest-Ever-Reported-CDAI-LDA-Response-Over-6-Months.html

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  • New Graphene Technology Matures Brain Organoids Faster, May Unlock Neurodegenerative Insights

    New Graphene Technology Matures Brain Organoids Faster, May Unlock Neurodegenerative Insights

    Key study findings include:

    • Faster development: Regular use of GraMOS helped brain organoids form stronger connections, better organized networks, and more advanced communication between neurons — even in models made from Alzheimer’s patients.
    • Safe and biocompatible: Graphene did not harm neurons or organoid structure, even over long periods.
    • Enhanced disease modeling: Early-stage Alzheimer’s organoids revealed functional differences in network connectivity and excitability when stimulated.
    • Robotic integration: Graphene-stimulated organoids were linked to a simple robot in a closed feedback loop, enabling it to respond to visual cues.

    From the lab to Alzheimer’s research and beyond

    Because stimulation accelerates neural maturation, researchers can study disease progression sooner and in a more physiologically relevant context. This could improve drug testing timelines and provide new insight into how diseases like Alzheimer’s alter brain circuitry.

    “Our technology bridges a critical gap in organoid research,” said Alex Savchenko, Ph.D., co-senior author and chief executive officer of Nanotools Bioscience. “It offers a reliable, repeatable way to activate neurons, which can transform both fundamental neuroscience and translational studies.”

    Brain meets machine

    Brain organoids interfaced with graphene become responsive to their environment and can change their neuronal networks in response to light. This acquired neuroplasticity offers a huge advantage over computer chips in future artificial intelligence (AI) applications by improving the ability of AI systems to solve complex, unforeseen problems and offering greater fault tolerance and reliability in critical applications.

    In a striking proof-of-concept, the team connected graphene-interfaced brain organoids to a robotic system equipped with sensors. When the robot detected an obstacle, it sent a signal to stimulate the organoid, which then generated a neural pattern triggering the robot to change course — completing the loop in under 50 milliseconds.

    While still far from conscious machines, this integration hints at future neuro-biohybrid systems where living neural tissue and robotics work together for advanced prosthetics, adaptive interfaces or even new forms of computation.

    This study is a major step toward unlocking the potential of graphene in neuroscience, nanotechnology and neuroengineering. The technology could lead to new ways of connecting increasingly complex brain-like tissues to each other — and even to the brain itself. The ability to control and accelerate brain organoid development opens the door to using them as powerful models for testing therapies for neurodegenerative and developmental brain disorders, where damaged connections can disrupt the brain’s ability to process and respond to information.

    Beyond disease research, the approach could be adapted for tissue engineering, offering a noninvasive, precise way to stimulate other types of lab-grown tissues. And by linking living neural networks to machines, researchers may discover how the brain’s adaptability and learning could enhance computers and robotics — with possible future applications in artificial intelligence.

    “This is only the beginning,” said Muotri. “The combination of graphene’s versatility and brain organoid biology could redefine what’s possible in neuroscience, from understanding the brain to creating entirely new technological paradigms.”

    Link to full study.

    Additional co-authors on the study include: Mariana S.A. Ferraz, Angels Almenar-Queralt, Georgia Chaldaiopoulou, Janaina Sena de Souza, Francesca Puppo and Pinar Mesci from UC San Diego School of Medicine; Teng Zhou, Michael Reiss, Honieh Hemati, Francisco Downey and Omowuyi O. Olajide from UC San Diego School of Engineering; Pragna Vasupal from NeurANO Bioscience; Volodymyr P. Cherkas from Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry at the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Bogomoletz Institute of Physiology; Prashant Narute and Dmitry Kireev from University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Carolina Thörn Perez from Universidade Federal do ABC; and, Samuel L. Pfaff from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

    The study was funded, in part, by the National Institutes of Health (A.S.: 1R43MH124563; A.R.M: 1R01MH128365, R01NS123642, 1R01ES033636, MH123828, MH127077, NS105969; EM: 1R43NS122666, 1R43AG076088, 5R44DA050393), Department of Defense W81XWH2110306 (to A.R.M.), the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (DISC2-13866 to A.S.), and the Long-term program of support of the Ukrainian research teams at the Polish Academy of Sciences carried out in collaboration with the U.S. National Academy of Sciences with the financial support of external partners to V.C.

    Disclosures: Alex Savchenko and Elena Molokanova are co-founders of Nanotools Bioscience, a company focused on exploring optoelectronic properties of graphene for bioapplications. Molokanova is listed as an inventor on patents related to the graphene-based optical stimulation technology described in this study (US10137150B2, US10688127B2, CN106458601B, JP6635383B2, EP3157866B1). Alysson A. Muotri is a co-founder and has an equity interest in TISMOO, a company dedicated to genetic analysis and brain organoid modeling focusing on therapeutic applications customized for autism spectrum disorder and other neurological disorders with genetic origins. The terms of this arrangement have been reviewed and approved by the University of California San Diego in accordance with its conflict-of-interest policies. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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  • ‘BTS Movie Weeks’ To Screen 4 of Group’s Concert Films Around Globe

    ‘BTS Movie Weeks’ To Screen 4 of Group’s Concert Films Around Globe

    If you haven’t already begun gearing up for BTS‘ breathlessly anticipated return next year, you’ll get a chance to brush up on RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook’s most iconic looks and movies next month thanks to BTS Movie Weeks. On Wednesday (Aug. 20), the K-pop superstars announced a cinematic celebration featuring screenings of four of their beloved concert films.

    Movie Weeks will hit more than 2,500 theaters in 65 countries/regions from Sept. 24 through Oct. 5 for showings of 2016’s Live 花樣年華 On Stage : Epilogue Remastered, BTS 2017 Live Trilogy EPISODE III THE WINGS TOUR THE FINAL Remastered, BTS 2019 WORLD TOUR ‘LOVE YOURSELF: SPEAK YOURSELF’ LONDON Remastered and BTS 2021 MUSTER SOWOOZOO Remastered.

    The 2016 and 2017 films will screen during the first week, followed by the 2019 and 2021 movies during week two. To celebrate the event, a special all-day screening will take place on the final day (Oct. 5) featuring back-to-back showings of all four movies. According to the release, all four films have been remastered in 4K with 5.1 channel surround sound for the event. Tickets for the screenings will go on sale on Aug. 27 at 9 a.m. ET here.

    In addition to the screenings, the event will also feature online and offline activities for ARMY, with Trafalgar Releasing CEO Marc Allenby saying in a statement, “We are proud to bring this unique festival event to cinemas worldwide in partnership with HYBE, celebrating BTS’ legendary live performances. The response to previous BTS theatrical releases has been phenomenal, and we believe the anticipation surrounding the group’s return will create unforgettable moments for fans in cinemas across the globe.”

    The 100-minute 2016 film is described as “the grand finale of [BTS’] ‘The Most Beautiful Moment in Life’ series,” featuring performances of the songs “Autumn Leaves,” “Butterfly,” “FIRE,” ‘Save ME” and “EPILOGUE: Young Forever.”

    The remastered 105-minute 2017 movie will spotlight performances of “Blood Sweat & Tears,” “DNA” and “MIC Drop.” The 2019 movie finds the group at their world-dominating best at a time when they became the first Korean act to headline London’s Wembley Stadium, while 2021’s MUSTER SOWOOZOO chronicles a “one of a kind ‘FESTA’” uniting the band and ARMY at an open-air performance for their eighth anniversary celebration.

    Now that all the group’s members have completed their mandatory South Korean military service, BTS is gearing up for their full-strength return next year at an as-yet-undisclosed time. In a July 1 livestream the group announced that they will release a new album next spring as the follow-up to their recently released first live album, PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE — LIVE.

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  • Active thyroid surveillance effective, beneficial for older patients

    Active thyroid surveillance effective, beneficial for older patients

    Older patients may benefit most from active imaging and pathology surveillance of small, low-risk papillary thyroid cancer, according to research published August 20 in JAMA Surgery. 

    A team led by Anna Sawka, MD, PhD, from Toronto General Hospital in Ontario, Canada, found that more than three-fourths of patients who chose active surveillance via ultrasound and blood work continued this route in the absence of disease progression or other indications for surgery at long-term follow-up. The group also found that older patients continued with surveillance more often than younger patients. 

    “We were struck by how durable active surveillance was, particularly in older patients,” Sawka told AuntMinnie.com. “The findings reinforce the central role of high-quality ultrasound imaging in safely monitoring small, low-risk thyroid cancers over time.”

    Active surveillance may be favored by some patients in managing low-risk, early-stage cancers. This makes counseling patients important, so they better understand how surveillance ties into patient age. 

    Sawka and co-authors evaluated the durability of active surveillance in patients with small, low-risk papillary thyroid cancer according to age at the time of choosing surveillance. The surveillance protocol included ultrasound exams performed in the joint departmental medical imaging department, blood work, and clinical assessment every six months for two years. This was followed by a yearly assessment if the findings were stable. The team reviewed medical records from patients at baseline and at least yearly and “made a concerted” effort to inform patients of their options. 

    For the study, the researchers focused on the overall rate of surveillance crossover to definitive treatment and the indications that led to crossover events. 

    Final analysis included 200 patients with an average age of 52 years, 155 of whom were under active surveillance and the remaining 45 of whom had immediate surgery. The team followed up with the patients for a median of 71 months. It reported no thyroid cancer-related deaths or any distant metastatic disease. 

    The overall crossover rate from surveillance reached 23.9% (n = 37), with 32 patients completing treatment, three declining surgery, and two awaiting treatment. 

    Crossover reasons included the following: 

    • Disease progression (56.8%), 

    • Patient preference (40.5%), and 

    • Ultrasound imaging limitations preventing accurate tumor measurement under active surveillance (2.6%). 

    For the ultrasound imaging reason, the team highlighted that the tumor border in one patient with Hashimoto thyroiditis was not clearly distinguishable from heterogeneous echotexture of the thyroid parenchyma.  

    The investigators also noted the following rates for five-year age-stratified cumulative overall crossover incidence: 41.5% in patients younger than 45 years, 20.9% in those aged 45 to 64 years, and 5.1% in patients aged 65 years and older (p < .001). 

    They suggested that active surveillance may be offered as a first-line management option for patients with small, low-risk papillary thyroid tumors. This could be “especially relevant” for older patients who may want to avoid surgery.  

    Sawka said the results underscore the importance of precision imaging in supporting non-surgical management pathways for low risk thyroid malignancies. 

    “In our study, active surveillance outcomes were relatively comparable to immediate surgery in terms of overall cancer control,” she added. “It is important to acknowledge that all patients in our study had thyroid cytopathology obtained by fine needle aspiration biopsy prior to enrollment, and the cytology was required to be either positive or suspicious for papillary thyroid carcinoma for inclusion in this study. In follow-up, ultrasound-guided biopsies were only performed if clinically indicated.”

    Sawka also told AuntMinnie.com that the team is continuing to follow this patient cohort as part of a larger, multicenter Canadian study. 

    “This will allow us to gather longer-term outcomes in a broader population base,” she said.

    The full study can be found here.

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