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When we think about donating something from our body, our minds usually jump to blood, plasma, organs, or tissues. These are life-saving donations we commonly hear about. But there is another powerful donation most people never consider— donating their poo . Yes, your poop. And no, it’s not a joke. For doctors and scientists, stool donations have become an incredibly important tool in treating diseases and conducting research. The microbes living inside your digestive system, collectively known as the gut microbiome , play a huge role in human health. By donating your stool, you can provide these beneficial microbes to help someone recover from a serious illness—or help researchers discover new treatments. Why Donate Your Poo? A Gift You Never Realised You Had Think of a stool donation as giving away a very special type of “organ”—your gut microbiome. This complex “ecosystem” inside your intestine contains trillions of microbes: bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microorganisms...

Robots have become an essential part of modern industry. In factories, warehouses, and production lines, they perform thousands of repetitive tasks quickly, accurately, and tirelessly. Give a robot a clearly defined job—like lifting a component, placing a can on a conveyor belt, or welding a joint—and it performs with incredible efficiency. But ask the same robot to do something more flexible, like unscrewing a light bulb, opening a door, picking up a delicate object from a crowded shelf, or working inside a cramped space, and you quickly see the limitations of today’s designs. The main obstacle lies not in the robot’s intelligence or its sensors, but in a surprisingly small part of its body: the wrist . Traditional robotic wrists are bulky, heavy, complex, and awkward . They usually require multiple motors, sensors, and linkages to simulate the way a human wrist moves. And even then, their movements are often slow, restricted, or imprecise. When a robot must rotate an object precise...

 Neutron stars are some of the most extreme and fascinating objects in our universe. They form when huge stars explode as supernovae and their cores collapse into incredibly dense balls of matter. A neutron star is so dense that a teaspoon of it would weigh more than a mountain. These stars help scientists study gravity, nuclear physics, and even the origins of heavy elements like gold. But in recent years, scientists have started asking a new and exciting question: What if neutron stars also contain dark matter? Dark matter is a mysterious type of matter that does not emit light, absorb light, or interact with normal matter in the usual ways. We know it exists because of its gravitational effects, but no one has ever seen it directly. If neutron stars contain dark matter, their structure, behavior, and the way they collide could be very different from what we currently expect. A new study by Cipriani and team takes a major step toward understanding this possibility. They buil...

Pressure sensors are quietly powering some of the most exciting technologies of the 21st century. From robotic grippers that can gently hold a strawberry, to wearable devices that monitor posture or movement, pressure sensing plays a vital role. But as technology becomes more compact, flexible, and integrated into our daily environments, traditional pressure sensors are struggling to keep up. Most existing sensors are rigid, bulky, and difficult to incorporate into flexible systems like soft robots or smart fabrics. This major limitation has inspired researchers around the world to search for a new sensing strategy—one that is small, stretchable, sensitive, and durable. A breakthrough has now arrived from Japan, where a research team from Shinshu University has reinvented the concept of fiber-based pressure sensing. Their new fiber is not just another version of existing designs—it introduces an entirely different mechanism that turns a core principle of pressure sensing upside down...

For decades, scientists have been searching for a way to combine the best of two worlds: semiconductors , the foundation of today’s electronics, and superconductors , materials that carry electric current with zero resistance. Each plays a vital role in modern technology, but merging their abilities into a single material has always been extremely difficult. Now, a global research team has made a breakthrough once considered nearly impossible. They have successfully turned germanium , a widely used semiconductor, into a superconductor by precisely inserting gallium atoms into its crystal structure. This achievement marks the first-ever demonstration of superconductivity in germanium , unlocking new possibilities for faster, more efficient, and more powerful electronic and quantum devices. Published in Nature Nanotechnology , the discovery represents a major step forward in materials science, quantum engineering, and next-generation computing. Why This Discovery Matters To unders...

Human touch is one of the most expressive forms of communication. A gentle tap, a firm press, or a series of quick touches can carry meaning far beyond words. But digital devices have never truly been able to capture this richness. Phones and tablets only understand simple gestures like taps, swipes, or long presses. That means most of the information our skin can sense remains unused. Now, a new invention is beginning to change this. Scientists have created an AI-enhanced, ultra-soft, wireless skin patch that allows people to send and receive text messages entirely through touch . This skin-like device can interpret touch patterns and convert them into text using the same system computers use—ASCII. Even more impressively, it can also send text back to the user through carefully controlled vibrations. This makes it a two-way tactile communication system , something never achieved before with this level of detail and flexibility. Why Do We Need Touch-Based Communication? Our sk...