News from 2026

A glowing transparent cube with a colourful network inside sits in the foreground, surrounded by many dark opaque cubes in the background.

End of 鈥榖lack box鈥� AI? Scientists develop blueprint for transparent system that reveals how it learns and makes decisions

Artificial intelligence that cannot explain how it makes decisions 鈥� often called 鈥渂lack box鈥� AI 鈥� could soon be replaced by more transparent systems, research suggests.

Artist鈥檚 impression of silica鈥揼old nanoparticles acting as 鈥渓ight concentrators鈥�, focusing energy into tiny hotspots to boost terahertz emission. The effect was studied using ultrafast laser pulses. Image generated by Dr Vittorio Cecconi using Adobe Firefly.

Tiny 鈥榣ight-concentrating鈥� particles boost terahertz technology, study shows

Scientists have found a way to boost terahertz technology using particles thousands of times smaller than a grain of sand.
Aerial view overhead flooded houses after a cyclone and rain in Mozambique.

How AI鈥檚 language barrier limits climate disaster responses

An opinion piece authored by Professor Nina Dethlefs, School of Science at 木瓜视频, and Ifeoluwa Wuraola and Dr Daniel Marciniak, of the University of Hull, for The Conversation.

Images from the study showing particle arrangements (blue) and their patterns (red), generated using the new method, which rapidly maps phase diagrams and identifies crystal structures 鈥� including quasicrystals (g and h). Original figure and caption at: https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/nbvt-fgjy

Scientists develop rapid method to uncover hidden structures in materials 鈥� including elusive quasicrystals

An international team of scientists, including researchers from 木瓜视频, has developed a method to dramatically speed up the discovery and design of advanced materials.
A glowing blue brain at the centre of a digital circuit board, with electric connections radiating outward to represent artificial intelligence and data processing.

Brain-inspired chip could make some AI tasks up to 2,000 times more energy efficient, study finds

A new type of computer chip that uses the physics of materials to process information could make some artificial intelligence (AI) systems far more energy efficient, researchers say.