Archived Intelligence

20 November 2025

Brain's Twin Troubles: Scientists Uncover Shared Roots of Post-Stroke Pain and Depression

For many stroke survivors, pain and depression are a devastating double blow, with up to 65% experiencing both. A comprehensive new review reveals these are not separate issues but are deeply intertwined, stemming from shared roots in brain inflammation and rewired neural circuits. This discovery opens the door to integrated therapies that could treat both debilitating conditions simultaneously.

Full Report

Medicine & Health

Prostate Cancer Strategy: Why ‘More is More’ Isn’t Always the Best Approach

A major new analysis of metastatic prostate cancer treatments reveals a 'one-size-fits-all' approach is outdated. The most effective therapy depends critically on the tumour's volume and timing, with aggressive three-drug 'triplets' best for high-volume cancer, while two-drug 'doublets' are superior for low-volume cases.

Medicine & Health

A Four-Point Plan for Greener Chemical Manufacturing

Responding to mounting environmental and market pressures, researchers have outlined a transformative 'greener-by-design' framework for the pharmaceutical and agrochemical sectors. The new approach embeds sustainability into the core of chemical production from the outset, rather than treating it as an afterthought, by synergistically combining four key strategies.

Computer Science & AI

Plastic Roulette: Scientists Quantify the Deadly Odds for Marine Life

By analysing over 10,000 animal necropsies, scientists have created the first quantitative risk model for plastic ingestion. Their modelling shows that for a seabird, just 23 pieces of plastic can create a 90% chance of death, highlighting the acute danger posed by different types of plastic pollution.

Physics & Astronomy

The Nanoscale Ballet: How Molecules Glide on Ultra-Slippery Surfaces

Scientists are exploring how individual organic molecules skate across surfaces, driven by a complex interplay of forces and quantum effects. By understanding this nanoscale motion, from chaotic jostling to smooth gliding, researchers hope to control the self-assembly of molecular structures for advanced electronics and even shed light on how complex molecules form in space.

Computer Science & AI

The Height Trap: Why Growing Taller Spells Decline for a High-Altitude Shrub

On the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, the shrub Hippophae rhamnoides faces a paradox: the taller it grows, the worse it becomes at transporting water and photosynthesising. This height-induced hydraulic stress, despite some clever adaptations, ultimately drives the plant's decline and even reveals different vulnerabilities between male and female shrubs.

Neuroscience

Secret Social Network of Brain's Learning Receptors Uncovered

Neuroscientists have identified a network of 70 proteins that interact with AMPA receptors, the crucial molecular gatekeepers for learning and memory. This discovery reveals a previously unknown layer of external regulation, showing how proteins like NTM can anchor these receptors in place, fundamentally influencing how our synapses change and strengthen.

Physics & Astronomy

Magnetic Chaos: Nanoparticles Freeze into a 'Superspin Glass' State

Scientists have observed a strange magnetic behaviour in specially synthesised nanoparticles. While their magnetic poles orient randomly at room temperature, cooling them causes a transition into a 'superspin glass'—a frustrated state where the magnetic spins are frozen in a disordered arrangement.

Physics & Astronomy

Magnetic Surprise: Simple Duo Could Forge Powerful New Magnets

By combining computational modelling with high-pressure experiments, scientists have discovered new materials made from just cobalt and bismuth. Theoretical predictions suggest two of these are ferromagnetic, with one phase potentially possessing stronger magnetic properties than some current permanent magnets.

Computer Science & AI

Layered Crystal 'Sandwich' Offers a Recipe for Cleaner Water

Scientists have engineered a novel 'sandwich' crystal that uses sunlight to break down stubborn organic pollutants in water with remarkable efficiency. This layered material, a type of halide perovskite heterojunction, cleverly separates light-generated energy carriers, boosting its catalytic power far beyond its individual components.

Neuroscience

Single Brain Cell Shows Surprising Computing Power

New computer modelling reveals that a single neuron possesses far greater computational power than previously assumed. By using a sophisticated learning rule within its branching dendrites, driven by calcium and reward signals, an individual neuron can solve complex problems once thought to require entire neural networks.

Chemistry & Material Science

Molecular 'Elbow Room' Unlocks Faster, Heat-Resistant Optical Tech

Scientists have engineered new organic molecules with bulky attachments that prevent them from packing together too tightly. This clever design dramatically improves their thermal stability and their efficiency at converting electricity into light, paving the way for faster and more robust optoelectronic devices.