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    Artificial neurons replicate biological function for improved computer chips

    October 30, 2025, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Artificial neurons developed by USC team replicate biological function for improved computer chips
    An integrated spiking artificial neuron, with rich neuron functionality, single-transistor footprints, and low energy consumption for neuromorphic computing systems, can be created by stacking one diffusive memristor and one resistor on top of a transistor. The photograph on the cover shows the chip of an array of these integrated neurons, which are fabricated in the university’s cleanroom and have an active region of around 4 μm2 for each neuron. Credit: The Yang Lab at USC

    Researchers at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and School of Advanced Computing have developed artificial neurons that replicate the complex electrochemical behavior of biological brain cells.

    The innovation, documented in Nature Electronics, is a leap forward in neuromorphic computing technology...

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    The Red Spider Nebula, caught by Webb

    October 29, 2025, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    The Red Spider Nebula, caught by Webb
    A large planetary nebula. The nebula’s central star is hidden by a blotchy pinkish cloud of dust. A strong red light radiates from this area, illuminating the nearby dust. Two large loops extend diagonally away from the center, formed of thin ridges of molecular gas, here colored blue. They stretch out to the corners of the view. A huge number of bright, whitish stars cover the background, also easily visible through the thin dust layers. Credit: European Space Agency

    This new NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope Picture of the Month features a cosmic creepy-crawly called NGC6537—the Red Spider Nebula. Using its Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam), Webb has revealed never-before-seen details in this picturesque planetary nebula with a rich backdrop of thousands of stars.

    Planetary ne...

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    Unified memristor-ferroelectric memory developed for energy-efficient training of AI systems

    October 28, 2025, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics

    A unified memristor-ferroelectric memory for the energy-efficient training of AI systems
    Credit: Dupouy/CEA

    Over the past decades, electronics engineers have developed a wide range of memory devices that can safely and efficiently store increasing amounts of data. However, the different types of devices developed to date come with their own trade-offs, which pose limits on their overall performance and restrict their possible applications.

    Researchers at Université Grenoble Alpes (CEA-Leti, CEA List), Université de Bordeaux (CNRS) and Université Paris-Saclay (CNRS) recently developed a new memory device that combines two complementary components typically used individually, known as memristors and ferroelectric capacitors (FeCAPs)...

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    XRISM catches a pulsar’s cosmic wind—and sees a surprising result

    October 28, 2025, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    XRISM catches a pulsar's cosmic wind—and sees a surprising result
    An artist’s conception of a pulsar/main sequence star pair, similar to the one featured in the study. Credit: ESA

    The universe is a strange place. The X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) orbiting observatory recently highlighted this fact, when it was turned on a pulsar to document its powerful cosmic winds.

    The XRISM observatory is a joint mission for NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The mission was also a replacement for the ill-fated Hitomi X-ray observatory, which failed shortly after launch in 2016.

    The discovery comes courtesy of ESA’s Resolve instrument, a soft X-ray spectrometer aboard XRISM. The study looked at neutron star GX 13+1...

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