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At the Berlin synchrotron radiation source BESSY II, the largest magnetic anisotropy of a single molecule ever measured experimentally has been determined. The larger this anisotropy is, the better a molecule is suited as a molecular nanomagnet. Such nanomagnets have a wide range of potential applications, for example, in energy-efficient data storage.

Even highly realistic androids can cause unease when their facial expressions lack emotional consistency. Traditionally, a 'patchwork method' has been used for facial movements, but it comes with practical limitations. A team developed a new technology using 'waveform movements' to create real-time, complex expressions without unnatural transitions. This system reflects internal states, enhancing emotional communication between robots and humans, potentially making androids feel more humanlike.

Even highly realistic androids can cause unease when their facial expressions lack emotional consistency. Traditionally, a 'patchwork method' has been used for facial movements, but it comes with practical limitations. A team developed a new technology using 'waveform movements' to create real-time, complex expressions without unnatural transitions. This system reflects internal states, enhancing emotional communication between robots and humans, potentially making androids feel more humanlike.

Researchers have developed nanodiamond sensors with nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers, offering exceptional brightness and spin properties for quantum sensing and bioimaging. These nanodiamonds outperform commercial options, requiring 20 times less energy and maintaining quantum states 11 times longer. Enhanced sensitivity to magnetic fields and temperature enables precise applications, including disease detection, battery analysis, and thermal management of electronics, marking a significant advancement in nanotechnology-driven quantum sensing for biological and industrial innovations.

Researchers have created a platform, called SIMPL2, that revolutionizes the study of protein-protein interactions by simplifying detection while improving measurement accuracy. While protein-protein interactions have previously been considered 'undruggable' using small molecules, the platform addresses this challenge by facilitating the measurement of these interactions -- improving our understanding of the types of molecules needed to control them.

Bright, twisted light can be produced with technology similar to an Edison light bulb, researchers have shown. The finding adds nuance to fundamental physics while offering a new avenue for robotic vision systems and other applications for light that traces out a helix in space.

Electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft are on track to start commercial passenger carrying services in 2025, but can they stand out from conventional helicopters?

A US facility will pull up to 500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the air per year after it opens in 2025 and sell carbon offset credits to large companies

A map of 31 million galaxies created by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument will be released next year, and could shed light on the origins of this mysterious force

A robotic boom could see thousands of humanoid units entering workplaces and more in 2025, but whether they will have staying power remains to be seen

From auroras to partial eclipses of the sun, Leah Crane is planning out the astronomical events she will be watching next year

In the new photographic collection Our Frozen Planet, Michael Hambrey and Jürg Alean set out to celebrate the world's ice in all its forms

Understanding why we think the way we do is a hot topic for many of 2025’s books – that and finding new ways to re-evaluate old “truths”, says Simon Ing

Around the middle of 2025, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory will begin its mission to help us better understand the cosmos. There's a lot to look forward to, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

Feedback was not all that surprised to learn that we tend to only see major rituals as positive experiences once they have finished

Some prominent researchers argue that we should pay heed to the welfare of AIs. Are they right, wonders Alex Wilkins

Two later-stage trials investigating semaglutide, the drug in Ozempic, for treating Alzheimer's disease are due to complete in 2025, with potentially big results

A Ken Liu, two Adrian Tchaikovsky novels, Succession-style drama (with added telepathy) and a Polish epic. Emily H. Wilson surveys 2025’s sci-fi

Work is under way to produce the first atom of element 120 ever seen on Earth, and the results could be in surprisingly soon

US regulators are expected to approve a disease-resistant pig breed in 2025, opening the door to wider adoption of gene-edited farm animals and crops