science

Among pressing ethical concerns are whether brain organoids can feel pain or become conscious—and how would we know?

A Princeton-led team has built a tabletop device that generates voltage directly from Earth's rotation through its magnetic field. While the power output is orders of magnitude too small for practical electronics, the breakthrough suggests Earth's spin could someday provide constant, fuel-free energy if the effect scales up. The team is now calling for independent labs to reproduce the results.

Scientists have created a fully biodegradable artificial synapse using chitosan from crab shells, plant fibers, and bean extracts. The device operates at just 0.85 femtojoules per signal, making it more efficient than the human brain while retaining memory for nearly 100 minutes (the longest ever for biodegradable synapses). The breakthrough potentially paves the way for AI hardware that learns, adapts, and dissolves without toxic waste.