Seoul (LabNews Media LLC) – Researchers at Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) in South Korea have developed an artificial synapse controlled by the color of incident light, mimicking the balanced learning ability found in the human brain. The team led by Professor Sae Byeok Jo and Professor Wooseok Yang used the semiconductor material silver bismuth sulfide (AgBiS?). By selectively controlling the light color, the connection can be either strengthened ("Remembering") or weakened ("Forgetting"). Near-infrared light triggers an accelerated strengthening of the synaptic connection, while blue light causes rapid weakening. In a simulation for recognizing handwritten digits, the new system showed significantly higher stability. While conventional neural networks lost performance after about 200 training rounds, the recognition accuracy remained stable with the light-controlled system for over 1,000 rounds. The development aims to enable energy-efficient neuromorphic computing systems that function similarly to the brain… 

Vienna (LabNews Media LLC) – An international research team has developed a system that combines a wearable hand orthosis with individual nerve stimulation, significantly improving hand function in patients with neurological injuries. The system, named SensoExo, enables better finger mobility, sense of touch, and grip control. Led by Stanisa Raspopovic from the Medical University of Vienna, the researchers tested the system on 14 patients with impairments following spinal cord or brain injuries. The combination of mechanical support from the exoskeleton and electrical nerve stimulation provided additional benefits compared to using the exoskeleton alone. Patients with severe motor impairments, in particular, benefited from the additional muscle stimulation, which facilitated opening and closing the hand. Patients with significant loss of sensation were able to grasp fragile objects more precisely using artificial tactile feedback, without crushing them. In functional tests, participants showed the highest success rates in grasping and… 

The Oropouche virus has infected significantly more people in Brazil than previously officially recorded. A new study estimates that since 1960, around 5.5 million people in Brazil and a total of about 9.4 million in Latin America and the Caribbean have been infected. Manaus in the state of Amazonas was particularly affected. An estimated 300,000 people were infected there between 2023 and 2024 – almost 260 times more than the reported cases. The seroprevalence in this region increased from 11.4 to 25.7 percent within a year. The virus is not transmitted by the yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti), but by the so-called biting midge (Culicoides paraensis). This is significantly smaller and occurs mainly in rural, humid areas. As a result, conventional mosquito control measures are largely ineffective. The infection usually presents with flu-like symptoms, but in rare cases can cause serious complications such as meningitis, meningoencephalitis, miscarriages, or microcephaly in the unborn child. About one in a thousand…