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Brain-inspired neuromorphic algorithms and systems have shown essential advance in efficiency and capabilities of AI applications. In this Perspective, the authors introduce NeuroBench, a benchmark framework for neuromorphic approaches, collaboratively designed by researchers across industry and academia.

The authors demonstrate a large ensemble of quantum dots which is characterized using a cryogenic multiplexer-demultiplexer circuit based on selective area growth nanowires, establishing the feasibility of scaling future quantum circuits.

Yildirim et al. present a computational model of shape perception that integrates intuitive physics to explain how shape can be inferred from the deformations it causes to other objects.

Through optical ‘hyper-parametric’ oscillation in a high-index silica glass microring resonator, scientists demonstrate a fully integrated CMOS-compatible low-loss multiple-wavelength source that has high differential slope efficiency at only a few tens of milliwatts of continuous-wave power. The achievement has significant implications for telecommunications and on-chip optical interconnects in computers.

The scarcity and high price of noble metal catalysts pose critical challenges for the chemical industry, and finding strategies that ensure complete atom efficiency has become a pivotal endeavour. This work introduces the fabrication of amorphous single-layer PtSe_x catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction with high atom-utilization efficiency.

COVID-19-related travel restrictions were imposed in China around the same time as major annual holiday migrations, with unknown combined impacts on mobility patterns. Here, the authors show that restructuring of the travel network in response to restrictions was temporary, whilst holiday-related travel increased pressure on healthcare services with lower capacity.

Previous chaos suffers from limited parallelism for high-speed systems. Here the authors harness chaotic microcombs as parallel chaos, demonstrating low inter-channel correlation and high throughput for random bit generation and optical decision making.

Spermidine, a naturally occurring polyamine, extends the lifespan of mice and is cardioprotective in both aged mice and hypertensive rats. In humans, high dietary spermidine intake is associated with reduced blood pressure and a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease.

Controlling the behavior of a complex network usually requires a knowledge of the network dynamics. Baggio et al. propose a data-driven framework to control a complex dynamical network, effective for non-complete or random datasets, which is of relevance for power grids and neural networks.

Policymakers can evaluate residential communities’ susceptibility and coping capacity to prolonged power outage and identify disparities using the power outage-risk integrated social vulnerability index, a tool based on household surveys, transmission lines, and infrastructure data

Nonlinear modulation within silicon microring modulators hinders the data transmission at optical interconnections. A neural network, proposed by Fangchen Hu, Yuguang Zhang, Hongguang Zhang and coworkers, can effectively mitigate the nonlinearity to accelerate the transmission speed. The results provide insights to integrate AI techniques to facilitate ultrahigh-speed silicon microring modulator design.

The efficiency of running quantum algorithms can be improved by expanding the hardware operations that a quantum computer can perform. A high-fidelity three-qubit iToffoli gate has now been demonstrated using superconducting qubits.

Bioelectronic interfacing with living tissues should match the biomechanical properties of biological materials to reduce damage to the tissues. Here, the authors present a fully viscoelastic microelectrode array composed of an alginate matrix and carbon-based nanomaterials encapsulated in a viscoelastic hydrogel for electrical stimulation and signal recording of heart and brain activities in vivo.

Stable, ultrahigh repetition rate optical clocks are critical for applications in high-speed communications, metrology and microchip computing. Pecciantiet al.present a mode-locked laser based on an integrated microcavity, with repetition rate exceeding 200 GHz and narrow linewidth pulses.

Manipulating nitrogen vacancies in nitrogen-doped diamond is important for quantum information processing. Here the authors use a two-colour excitation to redistribute the localized trapping charges in type-1b diamonds.

On-chip training of machine learning algorithms is challenging for photonic devices. Here, the authors construct nonlinear mapping functions in silicon photonic circuits, and experimentally demonstrate on-chip bacterial foraging training for projection-based classification.

Neighborhood disadvantage and capacity to socially distance have been discussed as factors involved in COVID-19 disparities. Here, the authors develop an inequity index on zip code-level infections, and examine differences in neighborhood utilization of subways in New York City.

Nanostructured superconductors allow dissipationless electrical transport to be exploited in technologically relevant devices. Here, the authors follow how detrimental fluctuations of the superconducting order parameter evolve in Al atomic contacts as their width is controlled by electromigration.

Using five infrastructure sectors (transportation, energy, health, utilities and governance), this Review pays attention to the mechanisms through which smart dimensions of cities operate in terms of how information flows from the device to the decision.

State-of-the-art magnetic skins can only sense in one or two-dimensions, at small spatial resolutions. By combining the ancient art of paper folding, origami, with advanced semiconductor technology, here, authors present cutting edge three-dimensional magnetic sensors.

In this work, the authors demonstrate that pulse current can effectively be used to reduce delamination damage and residual deformation in 3D orthogonal woven composites, enhancing mechanical properties and damage tolerance.

Many mountain species are threatened by climate change and habitat loss. Here, the authors investigate population declines and range shifts of orchids in an alpine region in NE Italy over 28 years. For most species, population size decreased, while range shifts were idiosyncratic with over half of the species lagging behind climate change.

Both poles of asteroid Ryugu, the target of space mission Hayabusa2, preserve the least processed material by space weathering. Here, the authors show detection of 700 nm absorption band in the polar spectra of Ryugu, that allows to constrain the hydrothermal history of its spectrally blue parent body.

A system for realizing many-photon quantum circuits is presented, comprising a programmable nanophotonic chip operating at room temperature, interfaced with a fully automated control system.

Inspired by insects in nature, the authors develop a neuromorphic robotic system with obstacle avoidance, tunnel centering and gap crossing capabilities. Their robotic system accomplishes these multiple capabilities by steering towards regions of low apparent motion.

Across markets accounting for 80 per cent of global diesel vehicle sales, more than a third of diesel nitrogen oxide emissions are in excess of certification limits, causing many deaths.

Programmable metasurfaces may offer a transformative approach to scalable photonic neural networks by overcoming key hardware limitations. This Perspective explores their potential to enhance energy efficiency, computation speed, and adaptability, positioning them as a promising alternative to traditional digital artificial intelligence hardware.

Sequential acquisition and image reconstruction in super-resolved structured illumination microscopy (SR-SIM) is time-consuming. Here the authors optimise both acquisition and reconstruction software to achieve multicolour SR-SIM at video frame-rates with reconstructed images displaying with only milliseconds delay during the experiment.

The combination of object recognition and viewpoint estimation is essential for visual understanding. However, convolutional neural networks often fail to generalize to object category–viewpoint combinations that were not seen during training. The authors investigate the impact of data diversity and architectural choices on the capability of generalizing to out-of-distribution combinations.

A special version of a cavity quantum electrodynamics system, namely one that is embedded within an electronic circuit has been constructed. A superconducting quantum bit interacts with photons from a microwave transmission line. A novel regime can be obtained with this system, namely the strong dispersive limit, where a single photon has a large effect on the qubit without ever being absorbed.

Unreleased acoustic resonators that are fabricated in 14 nm fin field-effect transistor technology and operate from 8 to 12 GHz can be created using phononic waveguides for acoustic confinement and exploiting metal–oxide–semiconductor capacitors and transistors to electromechanically drive and sense acoustic vibrations.

Higher order synchronization in optomechanical devices is relatively unexplored. Here the authors use nonlinear parametric effects to entrain an optomechanical oscillator with a drive signal several octaves away from the oscillation frequency, and demonstrate RF frequency division.

A simple and power-efficient microcomb source is used to drive complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor silicon photonic engines, a step towards the next generation of fully integrated photonic systems.

The usefulness of metal-oxide memristors for memory and brain-inspired computing applications arises from their electronic instabilities, whose details remain limited. In this work, the authors analyze electronic decompositions in several metal oxides, providing new insights for device modeling.

The status and prospects of the memristor industry are analysed and the obstacles and pathways to their implementation are discussed.

The energy required to control a dynamical complex network can be prohibitively large when there are only a few control inputs. Here the authors demonstrate that if only a subset of the network is targeted the energy requirements decrease exponentially.

Water-soluble supramolecular polymers assemble from individual building blocks, but there is a lack of understanding as to how the properties depend on the components. Here the authors show how the introduction of chiral groups can affect the structural features and dynamic behaviour of the polymer.

Across 21 societies, people alter their speech and song when interacting with infants. These infant-directed vocalizations are recognized by listeners. This suggests that forms of human vocalizations may be shaped by their functions.