News from 2026

A glowing transparent cube with a colourful network inside sits in the foreground, surrounded by many dark opaque cubes in the background.

End of ‘black box’ AI? Scientists develop blueprint for transparent system that reveals how it learns and makes decisions

Artificial intelligence that cannot explain how it makes decisions – often called “black box” AI – could soon be replaced by more transparent systems, research suggests.

Artist’s impression of silica–gold nanoparticles acting as “light concentrators”, focusing energy into tiny hotspots to boost terahertz emission. The effect was studied using ultrafast laser pulses. Image generated by Dr Vittorio Cecconi using Adobe Firefly.

Tiny ‘light-concentrating’ particles boost terahertz technology, study shows

Scientists have found a way to boost terahertz technology using particles thousands of times smaller than a grain of sand.
Aerial view overhead flooded houses after a cyclone and rain in Mozambique.

How AI’s language barrier limits climate disaster responses

An opinion piece authored by Professor Nina Dethlefs, School of Science at Loughborough University, and Ifeoluwa Wuraola and Dr Daniel Marciniak, of the University of Hull, for The Conversation.

Images from the study showing particle arrangements (blue) and their patterns (red), generated using the new method, which rapidly maps phase diagrams and identifies crystal structures – including quasicrystals (g and h). Original figure and caption at: https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/nbvt-fgjy

Scientists develop rapid method to uncover hidden structures in materials – including elusive quasicrystals

An international team of scientists, including researchers from Loughborough University, has developed a method to dramatically speed up the discovery and design of advanced materials.
A glowing blue brain at the centre of a digital circuit board, with electric connections radiating outward to represent artificial intelligence and data processing.

Brain-inspired chip could make some AI tasks up to 2,000 times more energy efficient, study finds

A new type of computer chip that uses the physics of materials to process information could make some artificial intelligence (AI) systems far more energy efficient, researchers say.