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"Researchers have created a thermometer small enough to check the temperature of a single living cell, and even individual cellular regions, such as the nucleus. The nanosensors are made of pentacene - a line of five benzene rings - embedded into tiny crystal fragments that are coated with a cell-friendly polymer. The sensors rely on a quantum property called spin, which causes them to glow when excited by lasers and microwaves - a glow that changes depending on how warm they are."

"A stranded humpback whale became the focus of people's sympathy in Germany, but researchers say that efforts to save it might have done more harm than good. The whale, which was nicknamed 'Timmy', was transported into deeper seas in a water-filled barge as part of a plan fronted by a far-right media personality, among others. Video of the whale struggling in the barge and being dragged by its sensitive fluke have horrified some marine biologists."

"The abrupt termination last year of thousands of research grants by the US National Institutes of Health disproportionately hit researchers from groups that have been historically under-represented in the biomedical sciences - including women, people of colour and investigators from sexual and gender minorities."

Researchers developed pentacene-based nanosensors capable of measuring temperature within single living cells and specific cellular regions like the nucleus. These quantum sensors use spin properties that fluoresce under laser and microwave excitation, with fluorescence intensity varying by temperature. A stranded humpback whale in Germany nicknamed 'Timmy' became the subject of a rescue effort led by a far-right media personality. The rescue involved transporting the whale in a water-filled barge, but video evidence showed the animal struggling and being dragged by its sensitive fluke, causing concern among marine biologists. Recent NIH grant terminations disproportionately affected historically underrepresented groups in biomedical sciences, including women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ researchers, potentially limiting diverse scientific perspectives.

Read at Nature