Sussex researchers make world record-breaking discovery
The team at the University of Sussex has developed a technique to detect tiny electrical fields 100 times more effectively than current methods.
This discovery, published in Nature Physics, has the potential to significantly improve applications in healthcare, defence, underwater detection and communication, and geological prospecting.
The technique was initially developed to create more powerful quantum computers, but its potential extends far beyond this.
Medical experts suggest it could lead to huge breakthroughs in our understanding of mental illness, including in the treatment of depression and epilepsy, through improved and less intrusive brain imaging.
The researchers used a single charged atom inside a vacuum system, combined with a measurement technique they invented, to achieve this feat.
This has made the technique around 100 times more powerful than was previously possible.
However, the discovery has the potential to be one million times more powerful.
Professor Winfried Hensinger, director of the Sussex Centre for Quantum Technologies, said: "We have built a machine that makes use of single charged atoms (ions), capable of unprecedented measurement capability.
"We have managed to tame some of the very strange phenomena of quantum physics to create a device that can detect low frequency electric fields with unprecedented sensitivity.
"And we recently developed a microchip that could enhance this sensitivity even further by yet another 10,000 times.
"Using a different ion species with such a chip could enhance sensitivity indeed by a million times."
James Stone, professor of psychiatry at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, said: "It is an exciting discovery – with development it could open the way for much less intrusive and more detailed 3D imaging of electrical activity in the brain, giving the potential to detect which parts of the brain are active in real-time, and potentially giving insights into how thoughts and sensations are represented in the brain.
"It could potentially lead to huge breakthroughs in our understanding of consciousness, as well as of mental illness, and may even be useful in neurofeedback treatments for mental health conditions such as obsessive compulsive disorder or depression by allowing people to visualise their brain activity and respond directly to it.
"It could also be useful in neurological conditions such as epilepsy – detecting regions of abnormal activity in deeper brain regions than would be possible with existing EEG methods."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
28-07-2025
- Yahoo
'Anti-vax' woman died after refusing chemotherapy
A woman who died after refusing treatment for cancer told a court she was "anti-vax", an inquest has heard. Paloma Shemirani, who had declined chemotherapy for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, suffered a fatal heart attack caused by her tumour at the Royal Sussex County Hospital (RSCH) on 24 July last year. The 23-year-old's mother Kay (Kate) Shemirani, who shared Covid conspiracy theories on social media, has blamed doctors' interventions for her daughter's death. Paloma had also claimed her human rights had been violated by NHS practitioners, likening it to what the Nazis did during WWII, the inquest was told at Oakwood House in Maidstone, Kent. In previous written statements - submitted to the family division of the High Court in spring 2024 and read out at the hearing on Monday - she described the alleged violations as akin to experiments carried out at Auschwitz. Paloma, who grew up in Uckfield, East Sussex, denied even having non-Hodgkin lymphoma, calling it an "absurd fantasy, with no proof". The Cambridge graduate described the diagnosis as "suspected and unconfirmed", adding that she had a "background in natural healing". In addition, she feared that if she were to survive chemotherapy it might make her infertile. "I do not want to undergo such a harsh treatment that could even kill me when there is a possibility this is not cancer", she said. She described her mother, who was struck off as a nurse in 2021, as "an extremely forceful advocate for natural health" who was often "misquoted". Paloma had turned to Gerson therapy - a strict organic vegetarian diet involving enemas - on the advice of her mother's ex-fiancee, Dr Patrick Villers, though Cancer Research UK said there was no scientific evidence of it being an effective treatment. The proceedings, which involve Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, were on the appropriateness of her care and heard how Paloma had said she was "delighted" with her alternative treatment and "sure" she would "make a full recovery" if left to continue it. The inquest, led by coroner Catherine Wood, continues. Additional reporting from PA Media. Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. More on this story 'Our sister died of cancer because of our mum's conspiracy theories' Concern mum 'influenced daughter's chemo refusal' Related internet links Kent and Medway Coroner's Service Solve the daily Crossword
WIRED
25-07-2025
- WIRED
Map Your Brain for Better Sleep (Maybe) With the Somnee Sleep Headband
I have struggled with insomnia for as long as I can remember. I've tried basically every sleep aid on the market, plus I need a sound machine, sleep mask, blackout curtain, and weighted blanket to even begin the process of trying to fall asleep. So I decided to try something new. Before bed, on and off for the past several months, I've been wearing Somnee, a wearable sleep tech headband that aims to map the brain using EEG (electroencephalogram) sensors to deliver individualized therapeutic stimulation to help promote sleep. The rechargeable headband charges nightly on a dock, featuring sticky hydrogel electrodes for the band that need to be replaced every few nights. Nightly, I wore the Somnee for 15 minutes, where my brain was 'mapped' using those EEG sensors and Somnee's algorithms to give a 15-minute personalized therapeutic stimulation (specifically, tACs, or transcranial alternating current stimulation) session at bedtime. Photograph: Molly Higgins Basically, constant, very low electrical currents (1 milliampere at 5 to 10 hertz) deliver stimulations to the brain via hydrogel electrodes on my forehead to evoke sleepiness and promote healthier sleep at night. Somnee claims the stimulation is personalized in real time, responding and shifting based on my own brain's rhythms, in order to make the brain optimal for a restful night's sleep. The wearable tech is connected to an app (subscription required, see below), where you can monitor the 'phase' of the session you're in and view session reports, log your sleep journal, and track sleep trends over time. Generally, I found myself falling asleep sooner on nights I used the device, but not necessarily staying soundly asleep all night. I'm skeptical of just how personalized the electrical stimulation sessions are, but Somnee was successful in getting me to fall asleep. Although maybe not in the way the company intended. Most of all, I found that Somnee was a great way to improve my sleep hygiene—meaning, staying consistent with a pre-bedtime routine and enacting wind-down practices to regulate the body to be ready for sleep. 'Neural Synchrony' Photograph: Molly Higgins Somnee uses sensors and algorithms to get a general map of your brain and delivers a 15-minute, personalized electrical stimulation session. The same noninvasive electrical stimulation technique is used for everything from targeted muscle recovery to more general disorders like anxiety. The device's stimulation reacts in real time to each individual's brain rhythms to optimally balance 'sleep inertia, duration, and depth,' according to Somnee's website.
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Yahoo
‘Eel lanes' being created in South Downs rivers to assist 4,000-mile migration
Dedicated 'eel lanes' are being created in the rivers of the South Downs National Park to assist the migration of the European eel, which makes an 'incredible' 4,000-mile transatlantic journey from its breeding grounds in the Sargasso Sea. The project has been launched by the park authority, which is working with the Western Sussex Rivers Trust to protect the habitat of the eel in the Rother and Ems rivers. It includes the installation of 'fish passes' being created around man-made structures in the rivers which act as a narrow lane of water to provide eels with a route around artificial barriers such as dams and weirs. And eel brushes – strips of bristles – are also being added at new water control structures in RSPB Pulborough Brooks and Pagham Harbour to help eels manoeuvre upstream. A spokesman for the national park said: 'The migration of these eels is quite extraordinary as they undergo several metamorphoses during their lives. 'Spawning in the Sargasso Sea, off the coast of Bermuda, the eel eggs hatch into wriggling pea-sized larvae that have the appearance of a see-through leaf. 'Over the next couple of years, these opaque creatures drift along with the Gulf Stream, their bodies elongating as they enter the next life stage as a 'glass eel'. 'Upon reaching the English coastline, they use the force of the tides – and their new-found body shape at around 8cm in length – to push themselves upstream to make a home in rivers, including the Rother and Ems. 'Once in rivers, they go through more life cycles, growing up to one metre in length and living for up to 20 years, gorging on fish, molluscs and crustaceans. 'The end of their lives sees a fantastic finale. Entering the 'silver eel' stage, their pectoral fins widen, muscle mass increases, their digestive tracts shut down and their eyes grow up to 10 times their original size, all to help see them through one final swim. 'Fighting their way back against strong currents, silver eels head 4,000 miles back across the Atlantic to the Sargasso Sea to spawn.' Aimee Felus, chief executive of the Western Sussex Rivers Trust, said: 'The health of our rivers here in the South East is crucial to the quality of our coastal waters, and vital to the health of the many creatures who call these fresh and salt waters home. 'Through our River Guardian monitoring project we are pushing for higher water quality improvements, quicker identification of pollution incidents and raising awareness of how all communities can get involved to help protect their local rivers. 'By removing man-made structures which limit how easily fish species, including the extraordinary eel, can move around, we are helping improve migration routes and their ability to reach better feeding spots. 'With pollution, sewage and drought all playing a part in the diminishing water quality of our rivers and streams, it's more important than ever that we work together to help protect and enhance these precious habitats for wildlife and humans alike.' Jan Knowlson, biodiversity officer for the South Downs National Park, said: 'The eels we have in the national park are truly remarkable and their incredible migration underlines the important connection between our rivers and seas. 'There's a continuum and all these watercourses are joined up. So healthier rivers ultimately mean healthier seas and vice versa. 'Here at the South Downs National Park, we have eight large river systems, dozens of chalk streams and a sizeable coastline and know that having well-managed, cleaner waterways are absolutely paramount to nature bouncing back across this vast region.'
